OCR Text |
Show stagecscreenMdio Released by Western Newspaper Union. By VIRGINIA VALE WHEN the NBC "Grand Ole Opry" program recently re-cently originated from a colorful col-orful old showboat as it sailed down the Cumberland river from Nashville, Tenn, it was the first time a network air-show air-show had emanated from a moving showboat, the first time a group ol newspaper and magazine people had ever been on one, (we were flown there for the event) and the first time Announcer Louie Buck RED FOLEY ever had mike fright. "Red Foley, Whitey Ford, Minnie Pearl and all the others were having such a big time that I was afraid they'd be carried away and miss a cue," said he. "I was afraid to announce anybody's any-body's next number for fear he wouldn't make it to the mike in time." ' Lon McCallister, who hardly knows one musical note from another, an-other, has been driving everybody else on the "No Trespassing" set nuts. He'staking violin lessons in his dressing room between scenes, learning to play five old-time melodies melo-dies for his next picture, "Bob, Son of Battle"; the rest of the cast, which is headed by Edward G. Robinson, wished that he'd taken up something quiet, like training fleas. "Bulldog Drummond" Is returning return-ing to the screen, his first appearance appear-ance since 1939, when Paramount did "Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police," with John Howard as the star. That was the seventh of a series; John Barry more and Ray iVXilland had appeared as "Drummond" "Drum-mond" for Paramount, and way back In 1929 Ronald Colman had originated the character for Samuel Sam-uel Goldwyn. In England, John Lodge did him In 1937. Now we're to have "Bulldog Drummond at Bay," produced by Venture Pictures, Pic-tures, a Columbia producing unit; two of the series will be made this year. Time was when the lovely ladies of the films weren't supposed to have a brain beneath their curls. No matter how smart they were, press agents pictured them as beautiful beau-tiful but sort of dumb. But now the girls don't care who knows that they not only act In pictures, but have a financial interest in them. Hedy Lamarr became a producer with "The Strange Woman"; Bette Davis is credited with "The Stolen Life," Ingrid Bergman is credited as producing "Arch of Triumph," and Joan Bennett is producing chief of Diana Productions. Lanny Ross has been identified with "Moonlight and Roses" since 1928, but after he was demobilized from General MacArthur's special staff and returned to broadcasting, he wanted to drop the song. In came several thousand protests, so it's still his theme song. You'll see Joe Yule, Mickey Rooney's father, as "Jiggs" in "Bringing Up Father," for Monogram. Mono-gram. He and George McManus, who draws the famous comic strip, were both considered for the role, but McManus withdrew "for personal per-sonal reasons." As a Broadway star Jack Arthur was originally engaged for a singing-acting part in "Grand Central Station"; then he was kept as narrator nar-rator of the show. He is the only stage performer of the hundreds who've worked on the program to win a permanent berth. One of the biggest of all radio acting plums right now is the "Nik-kl" "Nik-kl" role on the CBS Ellery Queen show. Gertrude Warner is leaving to get married, and "Nikki" will be written out of the script until the middle of July, when someone else takes over. ODDS AND ENDS Dennis CTKeefa and Marguerite Chapman have been set for starring roles in "Mr. District Attorney," the Columbia film based on the popular radio show. . . . Judy Canova returns to the air August 31. . . . Bette Davis has asked her fans not to send her gifts for her birthday, but to donate the money to making up food packages for Europe's starving children. . . . Peggy Ann Garner gets her first grown-up role in "Bob, Son of Battle.". . . Samuel Gnlilwyn is gathering gath-ering a neio troupe of Goldwyn Girls, to follow their appearance in "The Secret Life of Walter Mittf with lour of South America. |