Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1945)

30 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW June 30, 1945 PRpDUCTION NOTES FROM THE STUDIOS Seymour Nebenzal Borrows Ava Gardrter for'Whisfle Stop'John Garfield Set to Star in 'Humoresque' for Warner Bros. ►Ben Blue has been signed by MGM for an important role in "Two Sisters From Boston," musical comedy which stars Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson, with Jimmy Durante, Lauritz Melchior and Peter Lawford in principal roles. Henry Koster is directing. ►Nina Foch was assigned by Columbia to play the starring role in "The Woman in Red," psychological murder mystery film to be produced by Wallace MacDonald with George Macready in the top male role. This will be the eighth thriller in which Miss Foch will have had the feminine lead in the almost two years she has been under contract. ►Louis Jordan and his band have been signed for "Swing Parade," Monogram musical in which Will Osborne's orchestra will also appear. Harry Romm will co-produce the film with Del Lord, and in featured roles are the team of Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter, colored comedians. ►Jean Sullivan gets the role of "the other woman" in Paramount's "To Each His Own" which Mitchell Leisen will direct with Olivia de Havilland in the starring spot. Cast includes John Lund, sensational young acting "find" from Broadway ; Phillip Terry, Bill Goodwin and Frank Craven. Charles Brackett is producing. ►Jack La Rue will again desert his familiar villainous characterizations to appear in more heroic guise in RKO's "Cornered," which has Dick Powell and Walter Slezak in the stellar roles. Edward Dmytryk directs and Adrian Scott produces. ►Three writers on the Judy Canova air show have been signed by Columbia to work on the script of "Hayfoot, Strawfoot," her next film. Hal Fimberg will do a complete rewrite of the film script, while gagmen Henry Hoople and Fred L. Fox were ticketed to contribute special gags. ►Gloria de Haven's sister, Marjorie, has been placed under contract by MGM and is launching a new screen career under the name of Terri Randall. Her first assignment is a comedy role in "A Letter for Evie," with Marsha Hunt, John Carroll and Hume Cronyn. Jules Dassin is director, William H. Wright produces. ►Joan Caulfield has been set for co-starring role with Bing Crosby and Paul Draper in Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies," it has been announced by Paramount. Picture will be filmed in Technicolor with Stuart Heisler directing. Billy DeWolfe and Olga San Juan will also play principal roles. ►Seymour Nebenzal announced that he has borrowed Ava Gardner from MGM for the feminine lead in "Whistle Stop," which will star George Raft. Others in the cast include Victor McLaglen, Tom Conway, Florence Bates, Charles Judels, Charles Drake and Jimmy Ames, with Leonide Moguy directing for United Artists release. ►Another cover girl whose face has become an institution with readers of national magazines will launch a film career when Suzi Crandall goes before cameras this summer in a featured role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious," Ingrid Bergman starrer for Selznick International. ►Jose Iturbi has been signed by MGM for a featured role in "Holiday in Mexico," musical to be produced by Joe Pasternak. Famed pianist has made an outstanding contribution to entertainment for hospitalized veterans. Since last January 1, he has presented 156 concerts in hospitals ; on several occasions as many as four concerts a single day. At one hospital he played for 800 bed veterans. ►John Garfield will portray the sensitive, struggling young violinist in the male starring role in Warners' "Humoresque." Director will be Jean Negulesco and Jerry Wald will produce. ►Bonita Granville will have her first wholly grown-up role in RKO's "The Lie Detector," romantic melodrama of a woman criminal lawyer and district attorney, which Lew Landers will direct and Herman Schlom produce. ►Victor Cutler's first assignment on his new contract with Samuel Goldwyn will be the role of the photographer in "The Kid From Brooklyn," Technicolor comedy starring Danny Kaye. Cutler, who won the Purple Heart as a commando in New Guinea, joins a cast which includes Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, Walter Abel, Steve Cochran, Eve Arden, Lionel Stander, Clarence Kolb and Charles Cane. Norman Z. McLeod is directing. ►After four years of musicals, Rita Hayworth will return to straight drama in her next Columbia picture, "Gilda," which will be produced by Marion Parsonnet, who is also doing the final script based on an original story by E. A. Ellington. ►Gail Russell will play her second lead opposite Alan Ladd with her assignment to Paramount's "Calcutta," story of pilots flying the "hump" from India to China. William Bendix is also starred, with June Duprez playing another feminine lead, and the supporting cast including Edith King, Lowell Gilmore and John Whitney. ►Zachary Scott and Janis Paige have been given top roles in Warners' "Dancing With Tears." This is the picture which Alex Gottlieb will produce. No other casting has been set. MacMurray Set for 'Smokey' Fred MacMurray has been selected by 20th Century-Fox to play the leading role opposite Anne Baxter in Will James' "Smokey" Also in the cast are Lynn Bari and Randolph Scott. Klein Back at Warners Victor Klein, Jr., recently discharged from the Army Air Forces after four years of service, has resumed work as film editor at the Warner Bros. Studio. Klein made ten combat missions over Germany. Riskin Opens Coast Offices Prior to Launching Picture Robert Riskin has taken offices in the California Studios preparatory to launching production on his first picture since his resignation as Chief of the Overseas Bureau of the Motion Picture Division of the Office of War Information. He has been working on the story since coming to the coast two weeks ago, and is setting up his independent organization for his first production. Wayne to Co-Star With Colbert John Wayne will c®-star with Claudette Colbert in Jesse Lasky's first production for release by RKO Radio, "Thanks, God, I'll Take It From Here," a romantic comedy with a postwar flavor based upon the unpublished novel of the same title by Jane Allen and Mae Livingston. Filming is planned to start early in August. Rains Added to Pirandello Film Universal has signed Claude Rains for a leading role in the Luigi Pirandello story, "As It Was Before," in which he will co-star with Merle Oberon and Charles Korvin. Rains was scheduled to report to Universal late this week. He has been in London appearing with Vivien Leigh in the Gabriel Pascal production, "Caesar and Cleopatra." Monogram Acquires London Story With Steve Broidy, vice-president and general sales manager, anticipating a $600,000 gross on "Alaska," Monogram has acquired "North of Nome," another Jack London story, for inclusion in the 1945-46 program. Scott R. Dunlap has been assigned to produce the film as a top feature for the year. Stahl Stays With 20th-Fox John M. Stahl, 20th Century-Fox producerdirector-writer, has been signed to a long term contract by the studio. Stahl's last two assignments for the company were "Keys of the Kingdom" and the as yet unreleased film version of Ben Ames Williams' best-seller, "Leave Her to Heaven." Fine Cast for 'Limberlost' Columbia has filled five important roles in "Girl of the Limberlost," screen adaptation of the Gene Stratton Porter novel, with the signing of Vanessa Brown, Warren Mills, Ernest Cossart, Gloria Patrice and Gloria Holden. Mel Ferrer is directing. Loy's First as Free Lancer Myrna Loy's first starring role as a free-lance artist since her recent departure from MGM will be in the Jack H. Skirball-Bruce Manning production, "Genius in the Family," with Don Ameche as co-star. Manning is writing the script for the film which will be released through United Artists. Zeisler to Direct 'Suspense' Alfred Zeisler has been signed to direct "Suspense," forthcoming Monogram drama.