Detroit evening times., 1943-07-20
BARN DANCE MOVES

BARN DANCE MOVES
The National Barn Dance, in
tact, will move to Hollywood. It's
all Y. Frank Freemans idea, who
likes all those home folksy dances
and songs and therefore arranged
for Eddie Peabody and all The
rest of the actors on the broad
cast TO do their stuff in the movie.
II will be musical with Walter
MacEwen producing.
This is the only broadcast the
audience pays 10 hear and II has
gone on for 10 years, so Y. Frank
fiGSces he will have readymade
al zee for his show Gene Autry
aiOAlec Templeton were started
on the road 10 fame by this same
National Barn Dance program.
GRABS MARLOWE
I thought il wouldn't be long
before one Of the movie COM
panies grabbed Hugh Marlowe,
. Gertrude Lawrence's wisecrack-
ing leading man in Lady in the
Dark" / mean Hugh is wise
cracking in the play--he could be
a poet off stage for all ! know.
Neutrality-suspicious. is the
company to tag him on a long
term contract and his first as
signment is with Charles Laugh
/ ton and little Margaret O'Brien
in Oscar Wilde's The Canter-
/ Vile Ghost" Wouldn't surprise
me II Marf0We cut quite a figure
for himself on the screen. The
best description of him is that he
is a romantic and good looking
Jimmy Cagney.
WESTERN HERO:
The fans may love Johnny
Weissmuller's grunts and sarong
but Johnny no like. He wants TO-
get away from the wild man of
the jungle and become civilized.
He'd like 10 be the hero in a
western drama and make love TO
some beautiful girl.
Sol Lesser says he has no OBJ
lection IL Johnny wants TO do out
side pictures but he believes the
fans will insist that he remain
true to at least one ''Tarzan" pic
ture a year. Johnny. however.
wants 10 wear clothes before he
takes them off again for Tar
Zan."
ACTORS AND X. p.
Never in their widest night
mares II bet did Judith Ander-
seHGnd Maurice Evans ever think
n would be co-starring in
" beth" supported by an en-.
tire cast recruited from the army.
But that is exactly what takes
place when Judith departs for
Honolulu 10 join Maurice Evans,
and our boys stationed there. for
camp show presentation Of
Shakespeare's famous drama.
Evans has been in Honolulu for
months entertaining the boys and
he cabled Judith: You will be
surprised al what actors I've
found doing X. p"
NATIONAL VELVET
Mervyn Leroy had planned TO
take little rest after finishing
Madame Curie." which has been
a long and drawn-out affair but
he changed his mind after he had
look at Elizabeth Taylor's test.
The little l1-year-old is such
promising material that Mervyn
has decided TO direct the picture.
He believes that she is star ma
terial and that she will be very
famous little girl after National
Velvet" is released. Here is hop
ing he is right.
Willy THOUGHT
There's willy thought behind
Sol LesSer's plan to revive his hit
Of years ago, 'Peck's Bad Boy"
The story lends itself beautifully
to the same plushy appeal of a
Life With Father" and since no.
body seems TO be able to get the
latter hit started on the screen
Sol may beat them TO the punch.
He's letting no grass grow under
his feet lining up cast.
Already contacted are Ed Wynn.
Hugh Herbert and Guy Kibbee-
and the romantic leads have been
turned over 10 his two young stars
of Stage Door Canteen," Cheryl
Walker and William Terry. So
- nobody is set for the boys
the part Jackie Cooper Gre
atoa in the original "Peck's Bad