TRAINS BACKGROUND FOR EXCITING FILMS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 September 1946, Page 6

TRAINS BACKGROUND FOR EXCITING FILMS

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(SPECIAL— From LES.

WELLINGTON, This Day. Happy news comes from the Van Heflin home. The Heflins, parents of a two-year-old girl, had their second child, another girl, recently. Most newsworthy parents to be are the Bob Crosbys. They are expecting their fifth child — which will make brother Bob one ahead of brother Bing (father of four sons) . English Angela Lansbury crisply refused to pose for bathing-suit pictures: "If I am to become famous it must be through my acting, not my legs." Charles Chaplin, Jun., invited his own mother, Mildred Harris Chaplin; his ex-stepmother, Paulette Goddard, and his present stepmother, Oona Chaplin, to his 21st birthday party. Pat O'Brien has' completed his 100th picture, "Perilous Holiday." His first was "The Front Page" in which he created the never-to-be-forgotten role of Hildy Johnson. Ai Jolson celebrated the fiftieth anniversary in his career as an entertainer- during the production of his life story, "The Jolson Story." Hedy Lamarr and John Loder are reconciliated as everyone expected. The estrangement couldn't last long with the children involved. :Sid Caesar, of "Tars and Spars" used to be a doorman at the Capitol Theatre and Gregory Peck served as head usher at Radio City's Music Hall. Actress Ellen Drew and her writer-producer husband, Cy Bartlett, are back together again. Ellen says they are still very much in love. Joseph Cotten was put on the suspension list for refusing to make love to Shirley Temple. In spite of the fact that Shirley is a grown-up married woman, he feels it's like robbing the cradle. Dorothy McGuire is not interested in another movie until she has had a long rest. Alice Faye has been signing lots of autographs while on vacation, but the name she signs is Mrs. Phil Harris. Songwriter Jack Zere says he made pl-enty on his last hit tune, "Please "No Squeeze Da Banana." "I was able to go to Miami and live like a king — for eight minutes." Glenn Ford playing his first starring role for Columbia in "Gallant Journey," had the option in his contract picked up for another year by the studio yesterday. /'Gallant Journey" is Ford's third picture since he returned to the studio from the Marines last year. His first was a loan-out to . Warners, where he played opposite: Bette Davis in "A Stolen Life," and then did the lead opposite Rita Hay-" worth in "Gilda." Giving a well-rounded intelligent performance in Hal Wallis' courageous drama, "The Searching Wind," a 26-'year-old newcomer to films, Douglas Dick, earned high praise from the critics in Hollywood for his magnificent film debut. Dick plays the disillusioned son of Robert Young's diplomat in this piercing indictment of political appeasement, adapted by Lillia* Hellman from her own New York play. Australia's Ann Richards appears as the diplomat's wife, and Sylvia Sidney as the other woman. Lee Bowman says he has a right to call his latest assignment a "hit" role. In the course of "The Walls Came Tumbling Down," Lee was cracked over the head three times, beaten up thoroughly by a pair of strong-arm men, and thrown down a flight of stairs. It is a sophisticated mystery story. First authentic flying ace ever to embark on a film acting career is Robert de Haven, 24-year-old fighter-pilot who fiew 262 missions and downed 14 Jap planes. He plays a top role in "Gallant Journey," which stars Glenn Ford and Janet Blair.'and will pilot a glider,a far cry from the jet propelled ships he fiew in the service. Micheline Cheirel, beautiful French actress, spent her first two years in American pictures dubbing in French, the voices of Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland and many others for distribution in the Continent. Now Micheline has come into her own, playing a French peasant girl in "So Dark the Night." After an extensive career of villainy in films, George MacCready was given his first opportunity to play an upright and honourable character when he was cast by Columbia as the male lead in "The Man Who Dared." Feminine lead is Leslie Brooks. MacCready 's last assignment at Columbia was in "Gilda," in which he was the bad man. An offer to make a six week appearance at Rio de Ja'neiro's famed Copacabana for 5000 dollars a. week was received by Janet Blair,t who will play the feminine lead opposite Glenn Ford in "Gallant Journey." The' deal calls for the service of both Janet and her composer-conductor husband Louis Bush, who would do her arrangements and be her accompanist. Janet met her husband when he was arranger for Hal Kemp's band and she was featured vocalist. The hit parade team of song write'rs, Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, are responsible for the five new songs featured in "Tars and Spars." Alfred Drake, Janet Blair

and comedian Sid Caesar render "Love is a Merry-go-Round," "Kiss Me Hello," "I Love Eggs," "He's a Hero," and "I'm Glad I Waited for You." A sixth song, "Hungarian Czardas," was composed by Victor Monti. Madeleine Carroll recently quietly married her third husband, Frenchman, Henri Lavorel, in Paris. Having returned from a brief honeymoon,, Madeleine will now make a British film. Under the banner of a new company, Peak Films, she will star , in "White Cradle," a story of the post-war revival of a Swiss holiday resort. With her leading man, Ian Hunter and Michael Rennie, she will fly to Switzerland this month on location. As soon as "White Cradle" is completed Madeleine will then appear in a remake of Maurice Dekobra's spicy tale, "The Madonna of the Sleeping Car." Sid Caesar has you rolling in the aisles with his rendition of a dogfight between an American and a German squadron, Hollywood fashion, in the Coast Guard comedy, "Tars and . Spars." Sid is famous as the most accomplished linguist in Hollywood who can't speak an intelligible word of any language except English. He can, nevertheless, give the most convincing demonstration of palaver in any foreign tongue that's ever been heard across the footlights. Anita Louise had a nasty shock recently when on a trip to the Simi Valley. A rattlesnake lodged in her dressing room. The reptile defied the efforts of the company to remove it until it was shot thfough the head by an arrow from the bow of Howard HUI, famous archer. Miss Louise, entering the dressing room, found the snake coiled to strike, arid hurriedly backed out. Director Henry Levin sent for a gun at a nearby ranch house, but meanwhile Hill disposed of the menace with an arrow. Charles Ruggles, veteran character actor, has one of the key roles in "Gallant Journey," air epic. He plays the part of the brother of John J. Montgomery, (ihe eentral character. Ruggles is Jim Montgomery, the mature man, and the role of Jim as a youth has been given to Robert De Haven, war ace, who makes his film debut in the picture. Glenn Ford is starred as John J. Montgomery, said to be the first person in the World' ever t6" make a controlled flight ih a heavier-than-air craft.