LATEST DOINGS FROM THE STUDIOS

Chronicle (Levin), 3 April 1946, Page 7

LATEST DOINGS FROM THE STUDIOS

Les. M,

. Murphy)

(Special — From

WELLINGTON, This Day. \ Alan Curtis has eloped to Las Vfegas with model Betty Simpson, ii* Actress Nancy Kelly, ex-wife of +or Edmond O'Brien, has married dv teraman Fred Jackson. \Jail Patrick, who married Dean White 18 months ago, has announced she will divorce him on the grounds of mental cruelty. Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald will co-star in Paramount's "Welcome, Stranger" — both playing medical men. British star Richard Greene, and his pretty wife, Patricia Medina, have arrived in Hollywood from England. Green goes back to his old studio, 20th Century Fox. Rex Harrison, the British star, apparently intends staying in Hollywood. His chic wife Lilli Palmer (last seen in Britain's "The Rake's Progress") is being tested for the feminine lead opposite Gary Cooper in Warner Bros.' "Cloak and Dagger." Lillie, and their one year old son Carey, followed Rex to Hollywood recently from London. Sensitive and never more beautiful Maureen O'Hara gives an outstanding performance in "Sentimental Journey," a modern drama in which Maureen is cast as the wife of John Payne, and the mother of seven-year-old actress Connie Marshall, in a story of misunderstood loves. Glenn Langan, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and William Bendix have important roles. "Going My Way" is expected tc gross 8,000,000 dollars before its runs are completed, and Paramount is speculating on a sequel. The studio is working on a story now to further the pathetically comic adventures of Fathers O'Malley and Fitzgibbon. Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald, of course, will be "musts" to repeat in their old roles. It looks as though Howard Hawks has another Lauren 1 Bacall in Joanne Marshall, the pretty, blonde wife of Dick Hayrnes. Joanne, a former dancer, has been under contract to Hawks for the last eight months, and he is putting her through a course of dramatics. Hei does not want her to fizzle out after i her first picture — in the manner of one other actress. Vivian Blaine, who was "The ; Cherry Blonde" during the war, has ! - returned to her own natural blonde hair for "Three Little Girls in ■ .-Blue." It was no easy task to effect * the change-over. A hair stylist had to sit with Vivian in the studio j barber shop concocting a newj coiifure while the barber sheared off the last traces of cherry from her locks. % Just ten years after Clark Gablp incited a crew to mutiny and set Charles Laughton adrift, the Bounty Sails again. M.-G.-M. announces • the purchase of Charles Nordhoff's 80,000-word novel, "Christian of the Bounty," and plans to produce it this year as a sequel to "Mutiny on the Bounty," with Gable in his original role of Fletcher Christian. It is believed that M.-G.-M. will adopt the unusual course of opening the sequel with the final scenes from the first film. After a search in which more than j a score of actresses were tested, the feminine lead in the Columbia technicolour musical drama. "The A1 Jolson Story," based on the sing- ! er's life, has gone to Evelyn Keyes. The role, in addition to affording the actress an opportunity to capitalise on her pre-screen experience as a dancer, is the most important in her rapidly building carecr. She will play Julie Benson, famous dancing and singing star of Broadway musicals, opposite Larry Parks, who has the A1 Jolson role. "A Thousand and One Nights" is the latest film featuring Miss Keyes. Micheline Cheirel, French actress, was signed by Columbia Pictures to play the feminine lead in "So Dark the Night," a mystery thriller scheduled to go into production shortly First Hollywood lead for Miss Cheirel was "Cornered," in which she played opposite . Dick Powell. After its recent preview, the French actress was accorded high praise for her performance. Lee Bowman has been given the male lead, a Broadway columnist of the Winchell genus, in "The Walls Came Tumbling Down," a Colu""1^'1 film based on Joe Eisinger's mj best-seller of the same Marguerite Chapman has th feminine role. William H originally slated to resume screen career interrupted by service, in the part to be play

Bowman, has been switched to ' another assignment, soon to be announced. Tne picture, to be directed by Lothar Mendes, is scheduled to go into production shortiy. It win oe Aibert J. cohen's first production for Columbia. Disproving ail orainary ideas about fiim stars, Joy Nichols is the ideai of what stars wouid be like n tney were "liot stars. Joy is the most tractable girl ever destined to fame, and did not even compiain wnen t-ne make-up experts decided to bleach her beautiful hair severai shaaes lighter. Besides this, she is not superstitious, which contradicts another edict of the theatre, wnere every player is completely equipped with an assortment of superstitions. It looks like Joy will reiute an the old traditions — and good luck to her for doing it! The old "Southern Cross" is about 20 years old, which, among other things, means that she is not fitted with modern radio equipment. Consequently, when tne camcramen

! were trying to photograph her in flight for the Australian film "Smithy," they had to communicate with the various pilots by means of an Aldis lamp. A director's life is a hard one — I quote Mr. Ken G. Hall — but this is probably the first time on record when a lamp of any description has substituted for his functions. One of the heaviest schedules ever lined up at Warner BrOs. is impending of ten new properties for production in the immediate future. The yehicles, ali for the '1945-41 programme, are: Errol Flynn and Ida Lupino co-starred in "Stallion Road," which Alex Gottlieb will produce for Warners from the novel by Stephen Longstreet- Dane Clark will staf in "A Guy From Milwaukee"; "Autumn Crocus" is added to Henry Blanke's production schedule and "Up at the Villa," from the novel by

|W. Somerset Maugham; "One Man's Secret," by Rita Weimann, is to star Bette Davis; "Cheyenne," topbudget Western; "The Man Who Died Twice," as well as three untitled originals now being developed. Jack L. Warner, executive producer for Warner Bros., has announced that Ann Sheridan had been signed to a new long-term contract with the company. Under the terms of the contract, Miss Sheridan will make a number of special pictures for Warners, appearing in .elected starring roles. Director Vincent Sherman is in New York from the Warner West Coast Studios with Miss Sheridan concerning an original and important screen story which he brought with him and which is being considered as Miss Sheridan's first new film, the title of which will be announced as soon as the director and the star finish the present meeting. Details of development and film treatment will be discusscd by Sherman and Miss Sheridan in New York in order that production may start when Miss Sheridan returns to Hollywood. Lynn Merrick's first movie "favourite" during her school days was handsome Richard Dix, whose cinematic exploits (published in this column recently) she followed with great avidity. She just realised an ambition she never dreamed possible — playing the feminine lead opposite her screen hero in Columbia's "Voice of the Whistler." Although young in years, Lynn is already a veteran, having made her professional debut at'the tender age of eight when her grandmother accompanied her to a theatre to have her take part in an amateur programme. It" was this performance which decided Lynn on her future career. She so enjoyed dancing and singing for the public that she made up her mind right then and there that she would make it her life's work. With more than five yeans as a film actress behind her, Lynn admits that she hersclf is still a movie fan. Her screen favourites are Jean Arthur and Bette Davis. An alluring blonde, Lynn is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 118 pounds and has bachelor-button-blue eyes. Inquiry Corner "Lois" — Otaki Railway. — Robcrt

Young and Spencer Tracy are still c/o Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City, California. (2) Erroi F'lynn is a Warner Bros. star, while Susan Hayward is c/o Paramount Studios, Hollywood. The "Smithy" film, which was recently completed in Australia by Columbia Pictures, will not be released until after Eastef. Watch this column for further announcements as to the approximate date. JOAN CRAWFORD -was unable to be present in person and' receive her Academy Award for the best feminine performance in "Mildred Pierce." Influenza has laid low quite a number of other stars including Errol Flynn, Sydney Greenstreet, Petcr Lo'rre and Martha Vickers.