Under his new contract at WB, Mark Hellinger will add producer to his writing chores for ‘Memphis Belle.’ He will do the screenplay with Nevin Busch for this Bette Davis vehicle. [Hellinger came from the New York stage scene, and was a columnist covering Broadway (and strangely the mob scene in town). His writings landed him in Hollywood by 1932. The producer credits must have been held off for 1939 as he was involved producer-wise with seven titles, but all uncredited – one of which was ‘The Roaring Twenties,’ in which many of the characters were based on mobsters he knew personally. More posts will be coming on ‘Memphis Belle,’ which was based on his story. (BTW Hellinger wrote ‘Comet Over Broadway’ that Davis had refused to do)].
WB has announced that they will be rewarding Gale Page and Priscilla Lane by elevating them from supporting roles to bigger parts. The studio has even gone so far as to commit to rearrange production schedules to accomodate them. Gale Page will take the feminine lead in ‘Heart of the North.’ Nothing has been announced for Lane as of yet. She is hard at work on ‘Brother Rat.’ [The RCMP tale of Heart of the North made it out in 1938 with Page. She would have six titles for 1939, including a sequel to Four Daughters. Priscilla Lane would have five for 1939].
20th Century Fox has signed four scribes to term contracts – Frances Hyland, John Grey, Morris Musselman and Albert Ray. They should be hard at work before Darryl Zanuck returns from his European sojourn. [Hyland began in Hollywood in 1926, as a gag writer for Universal – she would have five ‘B’ unit credits for Fox in 1939, four of them with her husband the above mentioned, Albert Ray; the mention of John Grey must have been either wrong, or short lived, as he has no Fox credits in this time period; Musselman, only at work in Hollywood since 1937, had two credits for 1938, and only one for 1939 – the Don Ameche starrer ‘The Three Musketeers’].
RKO wants to buy the rights to the Richard Tumbler novel “My Uncle Abie” from Charlie Ruggles and hire him to be in it. [Another project that looks to have gone nowhere. I could not find the author anywhere (the original article had his name spelt differently – Richard Tumler). Another article had the different spelling (Tumbler) with the title].
Philip Wylie’s “Death Makes a Decree” has been acquired by 20th Century Fox. [His book became the basis for ‘Charlie Chan in Reno].
Ramon Novarro was involved in an accident this morning when the car he was driving struck a piano tuner named Wiley Parker. He was questioned at the scene and was cleared of any blame. Novarro dropped out of acting three years ago after adopting Buddhist philosophy (a student of yogi, he gave up smoking and drinking, and added meditation). [As for the claim that he dropped out of acting three years prior, the person reporting was probably just going on the fact that his MGM contract ended in 1935. He did star in two Republic films, one in 1937, the other in 1938. He was comfortable financially, and did not have to work except when he wanted to].
Actress Claire Trevor, now Mrs Andrews, after marrying the radio show producer yesterday, is leaving with him today for their honeymoon. Among her attendants were actresses Phyllis Brooks, Inez Courtney, and Lynn Bari. They will return to LA on Sept 5. [Her latest film ‘The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse’ from WB had just come out this month. Upon her return she would soon be working for John Ford in ’Stagecoach’].
The second unit working in Dutch Guiana for MGM’s ‘Too Hot to Handle’ returned today.
PER COLUMNIST SIDNEY SKOLSKY
Producer Walter Wagner has taken to calling Hedy Lamarr, Hedy Glamarr.
If director Norman Taurog needs Mickey Rooney for a scene, and he is not on the ‘Boys’ Town’ set, he dispatches someone to ‘The Great Waltz’ sound stage, where the Albertina Rasch girls are dancing. [Rasch, a ballerina and choreographer, had been involved on stage since the 1910s. During this period, she was very busy at MGM. Besides ‘The Great Waltz’ she worked on ‘Marie Antoinette,’ Sweethearts,’ and the 1939 ‘Balalaika.’ And she was the wife of composer Dimitri Tiomkin].
S N Behrman, a writer from the stage, who usually writes dialogue for polite society, has been seen taking in westerns so that he can write dialog for ’The Lady and the Cowboy.’
