Variety (Dec 1940)

PICTURES WecllieBd^yi Dec«ni]ber 11; 1910 Potter Pad Voided HollyWood.'.Dec: id Hollywood, wMch tliree. .months., Bgo was shudderirtB fit the vtnere thought .ol any further , gambles, ot important .coin on. pictures built Bround . athletic prowess, "human w tquine, h^<s. ddne.. . abbut-facie. Rijght HOW the major studios Vare readying to push . torward - ai new- cycle- back^rouhjei^'ag.aihst sports world figures and events, ^ach entry in which will be l^nsed on tpp-budgr;. et specifications. , . Greatly responsible - ipr^ the change on the part of the prodiicfersr is the ^ross being piled up by/Watr ners on 'Knutfe Rbckne,: All . Ameri- can.' Success .<5f the. BurbariR lot's gridiron featurti knocks into a cocked hat Hollywo.bd;s .cbhvIctionj developed after lons .and costly ex'-; ■ that . cihehia' aiddibts Waniers' Sequels T** .'Success 61 Knute ftpckne' at:the bpxoface has.; given Warner ' Bros: the urge for a fpllpwup .to; b6 re- leased.during, the tobtball season of 1941. . duifentiy: in. the thought st?»ge: is. a sequel, to be tigged 'The Four .Horseiiieh of'Notre "Dartie,'.;. Warners is also, mulling a sequel; to 'The Fighting. .69th,* .among vthes ieadirijj characters: of .V.hich Swas Father Francis. P. .Dully..^ WB laid claim to the :titlB last .week of a yarn by Puffy"^^ giving' further adventures pf the regimeirit of Niew Yprkers. ■ It's called.'Father Dufry's Story: A Tale of Humor;: Heroj.^m, Lifiey,dnd .Death' with; thi. Fighting 69th;'; ■fTwentieih-. .:Fox.' staked: out .the wme. label, iii perimeruation, that .:pin^ «uu.wj^ , Juiy.^ ig3ff, but it is presumed Vould are not ifiterestod; m , screert P^^.^^^i^'^^yf^r^^^^^ Fox.doesr,'t carrying" sports themes. Production .chiets, . prodded; . by home office execs, have ^ been giving •Rockne' close' scrutiny .in their -prir. vate prpjetlion . rooniis ;,tP..asc;'ertain what makes the pffering elick,. and they adriiit thiey'yej made' some Start-., ling discoveries. Highligh.ting these is their new-born.theory thAt they've been using .the wro.ntf method .of- ap-. proach in haridlihg, this type of Ve- hicles.., Sports . backg. made ., attractive hot ;6nly:; tp the dyed-in-the-\yopl. filmgoe'r, : .but to hundreds of thQUsahds of spPrts fans who are not normally theatre; pa- trons, they are now. agreed,,by weav- ing the plot around a.-, .centrally known character,. ^ man . hpTse, whose name holds intrigue for the masses, ln>'olher words, it is the pivotal figure in the story, rather than the personality portraying that role, that cither draws ;the mob? through the . turhstileS; ■ or causes; them to .^teer clear of the wickets; And therein lies the picture makers' mistake of the past, they point out., Heretofore, sports back- ground pictures have been; done in . ; . Hollywobd, iDec. id. . . .C. Potter ^vjthd^ew ; frpm.• h director contract .with the Boris MPrrbs.;Robert StiUman ^ co^m owing. to the .pbstppnernent of The American Vaj^abondf-- which was to have. been; ■ the -second Jon his ;tWp- picture.paPt/;.■;';; ' ■;■V:\ . JDirector .^greefd to .return latiei: foi-- anpther picturei fle askejd canc'ella- tioh to be free to accept jan irhmedi- aite deal^ with ariothier studio: Mteratioii Mii^ 0(^^ to own the story and WB made original 'Fighting: 69th' film, the Useof l&miiL ec. 10. ' ■ Major *studios are slaving abdvit' $250,00d a year by the yse of 16 mm. • Kodachrome film in preliminary tests fpr Technicolor ,productjbns; The smaller film; vyidely. utilized: in industrial picl'ure.s and aimateui' phbtograljhy, .cuts down pre-prpduc- tipn cbsts by around. $10,000;. a pic- ture,: ; - '■: ■ Heiretofpre, color tests, of costumes; seti, Ipcatipns, lightirijg and other de- tails have been made with regiilsr: 'Technicolor negative and equipment. 9t high cPst. The 16; mm. I^oda- chi'ome setup, shot without sound, means a big.sayinig. .Metro and; 2dth-Fox. were the first generalities, instead of ieaturihg i *°T^v*^^ sma^er^plor filni in tests. some definite sports wbrld person- age whose monicker, like that of Rpckne, has become a part, of Amer- ican tradition, and, as such, is estab- lished as a household word. New order .pf things meahs. the doom. of fpbtbaU, basieball, prizefight iand horse-racing films - which are l and were closely, followed by Piara- mount, Warners and RKO, . after favorable reports made available to the studios through, the Academy Re- search Cb\ihcii;. RepPrts were that 16 him. Kodachrome made satisfac- tory.. pre-production color. cbrnpaVi- sohs, although Technicblor is neces- that and nothing .: more, and the. ."^.^^"P tests .requiring ex.; launching pf Ihe - sports biography type of screen ehtertainrhent such.as was unveiled in; !Rockne.'. Momen- tarily being prepped .for the cam- eras is the first bf siich material, with story editors following through In a search for additional starters. Metro, which, 'two years ago sked- ded 'Hands Acrbsis. the Border,' a tale based oh hockey rivalry between U. S. and Canada, reneged at that time in view of the ticketbuyers' seeming disdain fbr .spbrfs fare, but has now lifte^J the piece off ;the shelf and put it back into the writ- ing mill. Originally slated as a Clark Gable-Robert Taylor co- starrer, 'Border' may still come through with these two toplined.' Hockey greats of both this country and the Dominion will be teatiired in the puck-driving .'sequences, with the annual clash between We;st" Point and Canada's' McGiU. .University teams prPvidjng much of the pic- ture's footage. ■'.:., Other films vvith spPrts themes^ contemplated- for production: RkO's True^ to Foi-nri,' ,forhierly tagged •Blood Will Ten.'-.dealing;with the racehorse : • Seabiscuit; •20th.Fbx*s Home in Indiana/, ibbut harness racing: 'Sun . Valley,?. Sonja. Henie,- Iceskating starrer for 2dth; .'Follow Thfough. rewrite of stage:, musical to include gol f theme: ■ with Bing Crosby and, Bob Hope .co-starred" and, Warners' .biog of:Connie Mack, Philadelphia Athletics man- ,«ger,. ■ ..;■■■: It has been several l yiears since sports background pictures . earned their salt in Ihe way; of . proflts. but V'hat really put ihe: fchill ' .:.them m the eyes of H.oJlywoodrwas the' poor Showing imade by /dbluihbia's- golden_Boy,' a number that cost the Harry Cohn- organizatibh plenty in production voutlay, but which barely squeezed through, iii paying .pif. • Swamjps for: ; . - Hollywood, Dec. .10;. Twentieth-Fox .■ has '. set Henry Fonda for the top male role in- •Swamp: Water,' the ; Vereen Bell aovel, .for spring flimjng. Nunrially Jbhnfion gets the' brp- ductibn assignment. actitude in lighting and' other tinting factors Tiot yet possible on the Koda- chrome negative.' ) : Although it is ■ generally under- stood that prints cannot be made from the original 16 . mm. Koda- chrome negative, it is reported that commercial film jjfoducers have ob- tained as itiany as 100 prints ducihg. the last year and: a half. Dunning color has developed new printing equipment to develop, feprbductiohs comparable to the'briginal. Eastman-plant in Rochester, N. Y., has devised a process to make dupli- cate pr.!hts, and Technicblor has been conducting similar experiments in its own speclal l6 mm. processing labor- atory. ,; . Again there is a;^ hitch in the final welding of the HollywoodTBroadway tieup.,: : Filrh .. companies and . (he Dram.atists; Ciuild.'are. agreed, on the principles pf the .ahJerid'ej^ pact, bU 'there" are a .humlser pt.deiails in the; new contract as- printed^ that the picr ture people ha.ve taken 'exceptipn tp.. f»pints .which were Supposed to have :been clarified afe still .Vague .i;^ ,.; • ; It appear^ that the'differences are bver the phraseology, laAvyers of the yarioUs fllm. firms; claiinihg they were not consulted \ before the pact ...Was senit .to the ,pt;inter.; Stated that Sid^ ne'y F.leisher, film, arbiter, • .wrote! the jliial .draft with the evident assent bf the authprs-end. : : . j . • Among the' points to; be clarified is the time, limit, for the- pre'sehtation x •of plays and the period during which ;the film-backer may .withd'raw from the prPduction. Manner in. which, the tribunal, which is to hahdle dif-. ferencfis between the backer and author; is to be named is not clear. New fbrifi has; it. thiat a: -najority bf filth companies is to nain>e the meni- bers, whereas the clause: shpuld.read 'major film companies.' There are perhaps, 150 outfits which .make pic- tures . how ; aiid then, here and abroad;. Another detail pertains tp 'ice,' cbin M^fhich' the manager br hii; eihployees might receive Irpni ticket brokers. Contract wbuld hold; the 'film companies responsible for thie author's share and they want that .provision elimihated. "ricket gratui- ties.are supposed to be nbn-existeht. Picture pedplb are: interested in at least three productibris now in work, ; but iare operating under the pl«l reg- ulations iuitil such time as' the stop and go amended pact is in final fprm, Warners insist even more important' chahges must be made-before it will finance shows this season. Ijaisky Touch^lOlf New^v: JFilW Irttetest in %ain^ Mirk Twain, lohg tallced. of as siib-: ject for a flim bibg. is getting reheiwed «ttentioh,: •;Jissse Laslcy jast> week; hopped west from New/ Ypirk with a:, ' rad ip script ■ which' his has optibriecl ' as jjossible basis, .for a . film. . . •," In Manhattan It was. said, how-, bver, that all'rights; tp dramatizing: the writer's life have.;been given to Harold/ 'Sherman; , who ; recently wrote a play about, him. it's tagged •Mark; Twain.' Sherman's agent de- nied that'arty rights have been granted Lasky, ;•■-...■ / Interest in 'Twain haji: b;Een I .-. kindled tecentIy ;'with.publfcaHb two books bf his writings^ hitherta unpublished., One IS ■'Mafic .Twain'S • Troubles With Mr,. Brown' and the. -other 'M.aik Twain in EruptiPn.' 50 Yaros oil List at 26th-Fox Iii$ttres S|niiig Ru .. :< ■:. ; ;Hollywoodv;bep; id.- ; . Rush ; of. productibh. during the spring and summer ait 20th'Foxvls in- dicated by the number of. stojies in preparation, the highest in several seasons. Fifty, yarns' are on: ihb acr tive list; and the writeris assigned to them s(et a hew high for the West- wfobd.plSnt, with the studio half- vi>ay. thrQugh; its 1940-41 producing program, the current activity means, that; 2pih-F0x is intent on stor|ng"ijp a heavy backlog for next; season. .. Within the past few mbnths Darryl F. Zanuck has increased: his associate producer staff from six to 10, with; Sol M. Wurtzel as executive pro-, ducer. Associates.are Kenneth Mac^ gbwan, Harry Joe Brown, Niinnally Johnson,. Lou Ostrow, ■ Robert; . T. Kane, Milton . .Sperling, Lou • Edelr man, Fred Kohhiiair, Walter Morosco, Ralph Dietrich and WiliiaiihV Perl- berg; ■ / ..: '.• ' ; Fingeirprint Pix Actors On U.Si SeiticiB L()catioiis . . ; Hollywood, Dcc^. 10. ': jrew /defense; restrictions require fihg^rprinting arid proof of Amer- ican'citizenship for all: motibh pic- tiire industry workers lisirig Gov- ernment prpperty fpr location shoot- ing,: Warners learned about the new: rules/ when applying, for;--an Army okay to lens exteriors for -Winged 'Victory* Pi; March. Field; Ekecs Pf': otlber .studios have; been so. notified by the Armi'- arid; Navy. ; Film :troupes assigned to; woric on Army ;br-Navy .bases; forts, air fields or vessels must undergo fingerprint- ing.at the. entrance.; ;. Like PaAe Will Not Sell Oot in DuPont 'REOTERT BIRD MAKES BUCK A VEimiRiAN : By BILt HALLIGAN. ; Holly wpod, pec. Mr. Happy Henfimingw&y, Palace Beach Cabanas, .N. Y, 10. Long contemplated deal of Palhb Film CP. to sell all or part of its 3,600 $har.es of Du Pont Film Mfg.; stock . apparently is indeflinitely stymied, with Pathe' reportedly satis- fled with its share ol earnings from thb Du Pont company. This cbih,: received in the iorm of liberal divi- dend distribxvtibns,. has be^h running so.strong in;recent years that Patjie was able to declare a 30c divVy on its i'commpn this month.; Prospect of, such: dividend Iportied. ever since. Pathe Film was.*set:up as' a :hpldlng cbfporation, and Pathe .Laboratories as the.;oi3eratihg-firnV;;; :^ ; ; V Besides . ; the.' fayorkble., .income Pathe has been getting. If om': its. Dii ;Pbnt Film; IVIfg.: hpldm^s, . further hitch to any sale of the ;i)u; Pont ;shareis;-is, .that Du .Ppnt-has' little " inclihatiph to pay . the igiire set; oh the block of stock by l>athe.;; to ;Hicks' South;; Ariiericari tour;,;.. ..-.; . '.-. ...-.'. ;.•.',"'..,..... v.. -Page 13 - iSonJa Henie'is ice •sho^yV...;, ;,.,;.-.. . .Page 18 Radip Reviews. Helen HayeSrRayrivbnd Masseyi Noel Coward, . , ,: Clan You TPp/This?/ JRussell benn^tt's !^^^ Book.,; ,V, . ..;Page 39 • ASCAP . ......,.■.;..'. »>-...;,;';' New Acts; H.un>J}hrey;:/Bogart^Mayp Methbt....... VGuild shpp'.in ;vaudeville;/, ."'v.,!.., ..;,:..;.:. Honor Bill •'Rbbjhsoh,v Belle Baker. Siuid^ legit's pre-Xmas; downbeat... . . ; i ;Page 41 ,,,;:,.Page 46 .....Page 47 ./.....Pajge 47 .;... . . JPage 50:. Dear Happy: I got your letter and don't worry about mC' as I is all set as soon as the holidays is over. I vvent out last, night with a old pal who likes a nip once in a while; and a while is eycry five minutes. He reminded me of 'Breath Takes a Holiday' but I had to stick as he -was into me fpr a double-.saw. and he took till 2 ayem before he laid sanie On the line. '. He used tp be a big director but sound caught up to him and rioW he is living in Glendale and the past. I .'has been living in Gorky's, lower debts arid have met a; lot "of Fuller: brushoff men out here. -Haye..been to..all -the studios and all I see is casting offices full of un- happy chairs. I got to/get a job. spori" as I; am like . a: pair/,bf debu- tante's stocK i ngs ..with. runs in them— 1 am bn iifiy last leg.s.' J' sit anbuhd- all day and Watch a dumb telephone as I is as nervous a.s a rabbits nose; One little busiz .and' it./may / mean Merry Xmas. I ain't . spring chicken; any more and, I just, had a expetiehce last night; "The lads were calling Ihe.. Pop piit; here, hut last/ night ;a taxi driver .balled me Gramp sb.t am goigg to put some Bixby on my. g'i'ay. locks before :thiB.. wheelchair gets me; . ■:. :■-;'./';'•■ :-' i-was oyer to Dave C.hasen's cafe for/ dinner last; night with, a rich/as- sistant ditectpr : and we ordered squab. You khbw,. Hapjiy, how 1 love homing pigeons. .Well by and by the waiter brings the fbod:and,as he takes off the top 6t the casserole I looks down and there is the fattest .little squab you ever .saw. I thought he IbPked familiar". The little bird looked up at me with tears in his eyes, He says, 'Don't you. remember me pal? :I was with Eddfe Robinson- in 'A Dispatch From Reuters ' I ia now a vegetarian. / : Buck. Unusual number .of;'/children :of riiusicjil Snd .concert names are cur- rently active In show ,busine.s-s, pari. tlculariy legit. Among them are the following: , ;. Martha Erroll, daughterof the former Met tenor Ralph Efr"bll,>re- placed .Miarjprie Gainswoith in' the Shubert *A Night of Love;' currently trying Put on the, road. / - Sonyk Stokow.^ki, ' ihgenue in George Abbott's *Whi*e:«aircd Boy,'/ which closed a~ tryout. Week in" Bos- ton last Sfiturday (2),:is the daugh- ter of Leopold iStokowski arid hia former wife Olga Samaroff sto- kowski; . _:■'.: •..;.: .• ;Lawen'ce Tibbett; .Jr:; /js in ihb cast of 'The Man >Vhb Came to Din- ner.* ■■ .;-'.. ' ■'-:•• -: ■■; Nancy; Monteux, daughter; of the conductor -Pierre Mbnteux :bf ' the San Francisco symphony orchestra; made' her nitery singing; debut je- cently at the Pi^r^e hotel, N. Y; ' ; Jacqueli ; Walter, dau.?hler of Jack Salter :(cbncert .manasjement Evans & Salter), is a. legit act.re.ss; - Eleanor ahd ;-Peggy.- :Frcneii.; the -4^tter in /Washington Slept Herb,' are . ac.tressrdaugh.ters:. - bf Ward .J'reiich, head pf Community Con- certs, ' ■ •. .Daphne and Marita. Sylva. daiigh- ters'of former opera star" MHiguerita Sylya, are legit players, . : Nina Gabrilpwltch, daughter Of the late :pianist-conductor Os.fip Gabrilbr! •w/itch,; and only . grandchild of Mark Twain, is a recent driamaiic/ school graduate and currently looking for a Broadway chance. ^ . Don Beddoe, son:of the late Welsh' concert tenbr Daniel Beddoc, .' film and legit aclor. : V, / Janet Riesenfeld, dancer in' pic- tures, legit and ballet, is. the daui?h- ter of Hugo Riesenf eld, formerly an birchestra conductor at the Metro- politan bpera and in various Broad- way theatres. . . ' Walter; 'Slezak, legit comedian.. is. the son of: the- Austrian tehor, Leo Slezak.; . Anna Erskine, daughter of novelist Jbhri . Erskine, .former president, of the .Juiljiard School of Music. Met opera.' director and .now ! head of the National Committee for Music Ap- preciation, i? production .asisi.stant to stage director Joshua Logan arid also sbripts the 'Mefropolitah Aiid itibns of the Air' program. . Marcel Journet, Jr., son of • .the noted French basso, is ^n established legit actor. . . . Gerald Keane and- Yvoune .Ber- gere, son 'and daughter of concert pianist Gerrhaine' iSchiiilzer, are stage players. Sons of the late bandleader Ar- th""ur PryPi' are Roger Pryor-. film and riidio actor, and Arthur Pryor, Jr.; B.B.D. & Q. radio exetutive. There have always been dozens; of ;,children, of stage people yvho foi? Ipwed their parents into the theatre —such as- the Barrymores, Bennetts, Costellos,, Truexes, the Stohts. etc/ However, chiidfen Pf musical people have until recently been more likely to follow other careers/ rithcr than theatrical. ' U'S MEETING ROUTINE stress On Maihtaininir RIfcId Econ- omies Was One Keynote only; rOUtinp; business .was H-sted. as being transactied at the regular monthly directors' meeting bf Uni- versal last Thursday (5), Di.sciissions bh next season's product , took up part of; time,' with: stres.s laid bh (he necessity, of Keeping production .costs pared to present levels. ' Universal officials reportedly" have pauli«ned against going overboard oh puilays for ;fiiture pictures simpiy becdu.se the company presently " .In the; black and likely to show .a heaHhy proiat; for the fiscal year eoditig lasl- dctober.: ■--./- ■- ,/--: "Annual financial • statement,. which recently has been/comi.ofl out late In January, may even be later/thi.s ytar because of delay in. gettin.!; in .state- ments from foreign accounts; Blows Hot and Golt! Hollywood, Dec. :1Q. Studios in' Holiyvirood are com- piaining abbut the winter licat As hile Howard Hughes' 'The^OuUaW ironpe is snowbound 60 miles nbrth of Flag- .staflf, Ariz;/; Film directed-by Howard Hawks is 10 days lat? fighting the elements.