NEWS AROUND HOLLYWOOD
- RKO has renewed George O’Brien’s contract with the promise that one out of his six films for the year will be an ‘A’ picture. [After a tour with the navy during WWI, O’Brien wound up working in Hollywood and was chosen by John Ford to headline ‘The Iron Horse.’ More starring roles came, but with sound he ended up in B Westerns. An aside – when I was researching for a project that I was setting in 1928 San Francisco, I came across his father who was then Chief of Police].
- Luise Rainer, two time Oscar winner faces questions from naturalization officials this afternoon. Being the wife of playwright Clifford Odets, endows her with a preferred status, otherwise she would have to wait two years before her examination. If she passes she will only have a 90 day wait for her papers. [She was then at work on ‘The Great Waltz,’ which would be her next to last film for MGM on the current contract. As of 1940 she still owed another film. Years later she told interviewers that she had complained to L B Mayer that she had nothing left to give artistically for film and wandered off to Europe. Perhaps the troubles in her marriage to Odets were a factor in her discontent].
- Comic actor Joe E Brown testified in court today at the preliminary hearing of Harry Duke, a transient accused of robbing Brown. The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 2, across the street from a Hollywood cafe. Duke made an oral and a written demand from the comic, while displaying a gun.
- Word was circulating that stage actor John Garfield’s career at WB was skyrocketing after his first role in ‘Four Daughters.’ After he finishes his current lead role in ‘Blackwell’s Island’ he is tapped to take the starring role in ‘They Made Me a Criminal.’ [Both of the latter titles came out in 1939].
- Bradley Page, who usually plays a heavy, has been handed a comic part in RKO’s ’Annabel Takes a Tour.’ He will support Jack Oakie and Lucille Ball. [Page played the same role in the first Annabel story ‘The Affairs of Annabel’ – the head of a film studio].
- Paramount was set to remake the Clara Bow film ‘Mantrap’ come October. It was based on the Sinclair Lewis novel. [Well, the project did not come together for October 1938, nor for all of 1939. It did get remade with Patricia Morison in the Clara Bow part, and also starred Ray Milland and Akim Tamiroff, but it come out in 1940. The original was a big success for director Victor Fleming, who had a busy 1939].
- George Hurrell, an ace portrait photographer has been signed by WB to an exclusive contract to promote their stars. [Hurrell started in Hollywood with individuals in 1928, and landed at MGM by 1930. He took what he learned as a classically trained painter and translated it to photography, inventing many lighting techniques and other processes. His photos defined Hollywood glamour].
- An open air theater has been launched by RKO up in Lone Pine CA. It is strictly for the cast and crew working on their production of ‘Gunga Din.’ The bill changes nightly.
PER ED SULLIVAN
- The friends of Norma Shearer are warning her not to take the part of Scarlett in ‘Gone with the Wind.’ They fear it would be too big of a gamble.
- Frederic March is out of circulation with a streptococcal infection.
- Agent Myron Selznick has a plan to set up film production companies. First up is one to be built around Ernst Lubitsch. He plans many more to be built around other creative talent that he represents. [The older brother of David O Selznick had been himself involved in film production under the tutelage of their father Lewis J Selznick. Myron began his talent agency in 1929]. (See June 6, June 10, June 28)
- Instead of returning to New York, Bert Lahr may stay around a while. He will follow ‘Zaza’ with ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
- Don Ameche is reported as better in Utrecht. (See July 17)
ITEMS OF INTEREST (to me)
- An article reports that cameraman William Daniels for the film ‘Marie Antoinette’ kept the camera in constant motion and “always focused on the point of interest.” During a single take, the focus was changed as many as 12 times. And for the spectacle scenes – as many as 21 different angles were covered.
- Per columnist Sidney Skolsky, when director Michael Curtiz was asked to finish a certain scene, he promised, “We’ll finish it Saturday if it takes us till Monday to do it.”