THE PICTURE WORLD Films in the Snow Talkie Troubles Posers In Russia

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 83, 9 April 1931, Page 16

THE PICTURE WORLD

Films in the Snow

Talkie Troubles

Posers

In Russia

What was King Arthur's coat of arms? What is the technical name of a dump--ing cart in a coal mine? When a French postman comes to the door, does he whistle or knock? Is a marriage licence issued : in New York valid in an aeroplane flying over ;any part of the.State? Did ladies in England smoke'in 1865-70? Is the head of the board of directors of the Bank.of England called "chairman" or "governor"? Was any attempt ever made to blow up the' Panama Canal? Are ttore chimes: in St.-Germain's Church in Paris, and if so, what tune might they be playing at an early hour of the morning?. What does a Spanish-American War . pension cheque look like? These questions are all a matter of course to Frances Richardson, research librarian of <in American film corporation. They are but a sample of a single day's requests that come to the library from directors, scenarists, assistant directors, art' designers, ;and other- busy persons engaged in the complicated busi« ness of furnishing a nation's film entertainment. And it's up to Miss Richardson and her staff to answer them as speedily as possible; delay iv solving some such problem, while a picture company waits impatiently, may mean no small additional cost to the film." ■ An average of twenty-five questions a iflay are handled in this department—questions ranging from wanting some famous date in history that can be replied to in ten seconds 7to more difficult ones like those quoted above. Fortunately, the majority of the queries come during the writing of the scenarios, so that the time element is not as costly as it might be. Months of research work may be done in preparation for a big film. Mystery. Director Ray Taylor has completed production work on "Finger Prints," Universal's all-talking serial, with Edna Murphy and Kenneth Harlan playing the leads in Arthur B. Reeve's mystery. This is the third serial to be completed at Universal City for this season's release. The first, "The Indians are Coming," with Colonel Tim M'Coy and Allene Ray, is playing leading theatres throughout the country as is also "The Spell of the Circus," in which Francis X. Bushman, jnr. ' and Alberta Vaughn are featured. In the cast of "Finger Prints,".in addition to Miss Murphy and Harlan, are Gayne Whitman, Gertrude Astor, William Thorne, William Worthington, and Monta Montague. False Alarm. ' While making personal appearances in San Francisco, Polly Moran heard a voice calling - "Pretty Polly!" The comedienne beamed all over and turned around, only to, discover, that a paiTot ; was doing the flattering cajoling. Polly bought the bird and he hasn't spoken since. Polly's latest role is. with William Hainesl in "Remote Control," in which she plays the part-of a beauty expert. Edward Sedgwick directed the new Metro-Gold- ■ wyn-Mayer talkie. Mary Doran has the leading feminine role. • Elaborate Welcome, Paramount's New York studio made elaborate plans.to welcome Tallulah Bankhead when this newest cinema recruit, returned to the United States from her extended stay in London. ; Miss Bankhead wias to in New York last month, ■to start work shortly thereafter in her first talking screen play, "New York Love," in which she will share honours with Clive Brook. "New York Love,"' Miss Bankhead's introductory screen vehicle, is an original story by Donald Ogden Stewart,' author of last season's stage success, "Rebound." George Cukor has been assigned to direct Miss Bankhead and Brook. With Nancy Carroll. Fredric-. March, who was with Nancy Carroll in "Laughter," is also to be her leading man in Paramount's "Between Two Worlds," shortly to go into production. The new film is from an original ■ story by Edmund Goulding, who will also direct. Heading the powerful supporting j qast will be Charlie Ruggles, who has '< played comedy-leads in a number of sue- ! cessful Paramount productions. '

Golfing. Leo Diegel, one of the most noted of professional.golfers, has signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make a short.subject called "Fore," which Dudley Murphy <will direct. - Anita Page and Cliff Edwards already have been chosen for the cast. 'Tore" is the first of a special sports series.

"Manhattan Musketeers." "Manhattan Musketeers," describing the rise and fall of an idolised jazz band leader, has been purchased by Paramount as a comedy picture for Charles Rogers, Skeets Gallagher, and Stuart Erwin. The story is from an original by Sam Spewack, and will go into production this month

Zasu Pitts. Zasu Pitts has been added to the east of "Gambling Daughters/ the Booth Tarkington story which Hobart Henley is directing at Universal City. This cast already includes Conrad Nagel, Sidney Pox, Bette Davis, Emma Dunn, Humphrey Bogart, Bert Roach, • Charles Winninger, Slim Summerville, and David Durand.

D'Arrast. H. D'abbadie D'Arrast, who directed Nancy: Carroll's "Laughter," has been signed by Paramount to handle Claudette Colbert's next production, "Week End," in which she will be supported by Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, and Charlie .Ruggles.

The only reason for this talk is that I have seen moving pictures in a place where only forty-one other men have seen them. When I waa a youngster I remember going to a creaking, impossible, but to me fascinating, movie called "A Trip to the Moon." That landscape was no more fantastic than what surrounded us at Little America, and I often used to look up at the moon during the nightmonths and wonder if it were really more dead than where we were living (writes Russell Owen in an article on film shows with the Byrd expedition). In the midst of this strangely isolated existence moving pictures were one. of our great opportunities of escape from monotony, and it was due to the National Board of Review of Motion 'Pictures that we were able occasionally to put on a show that I believe was unique at least in its environment. We had Some .excellent pictures, and I suppose the 'most popular were "Chang," "Grass," and.Charlie Chaplin's old comedies. We had half of one of Douglas Fairbanks's pictures—the other half I suppose got lost in the snow. You will notice that such pictures as I have named could hardly be called sex pictures. I understand since I returned thr t there was an effort to prevent us from looking upon any gorgeous young women in the belief that it would - have made us lonesome. I can assure you that it was hardly necessary, they would have seemed far too unreal for us to have been affected. When we got back to Dunedin in New Zealand after being away fifteen months, some body on the ship said: "What are all those things standing there in funny clothes? Oh, yes, I've heard about them; them's girls." Etnil Jannings. Einil Jannings, acclaimed by the world as one of the finest actors on the screen, has again been signed to a contract by Paramount, for whom he worked in silent pictures. He will shortly start work on a talking picture entitled "The Man I Killed," from a play by Maurice Rostand. Ernst Lubitsch, under _ whom Jennings made his finest productions, will direct.

Fight. Tod Browning is well along with Lew's next picture, "The Iron Man," at Universal City. Special scenes of a recent prize fight were taken, at Madison Square Garden for use in the picture, and Morrie Cohan has just been added to the cast in the role of O'Keefe. Lew Ayres lias been undergoing a three months' instruction in boxing, to play -the stellar role in this . picture, in which he will be supported by Jean Harlow, Robert Armstrong, John Milyan, Mike Donlin, and Eddie Dillon, and the boxer Mushy Callahan, ; Jackie Fields, and Al Singer. Marilyn Miller. Marilyn Miller, who scored a success in her first talking picture, "Sally," will shortly be seen in her second First National and Vitaphone production, "Sunny," which is different from her former success. Miss Miller has two leading men in this picture, Lawrence Gray and Joe Donahue. In this comedy-romance Marilyn Miller enacts the same role she played on the stage; the story opens in a circus, but most of the plot is laid on board an ocean liner and in New York society. Again with Powell. Carole Lombard, who plays one of the leading feminine roles in William Powell's iTLadies' Man," appears opposite that star again in his current Paramount picture, "Gentleman of the Streets." Richard Wallace is directing the new film from a novel by Michael Arlen, and with Wynoe Gibson, Lawrence Gray, Guy Kibbee, and Maude Truax in principal supporting parts. Dorothy Jordan. Dorothy Jordan, who was just a member of the chorus in the "Fox. Movietone Follies of 1029," will be brought back to the Fox Film studios within a few weeks to play the leading role in "Young Sinners," which will be directed by Hamilton MacFadden. It is this picture which also is bringing Thomas Meighan to Hollywood from New York to portray the part of the trainer. William Holden will play the father of the lead. Maurine Watkins is writing the screen play from Elmer Harris's stage production. Miss Jordan is being borrowed, frota MetcftiGpldwjmJMajreßg .... , „„_

American motion picture producers are now seeking a new path out of the financial difficulties produced for them partly by the advent of the talkies and partly by the world-wide industrial depression. They are now planning pictures which, while accompanied by dialogue, will have very little of it, the story being told by pantomime as in the old days of the "silents." They hope that these films will be accepted abroad witnout the necessity of having the dialogue uttered in the language of the country where they are being exhibited, says the "Manchester Guardian." The coming of the talkies has cut sadly into the profits of Hollywood. In the old days about one-half of the return on the average film was earned outside the United States, the expense of translating the titles into all., the, languages necessary being a negligible sum. With the addition of spoken dialogue_ to the films, however, a new parochialism has appeared. The Spanish-speaking resident of Buenos Aires is not willing to listen to English. Neither is he content to have the voices of Spanish actors fitted, in a haphazard, disjointed way, to the film after it has been made. For this reason it has been necessary to assemble complete casts of actors speaking Spanish, French, German, and any other widely used tongue, and have the picture made over in every case. For the average Hollywood product, costing about £50,000, the expense of each-of these supplementary versions is not less than £15,000;, and since the total revenue is no larger than before there has been a painful curtailment of profit. This is one of two or three reasons why Hollywood has been on starvation rations for the last year. Salaries have been drastically reduced, production schedules revised downward, and directors who have been famous for the prodigality of their waste have been forced to economise.

Gangland. > In answer to those who claim that no attention is paid to the realistic presentation of stories by motion picture companies, First National and Vitaphone present "Little Caesar," a story of underworld life adapted from the novel by W. R. Burnett. Burnett made an intensive study of life in gangland during the time he was working on the story. Edward G.. Robinson plays the leading role, the part of Rico, "Little Caesar," and is ably supported by Doug. Fairbanks, junr., Glenda Farrell, and Sidney Blackmer. Joan Bennett. Joan Bennett, whose latest Fox Movietone appearance' was in "Scotland Yard" with Edmund Lowe, has begun work as Warner Baxter's wife in "Doctors' Wives," adapted from Sylvia* and Henry Leiferant's story. Frank Borzage is directing this picture, for which Maurice Watkins wrote the screen play. Cecilia Loftus, Victor Varconi, John ! St. Polis, Ruth Warren, and Marion Lessing are also in the cast. "Men of the North." Fifty dogs accompanied the cast of "Men of the North," new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talkie, to the Sierra Mountains, where most of the outdoor scenes of the picture were filmed. The dogs served two purposes, being used not only in the picture asf sled-teams, but also to transport members of the cast from location headquarters to picturesque outskirts. Gilbert Roland, Barbara Leonard, and Arnold Korff head the cast of the new production. "Morocco." The artistry of Marlene Dietrich, the new Continental star, received the praise of public "and Press at the gala Australian premiere of Paramount's "Morocco," in which the actress made her screen debut, at the Prince Edward Theatre, Sydney. "A woman of numberless moods and expressions, exotic loveliness and dramatic genius," is the_ description of this star. "Marlene Dietrich is, first of all, a lovely woman, then she has considerable acting ability, and lastly she possesses sex appeal to an extraordinary degree,"- says the sgssdneK Sun,£ ' ..

Stone. Lewis Stone will.play the role of the father in First National and Vitaphone's forthcoming production "Father's Son," which is based upon a play by Booth Tarkington. Leon Janney, the recently discovered boy actor who plays an important role in "Courage," will be the son. ■'

"Finn and Hattie." "Finn and Hattie," Paramount's new .comedy, in which Leon Errol, Mitsi Green, and Zasu Ktts play the leads, was a moving picture in more ways than one. The company was on the move daring the entire production period.

Changed. Universal has announced a change in the title of "Apron Strings," the Broadway play,. which is being made: into a talkie at Universal City. Its new title is "Virtuous Husband;" ' The cast includes J, C. and Elliott Nugent, Betty Compson, Jean Arthur, and Allison Skipworth.

To Direct "Skippy." ' ■ ( • Norman Taui'og and David Burton have been assigned to the co-direction of "Skippy," Paramount's next juvenile talkie to follow "Tom Sawyer." Taurog previously directed Ed. Wynn. in "Follow the Leader," and Burton co-directed 'lighting Caravans."

Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pucla*> kin still have their doubts as to the art* tio and propaganda value of audible films* but recent reports from Moscow indicate that Boris Z. Shumyatsky, the new president of "Soyuzkino," the Soviet Film Trust created last spring, is- going ahead full speed with plans for the.production of at least fifty full-length sound pictures thw year, and the equipment of from 1000 to -1500 houses with reproducing machinery, says the "New York Times. And if the cultural side of the famous five-year plaa for the reconstruction of Russia is put through on schedule there will be about 22,000 sound-equipped kinos in tha villages by the end of 1933, out of a total of 59,000 cinema-houses designed to bring education and entertainment to the some 135,000,000 Russians outside the large cities^ The urban citizens of the Soviet Union ;are to haye 10,000 public kinos, most of them wired for sound,' at i their disposal in 1933, against about 4000 silent houses at present. . .-■/.• In the construction of; the'new "Soviet Hollywood" iin the village of. Potylikha, near Moscow, great,attention is;<beirigpaid to the sound side of production, according to accounts in German and Russian papers, the latest recording s apparatuses are being installed., Fifteen separata companies will ,be able to work at the same time ajf Potylikha, and when occasion demands "the 'whole place can be turned into/one giant studio capable of accommodating the most extensive spectacles. Sixty feature films, a year may; be turned out, with the studios'running on only one ■ seven-hour.? shift a,- day,- and. the laboratories will manufacture 1,400,----.000 metres of. stock .annually with ease. This picture "factory," as it is called Ji the Soviet Press, will require the services of 1400 permanent employees, in addittoijj to the shifting personnel of the com* pames. Convalescent Janet .Gaynor, who has been convales&i ing in Honolulu following an operation; there for appendicitis, will be back ia Hollywood soon. Miss Gaynor's misfortune enabled Charless Farrell to make a long-planned cruise down the Mexican coast.. "Merely Mary Ann," in. which; he and Miss Gaynor will be featured; is scheduled to commence production shortly,. The South. The Blue Grass State, famous for /its derby, its juleps, its colonels, and its pretty girls, provides the background:for "Man to Man," the Warner Bros, and Vitaphone screen version of the Ben, Ames Williams story. In 'this, ■comedydrama of a father and son appear Grant Mitchell,'Phillips Holmes, Lucille Powers, Otis Harlan, and others. "Secret Six." With one of the biggest casts aeseinKtecl this year under' his direction, George fifll commenced work on "Secret Six," based on an original story by Frances Marion* Wallace Beery, Marjorie Rambeau, JohnMack • Brown, Jean Hallow, Clark Gable, Paul Hurst Fletcher Norton, and De Witt Jennings have principal parts in the new; photoplay, a moving story of "politics and, the Chicago underworld. "Office Wife." i The story of "The Office Wife," thei Warner Bros.,and Vitaphone pletnri which will be shown here shortly, is on* that should interest .every wife and every husband. Dorothy Mackaill and Lewis Stone, have the leading roles in this lova story of a business executive, his secretary and'his wife. Others in the cast in* elude Natalie Joan BlondeS* and Hobart Bosworth. <. "Courage." ' The extent to which a mother will figM to protect her children is depicted in-thai Warner Bros, and Vitaphone Production! "Courage," in which Belle Bennett ,and Marion Nixon are featured. Miss Bennett, who has portrayed a number of mothes roles on both stage and screen, is , the mother in "Courage," and those who remember her .portrayal in Stella Dallas will understand why Miss Bennett \ra» selected by. Warner Bros, to play, thai part of the whimsical, impulsive soothes? of seven children, in "Courage."