Evening star., 1944-09-06
Film Tycoons
w ant Secrets
Secret
By HAROLD HEFFERNAN.
HOILYWOOD

Movie tycoons would like to have
the fans believe that Hollywood Is |
the land 1T OF and they bitterly re-
sent any efforts to destroy that illu-
sion. They were holding meetings |
this week to see If something |
couldn't be done about newspapers |
and magazines that print pictures |
and stories disclosing the secrets Of
Hollywood's process" shots.
A magazine layout on this SUBJ
ject few weeks ago started all the
fuss and the publicity departments |
to keep reporters and photographers
OH stages where the taking is being
done. Producers apparently can't
get over the long-nourished idea
that they're catering to 12-year-old
minds. Every movie fan in the
country knows about process shots.
There are plenty more serious prob
lieans for the boys to upset them
selves about.
News in nibbles: MGM pre-
viewed "The Thin Man Goes Home"
last week and the publicity boys let
loose the oldest blurb of all-about
the picture being so funny it had to
be taken back to the cutting room
and spaced out so the laughs
wouldn't drown out the gags. : !
Universal Is so excited over its new
Broadway actor, George Korvin, that
1t has forgotten all about Maria
MonteZ, it seems.
Wonder what Jimmy Cagney Is
thinking about these days? He
turned down the part Bing Crosby
played in Going My Way" Y.
Frank Freeman, general manager of
Paramount, says the picture will
gross ten millions. When the final
charts are recorded for all-time
crosses the list may be % Gone
With the Wind" (2) 1.-THE Birth of
a Nation" and 90 Going My Way"
Frank Sinatra dropped into
drive-in shop for sandwich and
everybody held their breath when
he stuck nickel in the juke box.
What came out was Helen Forests
This Time the Dreams on Me-"
-. Warmers repeatedly have turned
out a smashing script on James
Gains Mildred Pierce" and Joan
Crawford hopes to make q real
comeback with it. When she An
iShes 1t, Warmers have promised
Joan a musical. Incidentally, now
that Double Indemnity" is such
hit everywhere, all producers are
scanning the James Cain stories,
new and old.
Director Sam Wood, who couldn't
get Gary Cooper to star in his
"Jubal Troop" and finally broke
partnership with the lanky star over
the deal, has finally succeeded In
getting Humphrey Bogart to play
1t. Claudette Colbert will co-star,
Robert Paige, leading man for
Deanna Durham in Cant Help
Singing" came back from location
trip at Navajo Lake, Utah, to tell
OF the sweetest but toughest lob Of
his career. One scene called for him
to carry Deanna 200 yards while the
camera. mounted on a dolly, rolled
alongside them. Constant dialogue
was called for between them and
on top of that the rarefied atmos-
phere of a 10,O00-foot elevation
made any exertion difficult Aftef
SIX takes. Paige was exhausted. IT
never knew lis pounds could weigh
so much" he declared.
X.
That back-to-the-farm movement
is spreading to the film stars. Den
mis- Morgan, who should have plenty
of cloSe-ups left in his system,
sounds OFF as follows:
sOne of these days, little, Dennis
is going to be missing from studiot
lots I'm going to bulmyself abo6ttt
80 acres Of good farming land H.
Wisconsin. And II 1 can find this
farm not too far from small town.
and I mean small town, I would |
like to operate q motion picture |
theater on the side"
y 4 4.
Anne Baxter's reported engage
ment to John Kodiak recalls her
statement of only a few weeks ago. |
Said Anne: II would never marry
an actor. The ego Of one actress
or one actor is all that any one
house has room for"
(Released by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)