Boxoffice-July.17.1948

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FRANK
STUDIO PERSONNELITIES
Blurbers
Metro
TED MORRIS returned to his publicity desk after
a month's vacation in Mexico.
FRANK WHITBECK, studio advertising head, left
Hollywood hospital after on operation. He will remain
at home a week before returning to the studio.
Monogram
BOB FENDER signed with Allied Artists to handle
publicity on the Jack Wrather production, "Strike
It Rich." The picture will be shot on location in
Texas.
United Artists
BOB ARMSTRONG moves over from his Metro
publicity post to lake over the publicity directorship
of Lester Cowan Productions.
Brieiies
RKO
Comedian LEON ERROL signed a contract calling
for him to make three two-reel comedies within
the next month.
Republic
FRANK NELSON will narrate two cartoons curreTitly
being made by Impossible Pictures. Included
are "Bungle in the Jungle" and "The Three
nies—Sola, Tonka and Ha-Ha."
Min-
Universal-International
Producer Will Cowan signed vocalists Clark Dennis
and Virginia Maxey tor a musical short which
will feature Charlie Barnet and his orchestra.
Cleffers
Metro
LENNIE HAYTON will conduct the : background
music for "The Barkleys of Broadway, " which topwith
Charles
lines Judy Garland and Fred Astaire
Walters directing tor Producer Arthur Freed.
United Artists
HEINZ ROEMHELD was engaged by Producer
Harry M. Popkin to compose and conduct the musical
score for "My Dear Secretary."
Universal-International
SKINNER was assigned to score "Family
Honeymoon," which toplines Claudette Colbert and
Fred MacMurray.
MIKLOS ROSZA drew the musical directorship for
"Criss Cross."
Scoring on "The Countess of Monte Cristo" was
begun by LEITH STEVENS.
Meggers
Columbia
The directorial assignment for "Born Yesterday"
was handed to CHARLES VIDOR. The Broadway
plcry from which the picture will be adapted was
written by Garson Kanin.
Monogram
Harry Lewis and Hal Shelton, who head Master
Films, Inc., have pacted WILLIAM BODINE to
direct their initial production, "Incident."
LESLEY SELANDER will direct Jack Wrather's
"Strike It Rich," starring Rod Cameron, Bonita
Granville and Don Castle.
20th-Fox
LLOYD BACON will meg George lessel's production
of "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," based on the
life and songs of Fred Fisher.
The directorial assignment for 'Waltz Into Darkness,"
a George Jessel production, goes to JOHN
M. STAHL.
Universal-International
MIKLOS ROSZA has begun the scoring of the
Harold Hecht-Norma Productions film, "The Unafraid."
CHESTER ERSKINE was slated to double as
producer-director on "Take One False Step . .,"
.
a modern adventure melodrama with present-day
Los Angeles and New Mexico as the locales. Irwin
Shaw will write the screenplay from his original
story.
Options
Columbia
Three radio sports announcers, HARRY WISMER,
TOMMY HARMON and BOB KELLY, were signed by
Producer Sam Kitzman to play themselves in "Triple
Threat." RICHARD CRANE will play the lead.
Italian actress ESTHER MINCIOTTI was cast in
a featured role in "The Lovers," co-starring Cornel
Wilde and Patricia Knight.
Eagle Lion
IIM DAVIS was pacted for one of the leads in
the Cinecolor outdoor action drama, "Red Stallion
in the Rockies." Ralph Murphy directs for Producer
Aubrey Schenck.
A starring spot in Walter Wanger's "Tulsa" goes
to CHILL WILLS.
Enterprise
Broadway actor WILL LEE drew a featured spot
in "The Numbers Racket." Into the cast goes
'ORGIA BACKUS, joining John Garfield, Thomas
Gomez and Beatrice Pearson.
Film Classics
MARY BETH HUGHES and CHARLES RUSSELL are
paired in the top spots of the MRS production,
'
'Inner Sanctum. Lew Landers directs with Richard
Morros as executive producer and Samuel
Rheiner and Walter Shenson co-producing.
Metro
ALAN MARSHALL et to join Judy Garland
SHOWMEN WITH WINGS—Robert L. Lippert jr. licked the daylight savings
problem confronting: him in the management of the Contra Costa Motor-In Theatre
when the 20-year-old son of the northern California circuit operator and president
of Screen Guild Productions tied in with a nearby airport to stage a spectacular
airshow during the extra hour of daylight before film show time. Young Lippert,
pilot by day and theatre manager by night, directed the show from a perch atop
the Motor-ln's projection booth. He reported the turnout was tremendous and
by show time his seven-acre theatre was jammed to capacity.
Lippert (second from left) poses with Pilots Don Murphy, Rod Christenson and
Charlie Brea.
and Fred Astaire in the toplines of "The Barkleys
of Broadway."
Signed for a character role in "The Bribe" was
SAMUEL S. HINDS. Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner,
Charles Laughton, John Hodiak and Vincent Price
are toplined.
Inked for a spot in Mervyn LeRoy's production
of "Little Women" was ELIZABETH PATTERSON.
Monogram
PETE PERKINS plays a supporting role in "The
Sheriff of Medicine Bow." GEORGE LEWIS, FRANK
LA RUE, BILL KENNEDY, CAROL HENRY and BOB
WOODWARD were added to the cast which toplines
Johnny Mack Brown.
KANE RICHMOND wcis selected as the male lead
in Jeffrey Bernerd's upcoming production, "Forgotten
Women," based on the current campaign
to keep women out of bars.
FRANKIE DARRO, GABRIEL DELL, BILLY BENE- .
DICT, BENNY BARTLETT and DAVID GORCEY were
set for roles in "Bowery Comeback."
Producer Jack Wrather signed ELLEN CORBY and
LLOYD CORRIGAN for featured roles in "Strike It
Rich."
Paramount
"Kitchens of the Future" will be the subject of
Jerry Fairbanks' next Popular Science short subject
with Eloise Hardt slated to portray the featured
role of d typical modern housewife.
Joining Alan Ladd and Donna Reed in the cast
of "One Woman" is JUNE HAVOC. The film version
of Tiffany Thayer's novel will be directed by Lewis
Allen. DAVE WILLOCK will play an important spot
with Alan Ladd.
Irish actress UNA MORTISHED will have a featured
pott in William Wyler's "The Heiress." HARRY
ANTRIM was secured for a supporting role. Slated
lor the company is RUSSELL CONWAY. Sir Ralph
Richardson, Montgomery Clift and Miriam Hopkins
appear with Olivia de Havilland.
RKO
JEFF DONNELL wds given an important role as
the wife of Sonny Tufts in "Interference." Also
added to the cast were DON BEDDOE, DICK ERD-
MAN, CHARLES LANG, ALEX SHARP, BOBBY ELLIS
and lACK PAAR. Jacques Tourneur is directing
with Robert Sparks as producer.
ELMO LINCOLN, who played the first screen
Tarzan 30 years ago, will appear in Sol Lesser's
current production of "Tarzan and the Arrow of
Death," which features Lex Barker in the title role.
Republic
Into "Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc. go
JAMES DALE, CAROL FORMAN, BRUCE EDWARDS,
TOM STEELE and DALE VAN SICKEL.
PAUL FIX will play a top supporting part in
"Wake of the Red Witch," which Edward Ludwig
directs for Producer Edmund Grainger. GIG YOUNG
was added to the cost.
20th-Fox
"ICHARD WIDMARK draws the male lead in
"Cloak of Innocence," an original by Ketti Frings
Producer-Direct
Preminger'i
slate following his current "The
Replacing Martha Stewart ir
Sunday" is VEDA ANN BORG,
star slated instead for a role in
"Call Me Mister."
MARK STEVEN3 has had his opt;
another year.
United Artists
"Chicken Every
with the former
George Jessel's
renewed for
MELVILLE COOPER was secured for a 11 p role in
Lester Cowan's upcoming Marx Bros, film, 'Blondes
Up."
Universal-International
Into the "Fnmilv Honevmoon" company go HAR-
OI^D GOODWIN, NICK THOMPSON, CARL VERNELL
and LOIS HALL.
Cuban actress YOLANDA GONZALES was signed
by Producer Robert Arthur for a featured stint in
Abbott and Co-tollo's "Mevicon Havride." FRED
• -^'"SE. JOE KIRK, CHARLES MILLER and EDDIE
KANE joined the company.
Warners
CLARIE TREVOR was cast in a top spot in the
upcoming Joan Crawford starrer, "Flamingo Road,"
a Michael Curtiz production.
HARRY WOODS signed for a role in the Gary
Cooper starrer, "The Fountainhead."
Sixteen-year-old high school student MARY
FRANCES REYNOLDS hcTs been signed to a longterm
acting contract.
WALTER CATLETT has been secured to portray
the same role in "Look for the Silver Lining" that
he played in the stage version of "Sally" during
the 20s. June Haver stars in the film biography
of Marilyn Miller.
Scripters
Republic
GERALD GERAGHTY was set to develop "Powder
River," historical outdoor opus, as a starring vehicle
for William Elliott. Joe Kane is the producerdirector.
20th-Fox
JOSEPH FIELDS will write the screenplay for
44
BOXOFFICE : : July 17, 1948