Evening star., 1944-01-05
Search Under Way
For Chinese Baby
Resembling Kate
BY HAROLD HEFFERNAN.
HOLLYWOOD.


Titanic casting problem of the
new year threatens to call a halt
on the big Dragon Seed" project at
MGM. Studio scouts are frantically |
searching for Chinese infant bear
ing suitable resemblance to Kath-
arine Hepburn. the mother heroine.
The baby sequence is short but i'm
portant dramatically. So far, they've
turned up many Chinese babies. but
none to match even family the
Hepburn features. Now that one
De Havilland is practically off their
lot after years of service, Warner
Bros. would like to have another.
They're making overtures to David
O. Selznick for Joan Fontaine's per-
manent services. Warmers thought
Joans performance in "The Con-
slant Nymph" the best feminine job
on their lot last year. That legal
snarl between Warmers and Olivia
De Havilland is not yet settled, but
regardless of the outcome it's not
likely she will make any more pic
lures over there. Atmosphere too
strained. /. Incidentally, the new
Hope-Crosby opus should be the
last word in screwball pictures. At
one juncture, the two are stripped to
their waists stoking firebox in the
bowels of a ship. A man immacu-
lately attired in evening dress saun-
ters up. Hope and Crosby drop their
shovels and ask the fellow what he's
doing there. I'm looking for the
Double Indemnity SET" he replies
Casting office sent me over"
Judy Garland, in the hospital with
what repeatedly is an ear ailment,
is much sicker young woman than
most of her friends imagine. In
fact, the studio is gravely worried
over her condition. There are in
dications that her current picture,
Meet Me in st. Louis" may be
forced to wait weeks. Irene
Dunne'S birthday was a gay event. |
Two pairs of nylon stockings arrived
unexpectedly from an admirer in
Mexico. =. THE Song of Berna-
dette" comes out with one of the |
best musical scores heard in many
months and it will be pleasing to
fans to know that same has been |
recorded in album form for public
SALE
X X
Lara Turner will wear her most
sensational screen costume in one
sequence of Marriage Is a Private
Affair" She will be shown doing
her housework apparently clad only
in a very short and clinging pima
fore. Actually, she has a bathing
suit on under it, but when John
Kodiak, her leading man, first sees
her in the pinafore he doesn't know
that and his reactions are typical
of those on the men in the audience
=. NeateSt trick of the week: Hurd
Hatfield, in a scene for Dragon
Seed riding a water buffalo and
playing a Chinese flute simultane-
ously. This is hard to believe,
but the one-time dignified Spencer
Tracy now longs to be a song and
dance man. In touring Army camps,
Tracy scored tremendous hit sing
ing Pistol Packin' Mama" and he
came back to Hollywood determined
to tighten his screen routine. He's
been begging Louis B. Mayer for a
chance to sing and dance in the
Forthcoming 'ziegfeld Follies."
Another changed" man is Ronald
Colman, who, instead of nodding
stiffly to his friends, now smiles
and slaps them on the back. Those
who make study of such conditions
attribute this to Colman's approach
ing fatherhood after 10 years of
marriage.
Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney
may straighten out the Hollywood
Canteen mess so that Warmers can
still make the picture with all stars
represented The Screen Actors
Guild recently cracked down on the
project by declaring all stars ap-
pearing in the film must be paid
full salaries. If the picture is even
tually discarded, Warmers stand to
lose $4,000 in completed sets and
other preliminaries. MGM is
still wondering when Myrna 10y will
keep her promise and come back to
Hollywood to do THE Thin Man
Comes Home" with William Powell.
tReleased by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)