Warner Brothers has pegged Miriam Hopkins to star in the film version of the Irving White/Dorothy Bennett stage play – ‘Flyaway Home,’ a comedy in which she would play a professional mom (a Hollywood dress designer) who returns East for the summer – to divorce her husband and to marry a professor (and neighbor for many summers past), but her children have other ideas. (The play had some great talent – Thomas Mitchell – Sheldon Leonard – Betty Field – Mary Wickes – and a 14 year old Montgomery Clift in his debut role). [WB gave the project to Fay Bainter and Claude Rains instead, and changed it from a comedy to a drama with John Garfield supplying the fireworks. They titled it ‘Daughters Courageous,’ making it an unofficial part of the Daughters series whose roles were supplied by the Lane sisters].
Another Warners project was mentioned that had Miriam Hopkins on deck – ‘We Are Not Alone.’ [A no again. ‘We Are Not Alone’ wound up as a Paul Muni vehicle. Hopkins had no film credits for 1938. What she did want was the role of Scarlett in ‘Gone with the Wind.’ Not only did she think herself perfect for the role because she was from Georgia, but the author Margaret Mitchell did as well, making it known that she was her choice].
A million dollar production is being considered by RKO based on the life of Sam Houston. It is proposed as a vehicle for Richard Dix, in hopes of repeating the success of ‘Cimarron,’ for which he won the best actor oscar. [The film did not get made at RKO, but it was produced over at Republic instead, and released in 1939. It’s budget remained big – worth about ten Autry films and ten Roy Rogers. Need to find out what happened – we’ll see].
Next up for Joan Crawford at MGM will be ‘The Shining Hour’ to be directed by Frank Borzage.
Having completed ‘Juvenile Court’ at Columbia Rita Hayworth was loaned out to star opposite George O’Brien in ‘Ranger Code.’ [This western film came out in September as ‘The Renegade Ranger’].
Next up for Jack Benny at Paramount is the Mark Sandrich directed project ‘Man About Town.’
Warner Brothers is waiting for an answer from Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan about their offer for a part in their upcoming remake of ‘Dawn Patrol. [Famous in the news at the time (7/17/1938) for Corrigan’s announced intent to fly across the US from New York to LA, and flying across the Atlantic instead, landing in Ireland. Hence the nickname ‘Wrong Way.’ RKO landed him for their 1939 film – ‘The Flying Irishman’].
Outside Hollywood
In Washington DC, the U S Attorney General Homer S Cummings charged the eight major film companies with monopoly in the motion picture industry. The suit asks that these firms divest themsleves either of their ownership of the theaters or of production and distribution entities. Named as the principal defendants were: Paramount Pictures, Loew’s Inc, The Irving Trust (handling RKO in its bankruptcy), Warner Brothers Pictures Inc, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp, Columbia Pictures Corp, Universal Corp, and United Artists Corp. Also named were certain individuals: Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin. [After ten years, this case resulted in the Paramount Consent Decrees in which the studios divested themselves of their theater holdings].
In the stock market after the news about the anti-trust suit made the rounds, the movie stocks took a hit. Loew’s tumbled by 4 dollars before rallying. Warner Brothers, Paramount and 20th Century Fox were off by a dollar.
