INSIDE HOLLYWOOD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 76, 26 February 1938, Page 2

INSIDE HOLLYWOOD

LUNCH CLUB ADDRESS. Glimpses of methods and life in Hollywood were given those attending the weekly gathering of the Palmerston North Lunch Club yesterday by Mr E. A. Cousins, who gave some of his impressions of his recent visit to the film colony in the course of a trip to America. One of the.most modern of American cities, Hollywood had in it practically all the American film world, said Mr Cousins. This world was controlled by Jews, who stopped at nothing in the way of expense to achieve what they wanted. The majority of the film stars had little commercial ability and were, looked after by managers. The speaker had been indebted to Mr Maurice Luxford (formerly 'of Palmerston North) in having the opportunity of seeing inside of two very large studios. Mr Cousins discribed scenes in films in which the “streets” consisted of only the fronts of the houses and buildings. In a river scene an immense pit had been dug and rails laid on the bottom, the “showboat” being mounted on them. The boat actually was pulled ahmg by a -windlass. Storms at sea were produced in a lake into which two big “rolling pins” rolled at intervals The spray was literally blown into being, and pipes overhead supplied the rain. “A city in flames” was produced by means-of flames coming from burning gases, laid on with pipes. PictifYes were taken in - small sections, Mr Cousins explained, and he instanced how this was done. In shooting the pictures there were vnore men employed than he had imagined and on a set there might be the noise of carpentry, but at the sound of a whistle there ivas dead silence. The shot was taken and the whistle then sounded, the noise thereupon resuming. Outside shots were taken on the sets, and interior scenes on stages like our own. Undersea scenes were taken in a huge tank, through glass, the sharks or octopi swimming up to the “window.” Many sets of old pictures were used and left standing, but it was explained that there might be a time when similar scenes would be used and then the fronts were altered and used again, Mr Cousins said. A well-known lion was made to smile (just as it did on the films) for Mr Cousins and those accompanying him when they went to the lion farm. There was also a crocodile farm, and near these were filmed the scenes in tropical pictures. Several of the film stars had been met and had been found to be just like the actors and actresses on the stage who came to New Zealand. Inside the 6tudio of one company there were 3000 workers and, in one street, flats containing the day quarters of the stars and secretarial staffs. The “supers came from all about Los Angeles. 'they were graded into' classifications and those who took front positions were paid a little more than the others in the back rows. The wage was seven dollars for an eight-hour day. In conclusion, the speaker said he would not like to be a film star. Much of the publicity about them was definitely publicity following certain lines in an endeavour to reach the greatest possible number of the people through the Press of the world. In one particular case the film star was quite probably nothing like what pub’icity and her type of pictures made the public believe her to be. The thanks of t lie gathering were expressed to Mr Cousins by the chairman (Mr 'J. P. McDavitt). Messrs G. H. Ram (Palmerston North) J. L- Gerrard (Wellington), A. E. Stevens (Hawer.a), R. E. Stephenson and J. AV. Jones (Palmerston North) were welcomed as visitors.