CRYSTAL AND SILVER.

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 18

CRYSTAL AND SILVER.

Roy Del: Ruth,,,who, directed', the .new musical extravaganza, "Born1 to Dance," was: amazed at what art directors'and set /constructors', accomplished with, sets for a musical.picture. "There are seven-sets, one for each of'the songs written for 'Born- to -Dance-by Cole Porter," he : explained • "The- smallest of :the sets covers an ' entire > sound stage .while the-largest is more -than-twenty-five feet higher,..and fifteen feet; wider than the "Pretty Girl is Like a; Melody' number which; was seen in 'The Great Ziegfeld.': This set,., featuring, the 'Swinging the. Jinx Away' num.-; ber,. is-made.of crystal, ■ glass) and sil--ver,, which ' has ' a huge back drop covered' with 10,000 stars, more ■ than 1000'over,-the number ' that-can ,be: viewed at- the-Mount Wilson Observa-; tory. The set itself, designedly Mer-: rill' Pye ;in association with -Cedric Gibbons, chief • art ..director, represents' a,battleship built as a modernisticfancy. Weighing more.than 120 tons,! it took more than two months to com-' plete construction. The other sets in-j elude a replica of a'"submarine, "two! exterior submarines, a tender; a modernj penthouse, a huge Broadway theatre, a night club,,and six.other novelty "ex-1 terior sets," concluded the director,: who- 'vyas responsible,, for. ."^Broadway' Melody, of .1936" and other musical successes. ' i