Variety (Apr 1942)

WedneBday, April 22, ,1942 AOVEBTISEilBNT 17 THE EXTRA Nmw% and Oos»lp About fhm Production onrf Dlsfrlfcwfloit of tii» Bw» Shows In rowwl SKEDAT PEAK; 11 LENSING In For a Breather Ted Genock, aCe Paramount News war cameraman who returned to New York last week for a brief vacation, is shown above as he •was snapped near the war front in Singapore. That's a rubber tree directly alongside him, and a camera-shy colleague next the tree. Genocic's vacation follows 900 successive days In the "hottest spots' of the war area. His Itinerary for those 900 days' led him to Eng- land, France, Libya, Iran, India, Singapore, Malaya, Java and Aus- tralia—in that order. He will leave sometime soon for some place East. When and to where is a military secret. Genock's eye-witness story of Java's fall is featured in the current Paramount News, along^ with shots of the U. S. Fleet in the Pacific and General MacArthur's arrival in Australia. DRAMA DOESN'T DENT 'STURGES STOCK CO/ Despite the fact that the current •Preston Sturges picture, 'Triumph Over Pain', is- a change of pace from past Sturges hits — drama rather - than comedy. — Sturges is holding his legendary 'stock com- pany' as intact as possible. Four members >of the group of comedians and-, character players who have been seen in all Sturges productions to date were signed for 'Triumph' on Monday. They are Vic Potel, Arthur Stuart Hull,' Sheldon Jett and Chester Conklln. Hull gets a role as father of Betty . -Field, femme lead, while-the oilier, three will play slightly comic roles. Three Roses Fully, aware, that they'll be just ai sweet under any other name. Paramount Studio Mon- day gavei new monickers to three feminine starlets. Dolly Loehr, young pianist who first appeared In 'Magic in Music' and now is working In "The Major and the Minor,' becomes Marguerite Lynn. Betty Jane Rhodes, of True to the Army,' will show up in 'Priorities of l942' as Betty Rhodes, minus- the Jane. Lore X^ee, a contract player whose given name was Donivee Purkey when she saw the light In Texas, will reas- sume the Donivee to become Donivee Lee. ^eap to Continue lis Harvest at rr MiBic Hall for Fifth Smai^ Week Cecil B. DeMlUe's sweeping Technicolor saga of the sea "Reap the 'Wild Wind' moved into a select circle of the 'biggest hits in the Radio City Music Hall's history this week, with the decision of Gus Eyssel, managing director, to hold it a fifth week, Only three pictures have played five weeks at the Music Hall hitherto: 'Snow White,' Rebecca,' 'Philadelphia Stor/ and 'Woman of the Year.' Meanwhile, early reports from the Charleston premiere indicate that it's going tc be the same story of abundant harvest there; opening day's business on Sunday was al- most dou);le that of opening day tor the smash 'Louisiana Purchase.' Heap' set an all-time record for the t-os Angeles Paramount when It held four wetks in that theatre- while at the same time the Para- mount, Hollywood, in .. day-and- date premiere booking, held It five weeks. Both runs close today. Nine more special pre-release en- gagements are already set, each will get special advance buildup by Paramount district ad men, plus top advertishig. Since the recent trade screenings of 'Reap,'- Paramount home office has been fiooded by an unprece- dented deluge of letters from, cir- cuit heads and exhibitors, offering congratulations to both Paramount and DeMille, and predicting top boxoffice receipts. STUDIO HITS NEW Some of Year's Toppers in Group of Films Now Roll- ing at Paramount; All Stages. Busy and 'Wake Island' Crew Out on Lo- cation — No Letup Seen Ahead 'BELL' PREPARING Paramount Studio hit its year's production peak today, as eleven pic- tures were' before the lens at one time. Every sound stage on the lot was busy and one company was on location—the crew for ''Wake Island,' working on the shores of the Salton Sea. Paramount plans to put the Tech- nicolor epic, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls,*' into work within a couple of weeks, as soon as final casting is completed. This week Pola Negri was to be tested for Pilar; Sam Wood directs,.and Joe Youngerman Is assistant director. - Some of Paramount's top 1942 pro- ductions are included in the list In work today. List Is as follows: ■BOAD TO MOROCCO'...newest Crosby-Hope-Lamour 'Road' picture. This- one places much of its action In a harem and is reported even more harum-scarum than Roads to Singa- pore and Zanzibar. THE FOREST BANGERS'.. .Tech- nicolor epic based on the Cosmopol- itan novel by Thelma Strabel, author of 'Reap the Wild Wind,' and star- ring Fred MacMurray, Paulette God- dard and Susan Hayward. 'THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR*... Ginger Rogers-Ray Milland co- starrer directed by Billy Wilder, fol- lowing his own work on the script Fast comedy with a pack of young talent. Robert Benchley heads the support 1 UARBIED A. WITCH'...Fredrlc March and Veronica Lake in the first picture to be directed by Rene Clair for Paramount. Based on the Thorne Smith best-seller. The Pas- sionate Witch.' Started in a blaze this week, as Clair filmed the. open- ing scene—set in a burning hotel. . TRIUMPH OVER PAIN'r.'.Preston Sturges' first shot at serious drama; the story of the discovery of ether, cd-starring'Joel McCtea and Betty Field. Plenty of the 'Sturges touch* wH] be added as leavening, accord- ing 'to advance" reports^ " _ ^WAXE 45I/ANC'. r.Paramount-'e- sa- lute to the gallant stand made by American Marines on Wake, to be shot on the -shores of Salton Sea with a cast including Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston and Macdonald Carey. The construction company that made the actual government de- velopment on Wake is making the replica, sets. 'SILVER QUEEN'...George Brent Priscilla I.ane and Bruce Cabot will -star in this Harry Sherman super of the Seventies in San Francisco and New York. Lloyd Bacon directs. ■PRIORITIES OF 19(2*...No relation to the vaude show by the same name n6w on Broadway; Jerry Colonna, Ann Miller, Vera Vague, Betty , Rhodes and Johnnie Johnston in top roles. Tunes and terpslchore, larded with laughs. 'LADT BODYGUARD*. ..starring Eddie Albert aiid EUlen Drew. Ed- Stars of New Prize Package Irving Berlin's 'HolidayIbiii' will be woU separmtoly by Psnuneimti Nell Ani'w •nnounced .last week. 'HollOay Ino,' » Hark Ssndrleh prodnctlon, U the third Fsraaurant film lohediiled for icp«rst« mIoi first two were Xonlslana FarehMe' and 'Beap the Wild Wind.'. Be- Icase date of Inn* U Mt for Labor Day. SUrs above are Blnff Crosby, Horjorle Beynolds, Fred Astslre and Mary Astor. 'Blonde' Breaks Another N.Y. Record; Biggest Third Week for Paramount mund L. Hartmann, writer, whose six recent releases include the Ab- bott and Costello picture, 'Keep 'Em Flying,' has scripted. 'WBECKING CBEW*.. .Plne-Thom- as actioner starring Chester Morris, Richard Arlen and Jean Parker. Frank Mcbonald Is directing. 'HAPFT GO LUCKY'.. .big, lavish musical to star Mary Martin, Dick Powell, Rudy Vallee, Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, with Curtis Bern- hardt directing. Setting in Trini- dad. Meanwhile, the Studio has one of the biggest backlogs of com- pleted pictures ever, either await- ing release or polishing and ready- ing. Included are the Irving Berlin special, 'Holiday Inn'; the new Sturges picture "The Palm Beach Story'; the Ray MUland-Betty Field starrer 'Mr. and Mrs. Cugat,' and Mitoh Lelsen*s Take a Letter, Darling,', jstarrinjs Fr^d JJacMmray and Rosalind Russell. " ' 'My Favorite Blonde' has rung up the biggest third week's business since the inception of the present stage policy for the New York Paramount, Bob Weitman, Mana- ger, said today. Week's business topped the New Year's Eve third week business of 'Love. Thy Neigh- bor* and ran 29 percent above ths ' third week's take for 'Caught la the Draft' "Blonde' bad a record opening week for-the house, topping every* thing except the New Year's week- end opening of lioulslana Pur- chase,' which ran at advanced prices. Second week also was a record, beating all previous second week takes since the stage policy, with the same exception. Picture will move out at the end of.the fourth week because of pr^fduB bdSEfnSJ.'"' 'He wants to know if iVt a Jungle picture!*