James Cagney attended the graduation of his baby sister Jeanne from Hunter College in New York. Along with her BA, she received a Phi Beta Kappa key. A future in films is expected. (Jeanne Cagney apears in a Paramount production in 1939 – ‘All Women Have Secrets’).
Sidney Skolsky writes a column about WB producer Bryan Foy. The son of vaudevillian Eddie Foy (and one of the Seven Little Foys) is known around the lot as the guy who makes ‘B’ pictures that make ‘A’ money. He takes the story from one film, and changes the details to make another. For instance, the story for ‘Here Comes the Navy’ about sailors was lifted and given to ‘She Loved a Fire Man,’ which was about firemen. To his credit he states that he only steals from WB. For his latest production “Crime School” featuring the Dead End Kids, he borrowed from ‘The Mayor of Hell,’ ‘San Quentin,’ and ‘Road Gang,’ which he originally took from ‘I am a Fugitive’ – marking the first time he stole from himself. [He was famous for making an all speaking musical “Lights of New York” in 1928. Jack Warner and Darryl Zanuck thought he was making a short, and were leary about its worth. They did release it and for the $18,000 investment, pulled out a 2 million dollar return].
Walt Disney will be awarded an honorary MA degree by Harvard University June 23 at commencement exercises. Disney left school at age 16 and never attended college. Boston University also had planned to give him an honorary citation but their invitation came a month after Harvard’s. [The USC honorary degree was earlier, see 6/4].
The Hollywood Park race track opened 6/10 – strictly a WB production. With so many people from WB attending, things back at the lot were practically at a standstill. The winner of the seventh race was Air Chute owned by the Boeing Airplane company – probably accounting for its “power drive down the stretch.”
Max Fleischer and Paramount annouce plans for their first animated feature film – ‘Gulliver’s Travels,’ to be done using the patented 3D effects developed by Fleischer for Popeye and Betty Boop. Fleischer’s new animation studio, being built in Miami, Florida, should be completed in September at which time, the production will be transferred there. [This film was in time for Christmas 1939].
Edward Small has announced a new production (after ‘The Duke of West Point’) to be based on the life of Rudolph Valentino. [Small did finally produce a film based on the life of the silent film icon, but not until 1951, with Anthony Dexter in the title role].
Walter Wanger’s ‘Blockade’ was made with built in inaccuracies. Diplomacy forbade them from taking sides, so a specialist was hired to help the director William Dieterle ensure that every prop and wardrobe (i.e. uniforms) did not duplicate anything in the headlines that would lead to any identification of one side or other involved in the civil war in Spain.
On the Move
According to Variety, Carl Laemmle is to depart on a 2 month vacation in Europe. He is taking his car and chauffeur along for a tour of England, France, Switzerland, and Norway.
LA to NY – Jackie Coogan, Bob Hope, Walt Disney, Dr A H Giannini, Hal Roach.
