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Show Star Hast Movie Lure March Comeback liings Song lly Virginia Vale 1)ERHAPS you, the public, hadn't realized it, but you have been staying away from the movies in such stupen- : dous numbers that the motion ; picture industry is about to spend $1,000,000 to lure you back into the theaters again. Producers, distributors end theater thea-ter men will put up the money. And you will set $250,000 ot it, my friends. There will be a contest. At present, although the rule have not yet been decided on, it seem likely that this contest will be in the form of a questionnaire based on pictures released between now and October 31. Booklets containing rules will be issued only at theater box-offlces. Each contestant will have to answer 30 questions about 30 different pic- tures in order to qualify. Half of that $1,000,000 will be spent on advertising in newspapers and magazines. Fredric March is going to try, try again and if he fails this time, no doubt he'll keep on trying to make a come-back on the stage. Last year he and his wife, Florence Eldridge, backed a play that was produced in New York, you'll recall, FREDRIC MARCH and it failed not because of their performances, but just because it wasn't an awfully good play. If they can find a play that they like, they'll do it again, come autumn. In the meantime, he's stor; ing up more of what it takes td produce plays by working in Hal Roach's "There Goes My Heart." It looks as If Myron Selznlck had started something that may result in our having belter pictures. He has formed a partnership with various va-rious prominent actors, writer, and directors as the best theatrical agent in Hollywood he knew all of them to make pictures, with a share of the pictures' profits taking the place of salary. Ernst Lubitsch Productions, Inc., Is the first of these producing units. Under this arrangement, a picture will have to be good or else! The Stroud twins traveled a long and winding road, so far as their career was concerned, before they reached those Sunday evening broadcasts where they share honors with Charlie McCarthy. They began be-gan as acrobats with a circus; ran away from home to do it. Then they went into vaudeville, and switched to dancing. They toured this country, then Australia, New Zealand and the South Seas before returning to Broadway, and switched their act again, this time to the sort of thing you hear them doing on the air. i Here's something new under the sun. Practically all of the big pub- Ushers of popular music want a certain song, and can't have it. The song is "Hail KMH," t h e theme-song introduction intro-duction to those dialogues between be-tween Bing Crosby Cros-by and Ken Carpenter. Car-penter. It was written especially especial-ly for the broadcasts, broad-casts, nnd that's I 7' - ,. A- ' i)' ' '., that even if it has Bing Crosby become such a hit that the song publishers are itching to get it into general circulation. circu-lation. ODDS AMD ENDS Their friends are still hoping liat loan Crawford and Franrhot Tone may patch up their marriage ; at present, thounh not likely, il seems possible . . . At least, Joan says she doesn't plan a divorce, ever ... lien Bernie and Kay Kyser have been invited to lecture before the Vete York University Radio W orkshop . . . ITafl Disney has bought 55 acres of lund near Hollywood and will build a $1,000,000 studio there thanks to Mickey Mouse, Snow White and others . , Al Jolson and Edward G. Robin- son will be back on the air septemoer 20 meanwhile Al is indulging his passion pas-sion for seeing fast horses run fast . . . Eddie Cantors next picture will be "Mr. Average Man." (t Western Newspaper Union. |