Evening star., 1945-05-14
BY HAROLD HEFFERNAN.

Sights and sounds: Little flares of
emotion were spouting up all over
movieland today, reminding one of
a time when lady or gent actor
without plenty of temperament got
no place in the business. Shooting
schedules were shorter than for
any month of May Hollywood has
known in Is years-and yet the
player studio feuds were on the
jump.
Two famous Bettys-Grable and
Hutton-were among the ringlead-
ers. Miss Cradle, who rose to fame
via leg art, refused to make any
more at Twentieth Century Fox and
even went so far as to castigate
that widely circulated photo in the
white bathing suit-the one that
made her pinup champ of all the
armed services. Miss G.. said many
mothers had been writing her criti-
cizing the picture and she thinks it
high time to abide by the wishes of
the complaining minority.
AS for Miss Hutton, she was busy
walking on and off the set of "Stork
Club" over at Paramount. Things
irked Miss Hutton and staying
around the premises only agitated
her the more. One nice thing about
Betty Hutton, Paramount thinks, is
that she eventually walks back after
walking off.
Then there was the delightful
story Of the big star of a Burbank
lot who threw the script of her pic
ture right into the face of her di-
rector because he refused to make
change in her dialogue. She &C
companied the blow with a loud
hope that the director 60 immedi-
ately to a much warmer region.
There was a shocked pause on the
set and then from high up on the
rafters came the booming voice of
one OF the electricians: 1T would
make all OF us very happy if you
would 60 there yourself" The
whole set resounded with laughter
and the discounted star stomped
of in huff. To date, she hasn't
returned and the big picture is
marking time.
Funniest tiff of all is the progress
slve one involving Producer Con-
stance Bennett and Gregory Ratoff,
who Is directing her Paris Under
ground" When the voluble Russian
can take it no longer he dashes off
the set. with Constance right after
him. 1t is usually a mad race and
Mr.. Ratoff eevntually escapes to the
mems room, but after bit of sober
contemplation he returns to his job.
y y
Close-ups: Mervyn Leroy wants to
take a camera crew to Italy and
Palestine for background shots to
be used in his production of The
Robe" Peace in Europe will find a
lot Of excursioning film troupes If
the Government permits. Bob
Hopes book, II Never Left Home
has passed the 100000 mark in
sales. :. "Cornered," at RKO, will
reunite the trio responsible for
Murder My Sweet" one of the
biggest money -getters of the year.
The three are Dick Powell, star;
Edward Dmytryk. director, and
Adrian Scott, producer. Roddy
McDowall leaves on a personal ap-
pearance tour this week. He must
take along teacher and absorb her
expenses in addition to paying her
500 weekly salary. Imagine having
to pay the teacher for teaching you
that arithmetic and stuff-but the
California Board of Education says
all boys and girls under 18 must get
their three Rs, hot or cold, movies or
no movies. Still another "Tomor-
row" picture looms on the horizon.
RKO's forthcoming story on the re-
habilitation of Americas wounded
servicemen Is called Tomorrow Is
Here" A.
Debut Of Andy Russell, new sing
ing sensation, was not prophetic. he
hopes. The day the Los Angeles
born Mexican lad reported to work
in picture at Paramount the cop
per on the set walked up to him