Evening star., 1943-05-18
BY HAROLD HEFFERNAN.

HOLLYWOOD.
Their not-too- private affairs:
Highest salaried leading man to-
day and the one every studio in
town would like most to borrow is
Humphrey Bogart. Shows what a
couple of hit pictures can do for a
near own-and-outer. Two years
ago Bogart was taking roles other
actors turned down, and was thor
oughly disguised with his plight
Then came The Maltese Falcon, u
to be followed by "Casablanca," and
Bogart was sitting on top of the
heap. He draws in the neighbor-
hood of $500 weekly and when
Warner Brothers loaned him out to
Columbia recently it was at more
than twice that figure. Paramount
MGM and Goth Century Fox have
bids in for his services and Warmers
want him to do a number called
Conflict" but the current kingpin
turns a naughty head and deaf
ear.
I'm thoroughly tired out" says
Bogart, land am going to take a
rest of at least four months-come
what may" The one-time super
killer, now gone soft and romantic,
must mean business. too. Warmers
tried to get him all week by tele-
phone and telegram without success
only to discover that he had gone
out on Coast Guard patrol duty for
Uncle Sam. He uses his own boat,
THE Sluggy," which the Warmers
don't dare board because it can be
used only for official Government
business.
Surprising how many big time
stars have never appeared in a tech
nicolor picture. Ida Lupino and
Deanna Durbin are couple who
haven't and would give a good deal
to get such break Mickey
Rooney seems to be in great golf
shape. He stood on the first tee at
Lakeside and drove the ball straight
down the fairway distance of 26O
yards. which is pretty good for a
little fella :. Helmut Dantine spent
four years in a German concentra-
ton camp without suffering physi-
cal injury. The other day he was
again in concentration campfire
phony one in ITO the Last Man
and ripped his arm from wrist to
elbow making a barbed- wire escape
scene At RKO, where Boy Won
der Orson Welles and Carson Kanin
first distinguished themselves in a
film way, another young directorial
genius Is being spawned. He is
Mark Robinson, former film editor
now directing "The Seventh Vic
tim" Robinson is 20.
Marshal Neilan, top director of
the silent era, who made many of
the best Mary Pickford features, is
now riveter at North American
Aviation And one of the real beau
ties of the still earlier pantomimic
days, Hazel Dawn, is on the swing
shift at Vega Aircraft =. Jack
Benny is preparing to march back
to Warner Bros. for THE Horn
Blows at Midnight"
Victory Committee is scheduling a
generous assortment of stars for
summer visits to camps throughout
the United States. On four-week
jaunts at the moment are Loretta
Young, Laraine Day, Helen Walker,
Joan Walker and Janet Blair.
George Murphy, playing the gray
haired father of Ronald Reagan in
This Is the Army" has become the
towns best whittier. Between scenes
he fashions airplane models for
civilian spoilers classes and has a
table in his dressing room covered
with completed products When
RKO presents its Russian epic, Re
venge," the cast will be 100 per cent
unknown to film audiences. Ia
mara Toumanova is from the Monte
Carlo Ballet, making her film debut
in a non-dancing role. Her leading
man will be Gregory Peck from
Broadway, also bowling in the Gel
luloids, while II supporting roles are
to be filled by means Of novel
Nationwide search for new faces.
RKO has assigned the latter task
to 100 agents who will comb little
theaters, schools, colleges and radio
stations in every part of the coun-
try Remember Percy Kilbride.
the quaint, sharp-featured char
acter actor, who played the hired
man in Jack Benny's George Wash
ington Slept Here" and the cab
driver In sKeener Of the Flame .