Evening star., 1944-08-28
TWILL : VO1Ds .
By HAROLD HEFFERNAN.

~ 1ATA4kokD 1b6E = GkGlN fA4Ss
Maria Montez. whose undraped
jungle epics have helped keep Uni
versal out of the red the last few
years once said, and very sagely:
Let the other actresses grab those
academy awards. Montez will be
happy SO long as the boys on Main
street yell when she comes on the
screen"
But apparently Maria has had
change OF heart and ambition. She
thinks she has grown out OF sarongs
and wants to do pictures in modern
clothes. She wants to 60 dramatic.
She wants to do light comedy"
Sounds something like the old
battle between Paramount and
Dorothy Lamour over sarongs and
South Sea stories, which never got
Dottie any place, at all. Meanwhile,
Maria's home studio has announced
modern comedy" for her, but
they are still preparing a jungle
story that will show plenty Of epi-
dermis
Universal isn't the studio to
tamper with art once it has a box
office bird in its hand. Said an
official of that studio: When
Maria quits showing that bare skin
she'd better look to the box Office"
Lionel Barrymore couldn't have
been more surprised. Tending
strictly to his own business on the
set Of "Dr. Red Adams" at MGM,
and right in the midst OF a drama
tic hospital scene, a pretty, red
haired nurse and a goofy- looking
inferno made an unexpected en-
trance.
Barrymore just glanced at them
and went right on with his lines.
When the scene was finished every
one broke up" The nurse was
Lucille Ball and the inferno Buston
Keaton. They framed it on Barry
more but they found him ever the
trouper. He didn't muff a syllable.
The scene will stay in the film.
Sounds like Tin Pan Alley on a
tWenty-four-hour shift over on the
Twentieth Century-Fox lot, where
tunesmiths are working around the
clock trying to whittle out new tunes
for several big musicals now shoot
ing or coming up soon. They are
Mob Hill" Diamond Horseshoe"
and Where Do We Go from Here?"
Not only must songs be written
Tor those musicals but the mystery
story, Hangover Square," in which
Laird Cregar. Linda Darnell and
George Sanders are starred, needs
three flrst-class popular songs and
piano concerto. Cregar plays the
role OF the concert pianist who dali
lies with murder complex.
Since the three popular songs are
supposed to be written during the
pictures action, they can't be
"oldies" and they must be top-notch
because they're hits from a musi-
cal show In which Linda is being
starred.
They've simply got to be good
songs" said Robert Bassler, the pro-
ducer. If the audience doesn't be-
lleve the songs are hits they won't
believe the story"
Hence the humping of pianos, the
means and the little cries of ecstasy
from the alley habitues as they
drum at their keyboards far into
the night. You really feel sorry for
these boys-until you see what kind
OF checks they tote home every
Wednesday.
One Of the current heroes with the
bobby sox brigade is young Dick
Crane, and strangely he's riding to
fame on death scenes. He's been in
flve pictures and dies in them all.
His most recent demise was in Wing
and Prayer He's an Indiana boy
who won studio attention when he
was delivering automobiles for
Hollywood agency.
X X
The movie makers picture of the
year is Double indemnify" That
is, it's the movie that has attracted
most plaudits from members of the
craft, who understand suspense,