‘'SWEETHEARTS”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 December 1938, Page 6

‘'SWEETHEARTS”

JEANETTE MACDONALD FILM HOW AMERICAN NAVY HELPED Here is a slightly fantastic but true Hollywood story that turns a battery of searchlights on the way in which the United States Government co-ope-rates in the making of motion pictures. In Britain, until a year or so ago, Whitehall invariably turned a dignfied back on the British film industry and | refused to allow the Army, Navy or Air Force to help in the making of any picture, even becoming ruffled sometimes if, in the interests of accuracy, a producer sought verification of details concerning the Services. The situation is much easier now. Crowd workers representing the band of the United States Marines America’s crack regiment, were scheduled to figure in Director W. S. Van Djdse’s Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy musical "Sweethearts.” The crowd when it appeared on the set was 0.K., but in Van Dyke’s opinion the uniforms produced by the wardrobe department represented a new low in inaccuracy and tawdriness. Van Dyke was especially worried, since "Sweethearts” is being shot in colour. Deciding on ambitious methods to solve his problems, he cabled Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Washington representative to see if the United States | Navy Department could help him out. i Within 12 hours the Washington agent cabled back that she had persuaded the Secretary to the Navy to strip the real United States Marine Band of their 72 dress uniforms and have them despatched to Hollywood by air. Which was grand from Van Dyne’s point of view, but not entirely unfunny from the point of view of the band, since the uniforms are their personal property and they are made to pay more than £lO for each outfit.