Story of Cameramen Written By a Newsreel Cameraman

Northern Advocate, 18 March 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

Story of Cameramen Written By a Newsreel Cameraman

Out of actual historical happenings recorded by the newsreels a 'thrilling motion picture story has been captured as the latest co-starring feature for Clark Gable and Myrna Loy. The picture, “Too Hot to Handle,” is about newsreelmen, and was written by newsreelmen on their dangerous assignments.

While awaiting Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia, Laurence Stallings, newsreel editor, and Leonard Hammond, ace newsreel cameraman, first conceived the idea of writing a film story about the men of their profession. The original story is the work of Hammond, with the screen play written by Stallings and John Lee Mahin.

As a background for the adventures of Gable and Walter Pidgeon as rival newsreelmen, Myrna Loy as an intrepid aviatrix, and Leo Carrillo as Gable’s sound man, the writers thinly disguised several outstanding experiences of their own and of their fellow workers, an d “Too Hot to Handle” became the result. Not forgetting the Big Apple, when the dance be came the craze about a year ago, the authors included >a Chinese version of The Big Apple for Gable’s first entrance upon the screen.

Since the sacking of Shanghai held the front pages for many months, a similar incident introduces one of the major dramatic sequences in the picture. It depicts Gable and competitive newsreelmen in the thick of the destruction of the ancient city to film exciting newsreels. ' Amelia Earhart’s final flight, when she disappeared on an attempted round-the-world flight, suggested the character Miss Loy plays—a round-the-world aviatrix.

Another historical newsreel event also provides a nother spectacular sequence, suggested by the burning at sea of a mysterious munitions ship. For “Too Hot to H andle,” the 315 foot liner, S.S. Playa, was purchased and was “burned” at sea by “controlled fire” with six hundred people aboard. ! An additional exciting episode was suggested by the mysterious disappearance of Paul Redfern, the American aviator, in South America. In “Too Hot to Handle,” Miss Loy’s brother is a missing flyer, believed to be held captive as a white god by voodoo natives in the South American jungles. For this sequence an expedition led by Richard Rosson and Clyde De Vinna was sent to South America for background scenes.