Evening star., 1945-11-20
BY HAROLD HEFFERNAN.
HOLLYWOOD.

Behlnd Movie Headlines: Letters
continue to pour in to the Pro-
ducers' Association Office urging that
studios adopt broader attitude in
formulating plots for religious pic
lures instead of concentrating on
one sect. So major studios are all
up In the air now about the future
of this type of movie.
Theaters played to record break
ing business on three Catholic
themes, THE Song of Bernadette, -
Keys of the Kingdom" and Going
My Way" (the latter winning a
series of academy awards. But in
spite of the big business and heavy
profits, producers are beginning to
wonder if the gravy can counter
act all the headaches accruing from
the one-sided trend.
The stock answer to protests from
other creeds is that Hollywood is
wide open for good stories regardless
Of what religious sect gets the break
They point to the forerunner of the
cycle "One Foot in Heaven" which
took up the life and career of a
Methodist minister. They do not
add, however, that this movie was
a flop. ,
Adding to the general puzzlement
of Hollywood is an article in the
current Catholic Digest which
gently calls attention to a sudden
backsliding on the part Of the
movies in regard to religious pic
lures.
"Only one new movie. Leo Nc
Carey's The Bells of st. Mary,s,
deals with the religious life," says a
writer for this publication. "MGM
has abandoned The Church of the
Good Thief proposed biography OF
Father Ambrose Hyland, Catholic
chaplain at Dannemora Prison
Plans to film Archbishop Spellman's
Risen Soldiers have been retarded
Cecil B. De Mile has pushed aside
his half-written Queen of Queens.
Warner Bros. have now forgotten
about filming The Miracle RKO's
young producer, Frank Ross, is post
poning plans to make & $4,000, ,00(
super rout of Lloyd G. Douglas best
selling novel, The Robe David O
Selznick postpones filming Father
Edward Murphy's The Scarlet Lily
until he and J. Arthur Rank, Eng
lish producer. begin active produc.
ton together.
Let us face 1t. Hollywood pro-
ducers expect millions to forget re.
ligion once civilization is safe again.
They suspect people will become in
creasingly interested in movies re-
flecting postwar political expert
ments and painting pretty pictures
of human panacea for our war.
sick world"
Adding to Movietown's dilemma Is
a tremendous shortage of big names
for pictures now ready to 60 before
the cameras. In a bristling first.
page story the Hollywood Reporter
calls attention to the plight of al
studios, setting the reasons down a.
follows:
l. Income tax bites are causing
many Of the most important stars
to make fewer pictures, some even
trying to limit themselves to one
annually.
2. Highest-ranking players are be.
coming more and more discriminate
ing in selection of their vehicles.
3. A large number of marquee
names are still in the armed forces
4. Independent producers are
spreading out rapidly, adding to
their film budgets and attracting the
attention Of name players as never
before.
Publicity Patter: Cornell Wilde's
press man really stretches for his
client. The p. A. calls attention to
the fact that Cornell now holds q
Hollywood record-he's the only star
in town to appear in five straight
technicolor pictures!
X X X Il
Prop man at Goth Century-FoS
takes great delight in fooling those
movie-fan boner hunters. He's
been doing 1t for Is years with one
prop. It's an oak tree which, under
his tricky direction, is passed of OF
fandom as an apple tree. He doe,
this by tying hundreds of apples or
the limbs.
The old oak played an apple tres
In Home in Indiana" and in State
Fair" and now it's serving the same
-