Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1949)

32A SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, July 23, 1949 Hollywood Newsreel West Coast Offices — 6777 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. — Ann Lewis, Manager PRODUCTION PARADE Signed by Howard Hughes to co-star in RKO Radio's "The White Tower," Glenn Ford and Valli, the latter borrowed from David O. Selznick, will leave H^ollywood shortly for Europe to join a cast that includes Lloyd Bridges, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Oscar Homolka. Director Ted Tetzlaff is already in the French Alps preparing to start production late this month. The picture will be filmed in Ansco color. * * * Joel McCrea has been signed by MGM to play the starring role in "Outriders," new western epic to be produced by Richard Goldstone and directed by Roy Rowland. Film is McCrea's second this year for the studio. * * * Producer Nat Holt's next color film for 20th Century-Fox release is to be "Cariboo Trail." Exteriors will be filmed during August in the virgin wilderness area of British Columbia, which is the picture's locale. Randolph Scott will again star, Edwin Marin direct. * * * Jean Yarbrough has been set by Producer Peter Scully to direct "Blame It on Harry," next in the Latham family series to go before the Monogram cameras the middle of August with Raymond Walburn in the title role. * * * William Pine and William Thomas announce as their next production for Paramount release "The Eagle and the Hawk," to be made in Technicolor. Jess Arnold wrote the original story and Lewis R. Foster just completed the screenplay. Cast will be assigned in time for an early August start. Maxwell Shane was signed to a producer-director-writer contract by 20th Century-Fox. Shane sold his rights to "The Rap," Leo Katcher original previously titled "The Big Frame," and this will probably be his first for the studio. Marjorie Main has been borrowed from MGM by Universal-International to again play the role of Ma Kettle in "Ma and Pa Kettle in New York," in which she will again be teamed with Percy Kilbride. Production is scheduled to start the end of this month with Leonard Goldstein producing and Charles Lamont directing. ^ ^ ^ Paramount's next for Bob Hope will be "The Big Fish." Jack Sher, newspaperman and magazine writer, has arrived in Hollywood to work on the original story, which he and Hope discussed at a previous meeting. Yarn is about the salmon canneries of the Northwest and Robert Welch, responsible for "Sorrowful Jones," will again produce. * * * A romantic comedy based on the drawings jf George Petty, to be called "The Petty Girl," will shortly be placed in production by Columbia with Robert Cummings starred and Charles Vidor directing. Nat Perrin will produce under the supervision of S. Sylvan Simon. ^ ^ ^ John H. Auer, Republic associate producerdirector, has been signed to a new contract with By Ann Lewis iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ the studio, calling for his services in the double capacity, for the next year. Auer is currently working on added scenes for "The Avengers," the picture he filmed in Argentina, which stars John Carroll and Adele Mara. * * * With Kirby Grant in the starring role, Lindsley Parsons' next production for Monogram, tentatively titled "Wolf Hunters," will go before the cameras early in August. This will be the second of a series of outdoor films featuring Chinook, thoroughbred German Shepherd, who made his screen debut in the soon-to-be-released Parsons production, "Trail of the Yukon." * * * Though signed to an MGM contract but a few months ago, Vera-Ellen, following her performance in "On the Town," has been given the top feminine role in "Three Little Words," filmization of the lives of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, famous song-writing team to be portrayed by Fred Astaire and Hed Skelton. * * Warners purchased "Come to My Island," an original story about a Navy Wave who elects to stay on an unnamed South Sea Island, as Virginia Mayo's next vehicle for the studio. Story will give Miss Mayo an opportunity to display her figure, as she did in "The Girl From Jones Beach." They are even going to create a special type of sarong for her to wear. Milo Anderson will be the designer. Monogram Sets 10 For August, September Ten films are scheduled to go before the cameras at Monogram and Allied Artists during August and September. They are "The Giant Killer," and untitled Jimmie Davis starrer, "The Wolf Hunters," "Masterminds," "Blame It on Henry," "Jiggs and Maggie Out West," "Joe Palooka in the Favorite," an untitled film in the "Bomba" series, and two untitled westerns, one with Jimmie Wakely and the other with Whip Wilson. Studio Roundup One of the most extensive construction operations since the cathedral and street for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is nearing completion at Universal-International for "East of Java." Tagged as Singapore Street, the nearly two-block long set, including reinforced wharf, landing facilities and deep harbor, will be a permanent installation on the U-I back lot. It will be rented out to other studios when not in use. Piling under the aged wooden street has been constructed for 10-ton truck traffic. Lower Pollard Lake has been enlarged to make 50,000 square feet of harbor. Lake bottom was completely bulldozed and leveled for the laying of track on ballast rock on which a tramp steamer will roll away from the wharf. Three-quarters of a million gallons of water fill the harbor, and a special pipe was laid for drainage into the Los Angeles River. Russell Film Starts Columbia, on July 18, placed "Woman of Distinction" into work with Edward Buzzell directing the film which stars Rosalind Russell, Ray Milland, Janis Carter and Edmund Gwenn. The same studio has cast Roy Roberts as top villain, with Gordon Jones and Robert Osterloh as underlings, in "The Palomino." Going before the cameras on July 19 for Allied Artists release was "There's a Girl in My Heart," with 19 songs scheduled for use in the film which Arthur Dreifuss is directing. Cast includes Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan and Ray McDonald. Two more newcomers got the gun at MGM : "East Side, West Side" and "Please Believe Me." The former, which rolled July 18, stars James Mason, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Ava Gardner, with Mervyn LeRoy directing. Beginning the same day, "Please Believe Me" is directed by Val Lewton and stars Van Johnson, Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker and Peter Lawford. On July 18 Republic launched "Navajo Trail Raiders," another in the studio's Allan "Rocky" Lane famous westerns, with R. G. Springsteen Big-City Bookers Ignore Public Taste — Gerard "Good, folksy pictures — the kind the people want — are having tough sledding in the big towns because the bookers there have been spoiled by 'arty' pictures and are disregarding the preferences of the populace." Such is the belief of Barney Gerard, for many years a stage producer, and now turning out the Jiggs and Maggie series for Monogram. "There are two things a picture should have — entertainment and exploitation values. After that, it's easy." Gerard is following this formula in "Jackpot Jitters," fourth in the series based on the comic strip. "I believe there should be something in each film for every kind of audience, something of interest to all ages. Well, in 'Jackpot Jitters,' for the kids we have animals — a trained seal, a penguin, a pig, dog, cat, mouse and chicken. Then there's some romance, not too much because it slows up the picture. And to top everything, we have a real broad satire on jackpot programs. Not only will that strike home, but jt's wonderful exploitation material." Like many other producers, Gerard claims there's been an overdose of psychological, horror and dramatic pictures. His advice to theatre owners: "Start using opportunities to let audiences know what you've got — too many highly profitable pictures have been duds because they simply weren't sold." Barney Gerard