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Show STAGE' SCREEN RADIO By VIRGINIA VALE (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) WHEN it was decided that the new Garbo picture would get under way on Friday Fri-day the thirteenth, the assistant assist-ant director called the cast together to see if anybody's superstitions would get in the way. Melvyn Douglas said that Friday Fri-day was a lucky day for him, and the fact that it was the thirteenth would make it so much the ., better. Ruth Gor- don, who gave up number of summer I stock engagements to take this one in pictures, declared that she deliberately deliberate-ly walks under lad-ji lad-ji ders, and loves i black cats. Roland Greta Garbo Youn sald that he'd bring along one of his china penguins, to break i the evil spell of the jinx. As for Miss Garbo, she said nothing just showed up on time. Janet Blair used to be the featured fea-tured vocalist with the late Hal Kemp's orchestra; now she has a Columbia contract and one of the top feminine roles in "Three Girls About Town." She'll play the younger young-er sister of Joan Blondell. David Niven not only went back to England to serve his country, but he s been made a major. Bing Crosby had a letter from him in which he mentioned the promotion. pro-motion. He heads a squadron of defense troops which is stationed sta-tioned on the English Eng-lish coast opposite France. In his letter let-ter he said that no less than 20 invad- ing Nazi bombing David Niven planes had been knocked down above his sector the previous night. The March of Time's newest release, re-lease, "New England's Eight Million Mil-lion Yankees," shows how the six northeastern states are making themselves invasion-proof. It is the first of a series of regional films, and will be followed by releases on the Midwest, Texas, and other sections sec-tions of the country. Penny Singleton, who's been "Blondie" on the screen and on the air for so long, is hard at work now in her first film musical. It's called "Cowboy Joe" temporarily, and Glenn Ford plays opposite her. She'd made a name for herself as a singer and dancer on the Broadway stage before she went to Hollywood, and her nine "Blondie" comedies -have made one for her in Hollywood. The office of Heinrich Himmler, chief of Nazi SS men, is as authentic authen-tic a reproduction in Warner Bros.' "Underground" as following actual photographs could make it. Himmler Himm-ler does not permit photos of his office of-fice to be released; however, Kurt Schmidt, technical adviser on "Underground," "Un-derground," made some when he was in favor with the SS head, and smuggled them out of the country when he escaped two years ago. The film shows Himmler's dreaded office for the first time. Bob Hope, who soared to film popularity pop-ularity with the song "Thanks for the Memory," will have another opportunity op-portunity to warble an outstanding number, when he sings "You Can't Brush Me Off" in "Louisiana Purchase," Pur-chase," which Paramount will produce. pro-duce. Lately he's been content merely to be one of the funniest men on the screen. His "Caught In the Draft" is hilarious, though the script writers dug up some of the oldest jokes in existence for it. Eddie Bracken hangs up a few laurels for himself in this one too. With the exception of a few minor weekly cast additions, all the regular regu-lar roles on the new "Hap Hazard" radio series, the summer replacement replace-ment for "Fibber McGee and Molly," Mol-ly," have been assigned. It stars Ransom Sherman, and features the singing of Edna O'Dell and Billy Mills' orchestra. Nowadays people in radio have begun to take these J summer replacement shows seriously. seri-ously. The "Blondie" program started start-ed as one three years ago now it tops all CBS half-hour shows in popularity, pop-ularity, according to the latest Crosley report. ODDS AND ENDS Ona Munson wound up work in "Wild Geese Calling" Call-ing" at 20th Century-Fox, got a vacation vaca-tion from radio when Edward G. Robinsons Rob-insons "Big Town" show left the air for the summer, and headed for Santa Barbara and a rest . . . Ruth Hussey and Robert Young will be teamed in "Married Bachelors," a comedy of a young married couple who are always just ttco jumps ahead of the sheriff . . . Jane Wyalt has the femininp lead opposite oppo-site Dennis O'Kccfe in RKO's "K eek Knd for Three" . . . Myrna Loy and William Powell will be at it attain before be-fore long, in "The Shadow of the Thin Man." |