Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 29, 1949 25 Studio Roundup With eleven pictures getting underway last week, Hollywood was maintaining a comfortable production pace that promised to continue until at least the holiday season. On the Columbia lot "In a Lonely Place," Santana's Humphrey Bogart vehicle, began tilming. Gloria Grahame co-stars with Bogart while Frank Lovejoy, who seems to have set his feet on the road to stardom in "Home of the Brave," has been signed for the second male lead. Jeff Donnell gets her first highly dramatic part in this picture. At the same studio "Riders of Black Mesa," fifth in the current Charles Starrett western-series, featuring Smiley Burnette, also got the "go" signal. Director Lew Landers put his cast to work on location at Santa Monica in "Beauty on Parade," with Robert Hutton and Ruth Warrick in the leading roles and Lola Albright playing an ingenue. The fifth of MGM's scheduled eight musicals, "Duchess of Idaho," Esther Williams Van Johnson co-starrer, went before the Technicolor cameras with Robert Z. Leonard directing. John Lund, on loanout from Paramount, is also in the cast. Director John Huston put Stirling Hayden and Jean Hagen through their paces in "Asphalt Jungle," which Arthur Hornblow, Jr., is producing. Independent producers Alort Briskin and Robert Smith started shooting "Here Lies Love," on the Monterey peninsula, with Robert "i^oung and Betsy Drake in the leading roles. Direction is in James V. Kern's hands. 700% New York Footage Shooting in New York is Universal-International's "Web of the City" (formerly known as "Confidential Squad") with Richard Conte, Peggy Dow and Coleen Gray. Entire footage is due to be shot in Manhattan without benefit of Hollywood sound stages. Another Allan "Rocky" Lane western, "Gunmen of Abilene," started at Republic, with Fred Brannon directing. Set constructions were finished with the erection of two complete blocks of city streets on Warners' "The Glass Menagerie," the Tennessee Williams play which has Jane Wyman, Kirk Douglas and Gertrude Lawrence in the leading roles. Irving Rapper directs. Director Mel Ferrer (he played the leading part in "Lost Boundaries") has signed two distinguished New York stage figures for important roles in RKO Radio's "Blind Spot." Philip Ober and his wife, Vivian Vance, will make their first appearance together before a motion picture camera in this Claudette ColbertRobert Ryan suspense drama. Hope Emerson, six-foot-two character actress who advises women that being "so-big" isn't any detriment to her "man-appeal," was added to the cast of U-I's "Double Crossbones," starring Donald O'Connor. In the role of a woman pirate, it should be very entertaining to see what Miss Emerson can do with little O'Connor, especially if she is called on to throw him around. Lesser Reveals Program Julian Lesser, president of Thalia Productions, has announced a multi-million-dollar sixpicture program for the company during the next three years. Among the films planned are the Lanny Budd series and several adventureexploration features, one tn be made in Technicolor and photographed in the East Indies. LONDON OBSERVATIONS Variety Tent 36 Holds Impressive Induction Ceremonies at Savoy Hotel; $25,000 Already Raised for Charity Work shot away from Hollywood, and "Xight and the City," "BlacK Rose" and "Prince of I'oxes" have been treated as location jobs. "Inside Scotland Yard" will probably be their next production here. Jock MacGregor By JOCK MacGREGOR It was a proud day for John H. Harris, Bob O'Donnell and C. J. Latta when Variety Club Tent 36 was inducted at the Savoy Hotel, London. Alany doubted the outcome of this first overseas venture, but their fears were groundless. Already over $25,UOO has been raised for charity, and after the handing-over of the charter nearly one hundred British and American showmen were initiated as Barkers. The London Tent was determined to convmce the visitors from across the water that T:here was nothing wrong with showmanship in the old country and the evening was a most impressive occasion. Larry Kent and David Jones spared neither time nor effort to put over the spirit of Variety and were the recipients of heartfelt compliments from all present. The old-time Barker with his top hat, outsized moustache and diamond studs was there to announce the arrivals who represented all branches of showbusiness The ballroom was effectively decorated with red and white tenting to represent the big top, and full marks for ingenuity went for the original table seating cards. These took the form of miniature cardboard tents with flags on which were printed the names of the guests. Few failed to take these souvenirs home. Against this colorful background, Chief Barker Robert Wolff presented Ben Lyon as master of ceremonies to introduce the various speakers in his humorously good-natured way. Bob O'Donnell outlined the story of V ariety and C. J. Latta spoke with real feeling and emotion on the great work which the tents are doing for underprivileged children. John H. Harris provided the biggest surprise by presenting Donna Attwood as his wife and admitting that he married her back in August. Sir Phillip Warter and Walt Disney replied on behalf of the guests. Before dancing commenced, Wolfl: presented O'Donnell with a magnificent silver tray bearing the signatures of all London Tent members. But, as Lyon quipped, Bob's pleasure would be short-lived, as he doubted whether the Board of Trade would ever grant a permit to export it home ! After this brilliant inauguration, it is anticipated membership will increase at even greater speed and that permanent club rooms will be established shortly. In the meantime, the Tent is meeting for lunch in a private suite in the Savoy on alternate Wednesdays. Before long it is hoped the first children's playing field in this country will be opened bearing the name. Variety. Arriving just in time for the induction was Lew Schreiber, executive manager of 20th-Fox Studios , and executive assistant to Darryl F. Zanuck. He had landed earlier in the day from the Queen Mary to look at the various studios and hold conferences on future production activities both here and on the continent. Lew is adamant that they will not make pictures anywhere merely to use frozen currency. The stories must call for the background to be Another distinguished gathering was for the presentation of the gold cups awarded by Pictnrcguer, Britain's premiere fan paper, to Sir Laurence Olivier and Anna Neagle, who had been voted the best actor and actress in the international field by their readers in 1948. Michael Wilding and Irene Dunne were runners up. In acknowledging the award. Sir Laurence spoke of the wonderful team which had helped him make "Hamlet." Extremely interesting were his remarks on the difference between stage and screen acting. In his opinion, only on the stage can the artist really create a character ; on the screen he is dependent on the understanding of others. Anna Neagle discussed the entertainment tax and revealed a sound knowledge of the trade. She maintains that it is absurd for the industry to receive a state subsidiary when it is so heavily burdened with this levy. She told how "Spring in Park Lane" grossed £1,700,000 in the U.K. and that the exchequer took the equivalent of three times its production costs. Newsreels have been strongly criticised recently for politics and plugging artists associated with their groups and this lunch provided a blatant example. Only Rank's GB and Universal News covered the function and I was surprised to hear the cameras' whir stop when Anna spoke. I have since seen the GB reel, the contents bill for which, incidentally, mentions only Sir Laurence. His speech receives adequate coverage, but there are only brief flashes of Anna. I maintain her speech would have been an admirable means of explaining the entertainment tax situation to picturegoers. It is appreciated that "Hamlet" has just started on general release, but since the independent exhibitor bitterly complains he cannot show the reel he desires and that policy is of greater importance . than news, this seems like asking for trouble, to say nothing of being ungracious to Anna. For the U. K. release of "Little Women," MGM's British publicity department under Leslie Williams have persuaded leading fashion designers to provide modem clothes based on those worn in the film. These were presented at a special show at Galleries Lafayette and attracted much attention. The scheme is to be repeated throughout the country. A new edition of Louisa M. Allf ott's story, profusely illustrated by film stills, has also appeared, making thirteen versions available to the reading public. Ice cream still occupies a major part of the exhibitors' time and there is the story of the enterprising manager who, to boost sales, raised the temperature by having the boilers stoked. Vehicle for Lana Turner ^IGAI is planning to produce, "Three Guys Named Mike," a picture about air line hostesses, as a possible vehicle for Lana Turner. Ruth Flippen is writing the screenplay and Armand Deutsch will produce.