Evening star., 1942-02-06

ndltlOnS-notably, number OF
first-run theaters and their run"
policy, competition and general busi-
ness conditions.
Small towns often play ahead Of
big cities because usually they have
few theaters and must change pro-
grams three or four times a week,
thus consuming product at a ter
rife pace.
Perhaps the hardest of all big
centers in playing first runs,
strangely enough. is the capital Of
moviedom- hollywood itself. Thea
ters in the Los Angeles area are
constantly behind the national pa
rade-not by weeks but occasionally
by months.
This week, for example, Holly
wood theaters are advertising first
runs of THE Man Who Came to
Dinner" Design for Scandal" How
Green Was My Valley and as a
coming attraction, "It Started With
Eve" All have been pretty well
circulated IN other parts of the
country, some as far back as six
weeks.
1T Started With Eve" one Of the
best pictures of Deanr1a :. nurbin's s
career, was released to the country
last october. Through Hollywood
booking delays it was cheated out
Of chance for consideration by
Academy Award voters.
It's more than a bit incongruous
that the home town of all the
movie factories should be among the
last to get a chance to see its
finished product. OF more than
$4,000 people-actors and tech
Enthusiastically connected with the
making of movies, only a handful
are allowed to see the films in pro-
lection rooms Even the stars like
to depend on regular theater show
ings to afford them the first
glimpse of their work. Catching
pictures in this manner gives them
the feel" and reaction OF the
crowd.
Up to last Monday. Maureen
O'Hara had yet to see Maureen
O'Hara in How Green Was My
Valley" Joan Fontaine hasn't yet
caught Suspicion" And Olivia
De Havilland is hoping some nice
young man will soon take her to a
showing of Hold Back the Dawn" ]"
Next time you get impatient about
a delayed first run in your COM
munity, think about the poor Holly
wood stars. They may read in
critical reports from the East and
Midwest that they're sensational
in their latest epic, but they wait
weeks, sometimes months, to check
up on same.
It was Mary Martins famous
strip tease. to the tune of MY
Heart Belongs to Daddy in a
Broadway musical, that got her a
contract at Paramount. That studio
also bought rights to the song title.
Now it is making picture titled
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy" but
Martha O'Driscoll, to be featured
in it, won't even bare a calf. She'll
wear long gowns throughout the
action Bing Crosby is being
applauded for his good taste in con-
nection with the request" broad
cast for Gen. MacArthur's forces
in the Philippines. Although he
might have grabbed big space for
himself throughout the country,
Bing refused to permit photog-
raphers, correspondents or studio
publicity men on the scene.
Some things are sacred" said the
crooner. st don't need publicity
that badly"
Deanna Durbin's makeup with
Universal, which will result in her
temperance on that lot late this
month, calls for the retention Of her
husband, Vaughn Paul, in an ad-
visory capacity. Her first picture
will be boy Meets Baby"
When daylight saving comes to
the studios next week, actors &C.
tually will be getting up two hours
earlier than they did before Decem-
ber Is. On that date, the lots all
went on a self-imposed daylight
schedule, from am. to pm. in
stead of from 8 to 6.
Many players felt their first wal
privations this week when automatic
soft drink dispensers began dis
appearing from the stages, due 5tc
sugar shortages. Most actors con.
sumo half a dozen "cokes" during
a days work. If gum rationing evel
comes to Hollywood the town really
vii be hard hit.
Two feminine stars sadly in need
Of publicity signed up for the Rec
Gross blood doners' drive. got theil