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Show BY INEZ GERHARD FRANCES LANGFORD, in the years when she was trouping about the country with Bob Hope's radio show, became known far and wide as a sultry-voiced singer. Her overseas tours to entertain our service men resulted in her widely I FRANCES LANGFORD circulated "Purple Heart Diary," based on experiences in entertaining entertain-ing men in veterans' hospitals. Now she has been signed to make a picture pic-ture based on this background. And that resulted from her appearing in dramatic sketches on the video show titled "Star Time." Irene Beasley, who originated her popular CBS show, "Grand Slam", hopes that other communities will follow the example of Cincinnati, O., where a reproduction of the game was played in connection with the city's drive for the Foundation of Infantile Paralysis. Irene gladly gave permission to use the program's pro-gram's name and format, and sent a prize for the best entry. Producer Milton Sperling thinks the day of the tough-looking gangster gang-ster is passing from the screen. For "The Enforcer", though the star is Humphrey Bogart, he chose assorted characters who looked as un-criminal as possible. Pierre Cresson has been signed by Paramount to a long-term contract; con-tract; is he being considered as a successor to Charles Boyer, now that Boyer won't wear a toupee or play romantic roles any more. He is 26, said to be the idol of French film fans, has appeared in 10 French pictures, and is one of six current favorites of the Paris nress. which predicts stardom. 1 The United States marine corps has given producer Edmund Ed-mund Grainger Its approval for Gen. Alexander A. Vandergruft, former commandant of the corps and the commanding general gen-eral at Guadalcanal, to play himself in RKO's "Flying Leathernecks." Lea-thernecks." Jack Smith, singing star of CBS' "Jack Smith-Dinah Shore-Margaret Whiting Show", went on a diet consisting mainly of Swiss cheese, to lose 20 pounds in 22 days for his first dramatic role, in Warners' War-ners' "Moonlight Bay". Abbott and Costello journeyed to New York to star on the NBC "Comedy Hour" telecast and picked pick-ed up a star for their first film production venture. She is Shaye Cogan, featured singer on the Vaughn Monroe TV series. She will be granted a four-week leave of absence to make her film debut in their picture. She is little and blonde and excited. Philip Carey, Warners' new screen find who makes his film debut in "Operation Pacific", starring star-ring John Wayne and Patricia Neal, has double cause for celebration. Got his contract the day his daughter, daugh-ter, Linda Ann, was born. Actors who found their screen careers retarded because they looked too much like successful screen stars had their day in a party sequence of the Hollywood of the early 20's in Columbia's "Valentino". Stars of the era weren't designated by name, but people who looked like Thcda Bara, Barbara La Marr, John Barrymore and others were engaged to add authenticity authen-ticity to the scene. Geraldine Wall is one of the many Hollywood actresses who have come to New York looking for radio jobs; she is "Flossie Homes" on "The Second Mrs. Burton", as a starter If she follows in her sister's footsteps foot-steps she will have nothing to worry about. Sister is Lucille Wall, who for the past 11 years has been doing do-ing fine as "Portia", facing life daily. ODDS AND ENDS . . .Ann Sey-mour, Sey-mour, remembered for her splendid performance in "All The King's Men", is playing "Kathy Baker" on "Portia Faces Life" . . . Spike Jones and his music-makers if you call them that are scheduled for a western at Columbia . . . Charlie Grapewin celebrated his 81st birthday birth-day in "When I Grow Up" "The Men" and "Cyrano de Ber-gerac", Ber-gerac", Stanley Kramer's 1950 productions pro-ductions for . United Artists, have been named in the ten best by "Commonweal." |