Universal Weekly (1924-1936)

1! This is beautiful Doris Nolan who has just been signed by Universal from a Broadway Hit. Lombard and Ryskind Added to Wm. Powell for 'My Man Godfrey So tremendously was everyone at Universal City impressed with the ability, beauty and courage of Carole Lombard, as exhibited in her Universal picture, "Love Before Breakfast," that it is no wonder they made every effort to get her for another picture. These efforts have come to a satisfactory conclusion. As a matter of fact, the outcome of the negotiations is thoroughly satisfactory not only 1o Universal but to Paramount because Universal again loaned Margaret Sullavan to Paramount in exchange for Carole Lombard. Margaret Sullavan will play the disputed lead in "I Loved a Soldier," which greatly relieves Paramount's situation. Carole Lombard has been assigned to co-star with William Godfrey in "My Man Godfrey" which Carl Laemmie, Jr. will place in production on April 6th. "My Man Godfrey" is a novel by Eric Hatch which was published serially in Liberty under the title of "Irene, the Stubborn Girl." The story is extraordinarly well adapted as a co-starring vehicle. Yesterday also Morrie Ryskind was engaged to write the screenplay, from which Gregory LaCava will direct. It was Morrie Ryskind who wrote the screenplay for "Anything Goes," and in collaboration with George S. Kauffman, the screenplay for "A Night at the Opera." Also with Mr. Kaufman, he won the Pulitzer Prize for the stage play, "Of Thee I Sing." "My Man Godfrey" will be a fertile field for Ryskind's facile pen. Universal Puts Acc( Selections for Fu DAN KELLEY, Universal's casting director, has just flown back to Hollywood from a New York raiding trip, where in competiHon with every big company, he scored two triumphs to add to the recent Chicago radio scoop. The two New York players who have just signed longterm contracts with Universal are Doris Nolan and Jeanne Dante. Doris Nolan is the young actress who has just made a tremendous hit in "The Night of January 16th" at the Ambassador Theatre and whom every big company in the business tried to sign up. A. H. Woods made a trip to California to find just the proper actress for this role, and discovered Miss Nolan playing In "Daughter of Cain" In a small legitimate theatre in Hollywood. Miss Nolan opened in the Woods play in Los Angeles and when the play came to New York she was a sensation. The other New York actress is Jeanne Dante, the ingenue who is now playing the role of Ann Hilton in "Call It a Day" at the Morosco Theatre. Miss Dante has a runof-the-play contract with the producers of "Call It a Day ' and therefore will not be able to undertake her first Universal picture until the play closes. Her first professional engagement was with Alice Brady in "Brass Ankles." Then came "Thunder on the Left," "Birthday," and after a summer of stock in Pawling, N. Y., she went into "Call It d Day," in which she is likely to be the outstanding hit John Wayne Signed for Eight Universal Adventure Pictures UMIVERSAL has signed a contract with Trem Carr as the producer of a series of adventure melodramas starring John Wayne for next season's Universal line-up. There will be eight pictures in the series, which will be made at Universal City under the supervision of Trem Carr's associates as soon as Wayne is through with his present contract. The first of the eight pictures will go into production at Universal City some time in July. The stories will be purchased by the Trem Carr organization. None of them will be western pictures, and the character of the productions will be entirely away from the kind of pictures that Buck Jones will make for the same Universal program.