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Show VIRGINIA VALE Release-?by Western Newspaper Union. WILLIAM BENDIX, star of the Blue network's Sunday airshow, "The Life of Riley," and the movies' "The Hairy Ape," showed that he had lost none of his sales ability abil-ity when he operated a booth recently at the bazaar for the new Birmingham hospital in San Fernando Fernan-do Valley. Bendix's booth, which sold unrationed groceries, did more business than any other. "Nothin's strange about that," remarked William. Wil-liam. "I sold groceries for a livin1 long before I thought of becomin' an actor." The jig-saw puzzle photos which Ann Miller sent to servicemen fans had an unexpected aftermath. "1 '.-) j A 't : , ,. 1 ANN MILLER got your photo," one corporal wrote the star of Columbia's "Battleship "Battle-ship Blues," "but one of your parts is missing." The formation of Bing Crosby Productions, Inc., just had to happen; hap-pen; It was one of the few fields left. Bing had made his name in pictures, radio, sports, phonograph records. He organized, at his own expense, entertainment units to tour army camps. He's chosen "The Great John L.," the story of John L. Sullivan, as his first story, Frank Tuttle as his director. United Artists Art-ists as releasing agent. Like many another star, Gary Cooper has been bitten by the producer pro-ducer bug. He made known his yearning to produce movies while filming "Casanova Brown"; International Inter-national promptly signed him up on a dual producer-actor contract. The new issue of the March of Time brings to the screen an exclusive exclu-sive story, "Underground Report," which shows how the people of Germany Ger-many and their conquered victims are living. It is compiled from Nazi films recently captured in Europe, as well as from film footage smuggled smug-gled out by the Underground. Some serviceman overseas will see his baby for the first time when "Three's a Family" is released. Producer Sol Lesser intends giving a featured role in the comedy to a six-months-old child, preferably one who was born after his or her father fa-ther sailed. It is Lesser's custom to send a 12-millimeter film abroad for the men to see before the picture Is released here. The most exclusive theater circuit In the world is that founded in Hollywood Holly-wood by Laraine Day; other members mem-bers are Cary Grant, Deanna Dur-bin, Dur-bin, Lou Costello, Alice Faye and Tyrone Power, who's non-active while in the service, of course. Each member has a theater and exhibits 16-mm. prints of movies in which he or she has appeared. Miss Day will soon be showing "That Hunter Girl." The tour Lily Pons and Audrey Kostclanctz are making through the Persia-Iran-Iraq area is expected to last from six to eight weeks. Miss Pons will sing the arias that we've all heard her do so often on the air, her husband will direct the soldier orchestras and will play piano duets with Carolyn Gary. Frank Versaci, the fourth member of the USO troup 'accompanies Miss Pons on the flute and also plays solos. Anne Seymour, who stars as "Prudence Dane" in NBC's "A Woman of America," has just received re-ceived her Stage Door Canteen pin for two years' service. She works in the kitchen, making coffee and maintains a production schedule of about 400 cups an hour. Maurice Costello, father of those two beauties, Dolores and Helen, is appearing in "Heavenly Days," the Fibber McGee and Molly picture. All other movie stars owe him a lot; screen players were anonymous till he made Vitagraph star him. ODDS AND ENDS Anne Shirley celebrated the completion of her 410th screen role and the start of her 22nd year in pictures by giving a big party at the RKO studio, where she started as a baby actress. . . . If the voice of "Dickie Kimble" in "When a Girl Marries" Mar-ries" sounds familiar, it's because you've been hearing him as "Homer" in "The Aldrich Family." . . . Wallace Foul, who's been off the screen too long, gets his big break from Pat O'Brien in "Secret "Se-cret Command," Pat's first producing venture. . . . The first eight rows at every ev-ery Allan Jones broadcast (CHS, Wednesdays) Wed-nesdays) are reserved for girls in the WAVES, WAC, SPARS and marines. |