Show II War God Rid Rides s 1 1943 43 Film H Horizon ri on By sy CHURCH HOLLYWOOD N NA A There is only one really important star above the horizon for 1943 and 1943 and that Is Mars Hes He's not only the leading star but the No 1 director and producer too i The war god is riding hard over II the film world He has pretty I well smashed the old star sy system 1 tern tem and the lavish traditions of ofa ofa ofa a gayer era He h has S shoved dozens dozens doz doz- I ens of ot masculine favorites off oft the thet t contract lists knocked down production production production pro pro- costs and indirectly ly has upset the whole scale cale of ot entertainment entertain entertain- 4 I ment values Also war is planning planning plan plan- ning Ring to steal most of the pictures and dominate most of the plots i I t during the new year These days the only thing remIniscent reminiscent reminiscent rem rem- of ot the old Hollywood is the wild scramble money for the best possible story material pre material pre tested best sellers smash musIcals musicals musicals musi musI- cals and hit dramas For Instance Fox put on the line for John Steinbeck's book The Moon Is Down and Paramount shelled out for the play Lady Ladr in the Dark Neither sum included in included in- in eluded the considerable cost of rewriting the pr properties into filmable filmable filmable film- film able form Lacking balanced teams of es established established established es- es players for sales appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal the studios are substituting familiar stories for familiar faces The new formula itself Is a substitute substitute sub sub- for the star system which sUb I depended on biE bid names costly production and ballyhoo Today the storys story's the he thing and most of ot the stories are about the war A glance down the Hollywood shooting schedule s shows h how o w s a the trend Watch on the Rhine They Were Vere Expend Expendable ble Cry Havoc Flight Surgeon Stage Door Canteen Bataan Patrol Even the sagebrush thrillers are taking on war backgrounds In Idaho Roy Rogers will run rundown rundown rundown down a crooked gambling ring that opens in his territory to fleece defense workers in a tungsten tungsten tungsten tung tung- sten mine A new chapter melodrama melodrama melodrama melo melo- drama is called Tracking Hitler's Saboteurs In his next adventure adventure adventure ture Tarzan and his animal pals wreck an axis expedition in the jungle t th r h kr I a aR S R c k I A Ay y 6 f t y S So thoroughly does war pervade today that even sagebrush sagebrush sagebrush sage sage- brush horse operas such as Idaho in which Ona Munson above stars have a wartime angle |