The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-03-05
Hollywood Shorts
By JOHN R. CHAPLIN

PuDl1c enthusiasm Is De1ng whipped
up over the casting of For Whom the
Bell Tolls almost as much as it was
for Gone With the Wind Gary
Cooper, friend of Hemingways Il
said to have the inside track for the
male role, though letters from fans
also favor Clark Gable, and, more re
Gently, young Stirling Hayden. Anna
bella, Ingrid Bergman and Luise
Rainier are talked of for the feminine
lead. If our guess is any good, how
ever, that will go to Betty Field
Cooper and Miss Field appear to be
the likely choices. /.
Rumor reaches out here that a New
York producer is rehearsing stage
production of Richard Wrights Native
Son, and that radio actress Doris bud
ley is touted for the only important
feminine role POSSIBLY the negro girl
has been eliminated in the stage adap-
tation). The play may lead to a
movie. Hollywood discussed that idea
when the book first appeared. The
League of American Writers spon-
sored a symposium on it, and they
concluded that under current condi-
lions it was almost useless to talk of
talk of such a picture.
Native Son, on the screen, would
into an anti-negro subject, which the
novel avoided through it's depth of
treatment Only sympathetic stage
adaptation, to which the screen pro-
ducers might be forced to stick, could
guarantee a film of Native Son such
as the author, the negro people and
we would like to see.
U. S. highways will soon be fea-
tured on the screen. 20th-Fox is con-
sidering a sequel to The Grapes of
Wrath, titled Highway Sc; and War
ners are doing a film called Highway
West, originally titled Highway SO,
with Brenda Marshall, Olympic Brad
ma, William Lundigan and Willie Best.
Has Hollywood really discovered that
the roads Of America are carrying a
exalted interest? f.
The Screen Office Employees Guild
(unaffiliated), which won NLRB cleo
lions in 5 of the 8 major studios, is
now fighting to get all the studios to
bargain in blanket agreement. Irony
is that the producers originally in
sisted upon the blanket agreement
idea with other unions, and are now
reverting to the strategy of individual
studio contracts as method which
they hope will weaken the unions. :.
Bette Davis next will be The Wild
ow of DEVILS Island Somewhat dated,
it seems to us, now that there is vir
tually no more France and no more
DEVILS Island . =. Bill Orr, the star
of the original Meet the
People, has been given a new con-
tract by Warmers 20th-Fox is
Jean Cabin, the French Spen-
GER Tracy, over here. He may be d.
rected by Jean Renoir-which would
mean Frances top star and top direc-
Tor reunited in Hollywood. ...
Another refugee, Marcel Dalio, ap-
pears with Madeleine Carroll and
Fred MacMurray in One Night in Lis
BON, yarn of the exodus from war
orn Europe. Others in the cast are
John Loder, Dame May Witty, Billie
Burke, Edmund Gwenn and Reginald |
Denny
THE CURRENT FILMS
The Strawberry Blonde CIV. b.:
Oirst-rate period-piece. Cagney, Olivia
lie Haviland and George Tobias are
ops in this comedy of jealousy in
he 1905 Don't miss it.
Life With Henry (Par.): Latest
Ip to par. A cute story well played
" Jackie Cooper. About average.
Tall, Dark and Handsome Goth
ok: Cesar Romero very good in a
angster comedy. Gang war without
loodshed is pleasant relief and
leasant evenings laughter.
Buck Privates (Univ.): Terribly
unny comedy with Abbott & Costello,
Tho are irresistible, and the Andrews
listers, who are swell 1t rags army
lie -naturedly and is probably
he least Objectionable of the flood
draft pictures we'll soon have to {
ndure.
RECENT BEST BETS: Love Thy
Ieighbor, This Thing Called Love,
light From Destiny, Invisible Wo-
ian, Kitty Foyle, Keeping Company,
Ugh Sierras, Fantasia