Variety (Sep 1941)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, September 3, 1941 Gridiron Cowi)oys Score Touchdown, H'wood Picture Contracts the Goal Hollywood, Sept. 2. City lads, not country yokels, land the lop cowboy hero Jobs in films. Most of all, now, they come off the iootball grids; seldom off the range or out of the horse sectors, where normally they would be expected to shape up for the riding, shooting, roping, buUdogging and general roughhoiising chores demanded in the saddle operas. Football is the prime prcpper. Last year's crop of pigskin stars hurdling into pix were Slingin' Sammy Baugh from Texas Christian, John Kim- brough from Texas A. & M.. and Tom Harmon, of Michigan. Two of this trio were placed in westerns. Baugh in Hepublic's clilthanger, •King of the Texas Rangers'; Jarrin' Jav.'n Kimbrough intj 'Lone Star Ranger, at 20th-Fox, with a second, 'Rainbow Trail," in preparation. Har- mon's first is a straight gridder. •Harmon of Michigan," for Columbia. Kimbrough comes off a Texas ranch. He's been familiar with horses all his lite and rides as to the saddle born. But he's been learning to shoot a six-gun 'western' fashion as part of the equipment for his pic- ture chores. They like his initial showing very much at 20th. Slingin' Sammy, playing professional football this fall, will be cavorting between goalposts at the same time his star- ring serial is on general playing time, as Republic gleefully informs all and sundry. Observing these graduations from the chalk-striped arena to the silver screen, otHfer top gridders who be- lieve they will get the call to films next season are learning to ride, twirl and fan a gun, to make the quick draw and other refinements in the art of being a saddle hero. Certain it is that film scouts will /be watching the grid grads this fall for probable options on the more colorful, personable performers who might easily make the stellar grade in westerns. And, in as much as-the army is likely to grab quite a few of the younger huskies out of the stu- dios as weU as off the college grad ranks, the. scanning of the football fields and the appraisal of the star performers there will be all the more intensive this fall. Many western stars and top char- acter and riding men have been *e- (Continued on page 62) Ex-Vaude Strong Man Now No. 1 Icelandic Host Reykjavik, Iceland, Aug. 26. Adopted as unofficial clubhouse by British and now American officers quartered here. Hotel Borg, leading hostelry, intrigues Yank niilitary vis- itors to Iceland's capital city because owned by A. Josefsson, jiu-jitsu ex- pert and strong man, who made his living for years in the U. S. as such. He toured with RingUng's circus and also appeared at Keith and Pantages vaudeville theaftes. Money earned on such playdates plus his wrestling career, which in- cluded matches with Frank Gotch, •when he was champ, and Hacken- Echmidt, enabled him to buy the hotel Leo Goes to Mahomet Alexander Woollcott was un- able to go to Metro last week, so Leo the Lion went to Alec. Studio wanted him to go from New York to the Coast for a short sequence in 'Babes on Broadway,' but he wasn't able to make the trip. Instead, Metro shot the scene— in which Woollcott appears at a mike as the familiar Town Crier —at Fox-Movietone studios in Manhattan on Friday (29). More H'wood Recruits Get Term Contracts At Fort Monmontii, NJ. Fort Monmouth, N. J., Sept, 2. Another flock of Hollywood addi- tions has been made to the rapidly- expanding Training Films Produc- tion Unit headquartered here. Among the newcomers is Dick Green (brother of songwriter Johnny), who was an assistant director at Metro and RKO and was with the field artillery in Texas before his trans- fer here. Other recruits are Steve Miller, writer-reader from Metro and 20th- Fox; Ben Eisenberg, writer; Richard Blank, writer at Metro; Dave Zim- merman, indie shorts writer; Ray Goldstone, of Newark Morning Ledger, and Ray Bullock from Uni- versity of Southern California. All have been assigned to scenario de- partment. Eleven new men have been added to the animation department. They are Clarence Hartman, Frank Onait- us. Art Moore and L.ars Calonius. all from the Disney plant; Bruce Ellison, Chicago advertising illus- trator; Hervey Armington, miniature set modeler, and Lawrence Gutten- tag, sign painter. There are also two new inkers, Arnold Kivala, of the Fleischer studios, and Carmen Eletto, of Terrytoons. Speed-up in film making has been so great recently that two-shift sys- tem has been instituted in the cut- ting and editing department. P Shortage of Uncle Sams Detroit, Sept 2. Among other defense shortages they are running out of Uncle Sams. With the theme of the CIO Labor Day parade here national defense— bands were all ordered to strike up on Irving Berlin's 'Any Bonds To- day'—it was planned to have SO Un- cle Sams accompany the parade handing out the defense stamp and bond literature.. Parade had to settle for 20 Uncle Sams—the total number of such get- ups which could be garnered in the county. Wires to Chicago and New York costumers had brought the re- sponse: 'Sorry. All our Uncle Sams are out.' 'DE. BEOADWAT' TESTS Hollywood, Sept. 2. Rod Cameron, Canadian, being grodmed for stardom at Paramount, Is being tested for the role of 'Dr. Broadway,' central figure for series to be made from the Borden Chase mag stories. Art Arthur is writing script for the first in the series. To Make 'Em Laugh Again • ■ Hollywood, Sept. 2. Harry L,angdon, once a star in his own right, signed up with Monogram for a series of pictures as a comic teammate of Charlie Rogers, to be produced by Barney Sarecky and Dixon R. Harwin. Series starts Sept. 15 with 'Here We Go Again,' to be directed by William West. Artists and showmen who contributed whole • hearted service to national defense during past tveek : Larry Adicr Edward Arnold. Fred Astslre Jos. Bernhard Irving Berlin Hal Block Bay Block Orch. Ann Brown James Cagney. Eddie Cantor. Melvyn Donglaa Betty Grable Harry Goldberr L. H. Goldenson Jaanita Hall E. L. Knykendall FrisclUa Lane. Elliott Lewis. F. Lewis, Jr. Oscar Levant Ed. Mathews James Melton, Ken Murray Georee Raft .E. G. Boblnson Lanny Boss Dave Bablnoff. M. G. Smith Lowell Thomaa Barry Wood. A. F. Wazman Herman Weak Nathan TarnIna '♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦t»«« M »»»»»»»««»»»»»»»»»4»«»» M >«»< THE BERLE-ING POINT By Milton Berle »♦♦♦♦♦««♦«♦♦«♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦♦♦♦*«♦ CAPRA, ASTAIRE PLANE TO N.Y. FROM COAST By GEORGE FBOST This was a big week for the sky- hawks. Eddy Duchin planed into La Guar- dia Field, N. Y., yesterday (2), from Latin-America aboard an Eastern Air Line cloud-chaser. He and his band had appeared at Rio's Copa- cabana Casino. Monday saw American Airline ships tote in. from Los Angeles, Geraldine Douglas, actress; Director Frank Capra and actor Joseph Shild- kraut. Sunday's (31) airport crowds saw Tyrone Power plane to L. A., while arrivals at the airport were Fred Astaire, from L. A., and Betty Mil- ler, 'Miss Wisconsin,' on her way to the Atlantic City beauty marts. Abbott and Costello, among those who choose the TWA route to the West Coast this week, had the air- (Continued on page 29) Sahotage Suspected? Hollywood, Sept. 2. Morning mists in the last two weeks have been clouding production and gumming up budgets on cow- poke films in San Fernando Valley where the California sun is always supposed to shine. Republic had to send 100 extras home because Sol refused to shine 'Down Mexico Way.' GEORGE WASHINGTON George Washington waa the father and flrat prealdent of the trnJted States. Hl« picture appears on the $1 banknote, of which ABBOTT and COSTELLO arc Ihiportant coll«clorH, having groaied 25,000 of them at the RKO Boston, Boston, lant v/r.c.k. Personal Management oft EDWARD SHERKfAN Hollywood, Sept. 2, Have been working five days on my new picture, 'Rise and Shine," and just found out it wasn't the biography of a bootblack. In this picture I play the character known as 'Seabiscuit,' so Zanuck took my dressing room away and gave me a stall. "There are so many comedians in the picture, the only one doing straight la the makeup man. 'Sun Valley Serenade' is now at Grauman's Chinese. My mother has already seen the picture so many times she's become snowblind. Took Jack Benny and Bope Hope to see the picture with me. Before seeing it they congratulated me. After seeing the picture they congrat- ulated each other. Broadway Department Georgie Price has returned to show business. From stockbroker to stock gags. Broadway Rose don"t have to worry about silk stockings. She's keep- ing steady company with a silkworm. Now that the summer season is over, the herrings at Grossinger's have flown back to Capistrano. Every time a certain comedian forgets a line in his routine—the audience prompts him. Peggy Hopkins Joyce's latest boy friend won't marry her until he can afford to divorce her in the manner to which she is accustomed. Holly woodiana One of Crosby's horses got so conceited, because he finally won a race, his bridle doesn't fit him. Saw them shoot a quickie picture the other day and the actors had just enough time to remove their makeup after the last scene to make the preview. Republic is thinking of starring Cab Calloway in 'Jive Bomber." There's a certain actress who punishes her children by taking away their scratch sheets. Hollywood is the only place in the world where a girl has to decide whether she wants a career or just one husband. Pictures sure bring out the hidden talents of actors. Tracy invented the electric light, Ameche Invented the telephone and now Errol Flynn comes along and invents the oxygen helmet. Illusio Department Do you think BMI songs were the cause of Mack Gordon losing weight? Woody Herman was requested by the management of the Palladium not to play such intoxicating music because it was killing their liquor sales. Badlo Department There's a certain radio comedian who is so tight-fisted whenever he has a headache he listens to the Bayer Aspirin program. There's No Truth to the Rumor That Fred Astaire is taking dancing lessons from Arthur Murray. That Fred Allen is writing Howard and Shelton's radio material. That William Randolph Hearst is financing Orson Welles' next picture. That Jack Benny wears a toupe made of Jello. Hancnall Descriptions Lana Turner: Sweeter in a sweater . . . Perc Westmore: Pan-Handler . . . Georgia Sothem: Southern Exposure . . . Abbott and Costello: A modern Moss and Frye. Observations Billy the Midget has just been appointed to a high-ranking Government job—and is now a half-dollar-a-year man. Went to a night baseball game in Hollywood. The outfielder had noth- ing to do and looked so lonely for nine innings Beatrice Fairfax sent him a letter. My brother (the inventive one) crossed a frankfurter with a reefer and is selling them as mariweenes. Whatever Became of T Conlin & Glass Erickson & Browne Rubin & Malone Cook & Oatman Tierney & Donnelly Joe Darcey Afterpiece: Americans should be thankfA the only trenches we have in this country are on a movie set. 121 WARNER PLAYERS Highest Fersonnel Boster In Studio's History Lists 18 SUrs Hollywood, Sept. 2. Warner's personnel list has now reached a total of 121, highest in the company's history. Figure includes 18 stars, 69 featured players and 34 others under picture deals. Five new names have been added during the past month, Walter Brooke, Adele Longmire, Ray Mont- gomery, Phil Silvers and Kaaren Verne. 'SAMMY' AS A PLAY WAITS ON SCHULBERG Budd Schulberg, author of 'What Makes Sammy Run,' has. several Broadway legit production bids . to adapt the book for the stage, but In- stead he wants to write a new nbvel with a prizefight background. He'll probably go to his place at Norwich, Vt., late this month to start work on It. Figures it will take'him all fall and most of the winter to com- plete. Son of film producer B. P. Schul- berg planed to the Coast last week to attend the Billy Soose-Ceferino Garcia fight Sept. 16 and will stay In the meantime with Soose and his manager, Paul Moss, both friends of his. When he returns east'he hopes to find someone to make the legit adaptation of 'Sammy," or to col- laborate with him on it during the winter at Norwich, between his ses- sions on the new book. There has been only perfunctory Hollywood interest in the screen rights to 'Sammy." But in any case, Schulberg would want it done first as a play, figuring to cash in on It that way from both ends. Metro's Van Heflin Buildup Metro, faced like other studios with a lack of leading men as its major casting problem, js giving a high-speed buildup to Van Heflin. New York legit player, who came to Hollywood attention in role opposite Katharine Hepburn in stage version of 'Philadelphia Story," has been handed two. important assignments following his Metro break-in. He took his celluloid bow at Metro in 'The Feminine Touch,' recently, completed with Don Ameche, Rosa- lind Russell and Kay Francis starred, and comes up next in 'H. M. Pulham, Esq.' and 'Johnny Eager.' Robert Taylor-Lana Turner will be star- duoed In latter. Arline Returns Hollywood, Sept. 2. Away from the screen for four years, Arline Judge returns to Hol- lywood as femme interest opposite Maxie Rosenbloom in 'Harvard, Here I Come" at Columbia. Filming starts tomorrow (Wed.) with Lew Landers directing and Wallace MacDonald as producing supervisor. Nolan Swaps Roles Lloyd Nolan, originally slated for the Michael Shayne role at 20th-Fox, is exchanging that part for an impor- tant spot in "Law and Order, Inc.' Job starts as soon as Nolan fin- ishes his present chore In 'Bridges Built at Night" at Warners.