DIAL B FOR BURBANK

THE NEW MOVIE

Columbia has acquired the screen rights to "The Shadow," the legendary 1930s pulp hero, for a big-screen adaptation to be produced by Raimi and Josh Donen. Michael Uslan is also producing.

Columbia has set Siavash Farahani to write the screenplay. Farahani's credits include "Max Payne," a video game adaptation for 20th Century Fox.

The Hero In Black's most recent incarnation was a big-budget 1994 feature from Universal starring Alec Baldwin and directed by Russell Mulcahy. The movie didn't fare well at the box-office, quashing a hoped-for franchise.

This movie has long been a dream project for Raimi, and the crime-fighter's influence can be seen in Raimi's 1990 movie, "Darkman."

"I've been a passionate fan ever since I was a kid and have long dreamed of bringing this character to the screen," Raimi said. He is not attached to direct at this time.

After "Spider-Man 3" opens in May, the future of the Raimi-directed mega-successful franchise becomes an open question. Star Tobey Maguire has not committed to doing more. And Columbia is relishing having Raimi's cinematic fingers on another action hero.

"We're thrilled to be re-teaming with Sam as he brings another legendary comic book character to a new generation of fans," Columbia president of production Matt Tolmach said. "This property is in the perfect hands."

Pictured at top: art by Gary Gianni originally published by Dark Horse Comics. The Shadow copyright Advance magazine Publishers, Inc./ The Cond Naste Publications.

SECRET ORIGIN

The year was 1930. To boost sales of their Detective Story Magazine, pulp publishers Street and Smith decided to sponsor a weekly, Thursday night radio program where an announcer read stories from the magazine.

Rather than referring to him as "the guy who reads the stories," Street and Smith's ad agency suggested naming him The Shadow.

As the show developed, the announcer playing the Shadow (James La Curto) began to get into the role -- speaking in a haunting, whispery voice, laughing mysteriously, telling his audience "Crime does not pay," and asking "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"

It had been hoped that the program would stimulate sales of Detective Story Magazine, but soon customers began asking their newsstand dealers for "that Shadow magazine."

Street and Smith knew an opportunity when they saw one, and quickly created a brand new pulp entitled The Shadow.

Pictured at top: Cover of "The Black Hush," by George Rozen, from Shadow #35, originally published August 1, 1933, copyright Advance magazine Publishers, Inc./ The Conde Nast Publications.

REPORT 2:
COVER STORY

Walter Gibson was The Shadow's primary creator, and his working title for his first-ever Shadow story was “Murder In The Next Room.” But when he submitted the first six chapters to publisher Street and Smith in January 1931, to his surprise, he discovered that with no time or budget to commission a NEW cover painting, Street and Smith were cannibalizing an OLD painting that had previously been used on a issue of Thrillbook, as seen above.

The old Thrillbook cover showed a Chinese man cowering in fear of a glowing cross. Reworking the cover a bit for its new use, the cross was deleted, the background was cut out to create a shadowy silhouette, and the radio catch-phrase “The Shadow Knows” was added.

The only problem was -- there were no Chinese men in Gibson’s story. He quickly relocated a scene to Manhattan’s Chinatown, completed the remaining chapters... and the finished pulp was rushed to America’s crowded newsstands... with a new title: THE LIVING SHADOW.

(Pictured: Thillbook and Shadow #1, originally published April 1931, copyright Advance magazine Publishers, Inc./The Conde Naste Publications.)