Variety (Nov 1948)

MISCELI^W %«<Ine8fI(iy, NoTcmlier 9, 194S Televbion Starting to Pay Off As A Prime Sliowcase for Hollywood Television, as a full showcase for* the personalities only half revealed radio, has opened a new talent highroad to Hollywood. This video facet came into play about six months ago when major film com- pany talent scouts Initially began Hope Injures Leg Hollywood, Nov. 2. Bob Hbiw/ rwnhing^ ia prop garigplank on s^t of "Easy; Does It," missed his footing to injured a leg muscle, a blood clot forming, to pay close attention to new faces; He will be bedded for a tew days on tiie new medium. Since then,' while pic sbpota around him. flv-o vniintf thpsnpi s have been 1 airshoW Is unaffected, since five young tliespeis nave p«en i ^^^^^.^^ ^^.^^ ^^^1^^^ ^^^^^ ^j^^, tagged by Hollywood as promising jjon anyway. film prospects. i Gunning for talent on TV has ■everal unique advantages not present in the legitimate theatre, the current major hunting ground for film players. Firstly, according to the talent scouts, television is closely alcin to the screen mediuni In projecting personalities within ♦ two-dimensional framework; further electronic improvements. It's held, will delineate the figures on a TV screen with such clarity and definition that, conceivably, ex- pensive special screen tests may be eliminated for testing photo- genic qualities, Attorneys Heed Jurist, Leslie Case Privately Hollywood, Nov; 2.' - ; Surprise iu^gestipn by Federal Judge Ben Harrisc;h: quicWy ended prfe-trial hearlftgs in Joan' Leslie's $2,'7OO,0OO libel suit against War- ntsrs. 'Attorneys for both sides ih- dicated they'll qulcltly heed Jurist's suggestioin that inatter. Can be ,set^ tied, out of court. Latter comment- Secondly, viewing talent on' ed that matters of this sort can video is easy and inexpensive. Lat ter item is no small consideration, moreover, in. these economy-mind- ed days. With most of the major be worked out amicably . without recourse to courts and attendant anti-Hollywood publicity. Actress charged studio libeled company talent departments ban- her, injuring her name in film biz ning the usual o.o. of the btiaw- by clianging star bUling to featured hat circuit last summer to save billing in "Two Guys From Mil- travel and hotel expenses, new waukee," Suit is in addition to video shows kept them busy in' that filed in Washington to rehear- fjw York during that period, ing of breach-of-contract suit, atching video in-the parlor also wears more easily on the nervous I Mtt't Wkitinn Fvife Tliih 1S •ystem than nightly catching trains IWg t iVniling fiXllS tlUD 13 to tank-town theatres. Boris Kaplan, Paramount's east- ern talent chief, remarked that video has opened a "whole new field of observation for actors and actresses. Talent has to be seen; and I don't care whether it's a 2d avenue loft, a Broadway theatre or a television screen,, just so long as it provides an opportunity to rate potentialities." Five All Set Directly linking tip video as a ' {howcase for film talent, Lester; .ewis' show on ABC-TV, "Holly- wood Screen Test," has already i paid oil with five Hollywood pacts j for the program participants. Rita.' Colton and Jean Biegger have been optioned by Hal Wallis; Olive Sta- cey is currently undergoing further 20th-Fox screen tests; Joel Marstoii has: been signed by Steve Brotdy, Allied Artists chief; and Robert Quarry was pacted by Ted Jen^ nock, Paramount newsreel cxrc, for a documentary role. Also higli- lighting legit possibilities,, Monica Lang, after a television appear- ance, was cast into the, Playrights Co.'s production of "Anne of the . Thousand Days," and Bob Lieb, assistant director, was ^ven a bit role in "Harvey." Kaplan,: hdwever, accented once again that Hollywood was eschew- ing large-scale inking of talent. 340th Week! 3,415 Performance! ; ■• All-time, Ibn.^ ;.ruii:; rticord ''tn th(! leKltimate theatre. KEN MURRAY'S •'BLACKOUTS OF 1948" El Capitan,Theatre,: Hollywood, Cal, And now in world-wide release- "BILL AND COO" Ken Murray's .Aeademy Awai^ .'Film ToProduceinN.Y., Not in HoHy wood By IIERB GOLDEN ■ 'Romfe, iCJct. -a'e/. ^^- Roberto Rpssellinii; a<:6 Italian producer r director, is planning "a > I visit to New York in Decembet. t^ o.b.:iiie potentialities ibr tnakihg _ , , 4 II ir 1 , a film , t h ere , he disclosed to rnir WlaiririaJffi-N Y LeffUi"^'^''iETY this week, RosselUni, who tUI lTMIIiaSC-11.1. I^CgH^^^ repeated offers from top Hollywood, Nov. 2., \ American indies and majors to :\Iargaret Whiting, featured on ■ come to the film capital, said he'd the "Club 15" radio series for hke to make a picture in the U. S. Campbell's Soup, is quitting the but not in Hollywood. He feels that show in January to move to New production in New York may be York. She hopes to get a Broad-'the solution. way musical and will probably do i ..doing to Hollywood," the meg- there ^ ^'"^ S.er explained In his extremely sketchy English, ''would ..mean Singer is to marry Hubbell Rob-;.iearning my trade all over again inson, CBS program v p. Latter's wife, radio-film writer Theresc I Terry) Lewis, is currently in Reno for a divorce. There's tod rhlich system ■ttteref-^ a sy stem with' Which I'm entiirely unfamiliar and under which I can't arid don't want to; work. I've made top niahy piGtUres:tb sta^^^ .begi'nniiig :/agaih.",' ■,'„■;, ■'' ■ ■, '■, RosseUirii, .whose,' .Italian-^^ "Open City"' was the alltime top .foreign-language moneymaker in: Upswing in the boxoffice during the U. S. and whose "PaJsan" is August Is noticeable from admis-' f""feighth month at . , _ 1 J , 4.1 the World, N. Y,, said he'd be glad sions tax figures reported last, to take up the recent offers of week by the Bureau of Internal Samuel Goldwyn, David O. Selz- fievenue. September tax coUec-| nick and other Yanli producers to lions, based, with few exceptions, i make films either In New York or Tax Dept. Reports Upped Aug. B.O. Washington, Nov. 2. on August biz, were a handsome $35,933,211. 'This was nearly $2,000,000 ahead of the $34,141,- 294 figure for the preceding month. Nevertheless, business was off from August of record-break- ing 1947. Uxtcle Sam.'s . share , of that month was a fat $37,068,543. Best estimates here are that Italy, but that they must accept (Continued on page 65) Mason to Narrate 'Bovary' as Author Hollywood, Nov. 2. Ja lives Mason signed a one-pic- .1.6 x.in.1115 ui. laic.jL. . ,. . ,, | tufc dcal wlth Metro for the rolc Actors are being signed only for ^} S.^'^^^ trom the of Guslave Flaubert in the Jenni- •pecific character or specialty roles.■ „ 'f? boxoffice remainder fcr joncs starrer, "Madame Bov- these days, he said. "We are ex-' covering the w'orks from legit, I ary." British thesp will appear crcising more discrimination in' ""'onsn "PO"* to dancehalls. , only in the prolog and epilog but the, selection of screen players," I The government also collected , will function as off-screen narrator, he said, adding quality films will $4,617,957, representing a 20% 1 As the voice of Flaubert, author Hrow out of Hollywood's Increasing ; bite on the nitery tabs of August, I of the story. Mason will play a key ilscrimination in other production 1948. This was a slight improve- , role although it will require only aspects, I ment over th« $4,509,041 of the} eight or 10 days' work. ' preceding month, but lagged con- : With Mason and Miss Jones in •m^ ... , -r.. - ^ . rw. , sidcraWy behind the $5,181,324 the picture, they will both be at BntlSh Lion- Quarter To 1 levy on August, 1947, nightclub , liberty later to costar in "Trilby" N.Y. on a Wanger Deal? ; London, Nov. 2. Sir Arthur Jarratt; managing di- rector of British Lion Films, pror ducer Herbert WUcox, his Wife Anna Neagle and actot-Michael Wilding sailed for the U. S. Sat- urday (30) aboard the Queen Eliza-' beth. It is believed their visit is' In connection with a production,; deal with Walter Wanger. i Britishers w^ill also line up U. S.: distribution for a trio of Imperadio ! films, including the latest Neagle-j Wilding Starrer, "Elizabeth ol Ladymead." Other two are "Court- neys of Curzoij Sfi'eet" and "Spring In Park Lane." Latter picture grossed more than $1,800,000 here on its recent release. Quartet will stay in New York | ♦bout one week and then return i to 'London. - ) business. for Je!5se L. Lasky. H wood's lack of Courage "No guts" seems to be a general anti-ITollywoOd paen by the ' \oung-blood players, directors and producers When they come to ' Broadway and sound off. Some of the opinion, coming frolri sea- soned talent, is quite vociferous in expressing the fact that "Holly- wood is killing itself ofT with not daring to do the different." The criticism runs the gamut from attacks on the Johnston oil ice technique of hamstringing "vigorous" ideas in plot or moti- vation, to the fact that some of the studio toppers are ,so cohceitied about protecting the status quo that few dare anything different. "It's rare when a Zanutk essays a "Ge^jH-eman's Agreement," ob- serves one. "When they tackle a 'Lost Weekend' it sure pays off, so why must all ideas be so formula?" complains a topnotch pro- ducer who yens to do something different but finds himself stale- mated by the front office. ; Seat of the trouble, according to the L. A.-to-N. Y.'ers, lies in Hollywood's fear of censprsliip from all sources, Which was cli- maxed by the Communist probe last year. Situation is So tight -today -that the studios are wary of turning out anything but es* capist Aims. The. way the industry adheres so closely to its own Production Code is also blocking any attempts to turn out more virile pix, it's stressed. • > ■ ,m i ,, This Week's Football 1 I "By MARTY GUCKMAN (SfMrti Direcfor af WMOM, N. COLLEGE ' . EAST' '■ *GAMES SELECTION tPOINTS Stanford-Army , Army 20 Cadets headed for undefeated season. Boston V-Fordham , Boston %t Fordham stepping out of its class. City CoUexe-Brooklyn CoIIcKO Brooklyn B Anything can happen—and usually does. Colsate-Cornell ..Cornell 13 Cornell has two Of the'best backs In the east in Fleischman and Miller. Columbia-Dartmouth Dartmouth 7 It's the same old story. Too much depth for Kusserow, Ros- sides and Co. Holy Cross-Duquesne Holy Cross 14 The Crusaders under Bill Osmanski are building. NYU-Geore^etown (Frl. nite) Georgetown 26 Why do they keep scheduling the tough ones if they aren't , prepared to meet them on even terms. Harvard-Princeton Princeton 6 , • .The winner will emerge as the champion of the Big Three. Lafayette-Ruteers Rutgen 7 Rutgers has been playing in faster company. Penn State-Penn Penn State 13 The game of the day in tiie east-~two unbeaten teams, Syracuse-Temple Syracuse 7 Syracuse hasn't won one since opening day. It's due. SOUTH Rice-Arkansas Arkansas 13 The Owls have been having a rough time of it. Arkansas still has Clyde Scott. ' Mississippi State-Auburn State . 19 Auburn has only one win so far this season. State too toughi Texas-Baylor Baylor 1 ; A tight ball game but Baylor's Bears are protecting an unbeaten record. Furman-Clemson Clemson 32 Clemson imdefeated and untied, way out of Furraan's class. Wake Forest-Duke . . Wake Forest 6 Upset! Strictly a hunch. GcorKla-Florida .Georgia' 14 Only North Carolina has beaten Georgia, and only by 7 points. Tennessee-Georgia Tech . Tech 13 Georgia 'lech will be the Southeastern Conference champ. Villanova-Kentucky ... Kentucky 7 Tough pick. Kentucky is at home, though. La. State-Vandcrbilt . ... . Vauderbilt . 13 LSU, with a new coach in Gaynell Tinsley, is starting from ■■■scratch., ■..,■,■.,,■ , , .■.■,,...•,■.■■■,■■,.■■,■■,:,.,■, William & Mary^Xorth Carolina . No. Carolina Who can stop the Tarheels? SMU-Tcxas A&M .... , SMU The Mustangs will be the champs ot the Conference. VMI-Tulane Tulane Henry Frnka may make Tulane the power of the south on.'the-v.Way, ■■ ..■ 20 26 2» It's MIDWEST lowa-lllinois Iowa 7 The mini are just playing out the season. Notre, Dame^Indiana .. . Notre Dame '26 And who is there to beat the Irish? Navy-Michigan ....., . . Michigan S9 , Missouri, Penn, Notre Dame (one loss among them) and now undefeated Michigauv Poor Middies! Missouri-Oklahoma Missouri 7 Don Faurot's club has too much hipper-dipper. Northwestern-Wisconsin Northwestern 13 The Wildcats are Rose Bowl-bound.' Pittsburtrh-Ohio State .. Ohio State 19 Pitt has won four in a row. That's where it stops. Oklahoma A&M-Tulsa Ajrgics 14 How the mighiy have fallen! Tulsa has yet to win one. FAR WEST UCLA-Californla California 19 Clear sailing to the Rose Bowl. Oreffon-WashingtoH; .... . . . Oregon 7 The Huskies haven't scored in their last three games. Washington State-Oregon State .. . Oregon State 6 A traditional rivalry but Oregon has a better record. PROFESSIONAL NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia-New York Eagles 21 Eagles are the class of the Eastern Division, Washington RedskinsTBoston Redskins 14 Sammy Baugh is red hot. Chicago Bears-Los Angeles Bears 14 Luckman and Lujack. And Lujack is developing into the best pass defender in the league. Detroit-Chicago Cardinals Cardinals 21 The Lions finally won their first game last Sunday, but they • „ Packers, not Trippi, Harder, Angsman, et al. Green Bay-Pittsburgh Green Bay 7 An off-year for both clubs. Green Bay more versatile. 14 14 28 ALL-AMERICAN CONFERENCE Baltimore-Cleveland Browns , Browns » « r J-'^^ Browns are getting better, Colts losing ground. Buffalo-Brooklyn Buffalo George Ratterman is too tricky. Chicago Rockets-'49-ers -. .'49-ers The Rockeis just running out the string Los Angeles Dons-N. Y. Yankees DonS 7 Don line is vei-y, very good. Glenn Dobbs will be ready for this one. SEASON'S RECORD Won, 203; Lost, 60; Tics, 5; Pet., .772. (Ties don't count.) " College games are played Saturday unless otherwiae stated; pros play Sunday Unless otherwise stated. > r »- ^ ^tids'"*'^^^" represents selector's choice, not the official gambling