America In England

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 21

America In England

Reports are renewed of the forthcoming Extension to England of American fibntnaking activities. This time it is stated ithat Adolph ■ Zukor, on behalf of Para-£nount-Famous-Lasky Corporation of New JSTork, has acquired from British and Dofainions . Films Corporation the right to jUaa one of the latter's "sound stages" ftt Elstree. Mr. Zukor is said to have Jpaid £300,000 for the privilege, and it is further estimated'that the money which Hs concern will expend in this country on production ■will amount to at least [£10,000,000 in,ten years. Once again the eyes of British. aspirants to a place in ;the film firmament are being dazzled by the promise ,of "a Hollywood within a tew miles of London, a new city of busy thousands, of huge studios and luxury yillas peopled'with famous stars and directors making films for the world." Paramount- (which, •by the way, has secured the distribution rights in "The School for Scandal") is also stated to project ■the building of a chain of fifty or more cinemas throughout the United Kingdom, thus entering the ordinary exhibitors' marfeet here, in competition with the two big existing circuits controlled by the Gau-jnont-British and Associated British companies, which, together have about 400 ;theatres. ■ Almost concurrently an announcement Ss. made of the ■ formation of a new British combine with a capital of. £1,500,000 to take over ten existing firms for production purposes, and to construct new cinema Houses. This combine is to be fenown as the "Empire Building Manufac-turingy-and Kinema Corporation, Ltd." Captain Geoffrey Malms, described as an explorerl,, is the spokesman o£ the coni- , bine. , Notwithstanding all these and other Reasons for optimism, the British cinema industry •at the present moment is showing-, symptoms o(f "jumpiness." Midget ' golt is looming like a black cloud on the liorizon. Owners of cinema houses are being urged to protect themselves by setting up: dwarf courses whenever there is space available; and Sir Gordon Craig, ihe "first cinema knight," appears as tnanaging director of a company to. construct them.' Perfect Actors. . Indians, despite their reputation for being stolid and unemotional individuals, are natural-born actors, and the most easy of all to direct in motion pictures. This discovery .was made by Otto Brower and Edwin Knopf, who directed one hundred Navajo. warriors in scenes for "The Santa Fe Trail," a Paramount all-talking Western. film,1 starring Kichard Arlen. "The Santa Fe Trail," which will be released in the near future, is adapted from the novel "Spanish Acres," by Hal Evarts. ;Rosita Moreno is ; featured opposite the Btar, and Eugene Pallette, Mitzi Green, Junior. Durkin, and Hooper Atchley head the supporting cast. Comedy Rights. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has acquired motion picture rights of Vincent Lawrence's comedy, "Among the Married."' This was produced:by Philip Goodman as a play last Beason, with a cast headed by Frank Morgan and Katherine Wilson."