Leo McCarey has moved onto the RKO lot to work as a producer-director. His agent is still working out the contract. His first for RKO will be ‘Love Affair’ with Irene Rich. [The final cast had Irene Dunne at the top of the cast along with Charles Boyer – another 1939 film].
Mormons intent on building a temple in Hollywood, recently purchased Harold Lloyd’s Westwood property for $175,000. Within its confines is one of the best New York city street sets. He built it originally at a cost of $100,000. Church officials are raking in so much in rentals that they are considering building their temple elsewhere. [Lloyd purchased the 40 acre Westwood site – the former John Wolfskill ranch – in 1923. He invested 1.5 million in the studio he built there. In the early 20s there was a move out of Hollywood, notably Fox left behind their Western Avenue double lot for their bigger digs in Westwood].
Alfred Hitchcock plans to stay in the LA area for the next month, looking at how films are made in Hollywood.
Miriam Hopkins is set to start July 5th in ‘Comet over Broadway’ at WB (in the role Bette Davis had refused and was subsequently suspended). [As I have noted before Kay Francis took on the role instead. Hopkins stayed at WB, and appeared in ‘The Old Maid’ alongside Bette Davis, two fugitives from Comet over Broadway].
Samuel Goldwyn suspended director William Wyler from his production of ‘The Cowboy and the Lady,’ citing his propensity for shooting off the cuff. Wyler replied that his demands to be left alone when directing were violated – so he asked for and was given his release. The counter claims from Goldwyn were – Wyler did not start until noon and made too many takes. And Wyler did not have the script prepared in advance of shooting, and thus Goldwyn made the change for economic reasons. [Wyler will rest until his next assignment – ‘Wuthering Heights’ a 1939 film].
With a good opening for ‘Blockade’ the studios are feeling better about tackling similar controversial topics. MGM thinks that their property ‘Idiot’s Delight’ which has anti-war tones may well be worth their substantial investment. Wanger also is encouraged and may proceed immediately with Vincent Sheehan’s Personal History. [Sheehan’s book was the basis for Hitchcock’s ‘Foreign Correspondent’].
20th Century Fox renews the contracts of Richard Greene and Eddie Collins.
Eddie Cantor is traveling to London in July to aid and finance the transfer of 300 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, and Poland to Palestine.
OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD
As part of the economy kick ongoing at the studios, most of the producers are staying close to home and building sets to avoid going on location. Only 20th Century Fox is traveling far afield – the Dionne quintuplet film in Canada, and the John Ford film (Splinter Fleet) getting location shots around the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Tucson AZ has offered to build a western street for use by the movie production units that are coming into the area. Harry Sherman’s ‘Mysterious Rider’ unit has left $25,000 there during their current visit of 12 days. (Kernville and Lone Pine up in CA had cleared $100,000 from western film units in the past year). [In 1939, Twentieth Century Fox built a studio on the other side of the Tucson Mountains for filming westerns. (I got kicked out of it once)].
C B DeMille is rebuilding a section of the old Virginia – Truckee railroad in Nevada for his next feature ‘Union Pacific.’ [See 6/1].
