LATEST DOINGS FROM THE STUDIOS

Chronicle (Levin), 8 November 1947, Page 6

LATEST DOINGS FROM THE STUDIOS

Les. M.

Murphy)

(SPECIAL — From

Los Angles lawyer Gfeg Bautzer has flown from New York to Hawaii to join Joan Crawford. Although denying any interest in Bautzer it is common gossip in Hollywood that a romance has been developed between the pair. Victor Mature has proposed mar.riage to his ex-fiancee, Rita Hayworth— who has promise'd him her answer this week. Rita and Orson Welles are now divorced. Susan Hayward is suing husband Jess Barker for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty, asking for the custody of their twin sons, Timothy and Roger.

Greer Garson, who has been having story troitble, will star for Metro in a screen version of Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga." Marc Platt has ieft Hollywood for Rome to play in Columbia'a "Eternal Melody" with Jan Kiepura j and Marta Eggerth. Marc was j accompanied by Janis Carter who ! also has a top role in the picture. j Universal is after Wanda Hend- j rix, so sensational in '"Ride a Pink : Horse," to co-star with Burt Lancaster in its thriH:-", "Kiss the j Blood Off My Hands." Joan Fontaine is persecuting David O. Selznick to let French Louis Jourdah star with her in the Hakim Bros. remake of "May.eriing." To ensure Joan fulfilling hei\ contract for the picture it is felt that Selznick will accede to her request. Republic starlet Janet Martin will study to be a newspaper j reporter as well as an actfess. "I j consider reporting to be a most glamorous career," said Janet. She has eni'olled in the school of journalism at the University of Southern California. British-born actor Ronald Culver recently married British actress Nan Hopkins at Santa Monica. British player Nigel Bruce gave the bride away. Both Culver and Nan had been married before. Cornel Wilde and wife Patricia Knight have returned to Hollywoo'd from their reconciliation trip to Honolulu, still unreconciled. Glenn Foi'd will spend next January, February and March accompanying his wife, Eleanpr Powell, on her dancing tour of the United States. Glenn's move has i quashed those rumours of trouble i in the. Ford home because ! Eleanor insisted on taking up her career again. John Payne obtained a release from his 20th Century-Fox contract, which had still four years to run. Payne's reason for the release is that he was not getting enough work. He will now freelance the studios. Lat'est Hollywood court quarrel has arisen between June Haver and her husband, Jimmy Zito, dance-band trumpeter, who is contesting her divorce suit. Jimmy declares that the pair own community property, and he wants his share. To counteract the loss of its British markets, Hollywood will sackmore than 20 per cent. of its studio workers this month. The. little men of the movie industry are bearing the brunt of this drastic economy wave. The 2800 studio employees who have received notice are carpenters, cameramen, set decorators, electricians and publicity boys. Producers and directors continue to get fabulous salaries. Independent stars are asking, an'd getting, as much as £100,000 a picture.

The Bing Crosby's celdbrated their 17th wedding anmversary last week at their home with their four sons. The Crosbys are one of i

the happiest couples . in Hollywood. Production is to start this month on M.-G.-M.'s film version of "If Winter Comes," based on the well-known novel ' by A. S. M. Hutchison. The story has. been brought up-to-date, showing England immediately before and after the recent war. Walter Pi'dgeon as Mark Sabre and Deborah Kerr as Nona head the all-British cast, with Angela Lansbury, Binnie Barnes, Reginald Owen, and Dame May Whitty cast for other important roles. Construction has been completed at Columbia on a special tank in which are to be filmed underwater sequences with Ginger Rogers and Cornel Wilde for their come'dy romance, "It Had to' be You." Production will begin this week. Ginger Rogers has purchased the film rights of the best-selling novel, "The Great Answer," for her second film at Enterprise Studios. Her first film, "Wild Calendar," is now before the cameras. Ron Randell, the Australian actor now making good in Hollywood, has been assigned by Columbia a third top part in Evelyn Keyes' life in "The Mating of - Miliie." The other two males in the film are Glenn Ford and Willard Parker. The largest outdoor set ever built by Columbia Pictures, and possibly by any Hollywood studio, was the reconstruction of an English village of the 19th century for

. the . technicolor drama, "Royal .Mail," which is now in production. Much of the aetion of the picture takes place in the village. The village .contains 13 buildings in the six block. area, including a village •church, prison and prison courtyard, schoolhouse, inn, houses and thatched b'arns as well as a cobbles]bone street - measuring 25,000 square feet meandering through the town.