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. . Screen<br />
. . "Night<br />
. . Madeleine<br />
. . Marie<br />
: March<br />
.<br />
^Mfw^Md ^efoont<br />
Seven New Story Properties<br />
Purchased During Week<br />
Writers and the agents who purvey thenbrain-children<br />
to the studios had good reason<br />
to be wearing broad smiles during the<br />
period, wherein a healthy total of seven properties<br />
were acquired by the film makers.<br />
MGM went for "Act of Violence," an<br />
original by Collier Young, purchasing it<br />
from the company formerly headed by the<br />
late Mark Hellinger. It will be produced<br />
by William Wright from a script now being<br />
prepared by Robert L. Richards . . . "September."<br />
an original screenplay by Robert<br />
Thoeren from an idea by Fritz Rotter, went<br />
to Hal Wallis as an addition to his independent<br />
schedule for Paramount release.<br />
The story concerns a woman pianist who forsakes<br />
love for a career . . . Radio writer<br />
Aleen Leslie sold an original, "Turn of the<br />
Century," to Columbia, where it will be produced<br />
as a musical by Burt Kelly . . . Jerry<br />
Gruskin's original comedy about a girl who<br />
is rescued from a watery grave by an underseas<br />
scientist, "The Octopus and Miss Smith,"<br />
went to Warners, where it is being scripted<br />
by Harry Kurnitz. He is also set to produce<br />
rights were acquired by<br />
Harry Sherman to a series of western stories<br />
by W. C. Tuttle, featuring two cowpoke<br />
characters. "Hashknife" and "Sleepy," for<br />
independent production, possibly through<br />
Enterprise . Cry," a novel by William<br />
L. Stuart, was picked up by Frank<br />
Rosenberg's Colony Pictures, to be filmed<br />
PS a semidocumentary. He has set no release<br />
... To Eagle Lion went "I Married a<br />
Communist," by George W. George and<br />
George P. Slavin, which is also slated for<br />
documentary film treatment under the guidance<br />
of Producer Aubrey Schenck.<br />
Screen Guild Adds Eight<br />
To Release Schedule<br />
Screen Guild Productions added eight subjects<br />
to its 1948 distribution schedule by acquiring<br />
two reissues and setting up a production<br />
deal for a half-dozen sagebrushers<br />
co-staning Lash LaRue and Al St. John,<br />
who were riding the PRC range until recently.<br />
The reissues are "Forbidden Music,"<br />
with Jimmy Durante, and a Joe E. Brown<br />
comedy, "Flirting With Fate." The LaRue-<br />
St. John westerns will be turned out by Ron<br />
Ormond.<br />
Three More Independents<br />
To Release Through EL<br />
Whether the master-minds of Eagle Lion<br />
are deliberately pointing in that direction<br />
it or not, to if begins look as the company's<br />
1948 will output reach astronomical proportions,<br />
at least as to quantity, judging by<br />
the number of distribution deals it has been<br />
setting up of late with various independent<br />
film-making units. Latest to announce<br />
plans for production unier the EL banner:<br />
William Moss Pictures, Inc., to make thi-ee<br />
films annually, the first to be "Judgment in<br />
the Wilderness," a Cinecolor outdoor drama<br />
based on an original by Morton Grant. Moss<br />
—who recently turned out two "Kilroy" subjects<br />
co-starring Jackie Cooper and Jackie<br />
22<br />
By<br />
IVAN SPEAR<br />
Coogan for Monogram—has charted a May<br />
starting date.<br />
John Sutherland Productions, which signed<br />
a two-picture commitment and scheduled<br />
"Lady at Midnight," from a story by Richard<br />
Sale, as its initialer, to go before the<br />
cameras immediately. Sherman Scott will<br />
direct.<br />
Additionally, EL has priority on United<br />
California Productions' next film, "That's<br />
Hollywood," described as the story of Robert<br />
Cummings' screen career to date. United's<br />
first, is "Let's Live a Little," now in work<br />
for EL release with Cummings and Hedy<br />
Lamarr as the co-stars. Cummings is developing<br />
"That's Hollywood" and will have<br />
the topline in the subject.<br />
Bing Crosby and Four Sons<br />
Signed for Disney Film<br />
The latest Crosby film venture is somewhat<br />
more than a mere casting commitment<br />
—it's practically a merger. Der Bingle has<br />
signed to narrate and sing three songs in<br />
Walt Disney's new animation-and-live-action<br />
feature, "Two Fabulous Characters"<br />
and going with liim in the package are his<br />
four sons, Philip, Gary. Dennis and Lindsay.<br />
They'll make their acting debut in the subject,<br />
which RKO Radio will release.<br />
Three Players Terminate<br />
Their Studio Contracts<br />
A rash of terminations-by-mutual-agreement<br />
of player-studio commitments broke<br />
out during the period. Lloyd Nolan checks<br />
out of 20th Century-Fox, after an eight-year<br />
association, when he completes "The Street<br />
With No Name;" Ellen Drew secured a release<br />
from the balance of her Columbia<br />
ticket; and Richard Hart and MGM called<br />
it quits. All announced plans to free lance in<br />
the future Carroll will resume<br />
her film career in "An Innocent<br />
.<br />
Af-<br />
fair," co-starring with Fred MacMurray in<br />
the James Nasser production for United<br />
Audrey Long replaced Anne<br />
Artists .<br />
Gwynne in Monogram's "Stage Struck," with<br />
PLAY IT LIKE THIS—Suggests Director<br />
Steve Sekeley (right) as he explains<br />
a scene in "Hollow Triunph" to Paul<br />
Henreid, co-starring with Joan Bennett<br />
in the Eagle Lion drama. Henreid is also<br />
producing the film, marking his debut in<br />
that category.<br />
P. J. Wolfson Planning<br />
Shakespeare Biography<br />
Old Will Shakespeare, who has had a<br />
hand in many a Hollywood opus (with<br />
and without screen credit), is coming<br />
into his own at last. A film version of<br />
the life and works of the Bard of Avon<br />
is in preparation as an independent<br />
venture by P. J. Wolfson, former Paramount<br />
writer-producer, for an as-yet undesignated<br />
release.<br />
Wolfson intends to get under way<br />
with the offering early next year, shooting<br />
it<br />
both in England and the U.S.,<br />
on a high-budget scale. He has not yet<br />
lined up a cast.<br />
Conrad Nagel and Ralph Byrd also joining<br />
the cast . . . Lon McCallister, Julie London<br />
and AUene Roberts are toplined in Sol Lesser's<br />
new one for UA, "Girl Shy" . . . MGM<br />
handed Frank Morgan a role in "The Story<br />
of Monty Stratton," upcoming Van Johnson<br />
starrer. At the same studio Tom Drake was<br />
set to portray Richard Rodgers, the tunesmith,<br />
in "Words and Music."<br />
RKO Promotes Jack Gross<br />
To Schary's Assistant<br />
Intending to keep a sharp eye on production<br />
costs, RKO Radio has elevated Jack<br />
Gross, for five years an executive producer,<br />
to a new post as assistant to Dore Schary,<br />
wherein he will devote his energies to a<br />
"pre-filming analysis" of budgets, scripts and<br />
acting commitments Quigley, west<br />
coast as.sistant production to Joseph Bernhard,<br />
president of Film Classics, has replaced<br />
Phil Krasne as FC's production contact . .<br />
Michael F. Johnson, who for 15 years served<br />
in various production capacities with a number<br />
of British studios joined Jerry Fairbanks<br />
as studio manager . . . Added to the executive<br />
lineup of R. B. Roberts Productions as<br />
secretary-treasurer and general manager is<br />
Martin Jurow, formerly a partner in the<br />
James Saphier agency.<br />
Writing-Producing Chore<br />
For Seton Miller at WB<br />
"Fighter Squadron," a story of World War<br />
II aviation, will be written and produced at<br />
Warners by Seton I. Miller. On the same<br />
lot Delmer Davies was assigned the writingdirecting<br />
chore on "The Turquoise" . . . Paramount<br />
handed the producer-director assignment<br />
on "Look Homeward, Angel," the<br />
Thomas Wolfe novel, to William Wyler . .<br />
Over Eagle Lion way, Leonard Picker and<br />
Chuck Reisner were set to produce and direct,<br />
respectively. "Born to Fight," prize ring<br />
drama featuring Scott Brady.<br />
Descendant of Hamilton<br />
Plans Historical Films<br />
So great has interest become in the independent<br />
film-making field that even Alexander<br />
Hamilton is going to take a whirl at<br />
it. Not the first U.S. secretary of the treasuary,<br />
but a great-great grandson, bearing the<br />
same name and associated in the organization<br />
of Americana Productions with Jess<br />
Smith.<br />
The new outfit projects a series of films<br />
based on U.S. history, and plans to gun the<br />
first,<br />
as yet untitled, in June.<br />
BOXOFFICE<br />
:<br />
6, 1948
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