Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1945)

56 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW March 24, 1945 STR West Coast Offices 6777 HoUywood Blvd. Hollywood 28, Calif. Telephone, Hollywood 2056 PRODUCTION NOTES FROM THE STUDIOS Robert Walker to Portray Jerome Kern in Film Biography,Karloff Pact Renewed/ Crutcher to Do 'Canteen^ Screenplay ►Robert Walker has been assigned to portray the famed composer Jerome Kern in the new MGM picture, "Till the Clouds Roll By." Based on the life of Kern, the screen story will combine drama and music with some of Kern's most popular compositions written into the script. Arthur Freed will produce. ►Director Leigh Jason begins a hunt for locations for Columbia's musical, "Song of Broadway," which has Marjorie Reynolds, Fred Brady, Janis Carter and Loren Tindall in top roles. Script calls for duplicates of an eastern mansion, a New England Country Club and a Pennsylvania garden with fruit trees in flower. Jason hopes to locate all of these sites in the environs of Hollywood. ►Robert Riley Crutcher, one of radio's top writers, has been signed by Sol Lesser to do the screenplay on "Paris Canteen." Crutcher recently created and wrote Eddie Bracken's radio shows. ►B. G. De Sylva has concluded a deal with Hal Wallis, Paramount's other unit producer, to borrow Don De Fore for the romantic lead opposite Betty Hutton in "The Stork Club," which will be De Sylva's initial unit picture. Barry Fitzgerald and Robert Benchley have other top roles. ►"Dreams of Love," a biographical musical-romance based on the life and music of Franz Liszt, immortal Hungarian pianist-composer, will be produced by RKO ►Eleven-year-old Beverly Wills will portray her talented mother, Joan Davis, in RKO's "George White's Scandals of 1945," which co-stars Miss Davis and Jack Haley, with Gene Krupa and his band, swing organist Ethel Smith, Phillip Terry, Martha Holliday, Fritz Feld and Audrey Young heading the cast. Felix Feist is directing, Nat Holt and George White are co-producing. ►Art Thompson, Larry Steers, Tom Martin and Glenn Langan have been signed for featured roles in 20th-Fox's "Dragonwyck," completing casting of top roles for the Ernst Lubitsch production which Joseph Mankiewicz is directing. Gene Tierney and William Eythe co-star. ►Hunt Stromberg has signed Penny Singleton, Spring Byington and Connie Gilchrist for leading roles in his next picture for UA release, "Young Widow," Ida Lupino starrer, which William Dieterle directs. ►Boris Karloff has been signed to a three-picture deal by Universal and his first picture will be "House of Dracula," super-horror story which will bring in all of the characters made famous by Universal. Paul Malvern will produce, Erie Kenton will direct. ►"The Time, the Place and the Girl," Warners' Technicolor musical starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson and Jane Wyman, is before the cameras with opening shots devoted to number featuring Morgan and Carson. Company works in a theatre setting, with thirteen acrobats and ten showgirls supporting the stars. David Butler is directing, Alex Gottlieb producing. l>Henry Hathaway, who recently finished a directorial stint on "Nob Hill" at 20th-Fox, will direct "Now It Can Be Told," factual news drama of the FBI's activities during wartime, which Louis de Rochemont is readying. [►Lawrence Tierney, who played the lead in the Monogram picture, "Dillinger," which King Brothers produced, is again being borrowed from RKO. King Brothers plan to star him in their next, "Payment Due," an original psychological mystery by John Faxon. i>"The Lady in the Lake" by Raymond Chandler has been purchased by MGM and will be produced with an all-star cast. George Haight has been assigned as producer. ►Sharon Douglas has been signed by Paramount for a vamp role in "Our Hearts Were Growing Up," which William Russell is directing with Brian Donlevy heading the cast. Gail Russell and Diana Lynn will again portray the sweet madcaps of the original picture, "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay." ►Ann Gillis has been signed by Warner Bros, for an important role in "Janie Gets Married," Joan Leslie-Robert Hutton starrer. David Butler will direct, Alex Gottlieb produce. i>Hans Salter has been set by Universal as the musical director of "Once Upon a Dream," the Susanna Foster, Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton. Rod Cameron starrer, which Charles Lamont is directing for Producers Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano. ►Ruth Nelson, whose last role at 20th-Fox was in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," has been assigned one of the top femme leads in "High School Hero," which 'James Tinling will put before the cameras shortly for Producer William Girard. Rogers Plans Musical Based on Careers of Tommy, Jimmy Dorsey For the first time in their respective careers, the Dorsey brothers — Tommy and Jimmy — will merge their talents and orchestras as stars of Charles R. Rogers' "My Brother Leads a Band," a modern musical story about the brothers' dramatic rise to success. United Artists will release the film, budgeted by Rogers at almost two million dollars. Most popular hit tunes in the careers of the bandsmen will be featured. The Dorseys are conceded to be two of the top exponents of popular music. Tommy as the world's foremost trombone player, Jimmy as the world's greatest saxophonist. They are credited by record companies with being the leading factors in the sale of more than 30 million records. Set Date for Mexico City Trip Departure of Lindsley Parsons and James S. Burkett, Monogram producers, for Mexico City has been set for March 28, with final securing of air reservations. Parsons will secure atmospheric and background shots for "Casa Manana," and Burkett for "Charlie Chan in Mexico City," and pair expect to be absent for approximately a month. Weather Causes Film Suspension Production work on "Land of the Sky Blue Water" has been temporarily suspended by Monogram, to await more favorable weather conditions in Arizona locations already established. Phil Regan is starred, and Lindsley Parsons is the producer. Haggiag Confers With Fromkess Robert Haggiag, distributor for PRC pictures in North Africa, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy is in Hollywood conferring with Leon Fromkess, president of PRC, on distribution of product in territories reclaimed from the Axis. 'DO IT THIS WAY.' Director Vincent Sherman (right) rehearses his stars, Ida Lupino and William Prince, in a bit of dialog between scenes of the forthcoming Warner Bros, production, "Pillow to Post."