The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-24
Movies Have
 Trouble Over Pyle Picture
By FREDERICK c. OTHNIAN

United Press Stan COrrespondent)
 Hollywood, March 24 (UP) - Movie Producer Lester Cowan an- nounced with some misgivings to- day that he's taken over a chunk of the Arizona desert to double as Tunisia in his picture chronicling the adventures of Ernie Pyle.
 From there his camera crew goes to the mountains of Colorado, which will take the place of Sicily, and then to Fort Benning, Ga, Camp Cooke, Cal, and perhaps some other spots still unpicked for the next 60 days. Cowan's misgivings weren't about the landscape. He has that under control.
 What we're trying to do," he reported, lis to make the first pie ture ever attempted about living newsman and his adventures with the infantry, first in training. and then in battle. The press tells me that if make one single mistake glamorizing Pyle I'll be skinned alive.
 And I just received letter from righ-ranking general in the Army who told me he understood I'd been given the Army's ground forces on 8 silver platter to use as I saw fit. He also said that if I didn't turn out 14-carat epic, what would happen to me shouldn't happen to dog"
 Pyle In Italy
 Pyle Is on the Anglo beachhead in Italy now writing for the Scripps Howard newspapers and the United Features Syndicate.
 His natural modesty has become another of producer Cowan's prob lens. The picture is based upon Pyle's book, "This Is Your War;" but will be titled "G. I. Joe" at the request of the author. Pyle said the soldiers were far more important than he was.
 "He also said that he wasn't the only war correspondent" Cowan added. "He said he had numerous pals who had done wonderful jobs in the front lsnes and he wanted them in the picture, too. I'm trying to follow orders"
 Cowan said he expected Chris Cunningham of the United Press to arrive from Italy before May IS, to take his role in the film and that Don Whithead and Hal Boyle of the Associated Press are home from the front on leave and now are at work in the film, playing themselves.
 And I've got to have Reynolds Packard of the United Press in the picture" he said. "He can't leave the Anzio beachhead just to work in movie, but I'll have an actor take his part. He's going to be our energetic fat man who goes through the whole war, scoring news beats galore and making newspaper history"
 Other Newsmen
 Cowan said he hoped also to de- pict some of the work done by half dozen other newsmen, including Clark Lee and Richard TregaskiS, of International News and John Thompson of the Chicago Tribune, who has travelled with his beard under more parachuteS than any. body else.
 T won't get to the principals until the middle of the summer" Cowan said. That's 8 good thing, because who is going to be my 112- pound, baldheaded star? Some of the he-men huSkieS among the top flight stars have asked for the job, but have had to ask them If they could look as little, and as wistful, and as hungry as Pyle. None of them could. We are working hard on the problem. But 1t begins to look as though I may have to get a complete unknown to take the role.
 "The trouble Is there never has been movie star yet who looked like Pyle, or acted like him. And when I go about the casting problem I keep thinking about what Kaspar Monahan of the Pittsburgh Press told me. His comment was typical.
 No BaIOney
 "He said that If involved Pyle in any heroic baloney. the newsmen of this nation would murder me. He also said that if involved him in any phoney romances, or put him under any artificial moonlight with anybody except that grl' of many years ago, my name would be mud"
 Leslie Fenton, who has been dec- orated for action at the front in this war, is directing the desert sequences. The rest of Cowan's or- ganization at United Artists Is look ing over skinny actors, preferably with bald heads.
 DEEMED TDANECDDEn