Kenneth MacGowan, a producer at 20th Century Fox, has had his contract torn up, and replaced by a more lucrative one. His upcoming projects are prestigious ones. First mentioned was – ’Stanley and Livingstone.’ Director Otto Brower has just returned from Africa, where, with the help of explorer Osa Johnson, they followed in the footsteps of the English missionary doctor. They collected background material for the proposed film. Other projects planned by MacGowan include, ‘King of the Khyber Rifles,’ then one about the Hudson Bay Company, and another based on the life of Alexander Graham Bell (for which Don Ameche has been attached). [Both ‘Stanley’ and the ‘Bell’ films made it out in 1939, ‘Hudson’s Bay in 1940. And Khyber’ did not make it onto the screen until 1953. It had a different producer then, but it was still at 20th Century Fox].
MGM announces cast changes to their planned epic based on the Kenneth Roberts novel, ‘Northwest Passage.’ Robert Young replaces Robert Taylor and Walter Brennan replaces Wallace Beery. [These changes ‘kept’ and the film was released in 1940. Its initial director was W S Van Dyke. When working on ‘Marie Antoinette’ Van Dyke was given some time off to scout locations for Passage (see June 1, 7 and 8). And at this time he was hard at work on ’Sweethearts,’ but would be taken off in mid-August to work on Passage again].
Pianist-conductor José Iturbi made his debut today at MGM. He made three recordings with an 85 piece orchestra for their film “Sweethearts.” Later this week he will be performing on camera. [Iturbi did not appear in the finished version of this Nelson Eddy/Jeannette MacDonald film. No reason has been dug up to explain what had happened. ‘Sweethearts’ was originally started as a black and white film, but production was stopped after two days, and all footage scrapped. When they began again they used the three strip Technicolor process. Interestingly, ‘Northwest Passage’ was to have been MGM’s first picture in that process – but production delays caused them to rethink their plan, and ‘Sweethearts’ became the first instead. A lot of kinks were worked out to the benefit of both ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Gone with the Wind’ in regards to the development of three strip Technicolor].
The Screen Director’s Guild put out a seven page statement today in which they cast blame on bloat in the executive departments of the studios. They claim that 40% of the waste in studio overhead can be laid at the feet of these excess execs. They point out that ten years ago twice as many pictures were made, using only “one eighth the number of producers, supervisors and associates.” Matters are not helped when unqualified execs are promoted to positions of decision making. Producers prepare stories with situations, stunts etc that are costly or impossible to film. The Guild recommends that a closer unity between the ‘real’ producer and the director be established to run from conception through completion.
At RKO, the ‘Mad Miss Manton’ unit is idle until the return of Barbara Stanwyck, at home with a cold.
Melvyn Douglas was tested today at MGM for the lead in the next Joan Crawford film, ‘The Shining Hour.’ [And Douglas got the part].
After a six week search, WB signed 17 year old Frank Vaselle to play James Cagney as a youth in his film ‘Angels with Dirty Faces.’ Vaselle had left home in Brooklyn to cash in on his notable resemblance to the star, but had made no headway until a WB scout discovered him in Las Vegas at an amateur show in which Vasselle was doing Cagney impersonations. [Francis Vassell Aiello appeared in the credits as Frankie Burke. He had roles in ten films for 1939, six uncredited].
