THE PICTURE WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 42, 19 February 1931, Page 18

THE PICTURE WORLD

Voice Property ; .

Moved. Alter saying "Good-bye" in scenes in "The Great Meadow," Charles Brabin's new Metro-Goldwyii-Mayer picture, Eleanor Boardman was noticed to continue crying after the sequence was "shot." "Why?" asked , a friend. Wiping her eyes, Miss Boardman replied, "Well,, it occurred to meI'that when pioneers of 1775 said 'goodbye' and started off across unknown mountains infested with Indians, it usually was good-bye. I couldn't help compai-ing how little 'good-bye' means to-day." "The Right to Love." ■A new recording system, by which hissing, scratching, and all other extraneous noises are eliminated, is introduced in Ruth Chatterton's latest Paramount production, "The Right to Love." Under thia • new process, the most softly-spoken words,. whispering, and sobbing are clearly recorded. "Richard Wallace directed the film. Different, Now. The conventional script of a crime play makes few demands on the resourcefulness of the property man. A quarter of a century ago when 'Edwin Porter demanded a clock or a stove for the filming of "The Great Train Robbery," the property man obligingly dipped his brush into the nearest bucket and hastily painted the desired "prop" on the backdrop. If a script called for anything so unavoidable as a pigeon, it was begged, borrowed, or rented. If the pigeon couldn't be had the script was changed. Firearms played an insignificant part in the guerilla warfare of the early crime picture. But fashions have changed in the conduct of cinema crime. Rounding up machine guns, automatic rifles, fleets. of trucks, aeroplanes, or tanks of purported poison gas is just one of, the property man's daily tasks and it isn't hard. The meta; morphosis of the mob has made life harder and harder for the studio' nian, but until Carl LaemmJe produced "See America Thirst," the property man was able to get along. Then see what happened. The cellar "sets", with their burlap bales and sinister kegs so long the accepted standard of Hollywood underworld equipment were scrapped for an elaborately constructed penthouse thirty stones above Chicago's famous "loop" fortified in a feudal manner. Old sets of castles and battleships were plundered for equipment. A special crane was used to hoist cannon to the terrace that would have done credit to a Dreadnought. A corps of engineers were put to work to make the big bertha as ingeniously collapsible as a bamboo cane. A cosy little bungalow with roses innocently growing round the door vai set on wheels and armour-plated. Youth. ' "Courage," the latest Warner Bros, and Vitaphone picture, featuring Belle Bennett and Marion Nixon, is-one of those films which glorify youth for those who have passed through it, and those who are living it. "Courage," adapted for the talking screen from the stage play, depicts a mother's fight to keep her seven children, :lespfi!e tlie'outside influences of a material world. Belle Bennett portrays the part of the gay and lovable spendthrift mother. Raymond's Crane. Jack Raymond's Soccer drama- "The Great Game" has been completed and the Cup match final, which provides the climax to this first British outdoor talkie was shot at the Harrod's Sports Ground, Barnes. A travelling crane with- a 70ft jib, which held a railed-in platform carrying microphones and electrically-driven cameras, was specially constructed to secure goal-mouth and, midfield play. The teams were comprised of international football players, with the exception of John Batten, the young New Zealand ictbr, who stars in the/production. A Burglar. Reginald Denny lias played many roles jn the stage and screen, but his first role is a burglar came in the role of Barney M'Gann, a burglar with- an ambition to se a great singer in Hamilton M'l'adden's I'ox Movietone production, "Ho, for_ a Man!" in which he is co-featured with Jeanette MacDonald. Inasmuch that this particular burglar breaks into the apart- I ment of a famous prima donna in the lead of night to steal her jewels, and remains to steal her heart, Denny claims it was. not an unpleasant role to play.

As a result of a recent decision in the English. High Court, a film actor's voice must not be "doubled" without his permission. Mr. Warwick Ward, the London film actor, obtained substantial damages by, agreement from two film companiesCharles Whittaker Productions, Ltd., and Warner Brothers Pictures, Ltd.—following the "doubling" of his voice in a picture in which lie appeared. Mr. Ward played in a film called '"The Woman He Scorned," which was made in silent form. Later it was converted into a talking picture, the voice of another artist being used for the part acted by Mr. Ward.. The' film was shown to the trade last Slay, when the following criticism appeared in "The Daily Mail": "Mr. AVard's treatment in this film is, to put it mildly, unkind. .. . There are some dreadful moments when the lips of the actor do not synchronise with the sounds which come out of the loud spqaker." ■ The issue, establishes a new actors' charter. The voice of an'actor is part of his personality, and without the consent of the actor. concerned no producer will in future presume to "double" it.' Old Friend. Warner Bros, arid Vitaphone have •produced "Captain. Applejack," which lias been adapted from the stage play by Walter Hackett. The picture is a comedy with a cast including Mary Brian, Claude Allister, John. Holliday, and Louise Closser Hale, and the story deals with a timid suburbanite who, after learning he is descended from a ferocious pirate, starts.on a wild pursuit of adventure. "Boudoir Diplomat." Carl Laemmle, jun., has announced the all-star east which will appear in "Boudon? Diplomat," on which Director Mai-' colm St. Clair directed. This is the array to enact the roles in the screen version of the stage success by Rudolph Lothai* and Fritz Gottwald: Betty Compson, lan Keith, Mary Duncan, Jeanctte Loft', Law- , fence Grant, Lional Belmore, and Andre Beranger. , Silent Soies. : In several of the .scenes in the British j Dominions Films! talkie ''Symphony 'in' ] Two Flats," where no carpets were used, • ] Benita Hume, who co-stars with Ivor Nov- ( olio as the young musician's wife, had , to wear felt soles to deaden any noise. ] In the latter part of the- filn) the star ] wore a black and white embroidered frock, j each bead having to be tightly Sewn to ; the foundation to prevent any noise, which would have been disastrous. ' Lead. ' > , Eleanor Boardman has been awarded the leading feminine role in Columbia's "The } Flood," a production dealing with life in a 5 section of the Mississippi River country, j during one of the river's frequent and . devastating overflows. Monte Blue is fea-' ] tured iu the leading male role, and James ] Tinling will direct. ( Miss Boardman has been prominent siucfl 1 1922, when she made her screen debut as a ' result of a "New Face" contest. frier re- | cent portrayals include leading roles in such vehicle's as "The Crowd," "She Goes ( to War,'"Tell It to the Marines," "Bardelys the Magnificent," "The Auction Block," "Memory Lane," and "The Great Meadow," not yet released. j New Faces. j Two months ago vice-president and i general manager of Fox, Winfield Sbeehan, < announced that new acquisitions to the < ranks of Fox feminine stars would be i made. The promise is being kept. Myvna f Loy and Jeanette MacDonald have both i been put under long term contracts. Both a have already appeared in Fox films, Miss / Loy in "Renegades" and Miss MacDonald in "Oh, for a Man!" Miss Loy's first for Fox Movietone under her new contract c will be in "A Connecticut Yankee" with ? Will Rogers. Miss MacDonald's first will i be in ."All Women Are ..Bad", with Ed- ' mund Lowe. And there will be more an- * uouncements in the very near, future. ° "Girls Demand Excitement." r John Wayne and Virginia Chen-ill, now . 1: finishing "Girls Demand Excitement" at. i the Fox West Coast Studios, will next be i seen, together in "Three Girls Lost." i

Lyttell a Victim. Bert Lyttell, who plays the title role in "Brothers," has fallen victim, to the superstitions of the theatre. , He never allowed anyone to speak* to him before he goes on for a performance—says it upsets him from doing his best work. He never changes, his theatre wardrobe during the run of a show. Last year he didn't have a bathrobe when "Brothers" opened, and he refused to.put one on throughout the (entire season for fear of "jinxing" the f)lay. Lyttell has also developed other eccentricities. He takes two baths a day and insists that the temperature be exactly adjusted. In addition there must be a jrmaM nail-brush close at hand, and his favourite brand of soap must be available. "Dishonoured." Josef von Sternberg, Hollywood's leading artistic director, has completed camera work on "Dishonoured," his latest directorial effort for Paramount, in which Marlene Dietrich and Victor M'Laglen costar. It is a romance of spies in Austria during the war, with Lew Cody, Norman Kerry, Warner Oland, Gustave von Seyffertitz, and Barry Norton playing featured roles. ' Again. Kobert Z. Leonard, having finished filming "The Bachelor .Father," Marion. Davies' new Metro'-Goldwyn-Mayer talkie, is working on the final cutting while preparing to screen her next picture, "It's a Wise Child.". This'will be the sixth occasion on v which Leonard has directed Miss Davies.

iNlorah dkrihg. When the bi-centenary of Jbsiah Wedgewood, the famous English potter, was celebrated in Stoke-on-Trent, a modern pottery exhibition in King's Hall, Stoke, was held, also an historical pageant in Hanley Park, the opening of which was performed by Miss Norah Baring, the film actress. Miss' Baring is one of the most discussed young English actresses at the present time. Her portrait, painted by Howard Somerville, is now hanging in the Royal Academy.

Most Popular Actor. Modesty is a rare trait among actors and actresses,■ and. generally accepted- as hardly^ conducive to progress along, the road to success, yet modesty has been a big factor in making-Lewis. Ayres, the young Universal star,-the most popular male actor in pictures to-day. At a recent popularity contest, conducted by the "New York Daily News," which; has a circulation of 1% millions, Lewis Ayres topped the poll by a comfortable margin . of over 5000 votes* and having included, among his rivals for public affection, such stars as Maurice Chevalier, Ronald Colman, Ramon Navarro, Charles Parrell, and Charles Rogers. Lewis Ayres's charm lies in his appealing simplicity and genuine naturalness. He was a triumph in his first important portrayal, that of Paul Baumer in "All Quiet on the Western Front." He has since appeared in "Common Clay" and "East is West." Universal pictures, who have Lewis Ayres under a five-year contract, are so pleased with his progress that they are starring him in "Many a Slip" and "Fires of Youth," two -pictures due for, early release. An Ambition. For years Mary Brough has played cook and maid roles—"apron parts," and she has always had an ambition to cast aside the apron and wear beautiful clothes and jewels. She achieves this in the forthcoming Ralph Lynn-Tom Walls, production, "Plunder," but as far as her ambition is concerned, there is a fly in the ointment, as she does not play the wealthy motherly soul of her dreams, but a shewish old adventuress trying to claim her stepdaughter's inheritance.

The Sport of Kings. A bid for freedom on a round-about was recently made by Leslie Benson and Cordon Harker, who were fleeing from un irate mob of 300 hoodwinked punters, in a corner of the celebrated Newmarket Heath Jlacecourse. Unfortunately, the pair were overhauled by their pursuers, who ducked them in a neighbouring pond. Such is one of the many moments in the Gainsborough Pictures dialogue vornon of Inn 'Hay's evergreen turf comedy, "The import of Kings,'-

"Fighting Caravans." More than 500 Indians -weife' assembled to take part in the scenes of "lighting Caravans," Paramount's talking sequel to "The Covered Wagon."*- 'The-featured cast includes Gary Cooper, Lily Daraita, Ernest Torrence, Tully Marshall, Fred Kohler, Eugene Pallette, .Almo Toll, Roy Stewart, and Donald MacKenzie. Otto Brower and David Burton handled the direction.

"Aroma." Burlesque, that hilarious ai't long associated with the variety theatre, is to be featured in a scries of miniature musical extravaganzas now in production at the Islington Studios of the Gainsborough Pictures Company. The latest—a satire on the popular South Sea romance film, entitled "Aroma of the South Seas"—is now being filmed under the direction of W. P. Kcllino. The cast includes such tried English players as Moore Marriott and Wallace LujHno.

Piuzled. After entertaining about 500 veteran^ at a huge Armistice ball and banquet, Marion Davies had to appear for work on "The Bachelor Father" set bright and early: the next morning at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. "Am I dreaming or do I still hear bands playing?" she asked when she reported for work. Investigation disclosed a military band rehearsing for another film on the stage next door. "Stolen Heaven." The longest talking film scene yet recorded was made for Nancy Carroll's current Paramount dramatic picture, "Stolen Heaven." The scene is six minutes in duration, involving a number of dramatic passages by Miss Carroll and Phillips Holmes. George Abbott is directing, with Joan Carr, Dagmar Oakland, Joseph Drehan, Buford Armitage, and Edward Keane in the cast. "Seed." The first production assignment on "Seed," Charles G. Norris's phenomenal best seller which Universal will film immediately as a super-picture, was made when Carl Laerumle, junior, selected John M. Stahl to direct it. The success of "A Lady Surrenders," the screen version of John Erskine's novel "Sincerity," brought Stahl a five-year contract with the Laemmle -organisation. He is now completing the added scenes on "The Boudoir Diplomat." Stahl's ability to handle stories with social problems as their themes, such as "Seed" will be given full opportunity in the picturisation of the Norris novel. Crime. Closely following their engagement of Bobby Jones, the champion golfer, for Vitaphone Varieties, Warner Bros. First National have, signed S. S. Van Dine, creator of the fictional character, Philo Vance, to write a series of two-reel thrillers for Vitaphone. He will create an entirely new sleuth, a master criminologist who approaches crime at a different angle from Philo Vance. . ■ ■ English Actress. . British talkie directors have found 're» emits from the London stage. In recent film casts such names* as Lilian Hall Dav; ies, Winifred Shotter, Mary Brough, "and Constance Carpenter have appeared., The latest acquisition is Jane Baxter, secured by the Gaumont-British Company for their second all-talking farce "Bed and Breakfast." Miss Baxter, in addition to having had two years' training in farce comedies with Tom Walls at the Aldwych Theatre, has played in "Thark" on tour. Later, for three years she player various - roles in "Peter Pan," playing Peter for a while. His Hobbies. Wallace Beery,- the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer player in ~"Min and Bill," in addition to being an aviator is an expert cameraman. He has a complete moving picture outfit, and makes a practice of filming telephoto views from his 'plane. He is making a complete aerial map of California with his camera. Rogers. Fox's vice-president and general manager, Winfield Sheehan, has announced that Will Eogers's first picture under his new contract with Fox will be "The Heir to the Hporah." This will follow the "A Connecticut Yankee" on which Rogers is. now .w.orking,, and .will be: the-first time that Rogers has appeared in a cowboy ■role, although, in real life that was the way the great comedian rea.lly started. New Oakie Title. Jack Oakie 's current Paramount comedy, originally announced. as. "On the Spot,"' has' been re-titled "The Gang Buster." In this he appears as a cocky young insurance agent, who conceives the* idea of selling life insurance to gunmen, with hilarious results. Jean Arthur is featured opposite the star, and William Boyd, Tom Kennedy, Francis MacDonald, and Ernie Adams head the cast. A New Wag. Grace Moore and Lawrence Tibbett were practising a song on the set at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Suddenly a'small ■table on-the set began to-vibrate. "That's funny," said Miss Moore, "I've heard of spirit mediums'moving tables with spirits —but, he does it with a low note!"

Still" They Came ■ r ■ ♦ ' ■•■:

• ' "The talkies 'have not triumphed.- Thi» year we have made some silent films. Next year we shall make more. And;the year after that still more. The silent:film will never die." . . Mr.' Samuel,Goldwyn, the American film producer, made this statement at'Southampton" on his arrival from 'New' York. He went to England with the; primary purpose of presenting his film. "On« Heavenly Night," in which Miss Evelya. Laye makes her debut in singing films. . Among' his other statements were:' . "English artists are the best in the world. "Miss Evelyn Laye is going to ■;niak« films in Spanish and French for me. Shp is a great artist. No ' one could ' have played her part in 'One Heavenly Night* as she has played it. I spent, £160,000 on. the picture. "Mr. Frederick* Lonsdale is the only mam who'Tias mastered the job of making the perfect script for the talking-film. He was always a great dramatist, but the stage limited his appeal. The talkies will give him'fame with every class of people." Mr. Goldwyc added that Hollywood producers will bankrupt themselves,if thej; go on putting quantity before "The public are laughing at them." Nora Lane. Nora Lane has joined the'cast of "The Leather Pushers," Universal^ all-talking version of the famous H. C. Witwer. prize ring stories, in which Kane Richmond, Carl Laemmle jjinior's latest find, has th« leading role. The cast includes Sally BJane, Joan March, Sam Hardy, and Jack White. Albert Kelley is directing. Miss Lane's numerous pictures include ' One Hysterical Night" and "Sally." ; Different. N A Frenchman, a German, a Russian, arid an American form comradeship , that neither death nor a woman' can break. This is the basis of "Renegades," directed by Victor Fleming, Warner Baxter's latest Fox Movietone picture, which is: to b« screened in New Zealand shortly. Included in-the cast are Myraa Loy, Noalt Beery, George Cooper, Gregory Gaye, and Bela Lugosi. , ... ' "Ladles' Man." . . "Ladies' Man." Paramount's adaptation of the Rupert Hughes novel, starring William Powell, has gone into production at the Hollywood studios under the'direction '■ of Lothar Mendes. Kay Francis is feature ed in the feminine lead, and Carol Lornbard, Martin Burton, Gilbert Emery* uid John Holland are in supporting,roles. Foreign Language. - Harry Cohn, vice-president in charge of production' for Columbia 'Pictures, announces that Columbia will make foreign language versions of certain Columbia pictures. All those pictures deemed par* ticularly well suited fbr foreign distribution will be used. The two features t* receive first cons/idei'ation will ba "Brothers," starring Bert Lyttell, and "The Criminal Code," in which Walter Huston and Phillips«Holmes are featured. Richard Cooper. The name of Richard Cooper—British: actor-comedian, is one which will merit watching. As a result of his work, in recent films, "House of the Arrow," "At th« Villa Rose," and "The Last Hour," he has been starred by the Gaumont Company in a talkie version of a . celebrated farce, "Lord Richard in -the Pantry," and he i» co-star with the English musical comedy actress, Jane Baxter, in th,e second. Gain 'mcnt screen farce, "Bed And;Breakfast. Unfitted. ■ Buster Keaton has begun production, on his newest starring vehicle-for-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer under the direction of Edward Sedgwick. Sally Eilers plays the leading feminine role, Natalie Moorhead is cast as the "vamp," while Dorothy Christie and Joan Peers will play a»» sistant charmers. Charlotte Greenwood plays a comical vole as Polly, and Regrnal<| Denny is cast as Jeff, the jealous hus» band. Keaton's new picture is'as yet uaf titled.