Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1945)

February 17, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADEREVIEW 33 STR West Coast Offices 6777 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood 28, Calii Telephone, Hollywood 205.^ PRODUCTION NOTES FROM THE STUDIOS Myrna Loy to Star in Clarence Brown's 'Guardian AngelaRing LarJner, Jr. Prepares 'Earth High Heaven' Screenplay Paramount Acquires Rights to Broadway Stage Play, 'Dear Ruth' Paramount has closed a deal for screen rights to the Norman Krasna hit play, "Dear Ruth," for one of the largest prices ever paid for a theatrical property, it was announced last week by Henry Ginsberg, studio head, who stated that the purchase is the first in a series of major story properties which Paramount will acquire shortly. "Dear Ruth" will be filmed with Paulette Goddard or the new find, Joan Caulfield, playing the older sister, and Diana Lynn or Mona Freeman as the younger sister. Sonny Tufts will appear in the male star role. The play deals with complications ensuing when an Army Lieutenant returns from overseas to marry a girl with whom he mistakenly believes he has been carrying on a passionate correspondence. Prepare to Film 'Expendable' in Florida With Wayne, Montgomery Preparing to start shooting "They Were Expendable" on location in Florida shortly, MGM has signed John Wayne to co-star with Robert Montgomery and also has assigned three other important roles in the film version of the W. L. White best-seller. Wayne will play Lieut, (jg) "Rusty" Ryan, executive officer of the PT boat commanded by Lieut. John Brickley, to be portrayed by Montgomery. Leon Ames will have the role of Major Evans, Jack Holt will portray General Martin and Ward Bond will play "Boats" Mulcahey. The saga of the PT boats in the Philippines campaign will be directed by Commander John Ford, on leave from the U. S. Navy. Burkett Buys Futuristic Novel Taking a step forward in motion picture production, James S. Burkett has purchased "Earthquake," a futuristic novel by Erik Benson-Hurst, and will make the feature in third dimension as well as in color. Burkett and his backers feel that "Earthquake" will be such a revolutionary step and such an unusual production that they have decided not to secure a release until the picture has been completed. Youngster Added to 'Junior Miss' Barbara Whiting, 13-year-old daughter of the late Dick Whiting, famous music composer, has been added by 20th Century-Fox to the cast of the forthcoming film version of "Junior Miss." Stanley Prager has also been scheduled for a featured role in the same production which William Perlberg will produce and George Seaton will direct. Siegel to Rejoin Paramount Sol C. Siegel will rejoin Paramount in an executive capacity under Henry Ginsberg, studio head, on April 30, following the disbandment of his company, now producing "Kiss and Tell" for Columbia release. F. Hugh Herbert and George Abbott are associated with Siegel in the enterprise. Siegel was associated with Paramount from 1941 to 1944. ^Myrna Loy will have the leading role in MGM's comedy, "Guardian Angel," which Clarence Brown will produce from an original screenplay by Helen Deutsch. This will be her second since her return to the screen, and Brown plans a spring starting date for the comedy. William Beaudine has been signed to direct "Come Out Fighting," Monogram's next East Side Kids comedy-drama to star Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Billy Benedict. Sam Katzman and Jack Dietz produce. ^Jaick McGowan, one of the top musical comedy writers in movies, has been signed by B. G. De Sylva to work with Harry Segall on the screenplay of "The Stork Club," which will be his first Paramount production under personal supervision. Betty Hutton and Barry Fitzgerald have been set for two of the leading roles. J/Eddie Kaye will use a 100-piece orchestra to record the background music of James S. Burkett's production for Republic, "Captain Tugboat Annie." This is first of the new series Burkett is making for Republic. ►Ring Lardner, Jr., has prepared the first treatment of "Earth and High Heaven," the Gwethalyn Graham novel. Samuel Goldwyn will produce. ►Dr. Miklos Rosza has been scoring William Cagney's "Blood on the Sun." Dr. Rosza, using a full orchestra, expects to finish the music this week. Release on the United Artists production is scheduled for some time in April. ►Lt. Gilbert Roland, only a short time out of the Air Forces, will play an important featured role in support of Charles Laughton and Randolph Scott in Benedict Bogeaus' elaborate picturization of "Captain Kidd." The United Artists picture is under the direction of Rowland V. Lee. ^Lee Garmes will handle the photography on Hunt Stromberg's "Young Widow," Ida Lupino starring vehicle which William Dieterle will direct, starting in about two weeks. ►"Command to Love," a romantic comedy-drama to star Turhan Bey, will be filmed by Universal in Technicolor, with George Waggner as the producer-director. Formerly a Broadway stage play, film will be streamlined for Bey. ►"Stolen Wife," Bette Davis starrer which started this week, has Curtis Bernhardt directing. Entire cast, headed by Miss Davis, Glenn Ford, Walter Brennan, and Charles Ruggles, will report at Laguna Beach for location work at a specially constructed lighthouse. ►Screen rights to "Night Editor," popular radio serial, have been purchased by Columbia from Hal Burdick, the program's producer. The characters and background of the radio show will be the basis of a film to be prepared by Leonard Picker. ►Charles Belden is at work on a screen treatment of "Gregory the Great," Monogram film to be produced by Louis Berkoff, veteran Los Angeles theatre owner. Film start is tentatively set for April 2. >"You Came Along" has started at Paramount, with Robert ■ Cummings and Lisbeth Scott starred and John Farrow directing. ►Most important casting news at the moment at Republic is in connection with "Scotland Yard Investigator" to be directed and produced by George Blair. Sir C. Aubrey Smith, Eric Von Stroheim, Stephanie Batch&lor and Forrester Harvey are the top names. Picture started February 16. ►Ned Washington and Lou Pollack have been signed by RKO to write the songs for "The Magnificent Tramp," Cantinflas' first Hollywood starring picture which John H. Auer will produce and direct. Charles O'Curran will stage the dances. ►All of the pathos and simple emotion that epitomizes Ernie Pyles' reports from the front are being recreated under the direction of William Wellman in the shooting of the United Artists release, "Story of GI Joe." Burgess Meredith presents the Ernie Pyle characterization, with Robert Mitchum among the support. ►Charles R. Rogers has signed Frank Cavett, one of the writers of "Going My Way," to script the screenplay of his two-million-dollar Technicolor production, "My Wild Irish Rose," a musical based on the life of Chauncey Olcott, colorful bard of the Gay Nineties. This will be a United Artists release. ►Universal has bought "The Knave of Diamonds," a novel with a New York background by Percy Marks. It has been assigned to Joan Harrison to produce. ►Arnold Albert, recently elevated to producer status at Warner Bros., has been assigned to "Night Shift" as his first production. Joe Pagano is scripting. ►"The Renegades," planned as a big-scale outdoor drama depicting the early days of Kansas, has been placed on the Columbia schedule of Michel Kraike for production. Francis Faragoh will write the script. [yjames Craig and Signe Hasso were assigned the leading roles in MGM's swift drama, "Dangerous Partners," and Edward Cahn has been named as director with Arthur Field producing. Story revolves around a shady lawyer. ►"Payment Due," original psychological drama by Bert Hodgson, has been bought by King Bros., Monogram producers, and the film will be released as a part of the 1944-45 program. ►Don Barry has been re-signed by Republic some weeks ahead of option time, and his next picture will be "The Copy Rider," story of a tough, hard-drinking New York newspaper reporter who goes to town in a western town