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IT’S  ALL  WHISKEY— 

The  Y oungest  Is  Eight  Months  Old 


ED  F.  HAYES,  INC. 

RECTIFIER  DISTILLER 

BLENDER  OF  FINE  LIQUORS 

1109  WALL  STREET 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIF. 


PRospect  1011-1012 


Starred  at  world  premieres 
the  new  7"11 


LINCOLN 


MADDUX 

INCORPORATED 


WHEN  the  wealth  and  beauty 
of  Beverly  Hills  and  Holly¬ 
wood  attend  a  glittering  world 
premiere  of  a  famous  picture — 
there  you  see  the  stars  in  all  their 
glory.  There,  too,  you'll  see  the 
smart  Lincoln  V-12's  in  the  kleig- 
lights.  Lincoln  after  Lincoln  rolls 
regally  to  the  theatre  entrance 
carrying  their  famous  owners. 

At  premieres — at  brilliant  gather¬ 
ings  of  smart  people  everywhere 
— Lincoln  is  the  "star  of  stars." 


SALES  •  SERVICE 

HOLLYWOOD  •  BEVERLY  HILLS  •  LOS  ANGELES  •  SANTA  MONICA 

1353  North  Vine  GLadstone  5171 


2 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  193? 


Editoria 


The  astounding  support  given 
The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 
by  our  many  friends  in  the  studios 
has  been  as  amazing  as  it  has  been 
gratifying.  Through  their  co-ope¬ 
ration  the  subscription  list  of  The 
Insider  has  been  built  up  by  several 
hundred  additional  names  this 
month,  although  we  have  not  one 
paid  circulation  worker  in  the  field. 

Such  support  must  be  merited, 
and  we  know  that  in  view  of  this 
fact,  that  The  Insider  will  continue 
to  furnish  its  readers  the  same  type 
of  material  in  the  future  that  has 
been  its  custom  to  publish  in  the 
first  three  issues  of  its  life. 

Our  appreciation  is  also  extended 
to  those  who  have  co-operated  in 
making  The  Insider  a  success 
through  their  support  of  those 
business  firms  which  have  seen  far 
enough  into  the  future  to  place  their 
advertisements  in  this  publication. 
It  is  truly  gratifying  to  hear  the 
outspoken  praise  of  these  mer¬ 
chants  and  business  men  who  re¬ 
ceived  exceptional  response  to  their 
published  offerings,  and  to  realize 
that  our  readers  have,  through  such 
support,  made  it  possible  for  them 
to  continue  their  advertising,  the 
main  source  of  revenue  for  this 
type  of  magazine. 

An  augmented  staff  of  writers 
also  makes  possible  a  wider  source 
of  news,  thus  giving  our  readers  the 
cream  of  all  stories  pertaining  to 
the  motion  picture  crafts. 

LEIO  J.  RIVARD. 


LEIO  J.  RIVARD 
Publisher  and  General  Manager 


B.  E.  WATSON 
Co-Publisher 


Vol.  I 


JUNE,  1935 


No.  3 


LLOYD  SEESE . Editor 

Pauline  Gale,  Lee  Cannon . . 

Dale  Mills,  Ben  Burnette,  Tom  Carroll,  Harry  McPherson . 

Howard  Walden  . Art  Editor 

FRANK  R.  JACKSON . Promotion  and  Business 


Feature 
. Feature 

Manager 


Editors 

Writers 


CONTENTS 

HOVELS  TO  PALACES . Page  5 

By  Tom  Carroll 

ASSOCIATION  CO-OPERATES . Page  8 

An  Interview  with  Lupton  A.  Wilkinson  by  Pauline  Gale 

STUDIO  PAINTERS  GAY  DECEIVERS . Page  13 

By  Frank  Perrett 

REASONS  FOR  MAKEUP . Page  16 

Max  Factor  Explains 

GATE  CRASHERS  SQUELCHED . Page  17 

By  Lee  Cannon 

STORY  SALE  PROBLEMS . Page  18 

Adeline  Alvord  Interviewed 

FOX  STUDIO  POLICE . Page  19 

By  Leio  J.  Rivard 

KLEIN  HEADS  TRANSPORTATION  DEPARTMENT . Page  22 

By  Harry  McPherson 

PLASTER  SHOP . Page  25 

Hall  of  Fame  in  Plaster  Planned 

FILM  PROPERTIES . Page  26 

By  Fanya  Graham 

NO  DULL  CAREER . Page  28 

Ben  Burnette,  Dale  Mills 

ONLY  DANCERS  SHOULD  DANCE . Page  29 

By  F.  Warren  Horowitz 

REMEMBER  WHEN . Page  30 

A  Galaxy  of  Old  Timers  in  Print 

A  BRIDAL  TROUSSEAU . Page  32 

By  Vera  West 

ASTROLOGICAL  GUIDE . Page  34 

Daily  Forecast  for  June 

NEW  COLOR  PROCESS . Page  35 

Substractive  System  Used 

CAMERA  ANGLES . Page  38 

By  Lee  Cannon 

NEW  PICTURES . Page  42 

By  Pauline  Gale 

S.  M.  P.  E.  CONVENTION . Page  59 


Copyright  1935  by  Leio  J.  Rivard 


Office  of  Publication,  1242  Santee  Street,  Los  Angeles,  California 
Subscription  Rates — United  States  and  Canada — $2.50  per  Year 

Pacific  Coast  Representative:  California  Merchandising  Advertising  Agency 

Arthur  Braunstein,  Manager,  109  East  21st  Street,  Los  Angeles,  California 


June,  J  935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


H.  B.  C.  BRANDS 
Best  Procurable 
Scotch  Whisky 
Blend 

Demcrara  Rum 
Jamaica  Rum 
Canadian  Straight 
Whisky 

Canadian  Bourbon 
and  Rye 
American  Type 
London  Dry  Gin 
Three  Star  Cognac 
50  Year  Liquer  Brandy 
Imperial  Sherry 
Governor  Sherry 
Imperial  Port 
Governor  Port 


•  •  e 


trading  into  North  America., 
the  Quality  and  Tradition  of 
The  Hudson’ s  Bay  Company 
has  survived  the  centuries! 

Jealously  guarded  throughout  has  been  the 
tradition  of  honorable  dealing  and  quality 
of  merchandise. 

Hudson's  Bay  Company  is  recognized  the  world 
over... the  name  guarantees  the  perfecticn 
of  its  beverages. 


GILKEY,  Ltd.,  Importers 

1025  NORTH  HIGHLAND  AVENUE  LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  CALL  HEmpstead  9512 


The  Mechanical  Needs  of  the  Industry 

Manufacturing  Motion  Picture  Equipment 


Developing  Machines 


Laboratory  Equipment 


"Props” 

Miniatures 
Camera  Booms 
Optical  Printers 
Synchronizing  Devices 
Special  Projection  Equipment 
Under  Water  Camera  Equipment 
General  Machine  and  Engineering  Work 


H.  W.  HOUSTON  UO. 


1041  NO.  SYCAMORE  AYE.,  HOLLYWOOD,  CALIF. 


HEmpstead  6732 


4 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


METRO-GOLDWYN  MAYER 


"PUBLIC  HERO  NO.  1  ” — J. 
Waiter  Rubin,  director;  Chester 
M  o  r  r  i  s,  star.  CREW — Bob 
Barnes,  assistant  director;  Wil¬ 
liam  Broc\way,  mixer;  Gregg 
Poland,  director  of  photography; 
Bert  Shipham,  operative  camera¬ 
man;  Ed  Garvin,  assistant;  Rob¬ 
ert  Worl,  set  lighting  foreman; 
W.  B.  Riley,  assistant;  Lloyd  Is¬ 
bell,  grip;  Charles  Ryan,  props. 


“MASQUERADE”— Robert  Z. 
Leonard,  director;  William  Pow¬ 
ell,  star.  CREW — Harry  Shar - 
roc\,  assistant  director;  James 
Broc\.  mixer;  Ernest  Haller,  di¬ 
rector  of  photography;  Al  Rob¬ 
erts,  operative  cameraman;  Har¬ 
old  Baldwin,  assistant  camera¬ 
man;  Fenton  Hamilton,  set  light¬ 
ing  foreman;  Tommy  Long,  grip; 
Freddie  Lane,  props;  Hugh 
Hunt,  set  dresser. 

— Stills  by  Ted  Allan. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


5 


HOVELS  TO  PALACES 

Huge  Volume  of  Work  Orders  Handled 
by  M-G-M  Construction  Department 

By  TOM  CARROLL 


"It  Can’t  Be  Done.  But  Here  It  Is.’’ 

THIS  paradoxical  statement  occupies  a 
prominent  place  on  the  wall  of  a 
certain  office  in  the  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  Studios  at  Culver  City.  The 
busy  office  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Construction  is  the  focal  point  of  many 
of  the  minor  miracles  of  motion  picture 
production.  The  word  impossible  is  evi- 
dently  unknown  to  the  inhabitants  of 
this  establishment. 

Work  orders  pass  through  here  at  a 
rate  that  is  positively  amazing.  The  vol¬ 
ume  and  monetary  value  of  the  material 
and  labor  involved  would  do  credit  to 
many  of  the  largest  commercial  enter¬ 
prises.  It  is  a  costly  business,  this  mak¬ 
ing  of  motion  picture  sets.  None  of  the 
pasteboard  and  tinsel  of  the  old  legiti¬ 
mate  stage.  The  buildings  and  streets 
that  are  used  in  pictures  are  far  too  sub¬ 
stantial  to  be  constructed  for  the  prover¬ 
bial  song. 

To  this  office  come  all  the  dreams  and 
brain  children  of  the  Art  Directors. 
Highly  skilled  designers  make  sketches 
and  drawings  of  the  sets  they  desire  to 
be  built.  Operators  in  the  construction 
office  make  blue-prints  of  the  drawings. 
These  blue-prints  are  distributed  to  the 
necessary .  shops  in  the  industrial  group. 
The  shop  foremen  and  lay-out  men  use 
these  prints  for  laying  out  their  work. 
The  initial  step  is  a  complete  working 
model,  made  in  the  prop  shops,  for  the 
art  directors  and,  presto;  In  a  few  hours, 
there  is  the  set. 

But  not  all  sets  are  built  in  so  short  a 
time.  Many  of  the  purely  technical  type 
of  sets,  require  days  and  weeks  of  pa¬ 
tient  toil.  The  ships  and  trains  and  air¬ 
planes  you  see  on  the  screen  are  correct 
in  every  detail. 

For  example,  in  the  great  naval  epic, 
“Murder  In  the  Fleet”,  you  will  see  bat¬ 
tleships,  destroyers,  cruisers  and  airplane 
carriers  which  are  made  so  life-like  that 
even  a  navy  man  would  swear  they  were 
the  real  thing.  But  everyone  knows  that 
Uncle  Sam  is  very  jealous  in  guarding  his 
naval  property.  No  one  is  allowed  to 
photograph  the  men-of-war  and  fighting 
equipment  at  such  close  range  as  a  mo¬ 
tion  picture  close-up.  Nevertheless,  there 
they  are  in  plain  sight  of  all  who  care 


Fred  “ Gabe ”  Gabourie 


to  see  the  picture.  The  main  deck,  the 
gun  deck,  the  chart  room,  the  ward 
rooms,  the  mess  rooms,  the  engine  room 
and  all  the  other  myriad  parts  of  a  mod¬ 
ern  fighting  vessel. 

Out  on  Lot  No.  2  of  the  M-G-M 
studios,  one  can  see  a  replica  of  the  Air¬ 
plane  Carrier  “Saratoga”.  This  was 
built  for  the  picture,  “Eagles  of  the 
Fleet”.  There  is  the  long  flat  landing 
deck  of  almost  1000  feet  length,  with  the 
curiously  constructed  turrets  all  built 
along  one  side  of  the  deck.  The  steel 
compartment  doors  and  companion  ways, 
the  portlights,  the  pipes  and  stanchions 
are  all  correct  in  size  and  placing.  Even 
the  color  is  authentic.  The  familiar  bat¬ 
tleship  grey  is  convincing  in  its  sim¬ 
plicity. 

Most  theatre-goers  will  remember  that 
thrilling  mystery  feature,  “Murder  In 
the  Rear  Car”.  The  action  takes  place 
in  a  fast  speeding  passenger  train. 
Stored  away  on  the  M-G-M  lot  is  the 
original  train  used  in  the  picture.  Day 
coaches,  sleeping  cars,  drawing  rooms, 
club  car,  dining  car,  lounge  and  observa¬ 
tion  car.  Complete  down  to  the  last 
bolt  and  built  to  the  original  railroad 
specifications.  Take  a  seat  anywhere  in 


it:  and  you  feel  ready  for  a  train  journey. 

The  fans  of  the  late  Marie  Dressier, 
and  they  are  legion,  are  always  highly 
gratified  to  see  the  familiar  old  “Moon- 
flower”  of  “Tugboat  Annie”  fame,  mov¬ 
ing  gently  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of 
Secoma.  This  masterpiece  of  the  movie 
mechanic’s  art  is  thoroughly  genuine. 
The  winches,  donkey  engines  and  other 
pieces  of  deck  machinery  all  capable  of 
practical  use. 

At  anchor  in  the  same  life-like  river, 
one  can  see  the  largest  ship  ever  built  on 
the  M-G-M  lot.  It  is  a  replica  of  a  coast 
steamer  used  in  the  great  adventure 
opus,  “China  Seas”.  The  “Kin  Lung” 
as  she  is  called,  is  perfect  in  detail  from 
the  hold  to  the  crow’s  nest.  Glancing 
down  the  length  of  its  main  deck,  which 
is  over  800  feet  long,  one  is  amazed  at 
its  correctness.  The  cabins,  the  salons, 
the  offices  and  lounges  are  genuinely  in¬ 
viting.  Climb  the  grand  stairway  to  the 
promenade  deck.  Keep  ascending  to  the 
Pilot  Cabin  and  Chart  Room  and  you 
are  all  set  to  sail  the  China  Seas.  It 
sure  does  things  to  your  imagination. 

There  is  one  beautiful  set  to  which 
the  construction  department  always 
points  with  justifiable  pride.  It  is  the 
Grand  Ballroom  built  for  “The  Merry 
Widow”.  The  gargantuan  chamber 
where  Jeanette  McDonald  waltzed  to 
cinema  fame  with  her  lover  prince. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  has  been  called 
the  city  of  magnificent  distances.  Even 
though  comparisons  are  odious,  one 
might  be  pardoned  for  applying  this  de¬ 
scription  to  the  apparently  interminable 
length  of  this  huge  assembly  room.  The 
marble  walls  of  this  palace  are  actual, 
not  merely  literal.  The  glittering  domed 
ceiling  stretches  forty  feet  above  the  pol¬ 
ished  dance  floor.  Massive  marble  col¬ 
umns  support  great  golden  arches.  Tow¬ 
ering  pilasters  of  purest  alabaster  frame 
panels  of  gold  cloth.  Gigantic  candela¬ 
bra  containing  hundreds  of  lights  illumi¬ 
nate  the  beautiful  auditorium.  At  one 
end,  a  grand  stairway,  twenty  feet  in 
width,  winds  gracefully  upward  to  the 
region  of  the  dressing  rooms  and  lounges. 
Through  a  reception  hall  of  stately  col- 
(Continued  on  Page  37) 


6 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June ,  J935 


PARAMOUNT  PRODUCTIONS 


"THE  CRUSADES"  —  Cecil 
B.  DeMille,  director;  Loretta 
Young,  star.  CREW — George 
Hippard,  assistant  director;  Dave 
McDonald,  second  assistant;  Roy 
Burns,  business  manager;  Ro¬ 
land  Anderson,  art  director; 
Ann  Bauchans,  cutter;  Victor 
Milner,  director  of  photography; 
William  Mellor,  operative  cam¬ 
eraman;  Russ  Harlan,  Lloyd 
Ahern,  assistants;  Emily  Barrye, 
script;  ]acl{  Cooper,  publicity; 
Harry  Lindon,  mixer;  R.  J.  Cos- 
sar,  stage  engineer;  J.  W.  Ait' 
\en,  recorder;  George  Scully,  set 
dresser;  Bob  McCrillas,  props; 
Kenny  De  Land,  grip;  Ted  Pow¬ 
ell,  mi\e  grip;  Fred  Geiger,  set 
lighting  foreman;  Loren  FJetten, 
assistant;  7\[elly  Manley,  hairdres¬ 
ser;  Monty  Westmore,  makeup; 
Edna  Shotwell,  women's  ward¬ 
robe;  Joe  Kaplan,  men’s  ward¬ 
robe;  Russ  Brown,  prop  shop¬ 
man;  Holly  Morse,  casting;  Ber¬ 
nice  Hoo\,  assistant  script  cler\. 

— William  Wallace,  still  man. 


"THE  BIG  BROADCAST  OF 
1935” — TJorman  Taurog,  direc¬ 
tor;  Bing  Crosby,  star;  Benjamin 
Glazer,  producer.  CREW — Ro¬ 
land  Asher,  business  manager; 
Arthur  Jacobson,  assistant  direc¬ 
tor;  Eddie  Montague,  second  as¬ 
sistant;  Bob  Usher,  art  director; 
E.  Hoagland,  cutter;  Alma  Ma- 
crorie,  assistant;  Claire  Behn\e. 
script;  Leo  Tover.  director  of 
photography;  Harry  Hallenberg- 
er;  operative  cameraman;  Art 
Lane,  assistant;  Ralph  Huston, 
publicity;  Gene  Merritt,  mixer; 
Fran\  Pheney,  recorder;  Lou 
Pit t,  stage  engineer;  Bert  Grain¬ 
ger,  set  dresser;  Stanley  Wil¬ 
liams,  set  lighting  foreman; 
James  Tait,  assistant;  Stanley 
Goldsmith,  props;  Andy  Dur\is, 
grip;  John  Smirch,  mi\e  grip; 
Carmen  Dirigo,  hairdresser; 
"Beans"  Bonedel,  ma\eup. 

— William  Walling,  Jr., 
company  still  man. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


7 


UNIVERSAL  PICTURES 


’CHIFJATOWFJ  SQUAD’'  — 
Murray  Roth,  director;  Stanley 
Bergerman,  producer;  Lyle  Tal¬ 
bot,  Andy  Devine,  actors;  Har¬ 
rison  Wiley ,  art  director;  Archie 
Hall,  technical  director;  George 
Robinson,  director  of  photo¬ 
graphy ;  Harold  Smith,  operative 
cameraman;  Arthur  Gerstle,  as¬ 
sistant;  Chuck  Carroll,  mixer; 
Tommy  Ashton,  recorder;  Frank 
Gorbac\,  boom  man;  Roy  Fuller¬ 
ton,  set  lighting  foreman;  E. 
Brown,  Fred  Stoll,  Bob  Evans, 
grips;  Ernest  M.  Smith,  props. 

— Still  by  Harry  Oshurn. 


“ DIAMOND  JIM”  —  Eddie 
Sutherland,  director;  Edward 
Arnold,  star.  CREW — George 
Robinson,  director  of  photo¬ 
graphy;  Harold  Smith,  Al  Jones, 
operative  cameramen;  Arthur 
Gerstle,  Ross  Hoffman,  assistant 
cameramen;  Joseph  Lapis,  mixer ; 
Jack  Bixey,  recorder;  ]ac\  Bel- 
ger,  floor  man;  Danny  Hall,  art 
director;  Archie  Hall,  technical 
director;  Ted  Offenbec\er,  set 
dresser;  Warren  M  unroe,  set 
lighting  foreman ;  T.  Abriff, 
Frank  Madigan,  F.  Buckley, 
grips;  Harry  Grundstrom,  props; 
Eddie  Ware,  wardrobe  man. 

— Still  by  Shirley  Martin. 


8 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  I935 


ASSOCIATION 


Lupton  A.  Wilkinson,  whose  articles  and  stories  have  appeared  in  such  publications  as 
“The  Atlantic  Monthly’’  and  “ The  7\[orth  American  Review,’’  recently  made  a  survey  of  the 
United  States  for  the  motion  picture  industry.  He  is  now  in  Hollywood,  one  of  the  repre¬ 
sentatives  here  of  Mr.  Will  H.  Hays,  and  “The  Insider”  is  privileged  to  present  this  exclu¬ 
sive  interview  with  Mr.  Wi l\inson  by  Pauline  Gale. 


A  GREAT  asset  of  motion  pictures  is 
the  fact  that  people  do  love  them. 
They  have  brought  so  much  joy  and 
pleasure  to  many  whose  entertainment 
would  have  been  restricted  without  the 
screen  that  there  is  a  great  body  of  loyal 
support  for  motion  pictures. 

Many  people  ask  the  question  then: 
“Why  is  the  industry  so  responsive  to 
criticism  and  why  does  it  seem  to  invite 
people  to  come  inside  the  business  and 
help  to  run  it?” 

There  are  two  major  reasons  why  the 
constructive  leadership  in  the  business 
has  worked  for  thirteen  years  at  the 
task  of  achieving  self-regulation  that  will 
assure  certain  community  values  in  mo¬ 
tion  pictures. 

The  first  reason  is  that,  as  any 
thoughtful  person  must  realise,  the  mo¬ 
tion  picture  has  a  responsibility  that  is 
wider  than  any  other  medium  of  expres¬ 
sion.  It  is  infinitely  more  far-reaching  in 
its  scope  of  service  than  any  previous 
form  of  entertainment  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  Further,  psychologists  tell  us, 
and  probably  with  truth,  that  because 
the  eye  is  the  easiest  avenue  to  the  brain 
the  impressions  derived  from  motion  pic¬ 
tures  have  an  enhanced  penetrating  ef¬ 
fect  on  the  mind.  Perhaps  the  effect 
is  more  lasting  than  impressions  created, 
for  instance,  by  the  printed  word. 

For  leaders  in  the  motion  picture  bus¬ 
iness  to  take  the  position  that  they  would 
“do  what  they  pleased,”  regardless  of 
community  effect  by  their  product, 
would  put  them  outside  the  pale  of  good 
citizenship.  The  truth  is,  people  in  the 
picture  business  have  a  tremendous  pride 
in  what  they  are  doing.  Whatever  mis¬ 
takes  the  industry  has  made  have  been 
just  that — mistakes — but  there  are  very 
few  people  in  the  picture  business  who 
do  not  sincerely  want  to  see  it  perform 
its  entertainment  duties  in  a  manner  of 
which  all  can  be  proud. 

There  is  another,  very  practical  rea¬ 
son  why  the  industry  must  self-regulate 
itself.  When  the  Constitution  was  writ- 


Will  H.  Hays 


ten  there  was  a  treasured  provision  call¬ 
ing  for  the  freedom  of  the  press.  At 
that  time  there  was  no  such  instrumen¬ 
tality  and  no  dream  of  any  such  instru¬ 
mentality  as  the  motion  picture.  For 
that  reason  the  courts  have  not  yet  held 
that  the  motion  picture  is  entitled  to  the 
same  freedom  of  expression  that  books, 
newspapers  and  the  legitimate  stage  have 
always  enjoyed.  For  this  reason  the 
screen  is  subject  to  two  distinct  types  of 
critic.  One  is  the  constructive  friendly 
critic  who  loves  motion  pictures  and 
wants  to  see  them  progress  but  there  is 
also  and  has  been  from  the  screen’s  be¬ 
ginning  the  racketeer,  the  fanatic,  the 
man  who  collects  money  to  pay  his  own 
salary  in  order  that  he  may  change  the 
world  according  to  his  ideas  of  what  it 
should  be. 

The  motion  picture  is  the  only  great 
medium  of  expression  which  has  to  live 
in  peril  of  unwise  and  uninformed  legis¬ 
lation  spurred  on  and  prompted  by  self- 
interested  individuals.  The  history  of 
minority  legislation  in  the  United  States 
is  not  encouragng  to  the  great  unorgan¬ 


ized  citizenry  that  believes  in  freedom. 
The  so-called  Hays  organization,  of 
which  the  proper  name  is  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of 
America,  Inc.,  was  formed  in  1922  in 
the  belief  that  both  for  reasons  of  self- 
respect  and  in  order  to  preserve  the  free¬ 
dom  of  the  screen  so  that  its  art  might 
develop  the  industry  should  examine  it¬ 
self  constantly  and  work  out  ways  and 
means  of  maintaining  and  interpreting 
standards  of  picture  production  that 
would  be  satisfying  to  the  American 
community  and  to  the  millions  of  friends 
of  motion  pictures  in  other  countries. 

The  Articles  of  Incorporation  of  the 
Association  stated  this  purpose  in  two 
brief  clauses: 

“The  object  for  which  the  As¬ 
sociation  is  created  is  to  foster  the 
common  interests  of  those  engaged 
in  the  motion  picture  industry  in 
the  United  States 
by  establishing  and  maintaining  the 
highest  possible  moral  and  artistic 
standards  in  motion  picture  pro¬ 
duction, 

by  developing  the  educational  as 
well  as  the  entertainment  value 
and  the  general  usefulness  of  the 
motion  picture.” 

All  that  has  followed  in  the  way  of 
self-discipline  inside  the  industry  has 
been  in  accordance  with  a  simple  fact 
stated  by  Mr.  Hays  at  the  time  he  ac¬ 
cepted  the  Presidency  of  the  Association. 
He  then  pointed  out  that  the  whole 
problem  of  picture  improvement  falls  in¬ 
to  two  broad  phases: 

A  The  improvement  of  quality  at  the 
source  of  supply,  by  education 
within  the  industry  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  social  consciousness  among 
people  who  work  in  pictures. 

B.  The  improvement  of  quality  of  de¬ 
mand,  by  education  of  the  public, 
to  raise  the  level  of  audience  taste 
and  support. 

This  is  not  a  complicated  theorem.  It 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


9 


CO-OPERATES 


Producers  Organization 
Aids  Sale  of  Films, 
Picture  Improvement 


means  simply  that  the  industry  must 
want  to  make  good  pictures  and  do  its 
best  to  achieve  that  end,  and  that  the 
public  must  also  want  to  see  what  might 
be  called  higher  type  pictures.  If  either 
upright  of  the  ladder  cracks,  pictures  de- 
teriorate  instead  of  improve. 

Acting  for  its  member  companies  in 
the  field  of  picture  improvement  is  only 
one  of  many  phases  of  Hays  office  ac- 
tivity  but  in  this  particular  phase  the 
purpose  has  always  been:  first,  to  work 
out  by  consultation  among  all  the  mem- 
bers  reasonable  standards  of  safeguards 
for  keeping  pictures  wholesome  and  in 
good  taste,  together  with  frequent  dis- 
cussion  concerning  new  avenues  of  en¬ 
tertainment  that  would  be  constructive 
and  increase  the  screen’s  great  secondary 
power  of  education. 

In  the  corollary  phase  of  developing 
public  taste  the  Hays  office  has  constant¬ 
ly  invited  the  leadership  of  many  public 
groups  outside  the  industry  first  to  serve 
as  a  conduit  of  constructive  suggestions 
and  criticism  and  second  to  exert  their 
influence  toward  increasing  support  for 
higher  type  pictures. 

After  years  of  evolution  and  trial  and 
error  what  might  be  called  the  “inside” 
phase  of  picture  improvement  has  ex¬ 
pressed  itself  in  the  workings  of  the  Pro¬ 
duction  Code  Administration  set  up  by 
Mr.  Hays  and  staffed  by  him  with  a 
number  of  trained  men  headed  by  Joseph 
I.  Breen.  Much  surprise  has  been  ex¬ 
pressed  because  the  very  broad  powers 
given  to  Mr.  Hays  by  his  Board  of  Di¬ 
rectors  and  expressed  in  the  working  of 
the  Production  Code  Administration  did 
not  result  in  emasculating  and  devitalis¬ 
ing  pictures.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
is  unanimous  agreement  that  the  enter¬ 
tainment  value  of  pictures  has  greatly 
improved  since  the  increased  power  was 
given  the  Production  Code  Administra¬ 
tion. 

The  reason  for  this  is  quite  simple. 
I  have  known  Mr.  Hays  for  a  long  time 
and  I  have  never  known  him  to  express 


Joseph  I.  Breen 


a  narrow-minded  or  petty  thought  in 
regard  to  what  the  screen  should  do.  He 
has  recognised  steadily  that  the  screen 
must  have  freedom  of  expression  if  its 
artistic  and  entertainment  are  to  in¬ 
crease.  He  has  maintained  in  public  and 
private  utterances  the  screen’s  right  to 
treat  the  strong  dramatic  themes  of  life. 
Otherwise  we  would  indeed  have  emas¬ 
culated  drama. 

Nevertheless,  there  are  certain  com¬ 
mon  sense  standards  of  good  taste  in  the 
treatment  of  all  themes  and  there  are 
certain  definite  obligations  on  the  part 
of  a  widespread  medium  of  entertain¬ 
ment  that  it  shall  not  center  its  empha¬ 
sis  in  plot  or  in  treatment  in  such  a  way 
as  to  glorify  wrongdoing  or  definitely  to 
stimulate  those  types  of  behavior  that, 
despite  the  cynics,  have  always  resulted 
in  the  deterioration  of  individuals  and 
of  nations. 


draws  on  all  the  story  resources  of  the 
past  and  present;  on  the  theories  of 
composition  and  design  evolved  by  the 
great  artists;  on  the  full  scope  of  music, 
and  on  the  best  of  the  actor’s  art.  To 
blend  all  of  this  complexity  mto  a  con¬ 
tinuously  and  swiftly  flowing  product 
is  a  job  in  which  there  must  be  great 
intensity  of  feeling  and  frequent  possi¬ 
bility  for  mistake. 

What  the  Production  Code  Adminis¬ 
tration  attempts  to  do  is  to  point  out 
the  occasions  when  the  speed  of  dra¬ 
matic  construction  in  the  crowded  pic¬ 
ture  schedules  threatens  to  violate  good 
taste  or  to  present  a  definitely  harmful 
dramatic  implication. 

I  recently  made  a  trip  throughout  a 
large  part  of  the  United  States,  talking 
with  182  publishers  and  their  editors, 
reading  the  letters  sent  in  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  motion  pictures  during  the  past 
year  and  talking  with  every  type  of 
American;  clubwoman,  judges,  ministers, 
teachers,  taxicab  drivers,  barbers — fifteen 
or  sixteen  interviews  a  day  for  seven 
months.  So  I  am  not  guessing  when 
I  say  first  that  the  American  people 
wanted  the  screen  to  preserve  its  free¬ 
dom;  second,  that  they  felt  it  had  grown 
lax  in  some  particulars  and  third,  that 
the  upswinging  of  pleased  approval  of 
what  the  screen  is  now  doing  puts  the 
motion  picture  industry  today  in  a  bet¬ 
ter  position  than  ever  before  to  have  real 
freedom  of  the  screen  and  to  develop 
strong  dramatic  themes. 

For  all  those  who  work  in  motion  pic¬ 
tures  the  fact  should  be  born  in  mind 
that  the  Hays  office  does  not  do  things 
to  the  motion  picture  industry.  It  does 
things  for,  with  and  in  the  motion  pic¬ 
ture  industry. 

The  task  of  Mr.  Hays  is  to  help  af¬ 
ford  the  screen  its  fullest  development. 


The  making  of  motion  pictures  is  the 
most  complex  of  modern  activities.  It 
runs  almost  the  full  gamut  of  the  great¬ 
est  of  scientific  fields,  electricity.  It 


yjext  month  Mr.  Wil\inson  will  discuss  for 
“The  Insider’’  what  the  Hays  office ,  aided 
by  scores  of  volunteer  groups,  does  to  de 
velop  a  mar\et  for  high  type  pictures. 


10 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June ,  1935 


WARNER  BROS.  FIRST  NATIONAL 


‘BROADWAY  JOE"  —  Busby 
Berkeley,  director;  Joe  E.  Brown, 
star,  Harry  Joe  Brown,  su¬ 
pervisor.  CREW — Fran\  M atti- 
son,  John  Prettyman,  assistant, 
directors;  Lee  Huginin,  unit 
manager;  Anton  Grot,  art  direc¬ 
tor;  Sol  Polito,  director  of  pho¬ 
tography;  Al  Green,  operative 
cameraman;  Fran\  Evans,  assist¬ 
ant;  Ouida  Russell,  script;  Dave 
Forrest,  sound  mixer;  Bert  Levy, 
cutter;  Gene  De  Lancey,  props; 
Fran\  Flanagan,  set  lighting  fore¬ 
man;  Will  Harrington,  assistant; 
Harold  AJoyes,  grip;  Smo\e 
Krin g,  men’s  wardrobe;  Jeanette 
Star\,  women’s  wardrobe. 


"NO T  ON  YOUR  LIFE"  — 

Robert  Florey,  director;  Warren 
Williams,  Dolores  Del  Rio,  stars. 
CREW  —  Eric  Stacey,  Arthur 
Lue\er,  assistant  directors;  Ar¬ 
thur  Collins,  dialogue  director; 
Louis  Baun,  unit  manager;  Es- 
dras  Hartley,  art  director;  Ar¬ 
thur  Todd,  director  of  photog¬ 
raphy;  William  Shaw,  operative 
cameraman;  William  Schuc\,  as¬ 
sistant  cameraman ;  Everett  Bur\- 
halter,  set  lighting  foreman;  Les¬ 
lie  Hewitt,  mixer;  Ruth  Brown- 
son,  script  cler\;  Charles  Davis, 
grip;  Emmett  Emerson,  props; 
Thomas  Richards,  cutter; 
Charles  M  ac\,  wardrobe  man; 
Tillie  Starr et,  hairdresser;  Kath¬ 
erine  Grams,  women’s  wardrobe. 
— Still  by  Clifton  Kling. 


June,  J  93  ^ 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


11 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES 


‘'LOVE  ME  FOREVER”— Grace 
Moore,  Columbia  picture.  The  four¬ 
some  grouped  in  front  are,  left  to 
right :  Paul  JJeal,  sound  recorder; 
George  Kelly,  assistant  cameraman; 
Earl  Snyder,  microphone;  Al  Keller, 
assistant  cameraman.  First  row, 
standing,  left  to  right:  Les  Haas, 
grip;  Max  Winslow,  associate  pro¬ 
ducer;  Lenore  Benton,  hairdresser; 
Elizabeth  Courtney,  ladies’  ward¬ 
robe;  TsJelZ  Coo\,  Miss  Moore’s 
stand-in;  Mercy  Weireter,  script 
girl;  Grace  Moore,  star  of  ‘‘Love 
Me  Forever”;  Victor  Schertzinger, 
director;  Joseph  August,  first  cam¬ 
eraman;  Reginald  Le  Borg,  techni¬ 
cal  director  of  opera  sequences;  Ar¬ 
thur  Blac\,  assistant  director;  Vic 
Scheurich,  second  camera;  Gene 
Milford,  cutter;  Valentin  Parera, 
Miss  Moore's  husband;  Aaron  Jffib- 
ley,  cutter.  Grouped  in  bac\,  at  left, 
are  Marvin  Brewer,  electrician;  Wil¬ 
liam  Lally,  property  man;  Walter 
Featherstone,  electrician;  Red  Mc¬ 
Donald.  electrician;  George  Hager, 
gaffer;  H.  E.  Pierce,  doorman;  Jacfi 
Wrenn,  property  man;  William 
Knight,  ma\e-up  man;  Harry  Bis- 
choff,  electrician.  Center  bac\:  Jim¬ 
my  Lloyd,  head  grip;  Stanley  Runn, 
property  man;  Tom  Connelly,  grip; 
George  Leveque,  grip;  Ellis  Hatch, 
grip.  In  the  bac\ground,  at  right, 
are:  Bert  Worrell,  grip;  Claude 
Rich,  electrician;  Al  Later,  electri¬ 
cian;  R.  Charlesworth,  electrician; 
Russell  Hanlon,  men’s  wardrobe; 
Bert  Lee,  sound;  Forrest  Butler, 
wardrobe;  Herbert  TJoursh,  sound. 


RELIANCE 

PRODUCTIONS 


“LET  ’EM  HAVE  IT”— Sam 
Wood,  director;  Richard  Arlen, 
star.  CREW — Peverell  Marley, 
director  of  photography;  Harry 
Davies,  operative  cameraman. 


12 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


FOX  FILM  PAINT  DEPARTMENT 


,  i  Ifc.— - 

<'  i 

&  :a£ 

L  it 

i  Hi  II 

| _ f 

„  s  ■*-  rest  FILM  ■ 

f  |  CO&POWATiQN 

FOX  Hollywood  studio  paint  crew.  Left  to  right,  b ac\  row:  Ralph 
Drury,  Wendell  Johnson,  James  DeHart,  Lawrence  Elliott,  William 
Reynar,  Clarence  Simon,  William  Wilkinson,  Joe  Frizone.  FROXJ T 
ROW — Paul  Hawkins,  Fred  V oltmer,  Jac\  Gilman,  Dinty  Moore,  night 
foreman;  William  Fredson,  George  Seeley,  Fred  Donaldson. 


On  their  way  to  a  set  somewhere  on  the  Movietone  lot  are  Paul  Dosa, 
Max  Anderson,  W.  Cooper,  Tom  DeXJunzio,  Mi \e  Ten\ach,  A.  Arn- 
old,  W.  Amos,  Fran\  Cosenza,  C.  W.  Hayden,  B.  Palmer,  Lee  Or t, 
C.  Gomez  and  standing  in  foreground,  Carl  Wuerth,  paint  shop  head. 


Executive  staff  of  the  Movietone  plant’s 
paint  department  are,  left  to  right,  James 
Forbes,  day  foreman;  Carl  Wuerth.  de¬ 
partment  head,  and  Walter  Dunham, 
night  foreman. 


Walter  Jolley,  head  of  the  Fox  Holly¬ 
wood  studio  paint  department,  seated  at 
des\,  discusses  assignments  with  Joe  Sibley, 
his  assistant. 


Even  set  painting  sometimes  goes  “up  in 
the  air.’’  Top  to  bottom  are  Jacl{  McCand- 
lish,  “Kid’’  Buemiller,  Jimmy  Smith,  left, 
and  Emile  Hampel. 


Bac\  to  sunshine  after  a  shift  in  one  of  the  sound  stages  are  Mi\e 
T en\ach,  Joe  Ptasz\,  Bill  Len\heit,  Tom  De  XJunzio,  C.  W.  Hayden, 
E.  Sommer,  J.  Hall,  J.  ]\Ji\odern,  Edward  Davis,  Harry  Kessler,  J.  Law¬ 
less,  B.  Palmer,  Edward  Huntoon,  Fran\  Coszena  and  George  Hall. 
Practically  the  entire  paint  department  crew  for  the  Movietone  lot  is 
shown  at  left  in  front  of  the  paint  shop.  They  are,  B.  Crawford,  A. 
Arnold,  Andy  Lawless,  Fran\  Coszena,  J.  Downie,  A.  Delia,  Ha-ry 


Kessler,  J.  Downie,  A.  Delia,  Harry  Kessler,  J.  XJi\odern,  Tom  Deljun- 
zio,  Al  Gonez,  ]ac\  Jancich,  Sr.,  F.  Finch,  Barnattre,  Paul  Dosa,  Ed¬ 
ward  Davis,  Fran\  Trabert,  William  Hubner,  C.  Gonez,  Jim  Forbes, 
Ed  Huntoon,  P.  Setter,  Max  Anderson,  W.  Senior,  J.  A.  Hall,  R. 
Burgen,  George  Hall,  M.  T en\ach,  C.  W.  Hayden,  Joe  Ptaszh,  A. 
Lindahl,  Al  Ort,  B.  Fredsen,  H.  Halsanberg,  E.  Summers  and  J.  Scott. 
At  the  extreme  right  is  Carl  Wuerth,  head  of  the  department. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


13 


June,  1935 


STUDIO  PAINTERS 

GAY  DECEIVERS 

By  FRANK  PERRETT 


THERE’S  a  lot  more  to  this  painting 
business  than  appears  on  the  sur- 
face. 

For  the  most  part,  the  members  of 
this  department  of  any  motion  picture 
studio  are  actually  gay  deceivers. 

They  make  things  look  like  what 
they’re  not.  They  turn  the  new  into 
the  old,  and  the  old  into  the  new.  They 
make  Oregon  pine  look  like  mahogany, 
turn  old  toque  rugs  into  orientals. 

Sit  down  for  a  few  minutes  and  fire 
questions  at  James  S.  Forbes,  assistant 


to  Carl  Wuerth,  in  charge  of  the  paint 
department  at  the  Fox  Film  studio  in 
Westwood.  Wuerth,  the  Swiss  genius, 
is  busy  making  the  rounds  of  the  vari¬ 
ous  jobs  under  way  and  can’t  take  time 
cut  for  an  interview. 

Then  go  down  to  the  Fox  Hollywood 
studio  at  Western  and  Sunset  Blvds. 
and  talk  with  Walter  Jolley,  head  paint 
man  there.  Wuerth  has  been  with  Fox 
18  years,  Jolley  and  Forbes  only  10 
years  each. 

“First  of  all,”  said  Forbes,  “everything 
you  look  at  in  the  studio,  with  the  ex- 


“ Dinty ”  Moore,  night  foreman 


Joe  Frigan 


Rich^fd  Barnattre 


Renny  Burgin 

ception  of  the  grass,  trees  and  flowers, 
has  been  painted  by  our  department.  We 
start  in  where  the  others  stop  and  it 
can’t  be  right  until  it’s  been  daubed  by 
our  brushes. 

“The  most  interesting  part  of  our 
work,  seriously  speaking,  comes  in  age¬ 
ing  new  settings  to  make  them  appear 
convincingly  old,  or  in  duplicating  sets 
and  properties  for  sets.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  jobs  of  this  kind  we’ve  ever 
had  is  “The  Farmer  Takes  a  Wife”,  a 
story  of  the  development  of  America’s 
great  artificial  waterways.  The  London 
streets  for  “Cavalcade”  and  the  railway 
station  in  the  same  picture  were  great 
opportunities  for  us. 

“Not  many  persons  know  that  the 
paint  department  often  is  called  upon  to 
dye  costumes.  We  handled  the  condi¬ 
tioning  of  the  outfits  worn  by  Victor 
McLaglen,  Edmund  Lowe  and  others  in 


Eugene  Gonez 

the  tunnel  scenes  of  “Under  Pressure”, 
applying  the  right  amount  of  grease  to 
the  overalls  and  shirts  used  by  the  play¬ 
ers  portraying  pipe  fitters,  putting  red 
lead  on  those  of  the  painters,  and  just 
mud  on  the  clothes  worn  by  the 
muckers. 

“For  ‘The  Face  In  the  Sky’  the  direc¬ 
tor  wanted  a  very  close  fitting  kind  of 
costumes  on  four  girls.  It  was  solved 
finally  by  the  paint  department.  Coarse 
lace  was  placed  against  the  exposed  parts 
of  the  girls’  bodies  and  we  sprayed  paint 
against  them.  When  the  lace  was  re¬ 
moved  the  ‘costumes’  remained. 

“Sometimes  certain  shapes  and  kinds 
of  rugs  are  wanted  for  settings.  They 
show  us  a  picture  of  what  is  wanted  and 
with  the  help  of  a  plain  old  rug  we 
do  the  rest.  Sometimes  it  is  necessary 
to  break  beautiful  vases  and  expensive 
(Continued  on  Page  47) 


14 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June ,  193? 


RKO-RADIO  PICTURES 


"BOOM  DATS"— Charles  Vi¬ 
dor,  director;  Richard  Dix,  star. 
CREW — Wally  Fox,  unit  mana¬ 
ger;  Dewey  Starkey,  Jimmy 
Casey,  assistant  directors;  Har¬ 
old  Wenstrom,  director  of  pho¬ 
tography;  Russ  Metty,  operative 
cameraman;  George  Descamp, 
assistant;  George  Ellis,  mixer; 
Jac\  Grubb,  assistant;  Jac\  Hide- 
ly,  cutter;  S.  H.  Barton,  set 
lighting  foreman;  Charles  Mon¬ 
roe,  assistant;  William  Carr,  set 
dresser;  George  McGonigle, 
props. 


"SHE” — Irving  Pichel,  L.  C. 
H  olden,  co-directors;  Helen 
Gahagan,  star.  CREW — Walter 
Daniels,  unit  manager;  Charles 
Kerr,  Harry  D’Arcy,  assistant 
directors,  Al  Herman,  art  direc¬ 
tor;  Roy  Hunt,  director  of  pho¬ 
tography;  Ed  Pyle,  operative 
cameraman;  James  Daly,  assist¬ 
ant;  Tom  Little,  set  dresser;  John 
Cass,  sound  mixer;  Ralph  K. 
Spotts,  assistant  sound;  Gloria 
T ruby,  script  cler\;  Ted  Cheese- 
man,  cutter;  Leo  Green,  set 
lighting  foreman;  Charles  Sayres, 
props. 

— Stills  by  Fred  Hendrickson. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


15 


FOX  FILM 

CORPORATION 


“IN  OLD  KENTUCKY’’  — 
George  Marshall,  director;  Will 
Rogers,  star;  Edward  Butcher, 
producer.  CREW — Ray  Flynn, 
assistant  director;  L.  W.  O'Con- 
nell.  director  of  photography; 
Johnny  Schmitz,  operative  cam¬ 
eraman;  Eddie  Collins,  assistant; 
William  Darling,  art  director ; 
W.  D.  Flic\,  recording;  B.  Ber¬ 
trand,  boom  man ;  L.  B.  Dix,  as¬ 
sistant  sound;  Percy  I\erd,  busi¬ 
ness  manager;  ]ac\  Murray,  film 
editor;  Chet  Stafford,  set  light¬ 
ing  foreman;  Eddie  Ellis,  set 
dresser;  Walter  Faxon,  grip; 
Tommy  Plews,  props;  William 
Lambert,  wardrobe. 

Still  by  Cliff  Maupin. 


STEAMBOAT  BILL’’ — Jac\  Ford,  director;  Will  Rogers,  star;  Irvin  S.  Cobb,  Ann  Shirley,  Berton  Churchill,  featured.  CREW — Eddie 
O  Fearnia,  assistant  director;  R.  L.  Haugh,  business  manager;  Henry  Weinberg,  assistant;  A l  Smith,  casting  director;  George  Schneiderman, 
director  of  photography;  James  Gordon,  operative  cameraman;  Paul  Loc\wood,  assistant  cameraman;  Al  Protzman,  mixer;  Jac\  Lescoulie,  re¬ 
corder;  H.  Lombard,  assistant;  Vern  Simmoirs,  Cluitt  Urtubes,  grips;  Tom  Ouilette,  set  lighting  foreman;  Sy  Rubin,  assistant;  Stanley  Scheuer, 
script  cler\;  Joe  Thompson,  Dwight  Thompson,  ]oc\ey  Liebgold,  props;  Paul  Stanhope,  Verne  M urdoc\,  ma\eup;  Irene  Beshon,  Buddy 
King,  hairdressers.  — Still  by  Cliff  Maupin. 


16 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  I 935 


REASONS  for  MAKEUP  ~ 

MAX  FACTOR  EXPLAINS 

By  MAX  FACTOR 

Originator  of  Modern  Screen  M a\e-Up 


DURING  the  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  in  which  I  have  been  as- 
sociated  with  the  motion  picture  nidus- 
try  in  the  make-up  field,  I  have  been 
asked  probably  ten  thousand  times  why 
screen  players,  other  than  those  in  ex¬ 
treme  character  roles,  have  to  use  make¬ 
up. 

Naturally,  most  of  these  questions 
have  been  laymen  who  know  nothing 
about  the  making  of  moving  pictures. 


bikkie  BARGES 

Typical  redhead.  As  complexion  is  light, 
a  dark  ma\eup  is  used. 

They  have  often  told  me  that  if  a  pho¬ 
tographer  in  a  portrait  studio  can  make 
fine  pictures  without  make-up,  they  can¬ 
not  understand  why  the  same  cannot  be 
done  in  a  studio  with  all  of  the  excellent 
lighting  and  photographic  equipment.  It 
is  not  the  layman  alone  who  has  asked 
me.  There  have  been  many  players  who 
have  felt  they  did  not  need  make-up,  and 
could  not  understand  why  it  is  so  very 
necessary. 

I  hope  that  in  this  brief  article  I  shall 
be  able  to  throw  a  little  light  on  the 
subject  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may 
not  understand.  I  shall  try  to  simplify 
the  reasons  for  the  use  of  make-up  for 
motion  pictures.  These  reasons  are  based 


MAX  FACTOR 

Hollywood’s  genius  of  makeup  who  ex¬ 
plains  reasons  for  applying  screen 
ma\eup. 


AKITA  LOUISE 

Striding  blonde.  Dar\  ma\eup  is  used 
on  her  face  for  natural  contrast. 


on  an  understanding  of  the  elements  in¬ 
volved  in  the  equipment,  such  as  the 
lense,  film  emulsion  and  the  light  prob¬ 
lems. 

Before  getting  into  the  matter  of  mo¬ 
tion  pictures  let  me  answer  those  people 
who  say  that  because  some  portrait  pho¬ 
tographers  can  make  good  pictures  with¬ 
out  make-up  they  feel  that  make-up 
should  not  be  necessary  for  motion  pic¬ 
tures. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  por- 


RACgfUEL  TORRES 
Typical  brunette.  A  light  ma\eup  is 
used  in  her  case  for  contrast  to  her  hair. 


trait  photographer  always  retouches  his 
negatives,  thus  removing  the  many  im¬ 
perfections  that  one  invariably  sees  in  an 
unretouched  still  picture.  Instead  of 
make-up  the  portrait  man  uses  retouch¬ 
ing  pencil,  and  very  often  gives  the  sub¬ 
ject  an  un-natural  expression.  As  film 
negative  cannot  be  retouched,  make-up  is 
used. 

The  first  objective  in  modern  motion 
picture  production  is  realism.  However, 
a  photographically  reproduced  subject  is 
never  the  same  as  in  real  life,  due  to  the 
limitations  of  our  understanding  of  the 
equipment  used  for  making  pictures. 
Therefore,  to  make  our  pictures  life-like 
it  is  necessary  to  use  artificial  aids  which 
(Continued  on  Page  49) 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


17 


By  LEE  CANNON 


“I  want  to  see  Greta  Garbo.  I'm 
a  relative.’’ 

“Clar\  Gable  invited  me  to  have 
lunch  with  him.” 

“ Jean  Harlow  told  me  to  drop  in 
any  time.” 

“Tell  Joan  Crawford  that  Alec, 
her  second  cousin  from  Kansas  is 
here  and  wants  to  see  her.” 


AND  from  that  point  the  Metro' 
Goldwyn-Mayer  “front  office”  boys 
take  up  the  “game”  that  is  their  daily 
job.  They  check  with  personal  secre- 
taries  of  the  celebrities  to  find  out  if  the 
“relative”  or  “friend”  is  just  another 
courageous  sightseer  trying  to  crash  the 
studio  gates  or,  as  is  sometimes,  though 
infrequently,  the  case,  the  real  thing. 
They  systematically  and  quickly  separate 
the  ‘phoney’  from  the  bona  fide — and  in 


the  vast  majority  of  cases  it  is  only  the 
latter  who  gam  admittance. 

In  all  instances,  however,  the  person 
outside  is  given  courteous  consideration, 
not  only  because  it  is  good  policy  but 
because  Robert  Hilton,  head  of  MG'M’s 
front  office,  demands  it  of  those  working 
under  him.  This  excellent  psychology 
coupled  with  good  management  make 
Hilton’s  department  one  of  the  smoothest 
running  of  the  studio’s  many  units. 

The  tremendous  importance  and  re- 
sponsibility  of  the  “Front  Office”  is  not 
at  once  apparent  to  the  casual  visitor. 
A  glance  into  the  reception  room  during 
the  lunch  hour  is  convincing  proof  that 
the  boys  are  adequately  busy — but  that 
isn’t  all.  Their  working  day  doesn’t 
begin  and  end  with  the  noon  hour. 

Here  is  an  average  example  of  what 
takes  place  during  the  crowded  hours 
between  eight  in  the  morning  to  eight  at 


ROBERT  HILTON 

night— their  working  “day”:  All  env 
ployees  on  the  Number  Two  payroll 
must  be  checked  individually  as  they  au 
rive  for  work,  as  they  come  out  to  lunch 
and  back,  and  as  they  leave  at  night. 
Classified  on  this  payroll  are  all  stars, 
(Continued  on  Page  50) 


GATE  CRASHER'S  STORIES 
QUASHED  BY  FRONT 
OFFICE  DIPLOMACY 


M  -  G  '  M  FRONT  OFFICE 
CREW.  Seated.  Bert  Wrench, 
assistant  to  Hilton  and  Robert 
Hilton,  head  of  front  office  force. 
FRONT  ROW,  standing,  left  to 
right,  William  Saracino,  Fred 
Leet,  Jean  Valentino,  Herbert 
Hall,  Bernon  Tabor,  Herbert 
Josephs,  Fran\  Shugrue,  Calvin 
C  l  a  r  \  ,  F  r  an\  Capacchione. 
BACK  ROW,  left  to  right,  Joe 
DeMichell,  Floyd  Wittenberg, 
Herbert  Riehl,  Paul  Sivadge, 
Gordon  Otto,  Gerald  Star\ey. 

— Photos  by  Ted  Allen. 


18 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


STORY  SALE  PROBLEMS 


How  to  Market  Novels  In  Studio 
Told  By  Authors  Representative 

An  exclusive  interview  with  Adeline  Alvord, 
who  gives  the  readers  of  the  "INSIDER”  the 
benefit  of  her  sixteen  years’  experience  as 
Author’s  Representative  in  Hollywood. 

By  PAULINE  GALE. 


WHAT  chance  has  the  original  story 
for  sale  in  the  studios?  How  do 
the  producers  feel  toward  unpublished 
screen  material?  What  form  should  a 
script  be  in  for  presentation?  And  last 
— but  by  far  not  least — how  market  it? 
Through  an  agent  or  “on  your  own”? 

These  and  a  host  of  similar  questions 
are  run  across  daily  in  conversations 
around  the  lots  and  over  the  Hollywood 
teacups — or  cocktail  glasses.  Everyone 
seems  to  have  an  original  story  tucked 
away  waiting  to  be  “discovered”.  We 
decided  it  was  high  time  somebody  un¬ 
dertook  a  few  answers  to  these  cinematic 
problems,  so  we  went  straight  to  Adeline 
Alvord  with  the  firm  confidence  that  we 
would  get  not  only  a  straight  answer 
but  a  wise  one. 

Why?  Well — because  Adeline  Ah 
vord  has  had  sixteen  years  experience 
right  here  in  Hollywood.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  find  a  person  better  fitted 
than  she  to  tell  of  the  requirements  for 
screen  writing.  As  Story  Editor,  Liter¬ 
ary  Advisor  and  Author’s  Representa¬ 
tive  it  has  been  her  especial  job  to  know 
the  studio  market,  and  the  producer’s 
needs. 

As  Author’s  Representative,  recog¬ 
nised  by  the  studios  for  an  accredited 
agent  with  a  wide  knowledge  of  the 
story  field,  she  has  for  many  years  run  a 
successful  agency  here  in  Hollywood  and 
helped  hundreds  of  well-known  writers 
with  their  screen  problems.  Who  bet¬ 
ter,  then,  to  answer  questions  like  these 
than  she,  we  thought,  and  found  her 
most  gracious  and  encouraging  regard¬ 
ing  the  problem  of  an  author,  amateur 
or  professional,  who  writes  an  original 
story  for  the  screen. 

“Somebody  once  wisely  said:”  smiled 
Miss  Alvord,  “That  ‘the  great  glory  of 
the  screen  of  the  future  will  be  the  story 


Adeline  Alvord 


which  will  spring  from  and  belong  only 
to  the  cinegraphic  medium — the  original 
photoplay,  not  a  by-product  of  stage  or 
magazine  or  publisher’s  lists,  but  a  dis¬ 
tinct  art  form  with  visualized  interest, 
visualized  characterizations,  and  visual¬ 
ized  beauty;’ 

“More  and  more  that  theory  is  prov¬ 
ing  true,  as  our  heretofore  unknown 
writers  develop  into  specialized  screen 
authors,  all  because  of  a  successful  origi¬ 
nal  story.” 

“What  is  meant  by  an  original  story?” 
Miss  Alvord  paused  thoughtfully  before 
answering. 

“From  the  standpoint  of  the  screen,” 
she  replied,  “it  is  an  unpublished  story, 
slanted  directly  for  talking  motion  pic¬ 
tures,  whether  the  author  be  known  or 
unknown.  The  feature  length  film  of 
seven  reels  requires  a  great  deal  of  story 


material  in  situation  and  action,  and  the 
average  short  story  never  comes  any¬ 
where  near  meeting  the  requirement. 
The  novels,  novelettes  and  serials  are 
very  often  not  of  the  type  which  will 
lend  themselves  to  pictorial  presentation 
and  adaptation  to  the  combination  of 
camera  and  microphone. 

There  always  has  been,  and  there  is 
now  more  than  ever  before,  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  the  clever  writer  to  sell  his 
stuff  to  the  studios.  Story  value,  plot, 
original  and  unusual  treatment,  unique 
basic  ideas;  stories  that  lend  themselves 
to  the  making  of  an  outstanding  picture 
- — these  are  the  things  studio  editors 
want  and  need,  and  it  is  positively  true 
that  they  are  constantly  searching  every 
available  source  for  stories  which  will 
meet  these  requirements.  And — it  does 
not  greatly  matter  to  the  producers 
whether  an  author  who  can  give  them 
such  material,  has  ever  been  heard  of 
before  or  not. 

All  this  sounds  very  encouraging,  I 
know,  but  it  is  not  an  opportunity  that 
is  to  be  had  for  the  mere  asking.  This 
call  for  stories  does  not  mean  the  half- 
baked,  illogical,  improbable  and  badly 
written  script,  and  it  does  not  mean 
stories  containing  propaganda,  preach¬ 
ing,  or  censorable  subjects. 

To  be  made  into  a  motion  picture,  any 
story  has  to  have  entertainment  value, 
and  this  applies  to  both  the  published 
story  as  well  as  the  unpublished  story. 
The  original  story,  if  written  with  care, 
study  and  intelligence,  slanted  for  the 
screen,  and  containing  new  and  differ¬ 
ent  ideas,  a  fresh  viewpoint,  and  de¬ 
signed  primarily  for  the  entertainment 
of  all  classes,  will  of  a  certainty  receive 
consideration  from  any  studio  editor,  if 
rightly  presented.” 

There,  then,  is  the  answer  to  two  of 
the  problems  that  perplex  Budding  Au- 
thorhood  all  over  the  world.  Yes,  we 
mean  the  world!  Miss  Alvord  has  had 
letters  and  manuscript  from  India  to 
Alaska, — from  the  Argentine  and  Ta¬ 
hiti,  asking  those  same  questions.  The 
‘Insider’  has  had  a  few  letters  too,  and 
this  interview  was  written  for  the  ex¬ 
press  purpose  of  clearing  up  the  matter 
to  the  best  of  our  ability  for  our 
readers. 

Having  heard  what  an  original  story 
was  according  to  studio  standards,  and 
what  chance  the  unknown  author  had 

(Continued  on  Page  56) 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


19 


By  LEIO  J.  RIVARD 


LAW  enforcement  and  protection  of 
property  in  Movietone  City,  the 
11  Caere  Fox  Film  lot  which  stretches 
from  Santa  Monica  Boulevard  to  Pico, 
is  the  complex  assignment  handled  by 
Director  of  Safety  Joseph  W.  Reilly  and 
his  force  of  forty-five  uniformed,  disci' 
plined  studio  police. 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary  police 
duties  of  a  “city”  whose  popualtion  may 
fluctuate  anywhere  from  2,000  to  over 
5,000,  the  studio  force  must  put  their 
alertness  and  system  against  the  ever' 
present  problem  of  studio  gate'Crashers. 
From  curious  kids  and  over'enthusiastic 
fans  to  hungry  and  desperate  actors, 
they  storm  the  portals  in  an  attempt  to 
see  this  or  that  star  or  studio  executive. 

The  system  in  force  at  Movietone 
City  has  proved  pretty  hard  for  the 
crashers  to  beat.  All  interviews  are  ar¬ 
ranged  through  a  central  office,  with  a 
list  of  persons  who  are  to  be  admitted 
sent  to  each  gate.  If  one’s  name  isn’t 
on  that  list,  it’s  just  too  bad.  A  glib 
salesman  succeeded  in  talking  himself 
through  the  gate  about  a  year  ago,  but 
it  hasn’t  happened  since. 


outfit  is  organized  along  the  semi-mili¬ 
tary  lines  of  the  New  York  force,  in 
which  Reilly  once  held  the  rank  of  lieu¬ 
tenant.  Neat  khaki  uniforms  of  good 
quality  are  furnished  and  kept  cleaned 
and  pressed  by  the  studio.  There  is 
very  little  turnover  in  the  personnel  of 
the  department,  as  the  jobs  are  made 
quite  permanent  to  attract  a  reliable 
type  of  man  and  take  advantage  of  the 
increased  efficiency  which  results  when 
the  force  is  experienced  and  thoroughly 
familiar  with  its  duties.  Each  man  on 
the  force  gets  two  weeks’  vacation,  with 
pay,  every  year. 

Movietone  City  has  its  own  ordi¬ 
nances,  as  well  as  those  of  the  state  and 
county,  which  the  studio  police  also 
enforce.  There  are  traffic  and  parking 
regulations,  rules  against  smoking  on 
sound  stages  and  in  cutting  rooms  and 
regulations  as  to  the  proper  use  of  com¬ 
pany  equipment.  Reilly  states  that,  con¬ 
trary  to  what  some  people  might  expect, 
he  has  enjoyed  excellent  cooperation 
from  stars,  directors  and  other  promi¬ 
nent  people  in  heeding  the  rules. 

Like  many  other  interesting  Holly- 


Joseph  W.  Reilly 

wood  personalities,  Joe  Reilly  has  had  a 
career  previous  to  coming  to  Hollywood 
which  runs  the  gamut  of  many  adven¬ 
turous  occupations.  He  was  a  chart  boy 
on  an  ocean  liner,  served  nine  years  in 
the  cavalry  of  the  United  States  Army, 
was  a  professional  boxer,  and  as  a  de¬ 
tective  lieutenant  in  the  New  York  po¬ 
lice  department  arrested  such  noted  crim¬ 
inals  as  Nickey  Arnstein,  “Gyp  the 
Blood,”  “Lefty  Louie,”  and  “Dapper 
Dan  Collins.  He  also  had  the  privilege 
of  caring  for  such  noted  visitors  to  New 
(Continued  on  Page  41) 


POLICE  FORCE  MODELED  AFTER 
N.  y.  DEPARTMENT 


Every  year,  however,  approximately 
1100  kids  succeed  in  gaining  admittance 
to  the  studio  by  climbing  the  wall. 
They’re  usually  spotted  by  a  patrolman 
before  they  get  very  far,  and  a  letter  is 
sent  to  their  parents  requesting  that  the 
trespass  not  be  repeated.  Wall-climbers 
of  mature  age  are  also  apprehended  from 
time  to  time. 

The  Lox  police  force  is  organized  into 
two  groups,  the  smaller  of  the  two,  un¬ 
der  Captain  H.  Myers,  guarding  the 
Western  Avenue  lot.  The  larger  group 
at  Movietone  City  is  captained  by  John 
L.  Muehlhausen,  a  colorful  figure  who 
served  for  five  years  as  sheriff  of  the 
Cripple  Creek  district  in  Colorado, 
when  it  was  one  of  the  most  unruly  por¬ 
tions  of  the  entire  West.  Muelhausen 
has  arrested  many  noted  desperadoes  and 
has  never  had  to  use  his  guns  on  any  of 
them. 

- 

Four  sergeants  assist  the  two  captains 
in  supervising  the  force.  The  eritire 


MOVIETOFJE  CITY  S  police  force  on  parade.  Joseph  Reilly  reviewing  Fox’s  Finest  prac¬ 
tically  every  man  having  served  on  a  metropolitan  police  force  before  joining  the  studio 

police  department. 


20 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


RKO-RADIO 

PICTURES 


June,  19  3) 


“ TOP  HAT” — Mar\  Sandrich,  director;  Fred 
Astaire,  star.  CREW — Argyle  IFJelson,  Kenneth 
Holmes,  Dic\  Green,  assistant  directors;  J.  R. 
Crone,  unit  manager;  Trudy  Wellman,  script 
clerl{;  William  Hamilton,  cutter;  Henry  Berman, 
assistant  cutter;  Dave  Abel,  director  of  pho¬ 
tography;  Joe  Birac,  operative  cameraman;  Wil¬ 
lard  Barth,  assistant  cameraman;  Hugh  McDow¬ 
ell,  recorder;  Morris  Gilbert,  assistant;  Dic\  Man 
Hessen,  boom  man;  James  Almond,  set  lighting 
foreman;  Slim  A\erman,  assistant;  Clem  Harring¬ 
ton,  wardrobe \  man;  Edith  Clar\,  women’s  ward¬ 
robe;  Sam  Kaufman,  ma\eup;  Louise  Sloan,  hair¬ 
dresser;  Alex  Kahle,  company  still  man;  James 
Curley,  grip;  Sid  Fo gel,  props. 

— Still  by  John  Miehle. 


AFFILIATED 

PICTURES 

CORP. 


‘  PRIDE  OF  THE  TRIPLE  X” 
— John  A.  Conrad,  producer;  Ed¬ 
ward  Dmytry\,  director;  Yancey 
Lane,  lead.  CREW  ■ —  Roland 
Price,  director  of  photography; 
H.  Ei\e,  sound  mixer;  Pat  Pat¬ 
terson,  set  lighting  foreman;  H. 
Wohl,  supervisor;  F.  Purdle,  set 
dresser;  J.  Corric\,  script  cler\; 
M.  Martin,  props. 


June,  1 93? 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


21 


UNIVERSAL  PICTURES 


“ALIAS  MART  DOW”— Kurt 
FJeumann,  director;  Sally  Eilers, 
star.  CREW — Phil  Karlstein,  as¬ 
sistant  director;  Joe  Valentine, 
director  of  photography;  King 
Gray,  operative-cameraman;  Wil¬ 
liam  Dodds,  assistant  camera¬ 
man;  Ralph  Berger,  art  director; 
Archie  Hall,  technical  director: 
William  Hitchcoc\,  sound  mixer; 
John  Kemp,  recorder;  Harry  Mo¬ 
ran,  floorman;  Ted  Offenbec\,  set 
dresser;  Warren  M  unroe,  set 
lighting  foreman;  George  Schu- 
man,  Fred  Parkinson,  Fred  Buck¬ 
ley,  grips;  Lester  Heineman, 
props;  Eddie  Ware,  wardrobe 
man. 

— Still  by  Siegfried  Levi. 


“LADY  TUBBS”  —  Alan  Cros- 
land,  director;  Alice  Brady,  star. 
CREW — FJorbert  Brodine,  di¬ 
rector  of  photography;  Wallace 
Chewnin g,  operative  cameraman; 
Kenneth  Hunter,  assistant  cam¬ 
eraman;  Harrison  Wiley,  art  di¬ 
rector;  Archie  Hall,  technical  di¬ 
rector;  Ray  Robinson,  Ted  Of- 
fenbec\,  set  dressers;  Ernie 
Smith,  props;  Chuc\  Carroll, 
mixer;  Tommy  Ashton,  recorder; 
Fran\  Gorbac\,  floorman;  Roy 
Fullerton,  set  lighting  foreman; 
Barney  Summers,  James  Knowl- 
ton,  Arch  Bayer,  grips. 

— Still  by  Siegfried  Levi. 


22 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


FORMER  RACE  DRIVER 


Speedway,  Airplane  Experience 
Aids  Klein  In  Running  Huge  Fleet 

By  HARRY  MACPHERSON 


CASES  of  what  are  termed  “appropri- 
ate  casting”  are  numerous  in  Screen' 
land.  This  not  only  applies  to  the  screen 
dramas,  themselves,  but  to  all  the  posi- 
tions  associated  with  the  making  of  pic- 
tures. 

Your  story  writers,  for  instance,  are 
quite  generally  veteran  playwrights. 
Publicity  staff  members  are  almost  all 
exmewspapermen.  Song  writers  are 
graduates  of  the  Tin-Pan  Alley  “popu¬ 
lar”  field.  Thus  it  is  appropriate  that 
studio  transportation  departments,  em¬ 
bracing  all  the  automotive  equipment 
employed  for  diversified  use,  should  be 
manned  by  men  trained  in  the  motor  car 
industry. 

Warner  Brothers-First  National  stu¬ 
dios  not  only  have  the  biggest  transpor 
tation  department  of  all  Hollywood,  with 
a  total  now  of  nearly  300  pieces  of  mo¬ 
torized  equipment — but  they  also  have  a 
department  chief  who  has  long  been 
noted  in  motordom.  This  transportation 
head’s  life  has  been  colored  by  the  gla¬ 
mor  of  automotive  adventure. 

He  is  Art  Klein! 

Klein,  who  has  headed  the  Warner  de¬ 
partment  for  the  last  five  years,  is  wide¬ 
ly  known  in  auto  circles  of  America  and 
Europe.  His  is  a  name  to  conjure  with 
wherever  men  foregather  who  have 


known  teh  romance  of  the  industry  of 
gas  and  oil  and  wheels. 

Any  man-on-the-street  of  mature 
years  remembers  when  Art  Klein  was 
a  famous  racing  driver;  when  no  im¬ 
portant  race  on  the  blistering  boards  or 
the  dust-clouded  dirt  tracks  of  America 
was  complete  without  the  name  of 
“Klein”  on  the  entry  boards.  What  your 
average  person,  however,  does  not  know, 
is  that  Art  Klein  is  one  of  the  real  pio¬ 
neers  of  what  may  be  aptly  termed  the 
“motor  car  game.” 

This  phrase  has  become  stigmatized 
in  recent  years  by  the  motor  car  mer¬ 
chandising  industry  for  the  very  good 
reason  that  manufacturers,  distributors 
and  dealers  have  wished  to  divorce  au¬ 
tomobile  selling  from  anything  savoring 
of  a  “racket”.  But  it  may  be  used  ad¬ 
visedly  when  talking  about  the  early 
days  of  the  business,  for  then  it  was 
truly  a  “game”- — a  jolly,  romantic  and 
adventuresome  business  interlinked  with 
the  danger  of  racing  and  the  unantici¬ 
pated  happenings  incident  to  embryonic 
automobile  operation. 

Klein,  as  a  youth,  started  out  with 
the  Peerless  Motor  Car  Company  of 
Cleveland,  O.,  working  as  a  mechanic 
and  road-tester,  he  was  with  that  pio¬ 
neer  firm  from  1906  to  1907  and  then 


Art  Klein 


— 1908  to  1910 —  he  worked  as  a  “road 
expert”  for  the  old  Stoddard-Dayton 
factory  in  Dayton,  O. 

“Modern  road  men  would  be  sur¬ 
prised  at  what  I  had  to  do  in  those 
days,”  commented  Klein  yesterday.  “It 
is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  I  would 
often  be  sent  by  the  factory  away  down 
to  Miami,  Florida,  just  to  work  on  a 
single  motor  car  whose  repair  would 
only  take  about  a  half  hour.  Then  I 
might  be  shipped  to  Denver,  or,  perhaps, 
back  to  Toledo.  Individual  car  repairs 
were  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception.” 

Klein  started  his  racing  experience 
with  the  Stoddard-Dayton  people,  for,  at 
that  time,  all  racing  teams  were  spon¬ 
sored  by  manufacturers,  as  they  still  are 


One  of  the  many  ancient  cars 
owned  by  the  Warner  Brothers' 
First  Ffational  studio  for  use  in 
pictures.  Practically  all  of  these 
cars  still  run  under  their  own 
power  and  provide  genuine  au¬ 
thenticity  to  pictures  of  the 
1910  Era. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


23 


IEADS  WARNER 
TRANSPORTATION 


Automotive  Equipment  Covers  Entire 
Range  from  Motorcycles  to  Trucks 


Ralph  Anderson ,  company  driver,  shown 
filling  his  car  preparatory  to  going  on 
location. 


in  Europe.  Today,  as  a  hobby,  Klein  is 
an  aviator.  Twenty-five  years  ago  he 
got  his  first  thrill  out  of  the  air  by  rac¬ 
ing — in  a  Stoddard-Dayton  speedster — 
with  old-time  Wright  and  Curtiss  push¬ 
er-type  biplanes. 

Dirt  track  racing  for  Stoddard-Day- 
ton,  then  Mercer  racing  till  1913,  and 
then  Klein  went  with  the  King  people. 
Do  you  remember  the  old  King  Eight? 
Well,  Klein  started  with  them  - —  and 
built  a  racer — when  it  was  only  a  King 
Four. 

An  interesting  episode  of  wartime, 
when  Klein  was  a  star  of  the  speedways 


along  with  such  famous  fellows  as 
Rickenbacker,  Oldfield,  Cooper  and 
Burman,  concerned  itself  with  that  regi¬ 
ment  which  the  late  Teddy  Roosevelt 
volunteered  to  raise.  Rickenbacker  had 
been  promoted  by  publicity  hounds  of 
the  motor  car  business  as  chauffeur  to 
General  Pershing.  Klein  was  scheduled 
to  be  personal  chauffeur  to  Colonel 
Roosevelt.  But  the  Roosevelt  regiment 
idea  was  voted  down  by  Washington, 
and  Klein,  instead,  went  to  England 
and  to  France  as  a  lieutenant  of  avia¬ 
tion.  It  was  there  that  he  learned  how 
to  fly. 

After  the  war,  it  will  be  remembered, 
Klein  went  back  into  racing  and  was 
noted  as  a  “pace-setter”.  Seldom  a  win¬ 
ner,  he  was  almost  always  in  the  money, 
and  he  lent  color  to  the  sport  as  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  such  teams  as  that  which  Cliff 
Durant  backed  in  1921  and  1922.  In 
1923  he  quit  racing,  went  to  work  for 
an  automobile  distributor  as  service  su¬ 
perintendent,  and  five  years  ago  took 
over  the  management  of  the  Warner- 
First  National  automotive — or  “Trans¬ 
portation” — department. 

The  Warner  Brothers  lots — there  are 
three  of  them — boast  many  vehicles  for 
screen-play  production  purposes  that 
serve  to  remind  Klein  of  the  early  days 


of  the  “horseless  carriage”.  There  are, 
for  example,  such  ancient  vehicles  as 
White  Steamers,  one-cylinder  Cadillacs, 
and  aged  Stevens — Duryea  cars. 

For  foreign  pictures,  to  give  the  mo¬ 
torized  touch  of  authenticity  to  foreign 
street  scenes,  his  department  has  every 
conceivable  alien  make — Mercedes,  Iso- 
to-Fraschini,  Minerva,  and  others. 

Now,  both  for  ordinary  transportation 
problems  of  the  studio,  and  for  produc¬ 
tions  which  call  for  modern  motor  cars 
in  American  settings,  Klein  has  just  or¬ 
dered  a  fleet  of  Buick  Eights.  These — 
mostly  seven-passenger  sedans — will  not 
only  serve  as  vehicles  for  transporting 
stars  and  others  from  studio  to  studio 
and  on  location,  but  they,  themselves, 
will  be  stars — appearing  as  mute  players 
in  the  pictures. 

Klein,  off-scene,  has  not  forgotten  his 
wartime  training  as  a  flier,  and  he  con¬ 
fesses  that  aviation  is  his  most  precious 
hobby.  He  has  personally  owned  a  to¬ 
tal  of  four  ships,  and  just  now  is  con¬ 
templating  the  purchase  of  another. 

Yes — Warner-First  National,  in  trans¬ 
portation  and  in  the  mentor  of  that  de¬ 
partment,  is  thoroughly  motorized  for 
the  automobile,  and  the  airplane,  have 
colored  the  life  of  Art  Klein. 


Different  types  of  equipment  to 
be  found  on  the  Warner  Broth' 
ers-First  Rfational  lot.  The  roll' 
in g  stoc\  here  shown  represents 
only  a  small  percentage  of  the 
equipment  operated  by  the  larg¬ 
est  transportation  department  in 
the  business. 


24 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 935' 


MAKING  A  PLASTER  "LIFE  MASK 


ABOVE — Left  to  right  —  Builph  Jester 
with  aid  of  Charles  Ceseri  smearing  cold 
cream  and  petroleum  jelly  on  the  features 
of  Henry  Wilcoxon  preparatory  to  apply¬ 
ing  plaster  for  a  “life  mas\.”  The  second 
picture  shows  the  application  of  the  first 
coating  of  plaster.  A  \nitted  cap  protects 
the  hair.  The  third  “shot”  shows  strips  of 
jute  being  set  into  the  plaster  to  strength¬ 
en  it. 


BELOW — Left  to  right — The  “ life  mas\” 
completed.  The  hardened  mas\  is  being 
removed  from  the  actor's  face.  The  picture 
at  the  right  shows  the  sculptor  completing 
the  tas\  by  removing  clinging  bits  of  plas¬ 
ter  from  Wilcoxon's  eyebrows  and  lashes. 
The  concave  impression  of  the  actor’s  fet - 
tures  are  shown  in  the  mould  he  is  hold¬ 
ing,  in  the  center  photo. 

— Photos  by  Don  English. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


25 


PLASTER  SHOP— 

FANTASTIC  CREATIONS  MADE  IN  SHOPS 
AT  PARAMOUNT  FILM  PLANT 


GALLERY  of 
famous  players 
• —  that’s  the  latest 
assignment  given  to 
Hollywood’s  most 
prolific  sculptors. 

Paramount  studios 
plan  a  Hollywood 
hall  of  fame. 

Busts  of  William 
Powell,  Warren 
William,  Carole 
Lombard,  Wallace 
Beery  and  Eric  von 
Stroheim  have  al¬ 
ready  been  complet¬ 
ed.  To  these  will  be 
added  masks  and  fig¬ 
ures  of  Mae  West, 

Bing  Crosby,  Mar¬ 
lene  Dietrich,  W. 

C.  Fields,  Claudette 
Colbert,  George 
Raft,  Gary  Cooper, 

Baby  LeRoy,  and 
many  others,  all  ex- 
quitely  done  in  plas¬ 
ter,  by  the  magicians 
employed  in  this  de¬ 
partment. 

The  plaster  shop 
is  one  of  the  more 
fascinating  depart¬ 
ments  of  the  studio 
and  one  rarely  seen 
by  writers  and  visi¬ 
tors. 

Its  name  hardly 
does  it  justice,  for 
from  there  come  exquisite  wood  carvings 
and  marble  sculpture,  as  well  as  plaster 
models. 

In  its  spacious,  blanched  confines, 
skilled  workmen  from  every  part  of  the 
world  labor  to  execute  the  designs  of  the 
art  department. 

There  are  175  of  them  at  the  peak  of 
production. 

“We  do  every  kind  of  figure  and  or¬ 
namental  modeling,”  says  Victor  Caccia- 


lanza,  head  of  the  department.  “We 
make  decorative  columns,  rails,  moldings, 
panels,  statues,  placques,  bas-relief,  gar¬ 
den  furniture,  and  intricate  wood-carv¬ 
ings.  We  duplicate  or  adapt  any  design, 
ancient  or  modern.  Giant  gargoyles  and 
hand-carved  tent  poles  for  ’The  Cru¬ 
sades’  and  moderne  statuary  for  Mae 
West’s  ’Goin’  To  Town’  both  came  from 
here.  And  the  work  is  all  done  by 
hand.” 


Caccialanza  then 
explained  how  the 
hall  of  fame  statues 
will  be  made. 

“If  possible,  we 
will  have  the  stars 
pose.  If  not,  we  can 
work  from  masks  or 
photographs — as  we 
have  before.  The 
sculptors  will  create 
a  likeness  in  clay, 
from  which  we  will 
make  a  gelatine  glue 
mould.  Plaster,  or 
whatever  other  ma¬ 
terial  we  decide  to 
use,  will  be  poured 
into  the  mould  and 
reinforced,  if  neces¬ 
sary,  with  fibre  or 
wire,  which  hardens 
into  the  material 
and  helps  hold  it  to¬ 
gether.” 

Asked  if  it  would 
take  long  to  produce 
the  individual  sta- 
t  u  e  s  ,  Caccialanza 
said  no. 

“Training  enables 
the  men  to  work 
rapidly.  It  is  inter¬ 
esting  to  see  what 
happens  when  they 
’pour’  a  mould. 
Everybody  in  the 
shop  rushes  over  to 
see  if  the  pour  has 
been  fine  enough  to  pick  up  every  detail 
of  the  mould,  and  that  there  are  no  cracks 
or  air  pockets.  We  ordinarily  can’t  af¬ 
ford  to  make  mistakes  both  because  of 
the  loss  of  material  and  the  amount  of 
work  ahead  of  us.” 

Illustrated  on  this  page  are  the  de¬ 
tailed  processes  used  in  making  life 
masks  of  the  various  studio  players. 
These  life  masks,  prepared  with  the 
greatest  of  care,  form  the  nucleus  of  the 
completed  busts  for  the  hall  of  fame. 


26 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 93 5" 


FILM  PROPERTIES- 

Strange  Disarray  Proves  Orderly  In 
Checkup  of  Columbia  s  Prop  Room 

By  FANYA  GRAHAM 


TUCKED  away  on  the  back  lot  of 
Columbia  Studios,  far  away  from 
temperamental  actors,  harassed  execu- 
tives,  and  concentrating  scenarists,  is  the 
property  department. 

A  studio  visitor,  peering  into  the  bar' 
racksdike  structure,  is  told  that  this  is 
where  the  props  come  from  • —  “you 
know,  all  the  things  that  are  used  in 
the  picture!” 

To  the  average  layman,  the  long 
shelves  loaded  with  miscellany  seem  clut- 
tered  and  untidy.  The  carefully  stacked 
furniture  seems  to  be  in  an  amazing  dis¬ 
array.  The  hard-working,  hurrying 
men,  in  shirt-sleeves  and  slacks,  resemble 
bees  buying  about  a  hive. 

Yet  this  huge  room,  with  its  gate 
opening  onto  a  side  street,  its  half-dozen 
hand  carts,,  its  ringing  telephones  and 
corner  offices,  is  a  pivot  of  the  motion 
picture  industry. 

The  studio  guide  speaks  truly  when 
he  says  that  everything  that  is  used  in  a 
picture  hearkens  from  this  place.  To 
be  even  more  accurate,  however,  he 
should  make  two  exceptions — the  actors 
themselves  and  the  clothes  they  wear! 
The  players  enter  through  the  front 
lobby,  their  wardrobes  are  concocted  in 
a  workroom  off  in  another  corner  of  the 
studio  lot. 

Every  piece  of  furniture  you  see  on 
the  screen  in  a  Columbia  picture  first 
makes  its  studio  debut  on  the  floor  of  the 
property  room.  There  it  is  examined  to 
make  sure  it  is  what  the  director  and  the 
set-dresser  ordered.  From  there  it  goes 
to  the  designated  set,  where  it  is  put 
into  place  by  the  swing-gang,  who  work 
out  of  the  property  department.  And 
there  it  remains,  for  an  hour  or  for  a 
month,  until  the  sequence  for  which  it 
was  specified  is  finished.  Back  to  the 
property-room  it  comes.  Once  again  it 
is  examined  to  make  sure  it  is  in  perfect 
condition  and  then  back  it  goes  to  the 
place  from  which  it  was  rented,  or,  if 
it  was  purchased,  it  is  stacked  away  for 
future  use. 


David  Milton 


However,  Columbia,  more  than  any 
of  the  major  studios,  makes  a  point  of 
renting  rather  than  purchasing  its  props. 
One  reason  for  this  is  the  lack  of  avail¬ 
able  storage  room.  But  the  real  reason 
is  that  renting  bric-a-brac  and  furniture 
especially  for  each  production  results  in 
more  modern  and  up-to-the-minute  sets. 
Objects  aren’t  used  just  because  they’re 
around  or  because  the  original  invest¬ 
ment  must  be  justified.  Directors  specify 
their  needs  and  the  property  department 
fills  the  bill.  No  matter  what’s  wanted, 
the  answer  invariably  is,  “Sure!  When 
do  you  want  it?” 

Headed  by  David  Milton,  an  alert 
young  man  with  an  unruffled  d;sposi- 
tion  and  a  jovial  sense  of  humor,  the 
Columbia  property  department  consists 
of  a  regular  staff  of  twenty  men.  These 
employees,  several  of  whom  have  been  at 
the  studio  since  its  inception,  are  always 
kept  busy.  But  when  more  productions 
than  usual  are  in  work  or  in  preparation, 
the  personnel  doubles  in  size. 

The  head  prop-man  on  each  picture  is 


technically  under  the  supervision  of  Sam 
Nelson,  production  manager,  but  for  all 
practical  purposes,  his  home-ground  is 
the  property  room  itself,  for  it’s  there 
he  lists  his  needs,  it’s  there  he  replen¬ 
ishes  his  overflowing  prop-box,  and  it’s 
there  he  gets  his  message  and  punches 
his  time-clock. 

To  the  property  department  comes 
one  of  the  first  copies  of  a  shooting 
script.  Another  copy  has  already  found 
its  way  to  Stephen  Goosson,  Columbia’s 
art  director-in-chief,  who  supervises  such 
varied  aspects  of  picture  making  as  the 
carpenter  shop,  the  drafting  room,  the 
mill,  the  electrical  laboratory,  and  the 
property  department.  Goosson  and  his 
aides  line  up  the  sets,  order  them  built, 
and  then  Ted  Dickson,  head  set-dresser 
goes  to  work.  It’s  his  personal  job  to 
see  that  all  sets  are  authentic  and  ef¬ 
fective.  He  visits  any  or  all  of  the  twen¬ 
ty  property  houses  in  Hollywood  which 
cater  exclusively  to  the  studios.  He  picks 
out  everything  needed  for  the  picture, 
from  a  lamp  to  a  latchkey.  Then  he  re¬ 
ports  back  to  Milton,  who  arranges  with 
the  transportation  department  to  have  it 
picked  up  and  delivered  to  the  prop- 
room. 

And  it’s  Dickson  and  his  assistants 
who  make  chalk-marks  on  the  set  itself, 
indicating  just  where  each  piece  of  fur¬ 
niture  or  bric-a-brac  is  to  be  set  down. 
Once  the  objects  have  been  checked 
through  the  prop-room,  then  the  swing- 
gang  puts  them  into  place,  doing  such 
miscellaneous  things  as  making  beds,  set¬ 
ting  tables,  arranging  flowers,  filling 
bookcases  and  hanging  mirrors  and  pic¬ 
tures. 

But  if  the  object  “works”  in  the  pic¬ 
ture — that  is,  if  an  actor  uses  it  in  front 
of  the  camera — the  head  prop-man  as¬ 
signed  to  each  picture  takes  personal 
charge.  Let  us  illustrate  with  an  in¬ 
stance  in  “Love  Me  Forever”,  the  Grace 
Moore  starring  picture  for  Columbia.  If 
Miss  Moore  merely  sits  at  her  dressing- 


June,  1 935 

table  and  carries  on  a  conversation,  the 
table  would  be  arranged  and  decorated 
by  the  swing-gang.  But  if  she  picks  up 
a  comb,  even  if  only  to  finger  it  idly, 
then  that  comb  is  a  working  prop  and 
it’s  up  to  the  head  property-man  to  make 
absolutely  sure  that  it’s  just  the  sort  of 
comb  it  should  be. 

The  personnel  of  the  property  depart¬ 
ment  includes  Milton,  as  head;  Jules 
Strader,  his  secretary,  who  keeps  track 
of  who  is  working  and  when,  and  all 
other  miscellaneous  details  connected 
with  office  routine;  Herb  Levitane,  who 
arranges  tieups;  Ted  Dickson,  as  head 
set-dresser,  with  his  two  assistants. 
George  Montgomery  and  Faye  Babcock. 
Dave  Campbell  is  the  department’s 
florist. 

Then  there  are  two  checkers,  Joe  Eck- 
ley  and  James  Miller.  Eckley  is  person¬ 
ally  responsible  for  seeing  that  every¬ 
thing  that  comes  into  the  room  also 
leaves — and  as  soon  as  possible,  to  les¬ 
sen  the  rental  cost.  It's  up  to  Miller  to 
see  that  the  objects  are  in  perfect  con¬ 
dition;  if  they’re  lost  or  damaged,  he 
makes,  with  Milton’s  O.  K.,  the  neces¬ 
sary  adjustments. 

Robert  Kirk,  as  outside  man,  does  all 
the  necessary  purchasing.  He  shops  for 
anything  from  an  out-of -season  Bartlett 
pear  to  an  antique  music  box  with  danc¬ 
ing  mannequins.  Herbert  Leslie,  as 
houseman,  is  responsible  for  every  prop 
owned  by  the  studio.  If  a  director  asks 
for  a  paper-knife  used  two  years  ago — 
and  it  belongs  to  the  studio — Leslie  will 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

RENTAL  FIRMS 
PROVIDE  MOST 
"PROPS"  USED 
IN  FILMS  AT 
COLUMBIA  PLANT 


find  it  for  him  without  a  momen’t  delay. 
He  also  makes  sure  that  the  said  direc¬ 
tor’s  special  property-man  returns  that 
paper-knife — or  else! 

Robert  Priestley  and  Frank  Tuttle  su¬ 
pervise  the  swing-gang,  the  personnel  of 
which  includes  George  Ballerino,  James 
Warner,  Joe  Kish,  Ted  Cummings, 
Everett  Richardson,  Joseph  Freedman, 
Milton  Green,  William  Black,  Clarence 
Peete,  A1  Richard,  James  Crowe,  Robert 
Bradfield,  Sy  Shelley,  George  Taylor  and 
A1  Woodford. 

There  are  seven  head  prop-men — Jack 
Wrenn,  Stanley  Dunn,  Frank  Foster, 
Charles  Granucci,  Mel  Wolf,  Ray  Hunt 


27 

and  George  Rheim.  No  matter  how 
they  are  aided  by  the  department  itself, 
theirs  is  the  personal  responsibility  of 
the  picture  to  which  they  are  assigned. 
Every  time  any  one  of  them  makes  a 
mistake,  the  whole  world  writes  in  to 
tell  his  boss  about  it. 

But  when  the  property  department,  as 
typified  by  the  head  prop-man,  is  right 
- — as  999  times  out  of  1,000  he  is — it’s 
all  in  the  day’s  work. 

Prop-men  are  the  best  all-around 
“worriers”  in  the  business  and  they  do 
so  much  worrying  the  whole  prop  de¬ 
partment  co-operates  in  fretting. 

But  even  though  they’re  unhonored 
and  unsung,  it  can  never  be  said  that 
the  world  little  notes  nor  long  remem¬ 
bers  what  they  do  for  a  living.  Prop- 
men  start  being  Johnny-on-the-spot  and 
Jack-of-all-trades  several  days  before  a 
picture  goes  into  production.  Their 
work  is  finished  when  the  film  goes  to 
the  cutting  room,  but  they’re  on  the  spot 
for  years  to  come.  Some  fan  in  faroff 
Finland  is  apt  to  ferret  out  a  flaw  long 
after  the  studio  has  forgotten  the  picture 
was  ever  made. 

Prop-men  must  be  as  diplomatic  as  sec¬ 
retaries  of  state,  as  ingenious  as  Robin¬ 
son  Crusoes,  as  inventive  as  Edison,  and 
as  energetic  as  perpetual  motion  contrap¬ 
tions.  They  are  never  permitted  alibis 
or  explanations;  they  deliver! 

But  property-men,  even  though  they 
won’t  admit  it,  even  to  themselves,  get 
their  greatest  delight  out  of  unearthing 
errors  in  pictures  made  by  other  studios! 


COLUMBIA  STUDIO'S  efficient  property  department  crew.  Shown.  left  to  right,  are  Al  Woodford,  George  Taylor,  Sy  Shelley,  Robert  Brad - 
field,  James  Crowe,  Al  Richard,  Clarence  Peete,  William  Black,  George  Rheim,  Milton  Green,  Joseph  Friedman,  Frank.  Tuttle,  Everett  Rich - 
ardson,  Ted  Cummings,  Joe  Kish,  James  Miller,  James  Warner,  Faye  Babcock.,  Joe  Eckley,  George  Ballerino,  Dave  Milton,  Robert  Priestly. 


28 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 93? 


NO  DULL  CAREER! 


Capt.  E. 


H.  Rob  inson  s  Entry  Into 


Pictures  Made  at  Flying  School 

By  BEN  BURNETT  and  DALE  MILLS 


BLIND  flying,  1I,000  feet  in  the  air 
and  his  goggles  frozen  over  with 
moisture  was  one  of  several  harrowing 
experiences  for  Captain  Earl  H.  Robin' 
son,  Hollywood’s  premier  film  flyer.  Not 
being  able  to  see  the  dials,  he  allowed 
the  huge  plane  to  flap  blindly  downward 
at  will.  When  the  indicator  pointed  to 
2000  feet  and  commands  were  being 
given  to  the  cameramen  to  leave  the  ship 
by  parachute,  the  plane  broke  through 
the  cloud  bank  800  feet  above  a  peace' 
ful  looking  valley,  much  to  the  discredit 
of  the  altimeter. 

Captain  Robinson,  familiarly  known 
in  Hollywood  as  “Robbie”  has  had  an 
interesting,  though  somewhat  varied  ca' 
reer.  Shortly  before  his  graduation 
from  the  Advanced  Flying  School  at 
Kelly  Field,  San  Antonio,  a  Paramount 
location  unit  arrived  to  commence  the 
filming  of  “Wings”.  After  pestering  the 
entire  company  for  several  days  he  was 
finally  given  a  job  dressing  dummies. 
This  job  he  held  until  his  graduation 
from  school  and  at  the  same  time  grad' 
uated  to  the  post  of  Chief  Aeronautical 
Assistant  to  William  Wellman,  director 
of  the  picture.  Upon  completion  of  the 
flying  scenes  he  returned,  with  the  com¬ 
pany,  to  the  West  Coast.  Since  then  he 
has  worked  on  “Young  Eagles”,  “Sky 
Bride”,  “Lost  Squadron”,  “Dawn  Pa¬ 
trol”,  “Legion  of  the  Condemned”;  in 
fact,  practically  every  air  picture  that 
has  been  made.  He  has  worked  as  stunt 
pilot,  aeronautical  supervisor,  chief  pilot, 
scenario  collaborator,  camera  pilot  and 
has  even  applied  make-up  to  appear  in 
actual  scenes. 

One  of  his  most  recent  pictures  was 
“Wings  in  the  Dark”  on  which  he  did 
the  screen  adaptation  and  handled  the 
flying  direction.  Flying  direction  is 
somewhat  changed  since  his  advent  into 
pictures  eight  years  ago.  The  camera 
plane,  in  which  he  flies,  is  now  radio- 
equipped.  In  other  words,  he  can  direct 
from  his  plane  without  being  ’talked 
back  to’,  an  advantage  that  ground  direc¬ 
tors  would,  at  times,  like  to  have  Rob¬ 
bie’s  original  story  tentatively  titled 
“Fledglings”,  was  bought  by  the  Fox 
Studios  and  is  now  being  readied  for 


When  questioned  about  his  “stunt 
work”  he  was,  at  first,  a  little  reticent, 
but  later  told  us  of  one  of  his  narrowest 
escapes.  The  picture,  he  would  not  men¬ 
tion,  but  a  grounded  plane,  loaded  with 
60  sticks  of  dynamite  was  one  of  the 
props.  Robbie  was  to  dive  from  an  al¬ 
titude  of  5000  feet  and  flatten  out  25 
feet  over  it.  The  explosion  should  have 
occured  as  the  tail  of  his  plane  cleared 
the  ground  one  but  through  an  error  the 
blast  came  just  as  he  was  above.  Stunned 
momentarily,  he  climbed  to  an  altitude 
of  1500  feet.  He  realised  that  his  pro¬ 
peller  was  bent  and  some  of  the  fabric 
missing  from  one  of  the  wings  but  his 
motor  was  behaving  so  that  he  was  able 
to  make  a  safe,  though  somewhat  preca¬ 
rious,  landing.  To  him,  just  another 
day’s  work,  but  making  our  typewriter 
seem  a  sort  of  ‘haven  of  rest.’ 


Capt.  E.  H.  Robinson 

production.  As  a  sort  of  ‘jack  of  all 
trades’,  with  his  flymg  direction,  adap¬ 
tations  and  original  stories  it  wouldn’t 
surprise  us  to  see  him,  in  the  very  near 
future,  become  a  full-fledged  drector. 


When  we  talked  to  him  he  had  just 
returned  from  Bishop,  California,  where 
he  had  been  on  location  for  Paramount 
studios.  His  crew  there  was  comprised 
of  twenty-five  men,  two  camera-ships 
and  four  cameramen.  They  were  there 
(Continued  on  Page  51) 


Captain  Robinson  with  Charles  Marshall,  aerial  cameraman,  shown  preparing  to  ta\e  off  for 
an  aerial  photography  expedition  over  Hollywood. 


June,  193? 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


29 


ONLY  DANCERS 

SHOULD  DANCE 


{£/~\NLY  dancers  should  dance”  is 

\y  LeRoy  Print’s,  dance  director  of 
Parmount  Studios,  emphatic  opinion. 
“When  the  screen  flashes  a  dance  scene 
it  should  contain  dancing,  not  merely 
pretty  faces  and  cute  gestures.  Beauti- 
ful  costumes,  clever  sets  and  mechanical 
ingenuity  alone  are  not  enough.  When 
used  in  conjunction  with  authentic  dance 
routines  executed  by  proficient  and  ar- 
tistic  performers  the  result  is  harmoni- 
ous  and  satisfying,  but  to  subordinate 
the  dancing  as  a  mere  incidental  part  of 
a  setting  in  what  is  intended  as  a  dance 
sequence,  is  wasting  and  abusing  the  op- 
portunities  and  scope  presented  by  mo- 
tion  pictures.  The  dance  is  the  thing, 
the  setting  is  only  its  background.” 

“And,”  continued  Mr.  Prinz,  “you 
can’t  expect  good  dancing  from  un- 
trained  girls  selected  solely  because  of 
their  beauty  of  face  and  figure.  The 
girls  must  be  not  only  beautiful  but  also 
talented  and  experienced  dancers.” 

Prinz  readily  acknowledges  his  own 
shortcomings  as  a  dancer,  but  he  knows 
dancing  as  only  few  dancers  or  dance  di- 
rectors  ever  have.  He  has  studied  the 
art  of  dancing  and  its  numerous  forms 
in  many  countries  and  climes  and  has 
collected  one  of  the  largest  private  li- 
braries  on  the  subject  in  existence.  As 
Prinz  says,  “Every  country,  in  fact  the 
geographical  subdivision  of  many  couiv 
tries,  have  their  own  individual  methods 
in  dancing  of  expressing  their  racial  char' 
acte.rstics”  and  it  is  Prinz’s  constant  en- 
deavor  to  express  the  true  spirit  of  the 
various  races  choreographically  when' 
ever  the  plot  centers  in  their  locale. 

This  necessitates  exhaustive  research 
and  he  doesn’t  hesitate  to  send  field 
scouts  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  pro¬ 
cure  the  requisite  data.  He  undertakes 
a  dance  characterization  only  when  he 
has  at  hand  and  has  absorbed  all  avail¬ 
able  information  on  the  subject.  For 
exmple,  in  “Lives  of  a  Bengal  Lancer” 
six  months  were  spent  abroad  gathering 
the  necessary  material,  “Cleopatra”  kept 
his  scouts  in  Egypt  over  three  months 
and  in  “Rumba”  he  imported  the  best 
native  dancers  procurable  to  supply  the 
necessary  choreographic  details. 

In  the  design  and  building  of  sets  he 


LeRoy  Prinz 


is  no  less  painstaking.  He  has  a  minia¬ 
ture  built  of  the  proposed  set  and  then 
with  costumed  cardboard  cutouts  of  the 
dancers  visualizes  and  arranges  every 
detail  of  the  dance  so  that  when  the 
scene  is  to  be  shot  he  knows  the  place 
of  every  member  of  group  and  his  or 
her  action. 

His  task  is  not  made  easier  by  the 
supervisors  and  producers  who  are  gen¬ 
erally  inclined  to  view  his  activities 
through  budgetary  spectacles  he  point 
out,  but  his  methods  have  proven  so  suc¬ 
cessful  that  he  seldom  any  more  meets 
with  great  opposition. 

Another  tenet  of  Prinz’s  creed  is  that 
“fewer  dancers  make  better  dances”.  He 
asserts,  “Ensembles  robbed  dancing  of 
its  thrills  because  the  cameras  have  to 
be  placed  a  long  way  off  in  order  to  get 
the  whole  set  in  their  lenses.  By  hav¬ 
ing  smaller,  better  trained  groups  we 
obtain  more  beautiful  steps  and  num¬ 
bers,  newer  types  of  dancing,  and  an  in¬ 
finitely  more  satisfying  performance.” 

His  methods  and  results  have  received 
recognition  and  renown  all  over  the 
world  and  although  his  activities  are 
circumscribed  by  Paramount  he  has  man¬ 
aged  to  send  a  troupe  to  Europe  which 
has  just  completed  a  very  successful  six 
months’  engagement  in  London  and  an¬ 


other  group  of  his  girls  are  touring  the 
East. 

Prinz  enjoys  a  really  enviable  reputa¬ 
tion  as  a  dance  director  and  as  a  man,  a 
real  man’s  man  he  commands  every 
one’s  respect  and  admiration. 

His  amazing  career  reads  like  fiction. 
He  was  born  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  July 
14,  1895.  His  father,  now  retired,  was 
a  dance  director  in  St.  Joseph. 

Prinz  attended  grammar  and  high 
schools  in  his  native  city,  and  when  he 
was  1  ?  ran  away  from  home.  He  ship¬ 
ped  on  various  tramp  freighters,  and 
eventually  wound  up  in  Europe,  where 
he  joined  the  French  Foreign  Legion. 
He  served  nine  months  in  Algiers,  and 
then  went  back  to  France,  at  the  out¬ 
break  of  the  World  War,  to  enlist  in 
the  French  aviation  corps. 

When  America  entered  the  war, 
Prinz  was  sent  back  to  the  United  States 
for  more  flying  instruction,  and  then 
went  back  to  France  again  with  the  94th 
Aerial  Squadron.  During  hostilities  he 
survived  fourteen  crashes. 

Following  the  war,  Prinz  elected  to 
stay  in  Europe,  and  directed  dances  for 
Max  Reinhardt,  in  the  Folies  Bergere,  in 
Spain,  and  in  Switzerland.  He  came 
back  to  the  United  States  in  1920,  and 
spent  approximately  a  year  in  various 
hospitals  recuperating  from  his  war  in¬ 
juries.  He  has  a  silver  plate  in  his  skull 
and  a  shattered  jaw,  among  other  things. 

In  1921  Prinz  went  to  Mexico,  where 
first  he  instructed  government  student 
aviators,  and  later  flew  ammunition  into 
Mexico  for  the  rebels.  When  his  ac¬ 
tivities  were  discovered,  he  fled,  by  plane 
to  South  America,  where  he  went  back 
to  dance  instruction  again,  and  arranged 
a  series  of  “Charleston”  contests. 

By  192?  he  was  back  in  America 
again,  this  time  as  a  stager  of  shows  in 
a  string  of  cabarets  allegedly  owned  by 
Al  Capone.  After  being  taken  for  a 
“ride”,  supposedly  by  rival  gangsters, 
beaten  up  severely,  and  getting  both  arms 
broken,  Prinz  decided  to  leave  Chicago, 
and  went  to  New  York.  Here  he  staged 
dance  routines  for  Earl  Carroll,  Florenz 
Ziegfeld,  the  Shuberts  and  other  pro¬ 
ducers. 

Early  in  1931,  Prinz  came  to  Holly- 
(Continued  on  Page  36) 


30 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  193 5 


A  scene  from  the  original  picture  of  “The  Spoilers’’. 
William  Desmond  and  Tom  Santschi  squaring  off  in 
one  of  the  more  tense  moments.  Dic\  LaRano  is  seen 
between  the  two  men. 


Alum  Wyc\off,  Barbara  LaMarr,  Fred  Jffi bio,  Enid  Bennett  and 
William  Austin  are  seen  in  this  still  from  “ Captain  Applejacfi.” 


A  spectacular  shot  from  an  early  military  film.  Jffote  the  old  DeBrie 
cameras,  the  Gatling  gun  and  the  location. 


“Why  Change  T our  Wife”  was  the  name  of  this  early  Paramount 

picture. 


Remember  l\[ita  Tffaldi?  Here  she  is  with  all  her  feline  wiles  in 
“True  As  Steel’’. 


June,  1 935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


31 


“Joan  the  Woman’’  about  to  be  burned  at  the  stake. 
Theodore  Roberts  looks  on  while  Geraldine  Farrar,  as 
“Joan”  prepares  for  death. 


Theodore  Kosloff  in  an  embarrassing  moment  in  one  of  the  earlier 
Paramount  films. 


Whatever  the  picture  is,  where  it  was  taken,  and  when,  is  a  mys¬ 
tery,  hut  the  DeBrie  camera  establishes  it  as  ancient  history. 


Directors  and  cameramen  enjoying  a  get-together  sometime  in  1917. 
Included  in  the  group  are  James  Van  Trees,  Phil  Rosen,  Reginald 
Bar\er,  William  Desmond  Taylor,  Alvin  Wyckoff,  Fred  Kelsey,  Wil¬ 
liam  C.  Marshall,  George  Melford,  Guy  Willey,  Ed  LaSaint,  Ed 
Sloman,  Del  Henderson,  Charles  Chase,  Billy  Mason,  Arthur  Edeson. 


Another  sequence  from  “Why  Change  T our  Wife.”  Thomas 
Meighan  and  Julia  Faye  risking  a  ducking  for  atmosphere. 


32 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 935 


A  BRIDAL  TROUSSEAU 

By  VERA  WEST 
Wardrobe  Head  Universal  Studios 


IF  studio  costume  designers  were  a  bit 
more  practical  in  their  costuming  of 
film  actresses,  there  would  be  fewer  bad' 
ly  dressed  women  in  the  world,  is  the 
contention  of  Vera  West,  one  of  the 
two  women  studio  designers  in  Holly' 
wood. 

“Only  a  woman  can  understand  how 
others  of  her  sex  yearn  to  look  like  some' 
one  they  admire,”  says  Miss  West.  “It 
isn’t  just  a  longing  to  ‘ape’  someone 
who  is  famous,  but  a  real  desire  for  the 
beautiful  things  of  life  that  every  worn' 
an  has  in  her  heart,  that  makes  Mary 
Doe  of  Smithville  want  to  look  like  the 
star  of  last  night’s  film.” 

“When  she  sees  that  star  in  clothes 
that  are  not  only  extreme  in  style,  but 
often  positively  grotesque  in  design,  her 
imagination  is  distorted  and  her  judg' 
ment  of  good  taste  warped,  for  it  never 
occurs  to  her  that  her  idol  may  be  bad¬ 
ly  dressed.  It  has  come  to  be  a  general 
belief  that  motion  picture  actresses  are 
“swell  dressers”  and  even  the  commercial 
houses  copy  their  clothes  for  sale  to  the 
casual  purchaser,  without  thought  that 
each  line  of  the  dress  he  has  copied  was 
originally  created  for  a  distinct  person¬ 
ality. 

“In  costuming  a  film  I  make  an  effort 


Margaret  Sullavan's  wedding  gown  of 
silver  tissue  and  bridal  tulle  is  suitable 
for  any  June  bride.  Simple  in  lines,  its 
chief  novelty  is  the  triple  shoulder  veil. 

— Fruelich  Photo. 


to  combine  the  practical  with  the  beau¬ 
tiful.  There  is  no  reason  why  a  motion 
picture  costume  should  not  be  beautiful 
off  the  screen  as  well  as  on,  or  why  it 


should  not  be  adaptable  for  ordinary 
wear. 

"In  this  month  of  brides  I  have  picked 
a  few  models  that  are  good  picture  mod¬ 
els,  but  may  be  worn  by  or  adapted  to 
almost  any  girl’s  trousseau,  to  serve  as 
an  example. 

“Sally  Ellers’  lace  dress  is  lovely 
through  the  camera’s  eye  and  yet  is  prac¬ 
tical.  Most  any  girl  could  wear  it.  The 
cartrifge  pleats  on  the  shoulder  are  held 
stiff  by  hair  braid,  since  lace  is  too  soft 
to  remain  in  place  alone.  The  skirt  is 
slenderising,  but  the  seven  yard  round 
flounce  balances  the  large  puffed  sleeves, 
giving  a  grace  that  is  necessary  for  any 
woman’s  attractiveness. 

“Little  touches,  such  as  the  lacings  on 
June  Clayworth’s  belt  are  individual  and 
eye-catching,  having  good  photographic 
value.  The  bouquet  on  Dorothy  Page’s 
organdy  frock,  breaks  the  length  of  the 
frills,  etc. 

“In  the  matter  of  jewels,  it  is  a  temp¬ 
tation  to  many  women  to  over  load  with 
costume  jewelry.  On  the  screen  this  is 
dangerous.  One  piece  too  many  will 
make  a  woman  look  overdressed.  Miss 
West  always  selects  the  jewelry  to  be 
worn  with  each  gown.  ‘It  is  sometimes 


Sally  Eilers  in  a  quilted  taffeta  coat  with 
puff  sleeves  and  a  widely  flared  s\irt.  It  is 
graceful  and  warm  for  evening. 

- — McLean  Photo. 


A  lace  dress,  always  in  good  taste,  is 
shown  here  by  Miss  Eilers. 

— McLean  Photo. 


A  dressy  afternoon  tailleur  with  which  to 
wear  a  dainty  blouse  and  semi-dress  hat. 
It  is  a  necessity  to  the  bride  who  desires 
to  loo\  well  in  any  circumstances. 

— McLean  Photo. 


June,  J  93 5 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


33 

FROM  THE  FILMS 


difficult,’  sfie  says  ‘to  get  an  actress  to 
forego  wearing  a  favorite  piece  of  jeweL 
ry,  and  frequently  she  will  add  it  to 
her  costume  after  reaching  the  set,  but 
I  try  to  impress  upon  her  that  every  line 
in  a  costume  means  something  and  if  she 
disturbs  the  line  she  is  losing  something 
from  her  own  personality.’ 

“Arms  are  another  test  of  the  cos- 
tume  designer’s  art.  All  actresses  do 
not  have  beautiful  hands  and  arms,  and 
rare  are  the  Mary  Does  of  Smithville 
who  possess  them.  A  soft  drape  or 
sleeve  will  cover  a  multitude  of  sins,  and 
if  the  arm  be  long  and  the  gown  formal, 
a  bracelet  of  the  right  type  and  color 
will  cut  the  length.  A  clever  actress 
who  recognises  her  long  arms,  will  ah 
ways  keep  them  gracefully  bent,  never 
permitting  the  audience  to  see  them 
hanging,  when  their  length  will  be  rec¬ 
ognized. 

“Rings  rarely  photograph  well.  They 
do  not  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  hand 
and  if  it  is  not  beautiful,  it  calls  atten¬ 
tion  to  it.” 

In  addition,  Miss  West  says:  “If  all 
the  thick  chested  women  would  get  over 
the  idea  that  by  adding  jabots  and  frills 
they  are  covering  up  their  size,  it  would 
help  a  lot  to  create  better  dressed  women 
both  on  the  screen  and  off.  I  find  that 


A  light  \ids\in  coat  is  invaluable  since  it 
may  be  worn  for  sports  or  evening. 
Without  a  hat  and  with  a  long  dress,  it 
serves  the  latter  purpose  exceptionally 
well.  Dorothy  Page  wears  this  type  of 
coat  over  a  navy  string  sports  dress. 

a  plain  front  with  a  soft  fullness  at  the 
waistline,  gives  the  big  chested  woman 
a  straighter  line,  so  I  continue  the  line  to 
the  knee,  where  a  full  flare  to  the  floor 
will  add  balance  to  the  figure. 


“Thin  necks  are  easier  to  conceal  than 
thick  ones  and  soft  ruffles  or  a  dainty 
necklace  usually  answers  the  purpose, 
but  a  thick  neck  requires  a  lot  of 
thought,  and  Mary  Doe  had  better  think 
well  and  long  before  she  copies  a  frock 
that  has  been  made  with  the  idea  of  con¬ 
cealing  some  such  difficulty. 

“Satin  is  a  dangerous  material  to  use 
without  considerable  thought.  It  takes 
highlights,  all  very  well  in  a  film  where 
the  camera  man  has  his  eye  on  it  con¬ 
stantly,  but  on  the  dance  floor  it  is  apt 
to  make  one  look  bulky  if  its  wearer  has 
any  curves  at  all.  Even  on  the  screen 
it  should  be  handled  very  carefully.” 

In  conclusion,  Miss  West  says:  “Imi¬ 
tation  is  the  sincerest  flattery,  but  I 
doubt  very  much  if  the  imitators  of 
some  film  costumes  were  flattered  by 
wearing  them.  Since  most  of  us  do  not 
see  ourselves  as  others  see  us,  it  would 
be  well  if  those  responsible  for  costum¬ 
ing  pictures  would  remember  that  Mary 
Doe’s  copy  of  Gwendolyn  Starbright’s 
gown  is  not  going  to  add  to  the  cos¬ 
tumer’s  prestige  in  Mary’s  home  town  if 
Mary  fails  to  look  like  Gwendolyn  in 
her  version  of  a  design  that  is  extreme 
to  the  nth  degree.  Simplicity  cannot 
fail  to  be  good  taste.  Good  taste  in 
clothes  should  be  every  designer’s  aim.” 


~Ho  summer  trousseau  is  complete  without 
an  organdy  froc\.  Dorothy  Page  wears 
this  white  one  which  is  suitable  for  teas 
and  garden  parties. 

— McLean  Photo. 


For  morning  wear  or  spectator  sports  a 
pol\a  dot  crepe  in  navy  and  blue  is  al¬ 
ways  in  good  taste.  This  one  has  a  smart 
belt  and  is  worn  by  June  Clayworth. 

— McLean  Photo. 


Matelasse  retains  its  popularity  for  froc\s 
of  the  type  worn  here  by  June  Clayworth. 
A  broum  hat  and  accessories  together  with 
a  belt  of  straw,  complete  the  outfit. 


34 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 935 


DAILY  ASTROLOGICAL  GUIDE 


FOR  THE  ENTIRE  MONTH 
OF  JUNE 

By  RITA  DELMAR 

Associate  Editor,  National  Astrological  Journal 


Select  a  Favorable  Day  for  Tour 
Important  Transactions 


June  I— SATURDAY.  Slightly  un¬ 
favorable  for  public  contacts,  traffic  con¬ 
ditions,  all  things  bizarre  or  unusual 
until  3:43  p.  m.  Then  advance  finan¬ 
cial,  social,  artistic  interests. 

June  2 — SUNDAY.  Deceptive  con¬ 
ditions  exist  today,  so  attempt  nothing 
important.  Attend  to  correspondence, 
visits,  interviews  before  5:42  p.  m. 
Friendly  contacts,  altruistic  matters  are 
favored  until  7:41  p.  m. 

June  3 — MONDAY.  Excellent  for 
educational,  travel  matters,  good  judg¬ 
ment,  finances,  social  life,  artistic  inter¬ 
ests,  planning  ahead.  Buy  early  and  sell 
later  in  the  day. 

June  4—  TUESDAY.  Good  for  busi¬ 
ness,  home  improvements.  Spend  with 
discretion.  Develop  social,  artistic  and 
public  matters  through  arbitration  and 
courtesy. 

June  5 — WEDNESDAY.  Begin  im¬ 
portant  matters  after  5:51  a.  m.  Con¬ 
struction,  muscular  activity,  salesman¬ 
ship,  matters  requiring  pluck  and  auda¬ 
city  are  favored  until  2:33  p.  m.  Be 
conservative  in  judgment  thereafter,  sell 
but  do  not  buy. 

June  6 — THURSDAY.  The  morning 
favors  communications,  interviews,  trans¬ 
portation,  ingenious  ideas.  Afternoon 
is  propitious  for  social  and  financial  mat¬ 
ters,  entertainment  and  executive  inter¬ 
ests.  Not  a  good  day  to  contact  the  gen¬ 
eral  public. 

June  7 — FRIDAY.  Originality  is  the 
keynote  for  today.  Find  new  and  bet¬ 
ter  ways  of  doing  things.  Promote  cor¬ 
respondence,  cooperative  schemes,  re¬ 
forms,  electrical  and  transportational 
matters. 

June  8 — SATURDAY.  Follow  rou¬ 
tine  until  10:59  a.  m.  Avoid  lethargy; 
don’t  waste  enthusiasm  on  the  public. 
Correspondence,  travel,  legal  and  educa¬ 
tional  matters  are  propitiated  until  4:46 


p.  m.  The  evening  is  adverse,  attempt 
nothing  important. 

June  9 — SUNDAY.  A  good  day  to 
rest  and  relax.  Be  deliberate,  patient, 
well-poised.  Avoid  excesses,  hasty  action, 
quarrels,  a  tendency  to  accidents. 

June  10 — MONDAY.  Attend  to  rou¬ 
tine  only,  observing  yesterday’s  admoni¬ 
tions.  Guard  partnership  arrangements. 

June  11— TUESDAY.  Approach  ex¬ 
ecutives;  attend  to  entertainment,  cre¬ 
ative  interests  before  2:30  p.  m.  Avoid 
traffic  hazards,  eccentric  ideas,  irregular¬ 
ity  during  the  morning. 

June  12— WEDNESDAY.  Fine  for 
quick  thinking,  interviews,  correspond¬ 
ence,  travel,  reason  until  4:20  p.  m.  Af¬ 
ter  that,  avoid  carelessness,  waste,  un¬ 
popularity,  public  contacts. 

June  1 3  —  THURSDAY.  Develop 
your  talents,  resources;  attend  to  bank¬ 
ing,  legal  matters,  social  and  partnership 
interests,  plans,  public  honors  before 
12:51  p.  m.  Then  follow  routine. 

June  14 — FRIDAY.  Executive,  crea¬ 
tive  and  recreational  interests  may  be 
advanced  profitably  until  7:40  a.  m.  Eve¬ 
ning  favors  social,  artistic  interests. 

June  IS — SATURDAY.  Avoid  loss, 
privation,  delay  before  11 :01  a.  m.  Con¬ 
structive  effort,  sports,  salesmanship  is  fa¬ 
vored  until  0:04  p.  m.,  after  which  at¬ 
tempt  nothing  important. 

June  16  —  SUNDAY.  Unfavorable 
for  public  contacts.  Rest;  relax,  avoid¬ 
ing  “words”  or  making  promises  (espe¬ 
cially  in  writing). 

June  17 — MONDAY.  A  good  day 
for  general  activities,  but  refrain  from 
using  excess  force.  Be  deliberate,  pa¬ 
tient,  and  consistent  in  action.  The  eve¬ 
ning  is  excellent  for  advancing  all  af¬ 
fairs. 

June  18 — TUESDAY.  Social  and 
constructive  efforts,  financial,  artistic 
matters  are  propitiated  until  3:42  p.  m. 
Thereafter  attend  to  correspondence, 
travel,  or  make  plans. 


Rita  Delmar 


June  19— WEDNESDAY.  Avoid  a 
tendency  to  carelessness  and  laissez 
fane  today.  Conserve  funds;  resolve  to 
be  conventional  and  consistent.  Attend 
to  construction,  mechanical  activities, 
keep  busy  for  best  results. 

June  20— THURSDAY.  A  routine 
day.  Continue  to  conserve  funds.  De¬ 
fer  important  decisions;  avoid  display. 

June  21 — FRIDAY.  An  early  start 
is  essential  for  cooperation  from  others. 
Attend  to  writing,  travel,  executive  mat¬ 
ters  before  9:58  a.  m.  Then  avoid  pos¬ 
sibilities  of  accidents,  delays,  confusion, 
deceptive  conditions. 

June  22 — SATURDAY.  A  routine 
day.  Avoid  wrong  impressions;  don’t 
change  your  mind.  Be  cautious  about 
“signing  on  the  dotted  line.” 

June  23 — SUNDAY.  Avoid  public 
contacts.  Rest;  relax.  Use  care  with 
tools  and  steel  instruments. 

June  24 — MONDAY.  Financial,  so¬ 
cial,  partnership  matters  should  be  ad¬ 
vanced  until  10:26  a.  m.  Following  that 
time  be  conventional  and  consistent. 

June  25—  TUESDAY.  Writings,  con¬ 
ferences,  travel,  correspondence  are  fa¬ 
vored.  Avoid  explosive  and  separative 
tendencies,  irregular  methods. 

June  26— WEDNESDAY.  Adverse 
for  judgment,  impressions,  ready  cash, 
matters  of  adornment,  but  favorable  for 
creative  ideas,  executive  interests,  corpo¬ 
rations,  cooperatoin. 

June  27— THURSDAY.  Slightly  fa¬ 
vorable  for  mental  matters,  ideas,  execu¬ 
tive  interests,  but  attempt  nothing  im¬ 
portant. 

June  28 — FRIDAY.  Routine  only 
until  11:13  a.  m.  From  then  until  5:16 
p.  m.  advance  mental  creative,  construc¬ 
tive  projects,  use  bold,  even  audacious, 
tactics 

June  29— SATURDAY.  A  day  for 
correspondence,  conferences,  study,  ex¬ 
pression  of  ideas,  public  contacts.  The 
(Continued  on  Page  57) 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


35 


NEW 


COLOR  PROCESS 


RAW  FILM 

BLUE  SENSITIVE  EMULSION 
GREEN  «• 

RED  '«  7r 


COLOR  POSITIVE 

^-YELLOW  IMAGE 
- — MAGENTA  IMAGE 
'BLUE-GREEN  IMAGE 


“SAFETY  FILM  SUPPORT 


ANTIHALATION  _ 
BACKING 


CROSS- SECT  ION  OF  KODACHROME  FILM 


Subtractive  System  Used  in 
Kodachrome  Color 
Process 

( The  following  material  on  the  Kodachrome 
process  was  prepared  by 

DR.  G.  E.  KENNETH  MEES, 
vice-president  of  the  Eastman  Kodal{  Co.  in 

charge  of  research  and  development ) 

From  the  very  beginning  of  photography, 
experimenters  have  tried  to  make  photo- 

graphs  in  color  instead  of  in  monochrome, 
and  numberless  processes  have  been  put  for¬ 
ward  for  that  purpose.  The  ideal  process 

would  be  one  in  which  the  color  picture 

would  be  as  easy  to  take  and  as  certain  in 

result  as  the  monochrome  picture  is;  but  un¬ 
til  now  no  color  process  has  approached  that 
ideal. 

The  new  Kodachrome  process,  so  far  as 
the  photographer  is  concerned,  not  merely 
approaches  but  realizes  that  ideal.  It  is  as 
easy  to  take  16-mm.  color  pictures  by  the 
Kodachrome  process  as  it  is  to  take  16-mm. 
black  and  white  pictures,  and  the  percentage 
of  good  results  obtained  is  as  high. 

All  practical  processes  of  color  photog¬ 
raphy  depend  upon  the  division  of  the  light 
into  three  components,  red,  green,  and  blue- 
violet.  Pictures  are  taken  by  these  three  com¬ 
ponents  and  are  then  combined  by  some 
method  in  order  to  give  the  finished  color 
picture. 

Color  processes  are  divided  generally  into 
two  classes:  the  additive  processes  and  the 
subtractive  processes.  In  the  first,  the  three 
components  are  combined  by  direct  addition 
of  colored  images;  in  the  second,  the  three 
components  are  combined  by  printing  each 
negative  in  a  color  complementary  to  that 
which  was  used  in  taking,  and  these  colored 
prints  are  then  superimposed. 

In  the  classic  experiment  in  which  Clark 
Maxwell  demonstrated  the  additive  process  of 
color  photography  at  the  Royal  Institution, 
he  showed  three  pictures  of  a  colored  ribbon 
taken  by  light  of  the  three  primary  colors, 
and  he  projected  positives  from  his  original 
negatives  in  superposition  upon  a  screen,  each 
of  the  positives  being  projected  through  a  col¬ 
or  filter  of  the  same  color  as  that  used  in 
taking  the  negative.  With  modern  materials 
and  filters,  this  method  will  give  an  excellent 
reproduction  of  a  colored  object.  It  requires 
very  complicated  apparatus,  however,  and  is 
obviously  a  clumsy  method  of  obtaining  a  col¬ 
or  picture. 

Another  type  of  additive  process  is  that 
which  is  termed  the  “screen-unit  process.”  In 
this,  a  screen  is  used  over  the  whole  area  of 
the  film,  which  is  composed  of  very  small 
color  units — red,  green,  and  blue.  A  photo¬ 
graph  is  taken  through  the  screen  and  is  thus 
split  up  into  tiny  areas,  each  of  them  taken 
through  one  of  the  three  preliminary  filters. 
On  projection,  these  areas  cover  the  entire 
picture  with  little  spots  of  colored  light.  If 
a  red  object  be  photographed,  for  instance, 


the  film  will  be  fully  exposed  behind  the  red 
units  of  the  screen  but  will  not  be  exposed 
behind  the  blue  and  green  units,  and  after 
reversal,  the  green  and  blue  units  will  be 
blocked  out  by  the  black  deposit  of  silver, 
while  the  red  units  will  be  projected  in  full 
brilliancy  and  will  thus  produce  a  red  area 
on  the  screen  corresponding  to  the  red  object 
which  was  photographed. 

This  process  has  the  advantage  that  the 
film  can  be  used  in  any  camera,  exposure  can 
be  controlled  in  the  ordinary  way  with  a  dia¬ 
phragm,  and  the  film  can  be  projected  in 
any  projector.  Its  practical  disadvantages  are 
confined  to  the  screen  pattern,  which  is  ap¬ 
parent  on  projection,  to  the  absorption  of 
light  by  the  screen  unit,  which  involves  a 
considerable  loss  in  brightness,  and  to  the 
cost  of  the  special  screen-unit  film. 

In  the  Kodacolor  process,  which  has  been 
very  successful  for  amateur  cinematography, 
the  color  separation  is  obtained  optically.  In 
the  lens  of  the  camera  is  placed  a  multiple- 
color  filter  composed  of  red,  green,  and  blue 
units;  and  the  tiny  lenses  embossed  on  the 
film  make  multiple  images  of  these  three  units 
on  the  film  emulsion.  In  projection,  the  same 
three  filters  are  placed  on  the  lens  and  a 
color  picture  is  obtained  on  the  screen.  A 
multi-color  image  in  the  form  of  microscopic 
colored  strips  is  projected  and  reproduces  the 
colors  of  the  original. 

Turning  to  the  subtractive  processes,  if  the 
three  negatives  are  printed  as  images  in  col¬ 
ored  dye — the  red  negative  as  a  blue-green 
image,  the  green  negative  as  a  magenta  image 
and  the  blue  negative  as  a  yellow  image — 
and  these  three  color  images  are  assembled  in 


register  on  top  of  each  other,  a  color  picture 
will  result. 

It  will  be  seen  that  a  red  color  can  be  ob¬ 
tained  either  by  the  projection  of  light 
through  a  red  filter  on  the  screen,  as  in  the 
additive  processes,  or  by  the  projection  of 
the  light  through  successive  magenta  and  yel¬ 
low  images,  the  superposition  of  the  yellow 
on  the  magenta  producing  red.  In  the  same 
way,  a  green  image  can  be  obtained  by 
putting  a  blue-green  one  on  top  of  a  yel¬ 
low  one,  and  a  blue-violet  image  can  be  ob¬ 
tained  by  putting  a  blue-green  image  on  top 
of  a  magenta  one. 

In  working  the  subtractive  processes,  the 
three  negatives  may  be  taken  just  as  for  the 
additive  process,  and  then  positives  are  print¬ 
ed  in  some  way  which  enables  them  to  be 
made  of  a  colored  material,  the  commonest 
(Continued  on  Page  51) 


Ralph  V.  Kutsch  Charles  Stevens 

Los  Angeles 
Stage  Lighting  Co. 

Successors  to  Pineau  &  Howse 

Gelatin 

Studio-Stage-Laboratory 

Lamps  and  Electrical  Equipment 
for  Sale  or  Rent 

Fltzroy  1241  1451  Venice  Blvd. 


36 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 935 


CREW  GOES  FISHING 

A  big  time  was  had  by  the  crew  on  the 
Chaplin  “Production  No.  5"  when  they  char¬ 
tered  a  60-ft.  fishing  boat  on  Sunday,  May 
19th.  Meeting  at  Long  Beach  at  5  a.  m.  they 
put  out  for  Catalina.  No  records  were  made, 
however,  Harry  Orris,  the  mill  clerk  getting 
the  top,  six.  Those  making  the  trip  were 
Bill  Bogdanoff,  construction  chief,  and  his 
son,  Carter  de  Haven,  Jr.;  Leo  Donelson,  Bill 
Wsendorff,  Harry  Orriss,  L.  E.  Woods,  A.  J. 
Walter,  A.  Ferguson,  J.  Martindale,  Frank 
Antunez,  Mai  Donelson,  O.  Eichorn,  Ed 
Haas,  Bob  Depp,  Russ  Spencer,  H.  Clair,  F. 
L.  Merrill,  M.  H.  Serotte,  E.  L.  Berg,  E.  L. 
Parks  and  Andy  Kaktin.  With  the  excep¬ 
tion  of  Frank  Antunez  who  fell  overboard 
and  was  rescued  with  a  life  belt,  there  were 
no  casualties,  and  the  usual  “good  time’’  was 
had  by  all. 


Born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold  Currie,  Con¬ 
struction  Dept.  M-G-M  Studios,  a  girl,  Shiela 
Anne,  on  April  29th,  weight  sevenn  pounds. 
- — o — 

Born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Z.  Flaster, 
Sound  Dept.,  M-G-M  studios,  a  girl,  Brenda 
G.,  on  April  24th,  weight  eight  pounds  four 
ounces. 

Born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanley  Parsons, 
Construction  Dept.,  M-G-M  studios,  a  boy, 
Bruce  Stanley,  on  April  17th,  weight  seven 


and  one-half  pounds. 

— o — 

Paula  Logsdon,  who  acts  as  secretary  to 
S.  R.  Kent  when  he  visits  Fox  Movietone 
City,  is  leaving  the  studio  to  prepare  for  her 
forthcoming  marriage  in  July  to  a  prominent 
Beverly  Hills  business  man. 

Bernice  Burke,  former  Fox  Film  legal  de¬ 
partment  secretary,  recently  welcomed  a  new 
arrival  in  the  person  of  Kathleen  Loretta 
Burke,  born  at  St.  Vincent’s  hospital. 


RESEARCH 


David  Barkell,  of  the  Research  Dept.,  is 
the  M-G-M  basketball  mogul.  Dave  man¬ 
ages  the  studio  team  in  a  commercial  league. 


Horseplayers  Attention!!! 
"Can  You  Use  Real  Information ?" 
LAUGHTON'S  TURF  REPORTS 

has  men  at  every  track  in  the  country 

2  BIG  RELEASES  DAILY 

Terms  $2  daily;  $10  weekly 

Call  at  office  or  phone  MAdison  2797 
for  messenger.  Out  of  town  players 
send  subscription. 

Laughton's  Turf  Reports 

41  I  So.  Main  St.  Suite  211-212 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

(Write  for  Free  Sample  Copy) 


ONLY  DANCERS  SHOULD 
DANCE 

(Continued  from  Page  29) 

wood,  and  has  been  affiliated  with  pic¬ 
tures  since  that  time. 

But  he  has  not  entirely  deserted  fly' 
ing.  He  owns  and  flys  a  “Lockheed” 
low  wing  monoplane  and  keeps  his  fam¬ 
ily  in  spending  money  testing  planes  for 
local  manufacturers. 

ATT _ /. 

MgMZZZMZMi 

Alex  Kelly,  chief  purchasing  agent  for  Fox 
Film  Corporation,  has  left  for  a  two  months’ 
vacation.  His  first  visit  will  be  made  in 
Montreal,  Canada.  From  there  he  will  go 
to  Glasgow,  Scotland,  his  native  home.  This 
will  be  the  first  visit  there  since  he  left,  as 
a  boy,  thirty-two  years  ago.  Ronald  C.  Bur¬ 
rows  will  assume  Mr.  Kelly’s  duties  during 
his  absence. 


WE  CATER  TO  PRIVATE  BANQUETS  AND  PARTIES 


Paradise  (afe 


674  SO.  VERMONT 

DRexel  0843 


Where  you  can  feel  the  thrill  of  carefree  pleasant 
entertainment  ::  Excellent  Food  ::  Cocktails  and 
mixed  drinks  that  are  really  good 

— Special  Cocktail  Hours  2  to  5  Daily — 


POPULAR  PRICES  FOR  THOSE  SATISFYING  DRINKS 


Insider  Goes 

to  So.  Africa 


The  Insider  is  going  to  South  Africa.  This 
week,  Ted  Behr,  mailed  a  copy  to  his  brother 
now  residing  in  Bloemfontein,  the  capital  of 
the  Orange  Free  State,  Union  of  South 
Africa. 

Berty  Behr,  Ted’s  brother,  has  traveled  all 
over  South  Africa  and  has  had  almost  enough 
remarkable  experiences  in  that  country  to 
produce  a  Motion  Picture  of  his  life.  He  has 
been  stalked  by  lions  and  other  wild  animals, 
he  lost  his  mules  and  buckboard  in  a  flooded 
river  in  the  dreaded  Tsetse  fly  area,  while 
recrutiing  Kafirs  for  the  gold  mines,  and 
walked  over  700  miles  through  the  Bush 
Country,  suffering  from  Blackwater  fever — 
this  fever  is  usually  fatal  to  a  white  man  but 
he  recovered. 

Berty  will  contact  some  of  the  Movie  pro¬ 
ducers  in  South  Africa  and  eventually  the 
Insider  will  carry  some  stories  of  Motion  Pic¬ 
ture  production  in  that  very  interesting  and 
fascinating  country. 

Ted  Behr,  was  born  in  Johannesburg, 
Transvaal,  South  Africa,  when  that  city  was 
a  tented  city  and  one  year  after  gold  was  dis¬ 
covered.  Today  Johannesburg  produces  two- 
thirds  of  the  World’s  Gold  Supply  and  as  a 
result  of  President  Roosevelt’s  Gold  edict, 
business  is  booming  in  Jo-Burg,  as  the  na¬ 
tives  call  their  city.  Ted  came  to  Hollywood 
about  6  years  ago  and  has  been  connected 
with  the  Movies  ever  since. 


Alexander  Tolluboss,  M-G-M  art  director, 
has  been  on  loan  to  the  Walter  Wanger 
Studios  for  “Shanghai”.  Milton  Brown,  as¬ 
sistant  to  Irving  Sindler,  property  man,  states 
that  the  castle  and  river  set  covers  two- 
thirds  of  their  largest  stage  and  is  complete 
in  every  detail.  On  completion  of  “Shang¬ 
hai"  Tolluboss  will  return  to  his  home-lot 
while  Sindler  will  transfer  to  Goldwyn’s  for 
'Barbary  Coast".  Brown  will  remain  at 
Wangers  to  handle  props  for  “Every  Night  at 
8”,  an  original  story  by  Gene  Towne  and 
Graham  Baker. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


37 


HOVELS  TO  PALACES 

(Continued  from  Page  5) 


umns  and  deep  niches,  you  glimpse  the 
segmented  portals  of  the  main  entrance. 
Twin  gothic  doors,  twenty  feet  high  and 
eight  feet  wide.  Embossed  with  the  fan' 
ciful  crest  of  a  mythical  European  king' 
dom,  they  are  overpowering  in  their 
royal  magnificence.  Even  the  most  rabid 
republican  can  not  but  admire  the  beau¬ 
ty  of  this  monarchial  grandeur.  Such  is 
the  art  of  the  motion  picture  construc¬ 
tionist. 

The  presiding  genius  of  the  construc¬ 
tion  department  is  Fred  Gabourie.  Mr. 
Gabourie,  known  throughout  the  indus¬ 
try  as  “Gabe”,  is  a  real  veteran  in  the 
motion  picture  and  theatrical  world. 
Rising  from  the  ranks  to  the  top  of  his 
profession.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  ablest  technical  directors  in  the  busi¬ 
ness. 

From  the  earliest  days  of  pictures,  he 
has  been  associated  with  many  of  the 
producing  companies  in  the  motion  pic¬ 
ture  world.  His  experience  has  been 
wide  and  varied.  Always  a  keen  student 
of  technic,  his  accumulated  knowledge 
has  stood  him  in  good  stead.  There  are 
many  knotty  problems  arise  in  the  course 
of  his  work.  But  not  yet  has  he  been 
forced  to  admit  failure.  Hard  sets  to 
build,  the  real  tough  jobs  of  the  films, 
are  just  everyday  work  to  “Gabe”. 

The  industrial  domain  that  he  con¬ 
trols  is  a  miniature  city.  There  is  a 
mill  and  carpenter  department  employ¬ 
ing  400  carpenters,  joiners,  cabinet 
makers  and  machinists.  A  “Prop”  shop 
employing  200  mechanics  who  are  spe¬ 
cialists  in  wood  and  metal  crafts.  A 
Paint  and  Scenic  department  employing 
200  painters,  paper  hangers,  sign  paint¬ 
ers  and  scenic  artists.  A  Staff  depart¬ 
ment  with  200  plasterers,  cemen  work¬ 
ers,  modelers  and  sculptor.  A  Labor  de¬ 
partment  employing  500  laborers,  truck 
drivers,  tractor  drivers,  plumbers,  pipe 
workers,  greenhouse  workers,  storekeep¬ 
ers,  street  cleaners  and  sanitary  workers. 
A  Grip  department  employing  more  than 
100  tent  and  awning  makers,  canvasmen, 
tackers,  upholsterers  and  stage  “grips”. 

There  are  numerous  other  unattached 
workers  of  many  crafts.  To  all  of  these 
men  their  boss  is  just  “Gabe”.  For  Mr. 
Gabourie  is  one  of  the  most  approach¬ 
able  men  in  the  business. 

“Gabe’s”  official  family  are  all  men 
of  long  service  in  the  motion  picture  in¬ 
dustry.  William  “Red”  Leys,  Henry 
Nelson  and  Ernest  Scoggins,  assistant  su¬ 
perintendents;  Harry  Stevenson,  Art 
Pickens  and  Miles  Leavins,  mill  foremen; 


Dave  Vail  and  Andy  McDonald,  in 
charge  of  special  mechanical  effects;  Jack 
Gaylord  and  Tom  Robinson,  prop  shop 
foremen;  Ernest  Tait,  head  of  the  paint 
and  scenic  department,  and  his  assist¬ 
ants,  Joe  Geigrich  and  Bob  Tittle;  Or- 
vil  Fouse,  grip  foreman;  Rennie  Burke 


and  Herbert  Schuetze,  labor  foremen; 
Herb  Hadfield,  head  plumber;  Walter 
Fable  and  George  Whitlinger,  heads  of 
the  landscaping  department.  And  many 
other  minor  department  heads  who  are 
equally  important  to  the  building  of 
sets. 

These  are  the  men  who  supervise  the 
work  of  construction  and  follow  their 
chief  with  the  slogan:  “It  Cant  Be 
Done.  But  Here  It  Is.” 


ALCOHOLISM 

CONQUERED 

That  morbid  feeling  from  Alcoholic  Excesses  can  be  eliminated  in  a 
single  week-end.  In  48  HOURS  THE  SAMARITAN  TREATMENT  can 
do  for  you  what  it  has  done  for  hundreds  of  others — clear  your  system  of 
Alcoholic  Toxins  and  restore  your  body  to  a  normal  functioning  state,  free 
from  the  chronic  urge  for  Alcoholic  Beverages. 

SAFETY:  All  patients  entering  our  Sanitariums  come  under  the  personal 
observation  of  an  accredited  licensed  physician,  and  are  under  the  con¬ 
stant  care  and  supervision  of  Graduate  Registered  Nurses  during  the 
entire  course  of  the  treatment.  Ask  your  doctor  to  investigate  and 
recommend  THE  SAMARITAN  TREATMENT,  the  physiological 
method  of  treatment,  entirely  apart  from  the  old  theory  that  will  power 
is  the  controlling  factor. 

PRIVACY:  Absolute  privacy  is  assured  every  patient.  Our  files  are  strictly 
confidential.  Our  Sanitariums  are  not  publicised  in  any  manner  invit¬ 
ing  identification.  Should  patients  prefer  hospitalization  at  any  other 
institution  than  our  own,  they  are  free  to  designate  the  hospital  of 
their  choice. 

CONVENIENCE:  Only  48  HOURS,  a  single  week-end,  is  all  the  time 
required  for  the  institutional  treatment,  enabling  the  business  or  pro¬ 
fessional  man  to  rid  himself  of  a  morbid,  extravagant  disease  of  years 
standing. 

At  your  request  and  without  obligation  a  Staff  Member  will  be  pleased  to 
call  upon  you  and  discuss  frankly  and  in,  the  utmost  confidence  your 
individual  case.  If  you  prefer,  literature  will  be  mailed  in  plain  wrapper. 

THE  SAMARITAN  TREATMENT 

MAIN  OFFICE 

516  South  Normandie  Avenue  Los  Angeles,  California 

Phone  FEderal  4406 — Day  or  Night 

ADDITIONAL  INSTITUTIONS 

San  Diego,  California  Long  Beach,  California 

5317  Marlborough  Drive  34  Ximeno  Street 

Phone  Randolph  8408  Phone  Long  Beach  85041 


Daily  Broadcasts 
except  Sundays 
KMPC  10:30  a.m. 
KGFJ  9:45  a.m. 

1 :15  p.m. 
and  8  p.m. 

K  F  O  X 
12:15  p.m. 


38 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


»  CAMERA  ANGLES  « 


NEW  HANDBOOK 

FOR  CAMERAMEN 

Filling  a  long  felt  need  in  the  photographic 
field,  a  new  Cameraman’s  Handbook,  au- 
thored  by  Jackson  Rose,  A.S.C.,  is  scheduled 
to  come  off  the  press  during  the  latter  part 
of  this  month. 

The  book  will  be  an  eighty-four  page  vol¬ 
ume  devoted  to  camera  craft  and  the  solu¬ 
tion  to  camera  problems;  technical  terms  and 
their  explanation;  new  devices — their  adap¬ 
tation  and  correct  use;  and  a  complete  glos¬ 
sary. 

It  represents  comprehensive  work  on  the 
part  of  Rose,  who  has  been  a  first  cameraman 
for  many  years,  having  entered  the  motion 
picture  business  more  than  twenty  years  ago. 
His  published  articles  on  photographic  tech¬ 
nique  and  other  subjects  pertaining  to  the 
camera  have  been  widely  read  and  accepted 
by  cinema  craftsmen. 


What  Critics  Says 

ON  METROPOLITAN  DAILIES 

“The  Devil  Is  a  Woman’’,  (Para.) 

JOSEF  VON  STERNBERG,  ASC,  Camera. 

Lucien  Ballard,  Camera  Operator. 

Eleanor  Barnes,  Drama  Editor,  Illustrated 
Daily  EJews — “Herr  Von  Sternberg,  as  a 
Director,  once  again  proves  himself  to  be 
a  fine  Cameraman.  Marlene  Dietrich  played 
second  lead  to  an  inspired  lense.” 

“Bride  of  Frankenstein”  (Universal) 

JOHN  J.  MESCALL  Camerman. 

Elizabeth  Yeaman,  Drama  Editor  Hollywood 
Citizen-?{ews — “Photography  is  the  most 
outstanding  of  pictures  recently  released.” 

“Paris  In  Spring” 

TED  TETZLAFF,  ASC,  Cameraman 

James  F.  Crow,  Hollywood  Citizen-F(ews  — 
“Beautiful  photography  .  .  .  Ted  Tetzlaff 
may  take  a  bow  for  his  photography.” 

“The  Scoundrel”  (Para.  Release) 

LEE  GARMES,  Cameraman. 

James  F.  Crow,  Hollywood  Citizen-FJews  — 
”...  and  the  producers  must  share  the 
applause  for  their  success  with  Photograph¬ 
er  Lee  Garmes,  who  also  served  as  Asso¬ 
ciate  Director.” 

ON  TRADE  DAILIES 

“Oil  for  the  Lamps  of  China”  (Warner 
Bros.) 

TONY  GAUDIO,  ASC,  Cameraman 

Daily  Variety — “Photography  is  excellent  in 
its  adaptation  to  the  subject  and  “stress¬ 
ing  atmospheric  elements.” 

(Continued  on  Page  45) 


By  LEE  CANNON 


Edward  Snyder 


One  of  the  property  boys  at  the  old  Pathe 
studios  in  Jersey  City  was  spending  so  much 
of  his  time  tinkering  and  experimetning  with 
cameras  that  Louis  Gasnier,  studio  produc¬ 
tion  head,  came  upon  a  good  idea.  Buying 
complete  camera  equipment,  he  presented  it 
to  this  young  fellow  and  instructed  him  to 
shoot  tests,  stills,  and  miscellaneous  shots. 
This  was  in  1912  and  the  boy  was  Edward 
Snyder. 

Shooting  for  a  time  as  camera  operator 
for  Joe  Dubray,  Eddie  was  soon  experienced 
enough  to  go  as  alternate  first  cameraman 
on  the  famous  serial  “The  Perils  of  Paul¬ 
ine”.  Then  came  twenty-five  serials  in  a 
row  for  Pathe,  with  Warner  Oland,  Crane 
Wilbur  in  the  male  leads  with  George  Seitz 
directing.  January,  1926,  found  this  serial 
company  leaving  New  York  for  Hollywood 
in  order  to  shoot  some  snow  sequences.  This 
sounds  contradictory,  but  all  the  snow  around 
New  York  was  accompanied  by  sub-zero 
weather  which  makes  Big  Bear,  Calif.,  climate 
balmy  in  comparison. 

Finishing  with  serials,  Snyder  made  “Her 
Man”,  a  Tay  Garnett  directed  “Special”  that 
established  Helen  Twelvetrees  and  was  a 
comeback  for  Ricardo  Cortez.  Following  was 
“The  Painted  Desert”  in  which  Clark  Gable 
played  the  heavy  and,  incidentally,  scored  a 
hit.  Ramon  Novarro,  famous  as  a  big  “star”, 
recently  turned  producer-director,  and  chose 
Eddie  Snyder  to  handle  the  camera  on  his 
first  picture,  “Across  the  Current.” 

Golf  and  an  eight  milimeter  camera  occu¬ 
py  the  time  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  hobbies. 


Inserts 

.  .  .  His  Majesty’s  ship  “Bounty,”  now 
under  technical  supervision  of  M-G-M,  sails 
out  once  again,  this  time  to  Catalina  waters 
for  a  voyage  of  nearly  three  weeks.  Arthur 
Edeson,  Irving  Glassberg,  Stu  Thompson,  Bill 
Grimes  and  Bill  Strong  are  the  camera  crew. 

A1  Lebovitz  and  Joe  Valentine  are  in  Ha¬ 
waii  at  the  moment,  shooting  for  the  Fox  film 
library,  and,  undoubtedly,  in  their  spare  time, 
ascertaining  for  themselves  if  all  they  have 
heard  about  the  place  is  true  .  .  .  Eddy  Ham¬ 
mers  and  Paul  Mohn  are  back  at  Paramount 
after  a  New  York  “shooting”  expedition.  .  .  . 
Being  able  to  work  only  on  the  first  day  of 
shooting  and  then  ordered  to  bed  by  his  doc¬ 
tor,  Milt  Krasner  has  returned  to  Monogram 
to  finish  up  his  new  picture. 

SOMETHING  NEW  UNDER  THE 
SUN  ARCS  .  .  .  this  time  it  is  a  new  steel 
inverted  gimble  for  the  camera.  Given  thirty 
hours  to  devise  something  practical  to  use  on 
the  Fran\  Lloyd  picture,  “Mutiny  On  the 
Bounty,”  John  Arnold  came  through  with  ex¬ 
actly  what  the  office  ordered — or  perhaps 
a  little  more.  In  floor  position  the  lense  is 
only  twelve  inches  high,  making  angle  and 
rolling  shots  much  simpler  and  more  effective 
than  heretofore. 


TEN  YEARS  AGO 

First  National  studios  have  a  spectacular 
feature  in  production  called  “Lost  Worlds”. 
Willard  Vogel,  working  under  Ralph  Ham- 
meras,  Special  Effects  chief,  has  seventeen 
stop  motion  cameras  turning  under  his  su¬ 
pervision  on  one  set-up. 

— o — 

Cecil  B.  DeMille  finishes  shooting  on  “The 
Road  To  Yesterday”,  a  “big”  picture,  star¬ 
ring  Bill  Boyd,  Joseph  Shildkraut.  Peverell 
Marley,  ace  man  for  DeMille,  handled  the 
camera. 


The  month  of  JUNE  is  expensively 
advertised  as  an  enlightened  period, 
especially  for  brides.  To  believe 
this  nonsense  is  one  of  the  first  signs 
of  lunacy,  for  those  "in  the  know 
point  out  that  all  signs  for  the  month 
portend  to  evil  and  blackness.  Car¬ 
bon  is  the  birthstone  for  JUNE.  Ac¬ 
cordingly,  all  cameramen  would  do 
well  to  avoid  being  struck  by  falling 
carbons  and  particularly  those  hot 
ones  that  drift  down  from  overhead. 

Anyway,  "Camera  Angles"  wshes 
the  following  a  HAPPY  BIRTHDAY 
during  the  month  of  JUNE: 

AL  LANE 

HAROLD  LIPPSTEIN 
ELLY  FREDRICKS 


ARTHUR  EDESON  A.  S.  C. 


Director  of  Photography 


IRVING  GLASSBERG  a.  s.  c. 

Operative  Cameraman 

NOW  PHOTOGRAPHING 


WILLIAM  STRONG  A.  S.  C. 


Assistant  Cameraman 


“MUTINY  ON  THE  BOUNTY” 


A  FRANK  LLOYD  PRODUCTION 
FOR  METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


39 


GOLF 


By 

BUNKER  GREENANTEE 


«  «  «  « 


CORRECT  GOLF  FORM 

HOW  TO  ACQUIRE  IT 

By  KELL  GREENE 

(EDITOR'S  NOTE — This  article  is  the  first  of 
a  series  to  be  written  by  Kell  Greene  on  the 
correct  technique  of  the  golf  swing.  Greene, 
for  many  years  a  prominent  instructor  in  Chi¬ 
cago,  is  now  in  Hollywood,  7221  Beverly  Blvd., 
where  he  has  established  his  own  Indoor  Golf 

Salon.  Chester  Horton,  the  famous  Profes¬ 

sional,  was  associated  with  Greene  and  rates 
him  as  one  of  the  eight  outstanding  instructors 
in  the  history  of  the  game.) 

WHY  YOUR  GOLF  DOESN’T 
IMPROVE 

A  widely  known  golf  authority  stated  as 
follows: 

“The  average  golfer,  from  year  to  year,  im¬ 
proves  his  play  very 
little.  Often  not  at 

all.  This  seems 

strange  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  he  may 
play  three  or  more 
times  a  week  all  sum¬ 
mer,  and  yet,  be  no 
better  in  the  fall 
than  he  was  in  the 
spring. 

“One  would  think 
that  so  much  golf 
would  bring  about  a 
decided  improvement 
Kell  Greene  where  it  often  brings 

about  a  lapse  as 
faults  continue  to  expand.” 

During  my  many  years  of  experience 
teaching  golf,  I  have  found  that  golf  is  a 
game  controlled  entirely  by  habits.  Bad  hab¬ 
its  are  the  faults,  naturally,  which  retard  im¬ 
provement.  There  are  five  laws  which  gov¬ 
ern  habits  and  their  formation.  The  average 
golfer  and  even  the  low  handicap  player  is 
concerned  principally  with  Law  No.  5,  which 
is  divided  into  two  sections,  as  follows: 

(A)  — Every  person  has  his  or  her  “LIMI¬ 

TATION”.  (This  accounts  for  the 
lack  of  improvement  in  your  game). 

(B)  — But  with  enough  stimulus  or  incen¬ 

tive,  the  limit  can  be  extended. 

So,  if  you  are  really  serious  about  want¬ 
ing  to  improve  your  golf  it  is  quite  possible 
to  do  so.  You  must  have  fixed  in  your  mind 
a  clear  conception  of  the  sound  golf  swing. 
This  obtained,  your  ultimate  success  lies  in 
concentrated  practice.  “GOOD  FORM  IS 
THE  SAFEST  GUARANTEE  AGAINST 
ERROR.” 


Lew  Scott  Resigns 

As  Wilshire  Pro. 

Lew  Scott,  Wilshire  Country  Club’s  fa¬ 
mous  Pro,  resigned  last  week  in  order  to  ac¬ 
cept  a  position  at  the  exclusive  Valley  Club 
in  Montecito.  This  move  was  a  complete  sur¬ 
prise  to  Scott’s  legion  of  friends  in  the  South. 
As  personal  instructor  to  Harold  Lloyd,  Wil¬ 
liam  LeBaron,  Sidney  Franklin  and  others  of 
film  prominence,  Lew  was  especially  well 
known  in  Hollywood. 


In  the  Money 


John  Fulton,  Universal  tric\  cameraman; 
shows  good  form  while  laying  an  approach 
shot  dead.  Putting  difficulties  set  Fulton  bac\ 
to  a  tie  for  third  place  in  the  third  A.S.C. 
tournament 


A.  S.  C.  Contest  Big  Success 

With  nearly  all  entrants  winning  some 
prize  for  their  efforts,  the  annual  ASC  tour¬ 
nament  came  to  a  close  for  another  year.  In 
all  respects  it  was  a  huge  success. 

Johnny  Mescall  toured  the  Brentwood 
course  in  78  to  win  the  Will  Rogers’  loving 
cup.  His  winning  was  pretty  much  expected 
according  to  the  wiseacres,  who  also  had 
John  Fulton,  Len  Smith,  Ernie  Haller,  Wes 
Anderson  and  Cecil  Myers  down  for  a  pos¬ 
sible  victory.  A1  Lebovitz  was  figured  in 
early  reports  but  was  called  two  days  before 
the  play  to  leave  for  Honolulu. 

Mescall  might  have  had  par  figures  but 
putting  trouble  caught  up  with  him  on  the 
back  nine.  Wesley  Anderson  .came  in  with 
a  79  for  second  prize  money.  Johnny  Ful¬ 
ton  tied  with  George  Folsey  for  third  with 
81  strokes.  Fulton  also  started  well  but 
faltered,  taking  a  terrible  seven  on  the  fif¬ 
teenth  hole.  Ernie  Haller  found  that  it 
took  him  82  blows  to  go  around  as  did  Hol¬ 
lis  Moyse  and  Bill  Whitley.  Len  Smith, 
Frank  Gaudio,  Jr.,  and  Reggie  Lanning  made 
it  in  83. 


Driving  Range  Adds 

New  Approach  F airway 

A  full  sized  approach  fairway  and  green, 
with  sand  traps,  is  the  latest  addition  to  the 
L.  A.  Practice  Fairways,  which  will  make  the 
Pico  Blvd.  range  one  of  the  most  interesting 
in  the  South.  J.  W.  Quinlin,  owner  and  op¬ 
erator  of  the  Fairways,  is  also  putting  200 
feet  of  new  tee.  This  range  is  the  one 
opposite  Willards  on  Pico. 


T  ournaments 

Film  people  who  have  yet  to  play  tourna¬ 
ment  golf  over  the  Lakeside  course  will  have 
that  opportunity  on  Sunday,  June  9,  when 
the  annual  Motion  Picture  Herald  tourna¬ 
ment  is  held. 

The  affair  will  be  a  one-day  event — 18 
holes  at  handicap  in  nine  divisions  of  play. 
The  M.  P.  Herald  perpetual  trophy  will  be 
awarded  the  winner  in  addition  to  six  prizes 
for  each  of  the  following  divisions:  Actors, 
Writers,  Press  Agents,  Cameramen,  Pro¬ 
ducers,  Technicians,  Agents,  and  Professional 
men  affiliated  with  the  industry. 

One  of  the  favorites  to  win  this  year  is 
Johnny  Mescall,  who  won  this  event  several 
years  ago  and  recently  took  first  money  in 
the  cameramen’s  tournament.  George  Mar¬ 
shal  and  Gene  Ruggerio  have  both  won  be¬ 
fore  and  may  repeat.  Incidentally,  if  Mes- 
call  or  Ruggerio  win,  one  or  the  other  will 
annex  the  cup  as  a  permanent  possession. 

Lakeside  course,  always  kept  up  well,  is 
right  now  in  perfect  condition  according  to 
Leonard  Loos,  the  genial  Pro  at  the  club. 
Leonard  has  taken  over  the  job  vacated  for 
the  summer  months  by  his  famous  brother, 
Eddie,  who  is  back  at  Lakeshore  Country 
Club,  Chicago. 

Brandon  Hurst  is  general  chairman  and 
Harold  Lloyd  is  tournament  chairman.  As¬ 
sisting  will  be  George  Marshall,  Joe  Reddy, 
Danny  Grey,  Harry  Brand,  John  LeRoy 
Johnston,  Jack  L.  Warner  and  Frank  Lloyd, 
while  Doug  Hodges  will  actually  manage  the 
affair  with  aid  from  Ollie  Painter. 

Reservations  can  be  had  by  calling  the 
club,  HO  3604.  With  tournament  fever  in 
the  air,  it  is  considered  a  wise  move  to  ob¬ 
tain  starting  times  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment. 


KELL  GREENE 

FAMOUS  TEACHING  PRO 

(Formerly  of  Chicago) 

Now  Located  in  Hollywood  in 
His  Own  Indoor  Golf  Salon 
7221  Beverly  Blvd. 

Indoor  Instruction 

Assures:  Faster  Progress 

Develops:  Concentration 

Features:  Privacy  During 

Lessons 

ATTRACTIVE  RATES 

Appointments: 
Afternoons  and  Evenings 

Kell  Greene . WY  4912 


BOBBY  JOFJES  says:  “I  am  con' 
vinced  that  I  FJ  D  O  O  R  teaching 
brings  about  an  enormous  improve' 
ment  in  golf  technique.” 


40 


100,000  PERSONS 

FED  YEARLY  BY 
RKO  COMMISSARY 

Feeding  100,000  persons  a  year,  from 
stars  to  laborers,  particularly  when  their 
tastes  are  as  varied  as  the  sands  of  the  desert, 
is  a  man-sized  job,  but  Errol  Sanders,  head 
of  the  RKO-Radio  studio  cafe,  is  making  a 
fine  job  of  it.  According  to  Sanders,  the 
stars  and  the  big  guns  from  the  executive 
offices  are  the  easiest  to  please,  while  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  customers  are  the  ones 


Parties  Entertained  at 
Your  Home  or  Mine 


MADAME 

“DOREEN” 

(NADEEN  PHILLIPS) 

CLAIRVOYANT  —  PALMIST 
Your  Questions  Answered 

Knowledge  Means  Success  and  Happi¬ 
ness.  Your  Worries  Can  Be  Helped. 
My  advice  has  benefitted  many. 
Why  Not  You? 

Cards — Numerology  Psychic  Analysis 

Consultations  Daily  Except  Sunday 

Telephone  Culver  City  2441 
10012  W.  Washington  Blvd. 
CULVER  CITY 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


Errol  Sanders 


who  demand  service  plus  a  wide  variety  of 
food. 

“A  studio  cafe  has  to  be  ready  to  serve 
anywhere  from  five  to  500  persons  with  an 
hour’s  notice,”  said  Sanders.  “The  call  sheets 
for  the  next  day’s  work  show  how  many  per¬ 
sons  will  be  on  the  lot,  and  how  many  we 
may  expect  to  feed.  If  a  company  is  to 
work  late,  the  assistant  director  notifies  us 
that  they  will  be  in  the  dining  room  at  a 
certain  time.  Only  an  hour  is  allowed  for 
meals,  and  the  safe  must  be  ready  to  service 
them  so  production  is  not  held  up. 

“On  one  occasion  we  failed  to  get  the  call 
ahead  of  time  and  180  people  swarmed  into 
the  cafe  without  notice.  I  had  to  get  on  the 
phone  and  get  waitresses  to  the  studio  in  taxi 
cabs  in  order  to  handle  the  job. 

“In  addition  to  serving  the  players  on  the 
lot,  the  studio  cafe  puts  up  box  lunches  to 
be  taken  on  location  and  also  serves  box 
lunches  on  the  sets  for  overtime  shooting. 
Box  lunches  consist  of  two  sandwiches,  us¬ 
ually  ham,  egg  or  chicken,  a  piece  of  cake 
or  pie,  olives  and  pickles,  a  paper  cup  and 


June,  1 935 

coffee.  This  last  is  taken  to  the  location  or 
the  sets  in  thermos  jugs  and  we  have  girls 
to  serve  it. 

In  addition  to  feeding  the  personnel  of 
the  studio  and  the  players,  the  cafe  furnishes 
all  the  food  used  in  the  productions.  They 
make  the  luscious  birthday  cakes  used  in 
party  scenes  and  cook  the  turkeys  and  roasts 
used  in  banquets.  The  staff  also  assists  in 
dressing  sets  for  such  scenes. 

There  are  thirty-six  people  on  the  cafe 
payroll  including  sixteen  waitresses  and  a 
chef  and  four  cooks.  Joe  Schlick,  the  chef, 
has  been  on  the  job  nearly  five  years,  and 
Agnes  Holt,  the  head  waitress,  has  worked 
in  that  capacity  ever  since  the  cafe  opened 
six  years  ago.  Errol  Sanders  has  been  with 
the  studio  for  nearly  three  years  and  prior  to 
taking  his  present  post  was  assistant  plant 
superintendent. 

The  cafe  is  operated  for  the  convenience 
of  the  people  on  the  lot  and  to  save  valuable 
time  by  not  forcing  players  to  go  off  the  lot 
for  lunch,  or  dinner,  when  working  nights. 
The  finest  food  obtainable  is  purchased  for 
the  cafe  and  it  is  run  to  give  the  best  pos¬ 
sible  food  at  the  lowest  possible  rate.  The 
studio  does  not  desire  to  make  money  on  the 
cafe  and  if  profits  were  realized,  would  cut 
the  price  of  the  food  to  the  customers. 


PROPS 

Bob  Lander  has  been  added  to  the  Chap¬ 
lin  “Production  No.  5”  as  head  prop  man 
and  is  doing  the  capable  work  for  which  he 
has  long  been  noted. 

George  Cassin,  popular  foreman  in  the 
M-G-M  Property  Dept.,  is  back  at  work  after 
a  two  months’  seige  of  hospitalization. 

— o — 

L.  Roy  Cornish,  prop  maker  at  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  studio,  is  making  a  diarama 
view  of  a  desert  scene  for  his  doctor.  The 
scene,  including  an  ox-cart,  distant  moun¬ 
tains,  and  miniature  cactus,  is  being  built  to 
a  35-mile  perspective  scale  and  will  fit  an 
opening  over  the  doctor’s  mantel. 

- — o — 

Herman  Selgrath,  supervisor  in  the  Prop¬ 
erty  Dept.,  has  taken  to  the  hills.  No,  not 
on  account  of  floods.  His  doctor  advised 
higher  altitude  for  reasons  of  HEALTH. 


For  the  BEST  NEW  or  USED  CAR  DEAL 


SEE 

C.  F.  Joscelyn 

DODGE,  PLYMOUTH  and  DODGE  TRUCKS 

9901  WASHINGTON  BLVD. 

We  maintain  the  most  complete  stock  of 
NEW  AND  USED  CARS 

Special  Attention  Given  Studio  Workers 
Our  Factory  Authorized  Parts  and  Service  Department 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


41 


FOX  POLICE  GET  TRAINING  OF 
NEW  YORK  DEPARTMENT 

(Continued  from  Page  19) 

York  as  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Queen 
Marie,  the  King  and  Queen  of  Belgium 
and  Marshal  Foch. 

In  1928  Winfield  Sheehan,  who  was 
familiar  with  his  record,  appointed  him 
to  his  post  of  Director  of  Safety  of  Fox 
studios  on  the  West  Coast.  Since 
joining  Fox  he  has  also  acted  as  techni- 
cal  director  on  a  number  of  pictures  with 
police  background,  such  as  “Disorderly 
Conduct,”  “Quick  Millions,”  and  “Black 
Sheep.”  In  addition  he  played  small 
roles  in  these  and  several  other  pictures. 

His  latest  accomplishment  is  the  au¬ 
thorship,  with  Sam  Pike,  of  “Police  Pa- 
rade,”  an  original  story  which  has  been 
sold  to  Fox  and  will  be  produced  at  the 
Western  Avenue  studio  by  Sol  M. 
Wurtsel.  Reilly  will  play  a  part,  that 
of  the  mayor,  in  the  picture. 

The  part  of  their  record  of  which 
Reilly  and  his  force  are  proudest  is  that 
at  the  time  of  the  strike  no  extra  men 
were  put  on,  no  arms  were  carried  and 
no  ill  feeling  or  unpleasant  incidents 
whatsoever  developed  between  the  strik- 
ers  and  the  studio  police.  This  is  ex- 
plained,  Reilly  believes,  by  the  high 


Gene  Kornman,  who  has  been  shooting 
things  up  at  the  Fox  Film  gallery  in  the  ab¬ 
sence  of  Otto  Dyar,  recently  had  a  narrow 
escape  with  his  life  in  an  automobile  crash 
which  resulted  in  severe  injury  to  his  wife 
who  will  be  in  the  hospital  for  another 
month.  Gene  was  shaken  up  and  bruised, 
but  otherwise  escaped  injury.  Fie  confines 
his  driving  to  daylight  hours,  however. 


Lee  Teeman,  former  member  of  Para¬ 
mount’s  still  department  is  free  lancing  as 
an  artist.  He  is  now  doing  art  work  for  il¬ 
lustrations  on  stories  for  John  Roche. 

Eugene  Robert  Richee,  Paramount  portrait 
artist,  received  a  beautiful  ash-tray  as  his 
award  for  taking  second  place  in  the  recent 
outboard  motorboat  races  held  at  Lake  Elsi¬ 
nore. 


Otto  Dyar,  head  of  the  portrait  gallery  at 
Fox  Movietone  City,  is  expected  to  return  to 
the  studio  the  early  part  of  this  month  after 
an  extended  jaunt  through  Europe. 

Paul  Burke,  still  department  assistant  at 
Paramount,  was  an  interested  attendant  at 
the  recent  Hoot  Gibson  Rodeo. 


morale  of  the  force,  their  intelligence 
and  the  fact  that  they  are  schooled  to 
behave  in  a  manner  which  will  win  the 
respect  and  liking  rather  than  the  ill 
will  of  other  studio  employees. 


Hal  McAlpin,  Don  English  and  their  re¬ 
spective  families  recently  enjoyed  an  outing 
at  Red  Rock  Canyon.  The  two  members  of 
Paramount’s  still  department  enjoyed  the  day 
in  the  same  manner  as  a  postman  who  goes 
for  a  walk  on  his  day  off.  They  took  some 
still  pictures. 


Kenneth  Lobben,  Paramount  still  man,  is 
in  Annapolis  with  the  “Annapolis  Farewell” 
troupe.  Lobben  was  one  of  the  lucky  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  company  who  went  by  train  in¬ 
stead  of  taking  the  ill-fated  airliner  which 
carried  other  members  of  the  company  to 
death  and  injuries  in  a  crash  in  Missouri. 


Tailors  -  Cleaners 

All  Work  Scientifically  Cleaned  and 
Immaculately  Finished 

COATS  RELINED 

Our  expert  tailors  will  re¬ 
model  your  garments  in  the 
most  expert  manner.  Prices 
are  surprisingly  low,  too! 

WE  CALL  FOR  AND  DELIVER 

CFM  cleaners/ 

Hillside  9663 
7228  SUNSET  BLVD. 

Corner  Poinsettia 


Automobile  .  .  .  Furniture 

Any  Model  Car 
60  Days  to 
Make  1st  Payment 


SALARY 


LOANS 


$20  to  $3,000 
with 

1  to  18  Mos.  to  Pay 


Studio  Employees 


Why  Pay  More  .  .  .  ? 

SPECIAL  RATES 
LIBERAL  APPRAISALS- 


We  understand  the  irregularity  of  studio 
employment  and  endeavor  to  accommodate 
you  on  terms  and  reasonable  extensions. 

SPECIAL  TERMS 
LIBERAL  EXTENSIONS 


LOANS 

ARRANGED 

IMMEDIATELY 

NO 

EMBARRASSING 

QUESTIONS 

1460  NO.  VINE 


INDIVIDUALLY  OWNED  AND  OPERATED 
Est.  1927 


CONFIDENTIAL 

PERSONAL 

FRIENDLY 

SERVICE 


Phone  GLadstone  1197 


42 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 935 


»  NEW  PICTURES  « 


Alias  Mary  Dow 

(Universal  Production) 

CAST. 

Sally  Eilers,  Ray  Milland,  Henry  O’Neill, 
Katharine  Alexander,  Chick  Chandler,  Lola 
Lane  and  Clarence  Muse. 

CREDITS: 

Associate  Producer,  L.  L.  Ostrow;  Direc¬ 
tor,  Kurt  Neumann;  Assistant  Director,  Phil 
Karlstein;  Original  story,  Forrest  Halsley  and 
William  Allen  Johnson;  Screenplay  by 
Gladys  Unger,  Rose  Franken  and  Arthur 
Caesar;  Photography,  Joseph  Valentine;  Art 
Director,  Ralph  Berger;  Film  Editor,  Phil 
Cahn;  Editorial  supervision,  Maurice  Pivar; 
Sound,  Gilbert  Kurland. 

TYPE: 

Human  interest  romance,  of  the  rags-to- 
riches  type.  Lotsa  character  study  by  the 
lead.  Not  overburdened  with  plot.  Family 
picture. 

technique- 

No  lace-work  here,  this  is  straight  up-and- 
down  photography,  minus  angles  and  lens 
gyrations.  Hence  clear  work  which  ties  in 
nicely  with  the  simplicity  of  the  story.  Sally 
Eilers  has  almost  all  the  footage  to  herself, 
and  it  is  to  her  credit  that  she  makes  the 
most  of  it.  She  has  never  looked  lovelier, 
and  to  that  goes  a  bow  camera-wards.  Her 
close-up  shots,  and  there  are  very  many,  are 
excellently  handled.  Acting  honors  in  this 
are  shared  by  Miss  Eilers  with  Henry  O’Neill, 
as  the  father.  He  registers  definitely.  Sound 
seems  well  under  control,  and  conversations 
more  natural-sounding,  with  tones  modulated. 
Thank  the  sound-technician  and  staff  for 
omitting  the  hissing — which  for  some  time 
has  accompanied  .sibilants  on  the  screen 
Much  more  listen-able,  if  you  know  what  we 
mean.  Cutting  in  this  is  jumpy,  and  toward 
the  last  is  darn  near  scrambled.  A  re-cutting 
of  the  last  reel,  which  has  probably  been 
done,  would  straighten  the  difficulty.  Other¬ 
wise,  it’s  a  well-handled  little  story,  and  di¬ 
rection  is  even  and  well  woven. 

SYNOPSIS: 

Sally,  the  heroine  of  the  opus,  is  found 
slinging  hash  in  a  roadside  beanery.  A  cus¬ 
tomer  with  a  sad  story  of  his  dying  wife, 
wishing  to  see  the  child  who  was  lost  many 
years  ago,  and  who  would  now  be  a  young 
woman,  pursuades  Sally  to  pose  as  his  daugh¬ 
ter,  found  again.  In  other  words — Mary 
Dow.  There’s  where  the  alias  comes  in,  lads! 
The  wife  rallies,  and  Sally  is  once  more 
routed  from  her  alley.  With  an  offer  of 
adoption,  by  the  father.  It  seems  the  hoax 
must  continue,  so  that  the  wife  may  live. 
Sally  becomes  Mary,  and  meets  a  blue-blood¬ 
ed  young  man.  A  trip  to  Europe  culminates 
in  her  engagement  to  young  Scion  of  Society, 
but  Trouble  rears  its  ugly  head.  (About  time, 
too!)  Sally’s  former  boy-friend  threatens 
blackmail,  and  Sally  flees  back  to  the  dime- 
a-dance  where  she  used  to  hoof  away  the 
evenings.  There  the  gilt-edged  lad  traces 

(Continued  on  Page  50) 


Ginger 

00 


CAST. 

Jane  Withers,  O.  P.  Heggie,  Jackie  Searl, 
Walter  King,  Katharine  Alexander,  Leonard 
Carey. 

CREDITS: 

Sol  M.  Wurtzel,  Producer;  Lew  Seiler,  Di¬ 
rector;  Screen  Play,  Arthur  Kober;  Photog¬ 
raphy,  Bert  Glennon;  Musical  Director,  Sam¬ 
uel  Kaylin;  Assistant  Director,  Eli  Dunn. 

TYPE 

Family  picture  with  general  audience  ap¬ 
peal.  Particularly  suited  for  women's  patron¬ 
age.  Hokum  nicely  blended  with  comedy 
and  kid  stuff. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Bert  Glennon’s  photography  in  this  is  clear 
and  neatly  handled.  First  class  camera  work 
throughout.  A  music  score  enhances  the 
story,  being  subtly  carried  through  the  pic¬ 
ture  without  becoming  too  obviously  an  as¬ 
sistant  to  the  script.  A  difficult  feat,  here 
splendidly  carried  through.  Production  and 
technical  staff  on  this  did  well  with  it.  Also 
dialogue  is  amusing,  human  and  quick  in 
tempo.  The  acting  of  Jane  Withers,  the 
prodigy  child,  is  swell,  and  worthy  of  an  old 
trouper.  She  gets  the  best  out  of  each  line 
and  has  a  spontaneity  of  manner  which  will 
rank  her  in  the  Shirley  Temple  class  if  she 
gets  the  breaks  from  now  on.  Arthur  Ko- 
ber's  screen  play  is  a  masterful  appeal  to  the 
“average  audience”,  and  the  picture  carries 
it  through  splendidly. 

SYNOPSIS: 

A  New  York  child,  brought  up  under  the 
wing  of  a  “has  been”  Shakespearean  actor- 
uncle  gets  himself  and  herself  into  and  out 
of  constant  trouble.  One  adventure  ending 
in  jail  for  the  rather  obstreperous  uncle,  the 
girl  is  adopted  by  a  snobbish  Social  Register- 
ite  and  her  husband.  The  Girl's  down-town 
manner  upset  the  Park  Avenue  household  to 
the  extent  of  a  riotous  mix-up.  Jackie  Searl, 
as  the  delicately  nurtured  flower  of  the  house¬ 
hold  learns  to  change  his  ways  through  the 
girl’s  hearty  tutelage.  The  reform  of  the 
rather  stiff  and  bloodless  family  into  a  hu¬ 
man  and  warm  group  of  beings  is  joyfully 
told,  with  the  girl  as  the  instrument  of  the 
about-face.  There  is  a  complication  of  story 
when  the  father  of  the  family  rebels  against 
his  socially  ambitious  wife,  but  again  the 
child  is  responsible,  and  hilariously  so.  All 
ends  well,  of  course,  with  the  “reformed” 
family  enjoying  its  new-found  elixir. 

RATING: 

Box-office  in  small  towns  100  per  cent  for 
this  one.  It’s  a  pushover  for  the  family 
audience.  Children,  women’s  clubs,  and 
youthful  patronage  will  put  this  over  as  well 
as  general  appeal.  Its  comedy  is  fresly  up- 
to-date  and  the  kid’s  a  natural.  It  should 
prove  the  first  of  a  series  of  this  type,  or 
I’m  no  guesser. 


The  Werewolf  of  London 

(Universal  Production) 

CAST. 

Henry  Hull,  Warner  Oland,  Valerie  Hob¬ 
son,  Lester  Matthews,  Clark  Williams,  and 
Charlotte  Granville. 

CREDITS: 

Director,  Stuart  Walker;  Associate  Pro¬ 
ducer,  Robert  Harris;  Original  story,  Robert 
Harris;  Adaptation,  Harvey  Gates  and  Rob¬ 
ert  Harris;  Screenplay,  John  Colton;  Photo¬ 
graphy,  Charles  Stumar;  Art  Director,  A1 
d’Agostino;  Editorial  supervision,  Maurice 
Pivar;  Film  Editor,  Milton  Carruth;  Sound 
Supervisor,  Gilbert  Kurland. 

TYPE: 

Another  horror-epic.  Good  old  horror! 
With  a  man  who  changes  into  a  wolf  by 
night  to  scare  folk  who  are  not  abed.  Rather 
a  Jekyll  -  and  -  Hyde  business,  with  lots  of 
howling  in  the  night  and  faces  at  windows. 
Not  pretty  faces,  either.  Those  who  lived 
through  "Frankenstein”  will  only  shudder 
mildly  at  this. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Henry  Hull,  as  far  as  acting  technique 
goes,  is  the  works.  He  gives  a  convincing 
and  even  sympathetic  performance  in  spite 
of  some  clap-trappy  moments  in  the  story. 
He  manages  to  put  over  his  personality  with 
a  fine-drawn  line  of  effort.  Warner  Oland, 
with  little  to  do,  is  too  restricted  in  his  role, 
and  suffers  through  no  fault  of  his  own  in 
a  cramped  part.  The  rest  of  the  cast  is  ade¬ 
quate,  with  some  notable  bits  injected  by  mi¬ 
nor  characters.  The  photography,  sound  and 
general  technical  surroundings  are  so  excel¬ 
lently  done  as  to  add  more  than  fifty  per 
cent  of  the  value  to  the  picture.  Some  of 
the  eerie  effects  gained  by  the  actual  showing 
of  Hull  when  he  changes  into  a  wolf  before 
the  camera-eye  are  little  short  of  amazing 
for  their  clarity  of  detail  and  smoothness  of 
presentation.  In  moments  such  as  this,  there 
is  a  mere  hairline  between  laughter  or  ap¬ 
plause  from  the  audience.  In  this  case,  it 
was  the  latter,  and  no  wonder.  Credit  for 
this  goes  to  Charles  Stumar,  for  his  photo¬ 
graphy,  and  to  those  connected  with  the  cut¬ 
ting  and  editing.  Sound  was  handled  well, 
in  a  picture  which  might  very  easily  have 
been  a  screamer,  as  terrified  people  fled  be¬ 
fore  the  monster.  By  that  I  mean  the  screams 
were  toned  down  to  the  average  ear-drum. 
A  nice  thought  much  appreciated  by  a  tense 
audience.  Art  direction  couple'd  with  actual 
direction  in  this,  when  in  many  instances 
nice  groupings  formed  in  shadowed  doorways. 
Some  scenes  are  worthy  of  Hogarth,  particu¬ 
larly  those  of  two  old  Cockney  women,  per¬ 
fect  types,  as  they  huddle  in  a  doorway  with 
a  bottle.  Nice  grouping  like  this  make  a 
picture  doubly  interesting  and  memorable. 

SYNOPSIS: 

Doctor  Glendon,  a  noted  botanist  of  Lon¬ 
don,  travels  into  remote  Tibet  in  search  of 
a  rare  moon-flower,  said  in  legend  to  be  the 
cure  for  lycanthropy — or  the  affliction  of 

(Continued  on  Page  46) 


43 


y 


PAULINE  GALE 


June,  1935 

REVIE 

The  Healer 


CAST: 

Ralph  Bellamy,  Karen  Morley,  Mickey 
Rooney,  Judith  Allen,  Robert  McWade, 
Bruce  Warren,  J.  Farrell  McDonald,  Vessie 
Farrell. 

CREDITS: 

Trem  Carr,  Vice-President  in  charge  of 
production;  Reginald  Barker,  Director;  origi¬ 
nal  story  by  Robert  Herrick;  Adaptation  by 
James  Knox  Millen  and  John  Goodrich;  Con¬ 
tinuity  and  Dialogue  by  George  Waggner; 
Photography  by  Harry  Neumann;  Edited  by 
Jack  Ogilvie;  Recorded  by  John  A.  Stran- 
sky,  Jr. 

TYPE: 

Human-interest  problem  story,  with  a 
three-cornered  love  angle  thrown  in,  all  set 
against  the  background  of  the  Canadian 
Rockies.  There’s  a  darn  good  climax  and 
a  Lesson  involved,  but  it’s  still  entertain¬ 
ment. 

TECHNIQUE. 

The  camera,  in  this  production,  handled  by 
Harry  Neumann,  is  an  able  assistant  in  telling 
the  story.  Without  its  judicious  use,  the 
climaxing  scenes  of  the  forest  fire  would  have 
been  weak  and  lacking  in  varity.  As  it  is, 
the  magnificent  night  scenes  of  the  fire-swept 
sky  and  the  constant  reminder,  by  the  use  of 
back-shots,  of  the  flames  and  their  growing 
menace,  make  this  part  of  the  picture  me¬ 
morable  and  outstanding.  Several  genuine 
shots  of  small  animals  fleeing  the  burning  for¬ 
est  are  remarkable  because  of  their  clarity 
and  the  interest  they  arouse.  Although  the 
picture  could  stand  cutting  in  the  introduc¬ 
tory  sequences,  the  fire  shots,  though  rather 
longish,  are  worthy  of  complete  footage  be¬ 
cause  of  their  excellence.  The  sound  helps 
out  nobly,  too,  with  the  undercurrent  of  the 
rising  wind  and  the  roaring  of  the  fire  in 
close-ups  being  good,  recording  very  nearly 
true,  due  to  John  A.  Stransky,  Jr.  Acting 
honors  go  to  Mickey  Rooney,  for  playing  a 
child  without  being  maudlin  or  sickening. 
To  Judith  Allen  in  an  unsympathetic  part  for 
a  good  performance,  to  Karen  Morley,  who 
had  little  to  do,  but  registered  just  the  same. 
Robert  McWade  got  the  most  out  of  his  part, 
and  shares  honors  with  Mickey  Rooney  and 
the  lead,  Ralph  Bellamy,  for  top-notch  per¬ 
formances.  Nice  detail  in  the  forest  back¬ 
ground  and  authentic-appearing  scenery  helps 
this  out  tremendously.  Altogether,  as  to 
technique,  nice  work,  nice  work! 

SYNOPSIS: 

A  gifted  young  surgeon  devotes  his  tal¬ 
ents  to  curing  crippled  children  in  a  remote 
country  town  in  Northern  Canada.  His 
helper  and  chief  assistant,  Karen  Morley,  loves 
him  and  aids  in  the  good  work.  One  of  the 
children,  Jimmie,  is  their  especial  charge,  and 
the  promise  of  a  bicycle  spurs  on  the  child’s 
efforts  toward  recovery.  Enter  the  Rich  Girl 
and  her  equally  rich  and  dyspeptic  papa.  At¬ 
tracted  by  the  good-looking  young  Healer,  as 
the  surgeon  is  called,  the  newcomer  attempts 
to  attract  him,  but  no  soap.  An  accident  in- 
(Continued  on  Page  50) 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

WED  B 

Paris  In  Spring 


CAST; 

Mary  Ellis,  Tullio  Carminati,  Ida  Lupino, 
Lynne  Overman,  Jessie  Ralph,  James  Blakely, 
Dorothea  Wolbert,  Harold  Entwistle,  Arnold 
Korff,  Hugh  Enfield,  Joseph  North,  Jack  Ray¬ 
mond,  Sam  Ashe,  Akim  Tamiroff,  Jack  Mul- 
hall. 

CREDITS 

Benjamin  Glazer,  Producer;  Lewis  Mile¬ 
stone,  Director;  Screen  Play  by  Samuel  Hof- 
fenstein  and  Franz  Cchultz;  Adaptation  by 
Keene  Thompson;  Original  Play  by  Dwight 
Taylor;  Music  and  Lyrics  by  Harry  Revel 
and  Mack  Gordon;  Photography  by  Ted 
Tetzlaff. 

TYPE: 

Light  sophisticated  comedy,  of  the  musical 
kind.  Lotsa  laughs  and  at  lest  two  catchy 
tunes.  Zippy  dialogue,  but  not  overdone,  if 
you  see  what  we  mean. 

TECHNIQUE: 

A  practically  perfect  opening  shot  intro¬ 
duces  this  picture.  Cute  French  midinettes 
with  huge  hatboxes  present  cast  and  credits 
on  the  side.  The  last  hatbox  starts  rolling, 
faster  and  faster,  dissolving  into  the  turning 
wheels  of  a  limousine,  and  the  story  is 
launched.  Neatly  done,  and  very  effectively 
photographed.  In  fact,  the  entire  job  of 
photographing  this  picture  is  excellently  han¬ 
dled.  Ted  Tetzlaff  has  to  his  credit  a  fine 
piece  of  work.  The  sets,  too,  are  unusual 
and  eye-filling.  Designed  by  Hans  Dreier  and 
Ernst  Fegte  they  make  new  use  of  glass  and 
metals,  with  swell  results.  Two  of  Revel  and 
Gordon’s  songs,  “Paris  in  Spring”  and 
“Ma’amselle”,  should  prove  definite  hits,  and 
Mary  Ellis  puts  them  over  memorably.  They 
are  distinctly  hum-able.  The  dramatic  song, 
“Jealousy”,  is  purely  a  “dress  up”  number, 
but  highly  effective  in  the  spot  it  holds  in  the 
story.  Tullio  Carminati  fills  too  much  of  the 
footage  in  my  opinion,  though  he  registers 
in  most  scanes.  Direction  is  keen  and  sharp, 
with  smooth-flowing  continuity.  Lewis  Mile¬ 
stone  never  lets  the  light  vein  drop  through¬ 
out  the  picture.  Hence  a  bubbly  quality 
very  delightful  to  the  beholder.  Dialogue  is 
nippy  and  gets  the  laughs.  A  lengthy  speech 
by  Jessie  Ralph  is  a  nicely  written  bit,  and 
singularly  impressive.  Altogether,  as  to  tech¬ 
nique,  remarkably  good.  Not  forgetting  Mary 
Ellis,  who  puts  over  a  song  with  charm  and 
grace. 

SYNOPSIS: 

Two  highly  emotional  lovers  quarrel  and 
part,  under  amusing  circumstances.  An  effort 
on  the  part  of  each  to  make  the  other  jealous 
with  a  new  partner,  gets  remarkable  and  often 
hilarious  results,  ending  in  a  case  of  mis¬ 
taken  brides-and-grooms,  with  a  young  couple 
the  center  of  it  all.  A  hackneyed  situation, 
true,  but  rendered  freshly  in  this  case  by  the 
dialogue  and  new  treatment  of  direction.  The 
young  couple  are  re-united  and  the  old  loves 
paired  off  by  the  afore-mentioned  speech 
given  by  Jessie  Ralph.  The  incidental  scenes 
and  situations  hold  the  interest  in  this  rather 
(Continued  on  Page  48) 


Hooray  for  Love 


CAST: 

Ann  Sothern,  Gene  Raymond,  Bill  Robin¬ 
son,  Maria  Gambarelli,  Thurston  Hall,  Pert 
Kelton,  Georgia  Gaine,  Lionel  Stander,  Eti¬ 
enne  Girardot,  Fats  Waller,  Jeni  Le  Gon, 
Sam  Hardy. 

CREDITS: 

Associate  Producer,  Felix  Young;  Director, 
Walter  Lang;  Screen  Play,  Lawrence  Hazard 
and  Ray  Harris;  Story,  Marc  Lachmann; 
Musical  Dance  Numbers  Directed  by  Sam¬ 
my  Lee;  Music  and  Lyrics,  Dorothy  Fields 
and  Jimmy  McHugh;  Photography,  Lucien 
Andriot;  Musical  Director,  Alberto  Colombo; 
Art  Director,  Van  Nest  Polglase;  Costumes, 
Walter  Plunkett;  Recorder,  Paul  F.  Wiser: 
Sound  Cutter,  George  March;  Editor,  George 
Crone. 

TYPE: 

Singie  and  dancie  of  the  romantic-comedy 
type.  Chorines  and  special  act  numbers  ga¬ 
lore. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Oblique  camera  angles,  diffused  shots, 
fancy  wipes  and  bifurcated  film.  All  these 
and  more  are  used  in  this.  Lucien  Andriot 
makes  good  use  of  the  dramatic-effect  camera 
and  the  result  is  good,  though  in  a  few  spots 
rather  puzzling,  especially  some  composition 
shots,  which  dazzle  the  eyes.  In  the  dance 
numbers  the  camera  is  rigid,  and  the  full  ef¬ 
fect  of  the  dance  gained  by  a  medium  shot, 
beautifully  timed  and  executed,  is  very  love¬ 
ly.  The  dance  numbers,  incidentally,  are  ex¬ 
quisite,  though  a  little  lengthy  as  previewed, 
cutting  into  the  script  sequence  with  an  over¬ 
load  of  footage.  One  dance  number  in  par¬ 
ticular  is  notable  for  its  beauty,  as  the  ballet 
goes  through  its  steps,  the  effect  is  heightened 
by  reflections  in  the  black  glass  floor.  An¬ 
other  score  for  ingenious  photography  plus 
beautifully  designed  sets.  Close-ups,  partic¬ 
ularly  of  Ann  Sothern,  are  cameo-clear  and 
nicely  arranged  as  to  background  and  light¬ 
ing.  One  song,  “I’m  in  Love  All  Over 
Again”  has  hit  possibilities.  Story  sequence 
and  continuity  is  choppy  and  has  holes.  Wal¬ 
ter  Lang  directed,  and  let  the  music  and 
dance  numbers  run  away  with  the  picture. 
Ann  Sothern  registers  in  every  scene  both 
for  looks  and  singing  ability.  Thurston  Hall 
as  the  Commodore  gets  the  most  out  of  his 
part.  Gene  Raymond  scores  in  some  comedy 
sequences.  Nice  dialogue.  The  plot  is  an¬ 
cient  and  uninspired. 

SYNOPSIS: 

This  is  formulae  number  1-a.  You  know! 
The  efforts  of  a  troupe  of  optimists  with  little 
money  to  put  on  a  Broadway  show  in  spite 
of  heaven  and — er — bill  collectors.  Extrava¬ 
ganza  numbers  worthy  of  a  Ziegfield  are  cas¬ 
ually  rehearsed,  and  the  finale  is  a  box-office 
hit,  as  you  knew  all  along  it  would  be.  There 
are  “acts”  by  Bill  Robinson,  Marie  Gambar¬ 
elli  and  Pert  Kelton.  The  efforts  of  Thurs¬ 
ton  Hall  to  gold-dig  a  rich  widow  in  order  to 
save  the  show  are  grand.  Lionel  Stander 
(Continued  on  Page  51) 


44 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


Movie  Petland 

By  G.  B.  K. 

From  the  inception  of  Life,  to  its  very  end' 
ing,  every  minute  of  every  day,  in  fact,  every 
breath  we  draw,  is  a  never  ending  experience 
of  “something  different!”  This  constant 
change,  albeit,  not  always  desirable,  changes, 
taking  place  in  our  life,  is  what  we  term  the 
“spice  of  life.”  It  is  this  very  thing  which 
keeps  Life  from  becoming  boredom;  a  con- 
dition  not  worth  living! 

So  too,  in  the  realm  of  journalism,  we  must 
have  our  changes:  always  we  must  seek  some' 
thing  new  and  different;  something  to  whet 
the  appetite  in  the  field  of  literature,  without 
this  “spice”  journalism  also,  will  languish 
and  die  of  inertia. 

This  page  dedicated  to  our  Movie  Pets,  and 
animal  Stars,  is  the  “something  different,” 
since  no  other  magazine  has  ever  taken  note 
of  these  silent,  but  very  desirable  and  appre- 
ciated  workers,  and  they,  poor  dumb  dears, 
cannot  speak  for  themselves.  We  therefore 
take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  this  page  to 
our  public,  and  we  sincerely  ask  your  co- 
operation  and  news  items. 

— o — 

The  1925  Ambassador  Mid'Summer  Dog 
Show,  of  Los  Angeles,  has  just  closed,  bring- 


WAkefield  4696  Toy  Fox  Terriers 

EVELYN  BRUSH 

A.  K.  C.  Registered  Chihuahua  Dogs 
!{50  S.  Huntington  Dr.  Pasadena,  Calif. 


ST.  BERNARDS 

SANT  ABBOTT’S  KENNELS 
3911  West  Palm  St.  (oil  Prairie  Ave.) 
Phone  Englewood  840  Inglewood,  Calif. 


PUG  DOGS 


IMPORTER  AND 
IS  REEDER 
MRS.  E.  C.  KILLIP 
3310  Cazador  St.,  I.os  Angeles 
CApital  13564 


GEORGIA  B.  KENDALL 

A.K.C.  Registered  Japanese  Spaniel 
Puppies 

10711  South  Broadway 
PLeasant  3811  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

BUTTERFIELD  KENNELS 
675  No.  Robertson  Illvd. 

OXford  3904  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

— Toy  Dogs  to  Board — 
OUTSTANDING  PEKES 


DOG  CRAFT 

THE  WORLD'S  FINEST  DOG 
MAGAZINE  DEVOTED 
ENTIRELY  TO  THE  CRAFT. 

• 

217  So.  Commercial  St.  Inglewood,  Calif. 


ing  with  it  more  honors  to  a  number  of  dog¬ 
gie  Stars  of  Movie  Land,  and  their  owners. 
The  smallest  tid-bit  of  a  Star,  to  win  further 
honors  at  the  Show,  was  Evelyn  Brush’s  little 
Chihuahua,  Champion  Don  Rubio.  This  wee 
bit  of  dogdom  has  gone  Best  of  Breed,  in 
sixteen,  out  of  eighteen,  consecutive  showings. 

Being  just  a  dog,  he  does  not  feel  the  hon¬ 
or  which  is  his,  but,  we  feel,  the  fact  should 
almost  penetrate  the  dumb  intelligence  of  a 
dog,  that  he  is  indeed  honored,  to  be  allowed 
to  appear  with  the  always  lovely  Marion 
Davies,  in  “Page  Miss  Glory.”  Director  Mer- 
vin  Le  Roy,  decided  he  was  just  the  correct 
size  to  do  this  bit  of  work.  Look  well,  ye 
movie  fans,  else  you  might  fail  to  see  this 
smallest  of  movie  Stars. 


Our  largest  friend  of  Man,  to  win  honors 
at  the  Ambassador  Show,  is  from  the  Saint 
Abbott’s  Kennels  of  St.  Bernards,  in  Ingle¬ 
wood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robt.  Nicholson,  who 
own  these  lovely  dogs,  are  very  proud  of 
their  stock,  and  their  wins.  Mr.  Nicholson, 
being  employed  at  the  M-G-M  Studio  in  the 
mechanical  department,  breeds  these  dogs  as 
a  hobby. 

Marita  of  Saint  Abbott’s,  went  Best  of 
Breed,  while  her  team  mate,  Pluto,  went 
Best  of  Dogs,  thus  adding  a  few  more  points 
to  a  much  desired  Championship. 

Miss  Frances  Marion,  is  so  very  fond  of 
these  dogs  that  she  has  visited  the  Saint 
Abott’s  Kennels  on  several  occasions,  each 
time  departing  with  a  puppy,  to  grace  either 
her  own,  or  a  friend’s  home. 


The  funny  little  Pug,  seen  romping  around 
with  Will  Rogers  in  the  “County  Chairman” 
was  from  the  kennels  of  Mrs.  E.  C.  Killup. 
This  little  fellow  has  a  name  about  as  funny 
as  his  queer  little  anatomy,  “The  Manx 
Man,”  a  very  appropriate  cognomen,  for  this 
old  fashioned  bit  of  a  dog.  Quite  a  suit¬ 
able  co-Star  for  our  delightful  Will  Rogers. 


One  of  the  most  popular  of  Movieland 
Stars  from  the  Pekingese  colony,  is  Mrs. 
Florence  Butterfield's  lovely  Champion  Partie 
Boy.  This  little  black  and  white  Peke,  has 
appeared  in  a  number  of  pictures,  among 
the  best  productions  are,  First  National’s 
“Madame  Du  Barry,”  featuring  Dolores  Del 
Rio,  and  United  Artist’s  “Blondie  of  the 
Follies.” 

Partie  Boy,  is  not  only  popular  as  a  Movie 
Star,  but  his  progeny  are  legions.  A  record 
of  having  Sired  over  two  hundred  pups,  and 
good  ones,  is  not  to  be  sneezed  at. 


Miss  Grace  La  Rue,  of  stage  and  screen 
fame,  is  the  devoted  admirer  of  the  little 
Japanese  Spaniel.  She  has  owned  no  less 
than  five  of  these  delightful  little  Oriental 
dogs.  At  the  present  time  she  has  a  very 
nice  little  bitch  out  of  a  Hollywood  Kennel, 
which  is  the  idol  of  their  household. 


Speaking  of  trophies.  Max  Autrey,  still  pho¬ 
tographer  at  the  Chaplin  studios,  is  about  tied 
with  Ira  Morgan  for  his  pair  of  lrisn  setters, 
recently  won  the  title  of  “reserved  winners” 
at  the  same  Dog  Show  and  in  the  golf 
tournament  at  Lakeside,  Max  came  home 
with  six  sterling  silver  sherbet  cups  donated 
by  the  director,  King  Vidor. 


6  BILLION  FEET 

OF  FILM  USED  IN 
PICTURE  MAKING 

By  RAY  HOADLEY 

Six  billion  feet  of  motion  picture  film  is 
manufactured  annually  in  the  United  States, 
according  to  Jo  Walker,  Columbia  studio 
cameraman. 

Walker,  who  apparently  has  a  mind  for 
figures  and  statistics,  reveals  that  4,000  tons, 
approximately  16,000  bales,  of  cotton  is  con¬ 
sumed  in  the  making  of  the  celluloid  used 
in  this  film.  During  one  stage  of  the  manu¬ 
facture  of  celluloid,  the  cotton  is  dissolved 
in  nitric  acid,  and  becomes  guncotton,  one 
of  the  most  powerful  explosives  known  to 
modern  science.  Used  as  the  bursting  charge 
for  the  shells  of  naval  guns  or  torpedoes, 
this  amount  of  gun  cotton  would  be  enough 
to  sink  every  battle  ship  in  every  navy  of 
the  world,  as  well  as  the  ships  of  the  mer¬ 
chant  marine  fleets. 

Now  here  are  some  really  staggering 
figures: 

The  6,000,000,000  feet  of  film,  if  joined 
in  one  single  length,  would  measure  1,136,- 
325  miles — enough  to  encircle  the  glob  54(/2 
times  at  the  equator.  An  automobile,  travel¬ 
ing  sixty  miles  per  hour,  would  consume  two 
years,  sixty-nine  days  in  traveling  this  dis¬ 
tance — provided  the  drivers  stayed  at  the 
wheel  twenty-four  hours  a  day,  and  didn’t 
have  to  stop  for  gasoline,  oil,  tires,  repairs 
- — or  even  new  cars.  If  you  went  into  a 
theatre  to  look  at  a  picture  6,000,000,000 
feet  long,  you  would  be  exactly  121  years  and 
230  days  older  when  you  finished,  not  count¬ 
ing  time  out  for  meals,  sleep  or  telephone 
calls. 

The  film  weighs  6,000  tons,  one-third  of 
which  is  made  up  of  chemicals,  gelatine  and 
nitrate  of  silver. 

Walker,  who  provided  the  statistics,  is  one 
of  Hollywood’s  better  cameramen  He  has 
filmed  many  of  the  screen’s  notable  stars  and 
was  on  the  camera  on  Grace  Moore’s  first 
musical  production  “One  Night  of  Love”, 
made  about  one  year  ago,  and  officiated  in 
this  same  capacity  on  “Love  Me  Forever", 
Miss  Moore’s  latest  Columbia  vehicle. 


Jack  Wilson,  recently  promoted  assistant 
manager  of  the  Chaplin  studios,  has  bought 
a  56-foot  cutter  which  he  has  christened 
Yarmontees”  —  which,  he  explains,  is  de¬ 
rived  from  Yarm,  a  little  village  in  England 
(Wilson’s  native  country)  and  located  on 
the  river  Tees.  Wilson,  in  his  spare  time,  can 
be  found  buried  in  yachting  literature,  and 
as  soon  as  production  allows,  he  promises 
to  show  up  all  the  boats  in  the  Yarmontees 
class  in  the  forthcoming  races  at  the  harbor. 
Not  to  be  outdone,  Allen  Garcia,  casting  di¬ 
rector  at  the  same  studios,  has  purchased  a 
20-foot  sail  boat  which  he  has  moored  at 
Santa  Monica  in  the  breakwater. 


June,  J  935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


45 


WHAT  CRITICS  SAY! 

(Continued  from  Page  38) 

ON  TRADE  DAILIES 

“The  Werewolf  of  London”  (Universal) 
CHARLES  STUMAR,  ASC,  Camerman 

Hollywood  Reporter  ■ — ■  “Beautifully  photo- 
graphed  by  Charles  Stumar.” 

“Murder  in  the  Fleet”  (M-G-M) 

MILTON  KRASNER,  ASC,  Camerman 

Hollywood  Reporter — “Krasner’s  photography 
rates  Four  Stars  all  the  way.” 

“The  Headline  Woman”  (Mascot) 

ERNEST  MILLER,  ASC,  Camerman 

Daily  Variety  ■ —  “Miller  scores  with  the 
camera.” 

“The  Flame  Within”  (M-G-M) 

JAMES  W.  HOWE,  ASC,  Cameraman 

Daily  Variety  —  “Howe  has  photographed 
well." 

“The  Informer”  (RKO-Radio) 

JOE  AUGUST,  ASC,  Cameraman 

Hollywood  Reporter — “The  camera  work  of 
August  and  the  set  lighting  are  responsible 
for  a  large  share  of  the  picture’s  power.” 

“The  Healer”  (Republic) 

HARRY  NEUMANN,  ASC,  Cameraman 

Daily  Variety — “Photography  adds  to  pic¬ 
ture’s  quality.” 

“Under  the  Pampas  Moon”  (Fox) 

CHESTER  LYONS,  ASC,  Cameraman 

Hollywood  Reporter — “Lyons  has  some  gor¬ 
geous  scenic  shots  beside  some  clever  indoor 
work.” 


INSERTS 

(Continued  from  Page  38) 

Chet  Lyons  back  on  the  M-G-M  lot  after 
a  “season”  at  Fox  .  .  .  speaking  of  M-G-M, 
the  following  bit  of  blank-blank  verse  can  be 
attributed  to  a  certain  first-class  camera  crew 
now  engaged  in  making  one  of  those  pictures 
that  make  money  but  are  turned  out  in  a 
bit  of  a  hurry.  Names  of  the  composers  are 
withheld, — obviously.  Here  it  is: 


Publicity 

Ruth  Howard,  head  of  the  Fox  mimeo¬ 
graphing  department,  has  recently  employed 
her  leisure  hours  tinting  photographs  of  Shir¬ 
ley  Temple  and  other  Fox  stars,  for  Jack  Mul- 
cahey,  publicity  man  for  the  company. 

— o — 

Wally  Schooler,  planter  in  the  Fox  pub¬ 
licity  department,  is  anticipating  an  addition 
to  his  family  sometime  this  month. 

- — o — 

Beatrice  Carroll  of  the  Fox  Film  publicity 
department,  plans  a  boat  trip  to  Mexico  on 
her  vacation  sometime  the  early  part  of  this 
month. 


ODE  TO  A  DOLLY 

( Sung  to  the  tune  of  “The  Man  On  the 
Flying  Trapeze ”) 

Verse  by  Camera  Crew  and  Grips 

Chorus  by  the  Director 

All  around  Stage  16 

On  a  dolly  machine 

But  it  makes  no  damn  difference, 

We  cut  close-ups  between. 

We  pan  to  the  door  and  pull  in  ond  out 
We  know  not  it’s  whether  or  whence 
At  seven  fifteen  the  Ulcers  cry  out: 

“Our  stomachs  are  empty,”  and  groan, 

But  at  a  word  from  the  Chief  we  climb  back 
on  our  steed 

At  the  crack  of  his  whip  we  go  O-O-O-O 
We  pram  in  and  out;  we  pan  to  and  fro, 
The  lights  become  dim;  the  set  starts  to  spin 
Ho- All  around  Stage  16. 

Chorus 

Though  we  beef  every  night 
And  we  beef  every  day 
We  don’t  object  Saturdays 
To  taking  our  pay,  O-O-O-O 

Our  lenses  are  lousy 
Our  cameras  won’t  run 
Ou....r  stuff’s  out  of  focus 

But  ain’t  we  got  fun.  O-O-O-O 

(Editor’s  Note.  This  could  go  on — but  why?) 


WHY  NOT  GET  YOUR 

SUN  TAN 

THE 

EASY  WAY? 

ONLY  25c 

For  the  Busy  Man  Who  Enjoys  a  Restful 
Sun  Bath,  Our  New  Enclosed  Roof  Space 
Will  Be  Appreciated.  Come  Up  and 
See  the  Arrangements  for  Your  Comfort. 

OIL  RUBS  OR  MASSAGE 
IF  DESIRED 


JOSEPH  FOSTER 
Licensed  Masseur 

During  the  past  ten  years,  I  have  served 
prominent  citizens  of  Los  Angeles  and 
many  celebrities  of  the  Hollywood  movie 
colony  by  giving  them  massages  in  their 
own  homes.  You  can  lose  without  stren¬ 
uous  exercise  or  you  can  put  on  weight 
easily  by  following  my  directions. 

For  Appointment  Phone  Hillside  2894 

Treatments  at  Your  Rresidence  or  in  my 

HEALTH  STUDIO 

66291/2  Hollywood  Boulevard 

Special  Attention  to  Physicians'  Patients 


MME.  BERGERON 

FACE  REJUVENATION 

New  and  Different 

(No  peel  or  surgery) 

Has  made  several  trips  to  Europe  to  keep  abreast  with  the  latest 
and  most  scientific  methods.  This  exclusive  method  gfives  a  nat¬ 
ural,  normal  contour  and  a  beautiful  skin.  From  10  to  30  years 
taken  from  the  face.  Only  two  weeks  in  rest  home.  Doctors  and 


WRINKLES  REMOVED  FROM  AROUND  THE  EYES 
'Makes  a  face  35  years  look  20 

MME.  BERGERON’S 

Key  to  Beauty  Cosmetics 

Are  for  sale  in  Rullock’s,  J.  W.  Robinson’s  and  at  the  studio 

1021  Haas,  Bldg.,  219  W.  7th  Street  TUcker  1251 

FREE  CONSULTATIONS— STRICTLY  CONFIDENTIAL 


46 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


Bert  Dawson,  paint  department  chief  at 
United  Artists  studio,  has  been  official  paint 
mixer  for  Mary  Pickford  for  so  many  years 
that  recently,  when  she  wanted  to  paint  her 
New  York  home,  she  had  Bert  combine  the 
necesary  color  and  hip  them  east. 


Maurice  Waite,  head  of  the  scenic  depart' 
ment  at  Chaplin’s,  and  his  charming  wife, 
have  just  celebrated  their  twentieth  wedding 
anniversary,  and  the  evening  of  May  18th, 
were  surprised  by  a  big  party  from  their  many 
friends. 


THE  WEREWOLF  OF  LONDON 

(Continued  from  Page  42) 

werewolf-ism.  On  discovering  the  flower  in 
a  remote  valley,  just  as  he  is  about  to  pluck 
it,  a  strange  beast,  half-folw  and  half-man 
(you  guessed  it  the  first  time — a  werewolf!) 
attacks  the  doctor,  and  bites  him  on  the  arm. 
But  the  doughty  doctor  escapes  with  his  life 
and  the  flower,  and  returns  to  London  and 
his  rather  grim  flora  and  fauna.  Seems  he 
collects  weird  and  exotic  plants  of  all  kinds. 
The  sort  that  would  slap  you  if  you  tried  to 
sniff  its  perfume.  Finding  himself  stricken 
with  the  dread  disease,  and  by  the  full  of 
the  moon  discovering  that  he  changes  at 
night  into  what  resembles  a  living  doormat 
with  teeth,  the  frantic  doctor  attemps  to  cure 
himself  with  the  moon-flower,  which  he  cul¬ 
tivates  with  artificial  moonlight.  No  soap, 
however,  and  the  rare  flower  is  stolen  by  an¬ 
other  victim  of  werewolf  traits.  A  series  of 
murders  done  during  the  moonlight  nights 
are  the  work  of  the  chameleon-like  doctor. 
His  own  beautiful  wife  is  in  danger  from 
his  bloodthirsty  moments,  and  he  is  luckily 
shot  just  before  he  sinks  his  teeth  into  the 
lady  of  the  house.  Not  a  pretty  thought. 
A  nice  youth  is  handy  to  make  the  lady’s 
mind  at  rest  as  to  her  future.  The  last  scene 
is  impressive  as,  slowly,  the  wolf-creature 
changes  back  into  the  Doctor.  It's  a  good 
thing,  too,  or  we’d  never  see  Henry  Hull 
again.  He  makes  an  awful-looking  werewolf. 

RATING: 

Good  entertainment,  well-knit  as  to  story 
and  nicely  handled  as  to  plot.  Though  fan¬ 
tastic  and  unreal,  it  holds  attention  and  grips 
interest.  Not  for  children  or  the  fluttery,  but 
nice,  strong  fare  with  a  flavor  for  them  as 
likes  to  be  amused.  Can  be  put  over  with  a 
bang.  Good  to  the  last  howl. 

Sound 

Fred  Casey,  of  the  Sound  Maintenance  De¬ 
partment,  with  Fox  Film  Studio  is  famous  on 
his  lot  for  two  reasons:  First  of  all  Fred  is 
an  exponent  of  the  Health  Culture  system 
and  has  a  remarkable  body  to  prove  his  con¬ 
tention  that  proper  exercise  means  health. 
His  charts  are  well  known  in  Hollywood. 
The  other  reason  is  Fred’s  smile — everyone 
knows  his  wonderful  personality  and  Fred  has 
a  host  of  friends  wherever  he  goes.  Fred  is 
South  African  born — another  product  of  the 
Gold  City,  Johannesburg — probably,  someday 
all  these  South  Africans  in  the  Industry  here 
in  Hollywood  might  get  together  and  then 
return  home  to  apply  their  knowledge  in  pro¬ 
ducing  pictures  in  South  Africa. 


Bob  Stringer,  sound  track  cutter,  M-G-M 
studios,  composes  music  as  a  hobby.  In 
spare  moments,  Bob  composed  an  operetta 
entitled:  “Flotsam  and  Jetsam.”  The  opera 
was  staged  at  the  Laguna  Beach  Community 
Theatre  and  ran  to  capacity  houses  for  three 
days.  Sigmund  Romberg  and  Jerome  Kern, 
move  over. 


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Spun  in  the  only  mill  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States 


WE  INVITE  YOUR  INSPECTION  OF  OUR  LARGE 
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FREE  INSTRUCTION 
KNITTING  AND  CROCHETING 
COMPETENT  INSTRUCTORS 
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12123  Washington  Blvd. 

Culver  City,  Calif. 

Phone:  Santa  Monica  71552 


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and 

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in 

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Manufacturing  Jewelers 

HEADQUARTERS  FOR  WEDDING  RINGS 

6307  HOLLYWOOD  BLVD. 

HOLLYWOOD  CALIFORNIA 


June,  1935" 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


47 


STUDIO  PAINTERS— 

GAY  DECEIVERS 

(Continued  from  Page  13) 


EXPERT  SERVICE 

HAZELS 

Beauty  Shoppe 


dishes  in  scenes.  With  the  aid  of  a 
cast  of  the  original  we  turn  plaster  into 
beautiful  Ming  and  clay  into  haviland.” 

There  is  an  average  crew  of  60  men 
at  Movietone  City  and  about  40  men  at 
the  Hollywood  studio. 

The  two  studios  use  approximately  10 
barrels  of  alcohol  alone  each  week, 
enough  to  make  mint  juleps  for  all  the 
Kentucky  Colonels  in  the  world.  Quan- 
titles  of  other  materials  are  used  in  pro¬ 
portion. 

Walter  Jolley,  born  in  Pittsburgh  and 
educated  in  Denver,  has  been  a  painter 
20  years  and  almost  every  day  of  that 
time  in  studios,  beginning  with  the  old 
Inceville  company  in  1915. 

“One  of  the  most  interesting  points  in 
this  studio  painting  business,”  said  Jol¬ 
ley,  “is  the  psychological  effect  of  colors 
and  tones  of  colors  on  the  players  them¬ 
selves.  I’ve  seen  it  put  to  an  actual 
test  more  than  once.  In  ’Dante’s  In¬ 
ferno,’  which  we  have  just  finished,  on 
request,  the  pleasure  pier  concessions 
were  painted  in  tones  of  gray.  The 
crowd  of  extras  could  not  get  into  the 
holiday  spirit  that  was  wanted.  I  asked 
permission  to  paint  these  concessions  in 
their  natural  colors  and  the  scenes  were 
shot  without  difficulty. 

“The  same  thing  happened  in  a  ball¬ 
room  scene  in  another  picture.  This 
time  Duncan  Cramer,  our  art  director, 
said  he’d  like  to  see  these  particular 
scenes  postponed  until  the  next  day. 
A^ain  we  changed  the  vrays  to  brighter, 
natural  colors  and  they  got  the  scene 
on  the  first  take. 

“The  cameraman,  of  course,  usually 
dictates  the  colors  used  because  he  knows 
with  what  shades  he  can  work  best. 
Bert  Glennon,  Joe  McDonald,  Dan 
Clark,  Ernie  Palmer  and  Les  O’Connell 
prefer  quite  light  sets,  mostly  whites. 
Rudolph  Mate  and  Johnny  Seitz;  like 
grays.  Joe  Valentine  prefers  light  greens 
and  ivories.  Arthur  Miller  isn’t  the 
least  bit  fussy  while  George  Schneider- 
man  will  use  anything  you  give  him.” 

Jolley  is  particularly  proud  of  the 
artistry  displayed  by  his  men  on  the 
Egyptian  tomb  settings  in  “Charlie 
Chan  In  Egypt,”  the  San  Francisco  wa¬ 
terfront  warehouses  and  offices  in  “$10 
Raise,”  the  tenement  settings  in  “Gin¬ 
ger,”  and  especially  the  Mississippi  River 
settings  in  Will  Rogers’  “Steamboat 
Round  the  Bend.”  In  this  innumerable 
settings  used  as  backgrounds  by  Director 


John  Ford  on  location  were  duplicated 
at  the  studio  for  close  shots.  Crack  for 
crack,  knot  hole  for  knot  hole,  shingle 
for  shingle,  everything  appears  in  exact 
duplicate  in  the  studio  manufactured 
sets. 

The  biggest  job  ever  tackled  by  the 
Hollywood  studio  department,  Jolley 
says,  and  also  the  most  interesting,  was 
“Dante's  Inferno.” 

“On  this  picture  we  had  no  prece¬ 
dent,”  he  declared.  “At  the  same  time 
we  had  no  rules  to  bind  us — we  all  got 
together  and  decided  how  to  achieve  the 
most  interesting  effects.  We  did  every¬ 
thing  on  that  picture  from  special  intro¬ 
ductory  titles  to  the  makeup  of  the 
thousands  of  players.” 


A1  Scheving,  first  string  University  of 
Southern  California  tackle,  along  with  Mor- 
ley  Drury,  Francis  Tappan,  and  other 
“greats”,  are  being  put  through  a  strenuous 
Spring  training  season  by  Coach  Howard 
Jones. 


BLEACHING 

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TREATMENTS 

For  Relief  of  Dandruff 
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Develops  and  Grows 
Hair 

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Evenings  By  Appointment 


'STUDIO'  HAIR-LIFE 

Registered  Trademark 

PRODUCTS  USED  IN  MOTION  PICTURE  STUDIOS 


PREVENTS 

BALDNESS 

RELIEVES 

DANDRUFF 

STOPS 

FALLING  HAIR 

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A  PERFECT  HAIR  DEVELOPER 
"Studio"  Hair-Life  Has  a  Money-Back  Guarantee 
A  PROVEN  PRODUCT  OF 

GREAT  WESTERN  LABORATORIES 

5574  MELROSE  AVENUE  HOLLYWOOD 

GLadstone  3124 

WRITE  OR  PHONE  ORDERS 


48 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1 935 


PARAMOUNT 

PRODUCTIONS 


‘COLLEGE  SCAHDAL"— El¬ 
liott  TJugent,  director;  A!  Lewis, 
producer.  CREW — S  id  Street, 
business  manager,  Lonnie  D'Or- 
say,  assistant  director;  Ben  Herz- 
brun,  art  director;  Billy  Shay, 
cutter;  Pearl  Hutchinson,  script; 
Ted  Spar\uhl,  director  of  pho¬ 
tography;  Guy  Bennett,  opera¬ 
tive  cameraman;  L.  Worth,  as¬ 
sistant;  Earl  Hayman,  mixer;  R. 
H.  Olson,  stage  engineer;  George 
Ehrlinger,  recorder;  Bert  Gran¬ 
ger,  set  dresser;  Dic\  Brandow, 
props;  William  Austin,  grip; 
Fred  True,  mi\e  grip;  James 
Seim,  set  lighting  foreman; 
]\[ewt  Johns,  ma\eup;  Lois  Rich¬ 
ardson,  women’s  wardrobe. 

— Still  by  Hal  McAlpin. 


PARIS  IN  SPRING 

(Continued  from  Page  4) 

than  the  plot  workout.  The  story  is  strung 
on  songs  and  dialogue,  but  nobody  cares,  be¬ 
cause  it’s  all  amusing  and  gay  from  start  to 
finish. 

RATING: 

In  spite  of  a  lack  of  sure-fire  names,  this 
should  box-office  well.  It  has  build-up  pos¬ 
sibilities.  Gay  tunes,  frothy  story  and  amus¬ 
ing  dialogue  put  it  over  in  the  right  spot  for 
summer  entertainment.  Whether  the  sticks 
will  go  for  it  is  a  question,  but  I  think  it’s 
okay  for  both  city  and  small  town  audiences. 
In  its  favor  is  the  fact  that  the  comedy, 
though  subtle,  is  still  in  the  family-class. 
Watch  it  go! 


Writers 

Jefferson  Parker  has  completed  the  screen 
adaptation  of  Warwick  Deeping’s  best  seller, 
“Two  Black  Sheep’’,  which  will  go  into  pro¬ 
duction  at  once  with  Arthur  Lubin  directing. 
Mr.  Parker  is  now  busy  adapting  “Forbidden 
Heaven”  from  an  original  by  Christine  Jope 
Slade.  This  is  the  story,  report  has  it,  that 
will  give  Charles  Farrel  his  greatest  opportun¬ 
ity  since  "Seventh  Heaven.”  Reginald  Bar¬ 
ker  is  directing  and  Republic  producing. 

Peter  B.  Kyne  has  recently  arrived  to  as¬ 
sist  in  the  adaptation  of  “Cappy  Ricks  Re¬ 
turns”  which  will  go  into  production  soon  for 
Republic. 


Maurice  Kusell  is  doing  the  adaptation  of 
“For  Men  Only”  which  will  be  produced 
on  the  New  York  stage  during  the  coming 
theatrical  season.  Negotiotations  are  under 
way  for  his  direction  of  the  play  provided 
present  assignments  do  not  conflict. 


Few  people  are  aware  of  the  fact,  but 
Evelyn  Egan,  secretary  to  Jack  Wilson  at  the 
Chaplin  studios,  is  a  silent  partner  in  the 
Ferncroft  Inn,  owned  by  her  father  and 
mother.  The  Inn,  noted  for  its  delicious 
steaks  and  fried  chicken  “that  melts  in  your 
mouth”  is  well  patronized  by  the  movie  col- 
only,  and  at  the  moment  is  being  done  over 
in  antique  white  and  maroon — an  added  in¬ 
ducement  to  those  who  like  good  food  in  at¬ 
tractive  surroundings. 

Cecile  Farrell,  secretary  at  the  Fox  Movie¬ 
tone  plant,  has  departed  for  her  second  trip 
to  Honolulu.  She  plans  to  be  gone  six  weeks, 
during  which  time  she  will  give  the  island 
a  thorough  “oging  over.” 

Lillian  Chapman,  secretary  to  the  auditor 
at  Fox  Movietone  studio,  has  chosen  Chicago 
as  her  vacation  destination. 


Walter  Hoeppner,  gang  boss  in  the  labor 
department  at  M-G-M  is  an  ex-pro.  motor¬ 
cycle  rider.  Walt  still  retains  a  geen  inter¬ 
est  in  the  speed  game.  He  follows  the  mid¬ 
get  racers. 

Stanley  Parsons,  stock  custodian  on  the 
afternoon  shift  at  M-G-M,  is  raising  rabbits 
in  a  big  way.  Stan,  had  thirty  new  bunnies 
arrive  at  his  pens  this  week. 


June,  1 935" 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


49 


PICTURE  MAKEUP  NEED 

EXPLAINED  BY  FACTOR 

(Continued  from  Page  16) 


define  very  distinctly  the  natural  features 
of  the  face. 

The  most  expressive  features  are 
the  eyes,  mouth  and  hairline.  The 
hairline  determines  the  arrangement  of 
the  person’s  hair  —  the  style  of 
hairdress,  to  be  exact.  The  eyebrows 
very  definitely  affect  the  expression 
of  the  entire  face,  and  the  individu- 
al’s  whole  personality  and  appearance 
can  be  changed  by  the  simple  use  of  an 
eyebrow  pencil.  Probably  no  one  except 
a  make-up  artist  or  a  cameraman  fully 
realises  the  importance  of  make-up  aid 
for  the  eyebrows.  The  lip  line,  being 
the  most  sympathetic  part  of  the  human 
face,  is  a  complement  of  the  personality 
of  the  photographic  subject.  Inasmuch 
as  the  natural  coloring  of  the  lips  is  not 
sufficiently  red  to  reproduce  naturally 
on  the  photographic  film  is  very  neces¬ 
sary  to  use  make-up  on  the  lips.  But, 
unless  it  is  used  intelligently  some  hor¬ 
rible  results  will  appear  on  the  film. 

The  selection  of  colors  in  make-up  is 
extremely  important  because  they  help 
to  define  distinctly  the  natural  colors  of 
the  human  complexion.  Where  we  have 
light  hair  or  blonde,  it  is  necessary  to 
use  a  dark  make-up  to  accentuate  the 
contrast  in  the  color  of  such  complexion. 
The  novice  would  naturally  think  that 
the  light  complexion  of  the  blonde 
should  be  made  up  light,  even  lighter 
than  it  is  naturally.  But  when  one  is 
photographing  a  subject  he  must  have 
contrasts  to  produce  good  pictures.  And 
so  the  dark  make-up  is  used  to  bring  out 
this  contrast. 

The  brunette  has,  generally,  a  natural 
contrasting  coloring  in  her  complexion. 
To  retain  that  natural  contrast  we  use 
a  lighter  make-up  in  contrast  to  the  dark 
hair.  Victor  Milner,  famous  camera¬ 
man  who  won  the  Academy  Award  for 
photography  last  year,  once  said  that 
brunettes  are  easier  to  photograph  be¬ 
cause  of  the  natural  contrast  between 
their  hair  and  their  complexion.  As  a 
light  make-up  accentuates  that  contrast, 
it  is  quite  easily  understood  why  make¬ 
up  is  necessary.  All  expression  in  pho¬ 
tographic  reproduction  rests  upon  nat¬ 
ural  contrasts.  If  you  do  not  have 
them  you  do  not  get  good  pictures. 

In  applying  make-up  it  is  necessary 
for  the  make-up  artist  to  definitely  un¬ 
derstand  the  proportions  of  the  features 
to  affect  the  most  becoming  expression. 
You  bring  out  this  expression  by  balanc¬ 
ing  properly,  so  far  as  it  is  physically 
possible,  by  dividing  the  features  with 


the  make-up.  Quite  frequently  the  in¬ 
dividual  can  accomplish  this  more  effec¬ 
tively  and  successfully  than  the  make-up 
artist,  because  the  individual  probably  is 
more  familiar  with  his  or  her  own  face 
than  is  the  make-up  man  who  has  a  fixed 
style  in  his  technique. 

The  colors  used  for  motion  picture 
make-up  are  carefully  balanced  to  with¬ 
stand  the  absorption  of  colors  found  in 
the  lighting  effects  or  in  the  color  sensi¬ 
tivity  of  the  film  emulsion.  The  colors 
used  are  known  as  “Panchromatic  Make- 
Up.”  They  are  neutral  in  relationship 
to  the  spectrum.  Comparatively,  they 
will  remain  in  the  same  shade  through¬ 
out  a  picture,  if  various  colored  filters 
are  used  under  any  type  of  lighting. 

While  the  effect  of  make-up  depends 
largely  upon  the  skill  with  which  it  is 
applied,  the  actor  or  actress  should  make 
the  most  of  his  or  her  own  personality, 
and  should  familiarise  himself  or  herself 
with  the  naturalness  of  his  or  her  fea¬ 
tures.  It  is  “much  easier  to  put  truth 
into  beauty  than  to  put  beauty  into 
truth.”  To  know  your  own  features  is 
half  the  battle  in  applying  make-up  per¬ 
fectly. 

There  are  three  distinct  types  of  in¬ 
dividuals — blonde,  brunette  and  red¬ 
head.  The  color  schemes  for  these  three 
types  must  be  very  carefully  selected  in 
order  to  retain  their  effectiveness  for  mo¬ 
tion  picture  reproduction.  I  have  ex¬ 
plained  what  has  to  be  done  for  the 
blonde  and  the  brunette.  Now,  there 
are  two  types  of  red-head — the  woman 
with  very  light  red  hair  and  very  light 
complexion,  and  the  one  with  dark  red 
hair  and  a  slightly  darker  complexion 
than  her  lighter  red-headed  sister.  The 
light  red-head  should  use  a  dark  make¬ 
up  for  contrast,  while  the  dark  red-head 
should  use  a  light  make-up. 

Very  often  we  come  upon  women  who 
have  nondescript  complexions.  It  is  dif¬ 
ficult  to  classify  them,  and  for  this  type 
it  is  quite  permissable  for  her  to  touch 
up  her  hair  to  suit  the  complexion.  But 
the  young  ladies  with  undetermined  col¬ 
ors  in  their  hair  should  obtain  expert 
advice  regarding  the  color  suited  most 
naturally  to  her  complexion.  At  no  time, 
however,  is  it  advisable  to  swing  from 
one  extreme  shade  to  another.  It  does 
not  improve  the  personality,  and  very 
often  affects  the  quality  of  the  hair  and 
complicates  make-up  problems.  And 
what  is  still  worse,  many  times  this 
changing  of  the  hair  color  results  in  de¬ 
struction  of  the  hair. 


BREATH E 

Your  Way  to 

HEALTH 

The  New  and  Simple  way  of  re¬ 
lieving  COLDS  —  SINUS 
TROUBLE  —  THROAT  and 
LUNG  CONDITIONS  and  ALL 
DISORDERS  OF  THE  RESPIR¬ 
ATORY  TRACT  by  the  use  of  a 

JUNIOR  TERPEZONE 
GENERATOR 

TERPEZONE  is  a  pleasant 
VISIBLE  atmosphere,  reproducing 
the  health  giving  properties  of  the 
cool,  dry  MOUNTAIN  AIR  in 
such  strength  as  to  be  destructive 
to  germ  life  and  absolutely  harm¬ 
less  to  the  most  delicate  human 
tissue. 

Those  requiring  a  normal  sing¬ 
ing  or  speaking  voice  will  find 
TERPEZONE  a  most  valuable 
and  necessary  aid  at  all  times. 

Studio  references  will  be  given 
on  application  and  a  private  dem¬ 
onstration  may  be  had  by  com¬ 
municating  with  the 

Terpezcne 

Company  of  California 

686  South  Western  Ave. 

Phone  FEderal  9588 


Studio  Sales  and 
Rentals 

Uniform 
Requirements 

Phone  OX  4974 

We  Specialize  in  All 
Types  of  Uniforms 

PROFESSIONAL 

and  DOMESTIC 

Hollywood-Beverly 
Uniform  Shop 

9729  Santa  Monica  Boulevard 
BEVERLY  HILLS 

Butlers'  and  Chauffeurs'  Uniforms 


50 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  J935 


GATE  CRASHER’S  STORIES 

QUASHED  AT  FRONT  OFFICE 

(Continued  from  Page  17) 


featured  players,  directors,  writers,  su- 
pervisors,  production  heads  and  assist' 
ants,  all  department  heads  and  their  as- 
sistants,  all  the  high  salaried  technicians, 
such  as  cameramen,  sound  men,  art  di' 
rectors,  and  others.  The  business  of 
writing  studio  passes  is  constantly  going 
on  during  the  twelve  hours  the  office  is 
open.  Approximately  250  passes  are 
written  each  day.  Then  there  are  visi- 


HEALTHFUL  and  INVIGORATING 

HURLEY 


DO  YOU 
FEEL 
TIRED? 

WORN 

OUT? 


Our  treatments  help  to  regain  your 
nervous  energy  and  to  keep  you  phys¬ 
ically  and  mentally  alert 

OIL  VAPOR  BATHS 
ORIGINAL  SWEDISH  MASSAGE 
ELIMINATION— CIRCULATION 
and 

WEIGHT  CORRECTION 

FOR  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN 
NURSE  IN  ATTENDANCE 

Telephone  Culver  City  2441 
100121/2  WASHINGTON  BLVD. 
CULVER  CITY 


tors  who  must  be  escorted  through  the 
studio,  and  often  to  and  from  the  com' 
missary.  Another  item  is  the  delivering 
of  all  inter'Studio  mail  and  messages. 
In  addition,  there  is  the  usual  one  hum 
dred  and  one  miscellaneous  tasks  that 
invariably  appear  and  must  be  taken  care 
of  by  Bob  Hilton’s  department. 

As  for  the  important  matter  of  issm 
mg  passes,  and  to  whom,  Hilton  has  this 
to  say: 

“All  persons  admitted  into  the  studio 
are  okayed  by  someone  inside  with  the 
proper  authority.  Those  who  appear 
with  a  fake  story  are  easily  detected  be' 
cause  in  this  job  you  must  know  nearly 
3000  people — by  name — and  are  com 
stantly  meeting  more,  you  cannot  help 
but  become  good  at  analysing  human  na- 
ture  at  a  moment’s  notice. 

“It’s  a  strange  thing  but  nevertheless 
true  that  nearly  all  visitors  who  have 
legitimate  reasons  for  coming  to  the  stm 
dio  are  backward  and  hesitant  about  ask' 
ing  for  their  passes.  Exactly  the  oppo- 
site  is  true  of  the  “chiseler”  who  makes 
his  presence  and  wants  known  by  blus' 
tering  talk  and  a  presumptuous  man¬ 
ner.” 

Hilton  has  a  personell  of  twenty-five 
boys.  At  the  Front  Desk,  aiding  Hih 
ton,  are  Bert  Wrench,  William  Saracino, 
Louis  Littlefield,  Frank  Cappochone. 
Charles  Eddy  and  Floyd  Whittenberg 
handle  the  studio  mail,  the  volume  of 
which  necessitates  a  complete  circuit  of 
the  “lot”  every  half  hour,  or  an  average 
of  forty  miles  of  walking  between  the 
two  boys,  per  day. 

Nineteen  boys  have  been  appointed  to 
escort  studio  parties,  deliver  special  mes' 
sages,  and  to  do  general  errand  duty  and 
personal  call  work.  Fred  Leet,  George 


O’Connor,  Frank  Shugrue,  Paul  Sivage, 
William  McCrystal,  Albert  Ashworth, 
Calvin  Clark,  Jack  Young,  William 
Lyons,  Herbert  Josephs,  Ernest  Grooney, 
Gerald  Starckey,  Herbert  Riehl,  Robert 
Jans,  Gordon  Otto,  Vernon  Tabor,  Her' 
bert  Hall,  Joe  DeMichell,  and  Gene  VaT 
entino  are  on  this  general  office  staff. 

It  is  imperative  that  the  front  office 
men  learn  how  all  the  other  departments 
on  the  lot  function  and  this  knowledge 
has  proven  a  stepping  stone  to  better 
paying  position  in  many  cases.  Joe  New' 
man  started  “up  front”  and  is  now  an 
assistant  director,  having  handled  “Da- 
vid  Copperfield”  and  other  big  pictures. 
Thomas  Wright  and  Dean  Dorn  have 
gone  to  publicity  positions  while  Ira 
Mosley,  Norman  Steiner,  Freeman  Da' 
vies,  Lane  Britton  and  Sid  Mayner  are 
now  with  the  Sound  department.  Lee 
Stanfield  is  in  the  Make-Up  department; 
Norman  Gieger  in  Advertising;  Phil 
Kellogg  in  Location;  and  a  long  list  of 
others  who  have  found  Front  Desk  train- 
ing  invaluable  in  learning  the  picture 
business. 

Before  becoming  affiliated  with 
M-G'M,  Hilton  managed  a  men’s  cloth- 
ing  establishment  in  Culver  City.  He 
has  been  in  his  present  position  for  two 
years,  being  appointed  head  by  ‘Whitey’ 
Hendry  after  serving  only  three  weeks 
as  assistant  desk  man. 


THE  HEALER 

(Continued  from  Page  43) 

volving  brain  concussion  forces  the  Healer  to 
perform  a  skillful  operation  to  save  the  girl's 
life.  As  a  result  the  grateful  father  offers 
to  set  the  Healer  up  in  a  magnificent  sani¬ 
tarium  to  reward  him  for  saving  his  daughter, 
and,  incidentally,  curing  his  dyspepsia.  At 
first  reluctant,  the  Healer  is  won  over,  and 
deserts  the  children  for  the  sanitarium,  ca¬ 
tering  to  the  rich  and  half-sick.  A  forest  fire 
threatens  to  wipe  out  the  sanitarium,  and  the 
Healer  calls  out  the  dilletante  patients  of  the 
fashionable  sanitarium  to  fight  the  fire.  When 
a  choice  comes  as  to  which  he  shall  save  from 
the  flames,  the  children  come  first,  and  Karen 
Morley  gets  what  she  deserves — namely,  the 
Healer. 

RATIHG: 

A  good  program  picture  with  an  exciting 
climax  that  had  the  preview  audience  tense 
and  interested.  Should  have  good  build-up 
at  the  box-office  because  of  an  excellent  name- 
cast  and  some  thrilling  sequences.  Ranks 
highly  with  the  recent  output  of  any  studio. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


51 


ALIAS  MARY  DOW 

(Continued  from  Page  42) 


society. 

RATING: 

Due  to  the  many  Sally  Ellers  fans  that 
roam  the  countryside,  this  should  box-office 
fairly  well.  Against  it  are  weak  story  and 
lack  of  follow-up  names  after  the  star.  The 
human-interest  part,  with  touches  of  comedy, 
if  featured,  will  help  put  this  over.  A  good 
dog-sequence,  when  Sally  is  followed  home 
by  a  stray  pooch  of  the  British  Bull  type.  He 
does  well  with  his  part,  even  to  stealing  a 
scene.  Good,  but  not  exciting,  program  fair. 


Directors 

Walter  Lang  is  still  in  New  Mexico  shoot¬ 
ing  at  things  and  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest 
after  two  years  of  continuous  picture  mak¬ 
ing.  "Hurray  For  Love”,  recently  completed 
for  Radio  Pictures,  is  now  ready  for  general 
release. 


— o — 

Louis  King,  well  known  Fox  director,  on 
completion  of  “Charlie  Chan  in  Egypt”, 
boarded  his  yacht  and  headed  for  a  Catalina 
fishing  trip.  On  his  return  he  will  begin  on 
a  new  assignment,  as  yet,  untitled. 

— o — - 

“Murder  By  Television”  is  the  title  of  an 
unusual  picture  directed  by  Clifford  Sanforth 
for  Cameo  at  the  Talisman  studios.  The 
story  is  the  first  of  its  kind  and  uses  complete 
television  equipment.  The  theme  is  fast,  in¬ 
teresting  and  far  above  average  for  independ¬ 
ent  production.  Mr.  Sanforth  has  spent  near¬ 
ly  four  months  in  cutting  to  make  it  the  out¬ 
standing  achievement  that  it  is. 

— o — 

It  is  rumored  that  one  of  our  “little  thea¬ 
ter”  directors  is  soon  to  become  a  full-fledged 
motion  picture  director.  Mrs.  Carlyle  Moore’s 
direction  at  the  Dominoe’s  theater  has  created 
as  much  a  furor  as  did  her  past  work  for  the 
University  theater  at  Columbia  University. 


HOORAY  FOR  LOVE 

(Continued  from  Page  43) 

makes  the  stage  director’s  part  a  comedy  gem, 
He’s  good! 

RATING: 

Entertainment  that  won’t  weigh  on  your 
mind  is  this.  Should  box-office  due  to  musi- 


SANTA  FE 

High  Grade 

Cigars 

I  Oc  and  2  for  25c 


We  talked  to  Walter  Plunkett  in  his  office 
at  the  Radio  Studios  where  he  is  working  on 
two  of  their  most  pretentious  productions  for 
the  coming  season.  Both  the  “Three  Muske¬ 
teers”  and  “General  Grant”  are  scheduled 
for  immediate  production  while  he  has  other 
assignments  which  will  keep  him  busy  until 
the  late  fall.  Walter’s  costuming  for  the 
players  in  “Little  Women”  and  “Flying 
Down  to  Rio”  is  still  the  object  of  comment 
among  the  personnel  of  the  studio. 


NO  DULL  CAREER 

(Continued  from  Page  28) 

to  shoot  exterior  and  background  shots 
for  a  picture  titled  “Thirteen  Hours  by 
Air.” 

Captain  Robinson,  besides  being  indis¬ 
pensable  in  the  making  of  air  pictures  is 
the  President  of  the  Motion  Picture  Pi¬ 
lots''  Association  and  an  active  member 
of  the  California  National  Guards. 


Construction 


“Pop”  Arnold,  M-G-M’s  biggest  grip,  has 
moved  to  a  new  house.  “Pop”  just  had  to 
have  more  room. 


— o — 

C.  N.  Scott,  hi-lift  driver  at  M-G-M,  gave 
Boulder  Dam  the  once-over  recently.  “Scot- 
tie”  decided  that  there  was  enough  water  in 
the  dam  to  supply  both  Arizona  and  Califor¬ 
nia. 


— o — 

George  Sarjeant,  former  Pacific  Coast  base¬ 
ball  player,  now  in  the  M-G-M  construction 
department,  never  misses  a  chance  to  boost 
the  Hollywood  club.  George  thinks  the 
“Shieks”  are  the  class  of  the  Coast  League. 

- — o — 

Laurel  and  Hardy  are  getting  some  real 
Scotch  for  their  new  feature  comedy,  “Bonnie 
Scotland”.  But  not  the  bottled  type  of 
Scotch.  Dan  Maxwell,  an  old  Scotch  trou¬ 
per,  who  played  with  the  John  Clyde  com¬ 
panies  in  Great  Britain  for  twenty  years,  is 
giving  Stan  and  Babe  the  real  lowdown  on 
how  to  speak  Scotch,  the  proper  way  to  wear 
the  kilt  and  plaid,  and  other  native  manner¬ 
isms. 


cal  numbers  and  amusing  comedy.  Hack¬ 
neyed  plot  and  over-long  sequences  drag 
down  the  speed,  but  the  comedy  acts  and 
good  songs  will  put  it  over.  Should  screen 
equally  well  in  big  burgs  and  little.  Ann 
Sothern  is  a  pretty  eye-full. 


MAY  GO  TO  INDIA 

A1  Akst,  Universal  studio  film  cutter,  has 
received  an  offer  to  travel  to  India  for  work 
with  a  picture  company  in  that  country.  He 
is  entertaining  the  idea  and  may  leave  for 
the  other  side  of  the  world  some  time  during 
the  summer. 


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52 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


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Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


53 


THE  BALL  TEAM'S  BACK 


With  the  names  of  the  uni¬ 
form's  donor  showing  plainly. 
Paramount’s  hall  squad  lines  up 
for  its  picture.  By  number  the 
players  are  1,  Pep  Lee;  2,  Bob 
Cantrell;  3,  Ping  Bodie;  4,  Inform 
Moehler;  5,  Buster  Betts;  6, 
George  Bothwell;  7,  George 
Gilpin;  8,  ]ac\  Wic\ens;  9, 
Carl  Schaefer;  10,  Larry  Me- 
AfejJ;  11,  Glen  Miller;  14,  AI 
Zuniga;  1 5,  Wally  Rehg;  16  J. 
Andrews;  P,  Ed  Montagne. 


i6m 


k’O'SLP H  sC/ 


TEE  TIME 

By  TOM  CARROL 

The  Rancho  Country  Club  course  will  be 
the  venue  of  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  stu¬ 
dio  golf  tournament.  Beginning  at  daybreak 
on  Sunday,  June  16th,  the  Culver  City  divot 
diggers  will  vie  for  honors.  The  entry  list  has 
been  closed  with  over  six  hundred  golfers 
registered  and  on  account  of  the  unusually 
large  number  of  entrants,  the  committee  of 
arrangements  has  decided  to  introduce  a  nov¬ 
elty  in  the  real  mof  California  golf. 

Instead  of  the  customary  foursome,  the 
players  will  be  grouped  in  teams  of  two. 
Each  team  will  play  Scotch  ball  rules.  That 
is,  they  will  use  the  same  ball  and  count 
their  aggregate  score.  Three  of  these  teams 
will  tee  off  together,  making  it  a  sixsome  in 
lieu  of  a  foursome.  Over  three  hundred 
prizes  will  be  awarded  for  low  scores  in  each 
group. 

The  display  of  prizes  is  like  a  section  of  a 
department,  store,  with  show  cases  and  racks 
loaded  with  valuable  merchandise.  Included 
are  every  known  article  of  wearing  apparel, 
beautiful  groups  of  cutlery,  pieces  of  pewelry, 
radios,  phonographs,  luggage,  guns,  watches, 
golf  bags  and  clubs,  boxes  of  golf  balls,  fur¬ 
niture,  automobile  accessories,  and  “speak 
easily”,  cases  of  liquor,  and  many  other  beau¬ 
tiful  prizes,  too  numerous  to  mention.  So 
valuable  is  the  collection  that  a  police  guard 
protects  it  against  marauders.  The  Grand 
Prize,  emblematic  of  the  studio  champion¬ 
ship,  is  a  huge  silver  trophy  donated  by  the 
late  Lon  Chaney.  As  is  customary  in  ama¬ 
teur  competition,  when  any  player  has  won 
this  cup  three  times,  it  becomes  his  personal 
property. 

George  Schneider,  librarian  of  the  Music 
Department,  will  preside  at  the  public  ad¬ 
dress  system,  as  commentator  extraordinary. 

If  you  have  never  attended  a  studio  golf 
tournament,  you  have  missed  a  great  demon- 


Ray  June,  left  and  Les  White,  two 
players  who  teed  off  in  the  recent  A.S.C. 
golf  tournament. 


stration  of  the  gentle  art  of  “ribbing”.  Spe¬ 
cial  effects  are  employed  to  annoy  and  dis¬ 
turb  the  golfers.  From  the  president,  through 
the  ranks  of  executives  and  stars,  no  one  is 
exempt.  Fiendish  ingenuity  is  displayed  in 
some  of  the  stunts.  A  phoney  tee,  controlled 
by  pneumatic  pressure,  blows  the  ball  into  the 
air  just  as  the  luckless  golfer  swings  lustily. 
Giant  detonators  explode  behind  the  victim. 
A  spiked  ball  which  resists  all  attempts  to 
dislodge  it.  Pistols,  shotguns  and  machine 
guns  are  fired.  Conniving  caddies  hand  out 
clubs  which  stretch  and  break  in  most  unex¬ 
pected  manner.  Cow  bells,  train  bells,  dinner 
bells,  wedding  bells,  church  bells  and  door 
bells  ring,  peal,  clamber  and  otherwise  tintin- 
abulate.  Brass  bands  will  play  stirring 


marches  and  orchestras  will  strum  delightful 
waltzes.  These  latter  via  electric  recordings. 
And  all  through  the  turmoil,  George  Schnei¬ 
der  will  introduce  and  insult  the  hapless 
golfer. 

Some  of  the  players  come  prepared.  One 
chap  wears  a  steel  helmet  and  gas  mask.  An¬ 
other  fellow  dons  huge  ear  muffs.  But  de¬ 
spite  these  precautions,  the  official  tormentors 
manage  to  stymy  most  of  the  players.  All 
of  them  muff  the  initial  swing  and  many  re¬ 
quire  ten  or  more  strokes  to  get  off  the 
first  tee. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention,  that  thes  edidoes 
are  perpetrated  only  on  those  people  who  are 
not  in  the  championship  class.  Whenever  a 
group  appears  who  play  low  score  golf,  all 
the  ancient  courtesies  are  extended  them. 
Absolute  quiet  and  respectful  attention  is 
shown. 

For  the  last  two  years,  the  champion  has 
been  Fred  Gordon,  a  lad  in  his  teens,  and  a 
helper  in  the  carpenter  shop.  Runner-up  last 
year  and  a  threat  in  this  year’s  tourney  is 
Chet  Coleman,  a  youth  who  works  in  the  la¬ 
bor  department.  Close  behind  them  came  a 
high  salaried  director  and  an  executive  in 
teh  sound  department.  On  this  day,  social 
barriers  and  class  distinctions  are  forgotten. 
This  is  democracy  at  its  sporting  best. 


Earle  Dearth,  reception  clerk  at  Fox  Movie¬ 
tone  City,  is  arranger  for  a  nine-piece  band 
which  plays  nightly  at  the  La  Monica  Ball¬ 
room  in  Santa  Monica. 

Ed  D’Ozario,  office  boy  for  Winfield  Shee¬ 
han  at  Fox  Movietone  City,  is  taking  part  in 
productions  at  the  Edward  Elzner  Little 
Theater. 


54 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


READ  THE 


Kodachrome  Color  Process 


(Continued  from  Page  35) 


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being  to  make  them  by  printing  in  bichro- 
mated  gelatine.  By  this  process,  the  three 
negatives  can  be  printed  in  colored  dye,  the 
picture  taken  through  the  red  filter  being 
printed  on  gelatin  dyed  blue-green,  the  one 
taken  through  the  green  filter  on  gelatin  dyed 
magenta,  and  the  one  taken  through  the  blue 
filter  on  gelatin  dyed  yellow.  If  the  three 
are  superimposed  in  register,  the  resulting 
transparent  color  picture  will  reproduce  the 
colors  of  the  original  subject. 

Subtractive  processes  of  this  kind  are  be¬ 
ing  used  successfully  for  the  projection  of 
theatrical  motion  pictures  in  color,  but  it  is 
clear  that  to  make  one  print  only  by  this 
method,  as  is  required  in  amateur  cinemato¬ 
graphy,  would  be  extremely  expensive,  where¬ 
as  once  the  three  negatives  have  been  ob¬ 
tained  and  a  method  of  printing  them  has  been 
worked  out,  the  preparation  of  a  large  num¬ 
ber  of  prints  is  not  unduly  costly. 

The  new  Kodachrome  process  is  a  subtrac¬ 
tive  process,  but  the  separation  of  the  light 
into  the  three  components  is  not  accomplished 
by  placing  the  separate  components  in  jux¬ 
taposition.  They  are  separated  in  depth. 

The  film  for  this  process  is  coated  no  less 
than  five  times!  Nearest  the  base,  an  emul¬ 
sion  is  coated  which  is  strongly  red-sensitive. 
This  is  then  over-coated  with  a  separating 
layer  of  gelatin  containing  some  dye  to  act 
as  a  filter.  Above  this  is  coated  a  green- 
sensitive  emulsion.  This  is  over-coated  again 
with  another  separating  layer.  Finally,  there 


is  applied  a  top  coat  which  is  blue-sensitive 
and  which  contains  a  certain  amount  of  yel¬ 
low  dye.  The  five  coatings  are  so  thin  that 
the  total  thickness  of  the  film  is  little  more 
than  that  of  ordinary-line  Kodak  film. 

The  emulsions  are  so  adjusted  that  the  sen¬ 
sitizers  do  not  wander  from  the  layer  in 
which  they  are  coated,  so  that  the  bottom 
layer  remains  red-sensitive  with  very  little 
green  sensitivity,  the  middle  layer  is  green- 
sensitice  and  is  free  from  red  sensitivity,  while 
the  top  layer  is  sensitive  only  to  the  blue. 
When  a  picture  is  taken  upon  such  a  film, 
the  three  components  are  automatically  sep¬ 
arated  in  the  depth  of  the  coating.  The  red 
component  is  formed  in  the  red-sensitive 
emulsion  nearest  to  the  base,  the  green  com¬ 
ponent  is  formed  in  the  middle  layer  of  the 
emulsion,  and  the  blue  component  forms  the 
image  of  the  top  layer. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  color  picture  with 
this  film,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  transform 
each  component  image  of  the  negative  into 
a  positive  image  consisting  of  a  suitably-col¬ 
ored  dye.  The  image  formed  in  the  red-sen¬ 
sitive  layer  is  transformed  into  a  blue-green 
positive;  the  image  formed  in  the  middle 
green-sensitive  layer,  into  a  magenta  posi¬ 
tive;  and  the  one  in  the  top  blue-sensitive 
layer,  into  a  yellow  positive.  This  is  accom¬ 
plished  by  an  extremely  complex  processing 
system.  The  images  in  the  three  layers  are 
first  developed,  as  with  ordinary  black  and 
white  film,  and  then  by  a  series  of  treat¬ 
ments  the  images  in  the  three  layers  are 
transformed  into  positives  formed  in  the  dye. 
The  whole  of  the  silver  salts  are  removed  fi¬ 
nally,  and  the  image  consists  of  three  super¬ 
imposed  dye  pictures. 

The  process  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  Leo¬ 
pold  Mannes  and  Mr.  Leo  Godowsky,  Jr. 
These  gentlemen  are  musicians  whose  names 
were  well  known  in  the  musical  world  when 
some  years  ago  they  commenced  the  study  of 
color  photography  as  a  hobby.  As  a  result 
of  collaboration  between  them  and  the  Ko¬ 
dak  Research  Laboratories  for  a  number  of 
years,  it  was  evident  that  the  work  could 
only  be  brought  to  a  successful  conclusion  by 
a  full  utilization  of  the  research  and  manu¬ 
facturing  facilities  available  at  Kodak  Park. 
Here,  there  were  available  experts  of  many 
kinds;  organic  chemists,  emulsion-makers,  dye 
specialists,  photographic  chemists,  and  experts 
in  photographic  operations — and  in  1931, 
therefore,  Mr.  Godowsky  and  Mr.  Mannes 
joined  the  staff  of  the  Research  Laboratories. 
By  the  complete  cooperation  of  the  staff  of 
the  Laboratories  and  of  the  Kodak  Park 
Works,  a  task  which  at  first  appeared  impos¬ 
sible  was  achieved  and  the  Kodachrome  pro¬ 
cess  is  the  result. 

The  processing,,  as  has  been  said,  is  ex¬ 
tremely  complicated  and  involves  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  film  upon  three  separate  ma¬ 
chines.  Experience  has  shown,  however,  that 
it  can  be  performed  with  certainty  and  that 
the  commercial  production  of  the  color  pic¬ 
tures  presents  little  more  difficulty  than  the 
production  of  black-and-white  pictures,  al¬ 
though  the  complex  processing  treatment  and 
the  expensive  chemicals  used  in  it  naturally 
increase  the  cost  considerably. 

The  pictures  made  by  the  new  process  are 
(Continued  on  Next  Page) 


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Enclosed  please  find  $ . for  which  I  wish  you  to  enter  my  subscription 

for  (I — 2 — 3)  years. 

Name . 

Address . 

City .  State . 


June ,  1 935’) 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


55 


FUN  AND  WORK  IN  FILMS 


Baby  Jane  Quigley  enjoys  a  ride 
“piggy  bac\”  aboard  Kurt  JJeu- 
mann’s  shoulders  during  the 
filming  of  “ Alias  Mary  Dow’’. 
Phil  Karlstein,  assistant  to  Tsjeu- 
mann  is  seated  directly  bac\  of 
the  youngster  and  l\[eumann, 
while  members  of  the  technical 
crew  loo\  on. 


(Continued  on  Page  54) 
a  revelation.  Previously,  color  in  photography 
has  involved  sacrifice.  More  light  was  need¬ 
ed  for  taking  the  photographs;  it  was  diffi- 
cut  to  get  sufficient  depth  of  focus;  some  defi¬ 
nition  was  lost;  it  was  only  possible  to  pro¬ 
ject  pictures  on  a  small  screen  because  of  the 
loss  of  light  in  projection.  In  spite  of  these 
disadvantages,  motion  pictures  in  color  have 
been  very  much  appreciated,  but  their  use 
has  always  been  limited.  The  ordinary  ama¬ 
teur  motion  picture  has  been  in  black  and 
white,  and  only  when  taking  conditions  were 
favorable  and  when  projecting  conditions 
were  not  too  exacting  could  color  pictures 
be  used. 

When  you  see  Kodachrome  pictures  on 
the  screen  you  realize  how  wonderfully  col¬ 
ored  the  world  is.  An  artist,  of  course 
knows  this,  but  most  of  us  are  not  artists  and 
we  don’t  realize  the  subtle  colors  that  occur 
in  everyday  scenes — flowers  and  foliage,  and 
summer  landscapes,  where  bright  colors  strike 
the  eye.  But  the  new  process  has  been 
brought  to  perfection  during  the  winter,  and 
it  has  taught  me  to  look  for  the  purple- 
brown  of  the  winter  woodland,  and  the  blue 
of  the  ice  and  of  the  shadows  in  the  snow; 
so  that  I  have  realized,  as  everyone  will  soon 
realize,  that  it  is  only  in  color  that  we  can 
make  any  adequate  representation  of  the 
world  around  us. 

With  the  coming  of  the  new  process,  ama¬ 
teur  motion  pictures  will  be  in  color.  There 
is  no  need  any  longer  for  us  to  pretend  that 
the  world  is  in  monochrome  and  to  represent 
the  glorious  world  in  which  we  live  by  a 
gray  ghost  on  a  screen. 

•3c.  %  % 

We  may  perhaps  anticipate  a  few  questions 


with  regard  to  the  practical  working  of  the 
process. 

The  exposure  required  is  somewhat  more 
than  that  of  the  ordinary  panchromatic  film 
used  for  making  black-and-white  pictures.  We 
recommend  that  the  next  larger  stop  be  used 
than  that  which  would  be  used  for  black  and 
white.  Thus,  whereas  pictures  in  sunlight 
are  ordinarily  taken  on  panchromatic  film  at 
f/ 11,  for  Kodachrome  film  we  recommend 

f/8. 

For  ordinary  pictures,  no  filters  or  other 
attachments  are  required  in  the  camera;  but 
we  are  providing  two  camera  filters  for  spe¬ 
cial  purposes.  One  of  these  is  used  when  it 
is  required  to  photograph  objects  at  a  great 
distance,  objects  which  in  ordinary  photog¬ 
raphy  would  be  obscured  by  haze.  The  fil¬ 
ter,  in  fact,  plays  the  same  part  as  the  yellow 
filter  used  with  panchromatic  film;  but  it 
would,  of  course,  be  impossible  to  use  a  yel¬ 
low  filter,  that  would  affect  the  colors.  The 
filter  used  absorbs  ultra-violet  light  only.  If 
no  such  filter  is  used  at  great  distances,  ob¬ 
jects  will  appear  too  blue,  owing  to  the  scat¬ 
tered  ultra-violet  light,  which  will  record  on 
the  film  as  if  it  were  blue  light.  Occasional¬ 
ly,  this  haze-cutting  filter  is  useful  for  ob¬ 
jects  at  a  medium  distance.  For  instance, 
when  there  is  snow  on  the  ground  the  air 
seems  to  be  full  of  scattered  blue  light  and 
the  picture  will  be  a  little  too  blue  unless 
the  ultra-violet  light  is  absorbed. 

A  filter  is  desirable  if  pictures  are  taken  by 
artificial  light,  since  otherwise  the  pictures 
will  appear  altogether  too  yellow  or  red.  This 
filter  is  of  a  light  blue  color  adjusted  to  com¬ 
pensate  for  the  yellowness  of  the  artificial 
light  source. 


At  the  present  time,  and  probably  through 
1955,  the  processing  will  be  done  only  at 
Kodak  Park.  We  are,  however,  building  the 
necessary  machines  and  later  on  will  be  pre¬ 
pared  to  process  the  film  at  our  other  stations 
throughout  the  world. 

Up  to  the  present  we  have  not  been  able  to 
arrange  to  make  duplicates.  It  is  not  improb¬ 
able  that  eventually  we  shall  succeed  in  mak¬ 
ing  duplicates;  but  this  requires  a  good  deal 
of  special  study,  and  we  have  not  yet  had 
time  to  work  it  out. 

We  are  also  not  yet  prepared  to  supply 
Kodachrome  film  in  other  sizes  than  16  mm. 
— not  because  it  is  impossible  to  do  this  but 
because  up  to  the  present  we  have  only  been 
able  to  construct  the  necessary  processing  ma¬ 
chinery  and  to  work  out  the  methods  for  the 
16-mm.  film. 

The  introduction  of  the  new  Kodachrome 
process  seems  to  me  likely  to  mark  a  great 
step  in  the  history  of  photography.  What 
developments  may  follow  that  initial  intro¬ 
duction  I  shall  not  attempt  to  prophesy,  but 
to  me  the  possibilities  of  the  new  process  ap¬ 
pear  very  great. 


Marie  Lent,  of  the  Fox  Film  script  depart¬ 
ment,  enjoyed  a  pleasant  change  in  her  work 
recently  when  she  went  to  Santa  Barbara  for 
a  week  on  assignment  to  Samson  Raphael- 
son,  well  known  writer  who  is  responsible  for 
many  picture  successes. 


56 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  19  35 


STORY  SALE  PROBLEMS 


Adeline  Alvord  Tells  Means  for  Sell  ins  Sto  ries 


(Continued  from  Page  18) 


in  the  Hollywood  Handicap,  we  wanted 
More  Information! 

“How  do  you  ‘go  about1  writing  an 
original  screen  story?”  we  asked.  And 
here,  for  your  edification,  are  a  few  very 
excellent  fundamental  tips  given  by  Miss 
Alvord  which,  we  know,  will  help  you 
and  you  and  YOU  unmeasurably  in 
your  story  treatment,  whether  you've 
written  before  or  not. 

“First  of  all,”  said  Miss  Alvord,  “the 
writer  must  always  bear  in  mind  the  fact 
that  the  story  he  writes  for  the  screen 
is  intended  to  be  seen,  not  read,  and 
that  is  the  primary  essential  to  success' 
ful  scenario  writing.  I  nother  words,  it 
must  contain  visible  action! 

The  motion  picture  cannot  reveal  the 
actual  thoughts  or  emotions  of  a  char- 
acter  by  simply  letting  the  author  of  the 
scenario  describe  them.  Here  is  an  ex- 
ample  of  what  I  mean: 

Suppose  the  heroine  is  sitting  alone  in 
her  moonlit  room,  a  great  struggle  going 
on  within  her — how  shall  she  decide  the 
momentous  problem  which  confronts 
her?  The  writer  shows  us  her  exact 
thoughts — her  mental  weighings  of  all 
the  elements  which  must  enter  into  her 
decision — and  we  are  given  an  insight 
into  just  how  she  works  out  her  mental 
tangle. 

But  suppose  this  scene  is  written  into 
a  screen  story?  What  do  we  see?  Sim' 
ply  a  girl  sitting  alone  in  a  room.  By 
watching  her  sitting  there,  the  audience 
has  no  inkling  of  her  thoughts  or  emo' 
tions.  Monologues  went  out  with  the 
silent  picture,  and  since  then  subtitles 
are  denied  us,  we  have  no  way  of  know' 
ing  what  she  is  thinking  about,  or  the 
conflict  of  soul  to  be  depicted. 

The  solution  is  self-evident  —  the 
heroine  must  be  shown  doing  something 
which  can  be  photographed.  Thoughts 
must  be  translated  into  action.  By 
waching  what  the  character  does,  the 
audience  understands  how  her  problem 
affects  the  heroine,  and  what  decision 
she  makes. 

That,  then,  is  the  true  art  of  the 
screen, — to  show  by  pictorial  action  just 
what  takes  place  in  the  story.  It  is  not 
enought  that  the  author  state  in  his  scen¬ 
ario  that  the  girl's  mother  died  when  she 
was  a  child,  leaving  her  in  the  care  of 
an  Aunt — a  scene  must  be  introduced 


in  which  this  is  clearly  brought  out.  It 
is  the  screen  writer’s  business  to  de¬ 
scribe  the  action,  as  it  occurs.” 

“Well  then”,  said  we,  thirsting  for 
more  and  yet  more  knowledge — “How 
about  dialogue?  Isn’t  that  terribly  im¬ 
portant?  How  much  should  that  be 
used  in  telling  the  story?” 

“That  has  been  the  stumbling-block  of 
many  an  author  when  he  first  writes  for 
the  screen”,  said  Miss  Alvord. 

“You  see,  the  action  of  the  character 
should  tell  the  story — the  dialogue  serve 
only  to  make  it  more  colorful,  to  bring 
out  the  abstruse  points — to  move  the 
story  forward. 

“But  even  though  conversation  is  a 
part  of  the  talking  picture,  it  is  not 
desired  in  an  original  scenario.  No  one 
but  a  trained  technician  can  possibly 
understand  the  intricate  business  of  fit¬ 
ting  dialogue  to  accompany  action — and 
the  studios  ask,  therefor,  that  the  writer 
give  only  the  trend  of  the  conversation, 
indirectly,  and  leave  the  addition  of 
actual  words  to  staff  writers  after  the 
story  is  purchased.” 

“What  is  the  amount  of  story  needed 
for  a  full-length  feature  film?”  We 
were  still  full  of  questions. 

“Usually  there  must  be  at  least  eight 
outstanding  dramatic  situations,  each  of 
the  outcome  of  what  has  happened  be¬ 
fore,  and  all  leading  up  to  a  powerful 
climax.  It  is  impossible  to  set  an  arbi¬ 
trary  length  for  the  manuscript,  but  us¬ 
ually  from  twenty  to  forty  pages  of  ac¬ 
tion,  typed  double-spaced,  are  needed!” 

“How  do  you  write  it  out?  What 
form  do  you  use?”  We  asked. 

Miss  Alvord  enlightened  us.  “Begin 
your  screen  story  with  a  cast  of  charac¬ 
ters,  naming  and  briefly  describing  each, 
and  indicating  the  part  each  plays  in  the 
story.  This  is  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Scenario  Editor,  who  will  want  to  know 
at  a  glance  the  number  and  type  of 
players  needed.  Establish  in  a  few 
words  the  time  and  the  locale.  Then  go 
directly  into  the  story,  stating  briefly 
where  it  opens,  proceeding  to  describe 
what  the  characters  do.  It  is  customary 
it  use  the  present  tense,  since  this  helps 
visualization.” 


Before  closing  the  interview  we  asked 
for  a  word  about  scenario  directions  and 
continuity  writing. 

“It  is  the  business  of  the  studio  staff 
to  adapt  stories  for  the  screen,”  said 
Miss  Alvord,  “and  to  prepare  the  dia¬ 
logue  continuity.  Since  the  coming  of 
sound  it  is  even  more  impossible  than 
before  for  an  outsider  to  know  anything 
about  technical  details  of  production.  So 
don’t  try  to  break  your  scenario  up  into 
scenes,  or  tell  the  director  how  he  is  to 
film  a  certain  shot.  He’ll  never  see  your 
script  if  you  do,  for  the  studios  won’t 
read  stories  arranged  in  this  manner. 

“If  you  are  capable  of  devising  new 
and  unuusual  plots,  or  clever  treatments 
of  old  ones,  and  will  take  the  trouble 
to  master  the  desired  form  of  presenting 
your  story,  there  is  no  reason  why  your 
scenario  won’t  be  read  with  interest, 
when  presented  by  an  accredited  agent. 
As  you  create  struggles  for  your  leading 
characters  to  overcome,  remember  that 
you  are  yourself  the  hero  of  a  drama, 
and  that  it  is  quite  worth  your  while  to 
learn  the  rules  of  the  game  as  you  go 
along,  putting  every  effort  into  the  win¬ 
ning  of  the  goal — which  is  in  this  case — - 
the  writing  of  a  successful  and  salable 
talking  picture  story.” 

There  it  is  in  a  nutshell,  lads  and  las¬ 
sies!  And  believe  us  when  we  tell  you 
that  many  an  old  timer  in  Cinema-Land 
bends  an  ear  when  Adeline  Alvord 
speaks.  So  read  the  rules  and  go  to  it. 
And — our  own  advice  is — when  you’ve 
finished  your  story,  take  it  to  an  accred¬ 
ited  agent  for  studio  presentation,  and 
save  yourself  a  headache.  That  isn’t 
ballyhoo,  either — it’s  the  Gawd’s  truth! 
Take  it  from  the  “Insider." 


“Chuck”  Forbes, 
electric  hi-lift  dri¬ 
ver  for  the  M-G-M 
scene  storage  Dept, 
is  rubbing  his  lucky 
rabbit  foot.  ‘Chuck’ 
had  amiraculous  es¬ 
cape  recently  when 
the  axle  on  his  car 
broke  while  travel¬ 
ing  at  high  speed. 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


57 


Paramount  Event 

Won  By  Hosier 

Although  Bob  Hosier  officially  won  the 
Paramount  studio  golfing  title  for  1935  with 
a  score  of  76  over  the  Altadena  course  Sun¬ 
day,  it  remained  for  Johnny  Mescall,  the 
sharpshooting  cinematographer,  playing  as 
guest  of  Ike  Buell,  to  register  the  most  out¬ 
standing  score  of  the  day,  a  sub-par  70.  This 
display  of  brilliant  golf  on  the  part  of  Mes- 
call  makes  him  a  red-hot  favorite  to  win  the 
Motion  Picture  Tournament.  His  score 
against  par: 


Par  Out  .  534  434  445—36 

Mescall  .  444  434  345—35 

Par  In  .  445  434  344—35 

Mescall  .  445  424  345—35 


Charles  Freshwater  took  second  honors 
with  a  77,  while  last  year’s  winner,  Bert  Mac- 
Kay,  ended  up  with  78  to  tie  with  Ted  Mas¬ 
ters  for  third.  More  than  200  entrants  teed 
off  in  an  effort  to  win  one  of  the  seventy- 
eight  prizes  Les  Nettenstrom,  tournament 
chairman,  had  listed. 


jiggggggg 

Irene  Murphy,  electrical  department  clerk 
at  Paramount  studio,  has  been  absent  from 
her  job  for  the  past  two  weeks  due  to  a 
slight  illness.  Miss  Murphy  has  been  recu¬ 
perating  at  Sunland. 


Fred  Geiger,  veteran  Paramount  set  light¬ 
ing  foreman,  has  been  assigned  the  lighting 
job  on  “So  Red  the  Rose”,  next  King  Vidor 
production.  Geiger  will  work  with  Victor 
Milner,  director  of  photography. 


We  were  recently  guests  of  Oswald  and 
his  creator,  Walter  Lantz,  at  Universal.  These 
cartoons,  originally  done  in  black  and  white, 
have  now  blossomed  out  in  new  spring  col¬ 
ors.  “Springtime  Serenade,”  beautiful  in  col¬ 
or  and  with  clever  animation,  proved  an  in¬ 
stant  success  at  Hollywood  Pantages.  Their 
second  effort,  “Three  Blind  Mice”,  also  in 
color,  will  soon  be  ready  for  release. 


ASTROLOGICAL  FORECAST 

(Continued  from  Page  34) 

evening  favors  fraternal  gatherings,  all 
unusual  ideas. 

June  30 — SUNDAY.  Meet  the  pub¬ 
lic;  launch  new  projects.  The  day  in¬ 
clines  to  freedom  of  thought,  devotional 
activities,  physical  recreation.  Advance 
all  your  affairs. 


Hans  Weeren,  sound  expert,  has  just  com¬ 
pleted  a  sound  truck  to  be  operated  and 
rented  under  the  name.  Cinema  Sound,  Inc. 
He  has  also  been  working  on  a  television  set 
which  can  be  used  to  advantage  in  picture 
making;  also,  a  set  that  can  be  constructed 
at  a  cost  that  will  be  moderate  enough  for 
everyone  to  have,  and  enjoy. 


Studio  Friends 

AIRPLANES 

DRAMATIC  STUDIOS 

PET  SUPPLIES 

A  E  R  O  N  C  A  Marshall  Stedman  School  STULL'S  WATER  GARDENS 


DON  YOUNG 
HANGAR  No.  12 

DYCER  AIRPORT  94th  and  WESTERN 

CLEANERS  and  DYERS 


JOEL  CLEANERS 
and  TAILORS 

TAILORING  —  REMODELING 
Furs  Remodeled,  Cleaned  and  Glazed 

Phone  GRanite  7907 

We  Call  and  Deliver 

5875  MELROSE — Near  Cahuenga 


COSTUMERS 


HO.  9759  Res.  GL.  2392 

STUDIO  WARDROBE 

We  Buy,  Sell,  Rent  or  Exchange 
Anything  of  Value 
Tuxedos  and  Gowns  for  Rent 
5552-54  Santa  Monica  Blvd.,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

DECORATIONS 

Helen  V.  Carey  Studio 

Decorator  of  Pottery,  China  and  Glass 
1203  North  Kenmore  Avenue 
Phone:  NO  0855 

DETECTIVE  AGENCIES 

H.  L.  VON  WITTENBERG 
Detective  Service 

IN  ALL  BRANCHES 

A  Phone  Call  Will  Bring  a  Representative  to  You 
CALL  DAY — PRospect  0439 

NIGHT— NO  7833 
1031  SO.  BROADWAY 
LOS  ANGELES 


PUBLIC  SPEAKING 

DRAMA 

Movietone  Technique  ::  Correct  English 

Deportment 

9720  Culver  Blvd. 

Phone  C.  C.  2922  ::  Culver  City 


FLORISTS 


FOR  EVERY  OCCASION 

Better  Flowers  at  Less  Expense 
THE  FLOWER  MARKET 

“Flowers  by  Wire” 

Quality  —  Price  —  Service 

Free  Delivery 

Call  PRospect  0481 

700  W.  WASHINGTON 


JEWELERS _ 

LESLIE  V.  GRAY 

JEWELER 

Gray  Makes  Your  Watch  Keep  Time 
CONVENIENT  CREDIT 
Phone  5588 

3835  Main  Street  Culver  City 

KEY  SERVICE 

Day  and  Night  Service  Open  Holidays 

PEARL  KEY  SERVICE 

LOCKSMITHS 

5024  Melrose  Ave.  GLadstone  6155 


NEWLY  OPENED  —  VISITORS  WELCOME 

Bird.  Fish  and  Pet  Supplies 
Dog  Foods  and  Remedies — Cactus  and  Pottery 
Birds  and  Cages — Tropical  and  Goldfish 

3713  CAHUENGA  BLVD.— ON  THE  PASS 


RADIOS 

AL  SAVIN 

With  Pioneer  Radio  and  Electric  Co. 

PUBLIC  ADDRESS  SYSTEMS 
PHILCO  certified  dealer  RADIOS 
Service  Inspection  Calls  Free 
Credit  if  Desired 
Mexican  Sales  in  Charge  of 

ALEJANDRO  BARBACHANO  SAVIN 

Exposition  0807  119  So.  Vermont 

REAL  ESTATE 


JACK  GROARK 

“Original  Developer  Maxwell  Laurel  Terrace” 

1 2  1 0 1  Ventura  Blvd.  at  Laurel  Canyon  Rd. 
Real  Estate — Building — Financing 

SUPPLIES 

THE  WHOLESALE  SUPPLY  CO. 

Wholesalers  and  Distributors  of  Chemicals,  Dry  Colors, 
Fireworks,  Lacquers,  Oils,  Paints,  Shellacs, 

Spray  Gun  Equipment,  Etc. 

HOYT  L.  (POP)  REESE,  Secretary-Manager 

Phone  GRanite  4194 

1047  North  Wilcox  Ave.  Hollywood 


PALMISTRY 

ENTERTAIN  YOURSELF 
AND  FRIENDS 

Learn  to  Read  Hands  or  Numerology  By  Mail 
DOREEN,  WORLD  RENOWNED  PALMIST 
Phone  or  Write:  Culver  City  2441 
10012  W.  Washington  Culver  City 


VOCAL  STUDIOS 

S.  HOWARD  BROWN 

An  Authority  on 

TONE  PRODUCTION 

Pupil  of 

Jean  De  Reszke 

Studio  Phone  HEmpstead  2217 

7175  Sunset  Blvd. 


58 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  J935 


OF  ALL  THE  WINES  IN  CALIFORNIA  THERE  IS  ONE 

you  CAN  DEPEND  ON 

The 

ARISTOCRAT 

of  dll 

CALIFORNIA 

WINES 


BRAND 

Chateau  Yquem 


El 

Cortez  Brand 

is  available  in 

all 

Dry  and  Sweet 

Wines 

of 

select  vintage 

There  are  many  inferior  wines  now  on  the  markef  offered 
at  ridiculously  low  prices,  but  DEMAND  THE  BEST  — 

El  Cortez,  the  aristocrat  of  all  California  wines. 

Just  for  the  success  of  your  next  party,  try 

Chateau  Yquem 

You'll  be  surprised.  Your  guests  will  go  home  talking 
about  the  party.  You  will  go  down  in  history  as  a  "good 
egg"  for  giving  your  guests  the  best  wine  they  ever  drank 
— EL  CORTEZ — the  wine  protected  by  label. 

IF  YOUR  DEALER  DOESN'T  HAVE  IT— CALL  THE 
WINERY— DEALER  SERVICE  EXTENDED 

Barry  Benedict,  Inc. 

CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC  WINERIES 

WHOLESALE  LIQUOR  DEALERS 

General  Sales  Offices  and  Warehouse 

7512-16  SANTA  MONICA  BOULEVARD 
Phone  HEmpstead  2164 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 

For  Your  Protection  All  Our  Wines  Bear  Our  Gold  Seal 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


59 


CONVENTION  DELEGATES  ON 


BOAT  SET 


Members  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers  at  their  recent  convention,  as  guests  of  the  Fox  Westwood  Hills  studio.  This  group 
photo  was  ta\en  on  the  famous  boat  set  by  Gene  Kornman,  studio  portrait  cameraman. 


HIGHLIGHTS  OF  THE  SPRING 
CONVENTION 

Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers.  Hotel 
Roosevelt,  Hollywood 
May  20-24,  1935 
By  The  “Insider” 

Since  the  founding  of  this  society  in  1916 
by  a  group  of  26  engineers  headed  by  the 
late  C.  Francis  Jenkins  of  Washington,  D.C., 
it  is  indeed  remarkable  to  note  the  tremen¬ 
dous  strides  S.M.P.E.  have  made.  Its  large 
membership  now  includes  almost  every  coun¬ 
try  in  the  world  and  in  its  scope  it  takes 
in  almost  every  field  of  scientific  endeavor 
and  research. 

Each  and  every  paper  read  and  discussed 
at  this  convention  was  of  intense  interest  and 
highly  inforamtive.  The  sessions  were  di¬ 
vided  into  specialized  groups  and  we  append 
herewith  a  complete  progra  mlist  of  papers 
read  and  their  authors.  In  a  later  issue  we 
shall  publish  some  of  the  individual  articles 
and  demonstrations.  Lack  of  space  prevents 
more  detail  in  this  issue  of  the  “Insider.” 

Many  new  devices  and  machines  were  ex¬ 
hibited  through  the  convention  and  fully 
shown  worked  and  explained  at  the  apparatus 
symposium  on  Friday.  Again  we  shall  illus¬ 
trate  some  of  these  in  a  later  issue. 

The  Society  has  a  President,  a  past  Presi¬ 
dent,  two  Vice  Presidents,  Secretary,  Treasur¬ 
er,  and  a  Board  of  Governors  composing  a 
directive  unit  managing  the  affairs  of  the  So¬ 
ciety.  Headquarters  are  located  on  the  mez¬ 
zanine  floor  of  the  Hotel  Pennsylvania,  Sev¬ 
enth  Avenue  and  34th  Street,  New  York 
City.  Homer  G.  Tasker  is  President  of  the 
Society.  Sylvan  Harris  is  Editor  of  the  Jour¬ 
nal  of  the  Society. 

At  the  Convention  the  following  officers 
had  charge  of  program  and  facilities: 

W.  C.  Kunzman,  Convention  Vice-Presi¬ 
dent. 

J.  I.  Crabtree,  Editoria  Vice-President. 

J.  O.  Baker,  Chairman  Papers  Committee. 


FOREIGN  DELEGATES 

Rameshwar  D.  Mather  . .  ...  India 

Guru  D.  Lai  .  India 

A.  L.  Timmer  .  .  Eindhoven,  Holland 

J.  J.  Kotte  .  Eindhoven,  The  Netherlands 

Warnecke  .  Germany 

Dr.  Hugo  Lichte  .  Germany 

V.  Armand  .  Canada 

Yoshio  Osawa  .  Kyoto,  Japan 

Enzo  V.  Finardi  . .  Rome,  Italy 

Roger  E.  Bourne  . . .  Vancouver,  B.  C. 

REGISTRATION  LIST 


John  O.  Aalberg 
F.  R.  Abbott 
C.  C.  Aiken 
Fred  G.  Albin 
Don  M.  Alexander 
V.  Armand 
C.  S.  Ashcraft 
Judd  O.  Baker 
Thad  C.  Barrows 
M.  'C.  Batsel 
Roy  P.  Bedore 
M.  G.  Benjamin 
L.  A.  Bonn 
Lawrence  G.  Borge- 
son 

Roger  E.  Bourne 
John  G.  Bradley 
O.  K.  Buck 
Dr.  J.  C.  Burnett 
S.  R.  Burns 

E.  J.  Bussell 
John  G.  Capstaff 
V.  O.  Ceccarini 
William  Celestin 
Gordon  A.  Chambers 
Leo  W.  Chase 

H.  B.  Cleveland 

F.  C.  Coates 
Arthur  W.  Colledge 
L.  B.  Cooke 

C.  E.  Cooper 
F.  W.  Corbett 
J.  L.  Courcier 
.Tas.  Crabtree 
J.  I.  Crabtree 
John  M.  Culver 
Cyrus  C.  Dash 
Robert  E.  Dawson 
Oscar  B.  DePue 
H.  A.  De  Vry 
A.  S.  Dickinson 
F.  L.  Dieterich 


Dr.  L.  M.  Dieterich 
J.  A.  DuBray 
Raymond  Evans 
R.  E.  Farnham 
Enzo  V.  Finardi 
Harry  C.  Fischer 
J.  G.  Frayne 
George  H.  Gibson 
Louis  B.  Goldberg 
Alvin  B.  Giles 
O.  M.  Glunt 
Chauncey  L.  Greene 
Herbert  Griffin 
C.  A.  Handley 
J.  H.  Hannan 
E.  H.  Hansen 
W.  C.  Harcus 

E.  R.  Harper 

T.  T.  Harrington 
Allan  E.  Harvey 
W.  C.  Hoch 
A.  J.  Hodges 
H.  C.  Humphrey 
Emery  Huse 
Thomas  M.  Ingman 

F.  E.  James 
Hugh  I.  Jamieson 
A.  C.  .Tenking 
James  W.  Jefferson 
H.  W.  Jones 
Gerald  L.  Karski 
Edward  W.  Kellogg 
Frank  Ketcik,  Jr. 

A.  C.  Knight 

J.  J.  Kotte 
Barton  Kreuger 
.T.  H.  Kurlander 
Guru  D.  Lai 
Wilson  Leahy 
Michael  S.  Leshing 
H.  C.  Lye 
Arthur  R.  Maas 


N.  M.  Laporte 
Hugo  Lichte 
Robt.  G.  Linderman 
Douglas  H.  Laukata 
S.  A.  Lukes 
W.  A.  Macnair 
Rameshwar  D. 

Mather 
Howard  Mark 

J.  P.  Maxfield 

Dr.  Herbert  Meyer 
A.  W.  Miller 
James  A.  Miller 

G.  A.  Mitchell 
Gordon  S.  Mitchell 
Peter  Mole 

K.  F.  Morgan 
Hollis  W.  Moyse 
William  A.  Mueller 
E.  W.  Nelson 
Oscar  F.  Neu 
Yoshio  Osawa 
Lloyd  C.  Ownbey 

H.  Pfannerstiehl 
G.  F.  Rackett 
Earl  A.  Read 
Art  Reeves 
Elmer  C.  Richard¬ 
son 

David  W.  Ridgway 


George  V.  Riley 
Wm.  F.  Rudolph 
Otto  Sandvik 
A.  B.  Scott 
R.  R.  Scoville 

V.  B.  Sease 

I.  Serrurier 
A.  Shapiro 
H.  C.  Silent 
•C.  R.  Skinner 
C.  J.  Spain 

A.  George  Stern 
Charles  S.  Stodter 
John  Striekler 
Harry  H.  Strong 

W.  Chas.  Swett 
H.  G.  Tasker 

J.  W.  Thatcher 
Earl  Theisen 
Fred  B.  Thompson 
A.  L.  Timmer 
Eugene  Tucker 
Warncke 

R  .H.  Watkins 
E.  C.  Wente 
Wm.  E.  Williams 
E.  A.  Williford 
Richard  C.  Willman 
Anthony  G.  Wise 
Geo.  H.  Worrall 


CONTINUES  NRA  WORKING 
CONDITIONS 

Ed  F.  Hayes,  head  of  the  distillery  that 
bears  his  name,  recently  announced  that 
his  organization  would  continue  to  abide  by 
the  rules  set  down  by  the  National  Code 
Authority  before  that  legislation  was  ruled 
unconstitutional. 

Mr.  Hayes,  who  numbers  many  friends  in 
the  motion  picture  industry,  is  continuing  to 
employ  the  same  number  of  persons  at  the 
same  wage  scale,  as  during  the  NRA  ex¬ 
istence. 

Among  the  products  dispensed  by  the 
Hayes  distillery  are  such  well  known  brands 
as  Golden  Mash  Whiskey,  Larchmont  li¬ 
quors,  and  Larchmont  gins. 


60 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  193 ) 


S.M.P.E.  PROGRAM 

FULL  LIST  OF  EVENTS 

ON  SOCIETY'S  CALENDAR 


MONDAY,  MAY  20th 
General  Session.  Gerald  F.  Racfiett,  Chair - 
man,  Pacific  Coast  Section  of  the 
S.  M.  P.  E.  Presiding 
Opening  of  Convention. 

Society  Business. 

Report  of  the  Membership  Committee,  E.  R. 
Geib,  Chairman. 

Report  of  the  Progress  Committee,  J.  G. 
Frayne,  Chairman. 

“Television  and  Motion  Pictures”;  A.  N. 

Goldsmith,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Theatrical  Possibilities  of  Television;”  H. 
R.  Lubcke,  Don  Lee  Broadcasting  System, 
Hollywood,  Calif. 

“The  Talking  Book”;  J.  O.  Kleber  and  L. 
L.  Thompson,  American  Foundation  for 
the  Blind,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Use  of  Films  and  Motion  Picture  Equipment 
in  Schools”;  Miss  M.  Evans,  San  Diego 
City  Schools,  San  Diego,  Calif. 

Addresses  of  Welcome:  On  behalf  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Section,  S.M.P.E.,  Emery 
Huse,  Executive  Vice-President,  S.M.P.E. 
On  behalf  of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Pic¬ 
ture  Arts  and  Sciences,  Major  N.  Levinson, 
Chairman,  Technicians  Branch  and  Vice- 
Chairman,  Research  Council,  Academy  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences. 
Response:  Mr.  Homer  G.  Tasker,  President, 
Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers. 
Address  by — - 

Mr.  Howard  Green,  writer,  Paramount 
Productions,  Inc.,  Hollywood,  Calif. 
Mr.  Kenneth  MacGowan,  Associate  Pro¬ 
ducer,  RKO  Radio  Productions,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 

Capt.  John  G.  Bradley,  Division  of  Motion 
Pictures  and  Sound  Recordings,  National 
Archives  Building,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Mr.  George  E.  Brown,  International  Presi¬ 
dent,  I.A.T.S.E.  and  M.P.M.O.U., 
Washington,  D.  C. 

General  Session.  Homer  G.  Tas\er,  President 
S.  M.  P.  E.  Presiding 

Report  of  the  Historical  Committee,  W.  E. 
Theisen,  Chairman. 

“A  Description  of  the  Historical  Motion  Pic¬ 
ture  Exhibit  in  the  Los  Angeles  Museum”; 
W.  E.  Theisen,  Honorary  Curator,  Motion 
Picture  and  Theatrical  Arts  Section,  Los 
Angeles  Museum,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
“The  Kodachrome  Process  of  Amateur  Cine¬ 
matography  in  Natural  Color”;  L.  Mannes 
and  L.  Godowsky,  Eastman  Kodak  Com¬ 
pany,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

“Introduction  to  the  Photographic  Possibili¬ 
ties  of  Polarized  Light”;  F.  W.  Tuttle  and 
J.  W.  McFarlane,  Eastman  Kodak  Com¬ 
pany,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

“Production  Problems  of  the  Writer  Related 
to  the  Technician”;  C.  Wilson,  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  Studios,  Culver  City, 
Calif. 

“Production  Problems  of  the  Actor  Related 


to  the  Technician”;  D.  C.  Jennings,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 

"The  Inter-Relation  of  the  Dramatic  and 
Technical  Aspects  of  Motion  Pictures”; 

Prof.  B.  V.  Morkovin,  University  of  South¬ 
ern  California,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“The  Problems  of  a  Motion  Picture  Research 
Library”;  Miss  H.  G.  Percey,  Paramount 
Productions,  Inc.,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

Studio  Visit 

Visit  to  Walt  Disney  Studio,  under  the  di¬ 
rection  of  Mr.  W.  Garity,  Production  Su¬ 
pervisor. 


TUESDAY,  MAY  21st 
Studio  Session.  Douglas  Shearer,  Metro - 
Goldwyn-Mayer,  Presiding 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Standards  and 
Nomenclature,  E.  K.  Carver,  Chairman. 

“Process  Cinematography”;  J.  A.  Norling, 
Loucks  &  Norling,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Calibrated  Multi-Frequency  Test  Film”;  F. 
C.  Gilbert,  Electrical  Research  Products, 
Inc.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Flutter  in  Sound  Records”;  T.  E.  Shea,  W. 
A.  MacNair,  and  V.  Subrizi,  Bell  Tele¬ 
phone  Laboratories,  Inc.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

“Portable  Flutter  Measuring  Instruments”;  R. 
R.  Scoville,  Electrical  Research  Products, 
Inc.,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Some  Background  Considerations  of  Sound 
System  Service”;  J.  S.  Ward,  Electrical  Re¬ 
search  Products,  Inc.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Modern  Methods  of  Servicing  Sound  Mo¬ 
tion  Picture  Equipment”;  C.  C.  Aiken, 
RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  Camden, 

..  N'  J 

“Technic  of  Present-Day  Motion  Picture 
Photography”;  V.  E.  Miller,  Paramount 
Studios,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Engineering  Technic  in  Pre-Editing  Motion 
Pictures”;  M.  J.  Abbott,  RKO  Studios, 
Hollywood,  Calif. 

“The  Analysis  of  Harmonic  Distortion  in  a 
Photographic  Sound  Record  by  Means  of 
an  Electrical  Frequency  Analyzer”;  O. 
Sandvik,  V.  C.  Hall,  and  W.  K.  Crim- 
wood,  Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Roches¬ 
ter,  N.  Y. 

“The  Standardization  of  Make-Up”;  M.  Fac¬ 
tor,  Max  Factor,  Inc.,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

Luncheon  and  Studio  Visit 

Luncheon  on  the  lot,  and  inspection  of  War¬ 
ner  Bros. -First  National  Studio;  courtesy 
of  the  Electrical  Department,  under  direc¬ 
tion  of  Mr.  F.  Murphy,  Chief  Studio  En¬ 
gineer. 

Meeting  of  the  Technicians  Branch  of  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sci¬ 
ences;  Carthay  Circle  Theater,  Hollywood. 
Major  N-  Levinson.  Chairman,  Technicians 
Branch  and  Vice  Chairman,  Research 
Council  of  the  Academy,  Presiding.  Mr. 
K.  Macgowan,  Guest  Chairman. 

“The  Technicolor  Process”;  J.  A.  Ball,  Tech¬ 


nicolor  Motion  Picture  Corporation,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 

“Psychology  of  Color”;  Natalie  Kalmus, 
Technicolor  Motion  Picture  Corporation, 
Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Some  Problems  in  Directing  Color  Motion 
Pictures”;  Rouben  Mamoulian,  Director, 
Hollywood,  Calif. 

WEDNESDAY,  MAY  22nd 

Laboratory  Session.  Emery  Huse,  Executive 
Vice-President,  S.M.P.E.,  Presiding 

“The  Argentometer — an  Apparatus  for  Test¬ 
ing  for  Silver  in  a  Fixing  Bath”;  W.  Wey- 

erter  and  K.  C.  D.  Hickman,  Eastman  Ko¬ 
dak  Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

“Motion  Picture  Film  Processing  Laboratories 
in  Great  Britain”;  I.  L.  Wratten,  Kodak 
Limited,  London,  England. 

“A  Continuous  Printer  for  Optically  Reduc¬ 
ing  a  Sound  Record  from  3  5-Mm.  to  16- 
Mm.  Film”;  O.  Sandvik,  Eastman  Kodak 
Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

“Optical  Printing  and  Technic”;  Lynn  Dunn, 
RKO  Studios,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Non-Uniformity  in  Photographic  Develop¬ 
ment”;  J.  Crabtree,  Bell  Telephone  Labora¬ 
tories,  Inc.,  New  York,N.  Y. 

“A  Dynamic  Check  on  the  Processing  of 
Film  for  Sound  Records”;  F.  C.  Albin, 
United  Artists  Studios,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Emulsions  for  Special  Fields  in  Motion  Pic¬ 
ture  Photography”;  W.  Leahy,  Agfa  Ansco 
Corporative,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Sensitometric  Studies  of  Processing  Condi¬ 
tions  for  Motion  Picture  Film”;  H.  Meyer, 
Agfa  Ansco  Corporation,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

Study  Visit 

A  Visit  to  the  Fox  Hill  Studio,  under  the  di¬ 
rection  of  Mr.  3V.  J.  Quinlan,  Chief  Studio 
Engineer.  Admission  by  registration  card 
only;  buses  leave  the  Hotel  promptly  at 
2:00  p.  m. 

Semi-Annual  S.  M.  P.  E.  Banquet 

The  semi-annual  banquet  and  dance  of  the 
Society  will  be  held  in  the  New  Supper 
Room  of  the  Hotel.  Adresses  by  Frank 
Lloyd,  Director,  M-G-M,  and  President, 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sci¬ 
ences;  Rouben  Mamoulian,  Director;  star 
presentations;  broadcast  through  Warner 
Bros.  Radio  Station,  KFWB  and  associated 
stations  of  the  Southern  California  Net¬ 
work. 

THURSDAY,  MAY  23rd 

Projection  and  Studio  Lighting  Session.  Hollis 
XV.  Moyse,  Dupont  Film  Mfg.  Corp., 
Presiding 

Report  of  the  Projection  Practice  Committee, 
J.  O.  Baker,  Chairman. 

Report  of  the  Projection  Screen  Brightness 
Committee,  C.  Tuttle,  Chairman. 

Report  of  Non-Theatrical  Equipment  Com¬ 
mittee,  R.  F.  Mitchell,  Chairman. 

“Non-Theatrical  Projection”;  R.  F.  Mitchell, 


June,  1935 

Bell  &  Howell  Company,  Chicago,  Ill. 
“The  Relation  between  Projector  Illumina- 
tion  and  Screen  Size  for  Non-Theatrical 
Projection,”  D.  Lyman,  Eastman  Kodak 
Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

“Sixteen-Mm.  Negative-Positive  and  Grain”; 

D.  Norwood,  Lt.,  U.  S.  Army  Air  Corps, 
Chanute  Field,  Rantoul,  Ill. 

“Trends  in  Sixteen-Mm.  Projection  with  Spe¬ 
cial  Reference  to  Sound”;  A.  Shapiro,  Am- 
pro  Corporation,  Chicago,  Ill. 

Report  of  the  Studio  Lighting  Committee,  R. 

E.  Farnham,  Chairman. 

“The  Radiant  Energy  Delivered  on  Motion 
Picture  Sets  from  Carbon  Arc  Studio  Light 
Sources”;  F.  T.  Bowditch  and  A.  C. 
Oownes,  National  Carbon  Company,  Cleve¬ 
land,  Ohio. 

“The  Photographic  Effectiveness  of  Carbon 
Arc  Studio  Light  Sources”;  F.  T.  Bowditch 
and  A.  C.  Downes,  National  Carbon  Com¬ 
pany,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

“Lighting  for  Technicolor  Motion  Pictures”; 
C.  W.  HTandley,  National  Carbon  Com¬ 
pany,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“A  New  Wide-Range  Spot  Lamp”;  E.  C. 
Richardson,  Mole-Richardson,  Inc.,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 

“Sources  of  Direct  Current  for  Non-Rotat¬ 
ing  High-Intensity  Reflecting  Arc  Lamps”; 
C.  C.  Dash,  Hertner  Electric  Company, 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Sound  and  Standardization  Session.  E.  O. 
Hansen,  Fox  Film  Corp.,  Presiding 

Interim  Reports  of  Academy  Committees  on 
the  Release  Print  and  Screen  Brightness; 
G.  S.  Mitchell,  Manager,  Research  Coun¬ 
cil,  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“The  Technical  Aspects  of  Recording  Music 
for  Motion  Pictures”;  R.  H.  Townsend, 
Fox  Film  Company,  Hollywood,  Calif. 
“Pioneering  in  Motion  Pictures”;  Dr.  Lee  de- 
Forest,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“A  Device  for  Automatically  Controlling  the 
Balance  between  Recorded  Sounds”;  W.  A. 
Mueller,  Warner  Bros.  First  National,  Bur¬ 
bank,  Calif. 

“Improvements  in  Play-Back  Recording”;  G. 

M.  Best,  Warner  Bros.  First  National,  Bur¬ 
bank,  Calif. 

“The  Projection  Background  Process”;  F. 
Jackman,  Warner  Bros.  First  National,  Bur¬ 
bank,  Calif. 

California  Institute  of  Technology 

A  visit  to  the  Institute,  under  the  direction 
of  Dean  F.  W.  Hinrichs,  Jr.;  inspection  of 
the  astronomical,  aeronautic,  and  high-volt¬ 
age  laboratories. 

Studio  Session.  Dr.  J.  G.  Frayne,  Electrical 
Research  Products,  Inc.,  Presiding 
Report  of  the  Sound  Committee,  P.  H.  Evans, 
Chairman. 

“Improvements  in  Sound  Quality  of  News- 
reels”;  J.  A.  Battle,  Electrical  Research 
Producers,  Inc.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Non-Directional  Moving-Coil  Microphone”; 

F.  F.  Romanow  and  R.  N.  Marshall,  Bell 
Telephone  Laboratories,  Inc.,  New  York, 

N.  Y. 

“Wide-Range  Reproduction  in  Theaters”;  J. 
P.  Maxfield  and  C.  Flannagan,  Electrical 
Research  Products,  Inc.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Technical  Co-ordination  Between  the  Stu¬ 
dio  and  the  Theater”;  Ed  Kuykendal, 
M.  P.  T.  O.  A.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 
FRIDAY,  MAY  24th 

Sound  and  Acousitics  Session.  Kenneth  F. 

Morgan,  Electrical  Research  Products,  Inc., 

Presiding 

“Modern  Instruments  for  Acoustical  Studies”; 
E.  C.  Wente,  Bell  Telephone  Laboratories, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Recent  Developments  in  Architectural 
Acoustics;”  V.  O.  Knudsen,  Professor  of 
Physics  and  Dean  of  Graduate  Study,  Uni¬ 
versity  of  California  at  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“Principles  of  Measurements  of  Room  Acous¬ 
tics”;  E.  C.  Wente,  Bell  Telephone  Labor¬ 
atories,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Studio  Acoustics”;  M.  Rettinger,  Pacific  In¬ 
sulation  Company,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“The  Technical  Aspects  of  the  High-Fidelity 
Reproducer";  E.  D.  Cook,  RCA  Manufac¬ 
turing  Company,  Camden,  N.  J. 

“Development  and  Design  of  the  High-Fidel¬ 
ity  Reproducer”;  F.  J.  Loomis  and  E.  W. 
Reynolds,  RCA  Manufacturing  Company, 
Camden,  N.  J. 

“The  Photeolectric  Cell  and  Its  Use  in  Sound 
Motion  Pictures”;  M.  F.  Jameson,  Bell  Tel¬ 
ephone  Laboratories,  Inc.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

General  Session.  Joseph  A.  Dubray,  Bell  & 
Howell  Co.,  Presiding 

“Technical  Aspects  of  the  Motion  Picture”; 
A.  N.  Goldsmith,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“The  History  of  the  Talking  Picture”;  W. 
E.  Theisen,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

Apparatus  Symposium 

“Three  New  Kodascopes”;  N.  Green,  East¬ 
man  Kodak  Company,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

“A  Continuous  Film  Camera  for  High-Speed 
Photography”;  C.  T.  Burke,  General  Radio 
Company,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

“A  Professional  16-Mm.  Projector  with  In¬ 
termittent  Sprocket”;  H.  A.  DeVry,  Her¬ 
man  A.  DeVry,  Inc.,  Chicago,  Ill. 

“Arc  Supply  Generator  for  Use  with  Suprex 
Carbons”;  W.  K.  Hartman,  Century  Elec¬ 
tric  Company,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“The  Akers  3  5-Mm.  Hand  Camera”;  W. 
Bluenel,  Akers  Camera  Company,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 

“A  Sound  Reduction  Printer”;  O.  B.  De- 
pue,  Chicago,  Ill. 

“A  3  5-Mm.  Automatic  Daylight  Sound  Mo¬ 
tion  Picture  Projector”;  A.  B.  Scott,  SCK 
Corporation,  Hollywood,  Calif. 

“Vitachrome  Diffusionlite  System  and  Lamps, 
Their  Uses  and  Applications”;  A.  C.  Jen¬ 
kins,  Vitachrome,  Inc.,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“The  Cinemaphone  Unit  Cabinet  for  Repro¬ 
ducing  16-Mm.  Sound  Pictures”;  F.  J. 
Hawkins,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“The  Edmison  Film  Protective  Device  for 
Preventing  Ignition  of  Film  During  Pro¬ 
jection”;  F.  J.  Hawkins,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

“The  New  Wall  Sound  Camera”;  H.  Griffin, 
International  Projector  Corp.,  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

“A  New  Background  Projector  for  Process 
Cinematography”;  H.  Griffin,  Internation¬ 
al  Projector  Corp.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“The  Use  of  Cinematography  in  Aircraft 
Flight  Testing”;  F.  H.  Collbohm,  Douglas 
Aircraft  Company,  Inc.,  Santa  Monica, 
Calif. 

“The  Use  of  Motion  Pictures  for  Human 
Power  Measurements”;  J.  M.  Albert,  Chas. 
E.  Bedaux  Company,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

“The  Motion  Picture  in  Japan”;  Y.  Osawa,  J. 
Osawa  and  Company,  Ltd.,  Kyoto,  Japan. 

“The  Motion  Picture  Industry  in  India”;  G. 
D.  Lai,  Delhi,  India. 


61 

Sound  Session.  Homer  G.  Tas\er,  President 
S.  M.  P.  E.,  Presiding 

“A  Variable-Density  Recording  Method  to 
Produce  Increased  Undistorted  Volume 
Range”;  Douglas  Shearer,  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  Studios,  Culver  City,  Calif. 

“Recording  Music  for  Motion  Pictures”;  M. 
C.  Batsel,  RCA  Manufacturing  Company, 
Cambden,  N.  J. 

“Analysis  of  the  Distortion  Resulting  from 
Sprocket-Hole  Modulation”;  E.  W.  Kel¬ 
logg,  RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  Cam¬ 
den,  N.  J. 

“A  Comparison  of  Variable-Density  and  Va¬ 
riable-Width  Sound  Records”;  E.  W.  Kel¬ 
logg,  RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  Cam¬ 
den,  N.  J. 

“A  Consideration  of  Some  Special  Methods 
of  Re-Recording”;  E.  D.  Cook,  RCA  Man¬ 
ufacturing  Company,  Camden,  N.  J. 

“Characteristics  of  the  Photophone  Light- 
Modulating  System”;  L.  T.  Sachtleben, 
RCA  Manufacturing  Company,  Camden, 
N.  J. 

“Mechanographic  Recording  of  Motion  Pic¬ 
ture  Sound-Track”;  J.  A.  Miller,  Miller 
Film,  Inc.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

“Application  of  Vertical-Cut  Recording  to 
Sound  Pictures”;  K.  F.  Morgan,  Electrical 
Research  Products,  Inc.,  Hollywood,  Calif. 


NOVEL  SUCCESS  STORY 

IN  GROWING  HAIR 

One  of  the  most  interesting  Hollywood 
success  stories  concerns  a  chap  who  grows 
hair  for  a  living. 

Frank  Meyers,  who  used  to  double  women 
stars  in  the  long  ago,  decided  there  must 
be  ways  to  exist  other  than  jumping  from 
burning  buildings  and  leaping  from  train  to 
train,  and  of  all  things  he  chose  hair  grow¬ 
ing. 

He  hadn’t  the  least  notion  of  how  to  gp 
about  it  but  he  determined  he'd  be  the  best 
hair  grower  in  the  business  or  know  why. 

So  he  started  studying  chemistry,  became 
an  expert,  then  began  research  work  on  hair 
and  what  makes  it  grow  and  what  makes  it 
stop  growing. 

The  next  step  took  two  years  and  involved 
costly  and  seemingly  endless  experiments. 

To  help  make  ends  meet,  or  to  at  least 
come  reasonably  close  together,  Meyers  took 
enough  time  off  to  evolve  an  odorless,  non- 
inflammable  dry  shampoo  which  is  now  used 
by  every  major  studio. 

And  now  he  is  realizing  his  ambition.  He 
is  the  sole  owner  of  the  Great  Western  Lab¬ 
oratories  in  Hollywood  and  his  products  are 
used  throughout  the  United  States. 

It  does  not  seem  possible  that  a  few  years 
ago  Frank  Meyers,  with  only  a  handful  of 
dollars,  had  the  courage  to  launch  his  enter¬ 
prise.  He  lacked  even  enough  money  to  pay 
the  telephone  depsit.  He  had  no  automobile, 
no  salesmen,  and  often  not  enough  to  eat. 
But  he  did  have  confidence  in  Studio  Hair 
Life,  which  was  the  name  he  gave  his  prepar¬ 
ation  and  confidence  in  his  ability  to  sell  it. 

According  to  Meyers  you  practically  only 
have  to  look  at  the  outside  of  a  jar  of  Hair- 
Life  and  your  hair  cutting  bills  start  soaring. 

To  prove  his  belief  in  his  formula,  Meyers 
first  singled  out  a  dozen  totally  or  partially 
bald  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  turned  pol¬ 
ished  domes  into  heads  of  hair! 

Following  this  remarkable  demonstration, 
business  headed  for  the  Great  Western  Labor¬ 
atories  and  the  former  Hollywood  stunt  man 
is  in  the  money  at  last. 


62 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


Studios  and  Major  Producing  Companies 

★ 


Affiliated  Studios, 

6122  Salem  PI . HI  9983 

Alexander  Brothers  Studios, 

(formerly  International  Film  Studios) 

4376  Sunset  Dr . OL  2978 

California  Studios,  Inc., 

1420  Beachwood  Dr . HE  2131 

Chaplin,  Chas.,  Studios, 

1416  No.  La  Brea  Ave . HE  2141 

Columbia  Pictures  Corporation, 

1438  Gower  St . HO  3181 

Casting  Office . HE  1708 

D  armour  Productions  Corporation, 

5  823  Santa  Monica  Blvd . GR  1166 

Educational  Studios,  Inc. 

(now  General  Service  Studios) 

7250  Santa  Monica  Blvd . GR  3111 

Fowler  Film  Studios, 

861  Seward  St . HI  3179 

Fox  Film  Corporation  ( Movietone  City) , 

Pico  Blvd.  and  Fox  Plills  Dr . CR  5111 

Casting  Office . CR  6135 

Foy,  Bryan,  Studios, 

9147  Venice  Blvd.  (Culver  City) . SE  2182 

Freeman  Lang  Studios,  Inc., 

1357  No.  Gordon  St . HE  2131 

General  Service  Studios,  Inc., 

6625  Romaine  St . GR  3111 

Operating  Metropolitan  Studios, 

1040  No.  Las  Palmas  Ave . GR  3111 

Education  Studios, 

7250  Santa  Monica  Blvd . GR  3111 

International  Film  Studios,  (now  Argosy 

Pictures  Studios),  4376  Sunset  Dr . OF  2978 

Mascot  Pictures  Corporation, 

4024  Radford  Ave . No.  Hollywood  1101 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Corporation, 


10202  W.  Washington  Blvd., 

(Culver  City) . RE  0211 

Casting  Office . SE  2155 

Metropolitan  Studios, 

(now  General  Service  Studios), 

1040  No.  Las  Palmas  Ave . GR  3111 


Monogram  Studios, 

9336  W.  Washington  Blvd.,  Culver  City  SE  2171 


Paramount  Productions,  Inc. 

5451  Marathon  St . HO  2411 

Casting  Office . GL  6121 

Prudential  Studios  Corporation, 

650  No.  Bronson  Ave . HO  1101 

RKO-Pathe  Studios,  9336  W.  Washington 

Blvd.  (Culver  City) . RE  0252 

RKO  Radio  Studios,  Inc., 

780  No.  Gower  St . HO  5911 

Casting  Office . HO  1955 

Roach,  Hal  E.,  Studios, 

8822  W  Washington  Blvd., 

(Culver  City)  . PA  1151 

Culver  City  2166 

Talisman  Studios  Corporation, 

4516  Sunset  Blvd . . OL  2131 

United  Artists  Studio  Corporation, 

1041  No.  Formosa  Ave . GR  5111 

Casting  Office . GL  4176 

Universal  Pictures  Corporation, 

Universal  City,  Calif . FIE  3131 

Casting  Office . HI  5105 

Warner  Bros. -First  National  Studios, 

Aliso  St.,  Burbank,  Calif . HO  1251 

Warner  Bros.  Studios,  Inc., 

5 842  Sunset  Blvd . HO  5811 

Casting  Offce . HE  1151 


June,  1935 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


63 

PRODUCTION  SCHEDULE 

ATHERTON  PRODUCTIONS  (at  Pathe  Studio),  Culver  City  RE-0252 

Story  Leading  Player  Direction  Remarks  Type 

“Hard  Rock  Harrigan” . George  O'Brien . . . . . Dave  Howard . . . Shooting  . .  Adventure 

CHARLIE  CHAPLIN  STUDIOS,  1416  N.  La  Brea  Ave.  HE-2141 

Untitled  comedy . ....Chaplin,  Goddard . Charlie  Chaplin . Shooting  . .  Mixed 


CHESTERFIELD  PICTURES  (at  Pathe  Studios),  Culver  City  HE-4121 

“Happiness  C.  O.  D.” . Unassigned . . . . . . ..Charles  Lamont . Preparing  . . Mixed 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES,  1438  Gower  St. 


“Feather  in  Her  Hat” . Ruth  Chatterton.. 

“If  You  Could  Only  Cook” . Unassigned . 

“Black  Room  Mystery” . Karloff,  Marsh . 

“The  Grand  Exit” . . . Unassigned . 

“She  Married  Her  Boss” . Claudette  Colbert. 

“The  Girl  Friend” . Ann  Sothern . 


William  Perl  berg  casting. 

. . . . . Alfred  Santell . 

. . . . Unassigned . . 

. Roy  William  Neill 

. Erie  Kenton . 

. Gregory  LaCava . 

. Edward  Bussell . 


Preparing 

Preparing 

Shooting 

Preparing 

Preparing 

Shooting 


HO-3181 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

....  Mystery 

_ Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 


FOX  MOVIETONE  STUDIO,  Beverly  Hills,  Phil  Friedman  casting 

“Orchids  to  You” . . Boles,  Muir .  . William  Seiter . 

“Curly  Top” . Shirley  Temple . Irving  Cummings . 

“Welcome  Home” . Dunn,  Lawrence .  fames  Tinling . 

“The  Dressmaker” . Brook,  Rolf . Harry  Lachman . 

“The  Gay  Deception” . Francis  Lederer . Alfred  E.  Green . 

“Free  and  Easy” . Raul  Roulien . Jack  Boland . 

“Thunder  in  the  Night” . . Lowe,  Morley . .  . George  Archainbaud . 

“The  Lord’s  Referee” . Ayres,  Clarke . . .  H.  Bruce  Humberstone. 

“Steamboat  Bill” . Will  Rogers .  John  Ford . 


CR-5111;  Casting,  CR-6135 


.Shooting  .  Mixed 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

.  Shooting  .  Mixed 

.Shooting  . Mixed 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

Shooting  .  Spanish  version 

.Shooting  .  Mixed 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

Shooting  .  Mixed 


GOLDWYN  PICTURES,  1041  N.  Formosa  Ave.  (At  United  Artists  Studios) 

“Dark  Angel” . . . Oberon,  Marshall .  Sidney  Franklin . Preparing 

“Barbary  Coast” . . . Miriam  Hopkins . Howard  Hawks . Preparing 

“Dreamland” . Eddie  Cantor . Norman  Taurog . Preparing 

“Splendor”.. . Miriam  Hopkins . Unassigned . Preparing 


GR-5111 

. Drama 

. . .  Mixed 

Musical  comedy 
. Mixed 


INVINCIBLE  PICTURES  (at  Pathe  Studios),  Culver  City  HE-4121 

“Dinner  Party” . . . Wilson,  Hughes . Frank  Strayer . . . . . Preparing  . . .  Mixed 


MAJESTIC  PICTURES  (at  Darmour  Studios),  5823  Santa  Monica  Blvd.  GR-1166 

“West  Beyond  the  Law” . Ken  Maynard . A1  Herman . Shooting  .  Western 


MASCOT  PICTURES,  4024  Radford  Ave.,  No.  Hollywood.  Gordon  Molson  casting.  No.  Hollywood  1101 

“Confidential” . Unassigned . Unassigned . Preparing  Mixed 

“Harmony  Lane” . Unassigned . . . Unassigned . Preparing  Mixed 

“Waterfront  Lady” . Unassigncd . . . .Unassigned . Preparing  Mixed 

“Streamline  Express” . Unassigned . Leonard  Fields . . Preparing  Mixed 

“Along  Came  a  Woman” . Unassigned . Unassigned . . . Preparing  Mixed 


METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER,  Culver  City 


“Mutiny  on  the  Bounty”. 

Untitled  comedy . , . 

“A  Tale  of  Two  Cities”.. 

“China  Seas” . 

“Here  Comes  the  Band”.. 

“Broadway  Melody” . 

“Masquerade” . 

“Great  Ziegfeld” . 

“Calm  Yourself” . 

“Mad  Love”.. . 

“I  Am  Joaquin” . 

“Manhattan  Madness” . 


Gable,  Laughton . . 

.Marx  Brothers . . 

Ronald  Colman . 

.Beery,  Gable,  Harlow. 

Ted  Lewis . 

Jack  Benny . 

.William  Powell . 

.William  Powell . 

.Evans,  Young . 

.Peter  Lorre . 

.Joseph  Calleia . 

.McCrea  O’Sullivan . 


Frank  Lloyd.... . 

.  Sam  Wood . 

Jack  Conway . 

Tay  Garnett . 

Paul  Sloane . 

.Roy  Del  Ruth . 

Robert  Z.  Leonard. 

.  Unassigned . 

George  Seitz, . 

.Karl  Freund . 

William  Wellman... 
Harry  Beaumont . 


RE-0211;  PA-9133 

Shooting  ... 

. . . . . . .  Sea 

Preparing  . 

_ _ _  Comedy 

Preparing  . 

.  Dickens 

Shooting  .. 

. . .  Mixed 

Preparing  .. 

. .  Musical 

Shooting  .. 

.  Musical 

Shooting  .. 

.  Mixed 

Preparing  .. 

.  Mixed 

Shooting  ... 

. .  Mixed 

Shooting  .. 

_ _ _  Mixed 

Preparing  .. 

. . .  Mixed 

.Shooting  .. 

.  Mixed 

PARAMOUNT  STUDIO,  5451  Marathon  St.  Fred  Datig  casting. 

“The  Last  Outpost” . Grant,  Rains . Charles  Barton . Shooting 

“So  Red  the  Rose” . Unassigned . King  Vidor . Preparing 

“Accent  on  Youth” . . . . . ....Sylvia  Sidney . Wesley  Ruggles . Shooting 

“The  Plot  Thickens” . Burns,  Allen . . Unassigned . . . — Preparing 

“Everything  Happens  at  Once" . W.  C.  Fields . Clyde  Bruckman . Shooting 

“The  Milky  Way” . Unassigned . Leo  McCarey . Preparing 

“Peter  Ibbetson” . Cooper,  Harding . . . . . Henry  Hathaway . Shooting 

“Two  for  Tonight” . Bing  Crosby . Unassigned . . . Preparing 

“Big  Broadcast  of  1935” . Oakie,  Crosby . Norman  Taurog . Shooting 

“Rose  of  the  Rancho” . Boles,  Swarthout . . Alexander  Hall . Preparing 


GL-6121;  HO-2411 

. Mixed 

. -  Mixed 

. ; .  Mixed 

.  Comedy 

. . . Comedy 

.  Comedy 

. . .  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

. .  Musical 

.  Mixed 


64 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


June,  1935 


PRODUCTION  SCHEDULE 


RADIO  PICTURES,  RKO-PATHE  (merged),  780  N.  Gower  St.  Fred  Schuessler  casting. 

Story  Leading  Player  Direction  Remarks 

“Last  Days  of  Pompeii”-  . Foster,  Mack . . . . Ernest  B.  Schoedsack . . Shooting  . 

“Top  Hat" . ...Astaire,  Rogers . . . Mark  Sandrich . . . Shooting  . 

“Alice  Adams”.. . . .  . . Katharine  Hepburn . . . George  Stevens . Shooting  . 

“Old  Man  Rhythm” . . Rogers,  Grable . Edward  Ludwig . - . Shooting  . 

“Three  Musketeers” . . . Margot  Grahame . .  . Rowland  V.  Lee . Preparing 

“Mr.  Grant” _ _ _ _ _ _ Walter  Abel . . . . . . Stephen  Roberts . Preparing 

“Return  of  Peter  Grimm”.  . Lionel  Barrymore _ _ _ George  Nicholls,  Jr . . . ...Shooting  . 

“Leander  Clicks” . . . Tames  Gleason.... .  . . McCarey,  Gleason . Preparing 

“Jalna” _ _ _ _ Bruce,  Wood . . . . . John  Cromwell . - . Shooting  . 


HO-5911 

Type 

...  Spectacle 

.  Musical 

.  Mixed 

.  Musical 

....  Costume 
..  Historical 

_  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 


RELIABLE  PICTURES,  6048  Sunset  Blvd. 

“Last  Rendezvous” . . . . . Unassigned . 


Rose  Gordon  casting.  HO-9024 

B.  B.  Ray . . . Preparing  .  Spanish  version 


RELIANCE  PICTURES  (at  Pathe  Studios),  Culver  City.  Charles  Richards  casting. 

“The  Melody  Lingers  On” . Unassigned.. . . . .  Unassigned .  . . . 

“Robin  Hood” . .  Robert  Donat . . .  Unassigned _ _ _ 

“Last  of  the  Mohicans” . . Merle  Oberon . . . . Unassigned . 


Preparing 

Preparing 

Preparing 


RE-0252 

.  Drama 

..  Costume 
..  Costume 


REPUBLIC  PICTURES,  9336  W.  Washington  Blvd.,  Culver  City 

“Forbidden  Heaven” _ _ Farrell,  Henry _ _ _ _ Reginald  Barker. 

“Westward  Ho!” _ _ John  Wayne _  _ _ R.  N.  Bradbury.. 

“Cheers  of  the  Crowd” . Hopton,  Ware . . .  . Vin  Moore . 

“Make  a  Million” . . . Starrett,  Brooks . . . .  Lew  Collins . 


. Preparing 

...y _ Shooting  .. 

_ Shooting  . 

. Shooting  . 


SE-2171 

..  Western 
..  Western 
Theatrical 
.  Mixed 


UNIVERSAL  STUDIO,  Universal  City.  Dan  Kelley  casting. 

“Sutter’s  Gold” . .  .  Unassigned _ _ _ _  Howard  Hawks . . 

“Magnificent  Obsession” . Irene  Dunne . . . . John  M.  Stahl . 

“Show  Boat” . . . Irene  Dunne . . . . . Tames  Whale . . 

“Diamond  Jim” . . . . Edward  Arnold . .  Edward  Sutherland. 

“Roaring  West” . . . Buck  Jones . - . . . Ray  Taylor . . 

“Lady  Tubbs” . . . . . Alice  Brady . . . Alan  Crosland . 

“Sing  Me  a  Love  Song” _ _ Cortez,  Page . . . . Stuart  Walker . 

“Ten  Eleven  Fifth” . . . .William  Powell — . . - . Unassigned . 


Preparing 
.  Preparing 
.  Preparing 
Shooting  . 
Shooting  . 
Shooting  . 
-Shooting  . 
Preparing 


HI1  5  105;  HE-3131 

.  Early  California 

.  Mixed 

.  Musical 

.  Mixed 

.  Western  serial 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 


WALTER  WANGER  PRODUCTIONS  (at  General  Service  Studios),  7250  Santa  Monica  Blvd. 

“Vogue  of  1935” . . Unassigned . . .  Unassigned . . . . Preparing 

“Clipper  Ship” . . . Unassigned . . . . . Unassigned . Preparing 

“Shanghai”.. . . . ..Boyer,  Young . . . . . . James  Flood . . Shooting  . 

“Every  Night  at  Eight” . Raft,  Langford . . Raoul  Walsh . - . Preparing 

“Smart  Girl” . . Lupino,  Patrick . . . Aubrey  Scotto . . . Preparing 


HO-0173 

Fashion  musical 

.  Aviation 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 


WARNER  BROS.  FIRST  NATIONAL,  Hollywood  and  Burbank.  Maxwell  Amow  casting  for  both  studios. 

Bill  Mayberry  assisting.  Warner  Bros.,  5842  Sunset  Blvd.  Studio,  HO-5811 

First  National,  Burbank.  Studio,  HO-1251;  Casting,HE-li51  Vitagraph  lot,  OL-2133 

“Backfire” . . . James  Cagney . . . . . Unassigned .  . Preparing  Mixed 

“Anthony  Adverse” . Unassigned . . . . . . . Unassigned . . Preparing  Mixed 

“Captain  Blood” _ _ Robert  Donat . . . ..Michael  Curtiz . . . Preparing  . . .  Piracy 

“Thin  Air” . . Unassigned . . . . . . Unassigned . Preparing  Mixed 

“Dr.  Socrates” _ _ _ _ Paul  Muni _ _ _ _ _ William  Keighley . . . Preparing  Mixed 

“We’re  in  the  Money” . Blondell,  Farrell . ..Ray  Enright  . . Shooting  .  Mixed 

“Broadway  Joe” . . . Joe  E.  Brown . Busby  Berkeley . Shooting  Musical 

“The  Irish  in  Us” . . . Cagney,  O'Brien . Lloyd  Bacon . Preparing  Mixed 


fcaffErizalnn 


Caesar. . .  Charlemagne . . .  Queen  Victoria . . . 
Nero..  .Wellington. .  .Columbus...  Andrew 
Jackson  . .  .all  the  romantic  characters  of  his¬ 
tory  or  fiction  assume  forceful  reality  when 
brought  to  life  with  the  Factor  Hairlace  wig. 

Characterization  is  a  word  that  has  made 
the  Factor  Hairlace  wig  famous. 

Ours  is  the  largest  and  most  unique  Hair 
Service  in  America.  Our  staff  of  creative 
artists  are  skilled  in  translating  your  hair 
problems  to  the  needs  of  the  screen. 

Our  hair  suggestions  take  into  considera¬ 
tion  the  personality  of  the  player,  the  spirit 
of  the  part  and  the  photographic  effects. 
Our  own  library,  probably  the  largest  one 
anywhere  exclusively  devoted  to  hair,  is  an 
important  guide  in  furnishing  us  with  the 
authentic  appearance  of  every  hair  style 
throughout  human  history. 

We  invite  you  to  bring  your  hair  problems 
to  us.  We  can  follow  your  own  designs 
and  specifications,  or  we  can  work  out 
complete  hair  ideas  for  a  single  character 
or  for  an  entire  production  or  cast. 


Max  Factor  Makeup  Studios 

HOLLYWOOD,  CALIFORNIA 

“The  Largest  Hair  Service  in  America” 


',r CITY  DYE  WORKS 


DYE  WORMS 


Dependable  for  51  Years 


•  DRY  CLEANING — A  continuous  flow  of  pure  white 

solvent  passing  through  your  garment  at  all  times, 
restoring  life,  newness  and  exquisite  loveliness  to 
the  most  delicate  gown  or  dance  frock. 

•  PRESSING — By  skilled  employes  who  remold,  style 

and  shape  men’s  suits  and  ladies'  dresses. 

•  HATS — TIES — The  appearance  of  men's  hats  and 

ties  is  so  important  to  GOOD  GROOMING.  We 
restore  the  original  clean  color  and  reshape  them 
by  methods  used  in  the  factories. 

•  CURTAINS  —  COMFORTERS  —  BLANKETS  — 

Blankets  and  comforters  cleaned  without  shrink¬ 
age,  clean,  sweet,  soft  and  fluffed  to  a  "downy" 
softness.  Curtains,  each  piece  thoroughly  cleaned 
so  that  it  will  look  as  originally  purchased  retain¬ 
ing  its  original  lustre,  color. 

•  FURS  AND  STORAGE  —  Scientifically  cleaned, 

glazed  and  repaired,  by  retaining  the  natural 
animal  oils,  the  pelts  remain  soft  and  pliable  and 


your  furs  will  gleam  with  newness.  Storage  vaults 
for  your  furs  and  garments,  safe  from  fire,  theft 
and  moths. 

•  FURNITURE — Embedded  in  the  nap  of  your  uphol¬ 

stery  is  a  smudgy  soil  that  hides  the  beauty  and 
life  of  your  furniture  and  soils  the  garments  that 
come  in  contact  with  it.  Let  us  revive  those 
colors,  restore  the  rich  appearance  of  newness. 

•  RUGS — Our  modern  fully  equipped  Rug  Depart¬ 

ment,  with  its  scientific  personnel,  guarantees  the 
safety  and  proper  cleaning  of  your  Oriental  and 
domestic  rugs. 

•  DYEING — For  a  small  amount  you  may  have  your 

favorite  gowns  or  dresses  dyed  to  one  of  the  lat¬ 
est  shades. 

•  RUG  DYEING — We  have  a  new  machine,  the  only 

one  in  the  west,  that  cleans  and  dyes  a  rug  or 
carpet  up  to  125  feet  in  length.  We  can  dye  an 
old  rug  or  carpet  to  a  delicate  shade  that  was 
formerly  a  dark  color. 


W e  Have  112  Delivery  Trucks  and  10  Stores  to  Serve  You 
"SEND  US  YOUR  NEXT  ORDER ” 


ciTy 

OF  LOS  ANGELES 
3000  Central  Avenue 

BEVERLY  HILLS 
8692  Wilshire  Blvd. 

Telephone  OXford  7513 
8501  W.  Pico  Blvd. 

Telephone  OXford  9292 


Dye  weer/ 


—  BRANCH  STORES  - 
SANTA  MONICA 
433  Wilshire  Blvd. 
Telephone  S.  M.  28433 
WESTWOOD 
Telephone  WLA  31182 


ADams  7121 

LOS  ANGELES 
417  West  7th  Street 
Telephone  ADams  7121 
PASADENA 
Telephone  ZEnith  2165 


gO  0°°  o  0  0  g 


jO  0  0  0 


PlCTURtS 


El  Encanto  means  Enchantment 


Villas 
in  the 
Gardens 


In  this  Garden  on  the  Pacific 


El  Encanto  occupies  a  most  beautiful  ten-acre  park  of  Flower  Gardens 
and  Eucalyptus  in  the  very  heart  of  California's  most  enchanting  scenic 
wonderland.  It  overlooks  the  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific  with  the  moun¬ 
tains  as  a  background. 

Villas  of  from  two  to  ten-rooms  for  families  and  house  parties  are  avail¬ 
able  to  those  who  prefer  such  service  to  the  Hotel  proper,  where  Ameri¬ 
can  Plan  accommodations  can  be  had  at  surprisingly  reasonable  Tariffs. 
Guests  have  privileges  of  our  exclusive  Edgecliffe  Beach  Club  and  Coun¬ 
try  Club  in  Montecito,  only  ten  minutes  away.  You  are  certain  to  enjoy 
your  stay  at  El  Encanto  with  its  cuisine  of  memorable  excellence. 

Our  separate  diet  kitchen  is  in  charge  of  a  graduate 
Dietician  of  Dr.  Sansum's  Clinic. 

Hollywood  is  but  two  hours  away  and  Los  Angeles 
slightly  more,  over  the  well-paved  scenic  Ocean 
Boulevard. 

• 

Under  Personal  Direction  of 
CHARLES  BEDELL  HERVEY 

• 


El  Encanto 
Hotel  and  Villas 

on  the  Famous  Riviera 
just  above  the  Old  Mission 

Santa  Barbara 
California 


"CANNES  WITHOUT  CROSSING" 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


1 


A  THIRTY- YEAR  HERITAGE  OF  QUALITY 

IS  BACK  OF 


//e  /Jvoua/ 


It  takes  only  a  moment  to  write  glowingly 
about  motor  car  quality — but  it  has  taken 
three  decades  to  produce  the  unmistakable 
proof  of  quality  which  a  Cadillac  product 
reveals  in  every  mile  it  runs. 

Perhaps  the  closest  approach  to  an  explana¬ 
tion  of  the  greater  sense  of  well  being  which 
is  enjoyed  by  the  owner  of  a  car  from  the 
Royal  Family  of  Motordom,  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  Cadillac  has  never  lowered  its  shield. 

Others  have  had  their  ups  and  downs 
—  gravitated  from  one  class  to  another  — 


catered  to  current  caprice  —  sought  larger 
markets  by  compromise  —  but  Cadillac  has 
held  fast. 

It  is  literally  true  that  each  year's  Cadillac 
has  surpassed  its  predecessor — it  is  literally 
true  that  the  current  cars  in  the  Royal  Family 
of  Motordom  are  closer  to  perfection  than 
any  which  have  gone  before. 

Cadillac  has  remained  steadfast — only  sig¬ 
nalizing  the  greatest  year  in  its  history  by 
starting  its  prices  at  the  lowest  point  since 
the  single-cylinder  days. 


•  •  *  1175 
.  *  1645 

.  *2445 


Prices  list  at  Detroit,  and  subject  to  change  without  notice.  Special 
equipment  extra.  Monthly  payment  to  suit  your  purse  on  G.M.  Install' 
merit  Plan. 


KNEE-ACTION  •  HYDRAULIC  BRAKES  •  CENTER-POINT  STEERING  .  TURRET -TOP 
RIDE  STABILIZER  •  PEAK-LOAD  GENERATOR  .  TRIPLE-RANGE  CHOKE 


SEVENTH 
AT  BIXEL 


Nights  Until  9 
TRinity  8411 


CALIFORNIA  DISTRIBUTORS  CADILLAC  AND  LA  SALLE  MOTOR  CARS 


2 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


FUTURE  FEATURES 

7\[ext  month  the  “INSIDER''  is  proud  to 
present  some  special  features  and  articles 
for  its  June  issue.  Below  we  give  you 
a  brief  forecast  of  our  editorial  calendar: 

9 

"A  Great  Way  to  Earn  a  Living" 

Stunt-men  in  pictures. 


Personal  Biography  of  Jack  Warner 

"History  of  a  Go-Getter." 

“The  Evolution  of  Studio 
Trademarks" 

Their  history,  design  and  meaning 
translated  for  you. 

• 

Special  Interview  With 
Ginger  Rogers  and  Lew  Ayres 

Their  hobbies  and  ambitions, 
delightfully  revealed. 


Inside  the  Story  Department 
of  a  Big  Major  Studio 


"New  Stars  Discovered 
by  Trailer-Testing." 

• 

Pictures  now  playing  recommended 
by  the 

"Insider" 

Reviewer 

• 

New  Hair-Styles  by  Jack  Dawn 

Make-up  Expert  of  M.G.M. 

9 

“The  Stage  Today" 

By  Our  New  York  Correspondent. 

9 

Summer  Bathing-Suit  Styles 

Modeled  by  the  Stars. 


MURRAY  HOWARD  BOIS-SMITH 
Publisher  and  Editor 


Vol.  I  MAY,  1936  No.  6 


FRANK  ROBERT  JACKSON . Business  Manager 

PAULINE  GALE  . Feature  Editor 

DOROTHY  WILDING  MEREDITH  . Staff  Writer 

FENYMORE  HOWARD . Staff  Writer 

HOWARD  WALDEN  Art  Editor 

EMANUEL  BOIS-SMITH  . Circulation  Manager 


CONTENTS 

MOTION  PICTURE  ACADEMY  OF  ARTS  &  SCIENCES.  .  .  .Page  4 

EDITORIAL  . Page  6 

WORLD  PREPAREDNESS— By  Victor  McLaglen . Page  9 

MOTION  PICTURE  PRODUCERS  &  DISTRIBUTORS 

OF  AMERICA  . Page  10 

"BE  YOURSELF",  says  Bette  Davis . Page  13 

BIOGRAPHY  OF  IRVING  THALBERG . Page  15 

ACADEMY  AWARDS  FOR  1935 . Page  16 

AWARD  WINNERS.  EXPLANATIONS  OF  PICTURES . Page  18 

"BETTER  SEE  PEGGY"  . Page  19 

"HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  MUSIC  IN  MOTION  PICTURES" ..  Page  21 

ASTRONOMY  AIDS  ART  DEPARTMENT . Page  23 

"THAT  CHILD  'S  A  GENIUS" . Page  24 

"WORLD  PEACE  IS  MY  GOAL"— By  Francis  Lederer . Page  27 

LOCATION  PROBLEMS  . Page  29 

GAUMONT  BRITISH  LEADERS  . Page  30 

"MY  TOUGHEST  SHOOTING  ASSIGNMENT" 

By  Hal  Mohr . Page  3  I 

"GET  THE  PICTURE"  REGARDLESS  OF  DANGER . Page  33 

REMEMBER  WHEN?  . Page  34 

JOHN  FORD,  DIRECTOR  . Page  37 

FILMS  AID  UNITED  STATES  GOVERNMENT . Page  40 

MARLENE  DIETRICH  BIOGRAPHY  . Page  43 

MATCH  YOUR  PERSONALITY  WITH  YOUR  HAIRDRESS .  .  Page  44 

SUMMER  CHAPEAUX  . Page  45 

FASHIONS  FOR  WOMEN— By  ADRIAN . Page  46 

ANALYTICAL  REVIEW  OF  PICTURES . |Page  48 

USE  OF  MAKE-UP  FOR  BLONDES . Page  51 

MEN’S  FASHIONS  . Page  52 

EPICUREAN  DELIGHTS  . Page  54 


Published  Monthly  by  The  Insider  Publishing  Company,  Incorporated  —  6425  Hollywood 
Boulevard,  Hollywood,  California.  Telephone:  Hillside  3101-3102. 


Copyright  1936  by  The  Insider  Publishing  Company,  Incorporated,  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  25c  per  copy,  $2.50  per  year  in  United 
States.  30c  per  copy,  $3.00  per  year  in  Canada. 


—  and  Pictures  —  Pictures  — 
Pictures1. 


A.  Schmidt  &  Son 

ESTABLISHED  18G9 

3273  WILSHIRE  BOULEVARD 

LOS  ANGELES 


PAIR  ANTIQUE  ENGLISH  SHEFFIELD  CANDELABRA  BY  T.  DIXON  &  SON, 
DATE  1810  .  .  .  TRAY  BY  R.  LAW,  DATE  1807  ..  .  TEA  SET,  DATE  1780  ..  . 
TRAY  BY  W.  JERVIS,  DATE  1787 


An  extensive  selection  of  exquisite  pieces  in  antique  or 
modern  English  Silver,  Sheffield  Plate,  China  or  Glass. 
For  sixty -seven  years  A.  Schmidt  &  Son  have  catered 
to  those  who  appreciate  truly  fine  things. 


IN  NEW  YORK 
712  Fifth  Ave. 


PASADENA  —  BOSTON  —  SAN  FRANCISCO  —  WASHINGTON.  D.  C. 


4 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


THE  ACADEMY  OF  MOTION  PICTURE 

ARTS  AND  SCIENCES 


FRANK  CAPRA 
President 


When  general  acknowledgement  was 
accorded  the  fact  that  the  screen  is  essen- 
tially  a  creative  medium  with  capacities 
peculiar  and  special  to  itself,  it  became 
evident  that  some  organization  should  be 
formed  that  could  be  devoted  exclusively 
to  the  operation  and  problems  of  the  mo¬ 
tion  picture  industry.  The  older,  related 
arts,  particularly  the  theater,  with  Ac- 
tors’  Equity,  all  have  a  consultative  body 
and  the  large  and  ever-growing  group 
connected  with  the  “movies”  felt  the 
need  of  a  somewhat  similar  organization. 
Hence  the  inauguration  of  the  Acad¬ 
emy.  Eight  years  have  passed  since  it 
was  started  and  during  that  period  it 
has  increased  tremenduosly  in  scope, 
power  and  prestige.  It  acts  as  a  sort 
of  arbitration  center,  judicial  court  and 
clearing  house  for  matters  pertaining  to 
every  phase  of  the  industry.  Frank  Cap¬ 
ra  is  President  of  the  Board  of  which 
every  member  is  distinguished  in  his  par¬ 
ticular  section  of  the  picture  business. 
Donald  Gledhill  is  executive  secretary; 
he  personally  handles  the  details  of  the 
Academy’s  operation  and  he  is  widely 
known  and  appreciated  for  the  courteous 
and  cooperative  manner  in  which  he 
meets  all  approaches. 

The  Academy  Technical  Bureau  is 
under  the  splendid  direction  of  Gordon 
S.  Mitchell.  This  department  investi¬ 
gates  all  developments  of  a  scientific  or 
technical  nature  in  Hollywood  or  New 
York  studios  and  in  the  major  manu¬ 
facturing  and  equipment  companies  in 


With  the  thrill  of  Academy  Awards  still  so 
recent,  it  is  timely  to  express  our  appreciation 
of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences,  its  purpose  and  functions. 


By  Dorothy  Wilding  Meredith 


NATHAN  LEVINSON 

2nd  Vice-President 


the  motion  picture  industry.  Technical 
problems  of  every  description  are 
brought  to  Mr.  Mitchell’s  attention;  the 
work  done  by  his  able  research  staff  is 
definitely  constructive  and  of  immense 
value.  The  scientific  and  technical 
awards  are  considered  by  a  special  Board 
of  Judges  and  occupies  a  very  important 
place  in  the  Awards  program. 

The  highly  coveted  Academy  Award 
is  a  symbol  of  the  recognition  and  ap¬ 
preciation  of  outstanding  achievement 
in  the  industry,  by  the  industry  itself. 
Before  the  Awards  are  bestowed  there 
are  weeks  of  nomination  and  final  bal¬ 
loting  by  the  membership  in  addition  to 
many  conferences  and  special  exhibitions 
which  make  up  the  Awards  program. 
Certificates  of  Merit  are  given  not  only 
for  excellence  in  those  divisions  of  the 
motion  picture  arts  and  industry  with 
which  the  layman  is  familiar  but  for  all 
the  technical  departments  as  well.  In 
order  that  the  decisions  may  be  as  fair 
and  unbiased  as  possible  the  nominations 
are  made  by  the  branch  most  directly 
concerned  and  presumably  best  qualified 
to  make  a  competent  preliminary  selec¬ 
tion.  For  example,  the  Directors  Branch 
in  a  separate  vote  nominates  three  direc- 


HOWARD  ESTABROOK 
1st  Vice-President 

torial  accomplishments,  three  outstand¬ 
ing  performances  by  actors  and  three  by 
actresses,  and  so  on.  Production,  art  di¬ 
rection,  cinematography,  sound  record¬ 
ing,  and  the  rest,  take  their  places  in 
importance  with  the  performance  of  the 
selected  actor  or  actress.  The  votes  of 
each  department  are  considered  by  that 
department’s  committee  in  an  endlessly 
detailed  procedure  which  results  in  from 
three  to  five  names  being  submitted  to 
the  final  consideration  of  the  Awards 
Committee  of  the  Academy.  The  be¬ 
stowal  of  special  Awards  such  as  the 
gold  statuette  trophy,  is  recommended 
by  this  Commiittee  to  the  Academy 
Board  of  Governors.  The  total  list  of 
Awards  is  already  over  one  hundred, 
these  constituting  an  admirable  list  of 
honor. 

It  is  significant  that  despite  the  brevity 
of  many  screen  careers,  most  of  those 
who  have  won  Academy  Awards  are 
still  active  in  the  industry.  Three  di¬ 
rectors  have  each  received  two  Awards 
for  their  work  in  different  years;  two 
writers  have  twice  been  recognized  but 
so  far  no  actor  nor  actress  has  won  the 
best  performance  Award  more  than 
once.  The  gold  Academy  statuette  is 
an  artistic  and  beautiful  figure  and  is 
the  highest  honor  conferred  by  the 
Academy. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  important 
contributions  to  that  large  group  of  stu¬ 
dio  people  composed  mostly  of  players. 

(Turn  to  Page  58) 


Don’t  Sacrifice  Your  Skin 


On  the  Altar  of  Art! 


When  selecting  professional  or  street  make-up ...  PURITY  should  be  your 
first  consideration. 

That’s  why  Max  Factor  offers  you  PURITY  PROTECTION  in  the  finest 
make-up  science  can  create. 

Purity  protection  .  .  .  backed  by  twenty-six  years  of  unmatched 
leadership  in  serving  the  make-up  needs  of  the  motion  picture  industry! 

Purity  protection.  .  .guaranteed  by  the  exacting  and  exhaustive 
analytical  tests  of  a  score  of  skilled  scientists  in  the  world’s  most  com¬ 
pletely  equipped  cosmetic  research  laboratories! 

America’s  Finest  Make-Up  and  Hair  Service 

MAX  FACTOR  II ART-DP  CFI  DIO 

1666  NORTH  HIGHLAND  ★  HOLLYWOOD  3922 


Editoria 


ASSEMBLED  between  the  covers  of  the  Motion  Picture  Studio  "INSIDER"  each  month  will  ap¬ 
pear  the  really  important  activities  of  the  motion  picture  studios.  Those  fascinating,  mys¬ 
terious  operations,  concealed  behind  the  forbidding  walls,  will  be  duly  described  with  an  uncol¬ 
ored,  straight-forward  simplicity  that  will  have  a  direct  appeal  to  all  discerning  readers. 

Our  additional  compensation  takes  the  form  of  personal  satisfaction  in  being  able  to  ren¬ 
der  service  to  an  industry  that  has  attained  a  place  of  world  importance.  We  are  happy  to 
serve  producers,  directors,  players,  writers,  adaptors,  composers,  cameramen,  art  directors, 
costume  designers,  technicians  and  extras;  those  who  compose  the  personnel  of  the  film  industry. 
They  give  their  "all"  to  the  making  of  movies  that  offer  hours  of  entertainment,  education  and 
peace  for  often  troubled  minds. 

Through  our  many  popular  features  we  shall  serve  the  public  whose  support  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  has  raised  it  to  its  present  prominent  place.  We  shall  endeavor  to  bring  a  bet¬ 
ter  understanding  and  realization  of  the  fact  that  in  the  last  analysis,  it  is  not  the  studios  it  is 
the  public  who,  by  their  demand,  create  the  type  of  story  that  shall  be  shown  on  the  screen. 

We  hope  to  be  the  medium  by  which  unknown  gifted  "outsiders"  become  known,  acknow¬ 
ledged  "insiders,"  and  to  help,  by  merited  publicity,  those  who  are  already  within  the  studios 
to  climb  another  rung  of  the  ladder  of  achievement. 

Perhaps  some  of  you  will  exclaim  "just  another  Hollywood  'yes'  man!"  or  "probably  backed 
by  some  studio!"  but  our  conscience  is  clear  and  "by  our  works"  you  shall  know  us! 

We  think  it  a  very  encouraging  sign  that  more  and  more  films  that  are  interestingly  educa¬ 
tional  are  finding  general  favor.  Current  events,  subjects  of  political  moment  or  geographical 
background,  etc.,  are  brought  graphically  to  masses  of  people  who  by  no  other  means  could  ever 
be  kept  informed.  To  those  who  have  neither  money  nor  time  to  travel  extensively  it  is  a  great 
boon  to  be  able  to  see  pictures  of  multitudinous  places  and  things  of  which,  otherwise,  they  could 
only  read. 

The  unfortunate  release  of  faulty  news  is  responsible  for  the  sensational  reports  that  have 
created  throughout  the  world  a  deplorable  impression  that  Hollywood  is  the  abode  of  Satan 
and  its  movie  residents  people  who  thrive  on  sin!  Permit  us,  as  "insiders,"  to  say  that  this  opinion 
does  the  greatest  injustice  to  a  group  of  men  and  women  who,  as  an  industrial  unit,  exist  simply 
and  solely  to  serve  you — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Public. 

There  are  good  and  bad  actions  in  the  lives  of  all  people.  Why  judge  a  class  or  locality  by 
the  shortcomings  of  a  few — it  isn't  sporting!  Preachers,  rabbis  and  spiritual  leaders  often  pub¬ 
lish  statements  to  the  effect  that  moving  pictures  must  be  cleaned  up.  While  applauding  their 
aims  we  take  the  liberty  to  suggest  a  radical  change  in  their  methods.  They  are  not  striking  at 
the  source  of  the  trouble.  Instead  of  criticising  the  motion  picture  producer  they  should  censure 
the  recreational  proclivities  of  their  respective  congregations.  It  is  the  public,  by  their  attend¬ 
ance  (which  means  box-office  receipts),  who  create  the  type  of  pictures  generally  provided.  Hol¬ 
lywood  producers  are  merchandise  men  in  exactly  the  same  degree  as  are  department  store 
owners.  They  sell  you  the  kind  of  merchandise  you  demand,  because  to  attempt  to  sell  you  a 
product  you  do  not  want  would  mean  losses  that  no  business  could  survive.  Progressive  men  and 
women  recognize  this  fact  with  the  concrete  result  that  there  is  a  marked  improvement  in  the 
number  of  excellent  films  that  are  being  released  and  receiving  tremendous  popular  support  and 
approval 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  presume  to  "preach!"  Too  many  well-meaning  but  misguided  individ¬ 
uals  are  already  so  engaged.  Our  policy  is  always  to  bring  to  you  truthful  news  of  our  great 
film  industry  and  those  who  have  built  and  sustained  it  as  one  of  the  principal  factors  in  our  daily 
life.  All  articles  and  stories  are  independently  written  with  the  definite  purpose  of  giving  you 
illuminating  as  well  as  entertaining  reading;  successfully  to  do  this  is  the  constant  aim  of  the 
"INSIDER." 


Among  the  gems  of  M.  Weinstein  offered  for  your  inspection  and 
approval,  are  the  lovely  pieces  pictured  above. 

Buying  from  primary  world-wide  markets  and  at  large  estate 
liquidations  makes  it  possible  for  Weinstein's  to  sell  the  finest 
gems  at  true  value  investment  prices. 

Every  purchase  made  at  M.  Weinstein  will  reflect  the  highest 
quality  and  artistic  taste,  inherent  in  all  products  offered  by  the 
west's  largest  jeweler. 

M.  WEINSTEIN 

On  Seventh  Floor  in  the  Roosevelt  Building,  Room  719 
Seventh  and  Flower  Los  Angeles,  California 


8 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


20th  CENTURY- FOX  FILM  CORPORATION 


'  CAPTAI7J  JALJU ART”.  Produced  by — Darryl  Zanuc\.  Associate  Producer — B.  G.  deSilva.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Shirley 
Temple,  Slim  Summerville,  Guy  Kibbee,  T'Jella  Walter,  George  Ining,  Buddy  Olsen.  Director — David  Butler.  Assistant  Director — 
Ad  Schaumer.  Sound — Arthur  von  Kirbach,  Roger  Heman.  Director  of  Photography — John  Seitz,  A.  S.  C. 


“ROAD  TO  GLORY" .  Produced  by — Darryl  Z anuc\.  Stars  - — Fredric  March,  Lionel  Barrymore,  Warner  Baxter.  Director  of 
Photography — Gregg  Toland. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


v 


WORLD  PREPAREDNESS  IS  A 
VITAL  NECESSITY 


An  Intimate  Interview  with  Victor 
McLaglen,  Winner  of  the  Academy 
Award  Statuette  for  the  Best  Actor  of 
1935  ■ —  For  His  Wor\  in  “ The  In¬ 
former  ,”  Best  Picture  of  the  Tear. 


By 


THE  soldierly  parts  played  by  Victor 
McLaglen  with  such  understanding 
and  skill  are  not  strange  nor  difficult  for 
him  to  interpret.  The  reason  is  that  he, 
himself,  is  a  soldierly  and  military  man. 
A  uniform  does  not  seem  like  a  “cos¬ 
tume”  to  McLaglen.  It’s  his  right  and 
fitting  dress  for  besides  being  connected 
for  a  number  of  years  with  military  serv- 
ice  in  the  Sudan  and  Egypt,  he  has  been 
a  colonel  in  our  own  California  State 
Militia.  Victor  McLaglen  took  an  ac¬ 
tive  part  in  the  World  War  and  there¬ 
fore  his  opinion  on  World  Affairs  right 
now  carries  considerable  weight  since  it 
is  based  upon  knowledge,  training  and 
background. 

In  “The  Informer”  Mr.  McLaglen 
plays  the  part  of  a  soldier  of  the  Irish 
Tree  State.  Gyppo  Nolan  is  a  finely- 
shaded  character  and  McLaglen’s  inter¬ 
pretation  of  it  has  won  praise  for  him 
from  even  the  most  hardened  critics  both 
in  this  country  and  abroad.  McLaglen 
himself  has  something  to  say  about  that 
part.  “I  understood  Gyppo’s  thinking 
processes,  and  that  was  what  made  it 
easy  to  play  the  character.  During  the 
making  of  the  picture,  I  was  Nolan!  His 
problems  of  loyalty  and  duty  were  not 
difficult  to  imagine.  They  were  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  a  soldier.  I  think  and  feel  the 
way  a  soldier  thinks  and  feels.  Thus,” 
modestly,  “Gyppo  Nolan  was  my  man 
from  start  to  finish.  My  training  rather 
than  my  acting  deserves  any  credit  that 
is  coming  to  that  role  if  considered  pure¬ 
ly  as  a  piece  of  acting.” 

There  you  have  McLaglen.  Essen¬ 
tially  honest.  Modest  about  his  ability 
and  achievements  and  with  a  remark¬ 
ably  clear  appraisal  of  his  own  efforts. 


“The  Insider” 


The  same  observations  apply  to  “Pro¬ 
fessional  Soldier”  and  even  to  the  pic¬ 
tures  of  a  few  years  ago  that  the  fans 
loved  so  dearly,  when  McLaglen  and 
Lowe  were  teamed  as  hard-fighting  mar¬ 
ines.  Remember? 

As  to  world  preparedness,  McLaglen’s 
belief  is  fortified  by  his  own  unit  of 
militia  initiated  and  maintained  by  him¬ 
self.  During  the  past  year  he  has  outfit¬ 
ted  a  Boy  Scout  Troop  of  150  young¬ 
sters,  completely  uniformed  from  whis¬ 
tles  to  bugles.  They’re  a  fine  bunch 
and  McLaglen  is  their  idol.  Then  twelve 
thousand  of  Los  Angeles  poor  owe  their 
unexpected  turkey  dinners  each  Christ¬ 
mas  to  this  one  man’s  generosity.  Be¬ 
sides  this,  last  Christmas  he  presented 
$8,000  worth  of  unsolicited  food  baskets 
to  the  Assistance  League. 

But  of  his  personal  interests  the  Mc¬ 
Laglen  Lighthorse  is  outstanding.  Lor 
the  use  of  its  members  a  site  was  leased 
adjoining  the  celebrated  Breakfast  Club. 
McLaglen  paid  for  it  and  built  head¬ 
quarters,  offices  and  clubrooms  and  when 
the  membership  jumped  suddenly  to  380 
men,  he  leased  five  adjoining  acres.  This 
last  addition  was  land  that  had  long 
been  regarded  as  an  eyesore  to  the  city 
of  Los  Angeles.  But  our  real  soldier  of 
the  screen  was  not  discouraged.  Allot¬ 
ting  $8,000  to  the  project  he  filled  the 
lowlying  section  with  rich  loam,  had 
tractors  level  it  off  and  planted  flowers 
and  shrubs  around  the  edge.  This  be¬ 
came  the  drill  ground  for  the  troop 
which  was  costing  him  $800  a  month  to 
maintain. 

The  drill  ground  was  enlarged  so  as 
to  provide  a  playing  field  for  soccer  and 
then  he  erected  a  stadium  at  an  expendi¬ 


Victor  McLaglen 

ture  of  $30,000  of  his  own  money.  The 
stadium  is  capable  of  seating  8,000  per¬ 
sons,  which  means  that  the  structure  is 
a  source  of  potential  profit.  The  only 
thing,  incidentally,  which  might  bring 
some  future  return  for  his  tremendous 
financial  outlay. 

As  the  result  of  a  parade  of  the  Mc¬ 
Laglen  Lighthorse  Cavalry  on  Holly¬ 
wood  Boulevard  500  men  applied  for 
membership  within  a  period  of  five 
months.  His  Boy  Scout  Patrol  numbers 
over  150  youngsters.  He  also  sponsors  a 
mounted  corps  of  200  girls  trained  in 
Red  Cross  practices,  a  brass  band  of  42 
members  (guess  who  paid  for  the  instru¬ 
ments!),  a  bugle  and  drum  corps  of  60 
girls,  a  company  of  42  motorcyclists,  70 
flyers  and  aviation  students,  six  modern 
aeroplanes,  a  student  flying  field  at 
which  young  men  are  taught  piloting  for 
$2  per  month.  And  in  course  of  forma¬ 
tion  right  now  is  a  radio  signal  division 
with  15  members.  Lor  this  last  group 
McLaglen  has  erected  a  clubhouse  and 
laboratory,  plus  a  donation  of  $700  for 
equipment. 

Why  this  interest  in  military  or  near- 
military  set-ups?  Because,  in  the  first 
place  Victor  McLaglen  is  not  happy  un¬ 
less  he  is  active  in  some  military  endeav¬ 
or.  Second,  and  here  is  the  crux  of  the 
whole  matter,  he  truly  believes  that  pre¬ 
paredness  is  not  only  necessary  now  but 
that  it  will  be  more  so  in  the  near  fu¬ 
ture,  if,  or  when,  war  clouds  begin  to 
take  more  definite  shape. 

(Turn  to  Page  62) 


10 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


MOTION  PICTURE 
DISTRIBUTORS 

Lupton  A.  Wil\inson,  whose  articles  and  stories  have  appeared  in  such  publications  as 
“ The  Atlantic  Monthly”  and  “ The  Rforth  American  Review,”  has  made  a  survey  of  the 
United  States  for  the  motive  picture  industry  as  one  of  the  representatives  of  Mr.  Will  H. 
Hays.  "The  Insider’’  feels  privileged  to  present  this  exclusive  interview  with  Mr.  W il\inson 

by  Pauline  Gale. 


Will  H.  Hays 


WITHOUT  in  any  sense  evading 
the  responsibility  of  picture- 
makers  to  maintain  a  high-level  product, 
every  discussion  of  screen  standards 
must  recognize  that  the  industry  cannot 
go  it  alone.  The  producers  cannot 
simply  make  pictures  to  suit  some  fine 
standard  which  they  may  have  adopted 
themselves  or  which  may  have  been 
urged  on  them  by  “intellectuals”,  and 
then  file  those  photoplays  away  with  a 
sense  of  duty  well  done. 

Motion  pictures  are  made  for  the 
widest  audience  that  has  ever  attended 
any  entertainment  medium.  It  is  a 
corollary  of  all  picture  improvement 
that  the  common  denominator  of  audi¬ 
ence  taste  is  one  factor  that  must  rise 
if  quality  is  to  rise. 

Throughout  the  thirteen  years  of  ef¬ 
fort  by  the  industry  to  meet  through 
self-regulation  its  community  responsi¬ 
bility  and  to  seek  for  more  and  more 
improvement  in  picture  quality,  this 
question  of  audience  taste  has  been — 
as  Mr.  Hays  saw  in  the  beginning  it 
would  be — a  major  problem.  Many  of 
the  finest  pictures  did  not  achieve  fin¬ 
ancial  success  and  others  achieved  far 
less  success  than  might  have  been  ex¬ 
pected.  For  example,  the  early  Arliss 
pictures  fell  sharply  below  the  attend¬ 
ance  goal  of  other  entertainment  that 
was,  to  say  the  least,  lighter.  Under 
the  exhibitor's  contract  which  permits 
him  to  cancel  10  per  cent  of  pictures  he 
has  booked  in  complete  blocks,  “Dis¬ 
raeli”  led  all  pictures  of  its  year  in  num¬ 
ber  of  cancellations.  Although  Warner 
Bros,  had  230  bookings  for  “Alexander 
Hamilton”  in  the  St.  Louis  exchange 
territory,  they  were  able  to  secure  only 
149  play  dates,  exhibitors  cancelling 


freely.  At  the  same  time  “Scarface” 
was  booked  and  played  by  practically  all 
of  the  14,000  theatres  in  the  United 
States  and  achieved  outstanding  finan¬ 
cial  success.  In  Boston,  which  we  think 
of  as  erudite,  there  were  40  cancella¬ 
tions  from  theatre  managers  on  “Abra¬ 
ham  Lincoln”  but  no  cancellations  at  all 
on  “Little  Caesar.”  The  first  two  Mae 
West  pictures  played  almost  without 
cancellations.  “Byrd  at  the  South  Pole,” 
“Outward  Bound,”  “Berkeley  Square” 
and  many  other  pictures  of  high  merit 
in  more  serious  fields  fell  far  below  rea¬ 
sonable  expectation  in  financial  return. 

These  facts  are  not  cited  as  a  reflec¬ 
tion  on  the  exhibitor,  who  wants  to 
show  what  people  want  to  see,  nor  on 
lighter  entertainment  which  has  a  legi¬ 
timate  place  in  the  theatre — nor  on  the 
public  which  likes  to  go  and  laugh  and 
achieve  relaxation  after  work  and  wor¬ 
ry.  The  motion  picture  industry  serves 
a  definite,  vitally  useful  purpose  in  sup¬ 
plying  such  light  entertainment. 

Nevertheless,  inside  the  industry  and 
outside  it,  there  has  grown  a  convic¬ 
tion  that  the  screen  should  also  serve 
other  purposes:  bringing  the  best  of  the 
classics  to  the  screen,  illuminating  bio¬ 
graphical  and  historical  subjects;  devel¬ 
oping  theatrical  use  of  fine  music;  dis¬ 
cussing  drama-wise  the  economic,  social 
and  philosophic  topics  that  often  make 
stimulating  theatre.  Not  to  “uplift” 
anybody,  but  to  widen  the  scope  of  en¬ 
joyment  for  all. 

The  engendering  of  public  interest  in 
what  might  loosely  be  termed  “class” 
pictures  has  been  one  of  the  thrilling 
adventures  of  the  thirteen  years  since 
the  industry  and  many  volunteer  groups 
set  to  work  to  bring  about  a  more  com¬ 
plete  fulfillment  of  the  screen’s  enter¬ 
tainment  possibilities.  At  the  same 
time  that  Mr.  Hays  invited  responsible 
community  leadership  throughout  the 
nation  to  bring  its  criticism  freely  to 


motion  pictures,  he  suggested  that  there 
was  an  equally  important  affirmative 
task  that  such  groups  could  perform. 
They  could  encourage  selectivity  among 
the  audience-members  in  their  constit¬ 
uencies.  They  could  help  to  develop 


Mrs.  Thomas  G.  Winter 


a  public  taste  that  would  support  the 
class  pictures  of  which  both  they  and 
the  industry  might  well  be  proud. 

The  history  of  this  effort  is  not  sub¬ 
ject  matter  for  the  industry  to  throw 
bouquets  at  itself.  Those  who  deserve 
praise  are  the  hundreds  of  volunteers  in 
many  organizations  who  accepted  this 
invitation  and  who  have  worked  faith¬ 
fully  during  the  years  to  put  the  weight 
of  their  influence  behind  the  best  of 
the  screen’s  product. 

As  the  work  went  on,  in  1929,  a 
convention  of  delegates  from  60  or  70 
important  groups  met  in  New  York  at 
the  invitation  of  the  industry  and  there 
the  women  leaders  expressed  to  Mr. 
Hays  the  desire  to  have  someone  in 
Hollywood  close  to  the  producers  who 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


11 


PRODUCERS  AND 
OF  AMERICA 

Producer  s  Organization 
Aids  Womens  Clubs  For 
Picture  Improvement 


might  speak  definitely  from  the  wo¬ 
men’s  viewpoint  and  who  might  serve 
as  a  liaison  and  central  keyboard 
for  the  groups  occupying  themselves 


Fred  W.  Beetson 


with  the  betterment  of  pictures.  The 
industry  asked  these  delegates  to  name 
such  a  woman.  Resulting  was  the  ap¬ 
pointment  of  Mrs.  Thomas  G.  Winter, 
former  President  of  the  General  Fed¬ 
eration  of  Women’s  Clubs,  who  since 
that  time  has  occupied  an  important 
position  in  Hollywood  as  one  of  the 
conduits  between  public  and  industry. 

Meanwhile,  in  New  York,  such  con¬ 
ferences  as  the  one  outlined  above  and 
many  other  forms  of  contacts  with 
public  groups  have  proceeded  steadily 
under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Carl  E. 
Milliken,  former  Governor  of  Maine, 
who  is  Secretary  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Producers  and  Distributors  of  America, 
Inc.,  and  who  has  been  closely  allied 
to  Mr.  Hays  in  these  phases  for  a  num¬ 
ber  of  years. 


The  extent  to  which  the  volunteer 
groups  have  worked  to  help  new  pic¬ 
tures  can  easily  be  seen  by  an  analysis 
of  what  is  now  going  on  in  Hollywood. 
The  following  organizations  each  have 
a  committee  of  volunteers  which  see 
virtually  the  entire  stream  of  motion  pic¬ 
ture  product,  prior  to  its  general  re¬ 
lease: 

California  Congress  of  Parents  and 
Teachers,  Inc. 

General  Federation  of  Women’s 
Clubs. 

International  Federation  of  Catholic 
Alumnae. 

National  Council  of  Jewish  Women. 

National  Society  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution. 

National  Society  of  New  England 
Women. 

Southern  California  Council  of  Fed¬ 
erated  Church  Women. 

The  Women’s  University  Club. 

The  women  who  form  these  pre¬ 
viewing  committees,  of  course,  have  no 
connection  with  the  industry;  they  are 
not  selected  by  the  industry  and  they 
report  directly  to  their  own  widely  scat¬ 
tered  chapters.  When  their  reports  have 
been  made,  Mrs.  Winter  co-operates  in 
general  distribution  of  them.  The  con¬ 
solidated  report  is  made  available  by  the 
industry  to  any  group  which  wishes  to 
use  it. 

Distribution  of  such  assayals  of  pic¬ 
tures  from  the  standpoint  of  artistic 
merit  and  social  usefulness  has  had  far 
reaching  effect.  It  has  been  a  prime 
factor  in  reaching  the  position,  today, 
where  so-called  class  pictures  have  reas¬ 
onable  assurance  of  a  successful  market. 
If  any  picture  deserved  success  “David 
Copperfield”  did.  Behind  its  great  merit 
these  organized  groups  put  definite  and 
helpful  impetus.  For  “Sequoia”  they 
organized  an  active  volunteer  campaign 
throughout  the  country,  helping  to 
bring  to  the  theatres  a  large  constitu¬ 
ency  to  delight  in  this  off-the-track 
masterpiece  of  beauty. 


Joseph  I.  Breen 


They  have  done  much  for  “A  Tale  of 
Two  Cities”  and  “Little  Lord  Fauntle- 
roy”  and  are  preparing  vigorously  to 
herald  the  beauty  and  dramatic  excel¬ 
lence  of  “Romeo  and  Juliet.” 

After  the  preview  reports  are  pre¬ 
pared  in  Hollywood  they  are  rapidly 
disseminated,  first  to  all  the  units  of  the 
co-operating  organizations  and  secondly 
to  many  general  focal  points.  More 
than  300  libraries  in  American  cities 
and  towns  now  provide  a  bulletin  serv¬ 
ice,  based  on  these  preview  lists.  Many 
add  a  telephone  service.  If  a  mother, 
a  teacher  or  a  parent  wishes  to  make 
inquiry  about  any  of  the  pictures 
showing  in  a  given  locality,  the  inquirer 
calls  the  public  library  and  is  informed 
of  the  judgments  of  the  previewing 
groups.  If  she  is  a  Catholic  she  re¬ 
ceives  judgment  from  those  who  see  as 
she  does.  Similarly,  a  Jewish  or  Protes¬ 
tant  mother  can  be  guided  by  groups  of 
her  own  faith.  A  university  woman 
who  wants  intellectual  judgment  re¬ 
ceives  that,  and  so  forth. 

In  addition,  approximately  400  news¬ 
papers  print,  as  service  to  their  readers, 
the  reports  of  these  preview  groups 
each  week.  More  than  100  radio  sta¬ 
tions  broadcast  them. 

Ever  since  the  world  began  there  has 
been  the  argument  about  whether  the 
first  chicken  laid  the  first  egg  or  the  first 
egg  hatched  into  the  first  chicken.  Are 
motion  pictures  improving  public  taste 
or  has  improved  public  taste  helped 
motion  pictures  to  reach  higher  levels? 
The  truth  of  the  matter  seems  to  be 
that  the  two  factors  move  together, 
each  exerting  effect  upon  the  other. 

Another  important  development  of 
recent  months  is  the  increasing  use  by 
educational  authorities  of  the  motion 
(Turn  to  Page  56) 


12 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


WARNER  BROS.- FIRST  NATIONAL  STUDIOS 


“AAITHOAIT  ADVERSE " .  Produced  by — Henry  Blan\ey.  Director — M ervyn  Le  Roy.  Scene  for  the  Napoleon  ball.  Starring — 
Fredric  March,  Olivia  de  Havilland,  and  an  All  Star  Cast. 


“GREERf  PASTURES”.  Produced  by — Henry  Blan\ey.  Director  and  Author — M arc  Connolly.  Assistant  Director — Sherry  Shourds. 
Director  of  Photography — Hal  Mohr.  Script  Man — Fran\  Fox.  Property  Man — Maurice  Goldman.  Head  Gaffer — Larry  Kennedy. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


13 


"BE  YOURSELF" 


Winner  of  the  Academy  of  Motion 
Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  Award  Sta¬ 
tuette  for  the  best  Actress  Performance 
for  1935  in  “Dangerous” 


uT  T  NFORTUNATELY,  there  is  a 
LJ  general  idea  that  in  Hollywood 
all  actors  and  actresses  live  in  a  glamor' 
ous  world  of  high-powered  cars,  big 
homes  and  expensive  cocktail  parties.  I 
emphatically  state  that  this  opinion  of 
our  film  celebrities  is  a  wrong  one  and 
I  would  like  to  correct  it.” 

Thus  spoke  Bette  Davis  as  she  sat  in 
her  sunny  patio  and  sipped  a  glass  of 
milk.  Yes — milk!  One  bubble  exploded 
right  then  and  there!  Stars  don’t  drink 
at  all  when  working  and  Bette  Davis  has 
been  busy  on  one  picture  after  another 
ever  since  she  became  a  star  in  “Ex- 
Lady”  two  years  ago. 

The  point  Miss  Davis  was  trying  to 
bring  out  is  one  we,  of  the  “ Insider ” 
have  often  discussed.  The  unassuming 
friendliness  of  the  stars — their  nonchab 
ant  attitude  regarding  their  own  high 
place  in  the  sun  and  their  many  acts 
of  kindly  good'will  are  matters  that 
rarely  get  into  print  because  they  lack 
“news  value”  to  the  scandal  hungry 
newspapers. 

Miss  Davis  was  dressed  in  a  simple 
linen  frock  and  her  small  feet  were  com- 
fortable  in  tennis  shoes.  She  was  a 
living  example  of  her  own  argument, 
that  in  Hollywood  you  can  truly  “be 
yourself,”  and  can  even  expect  the  same 
unaffected  attitude  in  others.  It’s  in  the 
very  air  of  the  film  city. 

Although  one  of  the  big  money- 
makers  in  pictures,  Miss  Davis  is  neither 
extravagant  nor  ostentatious.  And  we 
wish  to  add,  neither  are  any  of  the  truly 
“great”  of  the  film  luminaries.  Bette  has 
driven  the  same  car  for  three  years  and 
drives  herself,  as  do  many  of  the  bright¬ 
er  of  our  star-lights. 

At  present  she  lives  in  a  small,  old- 
fashioned  house  of  typical  California 
style,  with  rambling  gardens  and  sunny 
rooms.  She  is  thinking  of  building  a 
home  and  if  she  does  it  will  be  of  much 
the  same  architecture  as  her  present 
domicile. 

She  has  reason  for  her  simple  and  al¬ 
most  spartan  rules  for  living. 


Bette  Davis 

“No  motion  picture  career  lasts  a  life¬ 
time,”  says  this  forthright  young  person. 
“The  bright  period  at  the  zenith  of  pop¬ 
ularity  and  success  is  all  too  short,  ex¬ 
cept  in  rare  cases.  Hence,  it  is  wise 
to  prepare  for  the  future  and  practice 
thrift,  even  though  there  is  a  great  temp¬ 
tation  to  spend  liberally.  It  is  not  im¬ 
possible  to  save  money  in  Hollywood. 
In  spite  of  cheap  publicity,  neither  one’s 
ability  nor  one’s  desir-ability  is  judged 
here  by  the  extravagance  of  one’s  mode 
of  living.” 


result  of  her  fine  work,  and  her  work 
in  Ibsen  s  The  Wild  Duc\”  won  her  a 
contract  and  a  trip  to  Hollywood  in  the 
fall  of  1930. 

A  series  of  “little  sister”  parts  gave 
her  no  opportunity  for  her  talents,  and 
the  brunette  Bette  turned  blonde  to  at¬ 
tempt  to  change  her  luck. 

It  was  a  clever  gesture  for  the  blonde 
Miss  Davis  was  so  completely  changed 
in  appearance  that  she  won  more  sophis¬ 
ticated  and  dramatic  roles  than  ever  be¬ 
fore. 

Playing  opposite  George  Arliss  won 
recognition  from  one  of  the  finest  screen 
actors  and  from  then  on  she  has  trodden 
a  progressively  distinguished  path  until 
“ Dangerous for  which  the  Academy 
Award  was  bestowed  and  she  won  the 
plaudits  of  the  entire  motion  picture  in¬ 
dustry  for  her  magnificent  acting.  Last 
year,  you  know,  Bette  Davis  came  with¬ 
in  an  inch  of  winning  the  statuette  for 
her  work  opposite  Leslie  Howard  in  “Of 
Human  Bondage.”  Her  interpretation 
of  the  cheap  little  cockney  woman  was 
a  bit  of  true  acting  genius  and  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  film  industry  themselves,  who 
are  the  first  to  recognise  excellence  in 
screen  work,  were  most  enthusiastic  in 
their  voting. 


Bette  attended  a  private  academy  in 
New  York  until  she  was  sixteen,  when 
came  the  beginning  of  her  career.  As 
the  lead  in  two  of  the  school  plays,  “The 
Charm  School”  and  “Seventeen”  she  did 
so  well  that  compliments  came  even  from 
the  principal  of  the  school,  but  it  was  a 
warning  that  she  should  not  take  up 
“acting”  as  a  career  that  made  Bette 
do.  just  this  very  thing.  It  had  not  pre¬ 
viously  entered  her  head  that  she  might 
ever  become  a  professional  actress — un¬ 
til  someone  told  her  not  to  do  it! 


Bette  Davis  is  married  to  Harmon  O. 
Nelson,  Jr.,  who  was  her  childhood 
sweetheart  in  Boston.  They  are  con¬ 
genial,  most  happily  suited  to  one  an¬ 
other  and  are  completely  devoted. 

In  her  next  picture  for  Warner  Broth¬ 
ers,  Bette  is  to  be  starred  in  Dashiell 
Hammet’s  mystery  thriller,  “Men  On 
Her  Mind.” 

As  a  conclusion  to  her  defense  of 
Hollywood’s  normal  and  unassuming 
method  of  living,  she  cited  numerous  ex¬ 
amples  to  prove  her  contention. 


After  that  followed  a  training  in  the 
theatrical  school  of  John  Murray  An¬ 
derson,  famous  Broadway  impresario  and 
producer.  She  won  a  scholarship  as  a 


“Look  at  Hollywood  Boulevard!”  said 
Miss  Davis.  “You  can  stroll  along  in 

(Turn  to  Page  56) 


14 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER 


"SARI  FRAHCISCO”.  Pro - 
duced  by — John  Emerson  and 
Bernard  Hyman.  Stars - — Jean¬ 
ette  McDonald,  Clar\  Gable, 
Spencer  Tracy,  Jac\  Holt.  Di¬ 
rector — W.  S.  Van  Dy\e.  Di¬ 
rector  of  Photography — Oliver 
Marsh. 


"ROMEO  AJJD  JULIET".  Produced  by — Irving  G.  Thalberg.  Stars — RJorma  Shearer,  Leslie  Howard,  John  Barrymore,  Edna  May  Oliver. 
Basil  Rathbone.  Director — George  Cu\or.  Director  of  Photography  — William  Daniels.  Creator  of  Dances — Agnes  de  Mille. 


May,  19  36 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


15 


THE  BIOGRAPHY  OF 


An  intimate  glimpse  of  Irving  G 
Thalberg,  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Exec¬ 
utive,  Producer  of  “Mutiny  On  the 
Bounty”.  Winner  of  the  Academy 
Award  of  193  5  for  the  best  production 
of  the  year. 


TRVING  G.  THALBERG  was  born 
JL  May  30,  1899,  in  an  old-fashioned 
brownstone  house  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
the  son  of  a  lace  importer.  He  gradu¬ 
ated  from  Public  School  No.  85. 

His  first  employment  was  in  his  grand¬ 
father’s  department  store  where  he 
learned  typewriting,  wrote  ads  for  the 
Brooklyn  Eagle  and  found  time  to  study 
shorthand  and  Spanish  at  night  school. 

It  was  during  a  vacation  at  his  grand¬ 
father’s  home  on  Long  Island  that  Thai- 
berg  first  met  Carl  Laemmle,  who  later 
launched  his  entrance  into  the  film  in¬ 
dustry  in  a  secretarial  capacity.  Thai- 
berg  took  every  advantage  of  his  post 
in  the  New  York  office  of  Universal 
Pictures  to  absorb  knowledge  of  the  bus¬ 
iness  of  making  motion  picture  enter¬ 
tainment.  His  seal  won  the  admiration 
of  “Uncle  Carl”,  and  it  was  through  this 
connection,  that  several  years  later,  Thai- 
berg  became  general  manager  of  the  Uni¬ 
versal  City  studios. 

Thalberg 's  operation  of  the  studios 
drew  immediate  attention  in  the  film 
capital.  He  brought  new  blood  and  new 
ideas  into  the  producing  center.  He 
made  good  pictures  out  of  bad  ones.  He 
hired  and  fired.  Senior  Laemmle  was  in 
Europe  and  Thalberg  had  free  rein. 
There  was  only  one  fly  in  the  ointment 
to  embarrass  the  young  executive.  He 
was  only  nineteen  years  old  and  couldn’t 
sign  checks  legally.  Despite  whatever 
handicaps  he  encountered,  however, 
Thalberg  plunged  into  the  producing 
task  with  unprecedented  energy  and 
turned  out  such  pictures  as  “The 
Storm”,  “Outside  the  Law”,  “Human 
Hearts”,  “Merry  -  Go  -  Round”  and 
“Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame”. 

His  success  as  the  guiding  head  of 
Universal  productions  brought  Thalberg 
to  the  attention  of  Louis  B.  Mayer,  then 
an  independent  producer.  Thalberg  re¬ 
signed  his  post  with  Laemmle  to  join 
forces  with  the  Mayer  organization.  La¬ 
ter,  when  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
consolidation  took  place,  Thalberg 


Irving  G.  Thalberg 


aligned  himself  in  partnership  with  May¬ 
er  in  the  operation  of  the  Culver  City 
plant. 

Among  the  personalities  groomed 
from  comparative  obscurity  to  stardom 
under  the  MGM  banner  were  John  Gil¬ 
bert,  Greta  Garbo,  the  late  Lon  Chaney, 
Norma  Shearer,  Ramon  Novarro,  Marie 
Dressier,  Joan  Crawford,  Robert  Mont¬ 
gomery,  Wallace  Beery,  Jean  Harlow, 
Myrna  Loy,  Clark  Gable  and  Jackie 
Cooper. 

His  work  in  the  early  days  of  MGM 
brought  forth  many  of  the  silent 
screen’s  most  successful  pictures,  includ¬ 
ing  “Ben  Hur”  and  “The  Big  Parade.” 

During  his  building  up  of  promising 
personalities  into  star  material,  Thai- 
berg  had  noticed  a  youthful  actress  ap¬ 
pearing  in  films  made  in  New  York. 
Her  name  was  Norma  Shearer.  Three 
years  after  she  had  joined  the  MGM 
roster  as  a  prospective  star,  Thalberg 
ventured  his  first  “date”  with  Miss 
Shearer.  They  were  married  in  1928 
and  Irving  Thalberg,  Jr.,  arrived  to  glad¬ 
den  the  union  in  1930  and  little  Kath¬ 
arine  was  born  in  1935. 


The  Thalbergs  are  considered  one  of 
Hollywood’s  happiest  couples  and  live 
in  their  own  home,  a  charming  French 
provincial  cottage  on  the  blue  shore  of 
the  Pacific  at  the  Santa  Monica  pali¬ 
sades. 

The  advent  of  talking  pictures  placed 
Thalberg  in  the  most  difficult  position  of 
his  career.  He  quickly  mastered  the  cha¬ 
otic  situation  however,  and  his  first 
sound  picture,  “Broadway  Melody”, 
broke  all  box  office  records.  He  fol¬ 
lowed  with  a  long  list  of  successful  pro¬ 
ductions,  building  new  personalities  con¬ 
stantly,  and  was  first  to  introduce  the 
placing  of  two  or  more  stars  in  a  single 
attraction,  climaxing  his  history-making 
efforts  in  this  direction  when  he  screened 
“Grand  Hotel”  with  an  all-star  cast. 

More  recently,  Thalberg  has  scored 
outstanding  successes  with  such  pictures 
as  “Rip  Tide”,  “Barretts  of  Wimpole 
Street”,  “Merry  Widow”,  “What  Every 
Woman  Knows”,  “Biography  of  a  Bach¬ 
elor  Girl”,  “No  More  Ladies”,  “China 
Seas”,  “Mutiny  on  the  Bounty”,  “A 
Night  at  the  Opera”  and  “Riff  Raff”. 
On  his  current  schedule  he  includes 
“Romeo  and  Juliet”,  “The  Good  Earth”, 
“Forty  Days  of  Musa  Dagh”,  “May- 
time”,  “Prisoner  of  Zenda”,  “Marie  An¬ 
toinette”,  and  other  productions  of  equal 
importance. 

Thalberg  is  dark,  of  slight  build  and 
boyish  in  appearance.  He  is  quick  of 
judgment  and  tireless  in  enthusiasm  and 
energy.  His  ability  to  pick  stories,  casts 
and  directors  is  credited  to  his  sharp 
discernment  of  entertainment  values,  hu¬ 
man  qualities  and  literary  worth.  He 
works  long  hours,  frequently  far  into  the 
night.  He  possesses  an  inexhaustible  ap¬ 
petite  for  reading  and  story  develop¬ 
ment,  and  it  is  no  secret  that  many  pow¬ 
erful  screen  originals  germinated  with¬ 
in  his  agile  brain. 

Outside  of  his  studio  activities,  Thai- 
berg  leads  a  quiet  life,  seldom  indulging 
in  social  formalities,  preferring  a  modest 
home  atmosphere  and  an  intimate  circle 
of  friends. 


10 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


DOUGLAS 

SHEARER 

Sound 

Recording 


WALT  DISNEY 
Comedy  Short  Subject 


DUDLEY  NICHOLS— Story  Adaptation 


RALPH 

DAWSON 

Film  Editing 


ACADEMY 


JACK  CHERTOK 
Producer  Short  Subject 


May,  1 936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


17 


Ben  Hecht 
and 

Charles 
MacArthur 
Original  Story 

Clem 

Beauchamp 

and 

Paul 

Wing 

Ass’ t.  Directors 
(Lower  Right ) 


RICHARD  DAY 
Art  Director 


HARRY  WARREK  and  AL  DU  BIN 
Song  Writers 


DAVID  WARK  GRIFFITH 
Special  Honorary  Award 


DAVE  GOULD — Dance  Director 


H? 


WINNERS 


18 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


ACADEMY  AWARD  WINNERS 


SELECTED  THE  BEST 
IN  THEIR  FIELD 


Assistant  Director  —  Clem  Beau¬ 
champ  and  Paul  Wing,  who  were  the 
assistant  directors  on  Paramount’s  pic¬ 
ture,  “ Lives  of  a  Bengal  Lancer”,  claim 
that  though  they  are  in  the  “Yes-man” 
category,  they  say  “No”  much  oftener 
than  “Yes!” 


Special  Award — David  Wark  Griffith, 
for  his  past  achievements  and  for  his 
contribution  to  the  progress  of  mo¬ 
tion  picture,  has  been  awarded  a  spe¬ 
cial  statuette.  “Bro\en  Blossoms”, 
“ Birth  of  a  Ration”  and  “ Intolerance ” 
are  milestones  in  screen  history.  The 
Academy  does  him  honor  for  these 
pictures,  and  for  his  advance  in  film 
production. 


FOR  THE  YEAR  -  1935 


Music:  Best  Song — Harry  Warren  and 
A1  Dubm .  Who  wrote  the  highly  suc¬ 
cessful  “ Lullaby  of  Broadway”,  in 
“ Golddiggers  of  1935”,  for  Warner 
Brothers  First  National. 


Art  Direction — Richard  Day,  art  di¬ 
rector  of  “The  Dar\  Angel”  made  by 
Samuel  Goldwyn,  has  many  other  sue- 
cessesful  pictures  to  his  credit.  “Bar' 
bary  Coast”,  “ Splendor ”  and  “ Stri\e 
Me  Pin\”  are  his  latest. 


Short  Subject  Aaward.  Novelty  — 

Gaumont-British  produced  “Wings 
Over  Mt.  Everest”,  which  is  one  of 
the  really  thrilling  air  pictures  of  the 
highest  mountain  in  the  world,  taken 
with  great  danger  and  daring  on  the 
part  of  the  intrepid  airmen. 


Short  Subject  Producer  —  Jack  Cher- 
tok,  of  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  who 
produced  the  comedy  short,  “How  to 
Sleep”,  with  Robert  Benchley  as  lead¬ 
ing  player.  The  Robert  Benchley 
series  have  proven  tremendously  popu¬ 
lar,  and  the  dialogue  and  story  se¬ 
quence  is  worked  out  jointly  by  Mr. 
Benchley  and  Jack  Chertok. 


Original  Story  Writing  —  Ben  Hecht 
and  Charles  MacArthur  won  the 
Academy  Award  for  their  original 
story,  “The  Scoundrel”,  which  is  con¬ 
sidered  one  of  the  truly  fine  stories  of 
the  screen.  Two  other  pictures  are 
theirs,  and  have  the  unique  honor  of 
being  both  written  and  produced  by 
these  men.  “Crime  Without  Passion" 
and  “Soa\  the  Rich”. 


Writing  Adaptation  - —  Dudley  Nich¬ 
ols  who  adapted  the  original  story  of 
“The  Informer”  to  the  screen  for 
RKO-Radio  has  done  two  pictures  a 
year  with  John  Ford,  the  director, 
ever  since  1929.  He  has  written  30 
screen  plays,  and  among  his  successes 
as  adaptation  are  “Three  Muske¬ 
teers”,  “Lost  Patrol”,  “Men  Without 
Women”,  and,  of  course,  “The  In - 
former”.  He  adapted  “ Mary  of  Scot - 
land”  for  the  screen,  in  which  Kath¬ 
arine  Hepburn  stars. 


Film  Editor — Ralph  Dawson,  who  edit¬ 
ed  the  cutting  of  “A  Midsummer 
Right’s  Dream”  for  Warner  Broth¬ 
ers,  has  been  given  the  task  of  edit¬ 
ing  “Anthony  Adverse” — one  of  the 
really  big  pictures  of  1936. 


Sound  Recording  —  Douglas  Shearer, 
whose  remarkable  recording  of  the 
voices  in  Metro-Goldwyn  Mayer’s  pic¬ 
ture,  “Haughty  Marietta”,  won  for 
him  the  Award  of  Merit.  Other  pic¬ 
tures  which  Mr.  Shearer  has  record¬ 
ed  are  “ Unguarded  Hour”,  “Glitter”, 
“Wife  Versus  Secretary”  and  now  the 
new  “Romeo  and  Juliet”.  It  is  safe  to 
say  that  every  important  production 
during  the  past  three  years  in  Metro- 
Goldwyn  -  Mayer  -  studios  has  had 
Douglas  Shearer  as  Director  of  Re¬ 
cording. 


Dance  Director — David  Gould  won 
the  Academy  Award  for  Dance  Di¬ 
rection  for  his  work  in  “ Broadway 
Melody  of  1936”,  made  by  M-G-M. 
He  also  won  acclaim  this  year  for  the 
dance  ensembles  in  “ Folies  Bergere”, 
made  by  20th-Century-Fox.  The  Straw 
hat  number  created  by  him  is  consid¬ 
ered  one  of  the  most  unique  dance 
presentations  of  the  past  year. 


Short  Subject  Award.  Cartoon  — 

Walt  Disney’s  “Three  Orphan  Kit - 
tens”  walked  away  with  the  priz;e,  but 
nearly  tied  with  another  of  his  own 
productions — “Who  Killed  Coc\  Rob - 
in”.  Since  the  advent  of  the  “ Three 
Little  Pigs”  it  is  a  safe  bet  that  the 
current  Walt  Disney  cartoon  will  be 
the  best  in  its  field.  “Mic\ey  Mouse” 
is  a  family  word — and  now  the  fa¬ 
mous  producer  is  planning  a  full-length 
feature  picture  all  in  cartoon-color, 
called  “Snow  White  and  Rose  Red” 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


19 


II 


ER  SEE  PEGGY 


II 


u 


MISS  PEGGY  COLEMAN 


AT  the  M-G-M  studios  in  Culver 
City,  there  is  long,  two  storied 
frame  building  that  is  known  as  the 
Metro  Dressing  Rooms.  It  was  one  of 
the  buildings  moved  over  from  the  old 
Metro  lot  on  Cole  Avenue.  This  long 
barracks  like  structure  has  a  veranda 
running  the  entire  length,  both  back 
and  front,  upstairs  and  down.  Up  at 
the  north  end,  right  next  to  stage 
eighteen,  is  the  studio  hospital. 

A  very  complete  hospital  for  an  in- 
dustrial  plant,  and,  strange  at  is  seems, 
a  very  populuar  place.  The  reception 
room  is  typical  of  all  infirmaries,  with  a 
row  of  seats  lining  one  side  of  the  spot' 
lessly  white  chamber.  Several  framed 
diplomas  adorn  the  walls.  There  is  a 
desk  with  a  telephone  and  an  opened 
book.  This  is  the  register  of  cases  and 
treatments. 

Immediately  adjoining  the  reception 
room  is  the  dispensary.  Here  the 
shelves  are  packed  with  pharmaceutical 
supplies;  all  manner  and  sort  of  reme¬ 
dies.  The  Alpha  and  Omega  of  cures, 
from  headache  tablets  to  foot  powders. 
Here  also  are  the  surgical  supplies  and 
equipment;  stretchers  for  the  more  ser¬ 
ious  cases;  crutches  and  splints  for  the 
halt  and  the  lame;  stacks  and  bundles 
of  medicated  gau^e,  bandages  and 
slings,  hot  water  bottles  and  similar  im¬ 
pedimenta. 

Continguous  to  these  rooms  is  the 
emergency  room.  This  is  a  completely 
equipped  hospital  ward,  with  its  adjust¬ 
able  beds,  pulleys  and  screens.  Next  to 
this,  is  the  treatment  room.  Here  is  an 
examination  table,  a  rubbing  slab  and  a 
series  of  high  powered  multi-ray  lamps. 

The  head  nurse  in  charge  is  Miss 
Peggy  Coleman,  according  to  the  di¬ 
ploma  which  hangs  over  her  desk. 
Peggy,  as  she  is  affectionately  known  to 
the  entire  lot,  is  a  regular  dynamo  of 
action.  She  moves  and  thinks  fast. 
Peggy  secured  her  training  and  gradu¬ 
ated  in  nursing  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  at  Philadelphia.  From 
there  she  went  to  New  York  City, 
where  she  took  further  surgical  training 
and  was  associated  with  several  large 
hospitals. 

With  the  coming  of  the  World  War, 
Miss  Coleman  enlisted  in  the  American 
Expeditionary  Forces  and  was  commis¬ 
sioned  into  the  Field  Hospital  Service. 
Over  the  top  with  the  best  of  luck 
went  Peggy.  So  much  so,  that  she  was 
badly  gassed  in  one  major  engagement. 


Invalided  home,  Peggy  transferred 
her  activities  to  the  Federal  service,  the 
Immigration  Department  to  be  exact. 
She  was  stationed  at  Hoffman  Island, 
New  York,  one  of  the  busiest  immi¬ 
gration  depots  in  all  America.  Through 
this  busy  exchange  thronged  from  3000 
to  6000  immigrants  three  times  in  every 
twenty-four  hours.  Each  and  everyone 
of  these  people  had  to  be  examined  and 
inspected  for  possible  ailments  and  af¬ 
flictions.  In  the  days  following  the 
Armistice,  these  immigrants  really 
poured  into  this  country.  Quite  dif¬ 
ferent  from  our  restricted  admissions 
of  today. 


From  New  York,  Miss  Coleman  was 
assigned  to  hospitals  at  many  points, 
widely  separated.  She  finally  was  sta¬ 
tioned  at  the  U.  S.  hospital  in  Prescott, 
Arizona. 

Coming  to  the  present  M-G-M  lot 
prior  to  the  merger,  she  has  been  here 
continuously  ever  since.  There  is  no 
resident  surgeon  at  the  studios.  Peggy 
takes  care  of  all  cases.  These  average 
from  3?  to  85  daily.  The  stretcher  or 
serious  cases  are  given  first  aid  by  Peg¬ 
gy  and  then  transferred  to  the  Culver 
City  Community  Hospital  for  examina¬ 
tion  and  treatment.  The  associated  sur¬ 
geons  being  Drs.  H.  E.  Anderson  and 
(Turn  to  Page  58) 


20 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


RKO-RADIO  PICTURES 


"MART  OF  SCOTLAND'’. 
Producer — Pandro  S.  Berman. 
Stars  —  Katherine  Hepburn, 
Fredric  March,  with  Douglas 
Walton  shown  in  picture.  Di¬ 
rector — John  Ford.  Director  of 
Photography — Jos.  August. 


I  J 

v; 

5« 

THE  EX-MRS.  BRADFORD ” .  Producer — Edward  Kaufman.  Stars  and  Principal  Plavers — William  Powell,  Jean  Arthur,  James  Gleason. 
Director — Stephen  Roberts.  Director  of  Photography — ].  Roy  Hunt.  Assistant — Eddie  Pyle. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


21 


HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  MUSIC 
IN  MOTION  PICTURES 


By 


Winner  of  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  Award  for  the  musical 
scoring  in  “The  Informer”,  best  picture  of  1 9 3 5" .  RKO-Radio  picture. 


NOW  that  there  is  so  much  intelli¬ 
gent  curiosity  and  interest  in  the 
musical  score  accompanying  motion  pic¬ 
tures,  I  am  happy  to  explain  something 
of  the  intricate  process  involved  in  what 
is  technically  termed  “cutting”  the  mu¬ 
sic  into  pictures.  Let  me  give  you  a 
brief  outline  of  this  process. 

When  a  picture  has  been  filmed  and 
I  am  to  do  the  musical  scoring,  I  run 
through  the  uncut  film,  sequence  by  se¬ 
quence,  with  a  stop-watch  in  my  hand. 
This  is  to  time  exactly  the  actions  of 
the  different  players.  Do  you  realize 
that  every  one  has  a  tempo,  an  individ¬ 
ual  timing,  to  which  his  actions  are  al¬ 
ways  attuned?  This  is  a  recognized 
phychological  fact  which  I  have  proved 
conclusively  in  many  years  of  clocking 
studio  screenings  with  a  stop-watch.  I 
can  almost  tell  in  what  particular  time 
various  players  will  space  their  action, 
walk  and  gestures.  This  is  very  import¬ 
ant  for,  as  musical  scorer,  I  have  to 
match  my  themes  to  the  tempo  of  the 
actor. 

Music  is  “cut”  into  a  picture  to  the 
split  second,  sequence  by  sequence. 
Sometimes  a  new  film  has  to  be  run  sev¬ 
eral  times  before  I  get  into  the  “mood” 
of  it.  When  the  inspiration  comes  I  re¬ 
turn  to  -my  office  where,  besides  a  grand 
piano,  I  have  a  file  of  nearly  every 
known  classic  either  in  sheet  music  or 
record.  You  know,  I  conducted  the 
London  Symphony  Orchestra  for  a  pe¬ 
riod  of  years  and  as  a  result  much  of 
my  musical  scoring  is  original,  composed 
by  me  to  fit  some  special  sequence. 

The  sprocket  holes  in  the  sides  of  a 
piece  of  film  click  off  the  accompanying 
tune  in  a  certain  time,  so  as  to  center 
each  “frame”  or  individual  picture  as 
it  is  run  off.  If  the  sprocket  holes  were 
not  there  you  would  often  have  over¬ 
laps  of  scenes  and  effects  reminiscent 
of  the  dear  old  days  when  the  picture 
would  get  out  of  control  and  you  saw 
the  leading  lady  from  the  waist  down 
and  her  head  below.  Remember?  The 


sprocket  holes  match  my  sound  track  ex¬ 
actly  so  that  the  music  does  not  play 
tricks  and  neither  voices  nor  orchestra 
are  heard  when  silence  is  indicated. 

I  take  a  completed  script  of  the  pic¬ 
ture  and  divide  it  off,  scene  by  scene, 
and  number  them.  Then  my  script  is 
played  on  a  specially  built  board  on  my 
piano  and  I  remember  the  scene  as  I 
read  it.  How  it  looked — what  the  action 
psychology  was  and,  referring  to  my  pen¬ 
ciled  notes,  how  fast  or  slow  the  action 
in  that  scene  was  run. 

With  this  clearly  in  mind,  it  is  fas¬ 
cinating  to  translate  into  musical  terms, 
either  original  or  otherwise,  my  concep¬ 
tion  of  the  impression  the  story  is  in¬ 
tended  to  convey.  Contrary  to  popular 
belief,  I  never  re-model  the  great  clas¬ 
sic  composers  to  better  suit  the  mood  of 
a  picture.  My  idea  of  a  good  musician 
is  not  one  who  would  take  the  magnifi¬ 
cent  compositions  of  Beethoven  or  Bach 
or  any  of  the  acknowledged  masters  and 
“dis”-arrange  the  splendid  harmonies.  I 
would  rather  compose  my  own  music  for 
that  scene. 

Often,  I  take  my  trusty  stop-watch 
and  time  the  actions  of  a  small  sequence 
— such  as  the  steps  of  a  man  walking  or 
the  time  to  which  a  horse’s  hoofbeats 
sound,  so  as  to  be  able  to  synchronize 
the  music  with  the  action,  if  that  is 
what  is  needed.  However,  many  times 
a  bit  of  non-synchronized  music  or  sound 
is  used  for  special  effect.  You  see,  if 
the  music  accompanies  an  action  exactly, 
the  result  is  usually  comedy  —  like 
Mickey  Mouse.  Hence,  I  frequently 
stagger  my  synchronization. 

The  best  example  of  that  is  in  the 
picture  on  which  I  won  my  Academy 
award,  “The  Informer.”  If  you  have 
seen  the  picture,  you  undoubtedly  re¬ 
member,  in  the  last  reel,  McLaglen  stag¬ 
gering,  mortally  wounded,  to  the  church. 
In  that  scene  I  tried  out  many  different 
effects  attending  those  slow,  faltering 
footsteps.  An  exact  musical  accompani¬ 
ment,  matching  step  to  musical  note, 


Max  Steiner 


would  have  been  either  funny  or  dis¬ 
torted.  The  scene  was  certainly  not  in¬ 
tended  to  be  humorous  so  I  used  a  hit- 
and-miss  system,  timing  the  footsteps 
perfectly  and  then  avoiding  them  in  the 
music  so  that  the  beat  notes  of  the  theme 
did  not  coincide  with  the  fall  of  each 
footstep. 

In  “The  Informer”  too,  I  used  the 
notes  of  an  instrument  which  best  imi¬ 
tated  the  sound  of  falling  coins  through¬ 
out  the  picture,  but  at  the  last,  when  I 
wished  to  emphasize  the  downfall  of 
the  man  through  those  coins,  I  used 
real  money  falling  on  a  hard  surface  to 
give  the  most  effective  impression. 

Now,  can  you  see  some  of  the  ways 
in  which  musical  scoring  adds  to  your 
enjoyment  of  a  motion  picture? 

One  of  my  recent  jobs  was  “Little 
Lord  Fauntleroy,”  and  when  you  see 
that  film,  please  notice  the  odd  little 
tune  that  accompanies  each  trip  of  the 
carriage  in  which  the  young  Loid  Faun- 
tleroy  rides  to  and  from  the  castle.  It 
is  my  own  composition  to  fit  that  little 
sequence.  The  horse’s  hoofbeats  are 
not  identically  synchronized  but  the 
melody  is  in  time  with  their  trotting. 
At  the  last,  when  the  horses  draw  up 
to  the  castle  entrance  and  stop,  I  then 
allow  my  notes  to  fall  exactly  with  each 
hoofbeat,  even  to  the  little  backward 
step  a  horse  takes  when  it  comes  to  a 
standstill.  Although  this  may  seem  like 
too  meticulous  attention  to  detail,  it 
(Turn  to  Page  56) 


22 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


PARAMOUNT 

PRODUCTIONS 


"THE  PR1HCESS  COMES  ACROSS". 
Producer — Arthur  Hornblow.  Stars — Carole 
Lombard,  Fred  MacMurray.  Director — Wil- 
liam  K.  Howard.  Director  of  Photography — 
Ted  T etzlaff.  Script — Isobel  Stuart.  Head 
Electrician - — Earl  Crowell. 


"FORGOTTEKf  FACES".  Pro¬ 
ducer — A.  M.  Botsford.  Stars — 
Herbert  Marshall,  Gertrude  Mich¬ 
ael.  Director — E.  A.  Dupont.  Direc¬ 
tor  of  Photography — Ted  Spar\uhl. 


May,  1 936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


23 


ASTRONOMY  AIDS  ART  DEPARTMENT 


HA HS  DREIER 
Paramount  Art  Director 


IT  is  written  in  letters  of  adamant 
across  the  showman’s  manual  that 
the  moon  of  the  Caribees  be  always  full. 

But  not  so  in  the  technical  lexicon  of 
Hans  Dreier,  generalissimo  of  Para' 
mount’s  art  department. 

Drier  is  an  astronomer  as  well  as  an 
artist-showman,  and  he’d  rather  turn 
thumbs  down  on  a  full  moon  when  it’s 
not  in  season  than  take  it  easy  in  the 
simpler  task  of  cutting  an  oval  for  the 
Lunar  decoration  on  a  piece  of  scenery. 

When  Dreier  gets  a  moon  job  he 
yanks  out  his  astronomy  charts  and  the 
almanac,  which  have  nothing  on  them 
like  the  honeymoon  of  romantic  inven¬ 
tion. 

At  the  University  of  Munich,  where 
he  became  a  master  of  arts,  Dreier 
learned  all  about  the  moon  and  its 
phases  ■ —  new  moons,  first  quarter 
moons,  last  quarter  moons,  full  moons  to 
the  two  quarters,  Ramazans  —  those 
hunger-stricken  moons  of  the  Lenten 
period — and  harvest  moons. 

He  knows  them  like  a  limerick  and 
talks  glibly  of  this  or  that  one  enroute 
to  its  preordained  wax  and  wane. 

(Turn  to  Page  55) 


W.  B.  Ihnen 
Bernard  Herzbrun 


Robert  Usher 
Roland  Anderson 


Hans  Dreier 


24 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


THAT  CHILD  'S 

A  GENIUS! 

By 

FENYMORE  HOWARD 


With  a  vision  of  the  important  part  talented  youngsters 
are  playing  in  motion  picture  entertainment,  the  Insider 
publishes  this  article,  convinced  that  given  proper  guid¬ 
ance,  other  gifted  children  can  attain  a  place  of 
prominence. 


That  child  ’S  a  genius! 

How  often  have  we  heard  this  ex- 
pression  yet  how  few  of  us  have  stopped 
to  analyze  all  that  it  implies. 

What  is  a  genius?  Can  you  give  your 
mental  interpretation  in  a  satisfactory 
definition  to  some  one  else?  If  I  were 
asked  this  question  I  would  reply  that 
a  genius  is  the  result  of  the  development 
of  a  natural  instinct  plus  the  choice  and 
effort  to  carry  on.  It  is  the  flow  of  the 
Universal  Intelligence  contacting  the 
power  within,  that  finds  its  expression 
through  exceptional  talent  in  any  line  of 
endeavor,  as  part  of  Nature’s  progress. 

We,  as  human  beings,  are  only  chan' 
nels  through  which  the  force  of  THAT  of 
which  man  has  learned  so  little,  can  man¬ 
ifest  itself.  After  countless  years  of 
diligent  seeking,  we  as  yet  know  practi¬ 
cally  nothing  of  the  great  natural  forces. 
There  is  electricity,  with  the  use  of 
which  we  are  all  familiar.  We  can  see 
how  it  works,  can  even  direct  it  within 
certain  limits.  As  a  natural  force  it 
naturally  expresses  itself  in  some  mani¬ 
festation  of  power.  Merely  touching  a 
button,  you  can  light  and  heat  your 
house,  cook  your  food,  turn  on  your  ra¬ 
dio,  start  your  washing  machine,  run 
your  refrigerator,  curl  your  hair,  etc., 
by  means  of  this  force.  But  you 
do  not  know  what  it  is!  So,  the  nucleus 
of  the  natural  force  which  we  know  as 
“genius”  may  be  in  each  and  every  one 
of  us  but  it  lies  dormant  unless  some 
power  analagous  to  the  electric  “button” 


or  switch,  be  touched.  It  is  the  mystical 
touching  of  the  “button”  that  gives  the 
Divine  Light  of  genius  to  those  who  merit 
it  by  their  applied  efforts. 

When  life  first  began  on  this  earth  it 
was  all  very  simple.  In  the  Cambrian 
Age,  we  are  told,  there  were  just  tiny 
living  specks  in  the  sea  that  almost  en¬ 
tirely  covered  the  globe.  Gradually,  yes, 
very  gradually,  these  infinitesimal  living 
organisms  developed  into  higher  and  still 
higher  forms.  The  one  immutable  law 
which  has  dominated  throughout  the 
ages,  is  progress.  It  is  this  progress  that 
is  responsible  for  the  evolution  of  life 
from  the  single  celled  protozoan  to  the 
highly  complex  human  organism  of  our 
present  time. 

With  this  development  came  the  gifts 
of  life,  as  a  natural  result  of  obedience 
to  the  law  of  progress.  We  often  won¬ 
der  how  it  is  possible  for  a  Yehudi  Men¬ 
uhin  to  master  such  advanced  violin  con¬ 
certos  and  for  a  Ruth  Slenczynski  to 
give  such  a  finished  pianoforte  perform¬ 
ance.  Or  for  Shirley  Temple,  Jane 
Withers,  Freddie  Bartholomew  and  the 
other  child  stars  whose  photographs  ap¬ 
pear  on  the  next  page,  to  portray  so 
many  characters  with  such  realism. 
Where  do  they  get  this  talent?  We  know 
grown-ups  with  advanced  mentalities 
who  specialize  in  these  respective  arts  yet 
who  cannot  do  any  of  these  things  or,  at 
least,  not  with  the  same  degree  of  per¬ 
fection.  Mothers  become  gray  trying  to 
make  their  children  Shirley  Temples, 


Freddie  Bartholomews,  Yehudi  Menu¬ 
hins  or  Ruth  Slenczynskis  but  without 
exceptional  success,  and  they  ask  ‘Why?’ 

The  answer  is  that  unfortunately  so 
many  human  beings  are  misfits.  They 
are  misfits  because  through  ignorance, 
necessity  or  compulsion  they  have  been 
forced  to  express  themselves  in  some  way 
foreign  to  their  natural  endowments. 

I  believe  that  in  the  development  of 
natural  talents,  sometimes  through  ig¬ 
norance  of  the  universal  law,  the  body 
or  “cloak”  of  the  soul  may  be  destroyed. 
But  the  progress  gained  in  development 
is  never  lost.  The  developed  soul,  far 
advanced  upon  the  path  of  progress, 
enters  into  a  newly  born  child  and  blos¬ 
soms  as  genius. 

But  the  development  of  such  genius 
can  be  hindered  by  the  ignorance  of  par¬ 
ents  or  the  lack  of  choice  in  the  indi¬ 
vidual  child. 

Therefore,  is  it  not  a  sign  of  the  great¬ 
est  wisdom  and  loving  thought  that  par¬ 
ents  study  their  babes,  discover  natural 
traits  and  through  the  proper  use  of  the 
human  gift  of  choice,  develop  that  fund 
of  ability  in  children  just  as  they  would 
such  natural  resources  as  a  gold  mine 
or  an  oil  well. 

Remember  too,  that  genius  is  no  re- 
spector  of  persons  or  age.  It  is  to  be 
found  in  every  walk  of  life  and  in  every 
field  of  endeavor.  It  is  the  Divine  spark 
of  Creative  Light  that  hides  in  your  child 
— a  flame  for  the  further  development 
of  which  you,  as  parents,  are  ever  re¬ 
sponsible. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


25 


SHIRLEY  TEMPLE 
20th  Century-Fox 


JA HE  WITHERS 
20th  Century-Fox 


SYBIL  JASON 

Warner  Brothers 


EDITH  FELLOWES— Columbia 


BILLY  LEE — Paramount 

MICKEY  ROONEY 
Metro-Gold  wyn-Mayer 


FREDDIE  BARTHOLOMEW 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 


JACKIE  COOPER 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 


26 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


PIONEER  PICTURES 


"DAFJC11 \[G  PIRATE".  Producer — John  Spea\s.  Stars — Steffi  Duna,  Fran\  Morgan,  Luis  Alberni,  Charles  Collins.  Director  Lloyd 
Corrigan.  Sound — Fred  Lau.  Designed  in  color  by  Robert  Edmond  Jones. 


PICKFORD-LASKY  PRODUCTIONS 


"OFJE  RA/?S(T  AFTERFJOCFFJ” .  Stars  and  Players — Francis  Lederer,  Ida  Lupino,  Joseph  Cawthorn,  Eri\  Rhodes,  Georgia  Caine. 
Director — Rowland  V.  Lee.  Assistant  Director — Percy  I\erd.  Director  of  Photography- — Merritt  Gerstad.  Assistant  Camera — Tom 
Dowling.  Second  Camera — Ed  Fitzgerald.  Sound — Stanley  Cooley.  Property  Man — Irving  Sindler. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


27 


WORLD  PEACE 
IS  MY  GOAL! 

An  Exclusive  and  Personal  Interview  With 

By  PAULINE  GALE 


IT  is  decidedly  unusual  in  these  days 
of  economic  stress  to  find  someone 
who  is  devoting  his  time,  money  and  ef¬ 
forts  toward  a  completely  selfless  pur¬ 
pose,  expecting  for  his  highest  reward  a 
singularly  idealilstic  result,  with  no  mon¬ 
etary  gain  whatever. 

Mr.  Francis  Lederer  is  so  engaged. 

Without  pride  or  self-gratification,  yet 
with  unbounded  enthusiasm,  Mr.  Leder- 
er  told  me  of  his  aims  and  ambition  in 
regard  to  one  of  the  largest  and  most  ex¬ 
hausting  undertakings  ever  conceived  or 
attempted  by  one  lone  young  man. 

For  a  moment  forget  the  Francis  Led- 
erer  of  “Here’s  to  Romance” — “Man  of 
Two  Words”  and  “Pursuit  of  Happi¬ 
ness.”  I  quite  forgot  that  I  had  seen 
him  only  the  previous  day  on  the  set  of 
his  newest  picture,  now  under  produc¬ 
tion  at  Paramount  studios,  “The  Old 
Timer.”  He  has  completed  “One  Rainy 
Afternoon”  at  the  Pickford-Lasky  unit 
of  United  Artists  studio. 

We  were  talking  in  the  very  beauti¬ 
ful  dressing-room-bungalow  at  the  Unit¬ 
ed  Artists  studio,  where  Mr.  Lederer  was 
surrounded  by  white  draperies  and  rugs, 
statues  of  flawless  marble  and  some  ex¬ 
cellent  pieces  of  old  French  furniture, 
a  perfect  setting  for  him.  I  know  that 
his  attire  was  faultless  and  that  he  is 
exceptionally  good  looking  but  I  for¬ 
got  it  all  in  fascinated  interest  in  what 
he  was  saying  and  I  saw  only  an  ideal¬ 
istic  young  man,  filled  with  vigorous 
enthusiasm,  who  talked  of  a  subject  dear 
to  his  heart  with  intelligence,  fire  and 
a  sincerity  that  is  compelling. 

The  World  Peace  Federation  That 
is  the  title  of  the  organization  which 
has  been  planned,  financed  and  directed 
entirely  by  Mr.  Lederer  and  which  al¬ 
ready  has  over  600,000  members  in  all 
parts  of  the  world,  aiming  at  one  goal 
only — to  abolish  war. 

And  the  way  of  it  is  to  be  in  this 
fashion — to  bring  about  a  world-wide 
vote,  taken  by  each  country  separately, 
but  simultaneously  by  the  people  of  that 
country,  in  order  to  stamp  out  war  by 
popular  vote  on  the  subject. 


Francis  Lederer 


It  is  so  simple,  so  amazingly  direct 
and  so  utterly  uncomplicated  by  the  ma¬ 
chinery  of  politiics  or  cross  purpose, 
that  I  was  vitally  impressed.  If  Mr. 
Lederer,  in  his  lifetime,  achieves  his 
vast  and  unselfish  ambition,  his  unique 
reward  will  be  that  through  machinery 
of  his  own  making  the  age  old  vision  of 
world  peace  becomes  an  accomplished 
fact. 

What  a  colossol  achievement  that 
would  be! 

The  man’s  psychological  make-up 
seems  to  be  one  of  unbounded  faith  in 
human  beings  as  human  beings,  in  their 
desire  to  do  the  right  thing,  or  at  least 
to  strive  to  do  the  right  thing.  He 
gives  the  world  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
The  reflection  of  sincerity  and  charm 
which  emanates  from  his  screen  charac¬ 
ters  is  a  true  reflection  of  himself. 

Now  this  eulogy  is  not  intended  to  be 
a  pean  of  praise.  Rather  it  is  an  ex¬ 
pression  of  admiration  for  a  man  who, 
like  Cervantes,  is  gallant  tilting  at  the 
windmills  of  humanity’s  ultimate  stu¬ 
pidity — WAR — but  unlike  Cervantes, 
with  intelligence,  precision  and  well- 
planned  purpose. 


I  think  Mr.  Lederer  will  fight  his 
windmills  to  the  finish.  I  am  convinced 
that  should  he  perchance  fall  short  of 
complete  victory,  he  will  still  be  a  very 
great  individual  influence  for  interna¬ 
tional  good  will  and  understanding.  He 
is  like  that.  Not  only  does  he  give  ab¬ 
solute  confidence  in  himself,  but  he  quite 
convinces  one  of  the  eventual  success 
of  his  mission.  His  enthusiasm,  winning 
personality  and  remarkable  good  looks 
make  an  irresistible  combination.  Be¬ 
lieve  me,  Mr.  Lederer  could  sell  ice¬ 
cream  cones  in  Alaska! 

Here  are  some  real  facts  about  the 
World  Peace  Federation.  It  is  housed 
in  one  of  the  largest  offices  of  its  kind 
in  the  world,  right  here  in  Hollywood. 
Mr.  Lederer  maintains  seven  office 
rooms  wiith  a  manager,  secretary,  book¬ 
keeper  and  four  girls  to  answer  fan  mail 
correspondence,  as  well  as  a  switchboard 
operator.  In  addition  to  this  staff,  his 
World  Peace  Federation  requires  a  sec¬ 
retary-treasurer,  a  court  reporter  who 
transcribes  the  speeches  Mr.  Lederer 
makes  before  social  and  civic  bodies,  and 
between  three  and  12  clerks,  depend¬ 
ing  upon  the  nature  and  scope  of  the 
current  campaign.  There  is  also  incor¬ 
porated  a  news  service  department 
which  answers  all  queries  regarding  his 
various  activities.  Each  month  several 
days  research  gives  employment  to  re¬ 
search  workers;  an  editor,  secretary  and 
translators  for  all  European  languages 
comprise  this  department. 

A  question  that  naturally  arises  in 
one’s  mind  first  when  faced  with  this 
remarkable  activity  in  two  such  different 
spheres  is,  “How  can  Francis  Lederer 
act  in  pictures  and  yet  manage  to  con¬ 
duct  so  large  an  enterprise?” 

I  made  some  such  observation  but  in 
his  delightfully  accented  English  he 
made  a  ready  answer. 

“I  do  not  allow  one  business  to  con¬ 
flict  with  another,”  he  said  seriously. 
“When  I  make  a  picture  all  my  energies 
are  concentrated  on  just  this  one  thing. 
I  do  not  think  or  work  with  anything 
else  until  the  picture  is  completed  Then 
(Turn  to  Page  57) 


28 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


UNIVERSAL  PICTURES 


"SUTTER"S  GOLD  '.  Produced 
by — Edward  Grainger.  Stars — LJan 
Gray,  Edward  Arnold,  Lee  Tracy, 
Allen  Vincent.  Director  —  James 
Cruze.  Director  of  Photography — 
George  Robinson. 


"SHOWBOAT".  Produced  by- 
Carl  Laemmle,  Jr.  Stars  —  Irene 
Dunne,  Helen  Westley,  Charles 
Winninger.  D  i  r  e  c  t  o  r — -James 
Whale.  Director  of  Photography — 
John  Mescall. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


29 


LOCATION  PROBLEMS 


An  Excellent  Memory  and 
Clear  Vision  Of  How  It 
Will  Screen 


]ac\  Lawton 


i  (  M  OR  this  production  I  will  need 

X1  a  sunken  garden,  a  river  steam' 
boat  of  the  Mississippi  type,  and  shots 
of  a  snow  country  in  the  dead  of  win- 
ter.” 

When  these  requirements  have  been 
stated  and  approved  by  the  production 
office,  Jack  Lawton,  Universal  studio’s 
location  manager,  goes  into  action,  for 
it  is  his  duty  to  find  the  locations,  the 
necessary  steamboat,  or  snow,  and  to 
get  the  picture  troupe  where  they  are 
to  be  found  as  quickly  as  possible  at  the 
least  expense. 

A  long  memory,  coupled  with  an  ex¬ 
tensive  filing  system  of  still  pictures 
showing  almost  every  type  of  dwelling 
house,  office  building,  city  street,  desert 
locations  and  snow  country  spots,  has 
made  Lawton  almost  invaluable  to  Uni¬ 
versal  during  his  many  years  in  the  of¬ 
fice  he  holds.  Without  the  services  of 
Lawton,  or  someone  as  familiar  with  the 
duties  of  a  location  manager,  directors 
and  production  heads  might  waste  many 
days  before  finding  the  location  suitable 
for  filming  a  scene  requiring  authentic¬ 
ity. 

Not  only  does  Lawton  know  of  suit¬ 
able  locations  for  various  types  of  films, 
he  also  knows  what  rail  lines  a  company 
must  take  when  leaving  Hollywood  for 


a  destination  in  some  remote  part  of  the 
United  States,  Canada  or  Mexico.  The 
importance  of  such  knowledge  is  easily 
realized  when  an  uninformed  traveller 
undertakes  to  make  out  his  own  itiner¬ 
ary,  listing  rail  lines  to  be  used  during 
the  trip. 

One  mistake  in  making  out  the  itin¬ 
erary  may  hold  up  the  company  a  full 
day  and  result  in  the  useless  expendi¬ 
ture  of  many  thousands  of  dollars  for 
salaries  and  time  lost. 

After  the  company  arrives  it  must 
have  transportation  to  either  a  hotel, 
where  a  base  of  operations  may  be  es¬ 
tablished,  or  to  a  camp  on  the  site  of 
the  company’s  work.  Transportation 
usually  consists  of  several  trucks,  one  or 
two  automobiles,  and  maybe  a  motor¬ 
cycle  for  riding  dispatches.  These  must 
be  rounded  up  and  hired  for  the  dura¬ 
tion  of  the  company’s  stay  or  a  certain 
period  by  the  location  manager.  Fail¬ 
ure  to  adequately  equip  the  company 
with  motive  equipment  may  provide  an¬ 
other  obstacle  and  again  mean  the  loss 
of  time. 

One  may  wonder  why  the  company 
does  not  take  their  own  cars  along,  but 
the  expense  of  such  shipping  would  be 
greater  than  the  rental,  and  would  also 
curtail  the  transportation  department  in 
the  studio.  The  only  automotive  equip¬ 
ment  taken  on  locations  is  usually  the 
sound  truck  containing  all  apparatus 
necessary  for  filming  sound  tracks. 

Another  of  the  multitudinous  duties 
of  the  location  manager  includes  the 
establishment  of  a  commissary  in  the 
film  camp  when  on  locations  in  remote 
regions.  These  duties  are  usually 
turned  over  to  a  commissary  company 
known  to  be  reliable,  which,  for  a  cer¬ 
tain  set  sum,  feeds  everyone  in  the 
camp  much  on  the  same  order  as  the 
men  are  fed  at  Boulder  Dam  and  other 
big  construction  jobs. 


Saves  Many  Dollars, 

By  Jack  Lawton 


In  the  event  the  company  is  on  loca¬ 
tion  in  a  big  city  where  street  scenes 
are  to  be  made,  the  location  manager 
must  arrange  for  adequate  police  pro¬ 
tection  during  the  filming  of  the  pic¬ 
ture,  secure  any  necessary  permits  to 
use  the  streets  and  take  care  of  all  de¬ 
tails  outside  the  regular  picture  work. 
These  details  include  the  reservation  of 
as  many  rooms  as  the  company  may 
need  in  a  hotel,  arrangement  for  feeding 
the  troupe,  and  possible  organization  of 
communications. 

One  of  the  most  fantastic  location 
hunts  ever  staged  by  Universal  was  the 
time  when  Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin  was 
made.  As  everyone  knows,  Eliza  crosses 
the  ice  with  bloodhounds  in  pursuit,  and 
the  company  was  going  to  definitely 
have  Eliza  crossing  an  ice  floe.  Subse¬ 
quent  events,  however,  made  a  change 
in  these  plans. 

The  troupe  started  out  with  high 
hopes  of  making  the  scene  in  Minne¬ 
sota,  but  the  chain  of  ill-luck  began 
here,  and  for  several  weeks  the  Tom 
troupe  wandered  all  over  the  eastern 
part  of  the  United  States  seeking  a  spot 
where  the  needed  shot  could  be  made. 
Their  trip  included  a  visit  to  upper 
New  York  state,  a  boat  ride  on  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi,  and  finally  wound  up  back  in 
the  studio,  where  Eliza  finally  crossed 
the  ice. 

Many  exceptional  stock  shots  were 
made  during  the  trip,  however,  particu¬ 
larly  those  from  the  deck  of  a  rented 
river  packet,  hired  by  the  company  to 
take  the  troupe  where  ice  could  be 
found  in  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Mis¬ 
souri  river.  Although  they  did  not 
find  ice  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make 
possible  Eliza’s  crossing,  they  did  find  a 
lot  of  trouble  sailing  a  steam  packet 
through  these  waters. 

(Turn  to  Page  62) 


30 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


GAUMONT-BRITISH  INTRODUCES 

THREE  REASONS 
FOR  ITS  MARKED  PROGRESS 


M ar\  Ostrer 


Michael  Balcon 


Alfred  Hitchcock 


Mark  Ostrer,  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Gaumont  British  Pic- 
ture  Corporation,  Ltd.,  was  with  his  two 
brothers,  Isadore  and  Maurice,  primar- 
ily  responsible  for  the  formation  of  the 
modern  Gaumont  Company  and  the  es- 
tablishment  of  enlarged,  up-to-date  stu- 
dios  at  Shepherd’s  Bush.  This  new  pic- 
ture  corporation  was  organised  by  a 
series  of  mergers  of  production,  distri- 
bution,  exhibition,  and  equipment  inter¬ 
ests,  and  is  now  the  largest  and  most 
comprehensive  entertainment  enterprise 
in  Europe. 

Previously,  Mr.  Ostrer  was  financially 
interested  in  several  motion  picture  com- 
panies,  and  acted  in  an  advisory  capac- 
ity.  As  chairman  of  the  board  of  his 
own  company,  he  directs  the  fortunes  of 
nearly  a  hundred  subsidiaries,  among 
which  are  listed  a  Television  laboratory, 
a  broadcasting  station  in  the  Duchy  of 
Luxembourg,  a  special  reocrding  process, 
and  the  GB  News,  which  holds  the  rec- 
ord  as  the  world’s  pioneer  in  screen  jour' 
nalism. 


Michael  Balcon,  executive  director  of 
production  for  GB  Pictures,  was  born  in 
Birmingham,  England,  in  1896,  and  was 
educated  at  King  Edward’s  School. 

Familiarly  known  to  all  as  “Mickey,” 
he  entered  the  film  business  at  the  end 
of  the  war.  Eventually  he  became  Di- 
rector  of  the  Victory  Motion  Picture 
Company.  His  success  with  this  com¬ 
pany  soon  brought  him  to  the  attention 
of  one  of  the  major  studios  in  England, 
the  Gainsborough,  now  a  subsidiary  of 
Gaumont  British.  While  with  Gains¬ 
borough,  he  produced  many  successful 
silents.  Then  with  the  arrival  of  talkies, 
his  early  releases  included  such  hits  as 
“Journey’s  End,”  “The  Ghost  Train,” 
and  “Sunshine  Susie.” 

When  the  modern  GB  studios  were 
opened  at  Shepherd’s  Bush  in  1932,  the 
new  organization  decided  to  have  one 
man  at  the  head  of  production  and 
Michael  Balcon  was  appointed  Director 
of  Production.  In  this  capacity  he  su¬ 
pervised  the  making  of  a  number  of  out- 

(Turn  to  Page  62) 


Alfred  Hitchcock,  whose  direction  of 
GB’s  “The  39  Steps”  and  “The  Man 
Who  Knew  Too  Much”  recently  won 
him  Honorable  Mention  as  one  of  the 
best  directors  of  1935,  was  trained,  not 
in  the  theatre,  but  in  engineering. 

Son  of  a  London  shopkeeper,  Hitch¬ 
cock  was  sent  first  to  a  Jesuit  school,  and 
then  to  engineering  school.  There  he 
specialized  in  mechanical  drawing  and 
draughtsmanship,  which  perhaps  ac¬ 
counts  for  his  present  ability  to  visualize 
completely  the  background  for  any  scene 
he  is  about  to  make.  This  special  train¬ 
ing  also  got  him  a  badly-paid  job  in  an 
advertising  agency,  but  he  supplemented 
his  meager  earnings  by  becoming  a  “cap- 
tioneer”  for  the  silent  films. 

He  did  so  well  at  the  manufacture 
of  sometimes-hysterical  catch-lines  and 
titles,  that  Famous  Players  offered  him 
a  job.  It  was  here,  at  the  Gainsborough 
studios  in  Islington,  that  Hitchcock  first 
became  acquainted  with  Michael  Bal¬ 
con  and  Victor  Saville. 

His  first  opportunity  at  direction  was 
(Turn  to  Page  62) 


May,  J936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


31 


Hal  Mohr 


MY  TOUGHEST 
SHOOTING 
ASSIGNMENT 


By 


Winner  of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture 
Arts  and  Sciences  Award  Statuette  for  the 
best  cinematography  in  1935 


ODDLY  enough,  my  toughest  shoot' 
ing  assignment  was  the  filming  of 
“Midsummer  Night’s  Dream”,  the  pic- 
ture  which  won  for  me  the  Academy 
award. 

Due  to  the  difficulties  of  an  entirely 
different  and  unusual  type  of  picture, 
encountered  in  the  shooting,  I  was  able 
to  involve  some  striking  effects  which, 
I  do  believe  will  aid  those  who  make 
similar  pictures  in  time  to  come.  With 
the  aid  of  a  skilled  crew,  we  worked  out 
some  problems  that  many  times  seemed 
impossible  to  solve.  May  I  here  and 
now  state  that  without  the  aid  of  a 
highly  efficient  and  welbtrained  labor- 
atory,  it  would  have  been  definitely 
impossible  for  us  to  achieve  some  of  the 
eerie  and  unusual  effects  which  we  ob¬ 
tained  in  “The  Dream.” 

The  first  and  most  difficult  problem 
that  faced  us  was  the  manner  in  which 
the  mist  effects  could  be  handled  on  the 
huge  indoor  set.  If  you  remember  your 
Shakespeare,  you  will  recall  that  the 
fairies  cavorted  about  in  a  dream-like 
fantasy  and  that  the  mists  of  dawn  were 
often  referred  to.  It  was  these  ghostly 
mists  of  dawn  that  had  the  poor  camera¬ 
man  and  his  crew  wrinkling  foreheads 
perplexedly.  Mist,  as  I  must  admit  to 
you,  is  not  an  easy  substance  to  work 
with.  It  not  only  refused  to  stay  in 
place — but  it  likewise  caused  difficulty 
with  wiring,  costumes  and  lighting.  All 
these  things  taken  into  account  —  we 
racked  our  brains  and  invented  ways  and 
means  which  astonished  ourselves. 

First — we  discovered  a  way  to  con - 
trol  mist.  Actually.  When  you  see 


the  picture  notice  how  the  wraiths  of 
smoke-like  fog  drift  through  the  fairy 
scenes.  Notice,  too,  that  the  mist  lies 
in  the  hollows  of  the  ground,  and  re¬ 
mains  at  a  certain  level,  as  though  due 
to  atmospheric  pressure.  It  was  partly 
due  to  atmospheric  pressure,  I  admit — 
but  pressure  of  our  own  making.  We 
discovered  a  way  to  keep  the  mist  at  cer¬ 
tain  levels  and  heights. 

Here’s  how  we  managed  it.  On  an 
indoor  set  it  is  not  only  dangerous  to 
make  a  wet  fog — but  it  drenches  every¬ 
thing  so  completely — including  actors, 
that  the  hazard  is  too  great.  Colds  and 
chills  result — it  is  extremely  uncomfort¬ 
able — and  water  fogs  the  camera  lens 
and  ruins  the  make-up  and  clothes  of 
the  actors.  So  that’s  out.  Besides — af¬ 
ter  about  six  hours  working  on  a  fog- 
filled  stage  the  floor  would  be  hip -high 
in  water. 

So — mist  is  made  in  a  vacuum  tank, 
and  forced  into  the  air  in  a  fine  spray 
of — not  water — but  OIL!  In  order  to 
keep  the  oil  free  from  impurities  so 
that  it  could  be  breathed  without  chok¬ 
ing,  the  purest  mineral  oil  is  used.  The 
fine  particles  of  oil  hanging  in  the  at¬ 
mosphere  make  as  fine  a  fog  as  one  could 
wish  ,  which  remains  longer  than  a  wet 
fog,  too.  True,  it  coats  everything  with 
a  fine  solution  of  oil,  but  through  the 
camera  it  looks  exactly  like  the  wet 
caused  from  mist,  so  it’s  perfectly  natur¬ 
al-seeming.  So  there’s  your  studio  mist. 

The  way  we  controlled  that  rolling 
cloud  of  oily  vapor  was  unique,  and  is 
now  being  used  by  other  studios  who 
have  profited  by  our  trial  and  error  sys¬ 
tem.  We  first  took  a  fire-hose  and 


drenched  the  set  up  to  a  certain  height 
all  around,  just  as  far  as  we  wanted  the 
mist  to  go.  Then  we  started  the  fog- 
machine,  as  it’s  called  on  the  set.  The 
cooler  air  induced  by  wetting  the  stage 
keeps  the  mist  down,  and  the  warmer  air 
about  where  it’s  dry  prevents  the  oil 
from  rising  any  higher  than  the  soaked 
area.  We’re  proud  of  that  idea,  be¬ 
cause  it  works  perfectly.  In  our  case, 
the  fog  rose  to  a  certain  height  and 
then  rolled  around  in  the  lowered  atmo¬ 
spheric  pressure  induced  by  the  moisture. 
Hence  we  were  able  to  get  lovely  effects 
of  rolling  wraiths  of  vapor  through 
which  the  dancers  seemed  entirely  un¬ 
real. 

Second — we  even  made  this  oily  stuff 
pleasant  to  breathe.  By  the  infu¬ 
sion  of  a  few  drops  of  peppermint  fla¬ 
voring,  the  actors  breathed  more  easily 
and  the  dull  taste  of  mineral  oil  was 
taken  away.  You  know,  that  isn’t  fun¬ 
ny  after  several  hours  of  it,  and  we 
noticed  a  tendency  of  the  actors  to  allow 
a  slightly  disgusted  expression  to  ap¬ 
pear  on  their  faces  after  the  first  scenes 
were  shot.  Hence  the  peppermint  flavor¬ 
ing.  It  really  made  a  difference  in  their 
acting. 

Every  single  day  on  the  “Midsummer 
Night’s  Dream”  set  was  an  exciting  and 
interesting  problem  for  every  one  of  the 
camera  crew,  and  I  myself  learned  more 
on  that  one  picture  than  on  a  dozen 
others.  Problems  of  lighting,  new  ideas 
on  photographing  costumes  —  special 
lighting  for  trees  and  grass  that  makes 
it  look  more  natural  than  heretofore 
and  a  thousand  other  minor  but  exciting 
discoveries  were  made  that  intrigued 
and  interested  me. 


32 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES 


“AND  SO  THEY  WERE  MARRIED Pro¬ 
duced  by — Harry  Cohn.  Stars — Mary  Astor, 
Dorothy  Stic\ney.  Director — Elliott  T'Jugent. 
Director  of  Photography — Henry  Fraulich. 


“KING  STEPS  OUT".  Produced  by — Harry  Cohn.  Stars — Grace  M  oore,  Walter  Connoly,  Charles  Hamilton.  Director — Joseph  von  Stern¬ 
berg.  Director  of  Photography — Joe  Wal\er. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


33 


"GET  THE  PICTURE" 

REGARDLESS  OF  DANGER 

IS  THE  STILL  DEPARTMENTS  CREED 


'Wanted  —  Photographer.  Must 
have  the  patience  of  Job,  the  nerve 
of  a  burglar,  the  artistry  of  Michael 
Angelo,  the  tenacity  of  a  bulldog, 
the  tact  and  diplomacy  of  an  am - 
bassador,  the  s\ill  of  a  surgeon,  the 
disposition  of  a  Saint,  the  agility  of 
an  acrobat.  He  must  be  strong, 
healthy,  not  afraid  of  long  hours 
and  willing  to  ta\e  chances.  Apply 
— Any  Hollywood  Studio. 


ALL  right,  go  ahead  and  apply  for 
the  job — and  when  you  get  it,  then 
what?  You’re  the  boy  behind  the  eight- 
ball,  the  patsy,  the  fall  guy,  unhonored 
and  unsung.  But  you’ll  meet  a  lot  of 
interesting  people — and  your  life  won’t 
have  a  dull  moment. 

Hollywood’s  “still”  cameramen  are  the 
boys  who  make  those  interesting  photo¬ 
graphs  of  scenes  from  productions  which 
you  see  outside  the  lobby  of  your  favor¬ 
ite  motion  picture  theatre,  in  the  motion 
picture  magazines  and  newspaper  roto¬ 
gravure  sections.  They’re  the  means  of 
perpetuating  in  print  the  faces  of  the 
screen  stars.  They  should  be  the  most 
popular  men  on  a  production  crew — but 
they  lead  the  life  of  outcasts,  pariahs, 
nuisances.  They’re  between  the  devil 
and  the  deep  blue  sea;  they’re  jumped 
on  by  the  head  of  the  publicity  depart¬ 
ment  if  they  don’t  get  the  stills — and 
jumped  on  by  director  and  stars  every 
time  they  ask  for  a  moment  to  get  the 
pictures  they’re  paid  to  get.  The  direc¬ 
tor  objects  because  taking  still  photos 
holds  up  production;  the  stars  and  other 
players  because  they  want  to  get  out 
from  under  the  hot  lights,  want  to  study 
their  lines,  want  to  refresh  the  make¬ 
up,  or  any  of  a  dozen  other  excuses 
That  explains  where  the  patience  and 
tenacity  comes  in.  And  also  the  diplom¬ 
acy.  The  boys  are  paid  to  bring  pho¬ 
tographs  and  not  excuses  or  alibis.  Un¬ 
counted  scores  of  excellent  photograph¬ 
ers  have  failed  as  studio  still  men — be¬ 
cause  they  couldn’t  cajole  the  players  in¬ 
to  standing  still  long  enough  to  get  the 
required  pictures. 

The  skill  and  artistry  comes  in  when 
shooting  the  type  of  pictures  in  which 


Boris  Karloff  is  starred.  Karloff’s  pic¬ 
tures,  highly  dramatic,  weird  and  unus¬ 
ual,  demand  these  qualaities  on  the  still 
photographs  as  well  as  on  the  screen. 
Ray  Jones,  Stillman,  assigned  by  Colum¬ 
bia  Studios  to  “cover”  one  of  Karloff’s 
recent  pictures,  “The  Black  Room  Mys¬ 
tery”,  was  chosen  because  of  his  tech- 


A.  L.  "’Whitey"  Schafer 


nique  and  appreciation  of  dramatic  val¬ 
ues  of  unusual  lighting  effects.  Jones, 
whose  portraits  of  stars  have  been  fea¬ 
tures  of  the  fan  magazines  for  years,  is 
an  artist — but  he  has  the  nerve  of  a 
burglar,  the  intestinal  fortitude  of  a  deep 
sea  diver  and  the  agility  of  an  acrobat. 
He  needed  these  qualities  when  he  had 
to  photograph  from  the  top  of  a  hun¬ 
dred-foot  tower,  clinging  with  one  hand 
to  a  flimsy  scaffold,  while  the  other  hand 
squeezed  the  bulb. 

Much  has  been  written  of  the  cour¬ 
age  of  the  motion  picture  cameramen 
who  “get  the  picture” — but  the  general 
public  doesn’t  know  that  the  still  cam¬ 
eraman’s  problem  is  a  different  one. 
Through  his  use  of  a  wide  assortment 
of  lenses,  the  motion  picture  cameraman 
can  almost  choose  the  distance  from 
which  he  wishes  to  “shoot”  a  scene.  The 
still-man  has  only  one  lens,  generally  a 
wide-angle  one,  which  requires  that  he 
be  quite  close  to  the  action. 


“Whitey”  Schafer,  head  of  the  Still 
Department  at  Columbia  Studios,  prob¬ 
ably  owes  his  life  to  the  wide-angle  lens 
— and  to  the  courage  which  took  him 
300  feet  closer  to  a  cliff  which  was  to 
be  dynamited  in  a  scene  for  “The  Paint¬ 
ed  Desert”,  made  some  years  ago  in  Ari¬ 
zona.  Motion  picture  cameras  were 
placed  600  feet  from  the  cliff,  in  which 
had  been  planted  six  tons  of  black  pow¬ 
der  and  dynamite.  Rainstorms  had 
packed  the  covering  of  the  charge  too 
tightly — and  when  it  was  exploded  it 
brought  death  to  three  men  and  serious 
injury  to  forty  more.  “Whitey,”  work¬ 
ing  in  close  to  the  cliff,  escaped  un¬ 
scathed  with  the  exception  of  minor 
bruises,  when  the  huge  boulders  hurtled 
over  his  head  to  fall  upon  other  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  production  crew  much  farth¬ 
er  away. 

Schafer  has  been  photographing  Hol¬ 
lywood’s  famous  for  fifteen  years  and 
has  had  escapes  from  death  which 
would  deter  faint  hearts.  Yet  he  is 
known  as  one  of  the  finest  portrait  ar¬ 
tists  in  a  city  which  boasts  more  fine 
portraits  than  any  city  in  the  world.  He 
had  escaped  from  runaway  trains,  fires 
at  sea  and  shipwrecks — all  encountered 
in  the  line  of  regular  duty.  Grace 
Moore,  Gloria  Swanson,  Ronald  Col- 
man,  John  Gilbert,  Constance  Bennett, 
Ann  Harding  and  scores  of  others  of 
Hollywood’s  great  consider  him  the  fin¬ 
est  of  them  all. 

Irving  Lippmann,  another  still  man  at 
Columbia,  has  photographed  Presidents 
Roosevelt,  Hoover  and  Harding  on 
their  trips  to  California.  John  Barry¬ 
more,  Marlene  Dietrich,  Carole  Lom¬ 
bard,  Clark  Gable,  Claudette  Colbert, 
Edward  G.  Robinson,  Jack  Holt,  Nancy 
Carroll  and  a  seemingly  endless  list  of 
celebrities  have  sat  for  their  portraits 
before  his  lenses.  And  “Lippy”,  as  he’s 
known  in  Hollywood  studios,  is  the 
same  boy  who  has  had  a  list  of  thrill¬ 
ing  adventures  that  make  the  life  story 
of  an  adventurer  look  like  the  diary  of 
a  sissy.  He  has  been  in  spinning  planes 
and  lions’  dens;  he  has  photographed 
his  stills  from  the  front  of  speeding 
locomotives,  automobiles  and  from  sky' 

(Turn  to  Page  61) 


34 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


Remember  when  a  bouquet  of  roses  signified  the  finish  of  a 
picture?  And  derbies  were  worn  with  spats? 


A  Group  of  Technicians 


'The  Road  to  Yesterday",  a  Cecil  B.  DeMille  super-special  pic¬ 
ture.  on  location  at  the  Grand  Canyon.  Left  to  right — Eddie 
Manreichas.  Mitchell  Leisen.  Rudy  Berliner,  and  others. 


u4,tfro’,t  m  w“-  f,° 


May,  ]'J3f) 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


35 


Fine  Arts  Studio  on  location  in  Herwood  Forest.  This  picture 
shows  the  cameraman  group.  First  Camerman,  Eddie  Snyder; 
Following  are  Kenneth  Redmund,  Lenwood  Dunn,  Joe  Biroc, 
Frank,  Redmun,  George  Diskant,  Joe  Dorring  and  Oliver 
Sigurdsen. 


Can  you  find  Pola  RJeg ri,  Emil  Jannings,  Ben  Lyon,  Alvin 
Wyckoff  and  Adolph  M enjou  in  this  group ? 


Between  Takes  on  ‘The  Spoilers.’  Made  on  the  California  Desert 


Mary  Pickford'Lasky  People.  In  the  front  row  you  can  pick  out  Pted  Kley,  C.  B.  De  Mille,  Wallace  Reid.  Cleo  Ridgeley,  Alvin  Wyckoff , 
Theodore  Roberts,  Thomas  Meighan,  Harry  Carpenter,  James  Tffeil,  Earl  Fox,  Edith  Chapman,  Jane  Wolf  and  Lucien  Littlefield. 


26 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


SELZNICK 

INTERNATIONAL 

FILMS 


“LITTLE  LORD  FAUHTLEROT” .  Producer — 
David  O.  SelznicJ{.  Stars — Freddie  Bartholomew, 
Mic\ey  Rooney.  Director — John  Cromwell.  Direc¬ 
tor  of  Photography — Charles  Rosher.  Sound — Carl 
A.  Wolcott.  Special  Effects — Jac\  Wagner,  Virgil 
Miller. 


SAMUEL 

GOLDWYN 

PRODUCTIONS 


“THESE  THREE”.  Producer  — 
Samuel  Goldwyn.  Stars — Miriam 
Hop\ins,  Merle  Oberon,  Joel  Me- 
Crea.  Director  —  William  Wyler. 
Assistant  Director — Walter  Mayo. 
Director  of  Photography  —  Gregg 
Toland.  Sound — Fran\  Maher. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


37 


JOHN 


JOHN  FORD,  known  alike  to  studio 
executives,  stars,  “prop”  boys  and 
extras  as  “Jack,”  was  born  in  Portland, 
Me.,  on  a  February  1st  and  was  christ¬ 
ened  Sean  O’Fienne.  His  parents  and 
all  his  forebears  for  generations  were 
born  in  Ireland  and  he  speaks  Gaelic 
as  fluently  as  he  does  English. 

Educated  in  the  grade  and  high 
schools  of  his  native  city,  Ford  intended 
to  embrace  a  business  career.  However, 
the  success  of  his  older  brother,  Fran¬ 
cis  Ford,  as  a  director  and  actor  in  pic¬ 
tures,  induced  him  to  come  to  Holly¬ 
wood  and  enter  films.  That  was  twenty- 
two  years  ago.  Ford  began  as  a  “prop” 
boy  and  within  a  short  time  was  an  as¬ 
sistant  director  under  his  brother.  A 
few  months  later  he  graduated  into  a  full 
directorship  as  a  result  of  his  outstand¬ 
ing  ability.  That  was  with  Universal 
Pictures  and  he  directed  approximately 
fifty  pictures  before  he  went  to  Fox 
Films  in  1919.  Except  for  brief  periods, 
he  has  been  with  that  organization  ever 
since.  He  has  directed  more  than  forty 
major  pictures  for  that  company.  The 
first  picture  to  win  him  national  recog¬ 
nition  was  “The  Three  Godfathers,”  a 
Peter  B.  Kyne  story.  He  also  directed 
“Cameo  Kirby,”  the  picture  which  lift¬ 
ed  the  late  John  Gilbert  to  fame. 

To  see  John  Ford  on  the  set  one  would 
never  pick  him  out  as  one  of  the  ace  di¬ 
rectors  of  Hollywood.  Ancient  flannel 
trousers,  tennis  shoes,  usually  with  holes 
in  the  toes,  a  shirt  unbuttoned  at  the 
neck  and  his  coat  collar  always  turned 
up,  is  his  regular  garb  when  directing. 
Lightly  smoked  glasses  with  horn  rims, 
help  to  hide  his  mood. 

Ford  never  misses  a  trick  while  the 
camera  is  turning  and  he  offers  instruc¬ 
tion  and  advice  to  his  players  and  crew 
in  a  quiet  manner  which  inspires  confi¬ 
dence  and  allays  nervousness.  However, 
he  is  in  supreme  command  on  his  sets, 
and  while  he  will  listen  to  suggestions 


John  Ford 


and  weigh  them  courteously,  he  allows 
no  dictation  from  even  the  biggest  star. 

Usually  the  entire  Ford  clan  works 
on  every  picture,  Francis  Ford  as  a  char¬ 
acter  actor,  Edward  (he  uses  the  name 
O’Fearna) ,  and  Philip  Ford  as  assistant 
directors.  They  fight  among  themselves 
but  fate  help  any  outsider  who  attacks 
one  of  them. 

John  Ford  is  probably  the  champion 
pipe-smoker  of  Hollywood.  No  one  ever 
sees  him  without  it  except  at  meal  times 
and  it  is  always  going  full  blast.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  filming  of  a  picture  he  bites 
through  about  two  stems  a  day. 

Regarded  as  a  master  of  powerful  dra¬ 
ma,  Ford  insists  that  he  is  a  comedy  di¬ 
rector  who  has  been  forced  by  circum¬ 
stances  to  direct  tragedy. 

Creator  of  “The  Informer,”  the  RKO 
Radio  picture  which  was  the  leading 
nominee  for  the  best  picture  of  1935 
and  which  was  a  cinematic  portrait  of 
despair,  Ford  still  insists  that  his  talents 
are  being  wasted  on  a  type  of  entertain¬ 
ment  for  which  he  has  little  aptitude. 

Ford  is  noted  for  his  recognition  of 
the  benefits  to  be  obtained  from  photo¬ 
graphic  effects,  and  he  emphasized  this 
attitude  in  “The  Informer”  which  was 
shot  in  fog  and  heavy  shadow.  He  be¬ 
lieves  that  terror  loses  its  force  under 
the  glare  of  lights  and  increases  in  po¬ 
tentiality  when  photographed  in  for¬ 
bidding  gloom. 

Ford  has  never  “gone  Hollywood,” 
despite  his  success.  He  lives  in  the  same 
house  he  built  in  the  screen  capital  15 
years  ago.  There  is  no  swimming  pool 


FORD 

Winner  of 
the  1935  Academy 
Award  For  the  Best 
Director 

in  the  garden.  His  two  children,  Pat¬ 
rick,  14,  and  Barbara,  12,  attend  public 
school.  He  hates  swank  and  ostenta¬ 
tion  and  pretense.  He  has  no  illusions 
as  to  the  dignity  of  a  director  and  the 
working  members  of  his  crew  are  as 
often  chosen  for  companions  as  the  stars. 
He  is  an  ardent  golfer  and  yachtsman. 
Owns  “The  Araner,”  a  schooner-rigged 
boat  that  measures  1 1 5  feet  overall  and 
has  accommodations  for  ten  besides  the 
crew.  The  boat  was  named  in  honor  of 
his  mother’s  birthplace  ,the  Aran  Isles. 
Ford  holds  the  title  of  Lieutenant  Com¬ 
mander  in  the  Naval  Reserve. 

Reading  is  a  hobby  with  Ford  and 
he  leans  toward  history  and  biography 
and  fiction  which  has  picture  possibili¬ 
ties. 

He  appears  to  work  slowly  but  is  one 
of  the  fastest  megaphonists  in  the  picture 
business.  Rarely  makes  more  than  two 
“takes”  of  a  scene. 

His  outstanding  pictures  include  “The 
Iron  Horse,”  “3  Bad  Men,”  “Four 
Sons,”  “The  Black  Watch,”  “Men 
Without  Women,”  “Born  Reckless,” 
“The  Brat,”  “Arrowsmith,”  “Air  Mail,” 
“Dr.  Bull,”  “The  World  Moves  On,” 
“The  Lost  Patrol.”  Currently  directing 
RKO  Radio’s  “Mary  of  Scotland,”  co- 
starring  Katharine  Hepburn  and  Fredric 
March.  Has  not  made  a  mediocre  film 
in  twelve  years. 

Ford’s  colorings  are  characteristic  of 
his  temperament.  Light  brown  hair  and 
fine  grey-blue  eyes  in  which  one  is  apt 
to  surprise  a  quizzical  expression.  Broad- 
shouldered,  he  stands  six  feet  in  his  socks 
and  although  he  admits  to  190  pounds, 
he  walks  with  the  light  tread  of  a  tiger. 


38 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


COSMOPOLITAN  PRODUCTIONS 


“HEARTS  DIVIDED  ’.  Pro' 
duced  by — Harry  Joe  Brown. 
Stars  ■ —  Marion  Davies,  Dic\ 
Powell.  Director  —  Fran\  Bor' 
zage.  Director  of  Photography 
— George  Folsey.  A.S.C. 


REPUBLIC 

PICTURES 


“THE  HARVESTER  ”.  Supervisor 
— Victor  Zahel.  Stars  and  Princi¬ 
pal  Players — Alice  Brady,  Russell 
Hardie,  Ann  Rutherford,  Fran\ 
Craven,  Cora  Sue  Collins,  Emma 
Dunn,  Eddie  Tsfugent,  Joyce  Comp¬ 
ton,  Spencer  Charters,  Roy  Atwell, 
Fern  Emmett.  Director — Joseph 
Santley.  Director  of  Photography 
— Ed  Snyder,  A.S.C. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


39 


HAL  ROACH  PRODUCTIONS 


KELLY  THE  SECOND".  Pro¬ 
duced  by  —  Hal  Roach.  Stars 
and  Players ■ — Patsy  Kelly,  Pert 
Kelton,  Charley  Chase,  "Big 
Boy”  Williams,  Edward  Brophy, 
Harold  Huber,  ]ac\  Raymond. 
Sid  Saylor,  Rosita  Lawrence, 
Paul  Gustine.  Director  —  Gus 
Meins.  Assistant  Director  - — ■ 
Harold  Graham.  Director  of 
Photography  —  Art  Lloyd.  As¬ 
sistant  Camera — Bernie  Gusty. 


WALT  DISNEY  STUDIOS 


“THREE  ORPHAN  KITTEKS” 
Trophy  Award  Winner 


40 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May  1936 


FILMS  AID 


An  exclusive  interview  to  the  “IT '{SID- 
ER''  with  Captain  Charles  S.  Stodter, 
Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  A.  .  .  .  Especially 
selected  by  the  War  Department  for 
training  in  Motion  Picture  Production. 


UNITED  STATES 
GOVERNMENT 


The  time  of  the  motion  picture  as  a 
medium  for  education,  instruction 
and  progressive  thinking  is  at  hand! 

Uncle  Sam  is  going  into  the  movies 
in  a  big  way! 

Here’s  how  it  all  happened: 

The  United  States  government, 
through  the  medium  of  the  War  De- 
partment,  had  brought  to  its  august  at' 
tention  the  fact  that  war  tactics,  as  pre' 
sented  by  various  films  on  the  subject 
during  the  past  three  years,  proved  an 
efficient  means  of  helping  train  the 
young  soldiers  in  camps  throughout 
the  United  States. 

Why  not,  urged  some  bright  young 
officers  of  the  War  College  in  Wash¬ 
ington,  make  some  pictures  for  Army 
camp  instruction?  Why  not  make  use 
of  the  screen  for  lesson-giving  and 
mass-drill?  Why  not  indeed?  thought 
the  higher-ups;  and  acted  at  once. 

Wheels  went  ’round,  and  the  next 
step  was — who  is  going  to  make  these 
pictures?  None  of  the  learned  Army 
men  knew  a  sound-track  from  a  French 
’75.  A  rifle-spot  light  from  a  machine- 
gun.  It  was  a  swell  idea,  but  who  was 
to  make  the  first  movie? 

Major  (then  Captain)  Fred  W.  Hoorn 
was  chosen  to  blaze  the  trail.  The  pio¬ 
neer  of  Army  motion  pictures.  He  was 
sent  (by  the  War  Department)  to  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  in  Hollywood,  to  learn  about 
pictures  at  the  source. 

Hollywood  welcomed  the  visitor  cor¬ 
dially.  Studio  gates  opened  for  him. 
Technicians  through  arrangements  made 
by  the  Academy,  introduced  to  him  the 
mysteries  of  filming,  diretcing,  cutting, 
editing  and  supervising  a  motion  picture. 

Filled  with  enthusiasm,  Captain 
Hoorn  returned  to  Washington,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  Captain  M.  E.  Gillette, 
installed  a  studio  there  where  the  facts 


gathered  in  the  film  city  were  put  in 
actual  practice. 

At  present  the  third  young  officer 
has  arrived  from  Washington  to  learn 
more  about  filming  and  the  newer  sound 
technique.  His  name  is  Captain  Charles 
Stodter  and  he  is  a  graduate  of  the  Mas¬ 
sachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  Un¬ 
der  the  guidance  of  the  Technical  Bu¬ 
reau  of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture 
Arts  and  Sciences  here  in  Hollywood, 
Captain  Stodter  has  gathered  much  val¬ 
uable  information. 

Asked  how  he  liked  Hollywood  we 
were  rewarded  with  a  boyish  grin.  “I 
only  hope  they  let  me  stay  longer  than 
the  eight  months  allotted  me,”  he  said. 
“I  like  Hollywood  better  all  the  time.” 

One  of  the  actual  pictures  as  pre¬ 
sented  by  the  Signal  Corps  was  shown 
at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Academy.  It 
concerned  maps  of  all  kinds,  and  var¬ 
ious  methods  of  message-sending  and  re¬ 
ceiving.  Just  the  second  picture,  in  fact, 
attempted  at  the  Washington  studio 
with  dialogue  and  sound.  It  is  essen¬ 
tially  interesting  and  definitely  nvtruc- 
tive.  It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Signal 
Corps  under  the  administration  of  the 
War  Department  to  send  these  little 
movies  (one  reel)  to  all  military  posts 
both  for  reserve  officers,  regular  Army 
training  and  Citizens  Military  Camps. 

It  is  not  an  over-statement  for  us  to 
declare  that — after  having  seen  some  of 
these  instruction  pictures,  they  impress 
us  as  being  extremely  well  done  both 
from  a  technical  and  practical  stand¬ 
point.  We  even  learned  a  lot  ourselves 
- — and  we’re  hard  to  teach! 

No  one  has  ever  given  the  Army 
credit  for  being  subtle,  but  many  times, 
in  order  to  emphasize  a  point,  a  ligher, 
more  humorous  mood  is  instilled  into 
the  dryly  practical  theme. 

Maybe  you  think  Hollywood  wasn’t 
surprised  to  have  the  War  Department 
step  successfully  into  the  cinematic  field 


1.  Interior  of  the  U.  S.  Army  Signal  Corps 
Photographic  Laboratory  developing  room 
showing  a  new  developing  machine  re - 
cently  installed. 

2.  Scene  from  recent  picture  made  by  the 
Signal  Corps  illustrating  the  correct  meth¬ 
od  for  cavalry  troops  to  cross  a  stream. 

3.  M.  E.  Gillette,  Mapor  Signal  Corps,  Unit¬ 
ed  States,  now  in  charge  of  the  Army 
Pictorial  service  at  the  War  Department, 
at  Washington,  D.  C. 

4.  Exterior  of  the  United  States  Army  Sig¬ 
nal  Corps  Photographic  Laboratory  and 
studio  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

5.  Fred  W.  Hoorn,  Major  Signal  Corps, 
United  States,  who  was  the  first  officer 
trained  in  Hollywood  motion  picture  pro¬ 
duction  technique  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  in  1931. 

6.  A  member  of  the  camera  crew  of  the  Sig¬ 
nal  Corps  Photographic  staff  preparing  to 
shoot  a  scene  for  a  picture  illustrating  the 
methods  by  which  the  artillery  locates 
aeroplanes  by  the  use  of  sound-direction 
devices. 

7.  The  portable  sound  recording  truc\  used 
by  the  Signal  Corps  in  mafiing  their  pic¬ 
tures. 

— by  making  a  purely  technical  and  de¬ 
finitely  educational  subject  interesting 
and  entertaining! 

We  won’t  say  that  the  next  war  will 
be  fought  with  movie  cameras  at  fifty 
paces,  but  the  cannon-fodder  — (young 
men  of  America  to  you) — will  receive 
a  lot  of  their  instruction  in  a  projection 
room  instead  of  on  a  muddy  drill- 
ground.  What  a  break!  Maybe  this 
will  entice  new  blood  into  the  Army? 

Captain  Stodter  tells  us  there  is 
need  for  young  men  with  technical 
knowledge  applicable  to  the  making  of 
motion  pictures. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


42 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1 936 


WALTER  WANGER  PRODUCTIONS 


"PALM  SPRINGS”.  Produced 
by — -'Walter  Wanger.  Stars  and 
Principal  Players — Frances  Lang¬ 
ford,  Smith  Ballew,  Sir  Guy 
Standing,  Ernest  Cossart,  Spring 
Byington,  David  N iven.  Direc¬ 
tor — Aubrey  Scotto.  Associate 
Director — George  Blair.  Direc¬ 
tor  of  Photography — James  Van 
Trees.  Art  Director — Alexan¬ 
der  Toluboff.  Director  of  Music 
— Boris  Morros.  Film  Editor — 
Bob  Simpson.  Sound  —  Earl 
Sitar. 


“ THE  MOON’S  OUR  HOME”.  Produced  by — Walter  Wanger.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Margaret  Sullavan  Henry  Fonda,  Charles 
Butterworth,  Beulah  Bondi,  Walter  Brennan,  Henrietta  Crosman,  Dorothy  Stic\ney,  Margaret  Hamilton,  Lucien  Little  fie. d.  Director— Wil¬ 
liam  A.  Seiter.  Art  Director — Alexander  Toluboff.  Director  of  Photography — Joseph  A.  Valentine,  A.S.C.  Assistant  Director  James 
Hartnett.  Director  of  Music — Boris  Morros.  Sound — Hugo  Grenzbach. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


43 


MARLENE  DIETRICH 


A  distinguishing  characteristic  of  Marlene 
Dietrich's  unusual  personality  is  her  clear 
vision.  She  knows  what  she  wants,  goes  after 
it  and  having  attained,  she  appreciates  what 
she  has  won  too...  After  an  accident  to  her 
wrist  cut  short  a  promising  career  as  a  violin¬ 
ist  she  decided  to  enter  the  theatrical  profes¬ 
sion.  Her  aristocratic  family  tradition  inter¬ 
posed  but  she  persevered  and  overcame  op¬ 
position  and  obstacles  that  would  have  daunt¬ 
ed  a  less  resolute  spirit.  Another  language 
had  to  be  acquired,  a  new  technique  had  to 
be  mastered,  but  to  achive  is  characteristic  of 
Miss  Dietrich.  So,  always  seeing  clearly  her 
goal,  she  climbed  from  one  success  ot  another 
until  she  has  reached  a  place  of  outstanding 
eminence.  This,  however,  has  not  spoilt  her, 
for  she  always  radiates  the  grace  and  charm 
that  is  in  some  measure  responsible  for  her 
popularity. 

The  following  biography  is  all  too  brief 
but  it  gives  some  interesting  details  of  her 
career. 


FUTURE  students  of  Hollywood, 
looking  back  over  the  years,  might 
regard  Marlene  Dietrich’s  life  as  hav- 
ing  spanned  a  transition  between  two 
periods  in  a  rapidly  changing  world. 

She  was  born  among  the  last  rem- 
nants  of  feudalism.  Her  early  years  were 
filled  with  the  spectacle  of  marching  sob 
diers  and  pervaded  with  an  ancient  tra- 
dition  of  military  aristocracy. 

Then  a  few  years  later  all  of  this 
was  swept  away,  all  except  the  clouds 


Marlene  Dietrich 


of  glory  that  trailed  her  from  the  early 
days,  and  she  found  herself  in  the  mod¬ 
ern  world  of  traffic  signals  and  neon 
lights. 

Miss  Dietrich  was  born  in  historic 
Weimar,  in  the  Duchy  of  Saxe- Weimar, 
where  her  father,  Edouard  von  Losch, 
was  a  Prussian  first  lieutenant  in  the 
patrician  Regiment  of  Grenadiers. 

The  slow  tempo  of  this  life,  condi¬ 
tioned  by  a  vast  military  machine  of 
which  her  family  was  a  part,  suddenly 
changed  with  the  roll  of  drums  which 
marked  the  opening  of  the  World  War. 


One  day  shortly  after,  news  came  that 
her  father  had  been  killed  on  the  Rus¬ 
sian  front.  Then  her  mother  took  her 
to  Berlin.  But  the  events  set  in  motion 
by  the  war  had  not  yet  run  out,  and 
revolution  overtook  Berlin. 

That  sent  the  bewildered  family  back 
to  Weimar,  where  Miss  Dietrich  was 
placed  in  a  boarding  school. 

After  the  revolution  was  over  and 
calm  had  been  restored,  the  girl  returned 
to  Berlin  in  1921.  By  this  time,  follow¬ 
ing  a  marked  aptitude,  she  decided  to 
concentrate  on  a  study  of  music.  She 
enrolled  as  a  violin  student  at  the  Hosch- 
schule  fuer  Musik,  where  she  was  to  be 
a  pupil  of  the  well  known  Professor 
Flesch. 

Her  nascent  career  as  a  violinist,  how¬ 
ever,  was  brought  to  a  sudden  end  when 
she  suffered  an  injury  to  the  left  wrist 
which  made  fingering  difficult.  Disap¬ 
pointed  in  this,  she  decided  upon  the 
stage  as  an  outlet  for  the  creative  urge 
which  motivated  her  during  that  for¬ 
mative  period. 

She  obtained  permission  from  her 
mother,  who  was  reluctant  to  allow  her 
carefully  nurtured  daughter  to  embark 
upon  such  a  career,  to  enroll  in  the 
Max  Reinhardt  school — but  under  a  dif¬ 
ferent  name,  the  one  by  which  the  world 
now  knows  her. 

Her  first  appearance  under  Reinhardt 
was  a  bit  in  “The  Taming  of  the 
Shrew.’’  Progress  was  slow,  her  funds 
ran  out,  and  it  was  during  this  period 

(Turn  to  Page  62) 


Marlene  Dietrich  with  Her  T[ew  VI 6  Cadillac  Town  Car 


44 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


MATCH  YOUR  PERSONALITY 
WITH  YOUR  HAIRDRESS 

Illustrated  with  Creations  by  Mel  Berns 


THE  ROLLED  CORONET 
as  illustrated  by 
Ginger  Rogers 


THE  LOVE-KNOT 

Lily  Pons’  blue-blac\  hair  in  a  striding  new 
coiffure  created  to  enhance  her  vivid 
personality 

Harriett  Hilliard,  who  made  a  sensa¬ 
tional  success  as  Ginger  Rogers'  sister 
in  “Follow  the  Fleet ”,  has  changed  her 
entire  personality  by  the  use  of  a  bru¬ 
nette  wig.  Naturally  a  blonde,  it  was 
thought  best  to  darken  her  tresses  to 
better  contrast  with  Ginger’s  golden  hair, 
as  star.  Result,  Harriett  is  now  a  bru¬ 
nette  for  keeps,  and  is  infinitely  more  at¬ 
tractive  than  with  her  own  light  locks. 

Louise  Latimer,  always  cast  m  sweet- 
ingenue  roles,  got  a  sophisticated  hair- 
dress  designed  for  her  by  our  depart¬ 
ment,  and  is  now  gives  more  dramatic 
roles  with  more  opportunity  to  display 


THE  SUMMER  PROM 
Margaret  Callahan  wears  tiny  star-flowers  in 

an  evening  hair-dress  designed  for  youth 

her  talents  as  an  actress. 

Creators  of  hair  styles  look  to  the  Past 
for  new  ideas,  hence  the  style  worn  by 
Hepburn  in  “Mary  of  Scotland’’  is  a 
new  adaptation  of  an  eighteenth  century 
hairdress. 

In  the  case  of  Ann  Harding,  her  hair 
style  is  so  closely  allied  to  her  person¬ 
ality  as  to  be  almost  a  trademark  She 
will  not  change  her  coiffure  for  this  rea¬ 
son. 

Never  forget  that  makeup  is  essential 
for  appearance,  and  that  the  hair  is  only 
a  frame  for  the  face,  so  use  the  right 
shade  of  powder  to  harmonize  with  your 


beguiling  LADY 

A  coiffure  to  enhance  Harriett  Hilliard's 
lovely  eyes  is  this  artistic  creation 

complexion  and  color  of  hair,  to  give  the 
proper  “ensemble  effects." 

Short  hair  is  the  mode  for  summer 
and  is  becoming  increasingly  popular. 
Tiny  curls  in  front  and  a  closely  waved 
coiffure  in  back  will  add  youth  to  any 
face. 

Try  a  round  comb  pushed  up  in  front, 
and  let  the  curled  short  ends  fall  for¬ 
ward,  hiding  the  comb;  this  keeps  the 
hair  out  of  the  eyes  and  looks  boyishly 
youthful. 

The  modern  trend  in  hair  styles  is  to¬ 
ward  simplicity,  comfort  and  short  con¬ 
tour-controlled  locks. 


SUMMER  CHAPEAUX 

PREVIEWS  FROM  HOLLYWOOD 


Top  off  your  summer  hat  with  a  real  gar¬ 
denia,  says  MOAJA  BARRIE,  and  add  a 
stiff  blac\  net  veil  for  glamour 


Heaven-blue  transparent  horsehair  is  the  hat- 
brim  that  shades  RUBY  KEELER’S  blue-gray 
eyes  on  a  summer  day.  The  ribbons  are  narrow 
blac\  velvet 


For  summer  coc\tail  hours  FAT  WRAY  se¬ 
lects  a  Frenchy  hat  with  roses  and  tiny  violets 


The  new  brown-haired  JEAK[  HARLOW 
relaxes  at  Malibu  Beach  wearing  a  huge 
topper  of  coarse  straw  embroidered  in 
yellow  braid 


GRACE  MOORE  wearing  a  natural  Leghorn  hat  edged 
with  horsehair  braid.  The  French  flowers  and  velvet 
streamers  are  of  powder  blue 


For  driving  to  the  studio  MOR[A  BARRIE 
dons  a  dashing  sports  hat  of  green  and  white 
stitched  pique 


Y 

MONA  BARRIE  with  a  smart  summer  straw 
trimmed  with  a  band  of  organdie  embroidered 
in  lipstic\  red 


HOW  TO 

An  Exclusive  Article 


To  The  "INSIDER”  By 


FAMOUS 
DESIGNER  FOR 
THE  STARS 

HERE  is  a  statement  from  one  of  t] 
world's  most  famous  designers  i 
exotic  clotlies  which  will  gladden  tl 
hearts  of  women  the  world  over. 

“It  is  not  necessary  to  dress  expei 
sively  to  dress  well,”  said  Adrian.  “Tl 
clever  use  of  accessories  and  wise  attei 
tion  to  restraint  in  business  and  strei 
clothes  will  give  you  that  beautifulh 
groomed  appearance  which  denotes  tl 
welbdressed  woman.  Often,  if  yc 
watch  the  clothes  of  the  stars  on  tl 
screen,  you  will  find  a  new  way  of  wea: 
ing  a  belt  —  or  a  boutonniere — or  a 
angle  of  tipping  a  hat  which  will  su 
your  own  personality  perfectly.” 

(Turn  to  Page  61  ) 


ADAPT  SCREEN  COSTUMES 

TO  SUIT  YOUR  WARDROBE 


]EA7s[  HARLOW  dances  in 
flesh-pin\  chiffon,  girdled  with 
tiny  tuc\s  to  outline  her  slender 
waistline 


For  evening  gold  cloth  shimmers  with  a  fish-tail 
train  of  graduated  pleats.  FRANCES  LAEfGFORD 
is  the  lovely  lady 


'RADICES  LANGFORD  rides  in  gray 
will  johdpurs  and  a  gray-and-white 
hec\ed  coat.  Tfotice  her  cute  waistcoat. 
The  newest  thing  for  horsewomen 


Spectator  sports  as  worn  by  MAUREELf 
O  SULLIVATf.  Tfavy  and  white  is  the  color 
scheme  and  the  hat  is  slee\ly  brushed  felt 
banded  in  navy-blue 


:AROLE  LOMBARD  entertains  ELlFfOR  TEKf- 
^EFfT  and  ALICE  MARBLE,  two  famous  women 
tennis-players,  wearing  the  latest  in  court  apparel 


GAIL  PATRICK  dresses  for  a 
country  wee\-end  in  homespun 
tweed.  Blue- and- white  is  the 
color-scheme.  Smart 1 


48 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


M  ay,  1936 


ANALYTICAL  REVIEWS 

The  Country  Beyond  The  Unguarded  Hour  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy 


(20th  Century-Fox) 

CAST: 

Rochelle  Hudson,  Paul  Kelly,  Robert  Kent, 
Alan  Hale,  Alan  Dinehart,  Buck,  Prince. 

CREDITS: 

Executive  Producer,  Sol  M.  Wurtzel;  Direc- 
tor,  Eugene  Forde;  Screen  Play,  Lamar  Trot' 
ti  &  Adele  Commandini;  Original  Story, 
James  Oliver  Curwood;  Photography,  Bar- 
ney  McGill  A.S.C.;  Art  Direction,  Duncan 
Cramer;  Assistant  Director,  Aaron  Rosen' 
burg;  Film  Editor,  Fred  Allen;  Costumes, 
William  Lambert;  Sound,  Eugene  Grossman; 
Music,  Samuel  Kaylin. 

TYPE: 

Canadian  Northwest  outdoor  story,  of  the 
“get-your-man”  type,  but  leavened  with  hu¬ 
mor  and  a  rattling  fine  plot.  Mounties — - 
dogs — snow  and  a  man-hunt.  A  real  out¬ 
door  story. 

TECHNIQUE: 

The  photography  is  beautifully  handled 
throughout,  and  some  of  the  snow-scenes  are 
breath-takingly  lovely.  Incidentally,  for  the 
sake  of  authenticity,  the  entire  picture  save 
for  two  very  obvious  scenes,  was  taken  in 
actual  snow-country,  and  the  effect  is  nicely 
genuine.  A  newcomer,  Robert  Kent,  plays 
the  lead,  and  should  go  far,  for  he  possesses 
a  nice  shading  of  humor  and  is  adequately 
handsome.  Paul  Kelly  does  nice  work,  and 
Rochelle  Hudson  as  the  Northwest  gal  shows 
some  sparkle  and  zip  in  her  portrayal.  The 
continuity  has  freshness  of  treatment  and 
smooth  handling  of  nlot  development,  which, 
added  to  the  gorgeous  background  of  snow 
country,  makes  the  technique  excellent  and 
even  outstanding. 

SYNOPSIS: 

A  rookie  sent  out  to  a  far  outpost  of  the 
Canadian  Northwest  Mounted  Police  falls  un¬ 
der  the  disapproving  eye  of  the  hard-boiled 
sergeant  of  the  Post.  A  man-hunt  for  a 
murderer  in  the  snow  is  the  sergeant’s  as¬ 
signment,  and  the  rookie,  by  a  fluke,  gets 
taken  along.  Follows  a  wild  chase  with  a 
girl  involved,  who  is  taken  prisoner  as  a 
suspect  in  a  fur-running  charge,  with  her 
father,  who  escapes,  the  victim  of  his  part¬ 
ner’s  machinations.  Some  nice  scenes  when 
the  girl  proves  to  be  a  wildcat  and  twice 
escapes  her  captor,  who  proves  to  be  the 
rookie.  Her  dog,  Buck,  a  huge  Saint  Ber¬ 
nard,  features  in  the  plot,  as  does  another. 
Wolf,  played  by  Prince,  an  equally  huge 
Great  Dane — and  a  villian,  incidentally.  It 
all  ends  well,  with  a  dog  fight  as  a  headlight 
that  is  remarkable  because  it  takes  place, 
visually,  in  great  shadows  on  the  wall.  The 
story  rolls  along  quickly  and  wthout  any 
slow-up  of  interest. 

RATING: 

Grand  entertainment  and  good  acting  by 
principals,  both  human  and  canine. 


(  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  ) 

CAST: 

Loretta  Young,  Franchot  Tone,  Lewis 
Stone,  Roland  Young,  Jessie  Ralph,  Dudley 
Digges,  Henry  Daniell,  Robert  Grieg,  E.  E. 
Clive,  Wallis  Clark,  John  Buckler,  Aileen 
Pringle. 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  Sam  Wood;  Screen  Play,  How 
-ard  Emmett  Rogers  and  Leon  Gordon;  Orig¬ 
inal  Play,  Ladislaus  Fodor;  English  Adapta¬ 
tion,  Bernard  Merivale;  Director,  Sam  Wood; 
Co-Producer,  Lawrence  Weingarten;  Musi¬ 
cal  Score,  Dr.  William  Axt;  Recording  Direc¬ 
tor,  Douglas  Shearer;  Art  Diirector,  Cedric 
Gibbons;  Associates,  Joseph  Wright,  Edwin 
B.  Willis;  Wardrobe,  Dolly  Tree;  Photog¬ 
raphy,  James  Van  Trees,  A.S.C.;  Film  Edi¬ 
tor,  Frank  W.  Hull;  Assistant  Director, 
Charles  Dorian. 

TYPE: 

Sophisticated  drama  of  English  Courts.  An 
absorbing  murder  mystery  of  adult  appeal. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Acting  honors  go  to  Roland  Young  for  a 
comedy  performance  of  merit — and  to  Henry 
Daniell,  as  the  menace,  for  an  outstanding 
character  interpretation.  Photography  and 
sound  are  excellent.  Direction  is  careful  and 
well-knit  throughout,  although  several  scenes 
are  permitted  to  drag  noticeably.  The  fact 
that  the  cast  is  uniformly  English  in  appear¬ 
ance  and  accent  make  the  American  speech 
of  the  two  stars  noticeably  different,  which 
detracts  from  the  authenticity  of  their  respec¬ 
tive  roles.  One  other  definite  flaw  is  that  dur¬ 
ing  the  courtroom  scene,  Loretta  Young  ap¬ 
pears  as  a  witness  dressed  garishly  out  of 
character  for  the  part  she  plays.  As  the  story 
and  entertainment  value,  the  picture  holds  in¬ 
terest  and  the  plot  is  strategically  unravelled. 

SYNOPSIS 

A  young  and  ambitious  prosecuting  attor¬ 
ney  is  about  to  convict,  on  circumstantial  evi¬ 
dence,  an  accused  murderer.  The  attorney’s 
young  wife  is  the  only  witness  who  can  save 
the  culprit  and  prove  his  innocence,  but  she 
is  unable  to  come  forward  because  of  a 
blackmail  scheme  which  would  curtail  her 
husband’s  chance  for  appointment  as  attor¬ 
ney  general.  When  his  own  life  is  jeopar¬ 
dized  by  a  similar  circumstance,  the  young 
attorney  sees  that  his  own  case  rests  on  cir¬ 
cumstantial  evidence  just  as  does  that  of 
his  prisoner,  and  the  wife  appears  at  the  11th 
hour  as  witness  for  the  accused — and  for  her 
husband  as  well.  Nice  dialogue. 

RATING: 

An  absorbing  drama  well  directed.  Un¬ 
convincingly  cast  as  to  principals,  but  well 
worthy  of  any  one’s  time  because  of  its 
unique  plot  development. 


(Selznick  International  Productions) 

CAST: 

Freddie  Bartholomew,  Dolores  Costello  Bar¬ 
rymore,  C.  Aubrey  Smith,  Guy  Kibbee,  Hen¬ 
ry  Stephenson,  Mickey  Rooney,  Constance 
Collier,  E.  E.  Clive,  Una  O’Connor,  Jackie 
Searl,  Jessie  Ralph,  Ivan  Simpson,  Helen 
Flint,  Eric  Alden,  May  Beatty. 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  David  O.  Selznick;  Director, 
John  Cromwell;  Screen  Play,  Hugh  Walpole; 
Original  Novel,  Frances  Hodgson  Burnett; 
Photographer,  Charles  Rosher,  A.S.C.;  Musi¬ 
cal  Score,  Max  Steiner;  Special  Effects,  Jack 
Cosgrove,  Virgil  Miller,  A.S.C.;  Art  Direc¬ 
tor,  Sturges  Carne;  Associate  Art  Director, 
Casey  Roberts;  Wardrobe,  Sophie  Wachner; 
Film  Editor,  Hal  C.  Kern;  sound  Recording, 
Earl  A.  Wolcott. 

TYPE: 

Classic  interpretation  of  a  classic.  A  sen¬ 
timental  yet  a  robust  presentation  of  a  be¬ 
loved  story,  suitable  for  the  entire  family. 

TECHNIQUE: 

There  are  many  scenes  which  are  superbly 
handled,  both  as  to  direction  and  histrionics. 
Young  Bartholomew  makes  the  most  of  his 
every  scene  and  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  does 
not  suffer  at  all  by  the  loss  of  his  golden 
curls.  A  more  manly  child  is  presented  and 
sympathy  gained  for  the  character  forth¬ 
with.  The  roles  of  the  grandfather,  the  Earl 
of  Dorincourt,  and  of  Havisham,  his  attor¬ 
ney,  played  respectively  by  C.  Aubrey  Smith 
and  Henry  Stephenson  are  both  excellently 
and  understanding^  played.  Especially  does 
Henry  Stephenson  deserve  credit  for  the  man¬ 
ner  in  which  he  expresses  thought  and  the 
processes  of  thought,  without  speaking.  Do¬ 
lores  Costello  has  never  looked  more  lovely. 
Her  beauty  has  taken  on  a  more  mature  and 
positive  quality,  adapting  itself  nicely  to  the 
role  of  “Dearest,”  which  might  easily  be¬ 
come  saccharine  in  less  skilled  hands.  Direc¬ 
tion,  sound  and  musical  scoring  all  dovetail 
perfectly  to  make  this  a  smoothly  running 
story.  The  special  effects  are  carefully 
done.  Hugh  Walpole  wrote  an  upstanding 
and  decidedly  appealing  screen  play.  It  has 
fiber  and  humor.  What  more  can  be  said! 

SYNOPSIS: 

Young  Cedric  is  brought  up  in  Brooklyn 
like  any  other  child  of  middle-class  parents. 
After  his  father’s  death,  however,  his  grand¬ 
father,  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt,  sends  for  him 
as  next  in  line  to  the  title.  The  boy’s  moth¬ 
er  accompanies  him  but  is  not  permitted  to 
live  in  the  castle,  remaining  in  the  Lodge 
near-by.  An  imposter  attempts  to  prove  that 
the  young  lord  is  false,  but  it  is  all  straight¬ 
ened  out  amusingly  enough  by  the  friends 
of  young  Cedric  in  Brooklyn  and  the  boy’s 
mother  is  reinstated  in  the  Earl’s  graces. 

RATING : 

If  you  go  and  take  the  children  you  won’t 
be  bored  and  neither  will  they.  A  graceful, 
happily  cast  production;  well  worth  anyone’s 
money. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


By  PAULINE 
GALE 


49 


OF  NEW  PICTURES 


The  Moon’s  Our  Home 


(Walter  Wanger  Production) 

CAST; 

Margaret  Sullavan,  Henry  Fonda,  Charles 
Butterworth,  Beulah  Bondi,  Walter  Brennan, 
Henrietta  Crosman,  Dorothy  Stickney,  Mar- 
garet  Hamilton,  Lucien  Littlefield. 

CREDITS: 

Executive  Producer,  Walter  Wanger;  Di¬ 
rector,  William  A.  Seiter;  Screen  Play,  Isa¬ 
bel  Dawn  6?  Boyce  De  Gaw;  Additional  Dia¬ 
logue,  Dorothy  Parker  and  Alan  Campbell; 
Original  Story,  Faith  Baldwin;  Art  Direction, 
Alexander  Toluboff;  Photography,  Joseph  A. 
Valentine,  A.  S.  C.;  Costumes,  Helen  Tay¬ 
lor;  Musical  Direction,  Boris  Morros;  Sound, 
Hugo  Gresbach;  Assistant  Director,  James 
Hartnett. 

TT  PE: 

A  delightful  farce-comedy  which  adequately 
interprets  Faith  Baldwin's  best  seller.  Light 
entertainment  of  the  best  sort,  with  notable 
dialogue. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Brilliant  dialogue  and  clever  situations  that 
are  out-of-the-ordinary  can  be  credited  to  the 
clever  people  listed  above  as  adaptors,  dia¬ 
logue  writers  and  continuity  experts.  They 
combined  to  make  a  smoothly-running  yet 
tightly  woven  screen  story.  Margaret  Sulla¬ 
van  and  Henry  Fonda  enter  into  their  re¬ 
spective  starring  parts  with  zest,  and  each 
gives  a  notable  performance.  As  the  usual 
idiotic  comedy  character,  Butterworth  is — - 
Butterworth,  with  laughable  results.  His 
comedy  technique  seldom  falls  short  of  its 
own  high  standard.  Costuming,  sound,  mu¬ 
sic  and  settings  are  all  remarkably  good  in 
this  picture,  and  William  A.  Seiter  deserves 
praise  for  his  remarkable  deft  handling  of  a 
speedy  tempo  and  comedy  plot  that  could 
have  gotten  away  to  a  fizzle  in  the  hands  of 
a  less  expert  megaphoner. 

SYNOPSIS: 

There  isn’t  much  plot — it’s  the  dialogue 
and  interpretation  that  puts  this  one  over. 
Cherry  Chester  is  the  star  who  is  highly 
publicized,  played  by  Margaret  Sullavan.  She 
runs  away  from  social  duties  determined  to 
marry  any  one  but  the  half-brain  that 
is  picked  out  for  her.  She  meets  an  equally 
famous  author- — who  is  bent  on  dodging  an 
adoring  public.  Their  romance  in  an  out- 
of-the-way  village  ends  in  marriage,  and  tem¬ 
perament  does  the  rest — with  a  hilarious 
reunion  at  the  end. 

RATING; 

An  amusing  and  well-acted  entertainment, 
with  the  entire  family  entitled  to  the  laughs. 
An  excellent  comedy-drama. 


Till  We  Meet  Again 


(Paramount) 


CAST: 

Herbert  Marshall,  Gertrude  Michael,  Lionel 
Atwill,  Rod  La  Rocque,  Guy  Bates  Post. 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  Albert  Lewis;  Director,  Robert 
Florey;  Assistant  Director,  Harry  Scott;  Orig¬ 
inal  play,  Alfred  Davis;  Adaptor,  Morton 
Barteaux;  Screen  Play,  Edwin  Justus  Mayer, 
Brian  Marlow  and  Frank  Coen;  Sound,  H. 
M.  Lindgren;  Film  Editor,  Richard  Currier; 
Art  Directors,  Hans  Dreier  and  Roland  An¬ 
derson;  Photographer,  Victor  Milner,  A.S.C. 

TYPE: 

That  spy  story  again,  with  new  treatment 
and  a  fresh  twist  to  the  plot.  Melodrama 
with  restraint,  and  not  too  strong  for  the 
youthful  element. 

T  ECEDilSlUE: 

Herbert  Marshall  appears  to  good  advan¬ 
tage  and  wades  right  into  the  story  with 
pleasurable  results.  Gertrude  Michael  keeps 
up  with  him  as  the  clever  spy,  and  the  team¬ 
work  is  swell  as  a  result.  Rod  La  Rocque  is 
outstanding  in  a  brief  scene.  Special  men¬ 
tion  is  deserved  for  the  beautiful  camera 
shots  and  fine  action  work  in  the  train  se¬ 
quence.  The  art  directors  take  a  bow  here, 
for  the  costuming,  backgrounds  and  street 
scenes  of  World-War  Europe  have  a  tang  of 
authenticity  that  adds  to  the  build-up  of  the 
story.  Robert  Florey  made  a  tight  and  fool¬ 
proof  movie  with  his  careful  direction,  and 
thus-  added  a  genuine  thrill,  especially  in 
the  nice  suspense  of  the  exciting  chase  to 
safe  territory  of  the  two  spies.  Technically 
this  is  well  handled  and  carefully  edited. 

SYNOPSIS: 

An  actor  and  actress  of  the  London  stage, 
respectively  Viennese  and  English,  discover 
the  parting  of  the  ways  when  war  is  de¬ 
clared  upon  Germany.  The  girl,  a  spy,  is 
ordered  back  to  Germany,  and  her  lover  be¬ 
comes  a  member  of  the  British  espionage 
service.  How  they  meet  and  finally  escape 
to  neutral  Dutch  territory  with  the  German 
and  British  both  after  them  makes  as  excit¬ 
ing  an  adventure  as  any  one  would  want  to 
see. 

RATING: 

Grand  adventure  story,  with  much  of  the 
stigma  of  war  taken  away  by  its  clever  han¬ 
dling.  The  story  rambles  right  along,  with 
a  slam-bang  finish  that  is  tensely  thrilling. 
A  better-than-good  picture. 


I  Married  a  Doctor 


(Warner  Brothers  First  National 
Production) 

CAST: 

Pat  O’Brien,  Josephine  Hutcheson,  Ross 
Alexander,  Guy  Kibbee,  Louise  Fazenda. 

CREDITS: 

Supervisor,  Harry  Joe  Brown;  Director, 
Archie  Mayo;  Assistant  Director,  Frank 
Shaw;  Screen  Play,  Casey  Robinson;  Origi¬ 
nal  Story,  Sinclair  Lewis;  Dramatization,  Har¬ 
riett  Ford  and  Harvey  O'Higgins;  Photog¬ 
raphy,  Byron  Haskins;  Film  Editor,  Owen 
Marks;  Art  Director,  Carl  Jules  Weyl; 
Gowns,  Orry-Kelly;  Music,  Leo  F.  Forbstein. 

TYPE: 

Small  town  problem  drama  of  a  maternal 
tangle,  and  its  psychological  unraveling. 

TECHHigiUE: 

Sinclair  Lewis  highly  popular  small  town 
story  once  again!  The  surrounding  cast  ac¬ 
quits  itself  admirably,  in  particular  Louise 
Fazenda  and  a  newcomer,  Ray  Mayer,  who  is 
outstanding  in  a  '  bit”  part.  Pohtography 
is  clearly  defined  and  beautifully  executed 
with  a  musical  scoring  well  adapted  to  the 
tempo  of  the  story.  The  story  itself  suf¬ 
fers  from  lack  of  dramatic  highlights  and  the 
ending  is  diluted. 

SYHOPSIS 

The  popular  doctor  of  a  middle-west  small 
town  brings  his  city-bred  bride  home.  Her 
efforts  to  help  him  and  her  mistakes  in  at¬ 
tempting  to  ingratiate  herself  with  the  town 
politics  form  the  basis  for  the  plot.  A  case 
of  young  love  springs  up  between  the  young 
wife  and  a  farm  boy  whom  she  innocently  en¬ 
courages.  This  nearly  breaks  up  the  mar¬ 
riage  of  Doctor  Kennicott  and  his  wife,  but 
it’s  all  ironed  out  satisfactorily  at  the  con¬ 
clusion,  with  small-town  people  rated  as 
human-beings  afterall. 

RATING: 

Not  the  Pat  O  Brien  we  all  know,  is  this 
serious-minded  doctor.  Nor  is  Josephine  Hut¬ 
cheson  quite  at  ease  as  his  wife,  suffering 
the  restrictions  of  small-town  life.  Needing 
a  leavening  of  comedy — the  picture  lacks 
zip.  Nevertheless  a  good  program  picture. 


This  new  and  more  comprehensive  method  of  review  has  been  evolved  so  that  you,  as  an  audience,  may  benefit  from  a  wider 
\novAedge  of  the  \ind  of  pictures  that  are  being  produced.  It  is  the  sincere  hope  of  the  Insider  that  the  opinions  herein  ex¬ 
pressed  will  be  of  definite  value,  so  that  you  may  select  the  \ind  of  pictures  which  will  give  you  the  entertainment. 


50 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


"HELL  O" 


Politeness  Keynote 

Calls  Received  and 
Answered 
Courteously 


A  fifteen  minute  ride  from  Holly' 
wood  Boulevard  and  Vine  Street  to 
Fox  Movietone  City,  the  larger  of  the 
two  Fox  West  Coast  studios,  located 
half-way  between  Hollywood  and  Santa 
Monica,  affords  a  first  hand  glimpse  of 
studio  telephone  operators  at  work. 

A  minute  at  the  reception  desk  lo¬ 
cated  in  the  Administration  Building 
and,  fortified  with  a  studio  pass  and 


proper  instructions  how  to  find  Room 
65,  you  are  prepared  to  inspect  the 
operator’s  recluse,  the  brain  of  the 
studios’  spinal  system  .  .  .  the  telephone 
department. 

Don’t  walk  in  expecting  a  warm  re¬ 
ception.  You  won’t  get  it!  On  the 
furthest  side  of  the  office  three  tele¬ 
phone  operators  are  busily  engaged  an¬ 
swering  hundreds  of  calls  on  a  triple 
switchboard  layout.  If  you  start  to  get 
lonesome,  merely  turn  your  head  and 
find  yourself  face  to  face  with  Miss 
Nona  Ladd,  assistant  chief  operator, 
who  will  graciously  answer  any  ques¬ 
tions  you  wish  to  ask.  Anna  Billick, 
whose  pleasant  voice  is  always  ready  to 
serve  you,  is  the  head  of  the  department. 

Six  other  girls,  making  a  total  of 
eight,  constitute  the  Fox  Movietone 
City  telephone  staff.  They  are  Anna 
Henry,  Katherine  Bowen,  Maxine  Me- 
Elmurry,  Eunice  Baker,  Johnnie  Hal- 
brook  and  Tina  Perry,  who  handles  a 
secondary  switchboard  located  in  the 
Writers’  building.  A  six  hour  day  for 
all  of  them,  plus  time  out  to  powder 
their  noses  makes  the  position  of  tele¬ 
phone  operator  a  likeable  one. 


Anna  Henry  Katherine  Bowen  Maxine  McElmurry 


NO  easy  job  confronts  the  twelve 
telephone  operators  of  the  Fox 
West  Coast  studios.  It’s  no  bed  of 
roses.  Besides  handling  more  than  fif¬ 
teen  thousand  calls  a  day,  the  girls 
have  thousands  more  of  the  inter-office 
variety. 

The  inter-office  calls  and  about 
twelve  of  the  fifteen  thousand  per  day 
are  actually  “pie”  .  .  .  it’s  the  remain¬ 
ing  three  thousand  they  claim,  that  will 
eventually  wind  them  up  in  the  nearest 
nut  factory. 

Movie  fans,  extras  in  search  of  a 
day’s  work,  “friends”  and  “relatives” 
trying  to  get  in  touch  with  stars,  bill  col¬ 
lectors,  mothers  with  their  Shirley 
Temples,  would-be  writers  determined 
to  contact  the  story  department  .... 
these  are  just  a  few  of  the  vast  army  of 
get-rich-quick  quacks  who  use  the  tele¬ 
phone  wires  as  an  aid  in  crashing  the 
studio  gates. 

One  nickel  is  all  they  need  to  heckle 
the  studio  operators  in  the  hope  of 
speaking  to  the  right  party,  and  as  long 
as  they  have  that  nickel  nothing  can 
stop  them. 


Dolores  Alnwic\ 


Helen  Cochran 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


51 


MAX  FACTOR  EXPLAINS 


SCREEN 

MAKE-UP 


BETTE  DAVIS 

starts  her  ma\e-up  foundation  with  melting 
cream  for  cleansing  purposes 


A  “MIGRATION”  seems  to  be  un¬ 
der  way.  Many  of  our  screen 
stars  of  the  first  magnitude  are  deserting 
the  ranks  of  light  blondes  in  favor  of 
darker-hued  tresses.  Witness  the  subtle 
transformation  of  Jean  Harlow,  Ann 
Sothern,  Gertrude  Michael,  and  others. 

With  this  new  trend,  naturally,  comes 
certain  make-up  difficulties.  Strangely 
enough,  however,  it  is  the  true  blondes 
who  desire  to  be  set  right  on  their  make¬ 
up.  Apparently  they  are  becoming  con¬ 
fused.  It  has  become  almost  a  case  of 
when  is  a  blonde  not  a  blonde.  Blondes 
have  always  had  difficulties  with  their 
screen  make-up  because  they  present  pe¬ 
culiar  problems  in  photography. 

The  secret  of  make-up  for  motion  pic¬ 
tures  is  contrast.  People  never  cease  to 
be  astonished  at  the  fact  that  we  use  a 
darker  make-up  for  blondes  and  a  light¬ 
er  one  for  brunettes.  By  making  this 
definite  contrast  between  the  hair  and 
the  face  we  can  assure  a  cleaner  cut  re¬ 
production. 


VIRGINIA  BRUCE 

applies  the  correct  shade  of  powder  to 
harmonize  with  her  blonde  hair 


This  contrast  allows  us  to  emphasise 
one  of  the  most  important  features  of 
appearance — the  hairline.  We  can  make 
marked  changes  in  the  shape  of  a  sub¬ 
ject’s  face  by  a  clever  arrangement  of 
the  hair.  Added  expressiveness  is  thus 
also  possible.  A  graceful  hairline  can 
lend  real  charm  to  the  features. 


FOR 

BLONDES 

Blondes  require  considerably  more 
lighting  than  brunettes  to  effectively  cap¬ 
ture  the  contrast  between  face  and  hair. 
For  this  reason  the  face  must  be  darker, 
so  that  it  will  not  look  colorless  ...  or 
completeily  washed  out.  The  lighter  the 
blonde,  the  darker  the  make-up  used. 
Tests  and  experimentation  will  soon  de¬ 
termine  the  exact  shade. 

The  most  popular  shade  of  screen  lip 
rouge  for  blondes  is  light.  Since  the 
natural  lip  coloring — or  even  society 
make-up — could  never  possibly  afford 
sufficient  contrast  with  the  dark  facial 
make-up,  the  process  of  making  up  the 
lips  is  most  important.  They  should 
be  dried  thoroughly,  and  the  lipstick 
applied  with  a  thin  camel’s  hair  brush. 

While  black  eyelash  make-up  is  the 
most  frequently  used,  the  preference  for 
eyebrow  pencils  sems  to  run  toward 
brown.  This  combination  affords  the 
maximum  contrast  with  a  minimum  of 
artificiality.  Eyeshadow  for  blondes 
should  be  a  blue-grey  shade. 

Let’s  hope  this  sets  everything  right! 


CAROLE  LOMBARD 
chooses  blondeen  rouge 


52 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


NEW  IDEAS  IN 


BOLDLY  patterned  weaves  such  as 
diagonals  and  herringbones  will  be 
popular  throughout  the  country  this  sea¬ 
son,  and  many  of  these  will  carry  colored 
over-stripes  of  silk  or  over-plain  patterns, 
especially  in  the  window-pane  design, 
much  favored  in  Hollywood.  Clear-cut 
unfinished  worsteds  will  be  much  in  de¬ 
mand.  The  over-plaid  pattern  will  be 
especially  popular  for  country  wear  in 
the  shetlands,  saxonys,  tweeds  and  chev¬ 
iots.  These  latter  will  adhere  to  the  tra¬ 
ditional  cut  for  smart  country  wear 
which  carry  three  buttons  and  a  notched 
lapel.  The  pockets  will  have  flaps  and 
some  models  carry  slanted  pockets  as 
well  as  ticket  pockets.  Both  side  and 
center  vents  are  increasingly  good  styl¬ 
ing,  the  former  should  be  eight  inches 
in  length — the  latter  ten  inches,  with  a 
generous  over-lap. 

That  perennial  favorite,  the  covert 
cloth  topcoat,  will  probably  enjoy  great¬ 
er  popularity  than  ever  this  year.  It 
will  be  shorter  than  in  previous  years 
and  the  single  breasted  model  carries 
four  rows  of  stitching  along  the  hem  and 
at  the  cuff.  The  black  and  white  her¬ 
ringbone  tailored  double-breasted  light 
weight  town  topcoat  will  be  the  correct 
thing  for  cool  summer  evenings  in  the 
city. 


R AN.DOLF  SCOT T  favors  the  two-button 
single-breasted  suit  for  informal  daytime  wear. 
The  hat  is  a  brown  snap  brim  and  the  shoes 
are  brogues  of  Russian  calf 

For  country  and  spectator  sports  wear, 
bolder  plaids  will  be  suitable,  such  as 
described,  and  will  be  patterned  best 
with  raglan  sleeves  in  the  single-breast 
ed  model,  and  Balmacaans. 


A  new  idea  in  topcoats  is  a  reversible 
camels-hair  with  dark  brown  gabardine 
on  the  reverse  side.  This  coat  is  espe¬ 
cially  suited  to  the  vagaries  of  vacation 
weather. 

Socks  and  ties  will  follow  the  trend 
toward  bold  design,  hounds-tooth  checks 
and  herringbone  patterns  will  be  seen  in 
matching  ensembles. 

Shirts,  too,  will  reflect  the  vogue  for 
overstriping  in  suitings  and  both  poly¬ 
chromatic  and  satin  striped  shirts  are 
new  and  highly  in  favor.  The  wide¬ 
spread  collar  and  the  slotted  model  are 
most  accepted  for  summer  wear. 

This  year  marks  the  change  in  one  of 
the  oldest  established  rules,  for  it  is  now 
correct  to  wear  brown  shoes  with  a  blue 
suit.  If  the  suit  is  not  too  dark  and 
the  shoes  not  too  light,  this  new  combi¬ 
nation  is  refreshing  and  smart.  It  wil! 
be  especially  suitable  if  the  color-scheme 
is  carried  out  further,  with  a  tan  shirt 
and  a  tie  carrying  both  blue  and  brown 
in  its  pattern. 

Brown  calf  and  buckskin  are  favored 
for  country  walking  and  golf  wear;  the 
monk-style  front  in  either  of  these  leath¬ 
ers  is  particularly  practical  for  sports 
wear. 

Gray  has  always  been  a  popular  shade 


This  business  suit,  worn  by  HENRY  FONDA, 
is  of  Oxford  Gray  flannel.  The  tie  is  wine 
color  with  a  small  white  design.  The  brogues 
have  extra-thic\  soles  for  street  wear 


ROBERT  MONTGOMERY  wears  dar\-gray 
twill  with  a  hard  finish  for  daytime  hours  off- 
the-set.  His  tie  is  blue-and-gray  pebble 


The  separate  sports  coat  for  leisure  moments 
is  a  first  choice  with  WILLIAM  POWELL. 
Brown-and-white  checks  with  a  tweed  finish 
and  bellows  poc\ets  ma\e  this  jacfiet  inter¬ 
estingly  new.  The  tie  is  a  University  Stripe 


weave 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


53 


PATTERNS  AND  COLORS 


for  early  summer,  and  this  year  is  no 
exception  to  the  rule.  Of  course,  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  lighter  shades  of 
brown  are  always  good  at  any  time  of 
the  year,  especially  in  suburban  and 
country  districts.  In  choosing  early 
summer  clothing,  it  is  important  to  bear 
in  mind  that  one’s  personal  coloring 
plays  a  major  part  in  the  selection  of  a 
suit  or  topcoat. 

Generally  speaking,  blond  and  light' 
haired  men  look  best  in  reddish  and 
lighter  shades  of  brown.  Their  second 
colors,  blue  or  gray,  are  usually  less  be- 
coming  to  them  than  former.” 

Dark-haired  men  usually  look  best  in 
gray,  with  blue  as  their  second  color  and 
brown  as  third  choice.  Of  the  browns 
they  will  find  that  the  grayer  shades 
of  brown  are  more  becoming  than  those 
bearing  a  red  cast. 

Within  the  triangle  made  by  the  coat 
and  waistcoat  opening  lies  the  most  im- 
portant  area  of  a  man’s  dress.  For  while 
you  can  get  away  with  a  badly'pressed 
suit  and  a  battered  hat — it  is  impossible 
to  look  presentable  if  your  shirt,  tie  or 
collar  has  shortcomings. 

In  the  field  of  shirts,  a  man  may  select 
solid  colors  in  blue,  gray,  oxblood,  charm 
pagne,  brown  and  the  less  extreme 


Correct  formal  evening  wear  with  tails,  sil\ 
topper  and  white  tie,  as  worn  by  RAhf- 
DOLPH  SCOTT.  7 Notice  the  newest  type 
dancing  shoe  with  plain  toe 

shades  of  green.  Oxblood,  dusty  cream 
and  dark  titiamcolored  shirts  are  all 
smart,  but  the  brighter  shades  are  irm 
possible  except  on  the  hunting  field  or 
for  sport  purposes.  Yellow  is  good  in 
the  canary,  or  clear  “hunter’s  yellow” 


shade,  and  the  paler  lemon  color  is  wear- 
able  as  well.  Green  must  be  handled 
very  carefully;  bright  green  and  bottle' 
green  shirts  are  out,  but  paler  shades  in- 
terspersed  with  white  thread  make  a 
good-looking  shirt. 

Practically  all  browns  are  in  good 
taste — but  avoid  them  if  your  own  color- 
ing  is  very  dark. 

Shepherd  checks  of  a  small  or  moder¬ 
ate  size  are  correct,  and  so  are  Tattersall 
plaids  and  basketweave  patterns. 

Oxford  cloth,  madras,  broadcloth,  silk 
and  French  flannel  are  the  smart  mate¬ 
rials  for  summer  wear. 

There  is  no  news  in  the  fact  that 
the  stylish  golfer  may  wear  a  pair  of 
gray  flannel  slacks.  But  there  is  an  in¬ 
dividual  note  of  smartness  to  the  new¬ 
est  cut,  which  has  extra  wide  cuffs  and 
natural  turnups.  The  most  prosaic  type 
of  slacks  has  the  regulation  type  of  cuff, 
which  has  been  popular  in  resorts  all 
winter. 

A  sweater  that  goes  well  with  these 
newer  slacks  is  a  cable-stitched  model 
with  bold  colored  stripes  at  the  neck¬ 
line,  wrists  and  waistline.  The  cable 
sweater  is  of  a  heavy  white  yarn  and 
originally  found  favor  among  English 
University  men,  especially  those  interest- 


A  comfortable  outfit  for  spectator  sports 
wear.  The  coat  is  brown  and  tan  hounds- 
tooth  chec\  of  pure  cashmere,  with  leather 
buttons  and  bellows  poc\ets.  The  white 
cric\e t  flannel  trousers  are  featured  by  open 
welt  seams.  Worn  by  RANDOLPH  SCOTT 


ERIK  RHODES  li\es  this  sports  outfit  with 
gray  Shetland  coat  with  white  over-chec\, 
white  linen  slacks  and  white  buc\s\in  shoes. 
The  tie  is  a  regimental  stripe 


The  white  camels’  hair  polo  coat,  worn  by 
ERIK  RHODES.  Raglan  sleeves  and  wrap¬ 
around  style  ma\e  it  practical  for  hard  sports 
wear.  The  gloves  are  perforated,  hand 
stitched  pigs\in 


54 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


EPICUREAN  DELIGHTS 

GATHERED  FROM  THE  FOUR 
CORNERS  OF  THE  GLOBE 


Jiinu 


Vodka 

ou75toei^f%;^cas'Oro. 

Tmite  d.  R  coMombtes  =“  >  , 

.  •  ■  Champagne 

Poitrine  de  Pmla  e-  Fines  Herbes 

Chatnpignon^'  Beurre 

Pois  Nouveaux  sauce) 

(Breast  of  gume0OOTns  fines  herbes 

'SV:Tr“'s«« 

Coeur  de  Laltp®encH  Dressing 
Heart  of  Lettuce  ^  _  Malaga 

Fromage  et,Fr^pSes  and  fruits) 

Assorted  ch  ch  _  .  Liqueurs 

Cate  Noir-de^^offT  demi-tasse) 


During  our  various  travels  in  Europe 
we  have  had  abundant  opportunity  to 
observe  what  dishes  the  epicurean  pal¬ 
ate  savors  with  most  appreciation.  Of 
game  birds,  guinea  hen  is  undoubtedly 
the  choice  of  the  gourmet,  so  we  have 
decided  to  give  the  recipe  for  poitrine 
de  pintade,  Perigord;  it  is  sponsored  by 
M.  Ernest  Grether,  a  chef  of  renown 
whose  gustatory  creations  have  delighted 
fastidious  diners  on  two  continents. 

M.  Grether,  in  speaking  of  this  fa¬ 
mous  entree,  recalls  an  incident  which 
occurred  once  when  he  was  serving  poi- 
trine  de  pintade,  Perigord,  at  a  banquet 
given  in  Berlin  for  a  very  beautiful 
Rumanian  princess  who  was  then  the 
toast  of  every  capital  in  Europe  and 
where  etiquette  prescribed  that  the  guest 
of  honor  be  directly  waited  on  by  a 
cadet  from  a  celebrated  military  acad¬ 
emy.  The  princess  was  wearing  a  gown 
quite  unusually  decollete,  in  fact  it  sim¬ 
ply  had  no  back  at  all.  Now,  her  hand¬ 
some  and  aristocratic  waiter  gracefully 
presented  the  poitrine  de  pintade,  to 
which  the  princess  daintily  helped  her¬ 
self;  then  he  passed  her  a  dish  of  pra¬ 
lines  when,  to  his  horror,  one  slipped 
and  fell  down  her  back,  tucking  itself 
snugly  in  well  below  the  waist.  In  a 
panic,  the  young  man  handed  the  dish 
to  the  regular  water  and  without  stop¬ 
ping  to  think  he  promptly  fished  the 
errant  sweetmeat  from  the  lower  reaches 
of  the  princess’  back  and  fled,  nearly 
dead  with  chagrin. 

Naturally,  this  accident  was  duly  re¬ 
counted  to  M.  Grether  who,  by  an  odd 
coincidence  learned  the  sequel.  Years 
later,  M.  Grether  was  in  charge  of  the 
culinary  department  of  a  large  hotel  in 
Nice  when  the  hero  of  the  above  anec¬ 
dote  happened  to  be  staying  there.  He 
reminded  the  now  very  distinguished 
gentleman  of  the  episode  and  this  is 
what  he  was  told: 

“Remember — of  course  I  do!  And 
when  the  princess  was  visiting  here  re¬ 
cently  I  happened  to  meet  her  and  dared 
to  recall  my  indiscretion  to  her  mind. 
She  laughed  and  later  sent  me  this  beau¬ 
tiful  watch  as  a  token  of  her  forgive¬ 
ness.  .  .  .  Lucky  it  was  only  a  praline 
I  dropped  and  not  your  superb  pintade, 
Perigord — what!”  he  said,  and  M.  Gre¬ 
ther  chuckled  reminiscently  as  he  gave 
us  the  recipe. 

(Turn  to  Page  59) 


May,  1936 


But  that’s  just  one  of  the  problems 
Dreier  runs  across  in  his  daily  toil;  nor 
is  it  the  end  of  the  moon  problem, 
which  always  has  to  jibe  with  the  seas- 
on  represented  in  the  cinema.  Dreier 
doesn’t  want  any  error-sharp  from  the 
hinterland  writing  in  about  these  ap- 
parent  trivialities.  And  don’t  think 
they  don’t  write.  Reams  of  letters,  and 
they  know  their  stuff. 

Moon  jobs,  Dreier  points  out,  are  the 
most  ticklish  of  astronomical  subjects  in 
a  movie. 

“To  get  them  right,”  he  says,  “they 
require  calipers  and  the  astrolabe.  Since 
all  locales  are  different,  you  have  to 
draw  a  bead  on  the  moon  from  that 
spot  through  orientation  at  the  point  of 
latitude  and  longitude. 

“In  ‘Rumba’,  for  instance,  the  original 
script  called  for  a  crescent  moon  and 
Carole  Lombard  talked  to  George  Raft 
about  it,  romantically.  But  it  was  the 
wrong  day  of  the  month  and  we  had 
to  switch  to  a  full  moon  and  the  dia- 
logue  had  to  be  re-written  accordingly.” 

Lighting  the  moon  in  a  piece  of  scen¬ 
ery  is  also  a  major  problem.  They 
used  to  illuminate  with  a  sharp  spot¬ 
light  from  the  foreground,  but  that 
threw  a  shadow  on  the  sky.  Then 
someone  conceived  the  idea  of  lighting 
it  from  behind,  and  that  made  the  cen¬ 
ter  brighter  than  the  rim. 

It  was  Dreier  who  hatched  the  trick 
which  is  universally  in  use  today.  He 
made  his  moon  in  the  shape  of  a  drum 
and  filled  it  with  tiny  electric  light 
globes,  the  size  of  flash-light  bulbs, 
which  huddled  one  against  the  other. 
Assuming  that  the  scenic  moon  is  two 
feet  in  diameter,  there  are  about  1000 
bulbs  in  it,  shedding  a  uniform  radiance 
behind  the  entire  field  of  thin  white 
hide  which  comprises  the  moon’s  face. 

Although  Dreier  usually  goes  to  work 
on  a  picture  about  three  months  before 
the  first  camera  turns  on  a  scene  or 
about  five  months  before  it  is  ready  for 
audience  inspection,  superhuman  speed 
is  sometimes  a  requirement  in  his  posi¬ 
tion. 

It  still  brings  beads  of  perspiration  to 
his  brow  whenever  he  thinks  of  the 
hurry-up  order  he  got  for  an  eight-room 
house  of  Long  Island  Sound  proportions 
that  had  to  go  up  instantly  for  a  recent 
production. 

Dreier  and  his  men  had  only  a  week 
to  do  it  in.  That  meant  everything 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


from  the  architect’s  drawings  to  the 
final  paint  job.  But  he  and  his  crew 
turned  it  out  on  time.  Dreier  says  it 
was  a  spectacle  that  would  make  the 
practical  building  contractor  either  go 
daft  or  split  something  in  his  laughter. 

The  construction  process  went  on 
after  the  fashion  of  automobile  assembl¬ 
ing  in  a  big  plant.  Hardly  was  a  wall 
set  in  or  a  door  swung  by  one  man 
when  another  came  along  with  paint 
buckets  and  so  on.  In  a  week  every 
room  was  complete  and  habitable.  In 
that  house  you  could  have  cooked  with 
gas  and  electricity,  bathed  and  built  a 
fire  in  a  fireplace.  Dreier  couldn’t  guar¬ 
antee  the  roof  in  a  cloudburst  and  he 
wouldn’t  have  know  what  to  do  with 
the  water  in  case  of  a  bath,  as  the  house 
had  no  drainage.  But  it  looked  like  the 
real  McCoy  from  any  angle. 

What  always  strikes  Dreier  as  the 
most  ticklish  undertaking  is  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  set  Josef  von  Sternberg 
used,  which  even  after  it  was  up  and 
ready  to  be  photographed,  resembled  a 
jig-saw  puzzle  in  disarray. 

Centuries  of  people  had  lived  in  this 
little  community,  and  centuries  of  re¬ 
pairs  had  gone  into  it.  Lean-to’s  and 
cubicles  and  exposed  stairways  had 
been  built  from  time  to  time,  according 
to  the  script,  and  the  Basques  who 
lived  there  had  no  idea  of  form. 

Hence,  Dreier  had  to  sketch  some  of 
these  additions  as  fifty  years  old,  others 
100  years  old,  and  they  all  had  to  be 
projected  out  of  a  house  front  that  was 
perhaps  200  years  old.  Moreover,  all 
this  had  to  be  built  out  of  new  lumber. 
There’s  nothing  so  difficult,  he  claims, 
as  trying  to  make  new  timber  appear 
bent  and  warped  with  age. 

The  entire  scheme,  viewed  by  the 
naked  eye,  looked  very  idiotic  before 
the  troupe  stepped  on  the  set.  But 
later  when  the  lights  burned  on  it,  the 
camera  lens  dissolved  each  bit  as  a  sep¬ 
arate  unit  and  each  eye-ful  represented 
what  is  known  as  local  color. 

Architect  Dreier  had  his  first  film 
set  training  in  Germany  in  those  days 
when  Ufa  turned  out  such  pictures  as 
“Passion,”  “Peter  the  Greek,”  “Dan- 
ton’  ’and  “Dr.  Caligary’s  Cabinet.”  He 
worked  on  all  of  them.  He  has  been 
at  Paramount  twelve  years  and  consid¬ 
ers  “The  Patriot,”  an  Emil  Jannings  pic¬ 
ture  of  seven  years  ago,  and  “Caprice 
Espagnol”  his  masterpieces. 


55 

FILMS  AID  GOVERNMENT 

(Continued  from  Page  40) 

“It  is  amazing,”  said  the  Captain 
“what  remarkable  results  we  achieve  by 
the  use  of  these  pictures.  The  men 
learn  in  half  the  time  and  heartily  ap¬ 
prove  of  the  new  method  of  teaching.” 

A  new  picture  is  now  under  way 
called  “Coast  Defense,”— another  just 
finished  concerns  the  big  guns  and  their 
operation.  “Blind  Flying”  is  the  next 
on  schedule. 

On  inquiring  the  value  of  these  in¬ 
struction  motion  pictures  in  time  of  war 
Captain  Stodter  said: 

“It  is  not  now  our  purpose  to  instil 
any  propaganda  into  these  pictures. 
They  are  instructive  and  technical  only 
and  not,  of  course,  for  the  public  eye. 
But  —  in  the  event  of  war  —  pictures 
could  and  would  be  used  for  ‘morale’ 
purposes,  it  is  believed,  with  excellent 
effect.” 

In  the  Washington  studio  files,  at 
present,  are  literally  miles  of  film  taken 
during  the  World  War,  the  Russian 
Revolution  and  the  recent  Chinese- 
Japanese  fracas.  Much  of  this  footage 
is  untitled  and  much,  even,  unidentified. 
It  is  the  job  of  some  few  hard  working 
government  men  to  untangle  this  mass 
of  pictorial  informatien  and  cut,  title 
and  file  it  for  use  in  making  tactical 
pictures.  So  far,  according  to  Captain 
Stodter,  it  is  like  putting  together  a 
gigantic  puzzle.  The  value  of  these 
pictures  is  tremendous,  but  undreamed¬ 
of  at  the  time  they  were  taken,  and 
later,  dumped  on  an  indifferent  Wash¬ 
ington.  Well  —  Washington  is  no 
longer  indifferent  to  the  motion  picture. 
In  fact  a  bill  is  being  presented  to  Con¬ 
gress  shortly  which  will,  if  it  goes 
through,  enable  more  money  to  be 
placed  at  the  War  Office  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  making  more  and  better  in¬ 
struction  pictures. 

This  is  the  very  first  attempt  at  a  de¬ 
finitely-formed  plan  to  make  use  of  the 
motion  picture  as  a  quick  and  effective 
means  of  mass  teaching. 

It  will  undobutedly  be  the  fore-run¬ 
ner  of  many  branches  of  teaching  by 
this  method. 

The  world  is  watching  this  experi¬ 
ment  with  keenest  interest.  Holly¬ 
wood  studios,  executives  and  technicians 
are  helping  to  the  limit  of  their  re¬ 
serves. 

The  outcome  should  be  of  value  to 
the  people  as  well  as  the  Army.  We 
hope  you  are  as  concerned  as  we  for 
the  continued  success  of  this  modern, 
enterprising  venture. 


Astronomy  Aids  Art  Department 


(Continued  from  Page  23) 


56 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


HAYS’  ORGANIZATION 

(Continued  from  Page  11) 

picture  in  a  way  that  corresponds  to 
the  corollary  reading  that  we  all  used  to 
have  to  do  in  high  school.  Not  long 
ago  my  son,  who  is  a  Freshman  in  coh 
lege,  brought  his  sweetheart,  who  is  a 
High  School  girl,  to  dinner.  “When 
will  “A  Tale  of  Two  Cities  show  here?” 
she  asked.  “I  am  going  to  see  it  as  part 
of  my  school  work.”  This  same  was 
true  in  hundreds  of  schools  throughout 
the  country  in  relation  to  “David  Cop- 
perfield,”  “Sequoia,”  “Alice  in  Wonder' 
land,”  “The  Little  Minister,”  Les  Mis' 
erables”  and  “Anne  of  Green  Gables. 

The  machinery  by  which  this  eventU' 
ates  is  again  entirely  volunteer.  The 
first  group  to  issue  study  guides  on  pic' 
tures  and  recommend  them  to  schools 
for  general  attendance  by  school  chib 
dren  was  the  National  Council  of 
Teachers  of  English.  Immediate  sue- 
cess  of  this  innovation  from  the  educa- 
tional  standpoint  led  to  similar  work  by 
the  National  Education  Association. 
Thus  we  see  that,  as  the  screen  offers 
more  and  more  of  definitely  high  type 
entertainment,  our  American  commun¬ 
ity  more  and  more  absorbs  that  class 
entertainment. 

Mr.  Hays  has  sought  to  further  the 
recognition  by  educational  and  other 
groups  of  the  character-building  value 
as  well  as  the  informational  power  of 
fine  pictures.  He  recommended  to  his 
Board  of  Directors  that  they  make 
available  to  one  volunteer  group  ex¬ 
cerpts  from  leading  feature  pictures,  so 
that  these  might  be  used  definitely  in 
class  rooms,  from  the  character  building 
standpoint.  This  suggestion  was  ap¬ 
proved,  the  offer  made  and  accepted.  A 
series  called  “Secrets  of  Success”  is  now 
being  tried  out  in  the  New  York  city 
schools,  having  been  edited  and  pre¬ 
pared  by  the  Committee  on  Social  Val¬ 
ues  in  Motion  Pictures.  This  Commit¬ 
tee  consists  of  Howard  M.  LeSourd, 
Ph.D.,  Chairman,  Dean  of  the  Boston 
University  Graduate  School;  Florence 
Hale,  L.H.D.,  Editor,  “The  Grade 
Teacher”  and  former  President,  The 
National  Education  Association;  Mark 
A.  May,  Ph.D.,  Executive  Secretary, 
The  Institute  of  Human  Relations, 
Yale  University;  Frank  N.  Freeman, 
Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Psychology,  The 
University  of  Chicago,  and  Miriam  Van 
Waters,  Ph.D.,  Penologist  and  member 
of  the  Harvard  Crime  Survey. 

What  is  done  in  each  instance  is  to 
take  some  climactic  point  in  the  picture, 
where  the  character  has  to  make  an  im¬ 
portant  life  decision.  Enough  of  the 


“BE  YOURSELF” 

(Continued  from  Page  13) 

slacks,  shorts,  a  housedress  or  an  evening 
gown.  No  one  even  stares.  It’s  a  town 
where  you  can  “be  yourself”  without 
feeling  conspicuous.  That  is  why,  to  an 
individualist,  Hollywood  is  truly  a  Mec¬ 
ca.  Big  parties  are  a  thing  of  the  past 
among  those  stars  who  still  find  time  to 
be  social.  Informal  tennis  parties,  casual 
little  dinners  and  an  occasional  dance, 
are  the  limits  of  the  entertainment  per¬ 
mitted.  In  order  to  win  to  a  stellar 
place  it  is  necessary  to  work  unceasingly. 
One  is  often  too  tired  to  entertain  ex¬ 
tensively  and  a  moment’s  rest  between 
pictures  usually  means  a  little  trip  for 
relaxation.  I  take  a  trip  up  north  when 
I  can  find  time,  with  my  husband,  and 
spend  a  week  fishing  and  camping  on  a 
mountain  stream.  And  you’ll  find  that 
most  of  the  other  stars  follow  that  gen¬ 
eral  rule— simple  living  and  hard  work!” 

There  is  an  outline  of  the  Holly¬ 
wood  stars’  routine,  by  one  of  them.  We 
believe  Bette  Davis  knows  whereof  she 
speaks. 

In  other  words,  star  or  otherwise — 
Be  Yourself! 

«W7) 

picture  is  shown  to  give  the  background 
and  the  compelling  pull  of  psycholog¬ 
ical  forces  one  way  or  the  other.  Then 
the  picture  stops  just  before  the  charac¬ 
ter  makes  the  decision  and  the  children, 
needing  no  encouragement,  launch  into 
a  discussion  of  what  they  would  have 
done  if  they  had  been  in  that  charac¬ 
ter’s  place.  Or,  if  the  character  makes 
his  decision,  the  children  discuss,  “Right 
or  wrong?”  Many  educators  have  given 
high  praise  to  this  graphic  method  of 
laying  before  young  people  the  issues 
involved  in  important  life  decisions. 

All  these  and  many  other  develop¬ 
ments  indicate  the  strides  that  the  mo¬ 
tion  picture  industry  has  made  since 
the  days  when  it  began  as  a  sort  of 
peep-show  in  penny  arcades. 

Today  there  is  no  phase  of  modern 
life  in  which  the  screen  does  not  seem 
to  have  a  useful  role  in  entertainment, 
information  and  stimulus  to  thought. 

At  all  times  we  must  keep  that  enter¬ 
tainment  purpose  first.  The  screen 
would  be  defeating  itself  and  failing  in 
its  purpose  if  it  ever  subordinated  en¬ 
tertainment  and  attempted  to  take  the 
place  of  church,  home  or  school.  But 
to  all  these  agencies  the  best  of  our  en¬ 
tertainment  pictures  by  their  very  na¬ 
ture  can  be  of  aid.  One  of  the  stead¬ 
fast  purposes  of  the  industry  operating 
through  the  organisation  headed  by  Mr. 
Hays  is  to  develop  constantly  these 
phases  of  service. 


MAX  STEINER 

(Continued  from  Page  21) 
assuredly  gives  the  picture  a  piquant 
touch  that  enhances  its  entertainment 
value  considerably. 

In  order  correctly  to  score  motion  pic¬ 
tures  a  peculiar  “knack”  is  essential. 
Sometimes  natural  talent  provides  this 
special  adroitness  but  unfortunately,  if 
not  inherent,  it  can  rarely  be  developed. 
The  composer  must  enjoy  this  new  phase 
of  creative  art  or  his  scoring  will  not 
be  really  sympathetic  and  expressive  of 
the  mood  of  the  pictured  story;  a  truism 
which,  I  believe,  holds  good  of  any  cre¬ 
ative  endeavor. 

I  stay  up  all  night  and  ruin  my  eyes 
until  a  film  is  completed  to  the  last  se¬ 
quence,  because  if  I  stop  for  a  breathing 
space  I  lose  the  feel  of  the  story  and  my 
scoring  is  relatively  less  perfect. 

Did  you  know  that  the  pitch  of  a 
voice  has  to  be  carefully  noted  by  the 
musical  director?  If  a  bass  fiddle  or  bass 
register  scoring  were  permitted  to  thread 
through  the  background  of  words  spoken 
by  an  actor  with  a  gruff  voice,  the  effect 
would  be  funny  and  the  words  lost  in  a 
growling  roar.  A  high,  soaring  melody 
is  the  appropriate  setting  for  a  deep 
voice  as  it  outlines  the  spoken  words.  In 
the  case  of  little  Freddie  Bartholomew 
in  Lord  Fauntleroy,  I  used  low  notes 
and  soft,  deep  wood-winds  to  back  his 
childish  treble.  It  is  the  same  idea  as 
getting  the  correct  setting  for  a  gown  of 
a  certain  shade;  harmony  has  to  prevail 
or  the  effect  would  be  disastrous. 

Pictures  which  I  have  had  the  good 
fortune  to  score  are:  “Follow  the  Fleet”, 
“King  Kong”,  “Flying  Down  to  Rio”, 
“Top  Hat”  and  “Little  Lord  Fauntle- 
roy.”  There  are  many  more  but  these 
will  best  bear  out  the  ideas  I  have  out¬ 
lined  in  this  talk. 

I  sincerely  hope  that  I  have  answered 
some  of  your  unspoken  questions  regard¬ 
ing  the  musical  themes  that  add  so  much 
to  motion  pictures;  I  am  happy  to  have 
the  opportunity  to  describe  the  process 
for  the  benefit  of  the  many  music-lovers 
whom  we  value  as  critical  and  appreci¬ 
ative  motion  picture  fans. 

MEN’S  FASHIONS 

(Continued  from  Page  53) 
ed  in  track  sports  and  rowing.  As  it  is 
invariably  loose-fitting,  it  may  be  slipped 
on  and  off  easily  and  is  ideal  for  almost 
any  type  of  active  sport. 

The  influence  of  styles  created  in  Hol¬ 
lywood  and  worn  by  the  actors  of  the 
screen  is  reflected  in  an  increasing 
smartness  and  ease  of  wear  and  design 
for  men’s  apparel  throughout  America, 
and  you  have  our  assurance  that  these 
words  are  the  echo  of  hundreds  of  styl¬ 
ists  and  top-notch  tailors  both  in  Ameri¬ 
ca  and  in  Europe. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


57 


Helene  Curtis  Id  JMI  IP  HR.  Id 


Revolutionizes  Efficiency  for  the 
Beauty  Salon  Owner 


WORLD  PEACE  IS  MY  GOAL 

(Continued  from  Page  27) 

— I  do  the  same  with  my  other  efforts. 
One  thing  at  a  time,  with  every  ounce 
of  energy  concentrated  upon  that  thing, 
will  accomplish  a  thousand  times  more 
than  spreading  one’s  energies  upon  a 
number  of  diverse  interests  throughout 
the  day.  Do  you  see  what  I  mean?” 

What  a  splendid  philosophy — do  one 
thing  at  a  time  but  do  it  well. 

Mr.  Lederer’s  conversation  is  graceful' 
ly  punctured  by  the  mobile  use  of  his 
hands.  His  favorite  gesture  is  to  hold 
his  hands  like  a  potter  modeling  a  bowl 
which  he  shapes  as  he  talks,  his  words 
emphasised  by  the  rounding  movements 
in  a  manner  that  is  fascinating.  Just 
to  watch  him  intrigued  me  so  that  some 
times  his  spoken  words  scarcely  regis' 
tered,  such  was  the  interest  and  the  fair 
vision  aroused  by  his  very  expressive 
hands  moulding  images  in  the  air  be- 
fore  my  eyes.  He  truly  believes  that  the 
peoples  of  the  world  desire  peace,  that 
if  they  say  so  and  their  mass  signatures 
can  be  presented  to  World  Courts  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  permission  to 
vote  their  choice,  war  will  be  outlawed 
and  world  peace  will  become  a  supreme 
reality. 

“You  see,”  Mr.  Lederer  continued,  his 
dark  eyes  glowing  with  eager  light, 
“war  is  based  on  the  premise  that  armed 
fighting  is  the  legal  way  for  countries  to 
settle  political  differences.  Just  as  soon 
as  the  peoples  of  the  world  gain  their 
vote  and  their  own  choice  in  the  matter, 
then,  and  then  only,  will  war  be  out' 
moded  and  beyond  the  machinations  of 
political  and  international  intrigue.” 

He  is  right,  that  is  the  promising  part 
of  it.  His  plan  is  sound  and  feasible; 
his  idea  based  on  definite  thought  and 
careful  calculation.  His  efforts  have  so 
far  been  rewarded  by  the  formation  of 
an  international  force  over  600,000 
strong  of  progressively  minded  men  and 
women,  who  are  working  prodigiously 
for  the  principles  of  World  Peace  as 
presented  by  Francis  Lederer. 

And  all  this  from  the  brain  of  a 
young  man  of  twenty-nine  who  has  cap' 
tured  the  audience  of  the  screen  as  well 
as  the  stage,  who  is  acknowledged  to 
be  an  outstanding  member  of  the  thea' 
trical  profession.  Amazing,  is  it  not? 

My  good  wishes  join  with  those  of 
the  “Insider”  company  for  the  success 
of  the  World  Peace  Federation  in  its 
commendable  aims.  Good  Luck,  Fran' 
cis  Lederer! 


PICTURED  below  is  the  Helene  Curtis 
EMPRESS  hair  dryer — Monarch  of 
Speed — a  product  of  the  National 
Mineral  Company  of  Chicago.  As  the 
world's  largest  manufacturers  of  beauty 
shop  equipment  and  supplies  they  have 
introduced  the  EMPRESS  dryer  to  beau¬ 
ticians  of  Hollywood  who  are  privileged 
to  serve  the  most  beautiful  women  in 
all  the  world.  Their  success,  both  from 
an  economical  viewpoint  and  from  the 
merited  approval  of  the  beauticians' 
satisfied  patrons,  confirms  why  the 
Helene  Curtis  EMPRESS  dryer  has  revo¬ 
lutionized  the  hair  drying  technique  in 
beauty  salons  the  world  over. 


Helene  Curtis  EMPRESS 
Monarch  of  Speed 


No  other  dryer  so  convincingly  meets 
all  the  essential  requirements  of  the 
present  day  beauty  specialist.  Here  is 
unmatched  speed,  greater  operating 
economy  and  an  unequalled  appear¬ 
ance  and  attractiveness — skillfully  com¬ 
bined  in  one  dryer  whose  surprising 
comfort  to  your  patrons  immediately 
popularizes  your  salon  for  its  modern 
methods. 


▼ 

COMFORT  .  .  . 

Comfort  is  assured  the  patron  because 
of  many  exclusive  new  Empress  fea¬ 
tures.  Drying  the  hair  in  one  third  the 
time,  it  includes  a  patron-controlled 
heat  switch  and  a  choice  of  four  differ¬ 
ent  warm  and  one  cold  temperature 
levels.  No  air  can  blow  upon  the  face, 
neck  or  ears  and  the  dryer  is  instantly 
adjusted  to  any  height  or  to  any  size 
chair. 

SPEED  .  .  . 

Phenomenal  speed  is  attained  through 
a  radical  patented  departure  from  or¬ 
dinary  dryers.  The  EMPRESS  is  first  to 
apply  the  law  of  physics  to  hair  drying 
action.  Forty  two  tubes  project  air — 
warmed  by  its  heating  coils — directly 
into  the  hair  at  right  angles.  This  air 
dries  through  the  wave-setting  fluid  in 
small  circles  right  down  to  the  scalp, 
then  mushrooms  and  reflects  outward. 
Within  ten  minutes  every  strand  of  hair 
from  root  to  tip  is  wholly  dry. 

ECONOMY.  .  . 

Drying  in  one  third  the  time — with  its 
amperage  and  voltage  reduced  to  a 
lower  efficient  minimum — the  EMPRESS 
naturally  needs  only  one  third  the  elec¬ 
tric  expense.  Think  of  the  economy  of 
a  string  of  four  EMPRESS  dryers  which 
can  perform  the  same  work  as  eight  gas 
dryers  at  a  smaller  investment  and 
operating  cost.  The  structural  advan¬ 
tages  and  quality  of  materials  insures 
an  economical  investment  without  re¬ 
placement.  Savings  in  time  and  floor 
space  are  added  EMPRESS  attractions. 

BEAUTY .  .  . 

The  design  of  the  EMPRESS  expresses 
simplicity  and  grace  in  its  streamline 
appearance.  It  is  finished  in  satin 
black  with  gleaming  chromium  and 
stainless  steel  appointments  to  harmon¬ 
ize  with  any  decorative  scheme  so  that 
its  beauty  enhances  the  appearance  of 
every  salon. 


58 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  19  36 


Better  See  Peggy 

(Continued  from  Page  19) 


George  Ham.  Fortunately,  the  number 
of  cases  requiring  such  attention  are 
comparatively  few.  The  bulk  of  the 
business  demanding  medical  attention  is 
handled  every  efficiently  in  the  studio 
hosptial. 

Whether  it  be  a  nervous  headache 
or  the  remnant  ©f  a  beautiful  binge, 
Peggy  has  a  remedy  for  it.  A  mote  in 
an  eye  or  a  rusty  nail  in  a  foot,  Peggy 
takes  care  of  it  with  equal  facility.  Her 
army  training  is  very  evident  in  the 
easy  cameraderie  with  which  she  treats 
everyone.  No  respector  of  persons  is 
Miss  Coleman.  A  high-powered  execu¬ 
tive  or  a  lowly  laborer  look  alike  to 
Peggy.  So  far  as  she  is  concerned,  they 
are  both  patients  needing  medical  atten¬ 
tion. 

Most  of  the  stars  and  quite  a  few  of 
the  executives  have  little  minor  ailments 
which  they  foster  and  almost  fondle. 
Straight  to  Peggy  they  come  with  their 
complaints.  From  her  vast  store  of  ac¬ 
cumulated  knowledge,  Miss  Coleman  is 
able  to  suggest  a  remedy  or  treatment 
that  seems  to  satisfy.  At  any  rate,  they 
all  go  away  comforted  and  that  is  all 
one  can  expect  from  any  practioner. 


FREE  AND 
MORE  FUN! 

Don't  tickets  cost  more  at  Cook's? 
Isn't  there  an  added  charge  for 
the  expert  assistance  of  the 
world's  largest  tour  organiza¬ 
tion?  Not  at  all.  Our  fares  are 
at  published  tariff  rates — and  it's 
much  more  fun  having  your  own 
travel  agency  than  trying  to  do 
our  business  yourself  without  our 
facilities.  We  have  all  the  sched¬ 
ules — hence,  give  personal  impar¬ 
tial  recommendations.  Know  how 
to  save  you  money  and  where 
you  ought  to  spend  it.  Suggest 
your  best  route,  the  best  places, 
and  then  make  the  arrangements. 
Send  you  off  absolutely  carefree, 
with  Cook's  at  your  command. 
There's  no  premium.  Seeing  the 
world  is  even  better  if  you  see 
Cook's  firstl 

9 


Thos.  Cook  &  Son — Wagons-Lits  Inc. 
520  W.  6th  St.,  Los  Angeles — TR  3101 


Not  only  do  her  many  friends  on  the 
lot  come  to  her  with  their  personal 
medical  problems,  but  they  seek  advice 
for  other  members  of  their  families,  so 
great  is  their  confidence  in  Peggy  Cole¬ 
man. 

Whenever  a  technical  adviser  is 
needed  for  a  set  portraying  a  hospital 
or  medical  station,  Peggy  is  called  upon. 
With  expert  knowledge,  she  places  the 
equipment  in  its  proper  place  and  dem¬ 
onstrates  the  uses  for  strange  and  be¬ 
wildering  appliances.  Many  a  stage  and 
screen  surgeon  and  nurse  are  taught  the 
rudiments  of  their  cinema  calling  by  the 
adept  Peggy. 

Sometimes  a  company  on  location  re¬ 
quires  a  medical  attendant  and  in  such 
cases,  a  surgeon  and  assistant  nurse  are 
sent  along,  but  Peggy  rarely  leaves  the 
lot. 

The  studio  committee  of  personal 
safety  is  composed  of  most  of  the  heads 
of  the  various  departments.  These 
gentlemen  are  so  impressed  with  the 
need  of  prompt  medical  attention  to  the 
injured,  that  they  have  erected  signs 
throughout  the  studio  grounds.  These 
signs  read — “Anyone  receiving  an  in¬ 
jury,  no  matter  how  slight,  must  report 
at  once  to  the  studio  hospital.”  The 
penalty  for  failure  to  comply  with  this 
order  is  instant  dismissal  and  the  refusal 
of  compensation  for  loss  of  work.  The 
far  reaching  effects  of  seemingly  trivial 
wounds  are  too  costly  to  leave  to 
chance.  The  studio  management  insists 
on  immediate  examination,  and  so  the 
order  which  everyone  heeds  is:  “You 
better  see  Peggy.” 


MOTION  PICTURE  ACADEMY 

(Continued  from  Page  4) 

is  the  operation  of  the  Academy  stand¬ 
ard  weekly  contract  and  day  player 
agreement  which  has  resulted  in  prac¬ 
tically  eliminating  the  controversies  as 
to  working  conditions  that  previously 
were  of  frequent  occurrence.  Many  of 
the  major  studios  have  signed  the  Acad¬ 
emy  Codes  guaranteeing  free-lance  play¬ 
ers  one  to  ten  weeks  employment.  In 
addition,  the  Academy  weekly  contract 
was  used  for  a  large  number  of  engage¬ 
ments  of  dancers,  singers  and  “bit”  play¬ 
ers  at  guaranteed  weekly  salaries.  Out 
of  a  large  total  of  various  kinds  of  en¬ 
gagements  made  under  this  improved 
contract,  the  Actors  Adjustment  Com¬ 
mittee  were  called  upon  to  decide  the 
relatively  few  disagreements  that  arose 
of  these  the  majority  were  settled  in¬ 
formally  through  the  able  handling  of 
Jacque  Pierre,  the  Committee’s  repre¬ 


sentative.  The  Academy  standard  week¬ 
ly  contract  contains  a  clause  making  it 
optional  for  a  player  to  refer  any  con¬ 
troversy  or  adjustment  to  the  Academy 
machinery  for  settlement.  By  far  the 
major  portion  of  motion  picture  players 
have  been  only  too  glad  to  avail  them¬ 
selves  of  the  facilities  offered  by  the 
Academy. 

An  annual  survey  giving  illuminating 
statistics  on  employment  in  the  indus¬ 
try,  is  compiled.  For  example,  it  trans¬ 
pired  that  the  ranks  of  the  busiest  film 
actors  were  largely  increased  in  1935 
over  1934  by  Hollywood  studios,  many 
prominent  actors  and  actresses  having 
six  or  more  featured  roles  to  their  cred¬ 
it  during  the  year.  Various  newcomers 
to  the  films  were  given  conspicuously 
better  parts,  we  learn,  and  “bit”  players 
who  had  acquitted  themselves  especially 
well,  received  major  roles. 

A  new  Academy  activity  that  prom¬ 
ises  to  be  of  inestimable  value  as  time 
goes  on,  is  the  inauguration  of  a  library. 
Mr.  Gledhill  speaks  with  satisfaction  of 
the  growing  list  of  books  and  material 
of  all  kinds  pertaining  to  the  inception 
and  development  of  the  arts  and  science 
of  the  motion  picture  industry  that  is 
the  nucleus  of  the  complete  collection 
they  hope  eventually  to  own.  They  al¬ 
ready  boast  several  copies  of  books  rela¬ 
tive  to  the  earliest  struggles  for  survi¬ 
val  of  this,  then,  delicate  infant  that  has 
since  become  a  veritable  giant.  There  are 
some  bound  volumes  of  magazines  that 
preceded  the  “fan”  magazine  as  we  now 
know  it.  A  few  of  these  volumes  have 
been  purchased  but  most  of  them  have 
been  donated  by  persons  whose  generous 
and  thougfhtful  spirit  prompts  them  to 
place  such  material  where  it  can  be  used 
for  reference  and  research  and  so  be  of 
widest  use. 

The  amount  of  correspondence  re¬ 
ceived  from  all  over  the  world  indicates 
an  international  interest  in  the  Acad¬ 
emy  and  its  work.  A  surprising  amount 
of  fan  mail  is  directed  to  its  attention, 
many  people  in  far  places  evidently  hav¬ 
ing  the  impression  that  through  its  cour¬ 
teous  officers  their  favorite  star  may 
safely  be  addressed. 

So  the  Academy  is  an  effective  in¬ 
strument  which  functions  for  the  bene¬ 
fit  of  the  whole  motion  picture  industry. 
Its  value  as  a  considerable  factor  in  the 
development  of  good  will  between  stu¬ 
dio  executives  and  studio  employees  is 
already  proven;  its  definitely  constructive 
programs  and  operation  is  a  constant 
source  of  satisfaction  and  “ The  Insider” 
is  glad  of  this  opportunity  to  express 
appreciation  and  all  good  wiishes  for 
the  continued  growth  and  expansion  of 
the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts 
and  Sciences. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


59 


HAL  MOHR 

(Continued  from  Page  31) 

Incidentally,  the  huge  sound-stage 
which  contained  the  set  for  the  “Dream” 
is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  industry, 
and  it  was  a  beautiful  sight  when  we 
had  it  finally  ready  for  shooting.  An 
entire  grass  plot  was  used,  with  actual 
sod,  for  the  woodland  scene,  and  huge 
sycamore  trees  were  planted  on  knolls 
and  dells  to  give  the  effect  of  the  love' 
ly  forest  where  Shakespeare  had  laid  the 
scene  for  his  most  unique  farce. 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  make-up  for 
trees  and  flowers?  That  was  done  on 
the  set  I  speak  of.  Moss  was  draped 
from  the  tree  branches — flowers  were 
placed  in  effective  groupings — a  small 
pool  was  built  into  the  ground,  and 
rushes  planted  around  it  artistically. 
The  result  was  beautiful  and  arresting 
especially  after  the  hose  had  drenched 
everything  into  freshness  ready  for  a 
“take.”  The  actors  spent  time  on  the 
set  resting  in  chairs  and  cooling  off  in 
the  green  springlike  freshness  from  the 
heat  of  the  California  sun  outside. 

As  Mr.  Cagney  remarked:  “We  ought 
to  have  a  picnic  here,  it  looks  like  a  nice 
spot.” 

Other  pictures  of  mine  which  pre¬ 
sented  difficulties  are  too  numerous  to 
mention,  but  each  and  every  picture 
to  the  cameraman  is  a  different  problem, 
to  be  handled  in  a  new  and  different  way. 
I  have  just  completed  the  filming  of 
“Green  Pastures”  which  presented  a 
problem  of  its  own,  being  composed  of 
a  cast  of  Negro  actors.  Lighting  the  Ne¬ 
gro  coloring  is  different  from  that  of  a 
white  person.  Strangely  enough,  due 
to  the  fact  that  their  skins  reflect  a  cer¬ 
tain  amount  of  light,  less  light  is  need¬ 
ed  in  photographing  them.  A  white  per¬ 
son  needs  light  to  bring  out  features, 
but  Negroes  have  no  necessity  for  high¬ 
lighting,  due  to  the  fact  that  their  char¬ 
acteristic  face-structure  and  their  natural 
color  and  equally  natural  highlight  aids 
the  camera  considerably.  Another  dis¬ 
covery,  you  see! 

Right  now  I  am  working  on  Mr. 
Edward  G.  Robinson’s  new  picture,  and 
spend  most  of  my  time  in  the  studio  lab¬ 
oratory  and  on  the  set. 

I  have  been  asked  to  say  something 
to  young  men  who  wish  to  become  cam¬ 
eramen.  There  isn’t  much  to  say,  real¬ 
ly,  except  that  the  increased  interest  in 
photography  due  to  the  easier  methods 
of  making  amateur  films  has  resulted 
in  my  receiving  a  host  of  inquiries  con¬ 
cerning  the  chances  of  working  in  a 
studio.  It’s  a  nearly  impossible  thing 


to  accomplish.  In  the  first  plaec  there 
is  always  a  list  of  available  men  who 
are  accomplished  technicians  in  this 
branch  of  photography,  which  is  a  spe¬ 
cialised  work,  it  is  difficult  to  get  train¬ 
ing  for  it.  Now,  some  of  the  colleges 
and  universities  are  giving  training  in 
motion  picture  technique,  so  maybe  there 
will  be  more  opportunity  for  the  young 
man  who  wishes  to  start  a  cameraman’s 
career. 

But  I  warn  him — it  isn’t  easy. 

These  few  sidelights  will  perhaps  aid 
in  your  appreciation  of  your  next  pic¬ 
ture,  from  the  purely  photographic 
standpoint.  I  hope  so.  And  lfet  me  say 
that  after  the  work  is  completed  and 
the  many  difficulties  overcome,  it  is  a 
great  pleasure  to  receive  the  Academy 
Award  Statuette  as  a  reward  for  hard 
work  and  creative  effort  and  I  am  deep¬ 
ly  grateful  for  the  honor. 

EPICUREAN  DELIGHTS 

(Continued  from  Page  54) 

—  RECIPE  — 

P01TR1HE  DE  PIHTADE 
PERIGORD 

Select  young  guinea  hens  weighing  about 
2  to  2Yi  pounds  each,  counting  one  bird 
to  two  guests.  Remove  meat  whole 
from  breast,  skin  and  wash  thoroughly, 
dry  and  season  with  salt,  pepper  and  a 
dash  of  nutmeg,  moisten  liberally  with 
very  fine  cognac  and  let  marinate  while 
preparing  Truffle  Sauce. 

TRUFFLE  SAUCE 

Take  the  skinned  and  washed  carcases 
of  the  birds  from  which  the  breast  meat 
was  removed  and  cut  into  small  pieces. 
Fry  in  heavy  pan  with  half  clear  butter 
and  half  olive  oil  until  nice  and  brown 
then  add  a  little  chopped  celery,  chop¬ 
ped  carrots,  chopped  onions,  sprig  of 
parsley,  small  piece  of  bay  leaf  and  a 
pinch  of  thyme.  Let  simmer  for  a 
while  then  lightly  dust  with  flour  and 
stir  very  thoroughly.  Let  simmer  slow¬ 
ly  for  \/i  hours,  skimming  frequently. 
Strain  through  a  fine  strainer  and  let 
come  to  a  boil  once.  Stir  again,  season 
to  taste  and  set  aside.  Heat  some  but¬ 
ter  and  add  truffles  chopped  very  fine 
and  let  them  simmer  for  fifteen  minutes 
then  add  the  sauce  previously  prepared. 
Pour  mixture  in  double  boiler,  let  come 
to  boil  and  add  one  full  glass  of  good 
sherry  and  a  large  piece  of  sweet  but¬ 
ter,  stirring  all  the  time.  Set  aside  and 
keep  hot  for  service  but  do  not  boil 
again. 

Take  the  seasoned  breast  meats  and 
cook  in  clear  butter  until  brown  on  both 
sides.  Serve  on  toast  with  Truffle  Sauce. 


Invariably. . . 

the  Banquet,  Dinner  or  House 
Party  catered  by  Premiere  is  a 
pronounced  success — whether 
given  in  your  home  or  our 
luxurious  Banquet  Hall. 

We  assume  full  responsibility 
for  functions  of  any  size. 

FANCY  ICE  CREAM  NOVELTIES 


Catered  by  Premiere 

^P/wmi&tc  GaM&iA 

A  Banquet  Halls.  Ice  Cream.  Pastry.  Candy 

3908  WIL5HIRE  BOULEVARD,  (AT  ST. ANDREWS  PLACE) 
LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 
DRexel  3163 


As 


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Lower  your  cost  by 
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A  complete  stock 
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Prove  your  ability  in 


SELECTING  A  CAST 
STARS  and  PLAYERS  FOR  A 

SCENARIO 


15  Valuable  Cash  Prizes  Are  Awarded 
in  this  CASTING  CONTEST 

The  INSIDER'S  June  issue  will  include  an  original  and  interest¬ 
ing  story  dealing  with  a  plot  adaptable  to  screen  dramatization. 
Readers  are  invited  to  test  their  skill  in  choosing  the  complete 
cast  from  among  the  roster  of  living  present  day  film  folk  from 
all  studios.  The  15  best  selected  casts  as  judged  by  an  impartial 
group  of  Hollywood  casting  directors  will  receive  impressive 
monetary  prizes. 

Here  is  your  opportunity  to  cast  your  favorite  stars  and  players  in 
the  parts  that  you  feel  they  can  portray  the  best. 


THE  JUDGES: 

Will  be  men  thoroughly  familiar  with  this  delicate  job  of 
casting.  No  member  of  any  casting  department,  their  families 
or  those  connected  with  any  studios  will  be  permitted  to 
enter  the  contest.  Complete  details  in  our  June  Issue.  The 
judges'  decisions  will  be  final. 

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OF 

NEW 


One  of  the  many  intensely  interesting  features  of  the 


Motion  Picture  Studio  “INSIDER”  JUNE  ISSUE 


QOZh  g  w  WCQ  ^  D  2  U  *-hCQcod 


June,  1937 

WARDROBE  .  .  BY  ADRIAN 

(Continued  from  Page  46) 

But  don’t — ”,  he  added,  smiling,  “copy 
the  screen  costumes  you  see  exactly,  be- 
cause  they  are  often  too  “stagey’  for 
the  average  woman’s  wear.  Our  styles 
for  picture  purposes  are  many  times  the 
expression  of  the  ’mood’  of  the  star  in 
that  sequence — and  not  the  expression 
of  the  style  of  the  moment — so  don’t  be 
led  astray,  and  if  you  copy  screen  styles 
— do  so  in  moderation  and  use  the  ’idea 
more  than  the  exact  gown  or  suit  that 
you  admire.” 

Adrian  showed  us  some  lovely  gowns 
that  he  has  ’adapted’  from  screen  styles 
for  social  use.  These  gowns  are  pictured 
on  this  page,  and  best  illustrate  the  point 
he  made  in  the  above  statement.  Look 
at  the  pictures  carefully,  and  you  will 
see  how  he  cleverly  modifies  the  cos' 
tumes  that  you  will  recognise  as  recent 
screen  gowns  on  famous  stars.  The 
transparent  evening  coat,  which  you  see 
in  one  picture,  is  Adrian’s  original  de- 
sign,  and  has  been  worn  by  Joan  Craw- 
ford  in  a  number  of  different  scenes.  The 
adaptation  of  the  original  is  beautiful, 
flattering,  and  even  inexpensive  for  the 
average  girl  to  copy — and  think  how 
lovely  it  will  look  at  summer  dances, 
making  a  frame  of  stiff  lace  around  the 
face. 

Adrian  votes  for  the  plain  black  foun- 
dation  dress  for  street,  which  is  so  very 
good  now,  with  white  accessories.  In 
fact,  he  recommends  that  the  girl  with 
a  limited  income  prepare  herself  with 
a  few  welh  cut  and  extremely  simple 
costumes,  of  good  material,  and  to 
change  these  gowns  completely  by  the 
use  of  different  accessories. 

See  how  a  printed  dress  can  be  em¬ 
phasised  by  the  use  of  a  bit  of  the 
matching  material  on  the  hat?  Adrian 
pointed  out  that  the  predominating  col¬ 
or  of  the  print  can  be  brought  out  by  the 
use  of  accessories  that  match,  and  an 
equally  clever  effect  gained  by  matching 
the  note  of  color  that  is  found  in  most 
prints  that  are  new.  The  print  dress  in 
the  picture  is  of  black  and  white  with  a 
tiny  touch  of  red.  There  you  have 
three  costumes  in  one  by  using  black, 
red,  or  white  accessories  as  the  occasion 
demands.  Isn’t  it  a  grand  idea?  He 
showed  me  a  navy-and-white  print  with 
a  tiny  touch  of  yellow  here  and  there. 
A  yellow  bag,  hat  and  gloves  gave  a  de¬ 
lightful  effect,  while  a  more  conservative 
but  equally  smart  costume  was  gained 
by  the  use  of  navy  shoes,  bag  and  hat. 
You  yourself  can  do  wonders  with  that 
formula,  and  know  that  it  is  right  from 
one  of  the  best  authorities  on  the  studio 
lots. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

The  model  in  the  picture,  by-the-way, 
is  constantly  in  demand  at  the  studio  for 
her  lovely  manner  of  wearing  clothes. 
She  is  purposely  un-named — and  the 
highest-paid  model  in  Hollywood.  Ad¬ 
rian  calls  her  his  ’Society  Model,’  and 
that  is  exactly  what  she  is. 

Adrian  himself  is  a  handsome  young 
man,  and  an  artist  of  no  mean  ability 
in  other  ways  than  as  a  designer.  He 
paints  lovely  pictures  of  animals,  his  se¬ 
cret  hobby,  and  as  a  student  in  Paris  he 
devoted  much  of  his  study  time  to  this 
work.  That  is  one  reason  why  his  cos¬ 
tume  designs  have  such  flow  and  grace, 
because  he  follows  the  line  of  the  body 
— much  as  a  lovely  animal’s  coat  frames 
its  contours. 

He  is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  it 
was  Natacha  Rambova,  Rudolph  Valen¬ 
tino’s  second  wife,  who  brought  Adrian 
to  the  attention  of  Louis  B.  Mayer,  and 
it  was  his  designs  for  gowns  in  “Blood 
and  Sand  and  other  Valentino  pictures 
which  won  recognition  and  a  long  con¬ 
tract  for  him  at  the  studio  which  has  al¬ 
ways  been  his  own  home  lot — Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer. 

Adrian  works  in  a  huge  oval  room 
that  is  a  joy  in  interior  decoration.  A 
buff-colored  carpet — pale  walls  and  oys¬ 
ter-white  furniture  set  off  the  brilliant 
gowns  that  he  has  modeled  for  his  ap¬ 
proval  before  they  appear  on  the  screen. 
A  huge  mirror  lines  one  wall,  while  the 
other  is  a  series  of  windows  , facing  on 
the  busy  studio  street  and  shaded  with 
white  Venetian  blinds.  We  could  not 
help  but  think  how  very  often  the  grace¬ 
ful  figures  of  Jean  Harlow,  Joan  Craw¬ 
ford  and  the  lovely  Garbo  had  been  mir¬ 
rored  in  this  very  room. 

Adrian  is  a  modest  and  intelligent 
man,  with  a  rare  sense  of  humor.  He 
owns  and  runs  an  interior  decorating 
shop  which  deals  in  exclusive  designs  for 
beautiful  homes  on  Sunset  Boulevard 
right  next  door  to  the  famous  Trocadero 
night  club. 

He  loves  to  “go  wild”  in  exotic  de¬ 
signs  for  revues  and  palatial  scenes,  and 
when  you  see  “The  Great  Ziegfeld” 
please  notice  the  revue  numbers,  which 
Adrian  acknowledged  were  a  joy  to  de¬ 
sign. 

As  to  clothing  on  the  street  and  for 
evening,  Adiran  stresses  simple,  beauti¬ 
fully-cut  lines,  and  urges  that  women 
avoid  harsh  colors  and  intricately-cut 
clothes  that  break  up  the  lovely  lines  of 
the  natural  figure.  The  simple  black 
suit  in  the  picture  expresses  this  best, 
with  the  leopard  fur  as  the  only  orna¬ 
ment.  This  same  suit  can  be  changed  a 
hundred  ways,  with  the  addition  of  a 
tailored  white  blouse,  a  frilly  pink  one 
- — or  a  smartly  severe  white  vestee. 


61 

“GET  THE  PICTURE” 

(Continued  from  Page  33) 
scraper  roofs.  He  has  been  “squeezing 
a  bulb”  for  twelve  years,  but  the  high 
point  in  his  career  was  reached  recent¬ 
ly  when  he  was  awarded  second  price  at 
the  exhibit  of  portraits  held  at  the  San 
Diego  Exposition.  The  exhibit  featured 
portrait  studies  from  photographers  in 
27  different  countries  throughou  the 
world. 

Jones,  who  has  had  as  many  and  as 
varied  adventures  as  his  fellow  “bulb 
squeezers”,  is  typical  of  Hollywood’s 
still  men.  He  is  an  artist  in  a  portrait 
gallery,  specializing  in  feminine  studies, 
dainty  and  alluring,  but  his  versatility 
enables  him  to  make  the  stark,  drama¬ 
tic,  forbidding  studies  demanded  by  the 
Karloff  picture. 

Schafer  is  celebrated  for  his  tact  and 
diplomacy — and  also  for  the  ability  to 
scrap  like  a  wild  cat  when  scrapping  is 
needed  to  get  his  pictures.  He’s  an  ar¬ 
tist,  also — they’re  all  artists — and  if  you 
think  all  artists  are  of  the  smock-and- 
beret  wearing  type,  you  don’t  know 
your  Hollywood  still  men.  They’re  al¬ 
ways  ready  for  what  comes  —  whether 
it’s  cajoling  a  sitting  out  of  a  tempera¬ 
mental  star,  wrangling  time  to  make 
production  stills  from  a  director  behind 
schedule,  making  aerial  shots  from  a 
plane  or  shooting  from  the  cross-trees  of 
a  sailing  ship  in  a  storm. 

They’ll  get  their  pictures — in  spite  of 
hell  or  high  water! 


' Decorated  Cakes 

that  are  lovely  to  look  at  and  even 
more  delicious  to  eat.  Elite  bakers 
and  confectioners  like  nothing  bet¬ 
ter  than  to  create  special  confec¬ 
tions  in  keeping 
with  the  spirit  of 
your  party. 

Dependable  Deliveries 

’ice  cream 

CANDIES 
CAKES 

Telephone 
CRestview  9091 
Richmond  6262 

CATERING  COMPANY 

452  N.  Beverly  Drive 
Beverly  Hills 

Charge  Accounts  May  Be  Arranged 


62 

VICTOR  McLAGLEN 

(Continued  from  Page  9) 

“Every  intelligent  person  resents  and 
dislikes  the  possibility  of  war,”  said  Mr. 
McLaglen,  “but  there  is  no  denying  the 
fact  that  those  same  intelligent  people 
must  realize  the  necessity  for  defense 
preparations  so  that  in  the  event  of  for' 
eign  attack,  peace  will  be  much  more 
surely  and  quickly  established  because 
of  that  very  preparedness.” 

This,  remember,  is  the  opinion  of  a 
soldier.  The  future  is  precarious;  die- 
tatorships  are  instituted,  overruled  and 
overthrown.  In  the  general  political  tur- 
moil  and  the  unrest  that  is  felt  through- 
out  the  entire  world  due  to  the  deplor¬ 
able  poliitical  situation,  it  is  prepared¬ 
ness  that  will  prevent  many  a  too  im¬ 
pulsive  entrance  into  hostile  action.  Big 
nations  can  prevent  bloodshed  and  the 
bullying  of  weaker  peoples  only  by 
armed  watchfulness  and  the  drastic  en¬ 
forcement  of  law  and  order.  And  this 
belief  is  shared  by  legions  of  thinking 
people  who  are  not  army  veterans. 

To  prove  that  he  is  convinced  of  the 
wisdom  of  preparedness,  Victor  McLag- 
len  commands  his  own  troop,,  and  it  is 
an  interesting  sidelight  on  this  matter, 
that  through  the  Governor  of  Califor¬ 
nia,  the  State  Assembly  passed  a  special 
resolution  permitting  the  formation  of 
the  unit  and  McLaglen’s  command  as 
colonel. 

We  are  proud  to  have  such  a  man  in 
our  midst  and  the  “Insider’s”  observa¬ 
tion  is  that  Hollywood  should  be  safe 
for  a  long  time  to  come,  from  military 
strife,  internal  or  otherwise. 

Victor  McLaglen — we  salute  you! 

LOCATION 

As  Lawton  tells  it,  the  company  ran 
afoul  of  government  regulations  even 
before  getting  started  due  to  the  fact 
that  gasoline  driven  electric  power 
plants  are  not  allowed  aboard  steam 
operated  craft.  This  necessitated  the 
hiring  of  a  barge  to  go  with  the  steam¬ 
er,  carrying  the  power  plant. 

Then  someone  thought  it  would  be 
a  good  idea  to  establish  the  wardrobe 
department  on  the  barge,  there  be¬ 
ing  insufficient  room  for  it  aboard  the 
boat.  Tents  were  erected,  the  clothing 
stored  away  and  everything  got  under 
way.  However,  the  packet  and  its  tow 
had  not  proceeded  very  far  when  some¬ 
one  noticed  that  the  wardrobe  depart¬ 
ment  was  on  fire.  The  blaze  put  out, 
everyone  began  wondering  what  had 
caused  it,  and  finally  a  solution  was 
reached  when  it  was  found  that  the 
steamer  burnt  wood  instead  of  coal  or 
oil,  the  wood  sending  out  large  sparks 
which  settled  on  the  canvas.  This  ne- 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 
MARLENE  DIETRICH 

(Continued  from  Page  43) 

that  she  worked  as  an  extra  in  the  Berlin 
studio  of  the  UFA  producing  company. 
She  was  typed  in  this  work  as  a  society 
woman.  Her  marriage  to  Rudolph  Sie- 
ber,  an  assistant  director,  took  place  at 
this  time. 

An  interval  on  the  stage  followed. 
Her  first  success  came  in  “The  Great 
Baritone.”  After  that  she  filled  a  six- 
months’  engagement  in  Vienna,  and  re¬ 
turned  to  Berlin,  for  the  birth  of  her 
daughter,  Maria.  That  was  in  1925.  A 
year  later  she  resumed  her  theatrical 
career  to  play  a  second  lead  in  a  musi¬ 
cal  comedy,  “It’s  In  the  Air,”  a  personal 
success  which  resulted  in  an  offer  to  star 
in  motion  pictures.  She  accepted  the 
offer. 

Then  followed  her  appearance  in  a 
series  of  successful  motion  pictures 
which  made  her  known  not  only  in  Ger¬ 
many,  but  to  the  United  States  as  well. 

After  this  she  returned  to  the  stage 
as  a  guest  star  at  the  Berliner  theater, 
following  which  she  made  another  motion 
picture  :  :The  Blue  Angel”  with  Emil 
Jannings,  which  established  her  reputa¬ 
tion  throughout  the  world.  After  that 
she  accepted  an  offer  to  appear  in  Hol¬ 
lywood  films. 

Her  European  Pictures: 

“The  Blue  Angel 
“Princess  Ohala” 

“I  Kiss  Tour  Hand,  Madame ” 

“ Three  Loves” 

Her  Hollywood  Pictures: 

“Morocco” 

“ Dishonored ” 

“Shanghai  Express” 

“ The  Blonde  Venus” 

“The  Song  of  Songs” 

“The  Scarlet  Empress” 

“The  Devil  Is  a  Woman" 

“ Desire ” 

“I  Loved  a  Soldier” 

LOCATION 

cessitated  another  delay  of  one  or  two 
days,  while  a  sheet  iron  protective  cov¬ 
ering  was  put  together. 

Apparently  all  trouble  was  conquered 
by  this  time  and  the  happy  party  sailed 
away,  confident  that  their  next  stop 
would  be  productive  of  ice.  However, 
after  several  days  of  sailing  up  the  Mis¬ 
souri,  the  company  entered  Arkansas 
and  had  been  unable  to  find  the  neces¬ 
sary  commodity,  so  they  took  a  train 
to  Hollywood,  rigged  up  a  faked  ice  set 
on  one  of  the  stages,  and  finished  the 
picture  there. 

Truly,  the  location  manager’s  job  is 
a  tough  one. 


May,  1936 

GAUMONT  BRITISH 

(Continued  from  Page  30) 

standing  pictures,  among  them  “Ever¬ 
green,”  “The  Man  Who  Knew  Too 
Much,”  “Little  Friend,”  “Chu  Chin 
Chow,”  “The  39  Steps,”  and  others. 

His  foresight  and  keen  mind  have  con¬ 
tracted  for  GB  pictures  such  well  known 
stars  as  George  Arliss,  Richard  Dix, 
Walter  Huston,  Madge  Evans,  Con¬ 
stance  and  Joan  Bennett,  Robert  Donat, 
Madeleine  Carroll  and  others  too  numer¬ 
ous  to  mention.  It  was  Michael  Balcon, 
incidentally,  who  gave  Alfred  Hitchcock, 
ace  director,  his  first  chance.  In  the  old 
silent  days  Hitchcock  was  a  caption 
writer.  Today,  he  is  one  of  the  leading 
directors  of  the  industry  and  is  under 
contract  to  GB. 

Happily  married,  Balcon  is  the  fath¬ 
er  of  two  children.  He  has  a  beautiful 
home  in  the  Kent  countryside  and 
spends  as  much  time  there  as  a  busy  film 
producer’s  life  will  permit. 

ALFRED  HITCHCOCK 

“The  Pleasure  Garden,”  followed  by 
the  successful  silent  version  of  “The 
Lodger,”  with  Ivor  Novello.  He  direct¬ 
ed  the  first  really  successful  British 
talkie,  “Blackmail,”  and  anticipated  the 
method  of  Eugene  O’Neill's  Strange 
Interlude”  by  several  years  when,  in 
“Murder,”  he  put  a  man’s  thoughts  on 
the  screen.  Herbert  Marshall  was  the 
star  of  this  sensational  picture. 

Hitchcock  directed  “Waltzes  From 
Vienna,”  with  Jessie  Matthews,  but  af¬ 
ter  that  turned  to  mystery  films,  which 
he  most  enjoys  doing,  and  to  which  his 
unique  style  of  rapid  cut  is  best  adapt¬ 
ed.  “The  Man  Who  Knew  Too  Much,” 
with  Peter  Lorre,  Leslie  Banks,  and  No¬ 
va  Pilbeam,  and  “The  39  Steps,”  with 
Robert  Donat  and  Madeline  Carroll,  be¬ 
came  internationally  popular.  “Hitch,’ 
as  he  is  affectionately  known,  is  now  en¬ 
gaged  with  the  screen  adaptation  of  Som¬ 
erset  Maugham’s  “Secret  Agent,”  with 
Peter  Lorre,  John  Gielgud,  Madeleine 
Carroll,  and  Robert  Young. 

He  is  only  thirty-five  years  old,  and 
is  not  only  the  most  celebrated  director 
in  England  at  present,  but  a  striking 
personality.  Ruddy-complexioned,  ap¬ 
parently  grave  and  quiet,  he  is  a  tremen¬ 
dous  man  with  a  multitude  of  chins  and 
a  wicked  sense  of  humor. 

He  is  married  to  Alma  Reville,  well- 
known  scenario  writer.  They  live  on 
the  top  floor  of  a  six-story  West  End 
building,  particularly  chosen  by  “Hitch” 
because  it  has  no  elevator.  He  says  the 
climb  is  good  for  his  girth,  but  so  far  it 
had  had  no  noticeable  effect. 


May,  1936 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


63 


PRODUCTION  SCHEDULE 

Story  Leading  Player  Direction  Remarks  Type 


AMBASSADOR-CONN  PICTURES  (at  Talisman  Studios),  4156  Sunset  Blvd. 

“Wildcat  Troper”  .  Kermit  Maynard  . . .  Unassigned  . Preparing  ... 

“Robin  Hood,  Jr.”  .  All-star  . .  Unassigned  . Preparing  .... 

“Cina  Flight”  .  Unassigned  . . .  Charles  Hutchison  .  Preparing  .... 

“Trooper  X-13”  .  Frankie  Darro  . . . .  Unassigned  . Preparing  ... 

OL-2131 

. N.  W.  Mounted 

. . . .  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

_ N.  W.  Mounted 

BURROUGHS-TARZAN  PICTURES,  8476  Sunset  Blvd. 

“The  White  Glove”  .  All-star  . . .  Unassigned  . . . . . —  Preparing  .... 

“Murder  at  the  Carnival”  .  Unassigned  . . .  Unassigned  . —  Preparing  .... 

“Girl  with  the  Red  Feather”  .  Unassigned  . . .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  .... 

“S.  O.  S.  Coast  Guard”  .  Unassigned  . .  Unassigned  . L .  Preparing  ... 

“The  Sky  Fighters”  .  Unassigned  _ _ _ _  Unassigned  _ _ I .  Preparing  ... 

HO-2937 

. Mixed 

. .  Mixed 

. .  Mixed 

.  Sea 

. Serial 

CHESTERFIELD  PICTURES  (at  Pathe  Studios),  Culver  City 

“Mother  of  the  World”  . .  Unassigned  . . .  Charles  Lamont  .  Preparing  .... 

“Below  the  Deadline”  .  Unassigned  . .  Charles  Lamont  . . .  Preparing  .... 

HE-4121 

. .  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

COLUMBIA  PICTURES,  1438  Gower  St.,  Bob  Mayo  casting 

“Lost  Horizon”  .  Ronald  Colman  . . . . . .  Frank  Capra  . Shooting  .... 

“Queer  Money”  .  Morris,  Grahame  .  Erie  Kenton  . Shooting  .... 

“Fer  de  Lance”  .  Edward  Arnold  . . . .  Herbert  Biberman  . —  Shooting  .... 

“Trapped  by  Television”  .  Lyle  Talbot  .  Del  Lord  .  Shooting  .... 

00-3181 

. Mixed 

.  Mixed 

. Mixed 

. Mixed 

DARMOUR  STUDIOS,  5823  Santa  Monica  Blvd. 

“Hit  and  Run”  .  Unassigned  .  Burt  Lynwood  . .—  Preparing  ... 

GR-1166 

.  .  Drama 

GEORGE  HIRLIMAN  ENTERPRISES  (at  Talisman  Studios),  4516  Sunset  Blvd. 

(Including  Regal,  Metropolitan  and  Pacific  Production) 

“Romance  on  the  Rio”  .  Unassigned  .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  ... 

“Yellow  Cargo”  .  Nagel,  Hunt  .  Crane  Wilbur  . Shooting  _ 

“Pending  Justice”  . . . . .  Nagel,  Hunt  . . .  Unassigncd  .  Preparing  ... 

OL-2131 

. Mexico 

.  Mystery 

. . Melodrama 

GOLDWYN  PICTURES  (at  United  Artists  Studios),  1041  N.  Formosa  Ave. 

“Come  and  Get  It”  .  Bruce,  Arnold  .  Howard  Hawks  .  Preparing  ... 

“Dodsworth”  .  Huston,  Chatterton  .  William  Wyler  . Preparing  ... 

GR-5111 

_ _  Mixed 

. . . . .  Mixed 

IMPERIAL  PICTURES  (at  Talisman  Studios),  4516  Sunset  Blvd. 

“Second  Choice”  .  Betty  Burgess  .  Clifford  Sanforth  Shooting  .... 

“Penthouse  Love”  .  Unassigned  .  Clifford  Sanforth  Preparing  ... 

“Silver  Lining”  .  Unassigned  . Clifford  Sanforth  Preparing  ... 

OL-2131 

. Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

INVINCIBLE  PICTURES  (at  Pathe  Studios),  Culver  City 

“False  Fronts”  .  Chandler,  Knapp  . .  Phil  Rosen  .  Shooting  .... 

HE-4121 

.  Mixed 

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER,  Culver  City 

“Romeo  and  Juliet”  . . .  Shearer,  Howard  .  .  George  Cukor  .  Shooting  ... 

“GGood  Earth”  .  Paul  Muni  . . .  Sidney  Franklin  .  Shooting  .... 

“San  Francisco”  .  Gable,  MacDonald  .  W.  S.  Van  Dyke  .  Shooting  ... 

“Suicide  Club”  .  Robert  Montgomery  . . .  J.  Walter  Ruben  .  Shooting  ... 

“Mob  Rule”  .  Sidney,  Tracy  .  Fritz  Lang  . Shooting  ... 

“Captains  Courageous”  .  Freddie  Bartholomew  .  Jack  Conway  . Preparing  ... 

“Gram”  . . . . . . . .  Schumann-Heink  . .  Richard  Thorpe  .  Preparing  ... 

“Gorgeous  Hussy”  . .  Joan  Crawford  . .  Clarence  Brown  .  Preparing  ... 

“The  Witch  of  Timbuktu”  .  Lionel  Barrymore  .  Tod  Browning  .  Shooting  ... 

“Old  Hutch”  .  Wallace  Beery  . .  Unassigned  . Preparing  ... 

“Suzy”  .  . .  Jean  Harlow  . . .  George  Fitzmaurice  . Shooting  ... 

“Three  Wise  Guys”  .  Robert  Young  . . . .  George  Seitz  . Shooting  ... 

“We  Went  to  College” . . .  Edmund  Lowe  . . .  Joseph  Santley  . Preparing  ... 

HE-0211  PA-9138 

. Classical 

. China 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

. Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

. Mixed 

PARAMOUNT  STUDIO,  5451  Marathon  St. 

“Poppy”  .  W.  C.  Fields  .  .  Edward  Sutherland  .  Shooting  .... 

“Three  Cheers  for  Love”  .  Whitney,  Cummings  . .  Ray  McCarey  . . .  Shooting  ... 

“Rhythm  on  the  Range” .  King  Crosby  . . .  Norman  Taurog  .  Shooting  ... 

“Early  to  Bed”  .  Ruggles,  Boland  . . . .  Norman  McLeod  . . . . .  Shooting  .... 

“And  Sudden  Death”  . . .  Scott,  Drake  . . .  Charles  Barton  . . .  Shooting  ... 

“The  Duchess”  .  George  Raft  . . .  Alexander  Hall  .  Preparing  .. 

“The  Good  for  Nothing”  .  Virginia  Weidler  . .  William  Shea  . —  Shooting  ... 

“The  General  Dies  at  Dawn”  .  Fred  MacMurray  .  Lewis  Milestone  .  Preparing  .. 

GL-6121  HO-2411 

. Comedy 

.  Musical 

.  Musical 

. . .  Comedy 

.  Mixed 

. Mixed 

.  Mixed 

.  Mixed 

PICKFGRD-LASKY  PRODUCTIONS,  1041  N.  Formosa  Avee. 

“The  Gay  Desperado”  .  Nino  Martini  .  Rouben  Mamoulian  . . .  Preparing  .. 

GR-5111 

.  Musical 

64 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


May,  1936 


PRODUCTION  SCHEDULE 


Story  Leading  Player  Direction  Remarks  Type 

PIONEER  PICTURES,  1041  N.  Formosa  Ave.  (at  United  Artists  Studio)  GR-5111 

“Life  of  Custer”  .  Unassigned  . . . . .  John  Ford  .  Preparing  .  Historical 


PRINCIPAL  PRODUCTIONS  (at  Pathe  Studio),  Culver  City  Edward  Gross  casting  SE-2156 

“Boots  and  Saddle”  .  George  O’Brien  .  Unassigncd  .  Preparing  .  Western 

“Alias  Brian  Kent”  . . .  Richard  Arlen  . .  .  Unassigned  . .  Preparing  . . .  Mixed 


REPUBLIC  PICTURES,  4024  Radford  Ave.,  North  Hollywoood  Jack  Weiner  casting  N.  Hollywood  1101 


‘Legion  of  the  Lost”  . 

_  Unassigned  . 

.  Unassigned  . 

.  Preparing  . 

.  Foreign  Legion 

‘Fair  Grounds  '  . 

.  Unassigned  . 

. .  Unassigned  . 

.  Preparing  . 

.  Western 

‘Gentleman  from  Louisiana”  .... 

.  Unassigned  . 

. .  Unassigned  . 

.  Preparing  . 

.  Mixed 

‘  Ticket  to  Paradise”  . 

.  Unassigned  . . . „ 

. .  Aubrey  Scotto  . 

.  Preparing  . 

.  Mixed 

‘Follow  Your  Heart”  . 

_  Marion  Talley  . . . . 

— . .  Aubrey  Scotto  . 

.  Preparing  . 

.  Mixed 

‘Sitting  on  the  Moon"  . 

.  Unassigned  . 

.  Unassigned  . 

.  Preparing  . 

. .  Mixed 

‘Singing  Cowboy”  . . 

_  Gene  Autry  . 

.  Mack  Wright  . . . 

.  Shooting  . 

.  Wetsern 

Lonely  Trail”  . . . . . 

.  John  Wayne  . 

. .  Joseph  Kane  . 

. . .  Shooting  . 

. .  Wetsern 

‘Navy  Born”  . . . 

_  Unassigned  . . . . 

. . .  Nate  Watt  . . 

_ _  Preparing  . 

.  Navy 

"  Twenty  Fathoms  Below”  . 

.  Ann  Rutherford  _ 

. .  Lewis  D.  Collins  . . 

.  Preparing  . 

.  Sea 

RKO-RADIO  PICTURES,  780  N.  Gower  St. 


Bob  Palm  er  casting 


HO-5911 


“Never  Gonna  Dance”  . . .  Astaire,  Rogers  . . .  George  Stevens  .  Preparing  . .  Musical 

“Mary  of  Scotland”  . .  Katharine  Hepburn  .  John  Ford  . Shooting  Historical 

“Marry  the  Girl”  . . .  Gene  Raymond  _ _ _ _  Leigh  Jason  . . .  Preparing  . - .  Mixed 

“Bunker  Bean”  .  Davis,  Latimer  . . . .. .  Killy,  Hamilton  .  Shooting  . .  Mixed 

“Last  of  the  Bad  Men”  .  Carey,  Gibson  . .  Christy  Cabanne  .  Shooting  Western 

“Portrait  of  a  Lady”  .  Katharine  Hepburn  .  Mark  Sandrich  . Preparing  Mixed 

“M’liss”  .  Anne  Shirley  .  George  Nicholls,  Jr .  Preparing  Mixed 

“Daddy  and  I”  .  Unassigned  . . . .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  Mixed 

“Grand  Jury”  .  Unassigned  . . .  Charles  Vidor  . Preparing  Mixed 

“Make  a  Wish”  .  Harriett  Hilliard  .  Leigh  Jason  . Preparing  Mixed 

“Save  a  Lady”  .  Ann  Sothern  .  Unassigned  . . . . -  Preparing  .  Mixed 


SELZNICK  INTERNATIONAL  PICTURES,  9336  W.  Washington  Blvd.,  Culver  City 

“Dark  Victory’’  .  Merle  Oberon  .  Unassigned  . 

“Garden  of  Allah”  .  Dietrich,  Boyer  .  Richard  Boleslawski  . 


RE-0252 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

Shooting  .  Mixed 


TWENTIETH  CENTURY-FOX,  Beverly  Hills 

“To  Mary,  With  Love”  .  Jean  Dixon  . . .  John  Cromwell  ... 

“Mery  Killer”  .  Gloria  Stuart  .  George  Marshall  . 

“Private  Number”  .  Loretta  Young  .  Roy  Del  Ruth  . 

“White  Fang”  . . .  Michael  Whalen  . . . . .  David  Butler  _ 

“Once  Every  Year”  .  Shirley  Deane  . . . . .  James  Tinling  . 

“Public  Nuisance  No.  1”  .  Jane  Withers  .  Unassigned  . 

“Girls’  Dormitory”  .  Simon,  Chatterton  .  . . .  Irving  Cummings 


CR-5111;  Casting,  CR-6135 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

Shooting  .  Mixed 

Shooting  . Mixed 

Shooting  .  Mixed 

Preparing  .  Mixed 

Preparing  .  Mixed 


UNIVERSAL  STUDIO,  Universal  City  Dan  Kelley  casting  HI-5105  HE-3131 

“International  Team”  . .  Jack  Holt  . . . . .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  .  Mixed 

“Reno  in  the  Fall” . . .  Unassigned  . . .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  .  Mixed 

“My  Man,  Godfrey”  .  William  Powell  .  Gregory  LaCaca  .  Shooting  .  Mixed 

“It’s  a  Small  World”  .  McCrea,  Bennett  . . . . . .  Alfred  E.  Green  .  Shooting  . Mixed 

“What  Price  Parole?”  . .  Preston,  Hunter  .  Louis  Friedlander  .  Shooting  .  Prison 

“Phantom  Rider”  . . . .  Buck  Jones  .  Ray  Taylor  .  Shooting  . Serial 

“Crash  Donovan”  . . .  Jack  Holt  .  Nigh,  Negulesco  .  Shooting  . Mixed 

“Roxana”  .  Margaret  Sullavan  . .  James  Whale  . . . . .  Preparing  . Mixed 

“Everybody  Sing”  . .  Victor  McLaglen  . . . .  Ralph  Murphy  . . . . . .  Preparing  .  Mixed 

“Night  Life”  .  Unassigned  . .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  .  Mixed 

“Kitchen  Privileges”  .  Unassigned  . .  Unassigned  . .  Preparing  .  Mixed 

WALTER  W ANGER  PRODUCTIONR  (at  General  Service  Studios),  7250  Santa  Monica  Blvd.  HO-0173 

“Spendthrift”  .  Henry  Fonda  .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  .  Mixed 

.  Boyer,  Carroll  . .  Anton  Litvak  .  Preparing  .  Mixed 


“Simoom” 


Maxwell  Arno  w  casting 


Casting,  HE-1151 


WARNER  BROS.-FIRST  NATIONAL 

Burbank  Studio,  HO-1251  Hollywood  Studio,  5842  Sunset  Blvd.,  HO-5811 

“Nowhere”  . . .  Ross  Alexander  .  William  Clemens  .  Preparing  Mixed 

“Green  Light”  . .  Leslie  Howard  .  Unassigned  .  Preparing  Mixed 

“Stage  Struck”  . .  Powell,  Blondell  . . .  Busby  Berkeley  .  Shooting  Musical 

“Angel  of  Mercy”  . .  Kay  Francis  .  William  Dieterle  .  Shooting  Mixed 

“Bullets  or  Ballots”  . . .  Edward  G.  Robinson  . . .  William  Keighley  .  Shooting  Mixed 

“Cain  and  Mabel”  .  Marion  Davies  . . .  Lloyd  Bacon  .  Preparing  Mixed 

“Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade”. ...  Errol  Flynn  . . .  Michael  Curtiz  .  Shooting  Historical 

“Public  Enemy’s  Wiwe”  .  Pat  O’Brien  .  Nick  Grinde  .  Shooting  Mixed 

“Bengal  Killer”  .  MacLane,  Reynolds  .  Louis  King  . Preparing  Mixed 

“On  Secret  Service”  .  Dick  Foran  .  Noel  Smith  .  Preparing  Western 


Fresh  Fruit  FI  avor 

in 


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ROCK  and  RYE 

that  is  sure  to  please 

Made  By 

Three  G  Distillery  Corp. 

BURBANK,  CALIFORNIA 


California 
Sunshine  Bottled 


CONCEDED  THE  WORLD’S  FINEST  ALL-AROUND  DRINK 


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PICTURES 


PAUL  G.  HOFFMAN  CO.,  Inc.  ★  Studebaker  Distributors  *  LOS  ANGELES 

HOLLYWOOD  *  BEVERLY  HILLS 


January ,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


1 


the 


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Fresh  Fruit  Flavor 


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ROCK  and  RYE 


that 


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to  pi 


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BURBANK,  CALIFORNIA 


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Sunshine  Bottled 


CONCEDED  THE  WORLD'S  FINEST  ALL-AROUND  DRINK 


2 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


FUTURE  FEATURES 

Next  month  the  " INSIDER  “  is  proud  to 
present  some  special  features  and  articles 
for  its  February  Issue.  Beloiv  is  a  brief 
forecast  of  our  editorial  calendar. 


Across  the  Roof  of  the  World 

A  sequel  to  the  absorbing  article 
in  this  issue  depicting  the  adven¬ 
tures  of  the  world's  most  famous 
cameraman,  James  B.  Shackelford. 
This  one  will  relate  his  experiences 
in  the  Gobi  Desert  with  Roy 
Chapman  Andrews. 

• 

The  New  Idol  of  the  Cinema 

Why  Robert  Taylor  swept,  almost 
overnight,  to  unprecedented  popu¬ 
larity  with  the  motion  picture  public! 

A  personal  interview. 

9 

The  Biography  of  David  Selznick 

Continuing  our  series  devoted  to 
portraying  the  lives  of  the  leaders 
who  have  moulded  the  destiny  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Industry,  the 
February  issue  will  contain  an  article 
about  that  eminent  producer. 


The  Illuminating  Story  about  How 
Films  are  made,  and  the  Ultra-pre¬ 
cision  Instruments  Necessary  to 
their  Manufacture. 


Destined  to  Sing 


Read  the  concluding  Installment  of 
this  interesting  serial.  Does  Dick 
escape  the  consequences  of  his 
Italian  Romance? 


MURRAY  HOWARD  BOIS-SMITH 

Publisher  and  Editor 

VOL.  1  JANUARY,  1937 

No.  2 

1 

BASIL  R.  GREIG 

Associate  Editor 

PAULINE  GALE 

Feature  Editor 

DOROTHY  WILDING  MEREDITH 

Staff  Writer 

FENYMORE  HOWARD 

Staff  Writer 

BENGT  ARTUR  JONSON 

Staff  Writer 

HOWARD  WALDEN 

Art  Editor 

CONTENTS 

Page 

DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK . 

.  6 

EDITORIAL . 

.  8 

AN  INTERVIEW  WITH  PAUL  MUNI  AND  LUISE 

RAINER  - 

By  Pauline  Gale . 

.  11 

THE  STUDIO  MAGICIAN . 

.  12 

ELISSA  LANDI . 

.  13 

AROUND  THE  WORLD  FOR  REALISM— 

By  Bengt  Artur  Jonson . 

.  14 

SPEEDING  FATHER  TIME . 

.  17 

A  LITTLE  BIT  INDEPENDENT . 

.  19 

MANY  HAPPY  RETURNS . 

.  21 

j 

LET'S  MAKE  IT  A  GOOD  SCENE . 

.  23 

SKATING  TO  STARDOM . 

.  25 

MY  TOUGHEST  SHOOTING  ASSIGNMENT . 

.  27 

DO  TOO  MANY  PICTURES  SPOIL  A  STAR? .... 

.  28 

RULING  THE  SOUND  WAVES— 

By  Dorothy  Wilding  Meredith . 

.  29 

THE  WAY  OF  A  LANCER  IN  PICTURES . 

.  31 

DESTINED  TO  SING— 

By  Fenymore  Howard . 

.  32 

MY  LIFE  STORY— 

By  Nino  Martini . 

.  35 

A  PRACTICAL  VISION . 

.  36 

REMEMBER  WHEN  . 

.  38 

AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  MAKE-UP 

By  Max  Factor . 

.  40 

A  CLOSE-UP  OF  MICHAEL  CURTIZ . 

.  42 

SHORT  AND  CURLY  IS  THE  HAIR  MODE . 

.  44 

DO  COSTUME  PICTURES  CREATE  STYLES? .... 

.  46 

FORMAL  ATTIRE  FOR  MEN . 

.  50 

JEWELS  OF  THE  STARS . 

.  67 

ANALYTICAL  REVIEWS  OF  NEW  PICTURES .... 

.  78 

The  very  newest  styles  in  Quality  Furs  made  from  perfectly  matched 
prime  pelts.  Pre-Christmas  savings  as  much  as  40  % .  Splendid 
values  for  those  who  make  early  selections  from  fhe  stock  on  hand. 


521  West  7th  Street,  Los  Angeles 

Near  Grand  Ave. 


LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  FUR  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


4 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


'7i> 


t L3tma3  ^ 

MAX  FACTOR'S 


tarn. 


CM 


Next  is  a  make-up  mirror!  Its  illumi¬ 
nated  frosted  bowl  gives  a  noon-day  light 
at  all  hours.  No  shadows.  No  blurs.  Every 
little  line  of  throat,  mouth  and  nose  is  re¬ 
flected  as  in  clear  spring  water.  Priced  at 
$12.00  (plain),  $18.00  (magnifying). 

Our  Vanity  ensembles  also  make 
lovely  gifts.  Colorfully  boxed  in  the  holiday 
spirit,  they  contain  a  powder- rouge  com¬ 
pact  with  indelible  lipstick  to  match,  at 
$2.50  .Other  gift  ideas  include  perfumes, 
hand  mirrors,  puffs,  atomizers,  powder 
and  Xmas  boxes  of  cosmetics  up  to 
$8.50  —  in  fact  every  cosmetic  in  our 
Theatrical  and  Society  make-up  lines. 


1666  N.  HIGHLAND  AVENUE 

phone  HOIlywood  3922 


Here's  ample  proof  that  beautiful 
gifts  can  be  useful  too . . . 

For  example,  we  suggest  one  of  our 
smart  make-up  kits.  Made  in  various 
shades  of  finest  leather,  it  holds  everything 
necessary  for  a  perfect  ma  ke-up,  (al  so 
used  as  an  overnight  bag).  Price:  from 

$5.25  to  $50.00 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


D 

ARROWHEAD  SPRINGS  —  FAVORED  RENDEZVOUS  OF  FAMOUS  PEOPLE 


Enjoy  a  Real  Old-Fashioned 
Christmas  at  the  West's  Most 
Enchanting  Spa 

Here  you'll  find  every  feature  for  a  perfect  holiday.  Two 
dance  orchestras  with  scintillating  music  every  minute  to 
stimulate  the  joyous  spirit  in  ushering  in  the  New  Year. 
You  can  expect  a  strikingly  different  atmosphere  in  the 
newly  completed 

LA  CASITA 

Cocktail  Lounge 

Add  zest  to  your  gaiety  with  your  favorite  concoction 
from  the  new  La  Casita  Cocktail  Lounge,  which  has  been 
decorated  in  royal  splendor.  No  doubt  you'll  find  your 
friends  here. 


20O 0 


HOTtL 


el£V; 


the 


VISIT 


INFOR 


baths 


golf 

SWIMMING 

WATE 


CANYON 


WATER 


canyon 


HOT 


SPRING 


COLD 


HARRY  WARD 

Managing  Director 


(Arrowhead  springs  hotel 


SMART  BUNGALOWS  PROVIDE  THE  U  T  M  O  S  T  I  N  C  O  N  V  E  N  I  E  N  C  E  A  N  D  P  R  I  V  A  C  Y 


6 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK 

The  Little  Napoleon  of  20th  Century-Fox,  whose  dynamic  person¬ 
ality  has  been  responsible  for  the  exceptional  progress  made  by  the  . 

union  of  these  two  major  studios. 


<*I*T  SUPPOSE  I  was  not  the  type  of 

Ahoy  mothers  would  point  to  as  an 
example  for  their  offspring,”  remarked 
Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  reminiscently.  His 
remarkable  achievements  would  tend  to 
prove  that  even  the  most  omnicient  and 
adoring  of  mothers  may  be  mistaken. 

Like  other  notable  but  less  real  char¬ 
acters  of  recent  date,  Mr.  Zanuck  start¬ 
ed  life  at  “Grand  Hotel.”  in  his  case 
definitely  located  at  Wahoo,  Nebraska. 
This  was  in  September.  1902. 

“My  parents  took  me  on  a  visit  to 
California  where  I  got  a  job  at  fifty 
cents  a  day  working  in  pictures.  I  was 
then  six  years  old  and  had  to  sneak 
away  for  my  adventure  as  an  actor.  My 
father  found  out  about  his  aspiring  son 
but  instead  of  being  impressed  he  nip¬ 
ped  the  would-be  Thespian  genius  right 
in  the  bud  by  returning  him  to  Nebraska 
and  protecting  grandparents.”  he  said, 
with  a  twinkle  of  amusement. 

"Then  came  the  dreary  routine  of  the 
schoolroom.  But  I  managed  to  play 
hookey  often  enough,  roaming  the  woods 
hunting  and  trapping  animals.  This  I 
suppose,  is  where  I  got  my  love  of  hunt¬ 
ing — a  passion  that  has  taken  me  as  far 
as  Africa  and  Alaska  on  the  trail  of 
wi  Id  game,  for  the  love  of  the  woods 
and  the  thrill  of  the  chase  is  in  my 
blood. 

“Above  everything,  as  the  boyhood 
years  passed,  I  hated  the  unexciting 
school  days  so  when  trouble  loomed  in 
Mexico  I  immediately  enlisted.  Al¬ 
though  under  age  I  persuaded  the  re¬ 
cruiting  officers  that  I  was  eighteen. 
Wahoo  wasn’t  big  enough  to  hold  me 
after  that  and  when  the  World  War 
came  along  1  looked  upon  it  as  my  fight 
and  joined  up.  When  the  representa¬ 
tive  of  my  division  on  the  A.E.F.  news¬ 
paper,  The  Stars  and  Stripes,  got  in 
the  way  of  a  bullet  and  was  sent  home, 
I  got  the  chance  at  his  job.  I  had 
always  wanted  to  write — probably  every¬ 
one  does. 

"My  work  for  the  paper  brought  a 
letter  of  commendation  and  I  was  so 
encouraged  that  when  we  were  sent  back 
to  the  States.  I  remained  in  New  York 
in  the  fond  hope  of  making  my  mark 
as  a  magazine  writer.  I  ground  out 
story  after  story,  presented  them  to  edi¬ 
tor  after  editor  but  the  best  result  was 


a  lone  editorial  note  to  the  effect  that 
while  my  work  showed  promise  it  need¬ 
ed  more  finish ! 

“But  being  still  in  my  "teens,  the 
world  was  still  my  oyster  though  1  had 
not  as  yet  been  able  to  pry  open  the 
shell.  I  went  home  to  my  parents  who 
had  moved  to  California,  then,  needing 
money,  a  job  as  longshoreman  on  the 
San  Pedro  waterfront  proved  expedient. 
After  this  I  tried  my  hand  in  the  fight 
ring  as  a  lightweight,  and  was  promptly 
knocked  out! 

“So  I  took  stock  of  myself  and  de¬ 
cided  that  Zanuck’s  brain  had  a  better 
chance  of  success  than  his  brawn,  with 
which  ambitious  idea  I  organized  the 
Darryl  Poster  Service,  an  outdoor  ad¬ 
vertising  company.  When  the  money  1 
had  saved  and  borrowed  was  exhausted 
I  went  back  to  my  writing  and  to  my 
surprise  sold  an  original  story  to  the 
Fox  Film  Company.  The  check  was  for 
$500. 

“This  auspicious  beginning  evidently 
indicated  auctorial  ability  so  I  wrote  a 
novel  "Habit"  which  failed  to  create  even 
so  much  as  a  ripple  on  the  literary  sur¬ 
face  of  things.  But  I  put  a  copy  of  it 
under  my  arm  and  went  over  to  Fox  and 
sold  myself  as  a  scenario  writer.  For 
a  year  I  turned  out  almost  a  scenario  a 
week. 

“W  arner  Brothers  heard  of  my  facil¬ 
ity  in  grinding  out  plots  so  they  hired 
me  to  write  for  their  unique  box-office 
star.  Kin  Tin  Tin.  He,  of  hallowed 
memory,  kept  pace  with  the  most  fan¬ 
tastic  of  my  youthful  fancies  and  the 
money  poured  in  to  the  company’s 
coffers. 

“But  I  wanted  to  do  more  than  write 
dog  operas,  so  after  three  years  I  walked 
into  Jack  Warner  s  office  and  outlined  a 
plan  I  had  been  turning  over  in  my 
mind.  I  wanted  my  own  production  unit 
and  a  share  of  the  profits  therein.  It 
took  nerve,  but  I  had  discovered  that 
unless  you  impress  others  with  your 
own  self-confidence,  no  one  will  place 
confidence  in  you.  W  arner  has  a  great 
sense  of  humor  and  a  strong  belief  in 
the  men  he  picks.  He  met  my  demands. 

“Thereafter  I  was  an  associate  pro¬ 
ducer,  which  meant  mostly  that  instead 
of  working  twelve  hours  a  day  I  had  the 
privilege  of  working  as  high  as  eight- 


DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK 


een.  Supervising  picture  production  at 
that  time  meant  a  combination  of  writ¬ 
ing  the  story,  directing,  cutting  and  edit¬ 
ing.  The  various  steps  of  production 
had  not  become  so  specialized  as  they 
are  today. 

“The  highlight  of  my  work  with 
Warner  Brothers  was  the  introduction 
of  sound  in  pictures.  We  had  been  in¬ 
terested  in  the  possibility  of  bringing  in 
music  and  songs  w  hen  W  arner  asked 
me  to  make  ‘The  Jazz  Singer,’  starring 
A1  Jolson.  Our  first  plan  was  to  have 
only  songs  but  we  slipped  in  a  bit  of 
dialogue  and  so — talking  pictures  were 
born.  That  was  in  1928.  In  1931  I 
was  made  chief  executive  in  charge  of 
all  Warner  Brothers  productions. 

“I  set  out  then  to  make  a  new  type 
of  picture.  The  screen,  in  acquiring  the 
gift  of  speech,  had  taken  on  new  vital 
possibilities.  It  was  up  to  us,  who  made 
the  pictures,  to  make  the  screen  play 
live.  So  I  reached  out  to  the  front  page 
of  the  newspapers  for  stories  which 
would  be  timely  and  which  would  reflect 
the  most  interesting  of  contemporary 
human  problems.  I  began  dramatizing 
front  page  news  and  my  efforts  met 
with  startling  success.  W  e  made  ‘Little 
Caesar,’  ‘The  Public  Enemy’  and  ‘Five 
Star  Final,’  because  the  public  was  grab¬ 
bing  up  its  newspaper  to  follow  the 
latest  exploits  of  this  new  social  men¬ 
ace.  We  made  ‘Office  Wife’  and  ‘Illicit" 
because  they  were  the  life  stories  of  the 
girl  of  today.  W  e  made  'I  Am  A  Fugi- 
( Continued  on  page  52) 


SCENES  FROM  PICTURES  COSTUMED  BY 


WESTERN  COSTUME  COMPANY 


5335  Melrose  Av e n v e  —  Hollywood  California 

Official  Costumers  to  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


Interlude 

Columbia  Pictures 

Prince  and  Pauper 

20th  Century-Fox 
Mutiny  On  the  Bounty 

Metro-Go  ldwyn-Mayer 
Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade 
Warner  Bros. -1st  Nat'l 
San  Francisco 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
Mary  Queen  of  Scotland 

RKO-Radio 

Romeo  and  Juliet 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

Show  Boat 

Universal  Pictures 

Anthony  Adverse 

Warner  Bros. -1st  Nat'l 

Tale  of  Two  Cities 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

Captain  Blood 

Warner  Bros. -1st  Nat'l 

Souls  At  Sea 

Paramount  Productions 

Michael  Strogroff 

RKO-Radio 

Quality  Street 

RKO-Radio 

Robber  Barons 

RKO-Radio 

Come  and  Get  It 

Samuel  Goldwyn 

Woman  of  Glamour 

Columbia  Pictures 


my 


IF  WE  DON'T  HAVE  IT. ..WE  MAKE  ITI 


Editoria 


THE  PENALTY 

THE  phrase  "The  Penalty  of  Success" 

might  seem  paradoxical  to  the  average 
mind  for  it  is  natural  to  ask,  "How  can  suc¬ 
cess  in  one's  life  impose  any  penalty?'' 

As  all  terms  are  relative  perhaps  we  had 
better  qualify  this  particular  one  by  making 
it  material  success,  for  it  is  in  achieving 
material  success  that  so  often  a  penalty 
seems  inevitably  involved. 

This  penalty  appears  unwarranted  yet  it 
is  almost  invariably  inflicted  on  the  winners, 
no  matter  in  what  field  of  endeavor  they 
excel.  Whether  in  music,  art,  industry, 
science  or  invention  the  less  fortunate  as¬ 
pirants  apparently  develop  morbid  streaks 
of  jealousy,  envy  and  malice.  Through  ig¬ 
norance  of,  or  indifference  to  the  universal 
law  they  will  impose  the  poisonous  and 
unpardonable  penalty  of  slander,  that  ob¬ 
noxious  abomination  wrought  by  loosely 
wagging  tongues. 

Such  slanderers  are  as  poisonous  snakes 
but  unfortunately,  unlike  the  real  reptiles, 
they  are  not  confined  to  certain  localities. 
Nol  The  human  variety  is  indigenous  to 
every  part  of  the  civilized  world  and  no  one 
who  has  climbed  to  the  upper  rungs  of  life's 
ladder  is  safe  from  their  attack. 

Their  venom  has  been  directed  with  par¬ 
ticular  malignancy  at  the  motion  picture 
industry.  The  misguided  release  of  faulty 
news  by  the  more  sensational  representa¬ 
tives  of  the  press  has  created  a  general 
impression  that  Hollywood,  with  its  film  folk, 
flourishes  in  rather  more  spectacular  and 
deplorable  brands  of  sin  than  are  to  be 
encountered  elsewhere  The  malicious 
tongues  wag  and  in  the  fangs  of  the  little- 
minded  there  is  distilled  venom  of  such  a 
virulent  nature  that  its  sting  is  well  nigh 
incurable. 

And  all  the  progressive  and  efficient  or¬ 
ganization  now  existing  in  the  motion  pic¬ 
ture  industry  has  been  unable  effectively  to 
check  the  calumnies. 

There  is  a  method  of  dealing  with  snakes, 
that  of  removing  the  poison  fangs.  But  there 
is  only  one  way  to  counteract  the  poison  of 


OF  SUCCESS 

the  human  variety,  where  our  movies  and 
their  animating  personnel  are  concerned. 
The  only  way  is  enlightened  public  opinion. 

Delving  into  the  lives  of  those  who  have 
met  with  outstanding  success  it  immediately 
becomes  apparent  that  many  of  them  had 
to  overcome  and  remove  from  their  paths 
obstacles  that  must  have  seemed  beyond 
human  strength.  Yet  as  a  result  of  their 
persistence,  courage  and  faith  they  have 
justly  won  to  achievement.  Why  should 
their  public  permit  such  high  endeavor  and 
hard-won  success  to  be  degraded! 

Almost  invariably,  when  some  gifted  indi 
vidual  reaches  stardom  on  the  screen,  the 
jealous  tongues  start  wagging  and  they  do 
not  stop  at  mere  innuendoes.  Without  a 
shadow  of  foundation  they  will  make  the 
most  libelous  statements,  the  derogatory 
implications  of  which  tarnish  many  a  fair 
name.  And  the  morons,  and  the  degener¬ 
ates  become  conduits  which  carry  the 
poisonous  stream  of  "did  you  hear  this,"  or 
I  heard  that,"  “she  may  be  a  star,  but — -1" 

Truly  "rumour  hath  an  evil  tongue." 

It  is  at  this  point  that  you,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Public,  can  help  to  arrest  the  flow  of  this 
deadly  gossip  by  lashing  back  at  the  carrier 
with  words  of  contradiction  and  sharp  re¬ 
primand.  If  your  own  son  or  daughter  were 
the  object  of  such  attacks  you  would 
quickly  repudiate  the  charges  with  the 
scathing  contempt  they  deserve  and  thus 
you  would  be  doing  your  bit  toward  routing 
the  evil. 

Let  us  recognize  the  love  for  one  another 
that  guides  the  universal  law  of  life  and 
with  this  recognition  give  all  credit  to  the 
sterling  qualities  that  are  essential  before 
anyone  can  succeed  in  the  fiercely  com¬ 
petitive  field  of  motion  pictures.  What  our 
stars  attain  is  just  as  much  the  fruits  of  their 
hard  and  honest  labor  as  is  the  success  you 
may  have  met  with  in  the  business  or  pro¬ 
fessional  world.  They  give  you  many  hours 
of  pleasure  and  entertainment.  Surely,  in 
return,  it  is  only  fair  to  give  them  credit 
and  fair  renown. 


9 


January,  JV37 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


-Jrabert  £~Jfoeffer<Sbc. 
IVI  aubouy/in 


Announcing 

OUR  NEW  SALON 

at 

9474  WILSHIRE  BLVD. 
BEVERLY  HILLS 


This  exquisitely  appointed  salon,  situated  in  the  heart  of  Beverly  Hills,  forms 
fhe  perfect  background  for  our  notable  collection  of  fine  mounted  jewels. 
Opening  just  in  time  for  the  Christmas  gift  shopping  it  should  prove  an 
attractive  center  of  interest,  since  it  marks  another  forward  step  in  the 
expansion  of  our  policy  of  offering  values  that  cannot  be  duplicated  else¬ 
where. 

We  cordially  invite  you  to  inspect  our  rare  and  unique  creations  at  your 
earliest  opportunity. 


Park  Ave.  at  55th  St. 
NEW  YORK 

936  Lincoln  Road 
MIAMI  BEACH 


★ 


9474  Wilshire  Blvd.,  Beverly  Hills 

(Half  a  block  from  the  Beverly  Wilshire  Hotel 


3  Rue  de  Choiseul 
PARIS 

Hotel  Traymore 
ATLANTIC  CITY 


10 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER 


" LOVE  ON  THE  RUN”  A  U  .  S.  Van  Dyke  Production.  Producer — Joseph  L.  Munkiewicz.  Director — If.  S.  Van  Dyke.  Stars — Joan 
Crawford  and  Clark  Gable,  with  Franc  hot  Tone,  Reginald  Owen,  Mona  Barrie  and  Ivan  Lebedeff.  Director  of  Photography — Oliver  T. 
Marsh.  A.C.S.  Art  Director — Cedric  Gibbons.  Original  Story — Alan  Green  and  Julian  Brodie.  Screen  Play — John  Lee  Mahin.  Manuel 
Sefj  and  Gladys  Hurlbut.  Recording  Director -  Douglas  Shearer.  Film  Editor — Frank  Sullivan.  Gowns  by  Adrian. 


"AFTER  THE  THUS  MA.\"  Producer — Hunt  Stromberg.  Original — Dashiell  Hammett.  Screen  Play — Francis  Goodrich.  Albert 
Hackett.  Director — tf .  S.  Van  Dyke.  Asst.  Director — Charley  Dorian.  Cameraman — Oliver  Marsh.  Cast — Myrna  Lay.  W  illiam  Powell. 

James  Stewart.  Jos  Ca/leia,  Elissa  Landi.  Jessie  Ralph. 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


11 


AN  INTERVIEW  WITH 
PAUL  MUNI  X  LUISE  RAINER 

The  Stars  of  ‘"THE  GOOD  EARTH ”  chat  informally  on  the  set  at  Metro-Gdldwyn-Mayer 
and  present  their  Personal  Histories  in  this  Special  Interview  by  Pauline  Gale. 


SEATED  together  on  a  wooden  bench 
in  a  Chinese  street  were  two  dis¬ 
couraged-looking  young  Orientals.  The 
man  was  dressed  roughly  in  coarse  blue 
cloth  with  straw  sandals  on  his  bare 
feet.  The  woman,  in  trousers  and  pad¬ 
ded  jacket,  slumped  wearily  against 
him.  They  looked  painfully  poor,  dread¬ 
fully  tired  and  entirely  broken  in  spirit . 

“May  l  present  Mr.  Paul  Muni  and 
Miss  Luise  Rainer.”  The  studio  official 
paused  before  these  two  with  the  amaz¬ 
ing  words.  It  was  not  until  the  Muni 
grin  broke  through  the  Chinese  face 
before  us  that  we  identified  the  actor. 
Strangely  enough,  the  Chinese  "look 
was  still  there,  even  though  Paul  Muni 
himself  was  recognizable. 

The  girl  shook  hands,  smiling,  \gain 
merely  a  glimpse  of  Luise  Rainer  shone 
through  the  Chinese  makeup,  the  mer¬ 
est  hint  of  that  attractive  and  volatile 
star.  The  Chinese  expression,  the  Or¬ 
iental  attitude  of  those  two  was  in  each 
gesture.  It  is  the  ineffable  artist  that 
lives  in  actors  like  these  which  per¬ 
meates  them  so  completely  that  during 
the  enacting  of  a  scene  they  live  their 
part  sincerely  and  unconsciously  carry 
through  even  off-stage.  To  us.  these 
people  were  Chinese,  and  throughout 
the  long  talk  that  followed,  rarely  did 
that  illusion  leave  the  minds  of  the 
various  people  who  spoke  with  them, 
including  the  interviewer.  Tired  they 
truly  were,  for  since  early  morning 
Luise  Rainer  had  done  back-breaking 
work  in  a  paddy-field  with  Muni  beside 
her,  planting  the  new7  seedling  rice 
plants  for  the  next  year  in  a  scene  for 
“The  Good  Earth.”  The  day  was  hot 
and  real  perspiration  had  trickled  from 
under  their  make-up.  Now7  they  were 
exhausted  and  looked  it.  It  was  this 
very  tired  and  sad  weariness  which 
director  Sidney  Franklin  had  wanted 
to  catch  in  them  for  the  last  scene  of 
the  day.  Now  that  it  was  over  the  feel¬ 
ing  was  still  with  them. 

It  is  a  long  way  from  “The  Great 
Ziegfeld”  to  “The  Good  Earth.”  There 
is  a  vast  difference  between  the  vital 
beauty  of  the  nineties  played  by  Luise 
Rainer  in  the  former  picture  as  com¬ 
pared  to  the  tired  young  Chinese  w7ife 
broken  by  poverty  and  famine  in  “The 


Good  Earth.”  It  is  her  versatility  which 
proclaims  Miss  Rainer  as  a  consummate 
actress. 

Versatility  is  the  keynote  of  Paul 
Muni’s  characterizations  as  well.  "If 
I  ever  get  so  typed  that  producers  could 
talk  about  a  ‘Muni  story'  as  though 
it  fitted  my  type,”  said  Paul  Muni  earn¬ 
estly  lo  us,  "I  d  quit  pictures  for  good. 


From  the  Mexican  in  "Bordertow  n  ’ 
to  the  mine  worker  in  “Black  Fury.” 
From  the  gangster  in  “Scarf ace”  to  the 
story  of  “Louis  Pasteur”  and  now  the 
Chinese  peasant  in  “The  Good  Earth 
Paul  Muni  has  gone,  in  each  picture 
portraying  with  his  forceful  personality 
a  different  type  of  person. 

(  Continued  on  page  60  I 


12 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  193 f 


THE 

STUDIO  MAGICIAN 


PAUL  W1UL1CSKA  creates  rain,  snow,  hail  and  fog  at  a  moment’s  notice.  Here’s  how  u 
studio  can  have  weather  to  order  at  any  time  of  the  year  within  the  sound  stage.  The  property 
man  is  called  upon  to  provide  anything  from  two  hundred  sand  flies  to  an  eighty  mile  an  hour 
gale,  and  he  is  usually  successful  if  it  is  humanly  possible  to  satisfy  the  demands.  He  invents 
the  item,  or  the  machine  to  make  it;  borrows  it  from  a  collection,  or  gets  it  from  across  the 
world.  It’s  all  part  of  the  day’s  work. 


ALLADIN  had  a  lamp!  Paul  Wid- 
licska  has  thirty  handy  men  and 
the  craziest  shop  and  store-room  in 
Hollywood.  With  his  props  and  his 
men  he  can  out — Alladin  Alladin  any 
time. 

At  the  Samuel  Goldwyn  studios,  when 
they  want  it  to  snow  or  rain  on  the  set, 
or  when  they  want  the  wind  to  sigh  or 
howl,  or  when  they  want  a  mooing  cow. 
a  crocodile  or  a  cockroach,  they  yell: 
“Hey  Paul!”  They  give  the  little  Aus¬ 
trian  propmaker  a  rough  sketch  and  less 
time  than  he  needs  to  fill  the  order  and 
he  goes  to  work. 

He  tackles  the  job  with  the  firm  idea 
that  nothing  is  impossible;  if  he  allows 
himself  to  doubt  this  theory  for  one 
moment,  he  would  lose  his  job.  He 
must  not  feel  that  anything  on  earth 
is  impossible. 

Paul  is  the  Edison  of  Hollywood’s 
prop-making  shops;  an  inventive  wiz¬ 
ard  who  has  perfected  more  intricate 
gadgets  perhaps  than  any  living  in¬ 
ventor,  but  one  who  never  seeks  a  pa¬ 
tent.  and  who  tosses  his  inventions  into 
an  ash  can  the  moment  the  cameras 
cease  grinding  on  the  scenes  for  which 
they  were  needed. 

“If  the  others  can  use  my  ideas,  let 
’em  have  ’em.  I  have  plenty  of  ideas 


Fogging  up  the  “ Dodsworth ”  set!  PAUL 
IFIDLICSKA  working  his  fog  machine. 


from  others  myself.''  is  the  philosophy 
of  this  magic  maker  who  has  been  hear¬ 
ing  the  “Hey,  Paul!"  in  Hollywood 
studios  for  twenty  years. 

This  daddy  of  all  the  prop  makers 
wears  a  sprightly  air  these  days  because 
of  two  pictures  recently  released  by 
Samuel  Goldwyn.  One  of  the  pictures. 


a  screen  adaptation  of  Edna  Eerber’s 
story  of  an  American  lumber  dynasty, 
"Come  and  Get  It"  put  Paul's  new  show 
shaker  to  a  test.  The  snow  shaker 
covered  itself  with  glory  and  a  big 
sound  stage  with  “snow."  The  other. 
Sidney  Howard's  screen  version  of  Sin¬ 
clair  Lewis’  “Dodsworth."  revealed  the 
worth  of  Paul’s  new  wind  machine,  the 
product  of  three  year’s  tinkering. 

His  snow  shaker  is  a  cylindrical  con- 
traption  which  hung  high  above  the 
“Come  and  Get  It"  set.  When  snow  was 
ordered,  finely  cut  chicken  feather  drift¬ 
ed  slowly  down  to  be  wafted  realistic¬ 
ally  against  the  log  cabins  by  the 
miraculously  quiet  wind  machines. 

They  almost  broke  Paul’s  heart  two 
years  ago  when  they  stopped  manufac¬ 
turing  “Falco  Flakes,”  a  sort  of  corn 
Hake  breakfast  food  resembling  snow. 
This  was  Paul’s  favorite  “snow.”  It 
was  hard  to  make  chicken  feathers  be¬ 
have.  at  first.  Paul  would  put  a  crew 
of  men  to  work  cutting  up  the  feathers, 
but  from  time  to  time  the  men  would 
become  interested  in  conversation  while 
so  engaged,  so  that  some  of  the  pieces 
would  be  entirely  too  large. 

“When  our  snow  began  to  fall.”  re¬ 
lated  Paul,  “once  in  a  while  you  would 
(Turn  to  Pape  63) 


Left-.  The  Hollywood  "snow”  man!  MR.  II  I DLICSKA  with  his  newly-developed  snow-shaker,  used  for  the  first  time  in  “ Come  and  Get 
It."  the  Samuel  Goldwyn  production.  The  cylindrically-shaped  shaker  spreads  chicken  feathers  so  evenly  over  a  set  that  even  the  actor > 
are  fooled.  No  more  corn  flakes  for  "snow”  nowadays!  Right:  Here  is  PAUL’S  latest  invention,  a  wind  machine  which  can  blow  a 
gentle  zephyr  or  an  80-mile  an  hour  grdc  without  a  sound  on  the  set  where  it  is  used. 


ELIS5A  LANDI 


A  versatile  lady  whose  twin  talents  are  so  ably  expressed,  both  as 
an  eminent  actress  and  as  a  successful  author. 

(•&  I  \  HE  popular  screen  fare  for  the  world  will  always  have  to  be  pic- 
JL  tures  that  have  fast  sweeping  action,  clever  plot,  and  bold,  sturdy 
character  delineation.  I  do  not  believe  that  psychological  plot,  fantasy, 
or  stories  based  only  on  mental  rather  than  physical  action,  will  ever 
satisfy  picture  audiences.  The  first  have  visual  action,  the  beholder  can 
see  what  takes  place  and  understands. 

“But  the  latter  can  only  be  grasped  by  reading.  Only  in  a  written 
story  or  a  novel  can  one  penetrate  into  the  mind  of  a  character." 

Thus  spoke  Elissa  Landi,  eminent  star,  when  interviewed  recently  by 
the  Insider  on  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  lot.  where  she  is  playing  in 
“The  White  Dragon"  colorful  mystery  drama. 

Further,  she  knows  whereof  she  speaks,  because  she  is  novel¬ 
ist  as  well  as  actress,  having  achieved  outstanding  success  in 
both  arts. 

“Pictures  will  always  have  to  be  pictures!"  she  reiterated. 

“And  the  more  physical  action  the  better.  I  just  adore  those 
that  are  replete  with  it.  Villians,  chases,  exciting  p lot  devel¬ 
opments — that  to  me  is  real  entertainment  and  showmanship.” 

Whether  she  loves  acting  more  than  writing,  however,  she 
wouldn’t  say.  But  she  does  feel  that  writing  is  less  wearing 
on  her  both  physically  and  mentally. 

“The  writing  affords  me  relaxation.  I  love  to  do  it  and 
have  written  since  I  was  a  child.  Hence  it  comes  easily  to 
me  and  I  find  the  quiet  and  thought  induced  by  turning  out  a 
novel  very  soothing  after  the  excitement  of  making  a  picture. 

The  two  work  very  well  for  me,  but  never  together."  she  con¬ 
tinued  firmly. 

“I  only  write  between  pictures.  Regardless  of  what  talent 
one  wishes  to  employ,  one  must  give  one’s  whole  self  to  that 

(Turn  to  Page  591 

Upper  Right:  Elissa  Landi  on  her  recent  return  from  Europ¬ 
ean  success.  Center  Right:  With  Edmund  Loive  in  a  scene 
from  the  “White  Dragon ”  her  first  picture  since  her  return 
from  abroad.  Lower  Right:  At  the  tender  age  of  two.  Relow: 

Exuding  personality  and  charm. 


Above :  Placid  street  scene  in  Cairo.  Upper 
Right:  A  courier  of  the  desert,  saluting  the  sun¬ 
rise  over  a  sea  of  sand.  Center:  A  “dolly”  shot 
filming  a  native  attack  on  a  South  Sea  village. 


AROUND 

FOR 

World's  most  famous  earner  ( 
man  returns  from  circumnav, 
gating  the  earth  in  search  c 
authentic  motion  picture 
material. 


<*(,  \  It  AN  has  always  been  intrigued  t 
-L*JL  the  lure  of  the  unknown.  Ft 
places  fascinate  him— dim,  distant  lam 
beckon.  Dark,  little  known  corners  ( 


the  earth,  laved  by  the  waves  of  tf 
farther  and  more  romantic  of  the  seve 
seas  are  magnets,  moons  of  the  tides  c 
men.  Wishing  to  satisfy  that  constat 
seeking  after  what  lies  over  far  horizon 
we  embarked  on  a  cruise  around  tf 
world,  having  for  our  purpose  the  e: 
ploration  of  these  little  known  corner 
and  taking  pictures  of  them  and  the 
inhabitants  to  extend  the  frontiers  ( 
actual  knowledge  about  them.” 

Titus,  in  short,  staccato  phrases  di 
Mr.  James  B.  Shackelford,  characterize 
by  newspapers  the  world  over  as  tf 
most  famous  cameraman  of  our  preset 
age  describe  his  purpose  and  that  of  h 
company  in  cruising  40.000  miles  du 
ing  the  last  18  months  on  a  motion  pi< 
ture  taking  expedition.  I  Photographe 
for  Hoy  Chapman  Andrews  on  the  foi 


Above  Left:  Getting  ready  for  a  “dolly”  shot  along  a  machete-hacked  path  through  the  tropical 
jungle.  Above  Right:  James  B.  (Shack)  Shackelford.  Below:  Grey  sails  in  the  sunset,  on  a 
Cannibal  isle.  Lower  Right:  A  story  conference  in  the  shadows  of  the  pyramids. 


rHE  WORLD 
REALISM 


As  Told  By 


To  BENGT  ARTUR  JONSON 


Above:  Male  members  of  the  native  cast  who 
re-enacted  their  primitive  rites  for  “ Shack’s ” 
camera. 


Above:  Film  laboratory  rooms  of 
the  ‘'Athene.'’ 


history-making  expeditions  to  the  Gobi 
Desert,  the  same  on  several  scientific 
journeys  to  the  South  Seas,  and  film 
explorer  of  hitherto  hidden  nooks  of 
the  earth’s  surface,  we  feel  that  Mr. 
Shackelford  richly  deserves  the  appel¬ 
lation.  ) 

Bronzed,  burnt  by  the  salty,  hot  winds 
of  those  sultry  seas  from  which  he  has 
just  returned,  Mr.  Shackelford  literally 
bubbled  with  enthusiasm  over  the  re¬ 
sults  he  and  his  party  had  obtained. 

The  expedition  was  commanded  by 
Tay  Garnett,  as  experienced  a  director 
as  Mr.  Shackelford  is  a  photographer. 
(Directed  “China  Seas,”  and  other 
classics  of  the  industry.) 

Sailing  from  Los  Angeles  Harbor  on 
November  24th,  1935  in  an  105  foot 
yacht,  the  “Athene,”  they  spent  the  en¬ 
suing  months  gathering  material  for  the 
edification,  education  and  amusement  ol 
the  American  people;  capturing  on  film 
(Turn  to  Page  53) 

Below:  Packing  films  in  hermetically  sealed 
containers,  in  defense  against  humidity. 


Above:  “ Palace ”  of  the  native  king  of  the  Fiji  Islands  where 
members  of  the  expedition  were  royally  entertained. 
Below:  Female  members  of  the  cast  receiving  instructions. 


Aboriginal  make-up.  fore  and  aft. 


16 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  193 1 


UNIVERSAL  PICTURES 


" MURDER  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI ”  Charles  R.  Rogers — Producer.  Pal  Paul,  Associate  Producer.  Arthur  Luhin,  Director.  Stars 
and  Feature  Players — James  Dunn,  Jean  Rogers,  Andy  Devine,  John  Eldredge,  Robert  Cavanaugh,  Jonathan  Hale.  Pal  O'Malley. 
Director  of  Photography — Milton  Krasner,  A.S.C.  Art  Director,  Jack  Otterson.  Original  Story  by  Fred  Marlssacs.  Screen  Play — Jef¬ 
ferson  Parker  and  John  Gray.  Sound  Recorder.  Charles  Carroll.  Musical  Director — Charles  Previn.  Sound  Supervision-  Homer  G. 

Tasker.  W ardrobe — Vera  West. 


TOP  Ob  I  HE  TOWN  Producer — Lou  Brock.  Director — U  alter  Lang.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Doris  Nolan.  George  Murphy, 
Hugh  Herbert ,  Gregory  Ratoff.  Gertrude  Niesen.  Director  of  Photography— Hal  Mohr.  Sets  and  Costumes  by  John  Harkrider.  Dance 
Director  Gene  Snyder.  Original  Story  by  Lou  Brock,  with  additional  credits  to  Charles  Grayson,  Robert  Benchley.  Browne  Holmes. 
Music  by  Jimmy  McHugh  and  Harold  Adamson...  Musical  Direction  by  Charles  Previn. 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


17 


SPEEDING  FATHER  TIME 

JACK  FIERCE,  muke-u/j  artist  fur  Universal  Studios,  can  age  a  character  twenty  years  in 
three  hours  by  the  use  of  expertly-applied  make-up.  Here's  how  he  does  it. 


NOTED  for  his  creations  of  monsters 
and  ghostly  characters.  Jack 
Pierce  has  now  added  another  laurel  to 
his  growing  list  of  make-up  successes: 
the  illusion  of  extreme  age! 

We  met  Mr.  Pierce  in  his  spotless 
little  make-up  department  at  the  studio, 
which  looks  like  a  combined  operating 
room  and  scientific  laboratory.  The 
great  make-up  chairs  are  built  exactly 
like  barber-shop  chairs  with  swivels  and 
head-rests  so  that  the  face  of  the  actor 
or  actress  is  held  rigidly  still  for 
the  application  of  grease-paint,  paint 
brushes  stand  in  fan-like  formation 
ready  for  use  and  bottles  and  jars  ol 
compounded  colors  for  make-up  are  ar¬ 
ranged  neatly  in  rows.  It  is  in  this 
room  where  Edward  Arnold  entered 
every  morning,  a  man  in  the  prime  of 
life;  to  totter  out  three  hours  later  an 
ancient  and  broken  old  man  of  eighty 
with  faltering  step  and  shaking  hands. 

“When  I  make  a  character  up  for 
extreme  age,”  said  Jack  Pierce.  “I  ask 
for  his  co-operation  or  it  is  impossible 
to  get  the  effect  of  reality.  With  Ed¬ 
ward  Arnold,  in  order  to  get  his  shoul¬ 
ders  to  give  the  right  droop  for  the 


final  scenes  in  "Sutter's  Gold  ’  I  had 
a  harness  made  which  pulled  bis  body 
forward  and  dropped  bis  shoulders 
down.  It  is  useless  to  make  up  a  face 
to  look  old  and  not  change  the  posture, 
the  hands  and,  of  course,  the  facial  ex¬ 
pression.  It  takes  the  actor's  willing 
efforts  to  produce  the  correct  effect.  ' 

Jack  Pierce  does  not  leave  make-up 
just  at  the  mere  greasepaint  stage.  He 
adds  scientific  knowledge  and  a  goodly 
amount  of  character  analysis  to  his 
creations. 

"A  person  changes  from  youth  to  age 
first  in  the  eyes,  then  in  the  mouth,  then 
in  the  drooping  of  the  muscles  of  the 
face.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  make 
up  a  face  so  that  it  is  beautiful  and  at¬ 
tractive.  It  is  not  so  easy  to  create  fur¬ 
rows  and  lines  so  that  they  seem  to 
belong  on  a  face  that  is  completely  de¬ 
void  of  lines  or  ageing  expressions.  Nev¬ 
ertheless  I  venture  to  say  that  no  matter 
how  young  and  beautiful  a  person  may 
be,  I  can  make  him  or  her  look  old  and 
even  act  old  after  three  hour’s  coaching 
and  makeup  application.” 

It  sounded  like  a  terrible  threat  to  us! 

A  short  time  ago  the  way  actors  were 
aged  for  the  screen  was  by  a  generous 


powdering  of  the  hair  and  face  coupled 
with  a  free  use  of  the  grease-pencil  for 
lines  and  furrows  and — voila! — age! 

The  bright  eyes  and  erect  carriage  of 
the  actor  or  actress  belied  the  powdered 
hair  and  made  the  effect  one  of  farce 
rather  than  tragedy. 

It's  very  different  now.  With  Jack 
Pierce  the  creation  of  age  for  screening 
purposes  is  an  art  and  he  takes  his  work 
earnestly  and  with  serious  purpose. 

“The  eyes  of  a  very  old  person  are 
smaller  than  those  of  a  younger  one,” 
he  told  us.  “I  make  up  the  eyes  so 
that  they  give  that  effect.  The  mouth 
of  an  old  person  breaks  into  a  thin  line 
and  sinks  in  under  the  nose.  I  get  this 
expression  with  careful  shading  and 
sometimes  add  a  mouthpiece  inside  the 
actor’s  mouth  to  distort  his  speech  so 
that  it  sounds  reedy  and  thin  as  that  of 
a  person  ancient  of  days.  In  the  face 
of  a  powerful  character  such  as  that  of 
old  John  Sutter.  I  kept  the  lines  of 
strength  in  his  face  and  added  those  of 
age  which  gave  the  effect  of  a  fine  and 
vital  person  yet  retained  the  illusion  of 
his  extreme  age.” 

(Turn  to  Page  69) 


Left:  The  first  mask  of  the  Frankenstein  monster.  MR.  PIERCE  uses  this  model  to  “ lay-out ”  his  plans  for  the  application  of  KAR 
LOFF'S  make-up.  Right:  Here  is  a  finished  product.  Edwin  Arnold  at  eighty-two,  made  up  for  his  part  in  “ Sutter’s  Gold. 


18  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider  January ,  / 931 

RKO-RADIO  PICTURES 


“RAINBOW  ON  THE  RIVER'’ 
Producer  —  Sol  Lesser.  Associate  Pro¬ 
ducer — Edward  Gross.  Director — Kurt 
Neuman.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — 
Bobby  Breen ,  May  Robson ,  Charles 
Butterworth.  Alan  Mowbray.  Benila 
Hume.  Henry  O’Neill ,  Stymie  Beard 
and  Hall  Johnson  Choir.  Director  of 
Photography  —  Charles  Schoenbaum. 
A.S.C.  Art  Director  —  Harry  Oliver. 
Musical  Setting  —  Hugo  Riesenfiebl 
Adopted  from  “Toinette’ s  Philip”  by- 
Mrs.  C.  B.  Jamison.  Screenplay  by- 
Earle  Snell  and  William  Hurlbut.  Sound 
Hal  Bumbaugh.  Costume  Supervision 
— Albert  Diano. 


KjBM; z '  -  ~  ■  —  *-*£&■*-  *?*! 

EicIh 

E  m 

fr 

"THAT  GIRL  FROM  PARIS”  Producer — Pandro  S.  Berman.  Director — Leigh  Jason.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Lily  Pons.  Gene 
Raymond.  Jack  Oakie.  Mischa  Auer.  Frank  Jenks.  Herman  Bing,  Lucille  Ball,  Patricia  W  ilder,  Harry  James  and  Oscar  Apsel.  Music — 
Arthur  Schwartz  and  Eddie  Heyman.  Musical  Director — Nathaniel  Skilkret.  Musical  Supervisor — Andre  Kostelanetz.  Original  Story 
by  W .  Carey  Wonderly.  Screen  Play — T.  J.  Wolfson  and  Dorothy  Yost.  Costumes — Edward  M.  Stevenson. 


January.  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


19 


A  LITTLE  BIT 

INDEPENDENT! 

That’s  Katharine  Hepburn.  Here  is  a  story  of  the  reasons  why  this  volatile 
actress  has  insisted  upon  having  her  own  way  in  Hollywood. 


THE  Eternal  Poles— the  fusion  of  dia¬ 
metrically  opposite  characteristics, 
constitute  the  unique  personality  of 
Katharine  Hepburn.  She  is  at  the  same 
time,  shy,  retiring,  unassuming,  and 
liery,  dynamic  and  volatile,  a  combina¬ 
tion  which  puts  her  in  the  good  com¬ 
pany  of  many  of  the  world  s  elect.  It 
also  may  well  lie  responsible  for  the 
superb  artistry  with  which  she  portray¬ 
ed  the  leading  role  in  “Morning  Glory.” 
which  won  her  the  Motion  Picture 
Academy  Award  for  acting  in  1933  and 
for  her  work  in  “Alice  Adams."  the 
award  for  second  best  performance  in 

1935. 

The  history  of  this  unusually  vital 
person  has  been  punctuated  by  battles 
that  would  exhaust  a  Titan.  She  has 
fought  every  step  of  the  way  for  her 
own  beliefs,  in  spite  of  great  odds.  She 
has  been  known  as  the  girl  who  walked 
off  stages;  the  girl  who  has  refused 
“fat”  parts;  the  girl  who  insisted  upon 
either  acting  a  scene  as  she  wanted  to, 
or  leaving  the  cast;  the  girl  who  okays 
every  script  first  before  she  even  starts 
rehearsal  for  screen  plays;  as  well  as 
the  girl  who  battled  like  a  demon  for  a 
certain  part  on  the  stage  and  won.  only 
to  fight  equally  valiantly  to  get  out  of  a 
part  that  she  felt  would  harm  her  future. 

"Judge  my  acting  as  strictly  as  you 
wish  for  I  base  my  ambitions  on  con¬ 
structive  criticism,  but  don't  condemn 
my  personal  life  or  personal  character¬ 
istics  because  they  are  part  of  myself 
and  do  not  belong  to  the  public.” 

This  is  Katharine  Hepburn’s  ultima¬ 
tum  regarding  her  career.  She  feels 
that  the  Katharine  Hepburn  who  ap¬ 
pears  on  the  silver  screen  is  a  figure 
that  the  world  can  love,  hate  or  ignore, 
as  it  wills,  whose  rise  and  fall  the  pub¬ 
lic  have  the  right  to  dictate  according 
to  their  taste.  But  when  the  personal 
element  enters  into  publicity  and  studio 
politics  fire  flashes  from  the  dark  eyes 
of  the  red-haired  little  actress. 

Not  all  the  directors  in  Hollywood 
could  get  Katie,  as  she  is  known  to  the 
studio,  to  change  her  mind  in  anything 
that  she  felt  was  right  regarding  the 
interpretation  of  a  scene  or  the  suit¬ 
ability  of  a  role  to  her  own  talents. 


She  considers  that  she  alone  knows  what 
she  can  best  act  in  and  proceeds  to  do 
battle  for  her  own  cause,  to  the  dismay 
of  those  who  feel  that  she  needs  cau¬ 
tion,  advice  or  (in  some  cases)  complete 
reformation. 

There  have  been  those  who  have  con¬ 
demned  Katharine  Hepburn  for  her  tac¬ 
tics.  Many  have  declared  she  would 
never  “get  anywhere”  with  her  method 
of  progress.  The  answer  lies  in  the 
hox-office,  where  the  receipts  bear  in¬ 
controvertible  witness  to  her  popularity 
and  the  excellence  of  her  screen  per¬ 
formances. 

Regarding  herself,  it  is  a  strange  and 
true  fact  that  she  is  a  shy  and  nervous 
individual  who  hates  to  meet  people 
and  shuns  the  strain  of  social  life.  On 
the  set  she  is  the  idol  of  every  grip,  cam¬ 
eraman  and  “juicer”  with  whom  she 
works.  She  would  rather  sit  down  and 
have  a  sandwich  and  a  cup  of  coffee 
with  one  of  the  stage  hands  than  face 
the  staring  crowds  in  the  studio  com¬ 
missary. 

When  a  picture  is  completed  and  she 
feels  that  it  will  be  a  success  she  re¬ 
wards  those  with  whom  she  has  worked 
with  little  gifts  and  notes  of  thanks. 
One  such  case  is  that  of  Lew  Anderson, 


who  worked  on  the  properties  for  "Mary 
of  Scotland.”  After  the  picture  was  fin¬ 
ished,  Katie  gave  Lew  a  handsome  silver 
pencil  inscribed  to  him  in  her  own  hand¬ 
writing  etched  on  the  silver  case,  a 
proof  that  she,  personally,  wished  to 
thank  him  for  his  tireless  efforts  in  her 
behalf  towards  making  the  picture  as 
good  as  possible. 

An  example  of  her  independence  be¬ 
gan  when  Katie  was  a  freckled  little  girl 
with  a  mop  of  amazingly  red-brown 
hair.  One  of  six  children  she  was 
brought  up  in  Hartford.  Conneticut. 
where  two  older  brothers  were  her  envy 
and  despair,  mainly  because  they  were 
able  to  do  exciting  tilings  that  were  bar¬ 
red  to  small  Katie  because  “she  was  a 
girl.” 

On  one  occasion  when  they  had  ex¬ 
cluded  her  from  participation  in  some 
of  their  activities  she  went  to  the  near¬ 
est  barber  and  had  her  hair  shingled 
close  to  her  head,  then,  donning  a  suit 
of  her  brother’s  clothes,  she  demanded 
to  be  admitted  to  their  games  on  terms 
of  equality! 

This  anecdote  is  perhaps  the  keynote 
to  Katharine  Hepburn’s  character.  Yet 
her  indomitable  will  is  offset  by  such  an 
appealing  willingness  that  the  combina¬ 
tion  breaks  down  all  opposition. 

A  condensed  version  of  “Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin”  was  one  of  her  childish  master¬ 
pieces.  The  only  parts  portrayed  were 
those  of  Little  Eva.  Topsy  and  a  couple 
of  slaves.  Miss  Hephurn  played  Topsy 
and  cast  a  child  she  did  not  particularly 
like  as  Eva  because  of  a  recent  argu¬ 
ment  which  “Eva”  had  won.  The  slaves 
were  two  younger  children  who  could  be 
“managed.” 

Miss  Hepburn  had  a  hazy  remem¬ 
brance  that  the  play  closed  after  the 
first  night,  due  to  discord  in  the  cast! 

In  plays,  even  then,  she  quite  defin¬ 
itely  had  her  own  way.  She  was  always 
the  star  of  the  production,  besides  writ¬ 
ing,  producing  and  directing  the  whole 
thing.  If  anyone  objected  to  the  way 
she  did  things,  she  simply  walked  out 
and  stayed  out  until  they  asked  her  to 
come  back. 

A  conclusive  method  which  she  still 
follows. 


(Turn  to  page  66) 


20 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


PARAMOUNT  PRODUCTIONS 


"MAID  OF  SALEM ”  Producer — Howard  Estubrook.  Director — Frank  Lloyd.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Claudette  Colbert,  Fred 
MacMurray,  Harvey  Stephens,  Gale  Sondergaard,  Louise  Dresser  and  Edward  Ellis.  Director  of  Photography — Leo  Tover,  A.S.C.  Art 
Direction  by — Hans  Dreier  and  Bernard  Herzbrun.  Original  Story  by  Bradley  King.  Screen  Play  by  Walter  Ferris,  Brandley  King  and 
Durward  Grinstead.  Sound  Recording  Gene  Merritt  and  Louis  Mesenkop.  Costumes — Travis  Banton. 


"CHAMPAGNE  WALTZ ”  Producer — Harlan  Thompson.  Director — A.  Edward  Sutherland.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Gladys 
Swarthout,  Fred  MacMurray.  Jack  Oakie,  Veloz  and  Yolanda,  and  Guy  Bates  Post.  Director  of  Photography — W  illiam  C.  Mellor,  A.S.C. 
Special  Photographic  Effects  by  Gordon  Jennings,  A.S.C.  and  Dew  Jennings.  Art  Direction  by  Hans  Dreier  and  Ernst  Fegte.  Original 
Story — Billy  Wilder  and  H.  S.  Kraft.  Screen  Play  by — Don  Hartman  and  Frank  Butler.  Musical  Direction — Boris  Morros.  Interior 

Decorations — A.  E.  Freudeman. 


January ,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


21 


MANY  HAPPY  RETURNS 


Paramount  will  commemorate  its  founder's  Silver  Jubilee  with  an  impres¬ 
sive  function.  Stars  of  both  radio  and  screen  will  assist  in  making  it  a 
momentous  occasion. 


ROUNDING  out  a  quarter  century  of 
service  to  the  motion  picture  in¬ 
dustry  as  a  maker  of  screen  entertain¬ 
ment,  Mr.  Adolph  Zukor’s  Silver  Ju¬ 
bilee  will  be  celebrated  on  the  night  of 
bis  birthday,  January  7.  1937.  by  Para¬ 
mount  Pictures.  To  commemorate  this 
occasion  Paramount  has  planned  a  cele¬ 
bration  with  ramifications  reaching  into 
almost  every  country  of  the  world. 

The  highlight  of  the  observance  in 
Hollywood  will  he  the  Silver  Jubilee 
dinner  to  he  given  at  the  studio  on  that 
evening.  The  largest  available  stage 
on  the  lot  will  be  utilized  for  the  fes¬ 
tivities  and  the  entertainment  program 
will  be  featured  by  performances  from 
reigning  favorites  of  both  the  screen 
and  radio.  Preceding  the  dinner  will 


be  a  screening  of  Sara  Bernhardt  s 
“Queen  Elizabeth”  which  Mr.  Zukor 
first  exhibited  in  New  York  twenty-five 
years  ago.  and  which  is  credited  with 
being  the  forerunner  of  present  day 
featu  res. 

By  way  of  contrast,  one  of  Para¬ 
mount’s  most  recent  releases,  probably 
“Maid  of  Salem”  will  be  shown.  Hosts 
for  the  dinner  will  be  the  Paramount 
Studio  Club,  and  the  guest  list  includes 
not  only  stars,  producers,  directors  and 
executives  of  today,  but  many  others 
who  during  years  past  have  been  close¬ 
ly  associated  with  the  Paramount 
founder. 

As  a  feature  of  the  Silver  Jubilee 
season.  “Champagne  Waltz”  starring 
Gladys  Swarthout  and  Fred  McMurray 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR 


will  be  given  a  day  and  date  premiere 
in  all  the  capitals  of  the  world. 

Led  by  Bob  Burns  and  Gladys 
Swarthout,  the  following  stars  will 
make  personal  appearances  in  the  var¬ 
ious  cities  as  special  features  of  the 
several  premieres:  Ray  Milland.  Lynne 
Overman,  Marsha  Hunt,  Eleanore  W7hit- 
ney.  William  Frawley.  Roscoe  Karns. 
Gail  Patrick,  Martha  Raye.  Shirley 
Ross.  Mary  Carlisle.  Dorothy  Lamour. 
Sir  Guy  Standing,  and  Robert  Cum¬ 
mings. 

A  special  sales  program  for  Para¬ 
mount  pictures  has  also  been  outlined 
in  observance  of  the  Jubilee  Season. 
Major  releases  include  such  stellar  at¬ 
tractions  as  The  Plainsman.  Maid  of 
Salem.  College  Holiday,  John  Mead's 
Woman,  Waikiki  Wedding,  High  Wide 
and  Handsome,  Swing  High-Swing  Low. 
Souls  At  Sea.  I  Met  Him  In  Paris. 
That's  What  Girls  Are  Made  Of.  and 
Harold  Lloyd's  as  yet  untitled  produc¬ 
tion. 

To  honor  Mr.  Zukor  and  pay  tribute 
to  his  outstanding  achievements,  it  is  ex¬ 
pected  that  representatives  not  only  of 
other  domestic  companies  will  be  pres¬ 
ent.  but  also  many  foreign  producers 
will  join  in  making  the  occasion  one  of 
the  greatest  ever  to  be  held  in  the  annals 
of  the  motion  pictures. 

The  entire  industry  joins  in  thanking 
Mr.  Zukor  for  the  noteworthy  contri¬ 
butions  he  has  made  to  the  art  of  the 
cinema  and  wishes  him  many  happy  re¬ 
turns  of  the  day. 


\ 


Gladys  Swarthout  and  Fred  MacMurray  in  a  scene  from  “Champagne  Waltz”  that 
charming  feature  of  Viennese  background,  which  will  he  released  during  the 

Silver  Jubilee  season. 


22 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


WARNER  BROS.-FIRST  NATIONAL  STUDIOS 


svLce 

'OK 


"PENROD  AND  SAM  '  Director — If  i Ilium  McCann.  Assistant  Director  —  Drew  Eberson.  Principal  players  —  Billy  Munch,  Frank 
Craven,  Spring  Byington,  Craig  Reynolds.  Jackie  Morrow.  Director  of  Photography — L.  William  O'Connell.  Dialogue  Director — Hugh 
Cummings.  Original  Story  hr  Booth  Tarkington,  Screen  Play  by  Lillie  Hayward  and  Hugh  Cummings.  Film  Editor — Thomas  Pratt. 


"ANOTHER  DAWN”  Director — William  Dieter/e.  Assistant  Director — Frank  Heath.  Stars — Kay  Francis.  Ian  Hunter.  Errol  Flynn. 
Frieda  Inescort.  Herbert  Munilin.  Director  of  Photography — Tony  Gaudio.  Original  Story  and  Screen  Play  by  Laird  Doyle.  Art  Director 

— Robert  Haas.  Unit  Manager — Al  Alhorn. 


January,  1937 

"LET'S 

These  words  sum  up  the  personal  phil¬ 
osophy  of  MERVYN  LE  ROY,  Warner 
Rros.’  premier  director,  who  has  to  his 
credit  such  pictures  as  “ Anthony  Ad- 
rerse”  “ Five  Star  Final,”  “ Little  Caesar 
and  who  just  finished  directing  “ Three 
Men  on  a  Horse.” 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


GOOD 


23 

SCENE'" 


MAKE  IT  A 


<*tT  ET’S  make  it  a  good  scene,  now ! 

J-J  Quiet,  persuasive  words  falling 
upon  the  stillness,  as  Mervyn  LeRoy 
crossed  the  set  where  he  was  directing 
"Three  Men  On  A  Horse.  When  War¬ 
ner  Bros.’  best  productions  have  been 
under  way  LeRoy’s  encouraging  “let’s 
make  it  a  good  scene’’  has  ever  been  the 
key  note. 

Perhaps  these  words  are  responsible 
for  his  success  for  one  gets  the  impres¬ 
sion  that  they  represent  his  personal 
philosophy,  a  practical  daily  creed  to 
make  life  a  “good  scene.”  The  stimu¬ 
lating  spirit  is  evident  in  his  relations 
with  those  about  him.  Friendly  and 
courteous,  yet  he  has  a  noticeably  acute 
power  of  observation  that  permits  of  no 
substitute  for  the  finest  work  on  the 
part  of  those  he  so  ably  “directs.”  No 
movement  in  the  rehearsal  going  for¬ 
ward  escaped  him  and  it  did  not  take 
long  to  realize  that  he  is  in  every  way. 
an  “ace”  director. 

His  history  is  interesting  enough  to 
form  the  background  for  a  novel  in  the 
most  approved  fictional  manner.  He  is 
a  native  Californian,  born  in  San  Fran¬ 
cisco  where  his  first  recollections  were 
of  the  earthquake  when  he  “fell  out  of 
the  house  three  stories,  in  his  bed!” 
This  sufficiently  spectacular  achievement 


proved  an  appropriate  harbinger  of  bis 
future  destiny. 

Fong  before  bis  earliest  memory  his 


MERVYN  LE  ROY 


parents  lost  their  money,  and  their  young 
son,  at  the  tender  age  of  one  year,  help¬ 
ed  to  re-build  the  family  fortunes  by 
appearing  as  a  papoose  in  “The  Squaw 
Man."  his  mother  receiving  one  dollar 
for  each  time  he  was  carried  on. 

For  a  while  then,  his  theatrical  flight 
ceased  and  life  flowed  uneventfully  for 
several  years  until  the  end  of  his  first 
decade  found  him  embarked  in  the 
business  of  selling  newspapers  outside 
the  Alcazar  Theater,  earning  “spending 
money."  But  he  did  not  stay  outside 
very  long.  Through  the  grand  old  troup¬ 
er.  Theodore  Roberts,  whose  kindly 
spi lit  responded  to  the  candid  blue  eyes 
of  the  little  boy,  young  Mervyn  was 
ushered  in  to  the  inner  holy  of  holies 
and  emerged — an  actor! — engaged  to 
climb  a  tree  and  shout.  “The  Yankees 
are  Coming.”  in  the  play  of  "‘Barbara 
Fritchie.” 

The  promising  youngster  not  only 
climbed  the  tree,  in  his  excitement  he 
fell  out  of  it  in  so  comical  a  manner 
that  the  audience  thought  it  part  of  the 
show  and  applauded  uproariously.  Na¬ 
turally.  then,  the  fall  became  part  of 
the  show  and  had  to  be  repeated  at 
every  performance.  This  proved  to  be  a 
blessing  in  disguise  for  it  raised  him  to 

(Turn  to  page  54) 


MERVYN  LE  ROY  and  DICK  POWELL 


MR.  AND  MRS.  MERVYN  LE  ROY 


24 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


20th  CENTURY-FOX  FILM  CORPORATION 


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“STOW AW AY”  Directed  by — If  illiam  A.  Seiter.  Associate  Producers — R.G.  De  Sylva,  Earl  Carroll  and  Harold  If  ilson.  Assistant 
Director — Earl  Haley.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Shirley  Temple ,  Robert  Young,  Alice  Faye,  Eugene  Pallette,  Arthur  Treacher  and 
Helen  Jerome  Eddy.  Director  of  Photography — Arthur  Miller  A.S.C.  Art  Direction — William  Darling.  Original  Story — Sam  Engel.  Screen 
Play — William  Conselman,  Arthur  Sheekman  and  Nat  Perrin.  Sound — Eugene  Grossman  and  Roger  Heman.  Music  and  Lyrics — Mack 

Gordon  and  Harry  Revel.  Musical  Direction — Louis  Silvers. 


"ONE  ll\  A  MILLION”  Associate  Produ  cer — Raymond  Griffith.  Director — Sidney  Lanffeld.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Sonja  Henie. 
Adolphe  Menjou,  Jean  Hersholt,  Ned  Sparks.  Don  Ameche,  Arline  Judge  and  Albert  Conti.  Photography — Edward  Cronjager,  A.S.C.  Art 
Direction — Mark-Lee  Kirk.  Story  and  Screen  Play  by  Leonard  Praskins  and  Mark  Kelly.  Music  and  Lyrics — Lew  Pollack  and  Sidney 
D.  Mitchell.  Sound — Roger  Heman  and  Arthur  von  Kirbach.  Musical  Direction — Louis  Silvers.  Costumes— Royer.  Skating  Ensembles 

Staged  by  Jack  Haskell. 


January ,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


25 


SKATING  TO  STARDOM 


SONJA  HEME 


All  this  was  said  witli  the  most 
charming  accent  imaginable,  but  quite 
impossible  to  reproduce  in  cold  type. 
"They  built  a  special  rink  for  me  to 
skate  on.  on  the  sound-stage.”  she  add- 
(Turn  to  Pape  58) 


Sonja  Henie.  world  champion  ice-skater _  makes  her  debut  in  Hollywood 
and  tells  her  plans  for  the  future. 


AN  elf  from  the  land  of  the  Vikings, 
an  elf  with  a  pert  retrousse  nose — 
Hashing  brown  eyes  that  sparkle  with 
bubbling  merriment  and  the  sheer  joy 
of  living — an  oval  face  that  radiates 
health  and  freshness — and  the  whole 
crowned  with  a  nimbus  of  golden  hair 
— that  is  Sonja  Henie,  world  queen  of 
the  ice.  who  is  now  adding  to  her  realm 
by  capturing  Hollywood's  land  of 
make-believe. 

Beautiful  she  is,  exceptionally  beau¬ 
tiful  even  in  Hollywood,  where  beauty 
abounds.  But  beauty  alone  no  longer 
suffices.  There  must  be  something  more. 
Personality charm,  of  course  —  but 
above  everything  else — ability.  And 
Sonja  has  them  all.  While  her  beauty 
might  well  be  an  heritage  from  her 
forbears  (Scandinavian  with  just  a  dash 
of  Irish  to  add  flavor  and  elan  )  she  had 
to  learn  to  dance  and  to  skate.  And  the 
facility  with  which  she  mastered  both 
these  difficult  arts  is  the  why  of  her  pre¬ 
sent  conquest  in  pictures. 

If  she  can  act  with  the  same  consum¬ 
mate  artistry  as  she  can  skate,  she  will 
be  priceless.  Priceless  not  only  to  her 


studio,  always  in  search  of  fresh  mater¬ 
ial,  but  priceless  to  audiences  surfeited 
with  sloe-eyed  langourous  screen  sirens 
whose  hothouse  beauty  is  their  only 
asset  and  who  move  as  il  in  a  constant 
torpid  dream. 

For  there  is  no  langour  about  Sonja. 
She  is  pep  personified.  Her  eyes  scin¬ 
tillate.  her  dimples  twinkle  and  her 
hands  move  in  Hashing  staccato  ges¬ 
tures  wdiile  she  talks.  Every  act.  every 
phase  of  her  being  glows  with  vitality. 
Which  is  not  unusual  in  an  Olympic 
champion,  at  that,  but  for  moving-pic¬ 
ture  queens  it  is  definitely  “something 
new. 

She  refused  our  proffered  cigarette 
with  a  quick  smile:  “I  do  not  smoke.” 
she  explained.  “Because  I  keep  rigid 
training  rules  always.  Especially  now. 
when  I  have  to  skate  so  much  in  this, 
my  first  picture.”  She  grew  enthusiastic 
about  her  screen  work.  “There  are  lots 
of  dapcing  numbers  on  skates,”  she 
said,  happily,  “and  they  designed  some 
charming  costumes  for  me.  I  think  it 
will  he  good  I  do  hope  so.  I  w'ant  to 
he  successful  on  the  screen. 


Miss  Henie  in  a  typical  pose  from  one  of  her  dunce  sequences  in  the  new  20th  Century-Fox  picture  "One  in  a  Million."  The  complete 

set  as  shown  was  built  on  a  studio  sound  stupe. 


26 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  193 / 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES 


" INTERLUDE ”  Producer  —  Everett 
Riskin.  Directed  by — Robert  Riskin  and 
Harry  Lachman.  Starring  Grace  Moore 
with  Cary  Grant ,  Ailene  MacMahon, 
Luis  Alherni,  Henry  Stephenson ,  Cath¬ 
erine  Doucet  and  Thomas  Mitchell. 
Photography — Joseph  Walker.  Original 
Story — Ethel  Hill.  Screen  Play — Robert 
Riskin.  Sound — Lodge  Cunningham. 


K  '  1 

W\T/ 

AHH L  XjKfi  >»  J 

"HELP  WANTED  FEMALE "  Director— Alfred  E.  Green.  Assistant  Director — Sam  Nelson.  Associate  Producer — Everett  Riskin.  Stars 
and  Principal  Players — Jean  Arthur.  George  Brent.  Lionel  Slander.  Ruth  Donnelly.  Dorothea  Kent.  Charles  Hatton  and  Geraldine  Hull. 
Photography — Henry  Freulich.  A.S.C.  Art  Director — Stephen  Goosson.  Original  Story — Ethel  Hill  and  Aben  Kandel  from  “Safara  In 
Manhattan  by  Matt  Taylor.  Screen  Play— Dale  Van  Every  and  Lynn  Starling.  Sound — Glen  Rominger.  Musical  Director — Morris 

Stoloff.  Gowns — Bernard  Newman. 


January.  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


27 


MY  TOUGHEST 

SHOOTING  ASSIGNMENT 


IT’S  difficult  to  call  any  picture  on 
which  I  work  in  conjunction  with 
Frank  Capra  “tough”  because  we  agree 
on  so  many  points  that  it  is  a  pleasure 
lo  turn  out  a  screen  story  under  his 
direction. 

Nevertheless,  I  can  truthfully  say  that 
“Lost  Horizon”  is  my  toughest  shooting 
assignment  for  many  reasons.  In  the 
first  place  all  the  other  Capra  pictures 
on  which  I  have  been  photographer 
have  been  in  natural,  simple  surround¬ 
ings.  Such  stories  about  ordinary  hu¬ 
man  beings  in  every-day  surroundings 
not  only  needed  no  photographic  em¬ 
bellishments  but  they  were  definitely 
out  of  place.  In  “Lost  Horizon”  a  dif¬ 
ferent  handling  of  the  camera  was  nec¬ 
essary  to  give  an  illusion  of  reality  and 
also  to  retain  the  peculiar  tempo  of  the 
story  itself. 

According  to  the  story,  “Lost  Horizon” 
concerns  the  discovery  of  a  lost  land 
high  in  the  Himalayas  and  of  a  group 
of  people  who  have  learned  how  to  live 


to  be  hundreds  of  years  old  through  the 
teachings  of  the  High  Lama. 

In  photographing  such  a  story,  we 
have  had  more  opportunity  for  beauti¬ 
ful  and  unusual  photographic  effects, 
logically  introduced,  than  in  any  of 
the  other  pictures  we  have  made.  Any¬ 
one  who  has  read  James  Hilton’s  de¬ 
scription  of  his  fantastic  Shagri-La  will 
realize  that  the  photographer  has  his 
job  cut  out  for  liirn  to  match  those  vivid 
words  with  equally  vivid  pictures.  Ste¬ 
phen  Goosson.  the  Columbia  art  direc¬ 
tor.  gave  us  one  of  the  most  beautiful 


and  effective  sets  I  have  seen  as  a  basis 
to  work  on.  In  this  case,  the  beauty  of 
Shagri-La  is  necessary  to  the  effective¬ 
ness  of  the  story.  Just  howr  well  we 
have  caught  it  in  the  camera's  eye  we 
will  have  to  leave  to  the  judgment  of 
the  public  when  it  is  released. 

It  was  necessary  to  maintain  an  air 
of  great  age  and  wisdom  in  the  scenic 
effects,  hence,  the  camera  work  had  to 
be  extremely  fine  and  perfectly  focus¬ 
sed.  Again,  the  air  in  the  High  Him¬ 
alayas  is  extremely  rarified  and  thus  a 
clear  and  lucid  picture  had  to  result  to 
give  the  outdoor  scenes  a  look  of  au¬ 
thenticity.  This  meant  careful  timing, 
painstaking  camera  work  and  a  flaw  less 
lens  focus. 

Most  of  the  scenic  shots  of  “Lost 
Horizon”  were  virgin  territory  so  far  as 
motion  pictures  are  concerned.  One  of 
the  interesting  sequences  is  set  in  a 
Tibetan  Village  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Blue  Moon.  The  Tibetan  costumes  are 
unusual  in  themselves  and  the  primitive 
existence  of  these  natives  in  the  archi¬ 
tecture  of  their  houses,  their  crude 
wooden  tools,  the  yaks  that  take  the 
place  of  cows,  all  offered  new  photo¬ 
graphic  opportunities  that  also  present¬ 
ed  new  problems  daily  to  the  camera 
crew. 

The  snowr  sequences  of  the  picture 
also  had  excellent  photographic  value 
and  the  opening  part  of  the  story,  show¬ 
ing  the  uprising  in  Baskul,  in  which 
about  a  thousand  Chinese  natives  were 
used,  offered  opportunity  for  some  ex¬ 
citing  crowd  shots. 

We  had  a  difficult  time  finding  people 
who  approximated  the  appearance  of 
Tibetans.  There  are  no  Tibetans  to  be 
found  in  this  country.  The  nearest 
racial  type  are  the  Eskimos — nearly  as 
scarce.  Mexicans,  Hawaiians,  Filipinos 
and  other  nationalities  were  tested  by 
the  hundreds  and  found  to  be  lacking 
in  the  expression  and  characteristics  we 
(Continued  on  page  66) 


JOSEPH  IT  ALKER.  A.S.C.,  behind  the  carem.a  shooting  “ Lost  Horizon.'’  FRANK  CAPRA 
is  seated  below  as  he  directs  a  scene. 


28 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 

DO  TOO  MANY  PICTURES 

SPOIL  -  STAR? 


THE  quietest  man  in  Hollywood,  that 
is  Ronald  Colman’s  reputation. 
When  he  leaves  the  studio  at  the  close 
of  a  day’s  work,  he  drives  quite  alone, 
to  his  Beverly  Hills  estate  and  that  is 
the  end  of  him  as  far  as  the  public  is 
concerned  until  he  makes  his  next  ap¬ 
pearance  on  the  sound  stage  in  the 
morning. 

The  urge  for  over-exploitation  and 
super-publicity  which  has  been  the  life 
force  of  Hollywood  for  so  long  has 
never  been  a  factor  in  this  particular 
actor’s  life.  He  believes  that  too  much 
publicity  the  same  as  too  many  pic¬ 
tures,  can  negate  a  star’s  appeal  as  sur¬ 
ely  as  too  many  sundaes  can  kill  one’s 
taste  for  ice-cream. 

On  the  set  he  is  all  business.  Quiet, 
interested  and  reserved,  it  is  difficult  to 
break  through  that  shell  of  cool  aloof¬ 
ness  in  which  the  Colman  character  is 
encased.  He  talks  little  to  those  usually 
about  him,  hut  often  becomes  engrossed 
in  a  long  and  deep  conversation  with 
Frank  Capra  which  takes  no  cognizance 
of  time  or  place.  With  pipes  going  these 
two  converse,  an  occasional  gesture  in¬ 
dicating  a  story  being  told  or  a  point 
being  made.  They  are  good  friends  on 
the  set.  hut  after  work  is  over  it  is 


RONALD  COLMAN. 


doubtful  whether  Capra  and  Colman 
ever  see  one  another.  Their  regard  is 
a  case  of  mutual  admiration:  Ronald 
Colman  for  the  clever  director's  show¬ 
manship;  Frank  Capra  for  the  actor’s 
superb  technique  in  portraying  a  part. 
Besides  this,  they  seem  to  have  a  bond 
in  common,  in  the  fact  that  they  are  of 


similar  types  with  corresponding  tastes. 

It  is  proof  of  the  esteem  in  which 
Capra  holds  Ronald  Colman  that  he 
waited  a  year  to  get  him  for  the  part  of 
the  young  Englishman.  Conway,  in 
“Cost  Horizon.”  Capra  felt  there  was 
no  one  else  so  perfectly  suited  for  the 
role  of  the  idealistic  dreamer  who  be¬ 
comes  at  one  with  an  ageless  and  mystic- 
country  in  the  high  Himalayas,  and  it 
is  true  that  the  part  is  “his”  quite  de¬ 
finitely. 

For  Ronald  Colman  is  something  of  a 
dreamer  himself.  Aloof,  he  regards  the 
world  with  the  eyes  of  a  spectator  rather 
than  a  participant. 

All  this  leads  up  to  the  title  of  this 
article:  “Do  too  many  pictures  spoil  a 
star?”  In  order  to  give  one’s  best,  ac¬ 
cording  to  Ronald  Colman,  it  is  nec¬ 
essary  for  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude 
to  limit  the  personal  output  of  pictures 
to  two  or  three  a  year.  He  feels  that 
the  public  would  rather  see  him  on  the 
screen  less  often,  but  then  in  memorable 
and  stirring  roles. 

The  fear  of  loss  of  popularity,  which 
is  the  constant  worry  of  the  studios  re¬ 
garding  this  “few”  picture  practice  is. 
in  his  case  neither  true  nor  necessary. 

(Turn  to  Page  63) 


RONALD  COLEMAN, 
star  oj  the  long-awaited 
picture,  ‘LOST  HORI¬ 
ZON,”  plans  even  fewer 
pictures  in  the  future  in 
spite  of  public  demand. 
The  reasons  for  his  yearly 
working  schedule  are  re¬ 
markably  sound,  and,  in 
this  article,  the  real  RON¬ 
ALD  COLMAN  expresses 
himself.  Although  a  quiet, 
unassuming  person,  never¬ 
theless,  this  star  has  defin¬ 
ite  ideas  concerning  story 
material,  and  insists  upon 
examining  each  script 
thoroughly  before  he  will 
appear  in  the  picture. 
-LOST  HORIZON ”  is  the 
picture  in  which  Mr. 
COLMAN  felt  he  would 
find  his  ideal  role,  and  his 
enthusiasm  for  the  part  is 
reflected  by  his  excellent 
acting  as  the  idealistic 
young  Englishman. 


The  lead  players  in  “ LOST 
HORIZON”  as  they  appear 
in  a  tense  moment  during 
the  climax  of  the  picture. 
RONALD  COLMAN. 
JOHN  HOWARD,  ISABEL 
JEWELL,  THOMAS  MIT 
CHELL  and  EDWARD 
EVERETT  HORTON  are 
the  weary  travelers  in  far¬ 
thest  Tibet.  The  picture 
concerns  the  exciting  ad¬ 
ventures  of  a  group  of 
people  after  their  plane 
crashes  in  the  highest 
mountains  ol  the  Hima¬ 
layas.  The  discovery  of  a 
lost  tribe  of  people  and  of 
a  civilization  untouched 
by  modern  life  brings  in 
ample  opportunity  for  ro¬ 
mance.  adventure  and 
thrills. 


January ,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


29 


RULING  THE  SOUND  WAVES 


An  exclusive  interview  which  reveals 
something  of  Mr.  Shearer  anil  his  sound 
technique. 

SOUND  in  motion  pictures  —  what 
does  the  term  convey  to  the  general 
mind?  Probably  not  much  more  than 
just  another  aural  reaction  because  in 
the  present  highly  developed  mechanical 
age  marvels  are  taken  for  granted.  We 
attend  the  “movies”  and  hear  all  kinds 
of  sounds  that  are  the  accompaniment 
of  every  day  life  yet  rarely  do  we  stop 
to  consider  the  means  whereby  t hey  are 
brought  to  us. 

Conspicuous  contributions  to  sound 
technique  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Doug¬ 
las  Shearer  who,  with  his  Sound  Depart¬ 
ment  at  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Studios 
has  twice  won  the  Academy  Award.  In¬ 
terpreted  by  him  the  subject  is  most 
vital  and  dramatic,  one  which  crosses 
the  shadowy  borderline  of  our  three-di¬ 
mensional  world  and  opens  vistas  of  yel 
another  possible  contact  with  the  higher 
spaces. 

Since  1925  Mr.  Shearer  has  been 
wrestling  with  the  difficulties  of  record¬ 
ing  and  reproducing  by  means  of  vary- 


J 


By  DOROTHY  MEREDITH 


ing  shadows  on  film  those  particular 
etheric  waves  which  register  as  sound 
on  the  tympanum  of  the  ear.  And  be¬ 
cause  he  was  not  primarily  an  engineer 
he  attacked  the  arduous  question  from 
an  original  but  quite  logical  angle.  In¬ 
stead  of  concentrating  first  on  machines 
he  concentrated  on  the  delicate  and  in¬ 
tricate  mechanism  of  natural  aural 
equipment,  with  the  thought  of  repro¬ 
ducing  sounds  in  motion  pictures  so 
that  they  would  strike  the  ear  in  a  na¬ 
tural  fashion  no  matter  what  the  aud¬ 
itor's  position  in  relation  to  the  screen. 

Therefore  he  had  to  consider  not  only 
the  production,  but  the  reproduction  of 
sound.  He  envisions  the  above  as  a 
continuous  series  and  not  each  as  sep¬ 
arate  and  unrelated  to  the  rest.  “From 
the  time  the  waves  are  set  in  motion  by 
whatever  agency,  from  the  time  speech 
leaves  the  mouth  of  an  actor  until  it 
reaches  the  ears  of  his  auditors,  each 
phase  of  the  entire  process  depends  for 
its  success  upon  the  perfectness  of  both 
(lie  preceeding  and  succeeding  phases. 
Final  fidelity  of  tone  is  achieved  only 
with  unified  development  of  each  com¬ 
ponent  part.” 

Thus  in  a  few  brief  phrases  did  Mr. 
Shearer  outline  the  problems  that  con¬ 
fronted  the  industry,  and  him.  when 
“talkies”  first  displaced  silent  pictures. 

Difficulties  started  with  the  micro¬ 
phone.  It  simply  could  not  be  made  to 
distinguish  the  relative  dramatic  values 
of  the  sound  waves  it  intercepted.  Its 
sensitive  diaphragm  has  never  been  sup¬ 
plied  with  any  gadget  comparable  to 
that  agency  of  the  human  mind  which, 
to  a  great  degree,  selects  for  our  con¬ 
sciousness  only  what  we  want  to  hear 
and  subordinates  about  90  per  cent  of 
the  ever  present  but  to  us,  unimportant 
noises. 

First  an  apparatus  was  devised  that 
permitted  the  microphone  to  travel  to 
all  points  where  the  prinicpal  sounds 
were  to  he  picked  up.  But  this  did  not 
make  it  selective,  and  sounds  extraneous 
to  those  necessary  to  the  story  inevitably 
obtruded. 

For  example,  in  shooting  a  ball  room 
scene  it  was  found  that  the  conversation 
of  the  actors  was  drowned  out  by  the 
faithfully  recorded  scraping  of  the  danc¬ 
ers’  feet.  What  to  do?  About  two- 

(Turn  to  Page  64) 


The  Shearer  Horn  developed  by  him  at  M-G-M  represents  an  outstanding  achieve¬ 
ment  in  sound  reproduction.  In  developing  it  Mr.  Shearer  combined  elements  of 
his  own  invention  with  basic  principles  already  existing  in  the  telephonic  field. 
It  is  rapidly  being  adopted  by  theaters  everywhere  as  stardard  equipment. 


:’>o 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


REPUBLIC  PICTURES 


■RIDERS  OF  THE  WHISTLING 
SKI'LL"  A  Nut  Levine  Production ; 
Associate  Producer ,  Sol  C.  Siegel.  Di¬ 
rected  by  Mack  Wright.  Stars — Robert 
Livingston.  Ray  Corrigan.  Max  Terhune. 
Principal  Players — Mary  Russell.  Roger 
Williams,  Fern  Emmett.  Yakima  Canutt. 
Trunk  Ellis.  Chief  Thunder  Cloud.  Di¬ 
rector  of  photography — Jack  Marta.  Ori¬ 
ginal  Story  by  Bernard  McConville  and. 
Oliver  Drake.  Screen  Play  by  Oliver 
Drake  and  John  Rathmell,  based  on 
book  by  William  Colt  MacDonald. 
Supervising  Editor  —  Murray  Seldeen. 
Film  Editor — Tony  Martinelli.  Sound 
Engineer — Harry  Jones.  Musical  Super¬ 
vision — Harry  Grey. 


SELZNICK  INTERNATIONAL  PICTURES 


” A  STAR  IS  BORN”  Director — William  A.  Wellman.  Assistant  Director  —  Eric  Stacey.  Stars  and  Principal  Players  —  Janet  Gaynor. 
Fredric  March.  Adolphe  Menjou.  May  Robson.  Andy  Devine,  Owen  Moore.  Rex  Evans,  Peggy  Wood,  Vince  Barnett.  Dr.  Leonard 
W  alker.  Director  of  Photography — Howard  Greene.  Art  Director — Lyle  W  heeler.  Sound — Oscar  Lagerstrom.  Color  Designer — Lansing 
C.  Holden.  W  ardrobe — Helen  W  ilson.  Property — Robert  Landers.  Grip — Fred  W  illiams. 


January.  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


31 


THE  WAY  OF 


A  LANCER 

IN  PICTURES 


WHILE  the  cameras  turned  through 
t he  final  stages  of  shooting  “The 
Garden  of  Allah,”  Director  Richard 
Boleslawski  reached  the  conclusion  of 


As  a  Polish  cavalry  officer,  as  a  di¬ 
rector  of  the  Moscow  Art  Theater,  as 
hallet  director  and  choreographer.  Boles- 
(Turn  to  page  65) 


RICHARD  BOLESL  1 1f  SKI 


his  first  experience  with  color  photog¬ 
raphy,  an  experience,  he  feels,  which 
more  than  justifies  harder  work  and 
deeper  study  than  ever  before  has  been 
demanded  of  him. 

The  man  who  stood  behind  the  firing 
line  in  the  making  of  such  fine  pictures 
as  “Les  Miserahles”  and  “Men  in  V(  bite 
is  of  the  type  that  looks  ever  forward. 
Time  to  him  is  a  swiftly  rushing  tor¬ 
rent,  each  speeding  moment  to  he  used 
to  the  fullest  before  it  races  into  the 
sea  of  the  Past. 

It  explains,  in  a  measure,  why  he  has 
written  such  books  as  “Way  of  a  Lan¬ 
cer”  and  “Lances  Down,”  and  is  now 
writing  “Escape  of  a  Lancer”  to  com¬ 
plete  a  trilogy.  It  explains  why  his 
home  contains  a  workshop,  from  which 
pass  in  the  artistry  of  bis  own  hands, 
unique  articles  of  furniture,  pewter  and 
silverware. 


Above:  A  desert  luncheon  enjoyed  during 
the  filming  of  “The  Garden  of  Allah ”  on 
location  in  the  desert  near  Yuma.  Arizona. 
From  left  to  right:  Basil  Rathbone , 
Charles  Boyer,  Director  Richard  Boles¬ 
lawski.  Joseph  Schildkraut  and  Marlene 
Dietrich. 


Left:  RICHARD  BOLESLAWSKI  directs 
MARLENE  DIETRICH  and  JOHN  CAR- 
RADINE  in  a  scene  for  “The  Garden  of 
Allah.”  The  set  is  an  interior  of  the  huge 
tent  on  the  location  in  Yuma  where  most 
of  the  picture,  filmed  in  Technicolor, 
was  made. 


32 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


DESTINED  TO 

By  FENYMORE  HOWARD 


SING 


What  would  your  choice  be?  Read  the  Casting  Contest  story  arid  let  us  know  whom  you 
would  cast  in  each  character  role,  if  you  were  casting  director.  For  Contest  Rules 

turn  to  page  74. 


Pictured  below  are  MAY  ROBSON,  ALICE  BRADY ,  MARY  BOLAND.  RUTH  DONNELLY,  SPRING  BY  IN  GT  ON, 
HELEN  BRODERICK  and  BILLIE  BURKE.  In  your  opinion  would  any  of  these  character  actresses  of  the  screen 
be  suited  for  the  role  of  the  mother  of  DICK  CARYLYLE ;  MRS.  RICHARD  CARLYLE?  Pictures  of  other  leading 
players  who  might  be  cast  as  characters  in  the  story  will  follow.  Watch  for  them. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  PREVIOUS  INSTALMENTS 

Dick  Carlyle .  a  gifted  young  American  had 
steadily  refused  to  go  to  Italy  to  study  singing, 
giving  as  his  reason  that  he  would  not  leave  “'my 
girl”  Joan  Preston.  In  order  to  make  him,  of 
his  own  accord,  embark  upon  what  she  and  his 
parents  believed  to  be  the  most  important  thing 
in  his  life,  namely,  the  cultivation  of  his  splen¬ 
did  voice,  Joan  pretended  to  be  in  love  with 
Homer  Wallace,  a  schoolmate.  When  Dick  felt 
that  she  was  no  longer  interested  in  him  he  de¬ 
cided  to  go  to  Italy  with  Maestro  Ciarpini.  U p 
to  the  last  moment  he  expected  that  Joan  would 
capitulate  arid  when  she  did  not  appear  to  see 
him  off,  his  disappointment  was  so  acute  that  to 
hide  it  he  gave  way  to  Ciarpini  s  plans  and,  at 
first  with  indifference,  allowed  himself  to  be 
beguiled  into  taking  part  in  shipboard  activities. 

IN  the  last  few  minutes  of  curious  hiatus  that 
inevitably  preceed  leaving  home  on  a  long 
voyage,  Dick  Carlyle  paced  his  room.  The  phone 
rang  often  and  each  time  he  rushed  to  pick  up 
the  receiver  only  to  find  that  it  was  just  one  of 
his  many  friends  calling  to  wish  him  “bon 
voyage.” 

Where  in  the  world  can  Joan  be?”  was  the 
question  that  weighed  on  his  mind  and  super¬ 
imposed  itself  upon  every  other  thought.  “Why 
doesn’t  she  come?  What  can  have  kept  her? 
No  message — gone  up  to  the  cabin  with  W  allace 
— it  doesn’t  seem  possible — ” 

“Mother,”  he  called  peremptorily,  “do  you 
think  Mrs.  Preston  was  sure  about  where  Joan 
went?  I  can’t  understand  it.  I  can’t  sail  with¬ 
out  seeing — my  girl.” 

A  light,  though  slightly  forced  laugh  answer¬ 
ed  him.  “Well,  dear,  even  your  girl  is — just 
another  girl,  you  know.  I  have  no  doubt  she  left 
with  every  intention  of  getting  back  in  time,  she 
must  have  wanted  to  see  you  off,  but  Homer 
Wallace  has  a  way  with  him,  they  say,  and  lately 
Joan  hasn’t  seemed  to  mind  his  infatuation.  And 
anyway,  some  perfectly  simple  thing  may  have 
come  up  to  delay  them.” 

“Then  why  in  thunder  doesn’t  she  telephone?” 
demanded  Dick,  his  attractive  face  lined  with 
worry  and  perplexity. 

“She  has  probably  gone  straight  down  to  the 
pier,”  suggested  Mrs.  Carlyle. 

P>ut  no  Joan  awaited  them.  Dick’s  room  was 


full  of  friends,  all  slightly  lightheaded  from  the 
potency  of  the  many  farewell  cocktails. 

“Say,  it’s  funny  Joan  Preston  isn’t  here.” 
someone  remarked  in  a  low  tone.  “Did  they 
have  a  row?” 

“I  don't  know;  but  Wallace  has  been  rushing 
her  like  nobody's  business,”  came  an  equally 
quiet  reply. 

“I’d  hate  to  see  them  break  up;  he’s  a  swell 
guy  and  Lord!  what  a  voice!  And  she’s  a  grand 
kid.  too.”  another  whisperer  chimed  in. 

The  steward  offered  Mrs.  Carlyle  her  wraps 
as  the  loud  cry,  “All  ashore!”  fell  like  a  knell 
upon  Dick’s  partly  drugged  senses.  “All  ashore!" 
“ All  ashore!” 

“Well,  old  man,  I  guess  that  means  us  too! 
Come  along,  my  dear,”  said  Mr.  Carlyle,  ad¬ 
dressing  son  and  wife  at  the  same  time.  He  put 
an  arm  round  his  son’s  broad  shoulder  and  the 
three  of  them  attended  by  a  wildly  hilarious 
party,  made  their  way  to  the  main  deck. 

“All  ashore!”  The  cry  was  more  insistent, 
rising  above  the  chorus  of  “Have  a  good  time!” 
“We’ll  be  seeing  you!”  “Bon  voyage!”  “Be  sure 
to  drop  us  a  line!”  all  the  mad  confusion  of 
good-byes  both  grave  and  gay.  Dick  scarcely 
knew  what  he  said  to  his  parents  hut  as  they 
started  away  down  the  gangplank  he  leaned 
over  the  rail  and  his  eyes  wildly  scanned  the 
mass  of  upturned  faces  on  the  pier.  Long  rib¬ 
bons  of  serpentine  were  flung  in  all  directions 
and  soon  the  American  equivalent  of  a  lei  was 
festooned  in  bright  colors  around  his  neck,  the 
arc-lighted  air  quivered  with  the  ceaseless  vibra¬ 
tions  of  the  fragile  paper  tape  as  it  hung  between 
the  great  ship  and  the  dock.  The  whistle’s  shrill 
signal  blew  and  slowly  the  liner  got  under  way. 
Barely  moving,  at  first,  so  that  the  crowd  easily 
kept  pace  as  there  was  a  general  movement  to¬ 
wards  the  end  of  the  pier  for  ever  a  last  good¬ 
bye.  Again  the  whistle’s  piercing  shriek  and 
Dick’s  throat  contracted  painfully.  A  hoarse  sob 
tore  through  his  set  teeth  as  he  realized  that  Joan 
Preston  was  not  there;  she  had  not  come  down 
to  say  good-bye.  Savagely,  he  dragged  the  loops 
of  serpentine  from  his  neck  and  turned  to  go 
below.  But  Signor  Ciarpini  had  been  well  ad¬ 
vised  by  Mrs.  Carlyle  and  before  Dick  knew 
what  was  afoot  he  found  himself  being  intro¬ 
duced  to  a  gay  group  of  young  people  who  were 
to  be  his  fellow  passengers. 

(Turn  to  Next  Page) 


January.  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


“Courage  my  son."  admonished 
Ciarpini.  “What  is  one  girl?  You  are 
hound  for  a  land  where  only  the  music 
is  more  beautiful  than  the  women.” 

“All  ri  gin,  sir.  Let's  forget  it.”  was 
the  gruff  rejoinder. 

“That  is  good.  And  you  will  see! 
There  will  be  a  letter  from  your  Joan 
as  soon  as  we  get  to  Naples,  explaining 
everything.  Some  little  mishap-  -a  flat 
tire  even — you  must  not  fret.” 

Dick  felt  so  utterly  miserable  and 
disappointed  that  he  threw  himself 
madly  into  the  gaiety  with  a  forced 
abandon  that  deceived  everyone. 

As  this  was  not  his  first  ocean  trip 
he  knew  care-free  shipboard  routine 
pretty  well  and  was  soon  busily  engag¬ 
ed  in  the  daily  round  of  eating,  drink¬ 
ing,  playing  and  innumerable  llirta- 
tions.  Several  charming  Italian  maidens, 
homeward  bound,  found  it  delightful  to 
instruct  him  in  the  fundamentals  of 
their  delightful  language  and  Signor 
Ciarpini  was  much  amused  when  his 
protege  greeted  him  with  a  ceremonious. 
“Buono  giorno.  Excellency!  Id  like 
to  say  more  in  Italian  but  the  things 
Miss  Zaratelli  taught  me  under  the  moon 
don’t  seem  to  fit  in  with  your  breakfast!” 

“Quite  as  it  should  be,”  laughed  the 
Maestro,  who  possessed  the  priceless 
gift  of  remembering  his  own  youth. 
“’V ou  are  an  apt  pupil.” 

“Tante  grazie.  Signor,”  replied  Dick, 
with  a  sweeping  bow.  Then,  he  winked 
at  the  steward,  and  “How  am  I  doin’, 
hi.  hi!”  he  impishly  added  in  a  ver¬ 
nacular  that  had  proved  quite  beyond 
Ciarpini. 

But  there  were  some  bad  moments 
thinking  of  Joan  and  he  started  several 
loving  letters  to  her.  These,  in  his  hurt 
pride,  he  would  again  madly  tear  to 
shreds,  promising  himself  only  to  send 
one  when  he  should  have  heard  from 
her. 

The  days  flew  by  and  early  one  morn¬ 
ing  the  ship  came  to  rest  in  her  own 
Bay  of  Naples.  From  the  deck,  Dick’s 
artistic  soul  bathed  in  the  soft  beauty 
of  the  panorama  that  stretched  before 
him.  Vesuvius,  outlined  against  the 
clearest  sky  of  a  blue  that  was  indeed 
“heavenly;”  its  dazzling  color  rendered 
more  vivid  by  the  grey  cloud  of  slow- 
moving  smoke  floating  like  a  dim  halo 
above  the  old  volcano’s  rugged  crest, 
was  a  picture  that  caused  him  to  take  in 
great,  sobbing  breaths  and  his  eyes  mist¬ 
ed  over.  All  unconscious  of  the  bustle 
around  him  he  started  to  sing  in  a  low, 
glad  voice  and  among  the  hurrying  pas¬ 
sengers  there  were  many  who  paused  to 
listen  with  admiration  to  the  vibrant 
voice. 

He  and  Maestro  Ciarpini  were  met  by 
his  father’s  Italian  representative.  Sig¬ 
nor  di  Achillo,  an  elderly  man  of  dis¬ 
tinguished  appearance  who  had  visited 


the  Carlyles  a  few  years  previously.  An 
expensive  car  with  long,  voluptuous 
lines  quickly  took  them  to  the  hotel. 
Later,  it  returned  to  take  them  out  to 
the  di  Achillo  residence  for  dinner.  Here 
they  found  a  home  reflecting  all  the 
color  and  atmosphere  of  culture  and  ar¬ 
tistic  background.  Instead  of  the  Amer¬ 
ican  custom  of  cocktails,  a  butler  who 
was  the  acme  of  perfection,  served 
choice,  dry  sherry  before  the  party  ad¬ 
journed  to  the  diping  room.  Dick  not¬ 
ed  with  appreciation  the  faultless  ap¬ 
pointments  that  made  the  dinner  table 
in  itself  a  work  of  art  but  be  soon  for¬ 
got  such  mundane  considerations  in  con¬ 
versation  with  Maria  di  Achillo,  the 
lovely  young  daughter  of  the  house. 

The  talk  becoming  general  turned 
upon  the  visitors’  plans.  Armini.  heir 
to  the  family  fortunes  and  about  Dick's 
own  age,  was  particularly  interested  and 
broke  in  on  Signor  Ciarpini  with  an 
enthusiastic  suggestion  that  the  younger 
man  accompany  him  on  a  motor  t rip  he 
intended  to  take.  It  would,  he  explain¬ 
ed,  enable  Mr.  Carlyle  to  see  something 
of  Northern  Italy,  to  enjoy  the  musical 
festivals  presented  during  the  month  and 
to  learn  more  of  the  spirit  of  song  that 
animates  Italians,  making  music — song 
— as  natural  as  breathing  with  them,  be 
they  artistocrat  or  peasant. 

During  the  evening  it  was  decided 
that  their  tour  commence  within  the 
week. 

A  few  days  later  Dick  swung  down 
the  broad  steps  of  the  hotel  and  joined 
Armini  di  Achillo.  who  was  waiting  be¬ 
side  what  was  the  last  word  in  Italian 
sport  roadsters.  His  polite,  “Come  va. 
mi  amici,”  was  drowned  by  Dick’s  exu¬ 
berant.  “Hello,  old  top.  let’s  go!”  Then, 
as  he  got  in.  “Say!  This  car’s  a  honey, 
isn’t  it!” 

Armini  looked  puzzled.  “It  is  an 
Isotta-Fraschini.”  he  replied,  in  his  pre¬ 
cise  English. 

“Yes — a  honey.”  cried  Dick  with  a 
laugh.  “Don’t  mind  my  Americanese. 
Armini.  You’ll  soon  get  used  to  it.” 

“You  had  a  ‘whale’  of  a  time  crossing, 
called  my  new  golf  clubs  ‘the  berries’ 
and  my  car  ‘a  boney!’  But  I  begin  to 
understand.”  said  the  Italian  politely. 
“When  you  like  something  you  give  it 
another  name,  am  I  right?” 

“Right  you  are,”  returned  Dick 
heartily,  as  they  threaded  the  pictur¬ 
esque  streets  of  the  old  town  with  effort¬ 
less  smoothness. 

They  drove  due  north  through  country 
that  fascinated  Dick  Carlyle  because  it 
was  so  utterly  different  from  the  rolling 
hills  and  gentle  landscape  surrounding 
his  home.  A  night  spent  in  a  small  inn 
delighted  him  and  to  his  new  friend’s 
amusement  he  described  the  old  place 
with  its  almost  medieval  ways,  as 


“novel,  if  you  know  what  I  mean.  So 
old  that  it’s  new.” 

The  beauty  of  some  of  the  small 
towns  and  villages  amazed  him  but  even 
more  than  the  places,  the  people — peas¬ 
ants — and  there  is  a  romantic  flavor 
about  that  word,  intrigued  him  so  that 
both  his  American  and  Italian  superla¬ 
tives  quite  failed  to  express  his  wonder 
and  pleasure. 

Involuntarily  responding  to  the  stim¬ 
ulus  of  powerful  aesthetic  appreciation, 
he  turned  his  eyes  to  the  distant  moun¬ 
tains  and  began  to  sing.  Lost  in  the 
pure  joy  of  adequate  self-expression  his 
clear  tones  rang  out  in  the  fair,  fresli 
air  and  he  did  not  notice  that  Armini 
had  halted  beside  the  road,  nor  that 
some  peasants  praying  before  a  simple 
shrine,  were  gazing  at  him  ecstatically. 

But  suddenly,  “0,  say,”  he  exclaimed. 
“Am  I  making  a  fool  of  myself,  and 
how!  But  I  can’t  help  it.  di  Achillo. 
It  is  an  irresistible  force  that  makes  me 
sing.” 

"But  you  sing  like  a  god.  ”  cried  the 
other.  “And  as  we  Italians  do.  when  we 
are  glad — and  why  not?  It  is  natural 
to  sing  when  the  heart  is  gay.  ” 

"I  got  it  all  razzed  out  of  me 
at  school.”  said  Dick.  “The  fellows 
thought  I  was  being  ‘ritzy;’  you  know, 
affected,  and  all  that.” 

Armini  shrugged  expressively  and 
threw  the  car  into  gear. 

On  they  drove,  the  country  becoming 
more  rugged,  the  scene  dominated  by 
the  lofty  Appenines,  then  a  rapid  change 
to  the  flat  lands  that  surround  Milan. 
Scarcely  condescending  to  stop  for  more 
than  a  cursory  glance  at  that  city’s  fam¬ 
ous  Fair,  Armini  hurried  on.  his  destin¬ 
ation  the  lovely  village  of  Santa  Maria, 
on  the  slopes  above  Lake  Como  amid 
scenery  immortalized  by  Pliny.  Here, 
they  got  somewhat  primitive  accomo¬ 
dations  at  the  small  hotel ;  quickly  wash¬ 
ed  and  changed  into  the  most  informal 
of  clothing  and  started  out,  “to  do  the 
town,”  as  Dick  said. 

With  native  impulsiveness  Armini 
could  not  wait  to  show  his  guest  the 
fascinating  pageants  that  marked  the 
festival.  They  wandered  through  cool, 
narrow  streets,  looked  at  shops  full  of 
devotional  emblems  and  of  tall  votive 
candles  gaily  spangled  with  gold  and 
painted  with  flower  wreaths.  Every  as¬ 
pect  was  enchanting  and  soon  they  came 
in  view  of  the  white  domes  and  arches 
of  the  Sanctuary. 

This  church  of  Santa  Maria  Delle 
Grazie  proved  an  artistic  gem  and  Dick’s 
heart  throbbed  as  he  revelled  in  the 
harmony  of  form  and  color  that  em¬ 
phasized  the  exquisitely  decorative  de¬ 
sign  of  the  frescoes  for  which  the  little 
church  is  renowned.  So  moved  was  he 
that  suddenlv  he  wanted  Joan  to  share 
(Turn  to  Page  70) 


34 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


MAJOR  PICTURES  CORPORATION 


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"MIND  YOUR  OWN  BUSINESS”  Producer — Emanuel  Cohen.  Director — Norman  McLeod.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Charles  Rug- 
pies,  Alice  Brady,  Lyle  Talbot.  Jack  Larue.  Bennie  Baker.  Frankie  Darru.  Gene  Lockhart.  Director  of  Photography — Robert  Pillack.  Art 
Director — Wiard  Ilmen.  Original  Story  by  John  Francis  Larkin.  Screen  Play — Dave  Schary.  Film  Editor — George  McGuire.  Sound 

Hugo  Gensbach. 


SAMUEL  GOLDWYN  PRODUCTIONS 


BELOVED  ENEM)  Producer — George  Haight.  Director — David  Hertz.  Stars  and  Principal  Players — Merle  Oberon,  Brian  Aherne, 

Karen  Morley,  Jerome  Cowan.  David  Niven.  Henry  Stevenson.  Director  of  Photography  —  Gregg  Toland,  A.S.C.  Musical  Director  — 
Alfred  Newman.  Costumes — Omar  Kiam.  Sound — Oscar  Lagerstro-n.  Art  Director — Richard  Day.  Set  Director — Julia  Heron.  Film 
Editor — Sherman  Todd.  Location  Director — Harry  Perry.  Assistant  Director — Eddie  Bernouldy. 


January ,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


35 


LIFE  STORY 


NINO  MARTINI 

the  family  purse  filled,  since  there  were 
three  children  besides  myself  needing 
food,  clothing  and  education. 

I  knew  no  unhappiness  until  I  en¬ 
rolled  in  school  and  heard  other  child¬ 
ren  singing  in  the  operettas  and  plays 
that  make  up  a  large  part  of  the  curri¬ 
culum  of  every  Italian  school.  It  was 
then  I  decided  that  I  wanted  to  be  a 
singer  when  I  grew  up ;  and  it  was  then, 
too.  that  I  suffered  my  first  heart-break. 
My  teacher  refused  to  assign  singing 
roles  to  me  because,  he  told  me.  I  had 
no  voice!  Since  he  had  never  allowed 
me  to  sing,  I  thought  bitterly — how  did 
he  know? 

Another  year  and  another  blow!  My 
father’s  death  left  my  brave  mother  to 
care  for  her  brood,  a  hard  struggle.  It 
made  me  more  determined  than  ever  to 
become  a  great  singer  and  ease  the  bur¬ 
den  that  was  hers. 

After  school  hours  I  would  wander 
off  into  the  woods  behind  the  Romeo 
and  Juliet  tomb,  until  I  had  penetrated 
to  a  point  where  I  felt  certain  I  was 
quite  alone;  then  I  would  lift  my  voice 
in  song,  very  softly  at  first,  but  grad¬ 
ually  letting  it  out  as  I  became  more 
confident. 

One  day.  the  choirmaster  of  San  Fer- 
mo’s  church,  strolling  among  the  trees, 
heard  me,  rushed  up  to  where  I  was 
standing  and  embraced  me:  “You  have 
a  God-given  voice,”  he  cried,  “and  you 
are  destined  to  become  a  great  star  of 
the  opera!” 

I  was  sixteen  years  old  at  that  time, 
and  I  do  believe  that  was  the  happiest 
moment  of  my  life! 

The  kindly  choirmaster  then  took  me 
in  hand,  gave  me  a  place  in  the  choir 
and  began  the  development  of  my  voice, 
slowly  and  carefully  so  as  to  not  strain 
it  through  overwork  at  too  tender  an 
(Turn  to  page  55) 


The  personal  history  to  date  of  a  world- 
renowned  tenor,  now  appearing  in  the 
Pickford-Lasky  production,  “ The  Gay 
Desperado 


NOWADAYS,  when  I  permit  my 
thoughts  to  drift  back  over  the 
past,  I  pinch  myself  to  make  certain  that 
I  am  not  slumbering  through  a  beauti¬ 
ful  impossible  dream!  Truly,  I  must 
have  been  born  beneath  a  lucky  star! 

Checking  my  accomplishments  as  my 
thirty-first  birthday  rolls  by,  I  find  that 
I  am  credited  with  having  conquered 
five  separate  and  distinct  markets  for 
my  voice:  grand  opera,  radio,  the  con¬ 
cert  stage,  phonograph  records  and  last, 
but  by  no  means  least,  motion  pictures. 
Yet  no  one  is  more  surprised  at  the 
success  that  has  come  my  way  than  I 
myself! 

To  the  Fate  that  has  seen  fit  to  smile 
upon  me  I  am  grateful  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart! 


The  satellite  that  has  guided  my  life, 
however,  has  not  always  shone  so  bril¬ 
liantly.  In  fact,  as  a  child  in  Verona. 
Italy,  where  1  w'as  born,  I  often  used 
to  wonder  whether  I  would  ever  be  able 
to  carve  a  name  for  myself  in  the  years 
that  lay  ahead. 

By  the  time  I  was  six  years  old,  my 
father,  who  was  custodian  of  the  legen¬ 
dary  tomb  of  Shapespeare’s  immortal 
Romeo  and  Juliet  at  Verona,  decided 
that  I  should  be  a  civil  engineer  when 
I  grew  up.  My  mother  was  equally  in¬ 
sistent  that  I  turn  to  the  priesthood.  As 
for  my  own  views  in  the  matter,  I  was 
too  busy  roaming  the  gardens  and  woods 
and  learning  to  ride  a  horse  to  give  the 
matter  any  thought. 

My  father  had  a  hard  time  keeping 


Nino  Martini  and  Leo  Cabrilio  with  others  in  an  amusing  scene  from 
“The  Gay  Desperado.” 


36 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


A  PRACTICAL  VISION 

AS  EXPOUNDED  BY  GEORGE  CUKOR 


EDITOR'S  NOTE  -.  IT  ken  a  man  of  the 
caliber  of  George  Cukor  outlines  a  practical 
vision  pertaining  to  the  motion  picture  in¬ 
dustry,  it  is  indeed  the  time  to  stop,  look  and 
listen.  To  fully  realize  this,  one  needs  only 
to  survey  briefly  his  brilliant  career,  which 
first  found  him  one  of  New  York's  outstanding 
stage  directors,  a  field  which  he  abandoned  in 
1929  in  favor  of  motion  pictures.  Under  the 
David  0.  Selznick  banner,  Cukor  has  become 
one  of  filmland’s  directorial  aces,  with  such 
pictures  to  his  credit  as  “ Dinner  at  Eight,” 
“ Little  Women”  and  “ David  Copperfield.” 
Selznick,  his  firm  friend,  was  first  to  applaud 
when  the  “ bravos ”  began  to  sound  for  Cukor's 
direction  of  ‘‘Romeo  and  Juliet”  at  M-G-M, 
for  which  the  director  was  loaned  by  Selznick 
International.  Present  assignment  for  the 
capable  Cukor  is  ‘‘Camille,”  with  Greta  Garbo. 
In  Cukor  is  found  a  combination  of  the 
artist,  visionary  and  practical  worker. 

Through  its  editorials,  the  insid¬ 
er  advocates  the  establishment  of 
some  organization  through  which  talent¬ 
ed  youngsters  and  screen  players  could 
display  and  improve  their  abilities. 

hen  recently  we  read  of  Mr.  Cukor’s 
ideas,  released  through  Selznick  Inter¬ 
national,  we  were  gratified  to  find  that 
he  also  is  interested  in  the  development 
of  some  similar  medium.  In  a  very 
stimulating  interview  he  gave  us  some 
of  his  views. 

From  observation  and  bitter  exper¬ 
ience  he  has  reached  the  conclusion 
that  a  training  school  for  prospective 
actors  should  be  organized  within  the 
motion  picture  industry.  Such  a  school 
would  early  show  whether  the  aspiring 
student  really  had  talent  and  the  per¬ 
sistence  necessary  for  satisfactory  de¬ 
velopment  and  it  would  also  be  a  reli¬ 
able  source  from  which  the  studios 
could  select  trained  players. 

Mr.  Cukor's  delightful,  unaccented 
English  is  a  joy.  Enthusiastic  and  vital 
he  sat  cross-legged  on  a  divan  while  he 
spoke  with  vigor  and  earnestness  of  a 
project  to  which  he  has  evidently  given 
much  careful  consideration. 

“At  present,  nearly  all  motion  pic¬ 
ture  aspirants  lack  two  essential  qual¬ 
ities  —  correct  speech  and  ‘audience 
training.’ 

“For  instance,  there  was  a  girl  on  the 
set  this  morning  whose  appearance  in 
face  and  figure  was  admirable  but  when 
she  spoke,  her  voice  was  hopelessly  fiat 
and  raucus.”  four  ineffective  words  fail 
to  take  the  place  of  his  inimitable  mim¬ 
icry)  “so  of  course,  we  couldn’t  use 
her.’’ 


GEORGE  CUKOR 


Too  bad!  In  her  case  youth  and 
beauty  were  not  enough. 

W  i th  graphic  gestures  Mr.  Cukor  went 
on.  "It  often  happens  that  in  seeking 
new  talent  or  change  in  cast,  we  care¬ 
fully  pick  out  a  certain  type  of  player 
only  to  find  that  his  or  her  speech  is 
commonplace  and  toneless,  so  we  have 
to  fall  back  on  our  good  old  character 
actors  who  have  had  stage  training. 
What  shall  we  do  when  this  source 
gives  out.  as  in  time  inevitably  it  must? 
Where  are  we  going  to  get  proficient 
players  to  take  their  places?” 

Where,  indeed? 

To  date  there  has  been  no  coordinat¬ 
ed  effort  to  meet  this  contingency. 

A  real  artist  who  has  experienced  the 
thrill  of  swaying  crowds,  reaches  great¬ 
er  emotional  heights  when  stimulated 
by  the  demands  they  sub-consciously 
make.  Untrained,  inexperienced  indi¬ 
viduals.  on  the  other  hand,  even  though 
they  may  not  forget  their  lines,  nor 
fall  over  their  own  feet,  are  inhibited 
rather  than  not,  by  the  knowledge  that 
there  are  people  watching  and  listening 
to  them. 

The  best  remedy  for  both  defects  is 
good  stock  training  and  plenty  of  it. 
Students  should  learn  to  act  by  acting, 
not  by  theory.  They  should  early  real¬ 
ize  that  neither  influence  nor  good  looks 
will  get  them  further  than  an  interview 


with  the  director,  that  is  if  a  motion 
picture  career  is  what  they  are  after. 

"In  no  field  of  endeavor  is  there  hard¬ 
er  work  entailed  than  in  learning  and 
playing  dozens  of  different  parts  but 
the  poise  and  confidence  that  being  able 
to  do  this  always  gives,  is  of  inestimable 
value  to  anyone  who  would  get  very  far 
either  in  the  theatre  or  the  movies.” 

Mr.  Cukor's  observations  have  their 
roots  in  a  career  as  one  of  New  York's 
ace  stage  directors,  prior  to  the  time  he 
entered  the  motion  picture  field,  and 
rose  quickly  to  the  top  under  the  David 
0.  Selznick  banner.  His  notable  New 
York  productions  include  “The  Great 
Gadsby”  and  “The  Dark,”  with  Elsie 
Ferguson  and  Basil  Rathbone;  “Her 
Cardboard  Lover,”  with  Jeanne  Eagels; 
“The  Constant  ife,”  with  Ethel  Barry¬ 
more,  and  a  number  of  others  equally 
important.  Cukor  has  been  affiliated  with 
Edgar  Selwyn.  the  Shuberts,  Gilbert 
Miller  and  the  Charles  Frohman  Com¬ 
pany. 

He  outlined  only  too  briefly  the  basis 
upon  which  he  considered  a  Motion  Pic¬ 
ture  Industry  School  of  Acting  could 
most  effectively  be  developed. 

First,  there  would  have  to  be  active 
cooperation  between  the  studios.  For 
them  the  proposed  school  would  be  a 
sort  of  clearing  house  and  all  would 
benefit  by  the  trained  talent  constantly 
available.  A  director  from  each  major 
studio  would  be  asked  to  serve  on  the 
Board  in  a  more  or  less  advisory  capa¬ 
city,  the  actual  work  of  training  the 
students  to  be  done  by  people  who  have 
demonstrated  their  ability  to  teach  elo¬ 
cution,  dramatic  art  and  so  forth.  And. 
what  is  extremely  important  in  any  en¬ 
terprise.  the  business  direction  should 
be  in  the  hands  of  a  thoroughly  compe¬ 
tent  manager.  The  real  experience,  after 
voice,  stage  presence  and  so  forth  were 
acquired,  would  be  gained  in  a  series 
of  stock  companies  where  players  are 
continually  called  upon  to  portray  types 
the  most  diverse  possible.  Thus,  by 
practice,  not  only  would  flexible  yet 
perfectly  controlled  tones  of  voice  be 
attained  but  that  other  requisite,  aud¬ 
ience  training,  would  painlessly  be  ab¬ 
sorbed  at  the  same  time. 

With  this  opportunity  ambitious 
youngsters  would  have  a  chance.  Any- 
(Turn  to  Pace  59) 


THEN  and  NOW 


Left :  Marlene  Dietrich  as 
she  appears  now,  and  as 
she  looked  before  the  seeds 
of  glamour  were  sown. 
Right:  Bing  Crosby  ready 
to  boo-boo-boo-oo-oo-o :  and 
the  same,  at  an  earlier  age. 
Even  then  he  seems  to 
have  been  a  favorite  with 
the  ladies. 


Left:  Guy  Kibbee  in  a 
typical  pose,  with  inset 
showing  him  a  willing 
passenger  in  his  own  goal 
cart,  rather  than  an  un¬ 
willing  one  on  a  tractor,  as 
he  appeared  in  a  recent 
Right:  The  years 
enhanced  the 
attractiveness 
ayne  Regan. 


Left:  Stately  Anita  Louise 
as  she  is  today,  and  the 
hoydenish  youngster  she 
was  —  some  years  ago. 
Right:  One  might  wonder 
if  George  Brent  remem¬ 
bers  when  this  picture  was 
taken,  with  him  in  his  first 
high  chair. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


Q  o 
DO 


Names  that  were  names  to  conjure  with  even  in  those  days — those  of  Mary  Pickford. 
Charlie  Chaplin.  Douglas  Fairbanks,  and  seated.  D.  II  .  Griffith,  who  are  shown  at  the 
signing  of  a  contract  at  the  Sunset  Studios.  February  5,  1919.  Standing  between  Mary 
and  Charlie  are  the  attorneys. 


Left:  Ballyhooing  for  Tallys,  one  of  the  first  places  in  Los  Angeles  where  motion  pictures  were  shown.  Right:  Making  the  motion 
picture  prologue  for  the  play  "KISMET .  ’  starring  Otis  Skinner.  The  picture  was  made  on  the  RKO  lot  in  1921. 


Left:  A  picture  of  Tallys  New  Broadway  taken  in  1906.  Note  the  ‘‘‘'Roosevelt  in  Africa ”  advertisement  over  the  box  office.  Right:  The 
birth  of  the  movies.  Here  is  shown  the  interior  of  a  phonograph  parlor  in  San  Antonio.  Texas  where  was  installed  one  of  the  first  Kinet- 

oscopes  ever  used  commercially  in  America.  The  year  was  1893. 


January.  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


39 


Conferring  about  “Dogs  Life,”  the  first  picture  to  be  made  and  shown  on  the  First 
National  circuit.  The  time — 1917. 


Left:  Wesley  Berry  gets  a  bit  rough  with  Lucille  Rixon  in  “ THE  RENDEZVOUS ”  Goldwyn  feature,  vintage  1918.  Right:  On  location 
in  “ BOB  HAMPTON  OF  PLACER.’’  The  star — James  Kirkwood.  The  place — Glacier  Park.  Montana. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


40 


AN 

INTRODUCTION 

TO 

MAKE-UP 

By  MAX  FACTOR 


HAVE  never  used  make-up  before: 

A  please  help  me  to  get  off  to  the 
right  start.” 

There  seems  to  he  no  age-limit  to  this 
plea.  It  comes  from  young  girls  who 
rejoice  that  they  have  finally  reached  the 
age  where  they  may  dramatize  their 
youthful  charms  .  .  .  and  from  matrons 
whose  natural  inhibitions  against  make¬ 
up  are  conquered  by  seeing  its  mir¬ 
aculous  work  in  retrieving  lost  appeal. 

Those  girls  and  women  who  are  wise 
enough  to  realize  the  necessity  of  a  good 
beginning  are  indeed  fortunate  —  for 


Have  lips  perfectly  dry  before  beginning  to  apply  the  lipstick.  Then  follow 
the  natural  contour  of  the  upper  lip  with  the  coloring. 


Dust  powder  on  generously  at  first ,  then  clear  away  all 
the  surplus  with  a  powder  brush.  Powder  the  nose  last 
to  avoid  getting  it  too  white. 


then  make-up  will  not  disappoint  them. 
But  those  whose  introduction  to  make-up 
is  haphazard  and  thoughtless  encounter 
a  handicap  which  is  difficult  to  surmount. 

Let  us  first  make  this  understood: 
Almost  all  of  your  glamorous  screen 
favorites  use  all  the  various  items  of 
make-up.  By  these  we  mean  powder, 
rouge.  lipstick,  eye  make-up  and  such. 
The  trick  lies  in  knowing  that  clever 
minimum  which  breeds  naturalness  .  .  . 
that  light,  deft  touch  by  which  make-up 
is  unnoticeable.  yet  effective  in  enhanc¬ 
ing  facial  charm. 

Efficiency  in  applying  make-up  is  not 
acquired  accidentally.  It  takes  constant, 
thoughtful  practice  and  experimentation. 
You  must  have  a  definite  goal  in  mind, 
and  your  approach  toward  it  should  he 
well-planned.  Remember  that  the  rules 
which  we  may  now  set  forth  are  useless 
without  patience  and  perseverance. 
Using  Rouge 

Rouge  is  an  excellent  starter.  If  you 
learn  how  to  use  it  correctly  you  will 
have  mastered  one  of  your  greatest  diffi¬ 
culties.  Every  beginner’s  tendency  is  to 
apply  too  much.  That  is  one  of  the 
(Turn  to  Page  52 ) 


January.  1937 


.Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


41 


JOOSS  BALLET 


The  Most  Recent  European  Sensation  ! 

TUESDAY  EVENING,  DECEMBER  8  FRIDAY  EVENING,  DECEMBER  11 

SATURDAY  MATINEE  AND  EVENING,  DECEMBER  12 
55c,  85c.  $1.10.  $1.65.  $2.20.  $2.75— Including  Tax 


BALLET  RUSSE  DE  MONTE  CARLO 


GREGOR  PIATIGORSKY 


SATURDAY  MAT.  DANCE  AND  OPERA  COURSE 

6  Events;  $3.50,  $5.50,  $7.50,  $9.50,  Including  Tax 


JOOSS  EUROPEAN  BALLET  Dec.  12 

BALLET  RUSSE  de  Monte  Carlo  Jan.  16 

VIENNA  CHOIR  BOYS  Feb.  6 

"MARTHA"  (In  English)  with  Ballet  . Feb.  13 

TRUDI  SCHOOP  COMIC  BALLET  Mar.  13 

Choice  of  RACHMANINOFF  Jan.  30 

OR  another  BALLET  RUSSE  Jan.  23 


OTHER  OUTSTANDING  EVENTS 


GREGOR  PIATIGORSKY . Dec.  1 

World  Famous  'Cellist. 

RUTH  SLENCZYNSKI  Dec.  15 

Phenomenal  11 -year  old  piano  genius. 

LUCY  VAN  DE  MARK  Dec.  17 

Noted  Contralto 

NELSON  EDDY  . Jan.  5 


All-American  concert  and  screen  star. 


ONLY  A  PARTIAL  LIST  OF  THE  BEHYMER  ATTRACTIONS  AT  PHILHARMONIC  AUDITORIUM 
Tickets  at  WEST  Boxoffice,  MU  1983;  So.  California  Music  Co.,  737  S.  Hill,  TU  1144; 

The  Music  Shop,  6634  Hollywood  Blvd.,  GL  1012 


12 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


A  CLOSE  UP 

OF 

MICHAEL  CURTIZ 

A  personal  interview  with  the  man  who  directed  " The  Charge  of  the 
Light  Brigade”  as  well  as  “ Front  Page  Woman”  "The  Walking  Dead' 

" Captain  Blood,”  “ British  Agent,”  and  "Black  Fury.”  Here  is  a  story 
of  an  interesting  character,  who  is  one  of  the  most  versatile  directors 
in  the  Industry. 


IT  would  be  difficult  to  catch  the  en¬ 
gaging  Austrian  accent  of  Michael 
Curtiz  on  paper.  It  would  also  be 
difficult  to  draw  a  word-picture  of  the 
man  himself,  but  a  few  sentences  will 
help  to  place  his  portrait  in  your  mind. 

Mr.  Curtiz’  claim  to  fame  in  Holly¬ 
wood  may  have  nothing  to  do  with  his 
manner  of  speech,  nor  with  the  deep 
coat  of  tan  on  his  face,  nor  with  the 
amazing  checkered  shirts  that  he  some¬ 
times  wears,  nor  with  his  riding  boots 
that  usually  need  polishing.  But  it  does 
concern  the  terrific  amount  of  energy 
he  expends  during  the  making  of  a  pic¬ 
ture.  And  all  of  these  things  are  so 
definitely  a  part  of  the  man  himself 


that  they  become  important  in  any  story 
about  bim. 

When  it  comes  to  handling  action  in 
the  mass  there  is  no  better  director  than 
Michael  Curtiz:  few  men  know  as  much 
about  tempo  as  he  does.  Few  men 
know  how  to  use  technique  to  cover  de¬ 
ficiencies  in  plot,  actors  or  sets,  so  well 
as  he.  In  a  sense,  he  is  an  opportunist. 
If  he  goes  on  location  and  the  weather 
is  bad.  he  changes  the  scene  to  suit  the 
weather.  He  did  this  time  and  time 
again  on  “The  Charge  of  the  Light  Bri¬ 
gade"  and  saved  his  company  a  great 
deal  of  money. 

There  was  one  scene  of  a  horse-buy¬ 
ing  expedition  filmed  at  Lone  Pine  that 


MICHAEL  CURTIZ 


illustrates  this.  The  script  called  for  a 
fine,  sunny  day.  The  day  was  neither 
fine  nor  sunny;  up  on  Mount  Whitney 
a  snow  storm  was  raging  and  a  bitter 
wind  swept  across  the  location  scene. 
Mr.  Curtiz  did  not  send  his  troupe  home. 
He  set  up  some  wind  machines  and  film¬ 
ed  the  scene  through  a  sand  storm,  mak¬ 
ing  one  of  the  most  exciting  and  real¬ 
istic  sequences  in  the  picture  by  taking 
advantage  of  an  opportunity  that  would 
have  been  wasted  in  the  hands  of  a  per¬ 
son  less  alert. 

(Turn  to  page  68 1 


Art  director  JOHNNY  HUGHES  submits  a  miniature  set  for  the  picture,  “ The  Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade”  prior  to  building  it.  Director 
MIC.H AEL  CURTIZ  on  the  left,  approves,  as  does  SOL  POLITO.  cameraman,  on  the  right. 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


43 


LIFE  BEGINS 

AT  DAWN 

Movie  star  must  begin  make-up  early  to  be  ready  when  the  director  says-.  ‘'Turn  ’em  Cher." 


Ann  Shirley,  star  of  “ Make  Way  for  a 
Lady’’  new  R.K.O.  feature ,  having  her 
hair  dried  the  new  high  speed  way. 


DOWN  through  the  mists  of  a  South¬ 
ern  California  dawn,  from  her 
retreat  in  the  Hollywood  Hills,  above 
the  rolling  sea  shore,  or  on  the  palm- 
llecked  desert  comes  the  glamourous 
movie  star,  heading  for  her  day's  work. 

But  not  so  glamourous  at  this  ethe¬ 
real  hour  of  the  day,  because  she  is 
bound  for  work,  either  at  the  studio  or 
on  location,  and  duty  demands  that  she 
appear  gowned  and  fully  made  up  at  an 
hour  which  would  actually  amaze  those 
unfamiliar  with  motion  picture  work. 

Haven’t  we  all  been  told  that  our 
favorite  star  lolls  abed  until  her  tem¬ 
perament  dictates  that  she  is  ready  to 
have  the  cameras  focussed  on  her  celes¬ 
tial  self?  That  she  and  she  alone  is  the 
arbiter  of  her  time. 

That  might  have  been  so  once — but 
alas  for  her — no  longer.  The  star  now 
arranges  her  time  to  suit  studio  sched¬ 
ules,  and  that  means  early  on  the  set. 
In  fact,  some  times,  as  early  as  six  a.m.. 


CTV  r~  /  A>\\VA' 

./ V  .A. 


VAvVAV 

X'Aa'Aa 

NnAvAa 


A  x  V  ' 


especially  so  when  the  make-up  and  the 
hair-dressing  departments  must  change 
a  20th  Century  miss  to  a  Louis  XIV 
lady-in-waiting — or  perform  some  such 
similar  transformation. 

Therefore,  those  departments  are  our 
heroine’s  first  stop.  And  when  we  say 
that  she  might  be  closeted  there  for 
from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours 
we  are  putting  it  conservatively.  In 
the  studios,  more  even  than  in  any  other 
business  establishment,  time  is  the  es¬ 
sence  of  all  things.  The  chief  problem 
therefore  that  Mel  Burns  and  his  staff  of 
make-up  artists  at  K.K.O.  have  to  con¬ 
tend  with,  is  to  save  time.  And  here  we 
witness  another  marvel  of  the  age.  Well 
we  know  from  our  own  experience  how' 
long  we  must  sit  under  a  blustery  hair 
dryer  before  our  dinky  little  curls, 
twists  and  whatnots  are  dry  enough  so 
that  they  can  be  made  to  behave.  And 
it  used  to  be  the  same  in  the  studios, 
in  the  past.  Even  the  stars  had  to  take 
the  necessary  time  before  their  glorious 


coiffures  would  be  ready  to  photograph. 

But  we  repeat,  that  was  in  the  past, 
and  the  not  too  distant  past  either,  for 
it  is  only  in  recent  months  that  the  long 
sought  high  speed  hair  dryers  have  been 
perfected,  and  needless  to  say.  the 
studios  have  been  installing  them  as 
fast  as  they  could  be  obtained.  With 
the  installation  of  this  new  type  of  dry¬ 
er.  fully  forty-five  minutes  has  been  cut 
from  the  period  necessary  to  satisfac¬ 
torily  dry  the  hair. 

Consequently  the  favorites  of  cinema- 
land  are  able  to  linger  a  little  longer 
abed,  and  to  say  they  are  grateful  is  to 
put  it  mildly.  We  ll  let  you  in  on  some¬ 
thing  too.  Doubtless  it  won’t  be  long 
before  your  pet  beauty  shop  installs  one 
of  these  same  high  speed  efficient  ma¬ 
chines.  Because  in  the  matter  of  beauty 
customs  and  styles,  as  goes  Hollywood, 
so  goes  the  nation.  And  then  no  more 
explanations  will  be  necessary  to  your 
boss  as  to  why  you  took  two  hours  off 
for  “lunch.” 


The  “smile  of  satisfaction ”  as  Martha  Acker,  one  of  R.K.O. ’s  operators  finishes  Miss 
Shirley’s  glorious  tresses.  The  utmost  in  speed  with  ultimate  of  comfort  is  the 

new  studio  slogan. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


SHORT  \  CURLY 

IS  THE  HAIR  MODE 


Upper  Pictures — SR  I RLS  AND  CURLS — are  the  smart  thing  in  Hollywood  hairdresses.  Gail  Patrick.  Paramount  player  in  “Preview.” 
wears  her  shining  raven  tresses  in  this  fluttering  arrangement  designed  and  executed  by  Babe  Carey,  Paramount  hairdresser.  The  off- 
the-ear  line  is  an  important  note  and  the  fact  that  the  ringlets  are  intentionally  left  un-combed  is  a  point  of  interest. 

Lower — Left  to  Right — Flat  curls  worn  high  for  the  slender  face  of  KAREN  MORLEY .  It's  the  new  up-trend  epitomized  in  the  latest 
hair  styles  from  Hollywood.  Two  clusters  of  white  rosebuds  catch  the  topknots  of  curls  as  shown  in  the  perky  hair  style  worn  by 
SIMONE  SIMON.  BINNIE  BARNES  prefers  pin  curls  on  the  sides  as  well  as  in  the  back  of  her  hair. 


AFTER  the  sun  and  wind  of  summer 
'  have  had  their  way  the  informal 
hairdresses  of  that  fleeting  season,  there 
is  a  definite  problem  of  “what  to  do?" 
with  the  sun-scorched  locks  that  are 
usually  of  an  odd  length  and  difficult 
to  handle.  After  oil  shampoos  and 
massage  has  restored  the  sheen,  hair 
stylists  predict  a  session  with  the  scis¬ 
sors,  after  which  spray-like  curls  will 
form  ringlets  at  the  backs  of  necks  and 
march  across  many  a  forehead.  With 
the  addition  of  flowers  or  jewelled  orna¬ 
ments  milady  is  ready  for  the  social 


reason,  fortified  with  a  hairdress  of 
glossy  curls  and  closely-cut  coiffure. 

An  amazing  array  of  little  Chinese, 
Japanese  and  Persian  combs  are  al¬ 
ready  being  shown  in  the  better  shops 
for  the  embellishment  of  Winter  coif¬ 
fures.  How  to  use  combs  in  a  short 
hairdress?  Simple!  Pull  the  hair  back 
from  the  temples  and  fasten  it  with  a 
tiny  comb  on  each  side.  It  will  hold  a 
spray  of  curls  or  a  roll  in  place  beauti¬ 
fully  as  well  as  sparkle  enchantingly 
for  evening  wear. 

To  take  the  place  of  coronet  braids. 


here  in  Hollywood  the  hair  stylists  have 
evolved  a  new  and  charming  substitute. 
A  flat,  well -brushed  crown  is  circled  by 
a  halo  of  flat,  loose  curls.  It’s  a  lovely 
style  for  blondes,  especially,  as  the 
shiningly  smooth  top  of  the  head  is 
delightfully  ringed  by  the  flat  and  styl¬ 
ized  ringlets. 

The  accompanying  pictures  on  this 
page  best  illustrate  the  “short  and 
curly”  edict,  so  have  your  hairdresser 
design  a  style  to  suit  your  requirement.- 
— and  be  in  the  mode! 


iSTRIU  ALLWYN'S  cap  is  an  adapta¬ 
tion  oj  those  worn  by  Union  soldiers  in 
he  sixties.  The  fabric  is  of  light-weight 
cool  with  navy  blue  and  white  stripes 
against  a  gray  background. 

MARGOT  GRAHAME  shows  the  correct 
iat  to  wear  with  beautiful  furs.  Feather¬ 
weight  velour  of  British  make  is  this 
'ovely  Winter  hat,  with  a  tiny  feather  on 
one  side  of  bright  russet. 

4RLINE  JUDGE  goes  Scotch  for  the 
<all  season  with  a  cap  of  navy  felt  band¬ 
’d  with  wine-red  grosgrain  ribbon.  The 
treamers  down  the  back  are  the  very 
latest. 


GLORIA  STUART  approves  of  the  n 
Champagne  color  to  go  with  browns.  T, 
type  of  hat  is  very  smart  with  fluffy  fu 


HELEN  If  OOD  pretty  starlet,  wears  t 
smart  version  of  the  military  hat  whi 
adds  gayety  and  dash  to  the  street 
costume. 

A  dashing  Hamburg  hat  worn  by  AN11 
COLBY  forecasts  the  sport  mode.  It 
bunded  with  brown  kid  while  the  sharp 
upturned  brim  is  bound  with  matchii 
grosgrain  ribbon. 

Lovely  LORETTA  YOUNG  chooses 
black  velvet  with  French  flowers  / 
dinner-gowns  and  cocktail  time. 


46 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


DO  COSTUME  PICTURES 


INFLUENCE  STYLES? 


It  ALTER  PLUNKETT ,  famous  stylist  arid  creator  oj 
motion  picture  costumes,  answers  this  important  question 
in  a  personal  interview. 


'HE  answer  is  yes!"  Walter  Plunkett  was  referring 
to  the  above  question  in  making  his  statement.  This 
man.  who  is  young,  good-looking  and  charming,  is  re¬ 
sponsible  for  a  great  many  style  changes  in  the  past  few 
years.  Working  as  he  does  both  in  New  York  and  Hollywood,  his 
fashion  opinions  bear  definite  weight,  due  to  the  fact  that  he  is  in 
constant  demand  by  the  most  famous  manufacturers  of  women’s 
clothes  as  well  as  the  studios  themselves. 

If  there  were  a  visible  traffic  lane  from  New  York  to  Hollywood 
in  the  air.  it  would  be  worn  quite  smooth  by  the  passage  of  Mr. 

Plunkett,  who  dashes  from  one  center  to 
the  other  with  an  occasional  trip  to 
Paris,  since  he  is  almost  required  to  be 
*  '■  in  about  three  places  at  once. 

This  winter,  according  to  Mr.  Plun¬ 
kett.  one  sees  some  interesting  changes 
in  women’s  dress.  Many  of  these 
changes  are  directly  due  to  Mr.  Plun¬ 
kett’s  costumes  for  his  two  recent  pic¬ 
tures.  "Mary  of  Scotland"  in  which 
Katharine  Hepburn  plays  the  tragic 
queen,  was  entirely  costumed  by  Plun¬ 
kett. 

Likewise  the  newer  Hepburn  picture, 
.  "The  \X  oman  Rebels,”  which  had  some 
magnificent  gowns  worn  by  the  star  as 
well  as  by  Elizabeth  Allen. 

From  the  "Mary  of  Scotland”  in¬ 
fluence  comes  a  high-shoulder  treatmenl 
which  is  seen  in  the  costumes  of  the 
(Turn  to  Page  62  I 


ft 


Top\W alter  Plunkett,  with  one 
of  his  assistants,  discussing  a  new 
ilesign.  Upper  ('.enter-.  Katherine 
Hepburn .  wearing  one  of  Plunk¬ 
ett's  creations  in  "Quality  Street .” 
Left  and  Above:  Original  sketches 
from  which  patterns  the  two 
gowns  at  the  right  were  fashion¬ 
ed:  also  a  scene  from  “ Quality 
Street”  Hepburn’s  latest. 


GINGER  ROGERS 

t lances  in  silver  lame  cloth 
with  five  rows  of  cording 
to  stiffen  the  skirt.  The 
high-waisted  cut  of  the 
bodice  is  new,  as  is  the 
cording  at  the  back. 


GLENDA  FARRELL, 
the  vivacious  Warner  Bros, 
star  suggests  satin.  Here 
she  models  a  severely  cut 
grown  of  silvery  turquoise  styled  with  a 
square  neckline  and  full  flaring  skirt.  She 
is  photographed  in  the  living  room  of  her 
North  Hollywood  home. 


ASTRID  ALLWYN  rests  before  the  fire 
on  winter  evenings  in  black  pebble-crepe 
with  a  wide  collar  of  starched  chiffon  in 
palest  peach  color.  Notice  the  star  jewel 
at  her  wrist? 


JOSEPHINE  HUTCHINSON  sets  off 
her  titian  hair  with  a  lovely  gown  of  filmy 
black  net.  Its  butterfly  skirt  is  attached 
to  a  quaint  bodice  with  a  moderately  low 
decollete  and  fitted  sleeves  slightly  puffed 
at  the  shoulders.  Wide  criss-cross  bands  of 
green  ribbon  are  centered  with  a  cluster 
of  green  velvet  flowers. 


GLADYS  SWARTHOUT  dances  in 
black  taffeta,  cut  with  wide  skirts  and  tiny 
ruffle  gathered  up  at  the  waist. 


DOLORES  COS¬ 
TELLO  BARRY¬ 
MORE  wears  silk 
lace  for  evening, 
with  a  long  rape  of 
smokegray  chiffon, 
caught  at  the  throat. 


For  Dancing 
Hours.  Black  chiffon 
velvet  is  a  charming 
fabric  choice  for 
the  quaint  dancing 
frock  modelled  bv 
OLIVIA  de  H.4V- 
ILLAND.  The  Em¬ 
pire  skirt  has  a 
deep  gathered 
flounce  at  the  hem¬ 
line  and  a  gathered 
ruffle  outlines  the 
deep  circular  yoke 
of  black  chiffon,. 


jWftWW' 


/M\"* 

■'IaviN"'' 


By  BEN  BECKMAN 


IN  THE  WEST.. .IT’S  TtfUCly  ! 

ON  SALE  AT  THE  FOLLOWING  STORES 


CALEXICO 

James  H.  Otter 

COALINGA 

Halliburtons 

COMPTON 

Kimball's 

CHICO 

Donohues 


OCEANSIDE 

Ed  C.  Pogue 

OXNARD 

Diener's 

ORLAND 

Carl  B.  Hoag 

OAKLAND 

Leon  Woolsey 


CARMEL  PORTERVILLE 

Charmak  &  Chandler  Bremler's 


cllllU  1115  —  You  and  a  Cliinateer 
topcoat.  A  friend  to  be  proud  of  —  for  Cliinateer  knows  and  shows  all 
the  latest  things  in  topcoat  design.  A  friend  you  can  count  on  for 
warmth  and  cheer  —  at  any  time  and  in  every  clime.  A  friend  you  can 
"use”  —  even  abuse  —  without  a  line  of  complaint.  Cliinateer  is  a 
year-round-weight  topcoating,  soft,  lustrous,  water-resistant.  None  will 
ever  do  more  for  you  and  ask  so  little  in  return.  •  From  the  looms 
of  Kenwood  Mills  exclusively  for  TIMELY  CLOTHES  —  which  means  fab¬ 
ric  and  tailoring  par  excellence,  and  a  clothes-value  that  is  paramount! 


ALHAMBRA 

Woodruff's 

ANAHEIM 

Youngbluth's 

AVENAL 

Avenal  Dept.  Store 

BRAWLEY 

The  Palmer  Co. 

BAKERSFIELD 

Harrison's 

BURBANK 

The  Toggery 

BURLINGAME 

Forsythe  &  Simpson 

BERKELEY 

Wallace  &  Wallace 


STOCKTON 

Bravo  5>  McKeegan 

SACRAMENTO 

Martin  &  Gualco 

SAN  JOSE 

J.  S.  Williams  Co. 

TULARE 

Patterson  &  Rose 

TORRANCE 

Ed  Schwartz 

VENTURA 

Brigham  &  Beaman 

VAN  NUYS 

Moore's 


DINUBA 

Tack  Ambrose 

EL  CENTRO 

M.  O.  King  Co. 

EAGLE  ROCK 

Art  Roberts 

EXETER 

Schelling's 

EUREKA 

J.  M.  Hutcheson 

FILLMORE 

Champ  C.  Cochran 

GLENDALE 

Wilson's 

GUSTINE 

L.  C.  Lee 

GILROY 

B.  Rocca  Co. 

HOLLYWOOD 

Schwab's 

HEMET 

Harvey  Larson 

HUNTINGTON  BEACH 

Jack  Robertson 

HUNTINGTON  PARK 

Tate-Puls 

HANFORD 

Tarr's 

HOLLISTER 

H.  A.  Schulze 

INGLEWOOD 

Dick  Wilson's  Store 
for  Men 

LEMOORE 

Lloyd  Coats 

LONG  BEACH 

Middough-Meier 


POMONA 

John  P.  Evans 

PASADENA 

Hotaling's 

PUENTE 

Mack's  Sport  Shop 

PASO  ROBLES 

Paso  Robles  Merc.  Co. 

PETALUMA 

Mattei  Bros 

PITTSBURGH 

Art  Bernstein 

PALO  ALTO 

Wideman  &  Son 

REDLANDS 

Fred  C.  Fowler 

RIVERSIDE 

McGrath-Olson 

RICHMOND 

McRacken's 

SAN  DIEGO 

The  Marston  Co. 

SANTA  MONICA 

Campbell's 

SAN  FERNANDO 

Cohen's 

SANTA  BARBARA 

The  Great  Wardrobe 

SAN  BERNARDINO 

The  Harris  Co. 

SAN  PEDRO 

Lippman's 

SANTA  MARIA 

Rowan  &  Green 

SANTA  ANA 

Swanberger's 

SAN  LUIS  OBISPO 

Wickenden's 


MULLEN  &  BLUETT 


Broadway  at  Sixth 

LOS  ANGELES 


LOMPOC 

Wilson-Foster 

MODESTO 

E.  R.  Hawke  Co. 


SANTA  CRUZ 

Rittenhouse  Bros. 

SALINAS 

Wickenden's 


MERCED 

The  Wardrobe 
MONTEREY 
Charmak  &  Chandler 
MARTINEZ 

Jameson  <S  Kiraly 

NORTH  HOLLYWOOD 

Woodruff's 

ONTARIO 

Fallis  Bros. 


SUSANVILLE 

Wemples 

SAN  RAFAEL 

Alberts,  Inc. 

SAN  MATEO 

Loewe  &  Zwierlein 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

O'Connor,  Moffat 

SANTA  ROSA 

Keegan  Bros. 


ORANGE 

P.  C.  Pinson  &  Son 


VISALIA 

Schelling's 

VALLEJO 

Bernheim  &  Myers 

WILMINGTON 

Cherin's 

WEST  LOS  ANGELES 

J.  H.  Lund 

WHITTIER 

Wright's 

WESTWOOD 

Morgan-Green 

HONOLULU 

Mclnerny's 


ARIZONA 

FLAGSTAFF 

Babbitt's  Mens  Shop 

PRESCOTT 

Bashford-Burmister 

PHOENIX 

Herb  Bland 

TUCSON 

Dave  Bloom 

NOGALES 

Capin's 

KINGMAN 

Central  Commercial  Co. 

YUMA 

The  Fashion 


TIM  E  LY 


CLOTHES 


50 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


FORMAL  ATTIRE  FOR 


FORMAL  DAY  H  EAR 

COATS: 

Oxford  gray  or  black  jacket,  single  or  double- 
breasted,  or  finished  or  unfinished  worsted  of 
plain  weave. 

WAISTCOAT: 

Single  or  double-breasted  to  match  jacket:  or 
washable  or  finished  material,  white,  buff  or 
gray. 

TROUSERS: 

Black  and  white  stripes,  solid  gray,  gray  diag¬ 
onal  or  black  and  white  shepherd’s  checks. 

SHIRTS: 

Stiff  or  pleated  bosom  of  white  or  pale  solid 
color,  white  fold  collar,  white  wing  collar, 
white  double  cuffs. 

NECKTIE: 

Four-in-hand,  Ascot  or  bow  in  plain  color. 
HOSE: 

Black  silk  or  lisle,  plain,  or  with  white  or 
black  clocks. 

BOOTS: 

Black  calf  with  dull  finish,  dark  brown  calf, 
plain,  with  plain  toe  caps. 

HAT: 

High  silk,  derby,  grav,  black  or  midnight  blue 
Hamburg. 

GLOVES: 

White,  gray  or  buff,  matching  waistcoat. 

MUFFLER: 

White  or  gray  figured  silk  scarf.  White 
handkerchief. 


FRAN (HOT  TONE 


FORMAL  EVENING  WEAR 

HAT: 

High  silk  or  opera  with  either  tailcoat  or 
evening  jacket.  Black  or  midnight  blue  Horn- 
bur  g  is  correct  with  evening  jacket.  If  hat  is 
midnight  blue  it  must  match  suit,  otherwise 
black. 

TAILCOAT: 

Black  or  midnight  blue  in  dressed  or  undress¬ 
ed  worsteds.  Silk  faced  lapels,  silk  faced 
collar,  silk  catered  buttons.  Ideal  coat  has  a 


fullness  in  the  chest  and  soft  rolling  lapels, 
not  too  wide. 

WAISTCOAT: 

Worn  on  a  line  with  the  tailcoat.  Snow  white 
pique  or  twilled  silk  in  off-white.  Simply  cut. 
Either  finely- pleated  bosom  or  plain  with  din¬ 
ner  jacket  in  plain  white  only.  Narrower 
bosoms  are  new. 

TROUSERS: 

Same  material  as  coat,  cut  with  draping 
through  waist  or  two  small  pleats. 

COLLAR: 

Bold  wing  with  tails.  Fold  with  evening  jacket. 
TIE: 

White. 

SHOES: 

Patent  leather  plain  toe  shoes  or  pumps.  New 
note  is  midnight  blue  patent  leather  to  match 
suits.  Also  ribbed  silk  to  harmonize  with  lapel 
facings.  Only  for  very  formal  occasions. 

SOCKS: 

Solid  black  or  dark  blue  silk.  White  clocks. 

ANEW  note  in  men's  evening  fash¬ 
ions  is  felt  with  the  wearing  of  a 
tiny  white  feather  in  opera  hats.  In 
New  York  this  is  extremely  popular, 
seeming  to  fit  in  well  with  black-and- 
white  scheme  of  men's  formal  clothes. 
Even  capes  are  becoming  popular,  the 
general  idea  seeming  to  he  that  the  ro¬ 
mantic  influence  in  ladies’  clothes  for 
this  season  will  bring  about  an  equally 
romantic  trend  for  the  men's  feshions. 


CLARK  GABLE 


DO  \  AMECHE 


EDMUND  LOWE 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


51 


THE  WINTER  SEASON 


At  any  rate,  the  effect  is  refreshing  and 
adds  a  note  of  interest  to  the  formerly 
dull  black-and-white  scene  that  has  met 
the  eye  for  so  long. 

The  hlue-and-white  idea,  brought  to 
the  masculine  attention  by  the  King  of 
England,  Edward  the  Eighth,  when  he 
was  Prince  of  Wales,  has  finally  caught 
on  and  very  dark  blue  is  gaining  wide 
favor  for  evening  wear,  particularly  in 
New  York,  London  and  Paris.  Not 
much  has  been  seen  of  this  new  style 
in  Hollywood,  but  it  is  expected  that 
this  season  will  usher  in  the  midnight- 
blue  trend  on  the  West  Coast. 

Tailcoats  are  narrower  and  shorter 
this  year,  not  so  skirtlike  as  heretofore. 
The  origin  of  the  tailcoat  is  ascribed  to 
the  Hungarians.  Officers  in  Hungary  ap¬ 
peared  with  a  skirt  coat  in  1590.  slashed 
at  the  side  to  allow  a  sword  to  dangle 
through.  Since  that  time  the  evolution 
of  the  tailcoat  has  come  through  the 
dandies  and  court  favorites  who  tended 
towards  the  feminized  type  of  dress, 
since  the  tailcoat  looked  a  great  deal 
like  a  skirt.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolu¬ 
tion  in  France,  the  style  was  modified 
greatly  until  it  gradually  changed  to 
its  present  form  through  the  years. 

The  formality  of  the  daytime  clothes 
for  men  is  softened  by  a  touch  of  color 
now.  an  innovation  of.  again,  the  King 
of  England,  who  is  an  authority  on  cor- 


ROBERT  TAYLOR 

rect  dress  for  men.  Being  compelled 
to  change  his  costume  frequently  during 
the  day,  the  King  sometimes,  when 
changing  from  a  lounge  suit  to  formal 
daytime  dress,  retained  the  colored  shirt 
he  had  been  wearing  with  his  more  cas¬ 
ual  clothes.  The  effect  was  very  pleas¬ 
ing  and  provided  a  new  note  of  dashing 
brightness  in  the  sombre  daytime  wear. 

For  a  formal  morning  wedding,  the 


correct  attire  consists  of  black  or  Ox¬ 
ford  gray  cutaway,  preferably  having 
peak  lapels,  one  button  and  no  braid. 
With  it  gray  and  white  or  black  and 
white  striped  or  small  shepherd’s  check 
trousers  are  proper.  The  waistcoat  can 
be  either  of  the  same  material  as  the 
coat,  especially  if  it  is  gray,  or  white 
linen. 

Black  calf  or  cloth  top  shoes  should 
be  worn.  With  this  outfit  either  a  bold 
wing  collar  and  an  ascot  or  the  turnover 
collar  and  a  black-and-white  shepherd’s 
check  four-in-hand  tie.  A  silk  hat  and 
buck  or  chamois  gloves  in  yellow'  com¬ 
plete  the  ensemble.  Spats,  while  not 
incorrect,  are  seldom  worn  with  the 
cutaway  at  present. 

It  is  desirable  to  provide  some  con¬ 
trast  between  the  dress  of  the  groom  and 
the  best  man  and  that  of  the  ushers. 
This  might  be  achieved  by  having  the 
groom  and  the  best  man  in  ascot  and 
bold  wing  collars  and  the  ushers  in 
four-in-hand  ties  and  turnover  collars, 
or  just  the  reverse.  The  groom  and  the 
best  man  might  wear  white  waistcoats 
and  the  ushers  gray  ones. 

With  the  winter  season  presenting 
bright  prospects  in  opera,  concert  and 
theatre  openings,  it  is  believed  that 
many  of  the  newest  ideas  in  formal 
clothes  for  men  will  be  seen  at  the 
better  places. 


WARREN  WILLIAM 


ALAN  DIN  EH  ART 


GREGORY  GAYE 


52 

DARRYL  F. 

(Continued  f 

five  From  A  Chain  Gang’  and  others 
that  presented  social  conditions  which 
needed  changing.  These  films  made 
screen  history.  They  also  made  stars 
of  a  fresh  crop  of  players  whose  dy¬ 
namic  force  had  hitherto  not  been  given 
full  opportunity.  Barbara  Stanwyck, 
James  Cagney,  Bette  Davis,  Warren  Wil¬ 
liam,  Joan  Blondell,  to  name  but  a  few. 

“In  1933  I  left  Warner  Brothers  to 
join  Joseph  M.  Schenck.  president  of  the 
United  Artists,  in  forming  a  new  pro¬ 
ducing  company.  Twentieth  Century  Pic¬ 
tures,  and  we  turned  out  such  hits  as 
'The  Bowery,’  ‘The  House  of  Roths¬ 
child,’  ‘Bulldog  Drummond  Strikes 
Back."  and  ‘The  Alfairs  of  Cellini." 

“Our  schedule  was  revised  in  1934-35 
to  provide  fewer  pictures  on  a  larger 
scale  of  individual  production.  This 
plan  proved  extremely  good  business  for 
the  releases,  which  were.  ‘The  Mighty 
Barnum,’  ‘Clive  of  India,’  ‘Folies  Ber- 
gere,’  ‘Cardinal  Richelieu.’  ‘Les  Miser- 
ables,’  and  ‘Call  of  the  Wild."  received  a 
grand  share  of  popular  acclaim.’" 

About  this  time,  “the  call  of  the 
wild,”  got  into  Mr.  Zanuck’s  blood  and 
he  went  bear  hunting  in  Alaska.  Upon 
his  return  he  found  that  a  merger  had 
been  made  with  Fox  to  form  a  new 
combine.  Twentieth  Century-Fox  Film 
Co.  with  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  as  vice-presi¬ 
dent,  in  charge  of  all  production  at  the 
gigantic  plant  in  Westwood  Hills,  Cali¬ 
fornia. 

Here,  in  the  quiet,  early  hours  of 
morning  one  occasionally  can  see  this 
keen,  blue-eyed  man  about  the  vast  lot. 
He  never  wastes  words  for  he  has  work 
to  do,  as  anyone  will  discover  who  has 
tried  to  interview  him.  It  is  not  unusual 
for  him  to  spend  eighteen  hours  at  his 
desk,  for  besides  the  active  side  of  his 
job  he  reads  newspapers,  magazines, 
books,  plays,  anything  that  might  give 
him  an  idea  for  a  motion  picture,  for 
his  intuition  as  to  the  screen  possibili¬ 
ties  of  all  sorts  of  material,  is  positively 
uncanny. 

“The  average  cost  of  launching  a  film 
star  is  about  one  million  dollars,”  he 
declared  recently.  “To  start  an  actor 
or  actress  on  what  we  hope  will  be  the 
road  to  stardom  is  a  definite  gamble, 
for  the  human  element,  that  unpredict¬ 
able  abstraction,  is  practically  the  big¬ 
gest  factor  to  consider.  Contrary  to 
popular  belief,  stars  do  not  spring  up 
overnight.  We  select  someone  we  think 
has  the  necessary  personality  then  we 
place  him  or  her  in  strategic  film  roles 
from  time  to  lime  and  await  the  public 
reaction.  Some  players  quickly  reach 
success,  others  never  quite  attain  to  it. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

ZANUCK 

rom  Page  6) 

The  salaries  and  expenses  go  on  just 
the  same  while  ‘personalities  are  being 
groomed"  and  the  cost  of  make-up.  ward¬ 
robe,  etc.  is  a  considerable  item  in  the 
whole.” 

The  studio  has  its  own  “school”  stock 
company  where  potential  stars  are  given 
dramatic  lessons  on  the  lot  at  studio 
expense  and  meanwhile  they  draw  sal¬ 
aries.  Mr.  Zanuck  says  that  this  is  more 
than  justified  if  even  only  one  of  the 
youngsters  soars  to  stardom.  A  plan 
to  eidarge  this  stock  school,  making  its 
scope  more  comprehensive,  has  recently 
been  completed  and  it  is  his  purpose  to 
place  many  promising  young  men  and 
women  under  contract  and  school  them 
for  the  screen,  under  the  able  supervis¬ 
ion  of  Miss  Florence  Enright,  who  has 
recently  been  engaged  as  coach.  The 
inestimable  opportunity  offered  by  this 
training  school  is  one  of  Mr.  Zanuck’s 
great  contributions  to  the  human  side 
of  studio  life,  quite  apart  from  its  dol¬ 
lars  and  cents  value.  Such  promising 
young  actresses  as  June  Lang,  Shirley 
Deane,  Dixie  Dunbar.  June  Storey  and 
many  others,  are  eloquent  testimony  to 
the  splendid  work  being  done  by  this 
school. 

And  so  his  busy  days  go  by,  each  full 
of  accomplishment.  He  has  finished  a 
year  of  intensive  work  in  which  he  ef¬ 
fected  a  reorganization  of  the  studio 
without  interrupting  a  schedule  of  fifty- 
two  pictures  and  in  which  he  has  started 
an  impressive  expansion  program.  He 
has  been  described  as  a  man  with  “a 
thousand  scoops  to  his  credit.”  a  “gen¬ 
ius”  and  other  such  laudatory  terms. 

The  interviewer  is  greeted  by  a  slight, 
sandy-haired  figure  with  unusually  keen 
blue  eyes  who,  for  the  stated  few  min¬ 
utes,  gives  one  his  undivided  attention 
and  interest,  leaving  an  impression  of 
concentrated  efficiency,  kindliness  and 
immense  power  of  mental  and  physical 
accomplishment  —  the  man.  Darryl 
Zanuck. 


INTRODUCTION 
TO  MAKE-UP 

(Continued  from  Pape  41) 

reasons  we  insist  that  you  put  it  on  be¬ 
fore  your  face  powder. 

Pat  the  rouge  on  with  a  puff  or  small 
piece  of  cotton.  It  is  important  that  you 
pat:  dont  rub.  Start  at  the  high  point 
of  the  cheek  and  follow  the  natural 
curve  of  the  cheekbone  toward  the  nose. 
Use  your  fingers  to  blend  the  color  into 
the  full  parts  of  the  cheek.  This  also 
softens  the  edges  of  the  color  pattern 


January,  1937 

and  gives  it  a  natural  blush  appearance. 
Nothing  is  more  artificial  than  a  harsh 
“polka-dot”  spot  of  rouge  on  each  cheek. 
J  he  color  should  also  extend  upwards 
toward  the  eye  to  eliminate  the  prom¬ 
inent  white  space  between  the  lower  eye¬ 
lid  and  cheekbone. 

The  fact  that  properly  blended  rouge 
acts  as  a  shadow  allows  us  to  detract 
from  the  prominence  of  certain  contours 
of  the  face.  With  this  in  mind,  let  us 
consider  several  types  of  odd-shaped 
faces  which  may  he  made  more  perfect 
by  clever  tricks  of  rouging. 

Long  or  thin  faces  .  .  .  Eager,  thin¬ 
faced  lasses  should  avoid  rouge  in  the 
center  of  their  faces.  The  secret  is  to 
keep  the  rouge  high  on  the  temples  and 
upper  cheek  ...  in  a  diminutive  cres¬ 
cent.  This  leaves  the  lower  part  of  the 
jaw  and  cheeks  unshadowed,  making  the 
face  appear  fuller. 

Broad  or  round  faces  .  .  .  We  reverse 
the  above  tactics  for  broad  or  round 
faces.  We  shadow  the  full  parts  of  the 
cheeks  and  blend  the  rouge  well  in  to¬ 
ward  the  nose.  This  reduces  the  expan¬ 
sive  high-light  at  the  center  of  the  face 
and  gives  a  fascinating  illusion  of 
length. 

Face  Powder 

As  for  face  powder,  you  may  revel  in 
it  at  first.  Dust  it  on  generously  with 
a  large  puff,  powdering  the  nose  last  to 
avoid  making  it  look  too  white.  Now 
you  can  clear  away  all  of  the  surplus 
with  a  soft  face  powder  brush.  Be  par¬ 
ticularly  careful  to  clear  all  the  tiny 
lines  around  the  eyes,  nose  and  mouth. 
After  you  have  acquired  proficiency  you 
will  know  just  how  much  face  powder 
you  need.  Here  again  practice  will  help 
you. 

Applying  Lipstick 

Using  lipstick  can  prove  to  he  a  try¬ 
ing  stumbling-block  for  the  novice.  Many 
overlook  the  fact  that  the  lips  must  he 
perfectly  dry  to  properly  receive  the  lip¬ 
stick.  Fill  in  the  natural  contour  of  the 
upper  lip  with  the  coloring.  Now  trans¬ 
fer  this  pattern  to  the  lower  lip  by  press¬ 
ing  the  lips  together.  With  the  finger, 
smooth  and  blend  the  lipstick  to  give  it 
a  finished  appearance.  Carry  it  well  in 
toward  the  inside  of  the  mouth  to  elim¬ 
inate  a  noticeable  line  where  the  color 
ends. 

Enhancing  the  Eyes 

Darken  and  define  your  eyebrows  with 
the  pencil  designed  for  the  purpose.  Be 
neat — give  the  brows  a  smartly  tailored 
effect.  The  eyelashes  may  be  darkened 
•  by  a  light  application  of  eyelash  make¬ 
up.  To  insure  this  lightness,  go  over  the 
lashes  with  a  small,  clean  brush  after 
applying  the  mascara.  Blondes  and  light 
brownettes  and  red-heads  should  use 
only  a  brown  eyelash  make-up  and  eye¬ 
brow  pencil.  Others  may  use  black. 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


So 


AROUND  THE  WORLD  FOR  REALISM 


(Continued  from  Page  15) 

I  he  customs,  costumes,  languages  and 
background  of  the  world  s  lesser  known 
inhabitants.  Their  itinerary  included 
names  that  fairly  reek  with  adventure 
and  romance;  that  conjure  up  nameless 
longings  and  unsatisfied  desires  in  the 
hearts  of  every  true  man.  To  mention 
just  a  few.  the  enchanted  port  of  Hon¬ 
olulu.  Tokio  the  mysterious,  Kyoto. 
Kobe.  Nagasaki.  Shanghai  of  unsainted 
memory.  Hong  Kong  where  East  meets 
\\  est.  Singapore — the  cross-roads  of  the 
East,  Hanoi  and  Saigon,  opposite  ter¬ 
minals  of  an  ancient  pathway,  Penang, 
Ceylon,  the  remote  Laccadive  Islands, 
Bombay,  Aden,  Cairo — the  cradle  of 
countless  civilizations,  and  dozens  of 
others,  just  as  important  but  too  numer¬ 
ous  to  mention. 

“It  was  our  desire  to  show  the  truth 
and  not  to  take  a  story  and  build  the 
necessary  background  on  some  Holly¬ 
wood  lot  or  local  location.  Not  to  pre¬ 
tend  that  Catalina  was  Bali,  the  dunes 
of  Yuma  the  Sahara  or  the  hills  and 
valleys  of  San  Eernando  the  jungles  and 
mountains  of  the  Orient;  we  determined 
actually  to  go  to  these  distant  places  and 
fit  our  story  to  the  background. 

“This  we  did. 

“Prior  to  leaving  the  States  we  very 
carefully  outlined  two  scripts,  (the  orig¬ 
inal  stories  were  by  Tay  Garnett.)  one 
of  which  we  have  tentatively  titled. 
‘Tradewinds,’  the  other  ‘World  Cruise,’ 
and  we  worked  from  these  scripts  as  we 
went.  When  the  story  called  for  a  cer¬ 
tain  location,  we  journeyed  there,  and 
so,  with  our  material  and  photographs 
we  are  able  to  portray  actual  incidents 
played  against  an  absolutely  authentic 
background.  We  feel  that  the  American 
people  have  become  increasingly  critical 
and  ever  more  cinema  conscious  in  the 
last  few  years;  that  they  are  tired  of 
fake  shots,  false  fronts  and  pretense. 
Therefore,  when  our  script  called  for 
Singapore,  it  was  to  Singapore  we  went 
to  make  the  sequences.  (Incidentally. 
I  might  say  here  that  Singapore,  instead 
of  being  the  so-called  cesspool  of  the 
world  as  it  has  so  often  been  dubbed,  is 
second  only  to  one  city  in  the  world, 
Cairo,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  rich¬ 
ness  of  its  movie  material.) 

“We  went  ashore  to  spend  only  a  few 
days  and  at  the  end  of  a  month,  after 
photographing  steadily,  we  literally  had 
to  tear  ourselves  away!  The  streets 
teem  with  life.  The  activities  of  every 
Oriental  race  churn  in  this  melting 
pot  of  the  Eastern  world  and  en¬ 
hanced  by  the  city’s  commercial  import¬ 
ance,  offer  material  that  has  for  too  long 
been  overlooked  by  motion  picture  pro¬ 


ducers  who  can  see  no  farther  than 
Hollywood. 

“Kickshaws  jostle  the  latest  American 
built  12  cylinder  cars.  Primitive  dhows 
nestle  beside  ocean  liners  like  suckling 
pigs.  Fashions  of  the  Occident  walk 
arm  in  arm  with  the  warm,  colorful 
modes  of  the  East  and  sharp  contrast 
awaits  at  every  turn  of  the  road.  Con¬ 
trast  makes  for  drama,  drama  is  life, 
life  is  art  and  art  should  he  mo¬ 
tion  pictures,  or  rather,  motion  pictures 
should  he  art.  Perhaps  I  linger  too 
long  on  Singapore  but,  well  the  city 
is  like  a  siren,  you  come  for  a  moment, 
fall  under  her  spell  then  you  have  to 
tear  yourself  away.” 

From  Singapore  the  expedition  jour¬ 
neyed  to  Ceylon,  then  the  Laccadive 
Islands  which  group  formed  the  locale 
for  the  finale  of  the  first  of  the  two 
pictures,  “Tradewinds.  "  Here  they  dis¬ 
covered  a  tribe  of  people  descended 
from  a  party  of  shipwrecked  sailors  who 
had  found  refuge  there  two  centuries  be¬ 
fore  from  the  fury  of  a  fiercely  lashing 
typhoon  and  since  had  been  unable  to 
escape.  These  Islands  have  been  termed 
the  Pitcairns  of  the  Indian  Ocean  be¬ 
cause  of  the  similarity  of  their  history 
and  inhabitants  to  that  immortalized  in 
“Mutiny  On  the  Bounty.” 

“Here,  the  people  had  never  heard  of 
America,  vaguely  only  they  knew  of  a 
white  race,  and  ships  that  went  without 
sails  were  legends  or  tales  of  natives 
run  amok.”  Mr.  Shackelford  went  on. 
“Living  in  the  most  primitive  state  of 
poverty  they  believe  white  men  to  be 
gods  and  their  food  the  Laccadive  equi¬ 
valent  of  manna.  They  dig  pits  on  the 
edges  of  the  lagoons  that  indent  the 
coast.  The  pits  are  flooded  at  high  tide, 
then  when  the  tide  ebbs  these  curious 
natives  capture  the  stranded  fish  which 
serve  as  the  backbone  of  their  diet. 
When  we  landed  there  and  offered  them 
white  bread  and  tinned  American  deli¬ 
cacies,  they  were  ready  almost  to  die 
for  us.”  Hard-bitten  realistic  scientist 
that  he  is,  Mr.  Shackelford’s  eyes  misted 
slightly  when  he  spoke  of  these  hunfrer- 
scourged.  poverty-ridden  people.  Per¬ 
haps  this  depth  of  feeling,  this  under¬ 
standing  of  the  less  fortunate  of  our 
so-called  human  race,  even  to  the  canni¬ 
bals  of  New  Guinea,  is  the  reason  why 
he  has  been  so  notably  successful  in 
filming  the  priceless  record  of  their 
daily  life. 

We  asked  him  whether  he  ever  had 
any  trouble  with  the  natives  in  making 
these  pictures  and  his  answer  was  an 
unequivocal  no. 

“Their  curiosity  is  overwhelming  and 
crowds  surround  you  wherever  you  go 


which  of  course  adds  to  the  difficulties 
of  getting  the  picture,  but  curiosity  is 
a  universal  trait,  we  have  found.  Try 
to  take  a  picture,  for  example,  as  we 
did  in  the  capital  village  of  these  Lac¬ 
cadive  Islands  and  then  try  to  take  one 
at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Forty- 
Second  Street  in  New  York  City,  as  we 
also  did.  and  see  with  which  crowd  you 
have  the  most  difficulty.  The  score  is 
overwhelmingly  in  the  favor  of  the  na¬ 
tives.  They  are  far  more  tractable  and 
pliant  and  once  they  understand  what 
you  want  them  to  do  their  enthusiasm  is 
unbounded  and  they  try  to  outdo  each 
other  in  accurately  following  your  in¬ 
structions.  Unspoiled,  untemperamen- 
tal.  unsophisticated,  they  put  on  a  much 
more  convincing  performance  than 
many  a  pretty,  pampered  princess  of 
Hollywood,  dozens  of  whom  I  have  had 
occasion  to  photograph  in  my  years  of 
work  in  the  industry. 

“Neither  is  make-up  a  problem  for 
in  several  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  we 
visited  other  than  the  Laccadives,  ‘make¬ 
up’  was  a  permanent  rather  than  a  tem¬ 
porary  feature  (as  the  photograph  on 
page  15  will  show. 

“This  picture  of  a  leading  character 
in  one  of  our  films,  shows  her  fore  and 
aft,  so  to  speak,  and  demonstrates  the 
art  of  South  Sea  make-up.  The  appli¬ 
cation  of  the  Persion  rug  design  begins 
at  the  age  of  two  years  and  from  then 
on,  the  belle  is  tattooed  just  as  much 
and  just  as  often  as  she  can  ‘take  it." 
By  the  time  native  girls  are  grown  they 
are  clothed  in  a  permanent  pattern  and 
make-up  ceases  to  be  a  problem.  (This 
may  seem  to  be  a  savage  practice  hut 
compared  with  the  discomfort  of  per¬ 
manent  waving,  the  tortures  of  the  elec¬ 
tric  needle  or  the  agony  of  the  eighteen 
day  diet,  who  is  barbaric — the  modern 
woman  or  the  native  of  Indo-China? )” 

Knowing  the  effects  of  hot,  humid  cli¬ 
mates  on  film  and  photographic  appar¬ 
atus,  we  asked  regarding  the  difficulties 
pertaining  to  the  taking,  the  develop¬ 
ment  and  the  preservation  of  negative 
and  of  the  finished  product.  Mr.  Shack¬ 
elford  answered:  “Naturally  it  is  a  dif¬ 
ferent  proposition  from  a  technical 
standpoint  to  take  care  of  film  and 
equipment  in  those  places  where  we 
worked  than  it  is  to  do  so  here  where 
every  modern  facility  is  available.  How¬ 
ever,  on  board  our  yacht  we  had  a  spec¬ 
ially  built  laboratory  (see  pictures  on 
page  15)  capable  of  finishing  5000  feet 
of  film  per  day  and  when  it  was  finished 
we  packed  it  in  specially  built,  hermet¬ 
ically  sealed  containers  (see  picture  on 
page  15.) 

(Turn  to  Next  Page) 


54 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


AROUND  THE  WORLD 
FOR  REALISM 

(Continued  from  page  53) 

‘‘Aside  from  the  purely  technical  an¬ 
gle  of  caring  for  the  negatives  we  en¬ 
countered  many  practical  difficulties  but 
they  were  of  minor  importance,”  Mr. 
Shackelford  remarked  deprecatingly. 

However,  we  saw  a  “still”  of  a  dolly 
shot  made  in  the  heart  of  the  Fijian  jun¬ 
gle.  Natives  worked  for  two  days  hack¬ 
ing  a  path  through  the  lush  tangled 
growth  in  order  to  build  a  track  for  this 
homemade  dolly  so  that  the  motion  pic¬ 
ture  cameras  could  “take”  a  primitive 
charge  of  simulated  native  warfare. 
Also  “stills”  of  Shackelford  on  a  raft- 
supported  tower  in  a  stormy  New 
Guinea  lagoon,  filming  the  attack  of 
head  hunters’  canoes  on  a  gale-riven 
wreck,  so  we  could  well  appreciate  his 
modesty  when  he  minimized  the  practi¬ 
cal  difficulties  under  which  they  labored. 
When  we  spoke  of  danger  he  merely 
smiled  and  it  was  evident  that  to  him, 
in  whose  veins  there  coursed  the  bright 
red  flood  of  adventure,  danger  was  a 
welcome  guest.  In  fact,  it  seemed  that 
he  sought  it  as  the  only  worthy  stimulus. 

Treading  the  slimy  ooze  at  the  base  of 
barrier  reefs,  seeking  for  thrilling  loca¬ 
tions  for  undersea  photographs  as 

shown  in  the  picture  on  page  .  was 

merely  part  of  the  day’s  work.  And 
having  a  former  cannibal  chief  for  a 
cook  on  part  of  the  expedition  ( who. 
when  told  to  prepare  dinner  for  his 
boss  might  rather  have  reversed  the  pro¬ 
cedure;)  having  their  propeller  ruined 
and  their  yacht  almost  wrecked  by  a 
roving  whale  while  trying  to  outrun  the 
impending  monsoons,  on  their  way  to 
Aden,  were  also  just  other  incidents — 
rather  than  being  memorable  adventure. 

Living  three  months  with  the  native 
king  of  the  Fiji  Islands,  long  treks 
through  the  length  of  Indo-China  as 
honored  guest  of  the  government:  be¬ 
ing  the  favored  companion  of  sheiks  of 
the  Sahara;  or  living  with  a  Mongol 
Prince  in  the  Gobi  Desert — all  these 
have  seemingly  failed  to  shake  Mr. 
Shackelford’s  innate  democracy.  Genial, 
modest,  but  communicative,  he  talked 
on.  But  only  of  his  work,  seldom  of 
himself. 

Finishing  “Trade  Winds”  in  the  Lac¬ 
cadive  Islands,  they  voyaged  on.  to 
Aden.  Arabia,  and  thence  to  Cairo. 

“Cairo,  to  me,  offers  the  greatest  pos¬ 
sibilities  of  any  city  in  the  world  as  a 
background  for  pictures,”  stated  Mr. 
Shackelford.  “There  in  one  location, 
there  are  concentrated  thousands  of 
years  of  art  and  architecture;  the  dur¬ 
able  and  visible  monuments  of  and  to 
great  past  civilizations.  Not  only  the 
temples,  the  mosques  and  minarets,  the 


forts  and  dwellings  of  the  city  itself  but 
those  colossal  piles  of  ancient  masonry, 
the  pyramids,  that  dot  its  environs,  bear 
wonderful  testimony  to  the  glory  and 
the  tragedy  of  ages  past. 

"Portraying  the  true  Cairo  and  the 
true  Egypt  though,  is  not  within  the 
scope  of  just  a  comparatively  few'  se¬ 
quences  of  one  picture  as  in  our  ‘World 
Cruise’  but  rather  lies  in  the  far  great¬ 
er  scope  of  a  hundred  pictures  or  more, 
produced  by  sympathetic  and  under¬ 
standing  artists.” 

Here  Mr.  Shackelford  and  his  expedi¬ 
tion  filmed  scenes  having  as  a  back¬ 
ground  the  Sphinx,  that  eternal,  voice¬ 
less  riddle  of  the  ages,  and  those  same 
pyramids,  gigantic  symbols  in  stone  of 
the  learning  and  egotism  of  rulers  in 
ages  past,  (see  pictures  on  page . ). 

Not  only  did  Mr.  Shackelford  make 
pictures  of  the  present  state  of  these 
ancient  monuments,  he  went  further. 
From  cameraman  he  turned  scientist.  He 
delved  into  the  drifted  sands  of  the  Sa¬ 
hara  and  tunneled  to  the  very  founda¬ 
tions  of  the  echoless  walls  of  time,  un¬ 
earthing  tools  and  implements  dating 
back  to  a  people  of  whom  the  very 
legends  are  prehistoric. 

Artifacts  of  flint,  relics  of  a  stone  age 
of  50.000  years  ago,  were  discoveries  that 
may  serve  to  throw  further  light  on  that 
shrouded  era  when  the  desert  was  per¬ 
haps  a  garden.  (These  discoveries  do  not 
enter  into  Mr.  Shackelford’s  attainments 
at  the  moment  as  a  cameraman,  but  cer¬ 
tainly  they  serve  to  emblazon  his  name 
on  a  higher  rung  of  the  ladder  of  ar¬ 
cheological  achievement.) 

From  Cairo  to  Spain,  where  Granada 
and  Gibraltar  alike  served  merely  as 
backgrounds;  to  Paris  of  both  the 
Louvre  and  the  Latin  Quarter,  Mr. 
Shackelford  journeyed,  taking  pictures 
the  while,  and  thence  to  our  own  New 
^  ork — all  this  for  “World  Cruise.”  All 
this  that  American  audiences  might 
share  vicariously  but  authentically  in 
his  experiences.  Forty  thousand  miles 
for  sixty-five  thousand  feet  of  film  with 
thousands  for  his  cast  and  the  wide 
world  for  his  theatre,  that  is  what  Mr. 
Shackelford  has  done  in  the  last  eight¬ 
een  months  in  order  that  we  may  have 
truth  in  pictures.  Small  wonder  it  is 
then  that  we  title  the  saga  of  his 
adventures.  “Round  The  World  For 
Realism.” 


LET'S  MAKE  IT  A 
GOOD  SCENE 

(Continued  from  page  23) 

the  rank  of  stunt  man  and  brought  his 
salary  up  to  $5  per  week.  Any  other 
boy  might  have  felt  rich  but  Mervyn 
LeRoy  was  not  just  “any”  boy. 

Once  fairly  launched  in  the  show  hus- 


January,  193 7 

iness  he  learned  to  sing  and  dance  and 
while  making  somewhat  of  a  name  for 
himself  as  a  boy  tenor  at  the  1915  Pan¬ 
ama  Pacific  Exposition  in  San  Fran¬ 
cisco  he  met  a  congenial  soul  in  the 
person  of  Clyde  Cooper  who  also  sang, 
danced  and — played  the  piano.  Having 
had  considerable  success  at  the  Exposi¬ 
tion  these  enterprising  young  men  team¬ 
ed  up  and  trouped  around  the  country 
with  their  own  act,  “Two  Boys  and  a 
Piano."  They  were  good  all  right  but 
unfortunately  an  unappreciative  world 
was  slow  to  recognize  the  fact  and  in 
consequence  bookings  were  few  and 
often  they  literally  were  hungry.  But 
always  LeRoy  kept  looking  for  “the 
best.”  for  they  surely  were  making  it 
the  best  act  they  knew  how. 

This  spirit  of  course,  brought  results; 
they  were  booked  at  a  small  town  in 
Kansas.  They  thought  they  might  pos¬ 
sibly  get  $25  for  the  day’s  work  but 
the  fair  face  of  the  goddess  of  luck  had 
at  last,  it  seemed,  turned  their  way  and 
the  manager  gave  them  $62. 

Sixty-two  dollars! 

LeRoy  adopted  sixty-two  for  his  lucky 
number  and  wdiile  he  is  not  superstitious 
the  exception  which  proves  this  rule  is 
that  the  number  62  is  somehow  brought 
into  almost  everything  this  extraordin¬ 
ary  person  does.  His  automobile  li¬ 
censes  always  have  a  62  in  them  and  the 
magic  figures  creep  in  to  almost  every 
picture  he  has  directed.  In  “Five  Star 
Final.”  for  example,  one  of  his  out¬ 
standing  successes.  Edward  Robinson, 
starring  in  the  production,  made  his  con¬ 
tribution  to  the  LeRoy  luck  by  telephon¬ 
ing  Cherry  62. 

For  some  time  following  the  Kansas 
engagement  the  two  boys  had  continuous 
bookings  but  LeRoy  felt  a  new  and 
overpowering  urge.  “The  movies  are 
calling  me,”  he  announced,  and  with 
about  $200  he  came  to  Hollywood  and 
started  making  the  rounds  of  the  studios. 

However,  in  their  turn  the  studios 
failed  to  acknowledge  this  budding 
young  genius  and  his  money  soon  gave 
out,  leaving  him  in  pretty  desperate 
circumstances,  his  gallant  morale  a 
prey  to  persistently  overwhelming  odds. 
Then,  since  he  had  to  eat  he  took  a  job 
in  the  wardrobe  department  of  the  old 
Famous  Players-Lasky  Studios  at  $12.50 
a  week. 

It  was  a  far  cry  from  the  excitement 
and  brilliance  of  the  stage  to  the  drab 
monotony  of  sorting  costumes.  Often, 
he  stood  on  a  box  and  gazed  longingly 
through  barred  windows  watching  the 
fascinating  operation  of  moving  pic¬ 
tures  in  the  making. 

At  last  he  could  stand  the  wardrobe 
duties  no  longer  so  he  went  to  his  boss 
and  with  a  torrent  of  eager  words  finally 


January,  1937 

got  attention  and  finished  his  peroration 
with  the  biting  comment,  “This  job  will 
never  get  me  anywhere!” 

“Can  you  do  anything  besides  sort 
costumes?” 

“I  can  sing  and  dance,  and”  as  a 
bright  idea  struck  him.  “I  can  run  a 
camera.” 

With  only  the  foggiest  notion  of  the 
workings  of  that  intricate  piece  of  mo¬ 
tion  picture  machinery  he  got  a  chance 
and  within  a  year  he  was  first  assistant 
cameraman  for  the  pioneer  producer. 
William  B.  de  Mille. 

This  raise  however,  did  not  provide 
either  the  shekels  or  the  scope  that  Le- 
Roy  desired  so  he  returned  to  vaudeville 
and  big  money  and  for  a  while  his  des¬ 
tiny  rested  there  until  again  the  lure 
of  the  film  world  proved  too  strong  for 
him.  He  got  hack  into  the  game  and 
this  time  he  decided  to  stick. 

In  Hollywood,  that  land  of  fabulous 
stories  he  again  went  through  the  grim 
struggle  for  existence  and  on  historic 
Vine  Street  he  shared  a  room  and  some 
quite  hard  times  with  George  O’Brien. 
Being  resourceful,  these  two  boys  both 
with  a  vision  of  what  the  future  held 
for  them,  cooked  their  own  meals  and 
pressed  their  own  clothes  and  cheered 
and  jollied  each  other  along.  They 
found  work,  it  is  true,  but  not  of  the 
sort  each  felt  to  be  his  particular  voca¬ 
tion  and  Mervyn  LeRoy  was  finally  al¬ 
most  lost  to  the  unappreciative  movies, 
for  he  reluctantly  decided  to  return  to 
the  stage  and  stay  there. 

But  Fate  stepped  in.  By  the  merest 
chance  Director  Alfred  E.  Green  hap¬ 
pened  to  be  short  of  a  couple  of  actors. 

“Can  you  birds  play  ghosts?”  he 
asked. 

“Ibsen’s?”  Mervyn’s  face  was  the 
picture  of  innocence  and  Green  chuck¬ 
led.  Here  was  someone  with  “snap.” 

So  they  were  taken  on  and  attired  in 
white  sheets  they  did  their  spectral  bits 
in  a  Wallace  Reid  film  called  “Tbe 
Ghost  Breaker.” 

As  the  days  went  by  LeRoy’s  ready 
wit  attracted  the  serious  attention  of  the 
Director  and  he  appointed  his  new  re¬ 
cruit  “gag  man.”  a  title  that  was  immed¬ 
iately  changed  by  its  irrepressible  re¬ 
cipient  to  the  original  and  dignified 
cognomen,  “comedy  instructor.” 

Something  new  in  Hollywood!  What 
was  a  “comedy  instructor?” 

“I  am!”  was  Mervyn  LeRoy' s  assured 
reply.  From  then  on  his  responsibility 
was  to  make  people  laugh  and  upon 
easily  accomplishing  this  most  elusive 
and  difficult  feat,  his  success  was  rapid. 

But  even  yet  be  was  not  satisfied — 
with  himself.  There  must  be  a  better 
best  for  him  to  attain  to,  and  be  made 
an  appointment  with  John  McCormick, 
then  a  First  National  producer,  in  order 
to  discuss  the  matter  where  discussion 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

would  do  him  the  most  good.  Again 
he  explained  that  he  was  getting  no¬ 
where,  he  wanted  to  be  a  director,  which 
was  comparable  to  the  earlier  episode 
anent  the  camera.  And.  as  before,  be 
made  bis  point. 

He  looked  absurdly  young  but  his 
attractive,  straight-gazing  blue  eyes  car¬ 
ried  conviction  to  McCormick  who  smil¬ 
ed  indulgently  and  said, 

“All  right,  I'll  give  you  a  try  at  the 
megaphone.  But  whom  do  you  want  to 
direct  first?” 

“Colleen  Moore!” 

“But  she  is  a  star  and  a  first  class 
player.”  Mr.  McCormick  expostulated. 

“Well.  I'm  a  good  director,  if  I 
weren’t  I  wouldn’t  want  the  job!” 

He  got  the  assignment  but  it  happen¬ 
ed  that  there  were  executive  changes  at 
First  National  and  before  tbe  coveted 
directorship  materialized  Miss  Moore 
was  no  longer  with  the  organization. 

However,  he  directed  Mary  Astor  and 
Lloyd  Hughes  in  “No  Place  to  Go,” 
which  was  soon  followed  by  “Harold 
Teen.”  Both  these  pictures  made  money. 
Then  with  real  experience  behind  him. 
he  finally  did  direct  Colleen  Moore  in 
the  hit  picture  “Oh.  Kay.”  Since  his 
connection  with  Warner  Brothers,  he 
has  directed  a  number  of  remarkable 
productions,  among  which  are  “I  Am  A 
Fugitive  From  A  Chain  Gang,”  “Tugboat 
Annie.”  (produced  for  M-G-M  while  on 
a  loan)  “Oil  For  The  Lamps  of  China” 
and  “Page  Miss  Glory.” 

He  has  made  the  best  and  be  has  nev¬ 
er  looked  back. 

“I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  be 
a  director  in  five  years,”  Mr.  LeRoy 
told  us.  “And  in  exactly  five  years  I 
was  a  director.” 

“And  what  do  you  think  was  your 
hardest  picture?” 

His  answer  was  a  foregone  conclusion ! 

“Anthony  Adverse.” 

Tbe  breath-taking  adventure,  the  thril¬ 
ling  risks  and  the  glamorous  romance  so 
superlatively  well  done  in  screening  the 
classic  work,  all  had  for  their  inspira¬ 
tion  and  consummation,  the  stimulating, 
encouraging  admonition  “make  it  a 
good  scene.” 

LeRoy  personifies  this  philosophy  for 
one  receives  in  speaking  with  him,  a 
charming  impression  of  unaffected  sin¬ 
cerity  and  a  lively  interest. 

Since  the  question  is  being  widely  dis¬ 
cussed  we  asked  him  if  he  thought  a 
story  or  the  screening  of  it,  the  more 
important.  We  are  glad  to  add  to  an 
ever  increasing  score  in  favor  of  the 
story.  “Good  actors  cannot  make  a  suc¬ 
cess  of  an  indifferent  play,”  pronounced 
Mr.  LeRoy,  “But  a  good  play  through 
its  fine  emotional  influence  will  go  a 
long  way  towards  developing  indifferent 
actors  into  greater  ones.  In  other  words, 
the  further  we  progress  in  improving  the 


55 

quality  of  motion  picture  productions, 
the  more  we  are  convinced  that  before 
everything  else,  as  ever,  ‘the  play’s  the 
thing.’  ” 

Jocularly  he  finished,  “Evidently. 
Shakespeare  agreed  with  me!” 


MY  LIFE  STORY 

(Continued  from  page  35) 

age.  Eventually,  he  brought  me  to  a 
point  where  I  was  the  featured  soloist 
on  important  feast  days. 

W  hen  I  was  twenty  the  famous  opera 
stars,  Giovanni  Zenatello  and  his  wife, 
Maria  Guy,  came  to  Verona  and  estab¬ 
lished  a  school  for  voice.  The  old  choir¬ 
master  went  to  them,  explained  my 
mother  s  financial  circumstances  and  in¬ 
duced  them  to  give  me  the  audition  that 
resulted  in  the  Zenatellos  visiting  my 
parent  and  winning  permission  to  take 
me  into  their  home  as  an  apprentice. 

Then  began  a  friendship  that  has  en¬ 
dured  through  the  years,  its  bonds  tight¬ 
ening  as  time  moves  on.  Giovanni  and 
Maria  have  been  to  me  like  a  second 
father  and  mother.  They  are  still  my 
coaches;  my  devoted  companions  and 
champions. 

The  course  of  study  they  outlined  for 
me  was  difficult,  exacting;  but  I  was  in 
Heaven,  for  when  I  was  not  busy,  I 
could  listen  to  the  other  students,  among 
them  famous  opera  stars.  I  lived  in  a 
world  of  music  six  days  out  of  each 
week — but  on  the  seventh  we  all  went 
picnicking! 

It  was  Giovanni’s  rule  that  no  men¬ 
tion  be  made  of  our  work  on  the  Sab¬ 
bath  and  we  played  and  enjoyed  our¬ 
selves  in  the  beautiful  countryside. 

After  I  had  been  under  their  guidance 
for  three  years,  they  decided  that  I 
should  have  a  real  debut  and  Maria  Guy 
wrote  to  a  friend  in  Ostend.  the  con¬ 
ductor  of  the  Jurhaus  orchestra,  an  or¬ 
ganization  of  150  pieces. 

“I  have  here  in  our  home  a  boy  study¬ 
ing,  who  I  think  would  please  your 
cosmopolitan  audiences.  His  name  is 
Nino  Martini.” 

The  reply  was  prompt.  It  was  merely, 
“send  him  along.” 

It  was  my  first  flight  into  foreign 
lands  and  my  elation  knew  no  bounds. 
Little  did  I  realize,  though,  the  thrill 
that  was  in  store  for  me! 

There  were  a  few  rehearsals  with  the 
orchestra  after  I  reached  Ostend.  then 
came  the  big  night.  I  did  my  utmost  to 
hide  my  nervousness,  for  I  realized  that 
should  it  get  the  best  of  me  I  was  fin¬ 
ished. 

The  famed  Ballet  Rus.se  was  schedul¬ 
ed  to  come  on  the  stage  following  my 
opening  aria.  I  sang  and  fled  into  the 
wings.  The  audience  kept  on  applaud- 
(Turn  to  next  page) 


56 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January .  193 7 


MY  LIFE  STORY 

(Continued  from  Page  55) 
ing.  I  returned  to  the  footlights,  bowed 
my  recognition  and  again  withdrew.  The 
Ballet  floated  on.  but  the  unroar  con¬ 
tinued.  Then  it  became  a  game  of  peek- 
a-boo  between  the  Ballet  and  myself, 
but  there  was  no  let-up  in  the  cheering 
until  I  began  another  number. 

It  was  my  first  taste  of  success! 

My  reception  had  me  walking  on 
clouds,  where  I  was  joined  by  my  teach¬ 
ers,  when  there  was  delivered  at  their 
door  in  Verona  a  telegram  from  the 
conductor.  Today  that  message  is  one 
of  my  dearest  possessions.  It  reads: 
“The  boy  you  sent  me  is  one  of  the 
great  artists  of  the  epoch.  I  want  him 
for  the  season. 

After  a  second  season  in  Ostend,  Gio¬ 
vanni  and  Maria  took  me  to  Paris  for 
coaching  in  French  songs  at  their  foun¬ 
tain-head.  Later  we  went  to  Spain  to 
study  Spanish  songs.  Then  came  my 
first  tour  of  the  continent  as  the  Duke 
in  “Rigoletto,”  this  being  my  introduc¬ 
tion  to  grand  opera.  I  must  have  won 
approval,  for  an  eminent  rival  maestro 
immediately  offered  me  a  contract  to 
star  in  Bellini  s  dramatic  “I  Puritani " 
to  be  produced  in  its  original  key  for 
the  first  time  in  more  than  fifty  years. 


t^unnsKTf 


The  choicest  import¬ 
ed  Scotch  whiskies 
carefully  blended 
here  in  California. 
Mellowed  to  suit  the 
exacting  taste  of 
those  who  demand 
something  beyond 
the  ordinary. 

Try  a  bottle  today. 
On  sale  where  ever 
liquors  are  sold. 


w  vugs* 


He  chose  me  for  the  role  because  my 
voice  range  covers  two  and  a  half  oc¬ 
taves  and  the  aria  “ Credsea  Si  Miserere ” 
from  “I  Puritani”  calls  for  F  above  high 
C,  to  reach  which  I  was  told  was  a  rare 
feat  in  operatic  history. 

While  in  Paris  for  a  series  of  recitals 
in  1929.  I  was  invited,  at  a  late  mo¬ 
ment.  to  sing  at  a  party  being  given  in 
honor  of  an  American  motion  picture 
producer  and  I  tried  to  beg  off,  because 

1  had  had  a  hard  afternoon.  My  friend, 
however,  was  insistent.  “Do  it  for  me, 
as  a  favor!”  he  pleaded.  I  could  not 
resist  that. 

I  sang  two  numbers  and  an  encore 
and  as  I  stepped  down  off  the  platform, 
my  friend  was  waiting  to  escort  me  to 
the  table  of  the  guest  of  honor — Jesse 
L.  Lasky,  who  was  production  chief  at 
that  time  of  Paramount  Pictures. 

I  could  not  speak  English.  Mr.  Lasky 
knew  little  French,  but  he  was  quick 
to  span  the  gap.  “We  shall  use  music, 
the  international  language!”  he  volun¬ 
teered.  That  was  at  midnight.  Before 

2  A.M.  I  had  signed  a  contract  to  appear 
on  the  screen  for  Mr.  Lasky. 

Coming  to  America,  I  was  starred  in 
a  series  of  five  two-reelers.  filmed  in  the 
form  of  concert  recitals,  then  given  a 
featured  spot  with  my  good  friend. 
Maurice  Chevalier,  in  “Paramount  on 
Parade.”  Perhaps  I  would  have  stayed 
in  Hollywood  had  I  not  already  signed 
for  a  number  of  European  engagements. 

In  August  of  1930  I  returned  to  Italy 
with  my  mentors,  the  Zenatellos,  to  pre¬ 
pare  an  extensive  operatic  repertoire, 
again  coming  to  the  United  States  the 
following  year  as  leading  tenor  with  the 
Philadelphia  Grand  Opera  Company. 
My  appearance  with  this  organization 
won  me  a  contract  with  the  Columbia 
Broadcasting  System  for  regular  ap¬ 
pearances  over  its  nation-wide  network. 


NINO  and  IDA  in  a  happy  moment. 


Because  of  the  loyal  support  given  me 
by  the  millions  of  my  unseen  audience, 
that  contract  has  been  renewed,  year 
after  year. 

It  was  several  months  after  I  had 
joined  Columbia  that  I  was  signed  by 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company  as 
principal  tenor  for  lyric  roles.  I  made 
my  debut  in  the  historic  old  Metropoli¬ 
tan  Opera  House  in  1933. 

Late  in  1934,  when  operatic  pictures 
started  to  gain  popularity,  offers  began 
coming  to  me  from  Hollywood  produc¬ 
ers,  but  after  weighing  them  all.  I  fin¬ 
ally  decided  to  re-sign  with  my  original 
American  discoverer,  Mr.  Lasky.  now 
president  of  Pickford-Lasky  Produc¬ 
tions.  Mr.  Lasky  immediately  assigned 
to  me  the  stellar  role  in  his  production 
of  “Here's  to  Romance,”  surrounding 
me  with  a  superb  cast,  including  the  be¬ 
loved  Ernestine  Schumann-Heink.  Maria 
Gamharelli.  Genevieve  Tobin,  Anita 
Louise,  Reginald  Denny  and  other 
prominent  performers. 

I  was  garnering  immense  enjoyment 
from  my  work  until  one  afternoon, 
when  we  were  shooting  scenes  backstage 
in  a  Los  Angeles  theatre  and  a  messen¬ 
ger  hoy  approached  me  with  a  cable. 
It  carried  word  of  my  dear  mother’s 
demise.  There  was  nothing  I  could  do 
but  go  on  with  my  role! 

The  picture  scored  a  direct  hit — so 
much  so  that  I  am  now  five  months  be¬ 
hind  in  reading  the  fan  mail  that  has 
poured  in  to  me  since  its  release. 

So  you  see  I  have  cause  to  say  that 
I  was  born  under  a  lucky  star!  I  have 
not  ordy  been  offered  the  “breaks”  but 
they  seemed  to  seek  me  out. 

It  has  not  been  easy  reaching  the  top. 
however,  in  spite  of  luck.  Throughout 
my  life  I  have  been  forced  to  pass  up 
pleasure  for  toil  and  now  that  I  am  up. 
it  is  necessary  to  sacrifice  all  else  to  the 
task  of  holding  the  ground  that  I  have 
captured. 

There  are  many  things  that  I  should 
like  to  do.  Things  in  which  the  non¬ 
professional  finds  enjoyment. 

I  should  like  to  own  a  ranch  in  South¬ 
ern  California;  build  myself  a  ranch- 
house  and  raise  horses  and  cattle — yet 
that  cannot  be.  for  my  career  keeps  me 
“on  the  road"  for  eight  to  ten  months 
out  of  each  year! 

I  should  like  to  visit  unrecognized 
the  places  where  the  average  citizen 
finds  his  fun:  the  theatres,  the  baseball 
and  football  games  and  the  cabarets, 
but  always  the  word  goes  out  that 
“There’s  Nino  Martini”  and  I  spend 
what  might  otherwise  he  my  leisure 
hours  signing  autograph  books. 

Perhaps,  also.  I  should  like  to  marry! 
That.  too.  is  what  you  Americans  call 
“out,”  for  imagine  the  dull  and  weari- 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


some  existence  that  would  confront  my 
wife ! 

A  successful  singer  carries  a  heavy 
load.  Day  after  day,  regardless  of  what 
part  of  the  world  he  is  in,  it  is  much 
the  same;  hours  of  coaching,  hours  of 
rehearsal,  hours  of  singing  before  aud¬ 
iences  or  radio  microphones  or  movie 
cameras. 

Therefore  as  to  marriage,  confiden¬ 
tially.  I  am  afraid  that  the  kindly  star 
that  has  guided  me  through  my  profes¬ 
sional  career  might  desert  me  in  ma¬ 
trimony  ! 

I  wonder! 

( Editor’s  note)  Nino  Martini  will  appear 
in  Concert  in  Los  Angeles  April  21  at  the 
Philharmonic  Auditorium  under  the  sponsor¬ 
ship  of  Mr.  L.  E.  Bchymer. 

History  Proves  Dance 
Earliest  of  Arts 

LONG  the  Mecca  for  artists  from 
every  branch  of  the  creative  arts. 
Southern  California  is  rapidly  becom¬ 
ing  the  cultural  center  of  the  nation. 
Quite  aside  from  the  Motion  Picture 
Industry,  whose  productions  become 
more  ambitious  and  more  culturally 
worth-while  with  each  passing  season, 
there  are  other  influences  at  work  which 
would  guarantee  this  region  pre-em¬ 
inence. 

The  activities  of  which  the  Holly¬ 
wood  Bowl  is  the  center,  the  Philhar¬ 
monic  Orchestra,  and  more  recently  the 
Dance,  in  all  its  phases,  is  turning  the 
eyes  of  an  appreciative  world  in  this 
direction. 

The  Dance,  while  one  of  the  oldest 
of  arts,  is  newest  here,  and  perhaps 
least  understood.  It,  the  art  of  expres¬ 
sing  emotions  through  movements  of 
the  body,  was  born  in  the  time-curtain¬ 
ed  past,  and  has  existed  continuously 
through  the  ages.  A  history  of  it  would 
record  that  even  before  a  reed  was 
fashioned  to  produce  a  note  of  music, 
or  a  sounding  log  was  found  for  the 
tom-tom  to  assist  in  rhythmic  gyrations, 
the  dance  existed  in  a  ritualistic  form. 
The  earliest  legends  speak  of  some  form 
of  dance  worship,  the  aborigines  used 
it  in  appealing  to  their  gods  for  food. 
(Turn  to  page  69) 


FUR  FASHIONS 

(Continued  from  page  48) 
more  plentiful  supply,  manufacturers  now  are 
far  more  skillful  in  using  what  is  available. 
Processing,  blending  cutting — therein  lies  the 
secret,  not  only  of  price  but  of  beauty. 

Expert  craftsmen  design  a  coat,  a  cape  or  a 
scarf  in  the  prevailing  mode,  and  then  match 
the  skins  to  the  pattern,  so  that  each  blends 
into  the  next  for  a  harmonious  whole.  It  is 
that  type  of  genius  which  gives  beauty,  style 
and  individuality  to  creations  such  as  are 
shown  on  herewith — and  still  leaves  them 
within  the  reach  of  the  average  purse. 


Colonial 

Sjonse 

PALM  SPRINGS 


1  (Y/t ci  yl  L let n  . . . 


58 

SKATING  TO  STARDOM 

(Continued  from  page  25) 

ed,  seeming  surprised  at  the  immense 
expense  the  studio  incurred  so  that  her 
skates  could  fly. 

“How  about  imitation  ice,  the  kind 
they  use  in  most  of  the  skating  scenes 
in  pictures?”  we  suggested.  “Hypo 
and  water  is  its  basic  material,  I  think.” 

She  shook  her  head,  showing  three 
dimples  at  once  as  she  smiled  mischiev¬ 
ously.  “I  had  to  have  real  ice  or  I 
could  not  skate  at  all,  so — ”  with  an 
eloquent  shrug,  “they  made  it!” 

We  asked  how  Sonja  came  to  be  an 
ice-skater.  A  question  that  she  has  been 
asked  hundreds  of  times  before,  but  we 
wanted  our  own  answer,  stubbornly, 
and  waited  for  her  reply. 

“Ever  since  I  was  a  little  girl  I 
wanted  to  be  on  the  stage,”  she  said. 
“First  I  wanted  to  be  a  ballet  dancer 
and  I  studied  dancing  until  I  was 
twenty  years  old.  I  study  now.  too.  so 
that  I  can  keep  my  sense  of  balance 
perfect.  Ice  skating  is  not  alone  a 
sport — it  is  an  art!  I  have  skated  be¬ 
fore  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people; 
in  fact,  ever  since  I  began  to  skate  I 
have  been  before  the  public.  I  have 
tried  to  entertain — to  put  some  of  the 
beauty  of  the  dance  into  my  skating. 
Now  I  dance  on  skates  instead  of  just 
skating." 

“What  do  you  mean  about  dancing 
on  skates?”  we  asked,  interrupting. 

“Well,”  she  explained,  “Many  ac¬ 
tresses  are  dancers.  They  prepare  for 
their  acting  career  by  dancing.  1  have 
done  the  same.  I  do  not  wish  nor  intend 
to  give  up  skating.  It  means  too  much 
to  me,  and  I  believe  it  is  too  beautiful 
to  be  lost.  I  think  it  is  as  entertaining 
for  people  to  watch  as  dancing,  and 
much  more  swift.  Now,  I  want  to 
broaden  my  field,  to  carry  my  career 
another  step  forward  with  acting.” 

Sonja,  when  she  talks,  is  hardly  the 
picture  of  a  “cool,  reserved  Scandina¬ 
vian.”  Her  mother,  who  accompanied 
her  to  Hollywood  and  lives  here  with 
her,  explained  this  entirely  un-Nor¬ 
wegian  phase  of  Sonja's  personality. 
She  had  been  nearby  during  the  inter¬ 
view  and  now  entered  the  discussion. 
She  herself,  is  a  handsome,  distinguish¬ 
ed  woman,  slender  and  quiet,  with 
Sonja’s  oval  face  reflected  in  her  own. 

“My  mother — Sonja’s  grandmother 
— was  Irish,"  said  Mrs.  Henie.  “That 
is  why  Sonja  has  brown  eyes,  instead 
of  blue.  That  is  why  Sonja  is — well, 
Sonja.” 

Sonja  started  being  Sonja,  it  seems, 
at  the  age  of  three.  She  danced  and 
skipped  almost  continually,  often  lov¬ 
ing  to  wrap  herself  in  drapes  and  pre¬ 
tend  she  was  a  dancer.  At  four  Sonja 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

began  to  study  dancing  at  a  ballet 
school  in  Oslo  where  she  was  born. 

Thus,  Sonja  danced  before  she  skat¬ 
ed.  She  did  not  learn  to  skate  until  she 
was  eight  years  old.  Then,  like  any 
other  youngster  in  Oslo  in  winter,  she 
wanted  a  pair  of  skates  for  Christmas, 
so  she  could  go  to  the  Municipal  Sta¬ 
dium  with  other  children  and  skate,  too. 

Sonja  learned  to  skate  as  other  be¬ 
ginners  did. 

“I  put  on  my  skates,”  she  laughed, 
“scooted  out  on  the  ice,  and  promptly 
fell  down.  I  may  have  cried,  too.  I 
don’t  remember  now.” 

Once  she  found  her  legs,  so  to  speak. 
Sonja  knew  she  was  always  going  to  be 
happy  while  she  skated.  The  other 
children  raced  on  their  skates  and  her 
own  father  would  tell  her  about  the 
time  when  he  was  the  second  fastest 
speed  skater  in  Europe, — hut  Sonja  was 
only  interested  in  dancing  on  the  ice. 
After  she  learned  to  skate,  she  paid 
even  more  attention  to  her  ballet 
dancing. 

The  second  winter  of  her  skating-life, 
Sonja  started  to  win  honors  at  figure 
skating.  At  nine  years  old,  she  won  the 
Junior  competition  of  the  Oslo  skating 
club.  At  ten  she  won  again.  At  eleven 
she  won  the  Norwegian  championship 
and  went  to  the  Olympic  games  in 
Switzerland — just  for  the  experience 
and  without  making  any  effort  to  win. 
By  this  time,  she  realized  that  she  had 
much  to  learn  before  she  really  began 
to  skate  with  any  degree  of  seriousness, 
such  as  making  it  her  chosen  profes¬ 
sion. 

As  a  result,  she  decided  to  train  as¬ 
siduously  before  entering  any  more 
competitions.  This  when  she  was  al¬ 
ready  Norwegian  champion! 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  she  undertook 
active  competition  again  and  placed 
second  in  the  world  championship 
matches  in  Stockholm.  The  next  year 
she  won  the  world  championship,  thus, 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  Sonja’s  dancing 
on  ice  had  carried  her  to  the  World 
Figure-Skating  Championship.  The  title 
has  been  hers  ever  since.  In  1928  she 
captured  her  Olympic  championship 
which  she  retained  in  1932  and  1936. 

“Just  what  is  figure-skating?”  we 
asked  Sonja.  at  the  risk  of  seeming  very 
stupid  indeed. 

"Not  many  people  know,  exactly,” 
she  said.  “It  isn't  just  ‘making  a  lot  of 
fancy  curley-cues  on  ice,’  as  someone 
put  it,  but  is  one  of  the  most  difficult, 
dangerous  and  beautiful  of  sports.  You 
see,  generations  of  skaters  have  estab¬ 
lished  certain  classical  figures  with 
which  to  test  their  skill.  There  are 
eighty  championship  figures  which  any 
competitor  must  be  able  to  perform. 
The  judges  give  each  skater  six  figures 
— and  the  competitor  does  not  know 


January ,  1937 

until  the  last  minute  which  of  the 
eighty  these  six  will  be.” 

“Tell  us  more,”  we  begged,  interested. 

“Figure-skating  is  not  a  test  of  ingen¬ 
uity  in  creating  new  figures,”  she  con¬ 
tinued.  "but  of  perfect  execution  of  the 
eighty  established  figures.  I  spent  three 
seasons  practicing  the  ‘common’  toe 
whirl  before  I  would  attempt  it  in 
public.” 

“Is  it  dangerous — if  you  are  out  of 
condition,  for  example?”  we  asked. 

“Yes,  very,”  smiled  Sonja,  “but  I  am 
lucky,  and  the  worst  I  ever  had  was  a 
sprained  ankle  once.  I  sleep  at  least 
ten  hours  every  night  to  keep  in  condi- 
iton  and,  before  an  exhibition.  I  do  not 
eat  for  four  hours  because  the  food 
would  be  as  upsetting  to  me  as  it  is  to 
an  opera  star — I  must  be  completely 
alert  in  every  muscle  and  nerve.” 

Sonja  has  worked  hard  for  her  suc¬ 
cess  on  the  rink.  When  she  was  eight¬ 
een  she  went  to  London  and  studied 
ballet  dancing  under  the  Russian.  Mad¬ 
ame  Karsavina.  After  learning  the  in¬ 
tricacies  of  the  ballet.  Sonja  translated 
the  famous  Dying  Swan  dance  into  a 
dance  on  skates — and  her  brilliant  per¬ 
formance  in  London’s  Ice  Palace  won 
for  her  a  command  show  before  the  late 
King  George  and  Queen  Mary.  The 
present  King,  then  Prince  of  Wales,  at¬ 
tended  also. 

Sonja  has  been  admired  by  royalty 
all  over  Europe.  She  has  skated  in 
command  performances  for  the  rulers 
of  Belgium  and  Sweden,  and,  of  course, 
before  King  Haakon  VII  of  Norway. 
The  Norwegian  ruler  sends  her  a  tele¬ 
gram  before  every  public  appearance. 
In  1934,  ex-crown  Prince  Friedrich 
Vilhelm  of  Germany  gave  her  his  dia¬ 
mond  stick-pin  crowned  with  the  Ho- 
henzollern  crest. 

In  her  Beverly  Hills  home  Sonja  has 
a  "roomful”  of  silver  cups,  gold  medals 
and  plaques  that  she  has  won  in  skat¬ 
ing  competitions.  Her  career  has  taken 
her  all  over  Europe  and  to  the  United 
States  in  1929,  her  first  visit.  At  this 
time  she  learned  an  American  custom 
that  she  made  her  own. 

“I  heard  about  carrying  a  rabbit’s 
foot  for  good  luck,”  she  said  earnestly, 
“and  I  have  carried  one  myself  ever 
since.  I  hope  it  will  bring  its  luck 
powers  forward  now  in  pictures.” 

“Have  you  got  it  with  you  now?”  we 
asked. 

“Oh  yes,”  she  answered,  quite  ser¬ 
iously.  “I  keep  it  with  me  especially — 
in  Hollywood.” 

Sonja  seems  to  think  that  all  the  luck 
she  can  dig  up  is  needed  in  the  land  of 
cinema. 

Her  return  to  the  United  States  this 
March  came  after  winning  the  Olympic 
championship  in  Germany.  Her  ap¬ 
pearance  at  a  skating  rink  in  Los 


January ,  1937 

Angeles  was  a  huge  success,  for  in  five 
performances  she  was  seen  and  ap¬ 
plauded  by  20,000  spectators. 

A  quartette  of  major  studios  sought 
her  name  on  the  dotted  line  of  a  con¬ 
tract  that  could  be  written  just  as  she 
liked.  Darryl  F.  Zanuck.  vice-president 
in  charge  of  production  at  20th  Cen¬ 
tury-Fox,  scored  a  “scoop”  for  his 
studio  when  he  obtained  Sonja’s  covet¬ 
ed  signature. 

“I  like  this  studio,”  said  Sonja,  “It  is 
so  big.  And  so  pretty,  with  its  trees 
and  grass.  But  I  am  impatient  to  see 
how  my  picture  comes  out.  I  want  to 
see  how  good — or  had — I  might  be.” 

“Are  you  nervous  about  facing  a 
camera?”  We  asked. 

“Yes,”  she  said  surprisingly,  consid¬ 
ering  the  thousands  of  people  she  has 
had  for  audience.  “I  am  used  to  big 
crowds  of  spectators — hut  close-up, 
when  they  watch  every  move  of  your 
face — no,  that  is  different.  It  is  rather 
hard,”  she  admitted. 

Before  saying  goodbye  we  asked 
Sonja  if  she  had  any  pictures  of  her¬ 
self  skating. 

“The  studio  took  some  the  other  day. 
They  are  very  good  against  a  back¬ 
ground  of  ice  and  snow — all  fake!” 

The  “fake”  sets  of  the  studios  never 
fail  to  interest  Sonja.  She  loves  to  visit 
the  sets  and  watch  other  actors  work. 
Her  one  disappointment  was  suffered 
when  she  attempted  to  see  Greta  Garbo 
and  was  refused  admittance  to  the 
sacred  set.  She  had  wanted  to  meet 
Garbo  more  than  any  one  else  in  Holly¬ 
wood. 

“Do  you  think  I  should  change  my 
name?”  she  asked,  anxiously.  “Every¬ 
one  here  seems  to  use  another  name  on 
the  screen.” 

“No,”  we  said  firmly.  “Sonja  Henie 
is  a  lovely  name’.’ 

“If  only  people  would  pronounce  it 
correctly,”  she  mourned.  “It’s  like 
“Son-ya  Hay-nee,  see?” 

We  thanked  her  and  left  her,  looking 
more  than  ever  like  a  little  elf  in  a 
Norse  fairy-tale. 


A  PRACTICAL  VISION 

(Continued  from  page  36) 

one  especially  gifted  might  receive  more 
attention,  this  is  perhaps  inevitable,  but 
all,  having  the  advantage  of  good  train¬ 
ing,  would  have  a  chance  to  show  what 
they  could  do  and  logically,  it  would 
he  to  the  teachers’  best  interests  to  pro¬ 
mote  hardworking  and  promising  pupils 
and  to  launch  them  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  element  of  hazard  prevailing  in 
our  present  system,  (or  lack  of  system) 
would  be  removed,  too,  and  stars  would 
not  necessarily  be  gleaned  from  some 
other  field  of  entertainment  nor  raised 
to  stardom  by  some  mere  accident.  Who 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

can  tell  what  talent  may  not  he  lost  in 
this  shuffle. 

The  actual  cost  of  housing,  film,  cam¬ 
eras  and  other  equipment  would  be  met 
jointly  by  the  various  studios  in  the  Mo¬ 
tion  Picture  School  envisioned  by  Mr. 
Cukor,  and  the  enterprise  would  be  of 
great  financial  value  to  all  producers. 
In  the  first  place  they  could  arrange  to 
have  acclaimed  stars  p  1  ay  in  many  of 
the  stock  or  film  productions,  which 
would  popularize  the  project  with  the 
public.  Then,  if  clever  plays  well  put 
on,  were  offered,  the  public  would  re¬ 
spond  and  box  office  receipts  would  de¬ 
fray  the  cost  of  operation.  Stated  or 
regulated  weekly  salaries  could  he  paid, 
commensurate  either  with  the  player’s 
ability  or  the  part  he  happened  to  he 
taking  hut  not  necessarily  running  into 
such  large  sums  as  can  successfully  he 
obtained  by  the  comparatively  few  who 
now  stay  at  the  top. 

Then  think  of  a  director’s  satisfaction 
if  when  he  needed  a  certain  type  of 
actor,  one  were  forthcoming  who  exactly 
filled  the  hill — a  finished  product  in¬ 
stead  of  merely  someone  anxious  to  try. 
for  the  best  will  in  the  world  fails  to 
take  the  place  of  dramatic  training  and 
background. 

Mr.  Cukor  regretted  the  fact  that  the 
overwhelming  demands  upon  his  time 
and  energy  make  it  impossible  for  him 
to  give  more  than  a  very  active  interest 
to  the  Motion  Picture  Industry  School 
of  Acting  plan  at  the  present  moment 
hut  he  is  convinced  that  if  several  studio 
directors  can  he  prevailed  upon  to  co¬ 
operate  in  promoting  the  school,  the 
enterprise  will  quickly  gather  momen¬ 
tum.  By  its  evident  benefits  to  both  the 
dramatic  and  financial  interests  of  the 
industry  it  would  grow  and  prove  just 
as  necessary  and  constructive  an  adjunct 
as  are  laboratories  for  any  other  kind 
of  technical  research — in  the  mysterious 
laboratory  of  human  relations  it  would 
he  invaluable. 

The  Insider  is  fully  in  accord  with 
Mr.  Cukor’s  thought  as  to  the  desirabil¬ 
ity  of  a  training  school  and  will  be  glad 
to  extend  publicity  both  to  the  aims 
and  activities  of  such  an  organization 
and  to  the  talented  and  deserving  young¬ 
sters  for  whom  it  would  function. 


ELISSA  LANDI 

(Continued  from  page  13) 

one  thing  in  order  to  make  it  of  lasting 
worth.” 

And  that  is  just  the  way  Miss  Landi 
impresses  one.  Radiantly  alive,  vividly 
real  to  her  very  finger  tips.  Nothing 
languorous,  nothing  semi-anemic,  but 
a  great  artist  pouring  her  whole  being 
into  whatever  she  happens  to  be  doing 
at  the  moment.  Intensely  interested  in 
literature,  in  world  affairs,  in  society. 


59 

she  typifies  the  combination  of  ability 
with  culture  and  refinement;  as  great  a 
lady  as  she  is  an  artist. 

After  beginning  her  career  as  an  act¬ 
ress  in  America  and  winning  her  way 
to  stardom  here,  she  went  to  Europe, 
to  star  in  British  productions,  as  have 
so  many  Hollywood-launched  players. 
While  there  she  was  featured  with 
Douglas  Fairbanks  in  “Amateur  Gentle¬ 
man.”  Completing  her  current  obliga¬ 
tions  over  there  she  returned  here,  and 
at  present  is  playing  with  Edmund 
Lowe  and  Zasu  Pitts  for  M-G-M.  in  her 
first  vehicle  under  her  contract  with 
them. 

When  asked  to  compare  picture  mak¬ 
ing  in  Europe  to  Hollywood’s  methods, 
she  thought  for  a  moment,  then  answer¬ 
ed  seriously.  “I  really  think  that  it  is 
better  to  work  here. 

“Not  that  I  don’t  think  that  the  ex¬ 
perience  gained  in  European  pictures 
wasn’t  good  for  me.  Quite  the  contrary. 
Because  the  acting  over  there  seems 
more  real,  more  true  to  life,  besides 
being  very  artistic.  European  directors 
are  products  of  an  older  civilization, 
they  have  deeper  roots  in  tradition,  and 
know  instinctively  how  to  depict  human 
emotions.  Thus  they  seem  to  get  more 
out  of  one  and  their  work  is  more  all- 
absorbing  when  it  is  finished. 

“But  aside  from  that,  the  camera 
work,  the  lighting  technique,  the  make¬ 
up  and  the  hair-dress  are  more  advanc¬ 
ed  here.  We  would  he  even  farther 
ahead  than  we  are,  but  for  the  fact  that 
the  English  companies  raided  our 
studios  here,  and  put  many  of  our  best 
American  -  trained  technicians  under 
contract. 

“But  the  experience  broadened  me. 
and  I  feel  that  I  will  be  able  to  do 
better  work  having  had  it.” 

Her  mention  of  technique  was  well 
exemplified  on  the  set  in  which  she  was 
working  when  we  met  her.  Fog  eddied 
and  swirled  about  us,  and  nearly  ob¬ 
literated  many  of  the  members  of  the 
cast.  It  was  chokingly  realistic,  but 
artificial,  nevertheless. 

“Besides”  she  went  on,  “it  gave  me 
additional  background  and  local  color, 
which  I  can  always  use  in  my  writing.” 
She  played  in  France  also,  being  suffi¬ 
ciently  well  versed  in  that  tongue  so 
that  she  played  the  lead  in  a  French 
picture,  and  all  thought  she  was  a  na¬ 
tive  Parisian. 

That  is  typical  of  the  way  Elissa 
Landi  does  things.  Never  half-heart¬ 
edly,  never  letting  “good  enough”  do 
when  better  is  possible.  And  that  is 
why  we  feel  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
were  fortunate  in  being  able  to  add  this 
scintillating  personality  to  the  roster  of 
outstanding  stars  which  they  already 
have  under  long  term  contract. 


60 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


PAUL  MUNI  AND  LUISE  RAINER 


(Continued  from  Page  11) 

There  is  a  great  deal  in  common  be¬ 
tween  these  two  famous  personages. 
Both  Viennese,  they  have  the  love  of 
music  born  in  them.  Paul  Muni  plays 
his  violin,  artistically  and  well,  between 
pictures,  for  relaxation.  The  dark-eyed 
Luise  Rainer  loves  all  kinds  of  music 
and  has  a  varied  collection  of  orchestral 
records  to  play  at  her  home.  Her  taste 
ranges  from  Beethoven  symphonies  to 
modern  jazz.  Paul  Muni  likes  classics 
and  the  dashingly  colorful  folk  songs 
of  Russian  origin.  These  he  plays  beau¬ 
tifully  on  his  violin. 

They  both  feel  the  urge  to  make  “the 
perfect  picture!” 

“When  I  look  at  myself  in  a  picture.” 
remarked  Luise  Rainer  to  Paul  Muni 
and  to  us,  “I  always  say  to  myself  that 
it  would  be  better  if  I  did  not  watch 
my  own  acting.  Something  makes  me 
want  to  look  while  all  the  time  I  feel, 
well — it  makes  me  think  of  how  much 
better  I  should  have  done!” 

All  this  was  said  with  expressive  ges¬ 
tures  singularly  out  of  keeping  with  the 
Chinese  garb  and  with  the  most  fascin¬ 
atingly  hesitant  accent  in  the  world. 

Paul  Muni  laughed. 

“I  never  look  at  my  own  pictures  at 
all.”  he  answered.  “For  just  about  the 
same  reason,  too.  When  I  finish  a  pic¬ 
ture  I  try  to  forget  it  and  have  a  fresh 
mind  for  the  next.  I  think  it  is  bad 
for  an  actor 'to  look  at  his  own  pictures 
too  much.  The  most  satisfaction  he  can 
have  is  seeing  something  he  might  have 
done — and  didn’t!” 

“I  want  every  picture  and  every  scene 
in  that  picture  to  be  as  perfect  as  can 
be,”  sighed  Miss  Rainer.  “So  I  con¬ 
centrate  on  it  with  all  my  mind  to  the 
exclusion  of  everything  else.” 

It  was  this  concentration  on  the  work 
at  hand  which  made  her  the  theatrical 
triumph  she  was  when  playing  in 
dramas  of  Shakespeare  and  Ibsen,  Pir¬ 
andello  and  others  with  the  Max  Rein¬ 
hardt  players  in  Vienna. 

Though  a  prodigy  of  the  theatre. 
Luise  did  not  come  of  theatrical  par¬ 
entage.  Her  father.  Heinz  Rainer,  is  a 
merchant.  For  many  years  he  lived  in 
the  United  States,  becoming  a  natural¬ 
ized  citizen  prior  to  returning  to  Europe 
to  set  up  a  business.  Her  mother.  Emy 
Rainer,  had  never  been  behind  the 
scenes  of  a  theatre. 

During  her  childhood,  Luise’s  family 
was  wealthy.  She  had  the  advantages 
of  the  finest  schools  in  Europe  which 
later  proved  a  boon  to  her  for  her  back¬ 
ground  in  the  classics. 

“I  went  to  eight  different  schools  in 
all.”  laughed  Miss  Rainer.  “My  father 


adored  to  travel  and  insisted  upon  tak¬ 
ing  his  family  wherever  he  went.  As  a 
child  I  toured  Switzerland,  France,  Aus¬ 
tria  and  Italy.  Although  tremendously 
interested  in  music  and  art.  it  seemed 
that  the  theatre  drew  me  most,  so  at 
sixteen  I  decided  upon  a  theatrical  car- 

99 

eer. 

A  well-rounded  chin,  high  forehead 
and  intensely  black  eyes  bore  up  the 
statement  of  her  determination.  We  se¬ 
cretly  decided  that  if  Miss  Rainer  had 
put  equal  determination  upon  an  artistic 
career  or  one  of  music,  she  would  have 
been  equally  successful  if  only  because 
of  that  very  tenacity  of  purpose  which 
is  felt  distinctly  by  her  very  presence. 

She  played  mature  roles  in  Deval’s 
"Mademoiselle;”  Dreiser’s  “American 
Tragedy;”  Vasserman's  “Lukardis;” 
Shakespeare’s  “Measure  for  Measure;” 
Jara’s  comedy  “Is  Geraldine  an  Angel?” 
Castonier’s  “The  Sardine  Fishers; "  and. 
most  recently.  Pirandello’s  “Six  Char¬ 
acters  in  Search  of  an  Author."  Vienna. 
Paris,  London,  all  acclaimed  her  one  of 
the  greatest  emotional  actresses  of  the 
day. 

It  was  while  playing  in  this  last  pro¬ 
duction  that  Luise  was  urged  to  come 
to  Hollywood  by  a  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er  talent  scout.  She  felt  that  she  would 
like  to  try  the  new  medium  so  she  ac¬ 
cepted  and  signed  a  long-term  contract. 

After  two  highly  successful  roles,  one 
in  “Escapade”  with  William  Powell,  her 
first  American  picture,  the  other  as 
Anna  Held  in  “The  Great  Ziegfeld”  she 
is  finishing  her  third  and  most  interest¬ 
ing,  to  her.  role  so  far.  That  of  ()-Lan, 
the  Chinese  wife  in  “The  Good  Earth.” 

“As  soon  as  I  came  to  Hollywood,” 
reminisced  Miss  Rainer.  “I  studied  Eng¬ 
lish  as  hard  as  I  could,  to  help  out  the 
rather  stiff  speech  I  had  learned  in 
school-books.  First.  I  moved  in  a  house 
by  the  ocean,  but  later  I  moved  to  the 
hills  of  Brentwood  where  I  live  with 
two  servants  and  a  small  dog  called 
■Johnny’.” 

“And  what  about  afterward,  when 
this  picture  is  finished?”,  we  wanted 
to  know. 

“Oh  then.”  She  sighed  happily.  “I 
plan  to  return  to  Europe  and  visit  my 
parents  in  Switzerland.  Then,  who 
knows?  I  must  plan  to  marry,  or  re¬ 
turn  to  Hollywood  alone  and  resume  my 
picture  career.  At  all  events,  there  will 
be  some  explaining  to  do,  in  view 
of  all  the  erroneous  romance  rumours 
about  me  which  have  been  printed  in 
the  papers.” 

“What  is  the  name  of  your  mysterious 
fiance?”  We  knew  she  wouldn’t  tell 
us.  but  we  asked  anyway. 


"I  won’t  give  his  name. ”  she  laughed 
mischievously,  “but  I  can  tell  you  that 
he  is  connected  with  diplomatic  activ¬ 
ities  and  resides  in  Paris.” 

And  that  was  all  we  could  find  out 
about  a  possible  romance  that  sounded 
most  interesting  to  us. 

All  this  time  Paul  Muni  had  been 
quietly  listening,  so  we  turned  to  him. 
“Your  turn  next,”  we  warned.  “Early 
struggles  and  some  notes  upon  your 
life  story,  if  you  please.” 

Paul  Muni  chuckled  at  that  .  "I  have 
been  sitting  here  figuring  out  what  to 
say.  so  I’m  all  prepared.”  he  said.  "Here 
goes:  I  was  educated  in  New  Aork 

after  an  early  arrival  from  Austria 
where  I  was  born,  not  Paul  Muni,  but 
Muni  W  eisenfreund.  I  changed  my 
name  because  the  last  name  I  bore  was 
too  long  and  too  difficult  for  American 
tongues  to  pronounce.  My  family,  un¬ 
like  Miss  Rainer’s,  was  a  theatrical  one. 
my  father  and  mother  w'ere  actors  and 
my  two  brothers  musicians.  Since  my 
earliest  childhood  my  ambition  had  been 
to  be  a  great  figure  on  the  stage. 

“Strangely  enough,  my  first  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  show  what  I  could  do  came 
when  I  was  travelling  with  my  family. 
They  were  about  to  open  in  a  small 
town  and  needed  an  acior  to  play  an 
old  man  s  role.  No  player  being  avail¬ 
able,  they  tested  me  and  I  got  the  part. 
This  was  the  first  of  many  ‘old  man’ 
character  roles  that  I  have  played. 

“The  stage  play,  ‘We  Americans,’ 
brought  me  my  first  recognition  in  a 
New  York  theatre  though  I  had  played 
before  that  with  the  Theatre  Guild.  ” 

“What  do  you  consider  your  best 
picture  role,”  we  asked. 

“I  regard  “Counsellor  at  Law”  as  my 
favorite  stage  play;”  he  replied.  “As 
to  pictures  ‘I  am  a  Fugitive  from  a 
Chain  Gang’  is  my  best.  I  think — and 
‘Seven  Faces,’  is  my  worst.”  He  fin¬ 
ished  with  a  wry  face. 

“Contrary  to  common  belief,  I  do  not 
think  the  screen  gives  an  actor  more 
time  or  more  leisure  for  home  life  than 
the  stage.  The  stage  is  my  preference, 
rather  than  the  screen,  and  New  A  ork 
my  choice  as  a  place  to  live.  At  that, 
though.  I  am  getting  used  to  Hollywood, 
because  I  don’t  mind  it  any  more.  ” 

At  that  Miss  Rainer  laughed.  “I  love 
it  already.  You  sound  as  though  it 
were  medicine.  Hollywood  is  exciting. 
I  think.  I  will  be  glad  to  come  back 
after  my  next  European  trip.” 

Paul  Muni  sticks  to  bis  first  love,  the 
stage,  with  deliberate  singleness  of  pur¬ 
pose.  and  insists  in  his  contract  to  make 
only  two  films  a  year  to  assure  him  of 

(Turn  to  Pafie  62) 


***** 


Jttnutiry,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


61 


Hook  Ltd. 

TAILORS  &  HABITMAKERS 
To  Discriminating  Ladies  and  Gentlemen 

3045  Wilshire  Boulevard 

Opposite — Bullock’s  Wilshire 


***** 


62 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


PAUL  MUNI  AND  LUISE  RAINER 

(Continued  from  page  60) 


a  long  season  on  the  stage  between  pic¬ 
tures.  He  does  not  approve  of  the  star 
system,  and  does  not  want  to  be  billed 
as  a  star. 

Luise  Rainer’s  favorite  picture  inter¬ 
ested  us  so  we  asked. 

“I  liked  ‘A  Farewell  to  Arms,’  was 
the  surprising  reply.  ‘"My  best  liked 
role  is  ‘Joan  of  Arc  ." 

Luise  is  fond  of  ice  cream  cones  and 
apple  pie.  Two  new  items  of  food  that 
she  hadn’t  tasted  before  coming  to 
America.  She  furnished  these  favorites 
right  along  with  her  screen  likes  so  they 
must  belong  together.  Her  singleness 
of  purpose  and  concentration  does  not 
seem  apparent  when  she  speaks,  for  she 
laughs  often  and  puts  completely  ir¬ 
relevant  subjects  together  somehow  mak¬ 
ing  it  seem  all  right. 

At  this  point  director  Sydney  Frank¬ 
lin  strolled  up  and  joined  the  group. 
“It  is  this  very  intensity  that  is  the 
secret  of  Luise  Rainer’s  art.”  he  said  to 
us.  “Her  quality  can  best  be  described 
as  vibrant.  She  is  an  intense  person  and 
radiates  something  of  which  one  is  im¬ 
mediately  conscious.  When  she  plays 
a  role,  she  has  the  gift  of  making  her 


Elizabethans  worn  in  the  picture.  For 
the  average  woman’s  wardrobe  Walter 
Plunkett  has  designed  an  adaptation  of 
the  Elizabethan  costume  which  is  defin¬ 
itely  smart  and  modern  yet  retains  the 
charm  of  that  era.  Velvet  suiting  made 
up  into  a  clever  peplum  two-piece  affair 
for  street  wear  is  set  off  by  padded 
shoulder  epaulettes  which  circle  the 
shoulders  vertically  achieving  a  stand- 
up  appearance  that  retains  the  broad- 
shouldered  effect  but  takes  away  the 
severe  masculine  look  that  the  horizon¬ 
tally  padded  shoulders  produces.  The 
adaptations  are  in  nearly  all  the  better 
shops,  according  to  Mr.  Plunkett. 

After  the  “Mary  of  Scotland”  pic¬ 
ture  was  completed,  it  was  discovered 
that  all  of  the  Elizabethan  ruffs  were 
gone  from  the  wardrobe  department.  A 
search  ended  in  the  discovery  that  many 
of  the  wardrobe  girls  as  well  as  some  of 
the  actresses  had  taken  the  ruffs  home 
to  wear  with  black  dresses  as  collar-and- 
cuff  sets  because  of  their  flattering  effect 
to  the  face  of  the  wearer.  Knowing  that 
the  ruffs  would  be  discarded,  the  girls 
had  taken  them  for  themselves.  The 
result  of  this  discovery  was  that  a  manu¬ 
facturer  has  made  up  Elizabethan  ruffs 
adapted  from  those  worn  in  “Mary  of 
Scotland”  and  they  are  now  being  sold 


audience  know  what  she  is  thinking,  by 
looking  into  her  eyes.  She  is  a  hard 
worker,  but  it  is  her  ability  to  relax 
completely  after  an  emotional  scene 
which  is  a  great  boon.” 

Miss  Rainer  caught  something  of  the 
conversation  and  shook  her  head  at  us, 
laughing. 

“It  isn’t  fair  to  talk  about  me — it 
makes  me  blush.” 

Sure  enough,  a  glow  was  shining 
through  the  makeup  that  must  have  been 
a  blush. 

“All  right."  chuckled  Sidney  Frank¬ 
lin — “We  ll  spare  your  blushes  and  send 
you  hack  to  work.” 

“You  see?”  said  Paul  Muni  in  an 
aside  to  us.  “We  thought  we  were 
through — but  we're  not!" 

“On  the  set.  please,”  came  the  call. 
We  shook  hands  with  the  yellow-skinned 
O-Lan  and  Wang,  the  peasant  man  and 
wife  of  China,  and  watched  them  trudge 
hack  to  the  paddy-field  on  the  set  with 
backs  bent  from  weariness. 

Somewhere  near  us  a  low-toned  voice 
thrilled  with  admiration.  “There.”  it 
pronounced,  “goes  an  actor  and  an 
actress.” 


as  smart  sets  to  be  worn  with  plain 
dresses. 

In  “The  Woman  Rebels”  you  see 
some  of  the  most  entrancing  gowns  ever 
worn  on  the  screen.  Mr.  Plunkett  him¬ 
self  definitely  believes  that  a  “trend” 
even  more  pronounced  than  the  “Mary 
of  Scotland”  influence  will  start  as  a 
result  of  this  picture.  The  era  is  that 
of  early  Victorianism  in  this  country, 
but  the  costumes  themselves  lend  many 
new  ideas  for  modern  dress. 

Jackets  are  important  in  Victorian 
costume  and  it  is  these  elaborately  cas¬ 
ual  little  jackets  which  Mr.  Plunkett  be¬ 
lieves  will  sweep  the  country.  Surely 
they  are  the  prettiest  conceits  that  a  girl 
could  imagine.  A  simple  foundation 
dress  can  he  changed  many  ways  with 
different  jackets  depending  on  the  de¬ 
sign  and  treatment.  One  that  Mr.  Plun¬ 
kett  showed  us  was  a  lovely  thing  with 
built-up  shoulders  (retaining  the  high- 
shoulder  trend)  and  with  appliqued  de¬ 
sign  around  the  bottom.  The  high  points 
of  the  jacket  are  a  delightful  collar  that 
frames  the  face,  and  the  unique  frog- 
fastenings  which  are  used  instead  of  but¬ 
tons.  Many  of  the  dresses  for  “The 
Woman  Rebels”  have  matching  jackets, 
or  jackets  in  contrasting  color  lined 
with  the  gown  material.  In  one  instance 


a  plaid  dress  with  the  suggestion  of  a 
bustle  in  navy  and  white  has  a  jacket  of 
plain  navy  crepe  lined  with  military 
scarlet.  The  effect  is  irresistible. 

Speaking  of  her  newest  picture,  Mr. 
Plunkett  said,  “  ‘Quality  Street’  gives 
Katharine  a  costume  of  an  entirely 
different  silhouette  from  her  other  cos¬ 
tume  pictures.  This  is  the  first  period 
picture  which  she  has  done  in  which  the 
skrits  of  the  costumes  are  slim  and  re¬ 
veal  the  shape  of  the  lower  part  of  her 
body.  The  full  shoulders  and  wide 
sleeves  are  particularly  adaptable  to 
modern  fashion  as  are  the  high  waist 
and  pencil  skirt.  In  costuming  ‘Quality 
Street,’  I  have  attempted  not  only  to 
present  the  costumes  of  the  Empire  but 
have  tried  to  reflect  some  of  the  fem¬ 
inine  whimsical  quality  of  Barrie’s 
play,  the  delicacy  of  which  would  lend 
itself  well  to  spring  and  summer  adapt¬ 
ations.” 

Maybe  you  imagine  bustles  won’t  be 
important,  too!  Just  wait!  The  adap¬ 
tation  of  these  will  be  a  new  effect  in 
the  back  of  the  evening  gowns,  with 
intricate  draperies  and  lovely  use  of 
flowers  as  the  modern  version  of  the 
Victorian  dress.  Half-mitts  will  be  an¬ 
other  innovation  for  evening,  as  well  as 
a  style  used  by  Miss  Hepburn,  flowers 
worn  throughout  the  hair.  It  sounds 
rather  daring,  but  with  her  hair  in  loose 
curls  and  tiny  star-daisies  studded 
through  her  auburn  locks  she  has  never 
looked  more  beautiful  and  it  is  this  style 
which  will  be  another  idea  for  future 
evening  wear. 

In  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Plunkett,  cos¬ 
tume  pictures  are  now  responsible  for 
nearly  all  the  radical  style  changes. 
Paris  stylists  notwithstanding. 

Remember  “Little  Women?”  Mr. 
Plunkett  designed  the  clothes  for  that 
picture  and  all  the  women  promptly 
procured  tiny  muffs  and  veils  and  be¬ 
came  quaint  overnight. 

Remember  how  “The  King  of  Kings" 
brought  out  an  Egyptian  trend?  Re¬ 
member  what  Dietrich’s  long  skirts  did 
and  Garbo’s  uncurled  long-bob?  No 
one  could  possibly  say  that  pictures 
don’t  influence  style.  Now  it’s  the  cos¬ 
tume  picture  that  does  the  most  style¬ 
leading,  because  never  before  have  cos¬ 
tumes  been  taken  so  seriously  nor  more 
care  put  into  their  making.  Even  the 
embroideries  on  the  gowns  have  to  be 
checked  carefully  so  as  to  be  historically 
accurate.  It  is  this  same  accuracy  of 
fashion  that  permits  the  stylists  to  adapt 
the  clothes  for  modern  dress.  Walter 
Plunkett  is  noted  for  retaining  the  au¬ 
thenticity  of  a  costume  yet  adding  an 
intriguing  bit  of  originality  to  it  that 
makes  the  costume  stand  out  for  its 
beauty  and  charm.  When  next  you  see 
a  costume  picture  look  to  the  clothes  for 
the  harbingers  of  your  future  wardrobe! 


DO  COSTUME  PICTURES  INFLUENCE  STYLES? 

(Continued  from  page  46) 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


63 


DO  TOO  MANY  PICTURES  SPOIL  THE  STAR? 

(Continued  from  page  28) 


hut,  more  about  that,  later.  It  is  his 
belief  that  six  pictures  a  year  would 
render  him  “stale”  on  his  work  and  also 
be  too  great  a  strain  upon  his  own 
leisurely  mode  of  existence. 

He  likes  time  to  think,  time  to  study, 
to  read  and  play  tennis.  He  feels,  quite 
rightly,  that  other  artistic  endeavors  and 
other  businesses  permit  time  out  for 
vacations  and  leisure  without  any  great 
loss  of  business  advancement,  so  why 
not  the  motion  picture  business? 

He  is  one  of  the  most  quietly-spoken 
men  one  could  wish  to  meet,  hut  though 
grave  and  laconic  a  deep-lying  glint  of 
amusement  is  seldom  absent  from  his 
eyes.  He  is  also  one  of  the  few  stars 


JANE  ITY  ATT  with  RONALD  COL- 
MAN.  the  two  lead  players  in 
“Lost  Horizon.” 


who  really  listens  when  some  one  else 
speaks;  a  gift  in  itself.  He  concen¬ 
trates  on  another’s  words  with  serious 
intent,  gives  rational  and  thoughtful  an¬ 
swers.  Perhaps  this  is  what  makes  him 
one  of  the  most  charming  conversation¬ 
alists  to  he  found  in  a  city  whose  people 
are  usually  given  to  staccato  remarks 
and  over-emphasized  word-pictures. 

Not  at  all  a  big  man,  he  gives  the 
effect  of  strength  and  vigor.  This  cou¬ 
pled  with  a  controlled  reserve  gains  him 
respect  and  deference  from  those  about 
him. 

In  1918  he  was  discharged  from  his 
London  Scottish  regiment  and  came  to 
America  to  try  acting,  without  any  rea¬ 
son  other  than  a  wish  to  see  wdiat  he 
could  do  in  that  field.  Although  horn 
in  Littlehampton.  Sussex,  England,  his 
ancestors  were  Scotch  and  he  inherited 
the  calm  reasoning  powers  of  that  na¬ 
tionality.  He  figured  that  with  condi¬ 
tions  being  in  an  upheaval  after  the 
biggest  war  in  history,  he  had  as  good 
a  chance  as  any  for  a  successful  career, 
in  this  to  him  an  entirely  new  field. 


Landing  in  New  \ork  via  Ellis  Is¬ 
land  with  $57.00  in  his  pocket,  things 
dwindled  to  nothing  before  he  got  his 
first  part,  supporting  Robert  Warwick 
in  “The  Dauntl  ess  Three."  a  short-lived 
play.  Short  as  it  was.  however,  the 
play  served  as  a  show  window  for  Col- 
man  to  display  his  dramatic  wares  and 
George  Arliss  signed  him  to  appear  in 
“The  Green  Goddess”  which  proved  the 
gateway  to  success  for  so  many  who 
later  became  stars. 

From  that  day  to  this,  he  has  never 
had  to  worry  about  a  part  in  either  play 
or  picture.  His  story  from  then  on  is 
boring  for  its  repetitions  of  success. 

For  fourteen  years  Ronald  Colman 
has  retained  his  popularity  with  the 
theatre  going  public,  a  record  unequalled 
in  Hollywood  by  any  other  star  and  the 
demand  for  his  services  in  Hollywood 
constantly  increases.  The  last  year  has 
seen  the  making  of  two  of  his  greatest 
pictures;  “A  Tale  of  Two  Cities”  and 
“Under  Tw7o  Flags.”  Now',  with  “Lost 
Horizon,”  made  at  Columbia  studios,  he 
reaches  what  will  probably  prove  to  be 
the  high  spot  of  his  career. 

He  gives  another  reason  for  the  three- 
picture-a-year  schedule  which  sounds 
too  altruistic  to  he  believed  unless  one 
hears  him  say  it,  then  it  is  indisputably 
believed  as  the  truth. 

“If  I  don’t  work  so  much,”  he  ex¬ 
plains,  “it  makes  more  jobs  for  others." 

He  remembers  the  days  right  after  the 
war.  when  jobs  were  scarce  for  him,  and 
he  had  a  difficult  time  getting  even  a 
small  one.  Time  has  mellowed  those 
memories,  but  the  humanness  then  ab¬ 
sorbed  is  an  integral  element  of  his 
character,  and  it  colors  his  philosophy 
now. 

Altruist,  philosopher,  actor — that  is 
the  Ronald  Colman  of  today. 


THE  STUDIO  MAGICIAN 

(Continued  from  page  12) 

see  a  whole  chicken  flop  down  so  big 
were  the  pieces.  Thereafter  we  began 
cutting  them  in  an  automatic  chopping 


mill.  Then  I  had  to  perfect  a  device 
to  shake  them  down:  I  found  the  close- 
meshed  wire  the  best  and  it  works  like 
a  charm.” 

He  took  two  cast-off  ventilating  fans 
from  two  of  the  stages,  put  their  best 
pieces  together  and  created  a  wind  ma¬ 
chine  which  caused  the  sound-men  to 
sigh  with  relief.  The  “squeak  depart¬ 
ment”  (sound  department)  of  all  stu¬ 
dios  had  hated  the  sight  of  wind  ma¬ 
chines  before  Paul’s  invention  came 
about.  The  machines  were  too  noisy. 
Paul’s  machine  caused  the  wind  to  sigh 
softlv  through  the  white  pines  in  “Come 
and  Get  It”  and  to  howl  with  fury  in 
an  80-mile  an  hour  gale  over  the  decks 
of  the  replica  of  the  Cunard  White  Star 
liner  “Queen  Mary”  in  the  “Dodsworth" 
sequence;  and  still  the  sound  men  were 
happy,  for  there  were  no  mechanical 
creaks  or  squeaks  to  be  heard. 

Paul  and  his  magicians  have  fashion¬ 
ed  desert  flies  for  the  “Sheik;”  alliga¬ 
tors  for  a  Mary  Pickford  picture;  sharks 
for  “I  Cover  the  Waterfront;”  a  me¬ 
chanical  man  which  actually  swam,  for 
“The  Gaucho;”  armor  plate  for  the  ele¬ 
phants  in  “Clive  of  India;”  contented 
cows  which  mooed  and  gave  milk  for 
“Kid  Millions”  and  Paul  admits  having 
made  a  hull  in  “The  Kid  from  Spain.” 
The  hull,  no  less,  that  sat  on  Eddie 
Cantor  during  a  burlesqued  bull-fight. 

Paul  and  his  men  made  every  stick 
of  furniture  used  in  “Robin  Hood”  and 
“The  Thief  of  Bagdad”  because  no  suit¬ 
able  furniture  could  he  found  anywhere. 
To  replace  the  smoke  they  used  to  em¬ 
ploy  in  the  studios  to  create  fog  effects, 
Paul  developed  an  odorless  fog  with 
crystal  oil  and  a  vaporizer  he  perfected 
himself.  This  fog  hung  low  over  the 
“Queen  Mary’s”  decks  in  “Dodsworth.” 

In  the  “Come  and  Get  It”  sets  are 
many  Widlicska  icicles,  some  of  them 
huge  and  all  of  them  out  of  his  jugs 
and  cans  of  hypo,  plaster  of  paris  and 
medicated  cotton. 

Give  Paul  and  his  workers  enough 
wood,  sand,  cement,  plaster  of  paris. 
burlap,  powdered  marble,  gypsum,  in- 
sulex  oil,  shredded  newspaper,  paper 
towels  and  time  and  they  will  show  you 
the  end  of  the  world  and  make  you  be¬ 
lieve  that  you’re  actually  seeiny  it. 


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6425  Hollywood  Boulevard 
Hollywood,  California 

Please  enter  my  subscription  for  the  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider. 
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64 

RULING  THE  SOUND  WAVES 

(  Continued  from  Page  29  ) 
thirds  of  them  were  supplied  with  felt 
socks  to  reduce  the  noise,  the  effect  of 
the  socks  being  analogous  to  the  human 
mental  agency  before  referred  to. 

Outdoors,  it  is  more  difficult  to  pre¬ 
clude  unwanted  noises.  Should  a  fly 
W'alk  across  the  diaphragm  of  the  mike, 
its  footsteps  would  thud  and  would  im¬ 
pinge  themselves  upon,  say,  the  dulcet 
tones  of  the  tenor  singing  a  desert  love 
song.  The  rushing  of  the  air  incidental 
to  a  high  wind  striking  the  microphone 
directly,  would  render  impossible  the 
clear  registering  of  any  other  sound  so 
in  one  instance  to  obviate  this  contin¬ 
gency,  a  frame  was  made  and  covered 
with  several  layers  of  cheese  cloth.  The 
cheese  cloth  prevented  the  air  from 
whistling  through  the  diaphragm  but 
did  not  interfere  seriously  with  the 
sound  waves  it  was  intended  to  transmit. 

To  both  recording  and  reproducing 
devices,  Douglas  Shearer  has  made  out¬ 
standing  contributions.  His  “push-pull'’ 
recording  method  is  known  to  engineers 
as  the  most  practical  system  of  submerg¬ 
ing  surface  noises.  (Too  technical  to 
discuss  here  it  is  thoroughly  outlined  in 
an  article  in  a  later  issue.)  Through 
this  apparatus  the  entire  volume  range 
of  reproduction  has  been  increased 
eight-fold. 

Machines  are  his  mania.  His  eyes 
glowing  with  enthusiasm  and  interest, 
he  pointed  out  that  machines  had  al¬ 
ready  been  made  which  produced  a  syn¬ 
thetic  human  voice,  of  course  as  yet  only 
as  a  laboratory  experiment,  but:  “If 
we  were  to  know  what  range,  volume, 
true  tones,  overtones,  etc.  it  takes  to 
make  a  perfect  voice,  that  voice  could 
be  made  synthetically.”  He  illustrated 
this  with  pictures  of  the  sound  track  of 
the  voice  of  Nelson  Eddy,  and  that  of 
Jeanette  MacDonald,  greatly  magnified 
reproductions  of  which  are  shown  here¬ 
with  by  means  of  photographic  charts. 
“Notice  the  overtones  in  Eddy’s  voice.” 
he  said,  “as  opposed  to  the  fundamental 
tones  in  MacDonald’s!”  The  regularity 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 

of  the  shadow's  being  the  gauge  in  each 
case. 

All  this  having  to  do  with  voice  pro¬ 
duction.  As  for  reproduction,  we  in¬ 
quired  about  the  already  famous  Shear¬ 
er  horn.  Mr.  Shearer  indicated  an  in¬ 
teresting  looking  object  which  took  up 
considerable  space  at  one  end  of  his 
office  on  the  M-G-M  lot.  This  device, 
which  is  about  ten  feet  long  by  four 
high  and  as  deep,  resembles  some  sort 
of  intriguing  cubic  figure  rather  than  an 
old-fashioned  “horn.”  It  appears  that 
the  basic  principle  is  similar  to  that 
existing  in  the  telephonic  field  but  a 
number  of  new  elements  have  been  in¬ 
troduced  by  Mr.  Shearer. 

“In  order  that  the  speech,  music  or 
whatever  should  he  audible  in  a  picture 
can  reach  all  parts  of  an  auditorium 
with  equal  naturalness  and  resonance  it 
is  necessary  that  the  amplifier  diffract 
the  sound  waves,  which  has  generally 
been  done  by  means  of  several  horns 
spread  fanwise.  In  this,”  he  passed 
light,  sensitive  fingers  over  the  panel, 
“the  top  as  you  see,  contains  a  metal 
horn  of  multiple  cells  each  leading  from 
the  sound  diaphragm  and  so  diffusing 
the  high  frequency  waves  to  every  part 
of  the  house.  Through  the  lower  sec¬ 
tion.  which  is  all  wood,  the  lower  pitch 
sounds  are  similarly  directed." 

To  illustrate  this,  Mr.  Shearer,  with 
the  delightful  eagerness  that  character¬ 
izes  his  manner,  continued.  “It’s  like 
this.  High  frequency  notes  go  straight 
ahead,  like  water  from  the  small  vent 
of  a  hose  nozzle.  Low  frequency  notes 
spread  out  fanwise,  like  the  water  from 
that  same  nozzle  adjusted  to  a  spray 
vent.  Therefore  we  have  to  break  up 
the  high  frequency  waves  into  smaller 
'beams’  and  direct  them  to  all  parts  of 
the  theater.  That’s  the  reason  for  the 
greater  number  of  horns  necessary  for 
the  higher  notes.” 

Naturally,  Mr.  Shearer  considers  that 
sound  is  a  valuable  complement  to  mo¬ 
tion  pictures  from  several  angles  be¬ 
sides  the  purely  emotional  one. 

“It  enables  us  to  suggest  the  geo- 


I  I  I  f  I  I  I  I  I  "  .  I  '  I  I  |  |  1  S9  |  |  | 


JEANNETTE  MACDONALD  -  ’h/AL  TE  SONS '  EiEOM  EONEO  AND  JOL/ET 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


65 


graphical  location  of  any  scene,  merely 
by  introduction  of  sound  effects.  For 
example,  we  shoot  a  stock  shot  of  a  man 
standing  beside  a  fog-shrouded  pond, 
with  frogs  croaking  and  water  birds  cry¬ 
ing.  Later  we  show  this  same  man  on 
the  veranda  of  a  house,  with  the  pond 
not  visible  but  the  sounds  audible.  Im¬ 
mediately,  in  the  minds  of  the  auditors, 
that  fixes  the  location  of  the  house  as 
being  near  the  pond,  whether  it  ac¬ 
tually  is  or  not.  If  instead  of  the  frog 
and  bird  noises,  we  superimposed  the 
rumble  of  an  elevated  and  the  roar  of 
traffic,  you  can  readily  understand  that 
that  would  place  the  location  of  the 
house  as  being  in  the  city,  rather  than 
on  the  marge  of  the  pool.” 

The  fact  that  Douglas  Shearer  is  the 
only  man  in  the  cinematographic  sphere 
who  has  continued  throughout  his  career 
as  head  of  the  sound  department  in  the 
same  studio,  is  a  significant  one  which 
amply  credits  both  sides. 

Beginning  with  a  clear  vision  steadily 
focused  upon  the  future,  he  engaged  in 
developing  the  possibilities  of  sound 
films.  He  improved  on  early  basic 
equipment  and  methods  to  a  point  where 
they  are  susceptible  of  satisfactory  util¬ 
ization  in  the  latest  type  of  motion  pic¬ 
ture.  Through  Mr.  Shearer’s  own  ability 
and  the  excellence  of  his  work,  he  reach¬ 
ed  the  top  and  has  remained  there.  But 
he  is  as  yet  far  from  satisfied.  He  has 
done  a  great  deal  to  promote  the  ad¬ 
vance  of  sound  and  we  quite  expect  it 
will  not  be  long  before  he  perfects  some 
other  strange  contrivance  that  will  fur¬ 
ther  control  the  mysterious  waves.  Pri¬ 
marily,  we  rather  suspect,  for  the  pure 
joy  of  achievement,  but  also  for  the 
greater  renown  of  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er  and  the  more  complete  edification  of 
the  “movie”  public  to  whom  his  name, 
in  connection  with  sound  in  motion  pic¬ 
tures.  has  come  to  mean  so  much. 


THE  WAY  OF  A  LANCER 
IN  PICTURES 

( Continued  from  Page  31 ) 

lawski’s  life  has  been  filled  with  un¬ 
quenchable  thirst  for  learning  and 
achievement. 

One  may  permit  him.  with  this  in 
mind,  his  zealous  enthusiasm  over  “The 
Garden  of  Allah,”  in  which  Marlene 
Dietrich  and  Charles  Boyer  are  co-star¬ 
red.  Already  convinced  that  color  held 
much  of  the  future  of  motion  pictures, 
“Boley,”  as  he  is  known  throughout  the 
industry,  went  to  work  under  the  Selz- 
nick  International  banner  first  as  a  stu¬ 
dent  and  then  as  the  ace  director. 

Before  the  first  camera  had  turned. 
Boley  had  equipped  himself  with  every 
shred  of  knowledge  known  about  color. 
In  charge  of  the  first  Technicolor  pic¬ 
ture  with  an  all-star  cast  headed  by  two 


of  the  biggest  names  in  films,  he  be¬ 
came  again  the  ace  director,  his  creative 
mind  conceiving  color  shots  never  be¬ 
fore  placed  on  film. 

Nature’s  riotous  paintings  on  desert 
location  near  Yuma.  Arizona:  the 
golden  halo  of  Marlene’s  hair  and  the 
deep  blue  of  her  eyes,  colorful  settings 
and  costumes,  all  these,  in  addition  to 
the  dramatic  story  by  Robert  Hichens. 
made  Boley  an  artist  as  well  as  director. 

It  was  a  role  into  which  he  stepped 
naturally.  Beauty  is  his  hobby,  just 
as  creation  is  the  force  behind  his  quiet 
energy. 

During  preparation  of  a  dancing 
scene  from  “Allah,”  Boley  demonstrated 
his  creative  skill  as  a  choreographer. 
He  devised  and  put  into  rehearsal  a 
dance  of  nine  native  girls,  personally 
demonstrating  the  movements  he  wanted. 

For  all  his  towering  build.  Boley  is 
gentle-spoken.  He  likes  to  get  things 
done  quietly  as  well  as  quickly.  He  is 
paternal  toward  stars  and  extras  alike, 
and  is  always  ready  to  go  out  of  his 
way  to  keep  his  company  happy. 

Perhaps  at  no  time  was  his  patience 
more  sorely  tried  than  on  the  blazing 
desert  location.  Unbearable  heat,  hard 
work  and  extreme  difficulties  had  rubbed 
nerves  raw.  It  fell  to  Boley  to  act  as 
the  soothing  influence. 

“My  job  there  was  the  nearest  thing 
to  being  in  charge  of  a  circus  I  have 
ever  experienced,”  he  said.  “Not  only 
did  we  have  a  company  larger  than  the 
average  circus,  living  in  tents,  but  we 
also  had  a  menagerie  which  included 
15  camels,  30  horses,  goats,  sheep, 
chickens,  donkeys  and  two  first  camera¬ 
men!  All  of  them  were  working  for 
us.  Working  against  us  we  had  rattle¬ 
snakes  and  scorpions,  and  worst  of  all. 
heat.  At  the  camp  the  temperature  was 
ordinarily  well  above  100,  and  on  the 
dunes  where  we  were  working  a  ther¬ 
mometer  went  up  to  1.48  in  the  sun  one 
day.” 

There  were  sudden  sandstorms,  cam¬ 
era  problems  and  human  troubles,  Boley 
explained.  Miss  Dietrich  fainted  twice 
from  the  terrific  heat.  The  intricate  and 
expensive  Technicolor  cameras  had  to 
be  taken  completely  apart,  checked  and 
cleaned  each  night. 

One  member  of  the  set  crew,  tried 
almost  beyond  endurance  by  work  be¬ 
neath  the  broiling  sun,  objected  on  one 
occasion  to  a  task  be  had  been  assigned. 

“I’ll  be  darned  if  I’ll  move  this  thing 
around  for  that  Russian  so-and-so.”  he 
said. 

From  behind  him  came  a  gentle,  re¬ 
proving  voice.  “ Polish  so-and-so.  Joe,” 
Boley  corrected.  “Polish  so-and-so.” 

To  appreciate  this  quiet,  versatile 
man.  one  must  know  that  his  philoso¬ 
phy  of  life  is  based  on  Victor  Hugo’s 
remark  that  to  make  men  smile  is  great¬ 


ness  in  itself. 

At  the  end  of  a  hard  day’s  work, 
Boley  improvised  a  scene  in  which  a 
huge,  dusky  pair  of  feet  dangled  down 
before  the  nose  of  Joseph  Schildkraunt, 
who  played  the  part  of  the  Arab  guide, 
Batouch.  Schildkraut  swung  into  the 
spirit  of  the  scene;  his  expression  of 
distaste  was  side-splitting  to  behold. 
Stars  and  extras  smiled,  a  weary  day 
was  forgotten. 

Boley  learned  show  business  in  all  its 
phases.  Born  in  Warsaw,  he  received 
his  academic  education  in  Odessa,  and 
in  1906  joined  the  Moscow  Art  Theater. 

He  became  a  principal  director,  ballet 
master  and  choreographer,  interrupting 
his  career  to  serve  as  an  officer  of  the 
Polish  Lancers  in  the  Russian  Army. 
With  the  rise  of  Bolshevism,  he  was 
forced  to  flee  the  country. 

From  1918  to  1920.  Boley  served  as 
cameraman  in  the  Bolshevik-Polish  out¬ 
break.  the  war  adding  to  his  interests 
the  study  of  the  literature  of  war  and 
a  knowledge  of  military  tactics.  These 
were  to  form  a  colorful  background  for 
his  two  books,  and  the  third  novel  which 
he  hopes  soon  will  be  in  the  hands  of 
his  publishers. 

Boley  has  two  reasons  for  preferring 
the  screen  to  the  stage;  it  places  fewer 
limits  on  the  director’s  imagination  and 
it  reaches  greater  audiences,  many  of 
which  could  not  otherwise  afford  good 
entertainment. 

More  than  six  feet  in  height,  a  little 
heavy  now  for  an  ex-Lancer,  but  re¬ 
taining  much  of  his  military  bearing, 
the  director  possesses  a  round  face  with 
clean  cut  features.  His  mien  could  be 
called  serious,  save  for  an  ever-present 
twinkle  in  his  eyes. 

From  time  to  time  the  twinkle  gives 
way  to  mischievous  humor,  which,  at 
the  same  moment,  is  never  barbed. 

While  working  on  “The  Garden  of 
Allah,”  one  of  the  actors  had  a  long 
speech  which  was  giving  him  difficulty. 
When  the  scene  was  shot  the  first  time, 
he  inadvertently  changed  several  words 
of  the  original  dialogue.  At  the  end 
of  the  scene,  he  seemed  pleased  with 
his  performance. 

“How  was  that?”  he  asked  with  an 
expectant  smile. 

“Fine.”  said  Boleslawski  drily.  “Now 
let’s  try  it  the  way  Mr.  Hichens  wrote 
it.” 

At  another  time,  Marlene  Dietrich. 
Charles  Boyer  and  Basil  Rathbone  were 
in  a  scene  in  which  camels  moved  across 
the  background.  One  of  the  camels  was 
unruly  and  spoiled  four  rehearsals.  The 
fifth  time,  everybody  expected  the  di¬ 
rector  to  blow  up.  Instead  Boleslawski 
called  the  man  in  charge  of  the  camels 
to  the  set. 

“Is  it  true.”  he  asked  quietly,  “that 
(Turn  to  next  page) 


66 

camels  can  go  eight  days  without 
water?” 

“Yes,  sir,”  said  the  man. 

“Well,”  said  Boleslawski,  “you  had 
better  start  training  him  to  go  eight 
days  without  salary,  unless  you  can 
make  him  keep  quiet.” 

Before  coming  to  Hollywood,  Boles¬ 
lawski  was  connected  with  such  impor¬ 
tant  stage  productions  as  “Vagabond 
King.”  “Mr.  Moneypenny,”  “Collabor¬ 
ated.”  "The  Three  Musketeers,”  “The 
Miracle”  and  “Macbeth.” 

His  best  screen  productions  have  been 
“Les  Miserables”  and  “Men  in  White.” 

The  directorial  method  of  Richard 
Boleslawski  is  based  on  his  own  theory 
that  people  who  come  to  pictures  de¬ 
serve  two  things,  entertainment  and 
beauty. 

Boley — to  get  back  to  bis  more  popu¬ 
lar  title — considers  acting  the  highest  of 
arts.  His  book,  “Acting:  The  First  Six 
Lessons,”  is  the  most  widely-read  text¬ 
book  in  the  theatrical  profession.  Writ¬ 
ten  in  dialogue  form,  it  is  the  most 
thorough  analysis  ever  written  of  the 
natural  qualifications  and  the  training 
necessary  to  the  art  of  acting. 

In  this  book  the  director  discusses  the 
technique  of  talking  pictures,  and.  un¬ 
like  most  men  trained  in  the  theater,  he 
has  the  highest  regard  for  the  new 
medium. 

Although  he  has  not  set  down  on 
paper  lessons  in  directing,  Boley  holds 
that  a  motion  picture  director  should 
be  an  actor’s  mirror. 

‘’The  best  purpose  a  director  can 
serve,”  he  says,  “is  to  give  the  actor 
confidence  that  the  director  reflects  per¬ 
fectly  the  reaction  of  an  audience. 

“I  ask  nothing  more  of  an  actor  than 
that  he  consider  me  a  good  looking- 
glass  without  blemish,  crack  or  distor¬ 
tion.  Then  he  will  see  my  suggestions 
as  perfect  reflections  of  his  efforts. 

“With  such  experienced  players  as 
Marlene  Dietrich  and  Charles  Boyer,  a 
director  discusses  situations  and  then 
studies  the  effects  of  the  players’  inter¬ 
pretation.  He  reports  to  the  player  a 
reaction.  If  the  player  has  confidence 
in  the  report,  changes  are  made  to  con¬ 
form  with  it.” 

No  line  of  dialogue,  no  small  part  of 
a  set.  is  too  inconsequential  to  escape 
Boley’s  piercing  study.  On  a  recent  oc¬ 
casion  during  the  filming  of  "The  Gar¬ 
den  of  Allah.”  he  conferred  for  more 
than  an  hour  with  stars,  writers  and 
assistants  over  only  three  lines! 

Watching  him  in  action,  after  he  has 
given  the  command,  “turn  ’em  over.” 
one  gets  a  picture  of  intense  concentra¬ 
tion.  Pipe  in  hand,  leaning  forward. 
Boley  acts  in  sympathy  with  the  players. 
His  face  works  and  his  hands  motion 
eloquently  as  the  scene  progresses. 

Boley  would  like  to  do  two  things 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

now  that  “The  Garden  of  Allah”  is 
completed. 

He  would  like  to  journey  to  Warsaw 
for  a  visit,  but  lias  just  about  given  up 
hope.  His  services  are  much  in  demand 
in  Hollywood.  And  he  hopes  to  finish 
“Escape  of  a  Lancer,”  although  the 
printing  date  has  been  postponed  four 
times  because  he  has  been  too  busy  to 
spare  the  time  for  his  literary  efforts. 

However,  in  accordance  with  Victor 
Hugo's  philosophy,  he  retains  the  ready 
twinkle  of  his  eyes. 

“One  cannot  make  others  smile.”  he 
says,  “unless  one  is  oneself  able  to 
smile.” 


MY  TOUGHEST  SHOOTING 
ASSIGNMENT 

(Continued  from  Page  27) 

needed.  The  problem  lay  in  certain 
features  and  cast  of  physiognomy  diffi¬ 
cult  to  describe.  We  knew  what  we 
wanted,  at  any  rate.  Every  camera  test 
that  I  made  resulted  in  the  clear-seeing 
lens  pointing  out  the  flaws  in  the  ap¬ 
pearance  of  the  type  tested. 

Finally,  the  search  ended  on  the  Pala 
reservation  of  Mission  Indians  in  San 
Diego  County,  California,  with  the 
amazing  discovery  that  American  In¬ 
dians  of  the  Western  Tribes  look  and 
photograph  as  much  like  Tibetans  as 
Tibetans  themselves! 

The  photographing  of  these  faces  was 
another  matter,  however,  I  soon  discov¬ 
ered.  Very  little  make-up  was  used, 
therefore  the  camera  had  to  catch  each 
line  and  shadow  of  the  natural  skin  to 
bring  out  the  expression  on  the  faces 
of  the  Indian  actors. 

With  native  blacksmiths,  pottery  mak¬ 
ers.  weavers  and  other  artisans  of  the 
mysterious  land  at  work  on  their 
strange,  crude  machinery  and  native 
women  and  children  dressed  in  their  odd 
clothes,  wearing  one  hundred  and  eight 
braids  of  hair,  the  picture  presented  in 
“Lost  Horizon”  is,  I  believe,  the  first 
complete  and  accurate  one  of  life  in 
Tibet  ever  to  be  made  on  this  contin¬ 
ent.  Of  course.  I  refer  to  the  first  part 
of  the  pictured  story,  because  the  second 
half  continues  in  a  mythical  and  strange 
land  where  the  imagination  has  to  furn¬ 
ish  the  background  and  also  the  scenic 
and  photographic  effects. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  more 
variety  of  background  in  "Lost  Horizon” 
than  in  any  picture  that  I  have  made 
with  Frank  Capra.  Regardless  of  that, 
however.  I  do  not  believe  that  you  will 
notice  any  camera  work  that  will  in¬ 
trude  on  the  story  merely  for  the  sake 
of  beautiful  photography.  That  is  not 
the  Capra  method,  nor  is  it  mine. 

After  all.  making  motion  pictures  is 
a  business  involving  many  thousands  of 
dollars  with  each  production  and  I  like 


January,  1937 

to  think  that  I  am  practical  enough  to 
submerge  my  artistic  side  and  look  at 
tbe  job  from  the  practical  and  economic 
side.  No  matter  what  the  picture,  it  is 
exciting  and  interesting  to  work  out  the 
problems  at  hand  and  try  to  make  it 
the  best  effort  possible. 


A  LITTLE  BIT  INDEPENDENT 

(Continued  from  Page  19) 

Contrary  to  many  reports  her  family 
did  not  oppose  her  embarking  upon  a 
theatrical  career.  Instead,  they  gather¬ 
ed  around  loyally  and  helped  pack  her 
bags  for  ber  first  trip  in  search  of  a 
job  on  tbe  stage. 

At  this  time  Miss  Hepburn  was  so 
bashful  that  it  was  agony  for  her  even 
to  talk  to  strangers  and  as  a  result  she 
silently  haunted  the  offices  of  agents  and 
producers,  sitting  for  hours  in  waiting 
rooms  and  wondering  how  ambitious 
players  ever  gained  an  audience  with 
the  powers  that  produced  shows. 

“I  always  moved  at  top  speed.”  said 
Miss  Hepburn,  with  a  rueful  laugh, 
“and  by  the  time  I  had  visited  one  or 
two  offices  my  face  would  be  moist  with 
perspiration,  my  make-up  entirely  gone, 
my  hair  disarranged  and  my  clothes 
mussed  up.  But  I  was  too  nervous  and 
bashful  to  ask  anyone  where  the  ladies’ 
dressing  room  was  and  I  would  spend 
hours  roaming  around  the  different 
buildings  trying  to  find  it  myself.” 

But  that  was  long  ago.  Achievement 
and  success  have  developed  the  faculty 
of  commanding  apparent  poise  and  as¬ 
surance  whenever  it  is  necessary,  and 
there  are  times  when,  in  deciding  upon 
screen  procedure  or  the  merits  of  scripts 
submitted  for  her  consideration,  such  a 
faculty  is  necessary. 

If  a  resume  of  the  past  were  taken, 
it  would  be  plain  that  the  parts  she  has 
played  of  her  own  choosing,  are  essen¬ 
tially  right  for  her  particular  tempera¬ 
ment.  The  young  tomhoy  in  “Sylvia 
Scarlett.”  the  lovable  Jo  in  “Little  Wo¬ 
men,”  the  wild  gypsy  girl  in  “The  Little 
Minister”  are  all  roles  tailored  to  fit 
the  Hepburn  technique  and  tbe  Hepburn 
character.  As  the  ill-starred  Mary, 
Queen  of  Scots,  in  her  latest  picture, 
playing  opposite  Fredric  March,  she 
has  probably  found  the  most  suitable 
and  dynamic  role  of  ber  career  to  date. 

Perhaps  the  answer  to  it  all  is — that 
Katharine  Hephurn  knows  herself  as 
few  actresses  do.  It  is  this  knowledge 
which  gives  her  the  feeling  of  right  to 
dictate  her  own  terms  regarding  her 
work  as  an  artist. 

If  ever  an  actress  tried  to  please  her 
public,  Katharine  Hepburn  is  the  one 
and  she  continues  to  gain,  successfully, 
step  by  step,  tbe  affection  and  regard 
of  her  admirers.  To  ber — “the  play's 
the  thing!” 


JEWELS 

of 

THE  STARS 


Upper  left:  The  Star  uf  Bengal.  Upper 
Center:  Dolores  Costello  admiring  some 
of  the  finest  jewels  in  America.  Lower 
Center:  Madeliene  Carroll  wearing 
gems  worth  a  Ling's  ransom.  Lower 
Right:  The  Star  uf  Kimberley. 


WHEN  dreams  come  true,  when  an 
unknown  is  touched  by  the  magic 
wand  of  Fortune,  and  wealth  beyond  the 
visions  of  avarice  pours  into  the  coffers 
of  the  successful,- — what  does  the  favor¬ 
ed  one  do  with  the  vastly  increased 
income? 

Man's  innate  desire  for  personal 
security  forces  most  members  of  the 
motion  picture  industry  who  have  scaled 
the  difficult  ladder  of  success  to  invest 
their  money  wisely,  and  well.  The  urge 
for  personal  adornment  is  also  as  old 
as  the  race — and  fortunately  for  the 
stars — the  two  instincts  go  hand  in 
hand,  because  investment  in  line  jewels 
satisfies  both  demands.  Knowledge  of 
this  prompts  one  to  enquire  what  jewels 
stars  are  wearing,  who  made  them, 
where  they  were  purchased,  and  what 
others  are  available  for  their  selection 
here  in  Los  Angeles. 

Pictured  on  this  page  are  some  of  the 
world’s  most  renowned  pieces,  all  from 
the  studios  of  Trabert  and  Hoeffer- 
Mauboussin  manufacturing  jewelers, 
whose  new  retail  salon  will  soon  open 
on  Wilshire  Boulevard. 

Dolores  Costello  is  shown  fingering 
a  single  clip  and  pendant  combination 
of  entrancing  beauty  and  original  de¬ 
sign.  Containing  one  cabachon  emerald 
weighing  193.50  carats,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six  baguette  diamonds,  with 
a  total  weight  of  15.22  carats,  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  diamonds  with  n 
total  weight  of  13.58  carats,  it  can  well 
be  said  to  be  worth  the  traditional 
king's  ransom.  The  possession  of  such 
a  jewel  would  place  any  one  individual 
beyond  the  vagaries  of  chance  for  life. 

A  different  conception  adorns  the 
slender  wrist  of  Madeliene  Carroll,  cur¬ 
rently  playing  in  Lloyds  of  London.  It 
is  a  carved  sapphire  and  diamond  brace¬ 
let  that  wmuld  send  any  woman  into 
transports  of  delight.  Containing  23 
carved  sapphires,  with  a  total  weight  of 
72.85  carats,  nine  sapphire  balls  with  a 
total  weight  of  11.66  carats,  and  347 
round  diamonds  with  a  total  weight  of 
15.51  carats,  it  represents  not  only 
wealth,  but  craftsmanship  of  the  high¬ 
est  order.  To  create  and  execute  such 


a  design  is  given  to  but  few  men.  and 
those  with  years  of  experience,  and 
training,  and  with  every  resource  at 
their  disposal. 

To  the  value  of  the  bracelet  that  Miss 
Carroll  is  wearing,  add  the  value  of  the 
brooch  and  the  star  sapphire  ring  and 
the  sum  can  well  be  reckoned  as  a  con¬ 
siderable  investment. 

Also  pictured  on  this  page  is  that  gem 
of  gems,  the  Star  of  Kimberley,  a  25 
carat  emerald  cut  diamond  that  is 
microscopically  perfect  and  well-nigh 
priceless.  It  is  the  largest  flawless  dia¬ 
mond  in  existence.  Trabert  and  Hoeffer- 
Mauboussin  are  also  showing  the  Star 
of  Bengal,  the  finest  star  ruby  that  the 
world  has  ever  known  and  the  Star  of 
Bombay,  a  star  sapphire  of  rich  Cash- 
mere  blue,  weighing  nearly  sixty  carats, 
the  only  one  of  its  size  in  the  world. 

As  a  feature  of  the  opening  exhibi¬ 
tion  of  their  new  retail  salon,  the 
Napoleon  Jew'els  will  be  on  display. 
These  are  the  famous  gems  which  that 
great  Emperor  presented  to  Marie 
Louise  at  the  birth  of  their  son.  in  1811. 
and  were  purchased  by  Trabert  and 
Hoeffer-Mauboussin  in  Paris,  only  after 
many  years  of  careful  investigation  and 
negotiation. 

They  state  that  it  is  more  and  more 
the  trend  of  discriminating  and  wealthy 
people  everywhere  to  invest  in  the  finest 
of  gems  because  not  only  does  one 
possess  something  of  beauty  which  will 
give  one  esthetic  pleasure  through  the 
years,  but  one  is  at  the  same  time  mak¬ 
ing  an  excellent  investment. 


68 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


A  CLOSE  UP  OF  MICHAEL  CURTIZ 

(Continued  from  Page  42) 


There  is  one  tiling  that  Michael  Cur¬ 
tiz  dislikes.  I  Besides  parsnips,  which 
are  his  pet  hate! )  He  doesn't  like  trick 
shots  and  camera  angles.  He  believes 
that  straight  camera  work  is  best  when 
the  scene  itself  contains  vivid  action.  He 
also  feels  that  love-scenes  should  be 
quietly  subdued  when  the  rest  of  the 
picture  is  active  and  dramatic.  Striding 
back  and  forth  he  illustrated  this,  using 
his  hands  in  great  gestures  to  make  his 
point.  It  is  contrast  that  he  desires  in 
story  telling.  In  other  words,  if  the 
hero  returns  from  a  wild  battle,  to  an 
equally  violent  and  exciting  love-scene 
acted  with  the  same  tempo,  the  sameness 
of  the  two  scenes  would  cause  the  be¬ 
holder's  interest  to  pall  and  the  result 
would  be  disappointing. 

He  believes  in  truth  and  authenticity 
in  pictures  also.  For  example,  in  one 
instance,  one  of  his  assistants  came  to 
him  with  the  suggestion  that  work 
horses  could  be  procured  cheaper  than 
the  spirited  chargers  that  the  script  call¬ 
ed  for;  that  the  harness  marks  deep  in 
their  hides  could  be  covered  by  using 
the  camera  at  angles,  with  the  riders 
trailing  their  fluttering  banners  a  little 
lower. 

‘‘But  that’s  cheating,”  said  Mr.  Curtiz. 
“I  don’t  like  to  do  it.  Get  spirited 
horses  and  we’ll  shoot  dem  so!  With 
the  sun  shining  on  their  lovely  satin 
coats.” 

There  is  an  example  of  the  scrupulous 
standard  by  which  Michael  Curtiz 
works. 

On  the  set  of  “The  Charge  of  the 
Light  Brigade”  Mr.  Curtiz  sat  staring 
into  space,  his  legs  in  the  dusty  riding 
boots  stretched  in  front  of  him.  A 
scene  had  just  been  shot,  and  the  com¬ 
pany  waited  for  the  verdict. 

Finally  he  spoke. 

“Dose  tings,”  he  said,  and  shook  his 
head. 

The  two  prop  men.  Limey  Plews  and 
Scotty  More,  knew  that  he  meant  the 
props  on  the  set  before  him.  They  re¬ 
moved  some  of  them.  Props  are  always 
“dose  tings”  to  Mr.  Curtiz  and.  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  rest  of  the  cast  call 
them  that  throughout  a  picture  on  which 
he  works. 

“And  it  was  hammy,”  added  Mr.  Cur¬ 
tiz.  “Very  hammy.  Why  should  you 
not  be  simple?  Why  should  you  not 
talk  like  peoples  talk?  One  more  re¬ 
hearse  and  we  take  it  over!” 

A  rehearsal  is  always  a  “rehearse” 
with  Mr.  Curtiz.  His  use  of  the  English 
language  is  amazing.  He  admits  that 
it  has  him  stumped.  One  example  of 
his  tangles  with  the  tongue  of  this  coun¬ 


try  was  when  he  sent  an  assistant  to  do 
something  and  when  it  was  done  im¬ 
properly  he  exploded:  "The  next  time 
I  send  a  dumb  so-and-so  I  send  myself!” 

Another  time,  desiring  that  riderless 
horses  be  brought  on  the  set,  he  shout¬ 
ed:  "Bring  on  de  empty  horses!” 

One  need  only  spend  a  half-hour  on 
the  set  with  Michael  Curtiz  to  hear 
quoted  many  instances  such  as  these. 
After  ten  years  in  America.  English  is 
still  a  mystery  to  him  and  he  has  long 
since  given  up  being  sensitive  about  it. 
Biderless  horses  are  “empty”  to  him 
and  “empty”  they  always  will  be.  How¬ 
ever.  though  English  has  him  stumped, 
he  is  never  at  a  loss  for  ability  direc- 
torially.  If  the  story  is  about  American 
small  town  life,  he  is  as  American  as 
Sinclair  Lewis.  If  it  is  about  Paris,  he’s 
continental  as  Maurice  Chevalier.  If 
it’s  a  mystery  he  delves  right  in  with 
the  subtlety  of  a  Van  Dine.  It  is  this 
quality  which  has  made  him  famous  as 
a  versatile  and  ingenious  director. 

V  hen  excited,  he  resorts  to  panto- 
mine.  During  the  filming  of  the  massa¬ 
cre  sequence  for  the  “Charge”  he  wanted 
the  border  tribesmen  to  fire  volleys  into 
the  women,  children  and  lancers  in  the 
water.  He  picked  up  the  microphone 
and.  using  it  as  a  gun,  gave  a  graphic 
demonstration  of  what  he  wanted  though 
what  was  said  was  lost  to  all  but  those 
close  at  hand  because  the  microphone 
was  nowhere  near  his  mouth.  This  was 
probably  just  as  well  because  Mr.  Cur¬ 
tiz  was  excited  and  his  instructions  then 
need  considerable  translation.  Howev¬ 
er.  his  pantomime  must  have  been  ex¬ 


cellent,  for  the  border  tribesmen  follow¬ 
ed  instructions  to  the  letter  and  the 
scene  was  only  taken  once. 

A  biographical  sketch  of  this  director 
would  include  the  facts  that  he  was 
born  in  Budapest.  Hungary;  that  his 
father  was  an  architect  and  his  mother 
a  concert  singer:  that  he  discovered  Lili 
Damita,  now  Errol  Flynn’s  wife;  that  he 
once  directed  Garbo:  that  he  was  a 
strong  man  in  a  circus  and  a  lieutenant 
in  the  Austrian  army  during  the  war; 
that  he  has  made  pictures  in  Austria, 
Sweden,  France  and  Denmark;  that  he 
was  an  actor  in  Max  Reinhardt’s  com¬ 
pany  and  that  he  is  married  to  Bess  Mer- 
edyth.  the  scenario  writer.  An  addi¬ 
tional  sentence  could  say  that  he  loves 
to  play  polo  and  has  made  some  thirty 
pictures  all  of  which  are  successful. 

His  belief  in  the  picture  “The  Charge 
of  the  Light  Brigade  is  great.  He 
hopes  it  will  prove  to  be  one  of  the 
biggest  winners  of  all  time.  It  is  this 
energy  and  enthusiasm  that  has  charged 
the  entire  company  during  the  filming 
of  the  picture.  A  close  bond  exists 
between  Michael  Curtiz  and  Sol  Polito. 
the  director  of  photography  on  the 
“Charge”  with  him.  To  Polito.  Michael 
Curtiz  is  always  “Mishka.  " 

The  words  forceful,  enthusiastic,  self- 
reliant  and  intelligent  each  in  its  high¬ 
est  meaning  can  be  used  describing  this 
man. 

His  cosmopolitan  background,  years 
of  experience  in  his  chosen  vocation, 
and  his  dynamic  vitality  assure  Michael 
Curtiz  an  interesting  and  promising 
future. 


An  exciting  battle-scene  from  the  famous  “ Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade .” 


J  unitary,  1937 

SPEEDING  FATHER  TIME 

(Continued  from  Page  17) 

In  the  picture  it  is  plainly  illustrated 
that  Mr.  Pierce's  efforts  were  undoubt¬ 
edly  worth  while.  Edward  Arnold  grows 
truly  old  before  your  eyes. 

‘'Look  at  his  hands,”  said  Mr.  Pierce, 
pointing  to  the  picture.  “It  is  one  of 
my  pet  theories  that  hands  should  be 
made  up  as  carefully  as  faces.  For  the 
old  hands  of  John  Sutter  I  worked  to 
get  the  veined  and  puffy  look  that  the 
hands  of  the  very  old  assume.  If  it  is 
the  hand  of  one  who  has  worked  hard 
all  his  life,  the  make-up  would  he  en¬ 
tirely  different  from  that  of  the  hand  of 
one  who  had  led  a  life  of  ease  and  lux¬ 
ury.  John  Sutter  had  worked  with  his 
hands;  therefore  I  tried  to  make  them 
look  like  that.  In  the  case  of  Irene 
Dunne  in  “Showboat."  I  tried  to  get  the 
opposite  effect;  the  hands  of  a  beautiful 
woman  who  was  artistic  and  successful 
yet  who  was  gradually  succumbing  to 
the  effects  of  age.  It  was  a  delicate 
task  to  get  the  right  appearance.” 

Jack  Pierce  uses  small  plaster  models 
when  he  attempts  first  to  create  a  ghastly 
or  weird  character  such  as  the  famous 
“Frankenstein.” 

“I  studied  books  of  surgery,”  said 
Mr.  Pierce,  when  we  referred  to  “Frank¬ 
enstein.”  “I  spent  hours  talking  to  doc¬ 
tors  and  internes  and  even  went  to  the 
hospital  for  pictures  of  operations  and 
technical  advice  concerning  the  after¬ 
effects  of  different  kinds  of  scars,  before 
I  attempted  to  make  up  Karloff  for  the 
role.  As  a  result,  I  don’t  believe  that 
a  doctor  in  the  world  could  find  fault 
with  the  appearance  of  that  monster. 
The  clips,  scars  and  operative  structure 
of  the  Frankenstein  monster  were  per¬ 
fectly  correct  so  far  as  surgery  and  med¬ 
icine  were  concerned.  As  to  the  plausi- 
bilitv  of  such  a  creature.  I  leave  that  to 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

the  story  and  the  limits  of  the  public’s 
credulity.” 

Mr.  Pierce  is  working  on  another 
monster  right  now.  A  monster  that  will 
probably  frighten  everybody  as  delight¬ 
fully  as  did  Frankenstein.  “The  Hunch¬ 
back  of  Notre  Dame"  is  scheduled  for 
production  some  time  during  the  year 
by  Universal  and  Mr.  Pierce  is  sketching 
some  shudderingly  grotesque  heads  as  a 
preliminary  to  his  make-up  work  on 
the  picture.  As  yet  the  player  of  the 
“Hunchback”  is  not  set,  but  whoever  he 
may  be.  Jack  Pierce  will  fix  him  up  so 
that  he  will  produce  many  a  shiver  and 
thrill  when  he  appears  on  the  screen. 

It  is  these  clever  men  equipped  with 
grease-pencil,  wig  and  foundation  paint 
who  produce  for  audiences  the  very  es¬ 
sence  of  illusion.  It  is  by  their  artistic 
skill  that  the  illusion  is  retained  glam¬ 
orously  and  by  their  scientific  knowl¬ 
edge  that  it  is  factually  and  basically 
correct. 


HISTORY  PROVES  DANCE 
EARLIEST  OF  ARTS 

(Continued  from  Page  57) 

success  in  the  chase,  thanks  for  rain, 
and  to  express  sorrow  in  death,  exulta¬ 
tion  in  love,  or  success  in  war. 

History  recounts  that  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  carried  with  her  250  dancing 
girls  from  Ethiopia,  when  she  visited 
King  Solomon  in  all  his  glory.  Cleo¬ 
patra  brought  forth  her  choicest  danc¬ 
ers  to  intrigue  the  mighty  Caesar  and 
the  dashing  Mark  Anthony.  It  was  Sa¬ 
lome’s  dancing  that  ensnared  King 
Herod  and  brought  about  the  order  for 
the  head  of  John,  the  Apostle. 

When  the  Czar  of  Russia  visited 
Paris,  in  the  eighteenth  century,  a 


69 

sumptuous  ballet  was  given  for  his  en¬ 
tertainment.  He  immediately  asked  his 
court  officials  to  bring  within  his  do¬ 
main  the  greatest  authorities  on  the 
dance  from  Italy  and  France,  founded 
an  Imperial  Ballet  School,  and  intro¬ 
duced  it  into  his  theaters.  The  Imperial 
Ballet  became  the  center  of  amusement 
in  Russia,  and  eventually  its  influence 
was  felt  throughout  the  world.  Pavlowa. 
Diaghileff,  Mordkin.  Nijinsky,  and 
others  of  that  school  became  the  leaders 
in  the  dance  world.  England  and  Amer¬ 
ica  were  the  last  to  fall  under  the  magic 
sway  of  this  art. 

A  half  century  ago.  Amelia  Glover. 
“The  Little  Faun”  as  she  was  called, 
came  from  London,  introducing  a  new 
form  of  the  dance.  From  Spain  came 
Carmencita.  Papinta.  and  in  our  present 
day,  the  great  La  Argentina.  Isidora 
Duncan  from  the  Pacific  Coast,  became 
the  great  interpreter  of  emotional  mes¬ 
sages.  Maud  Allen  (now  living  in  our 
midst)  presented  her  Terpsichorean  art- 
forms.  Maud  Allan’s  “Salome”  dance 
and  the  “Peer  Gynt”  suite  remain  un¬ 
equalled.  Ruth  St.  Denis,  in  her  Oriental 
interpretations  of  India.  China,  and 
Japan,  added  another  chapter  to  Amer¬ 
ica’s  dance  history,  ably  assisted  by 
Ted  Shawn,  now  known  as  the  great 
creator  of  “Molpe”  primitive  rhythms, 
religious  and  athletic  dance  forms. 

Everywhere  its  exponents  win  large 
and  enthusiastic  audiences,  and  partic¬ 
ularly  is  that  true  here.  Therefore  it  is 
a  distinct  pleasure  to  note  that  Los  An¬ 
geles  this  year  will  be  visited  by  five 
major  dance  companies.  These  include 
the  Jooss  European  Ballet,  the  Ballet 
Russe  de  Monte  Carlo.  Trudi  Schoop 
and  her  Comic  Ballet.  Ted  Shawn  and 
his  Team  of  Eight  American  Men,  and 
Martha  Graham  and  her  Company  of 
Ten. 


•wmVTT- 


JLlMhSUl  *  * 


' T>h 

El-! 

•Ulh 

jLaj 

70 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


DESTINED  TO  SING 

(Continued  from  Page  33) 

liis  mood.  Joan!  There  had  been  no 
letter  for  him  before  he  left  Naples. 
After  all,  she  couldn’t  care  for  him  as 
he  had  been  fool  enough  to  believe.  His 
eyes  darkened  and  he  forgot  for  a  mo¬ 
ment  the  beauty  of  a  terra-cotta  frieze 
with  its  dancing  angels  in  the  picture  of 
a  slim,  tweed-clad  girl  with  wide,  gray 
eyes. 

“Ecco!  Look,  Carlyle,  did  you  ever 
see  such  heavenly  shades — those  terra¬ 
cotta  figures  against  the  background 
of  turquoise-green,”  exclaimed  Armini. 
anxiously  scanning  his  companion’s 
troubled  face.  “What’s  the  matter,  you 
were  happy  a  moment  ago.  Your  sweet¬ 
heart  in  America?  You  must  ‘snap  out 
of  it’  as  you  tell  me.” 

Dick  pulled  himself  together  but  be¬ 
fore  he  could  reply  there  came  a  great 
chord  of  hidden  music  and  a  clear,  high 
soprano  voice  trilled  through  the  open¬ 
ing  Latin  of  the  oratorio  that  was  part 
of  the  festival.  As  the  joyous  “Hosanna” 
gradually  subsided  tears  of  emotion 
welled  in  Dick's  eyes  and  he  turned 
away  with  Anglo-Saxon  self-conscious¬ 
ness. 

“Introduce  me  to  ihe  girl,  will  you,” 
he  whispered.  “We  might  get  together 
on  a  duet.” 


An  amused  smile  answered  him.  “Sorry, 
my  friend,  that  'girl'  is  a  choir  boy, 
vowed  to  the  service  of  Santa  Maria  and 
quite  beyond  your  blandishments.” 

Then  Dick  remembered  having  heard 
of  certain  male  choirs  world  acclaimed 
for  the  beauty  of  their  soprano  voices. 
“I  thought  they  were  a  thing  of  the 
past,”  he  said  as  they  came  out  on  to 
a  large,  cool  porch  where  they  saw  a 
number  of  peasants  in  the  most  colorful 
array  of  native  costumes  imaginable. 
As  the  indoor  service  ended  the  crowd 
broke  into  loud  outbursts  of  joy  and 
laughter,  bells  rang  merrily  and  all 
kinds  of  hand  wielded  toys  added  to 
the  noise.  The  girls  especially  were 
more  than  aware  of  the  two  handsome 
young  strangers  and  many  languishing 
glances  were  cast  upon  them. 

To  hide  his  emotion  Dick  cried,  “Get 
a  load  of  all  that  feminine  pulchritude, 
Armini.  Couldn't  we  buy  them  a 
drink?” 

“‘Get  a  load!"  0.  I  see.  But  have 
patience — there  will  be  time  for  the 
girls,  later.  First  I  want  you  to  see  all 
that  goes  on  at  the  festa /’ 

Then  Dick  noticed  flocks  of  sheep  be¬ 
ing  lead  by  both  shepherds  and  shep¬ 
herdesses.  After  mingling  a  while,  the 
flock  separated  and  those  with  the  girls 
went  to  one  low,  grassgrown  hill,  those 
with  the  youths,  to  another,  set  at  a 


little  distance.  As  they  climbed  to  points 
of  vantage  a  chorus  of  sweet  singing 
arose  joyously,  then  the  shepherdesses 
were  silent  while  their  men  sang  the 
Serenata  della  Alpi.  in  the  same  old 
words  that  had  rung  out  in  that  same 
village  celebration  for  hundreds  of 
years.  The  girls’  melodious  reply  was 
full  of  the  sound  of  flower  names  so 
that  the  air  itself  became  scented  with 
the  thoughts  and  pictures  the  sounds 
conjured  in  the  imagination. 

“The  music  of  the  spheres!  cried 
Dick  in  a  low  tone  of  entrancement. 
“But  what  do  they  say?” 

“Oh,  just  pure  romantic  nonsense,  I 
would  call  it.  The  shepherds  ask  their 
girls  if  they  would  like  to  hear  the 
nightingale  sing  and  the  girls  reply  that 
they  would  give  roses  and  jasmine  for 
the  privilege — or  words  to  that  effect,” 
explained  Armini,  who  was  not  quite 
sure  what  his  American  companion’s  re¬ 
action  had  been.  His  large,  brown  eyes 
were  constantly  searching  the  throng 
and  they  flashed  as  he  noted  the  ap¬ 
proach  of  a  particularly  pretty  girl. 
He  stepped  forward,  still  looking  search- 
ingly  beyond  her,  then  he  bowed  low 
over  a  small  hand  that  was  somewhat 
timidly  placed  in  his.  A  few  words 
brought  a  blush  to  the  girl’s  soft  cheek 
just  as  Dick  came  down  to  earth  and 
the  power  of  observation.  He  advanced 
towards  the  couple  and  was  duly  pre¬ 
sented  to  Signorina  Giovanna  Gonnelli. 

“You  have  a  great  name.  Miss  Gon¬ 
nelli,”  said  Dick  in  his  labored  Italian, 
but  with  impressive  interest.  “Are  you 
of  the  family  of  the  great  Giovanni  Gon¬ 
nelli?  Do  you  also  sculp?” 

The  girl  laughed,  showing  the  most 
perfect  teeth  Dick  had  ever  seen.  "You 
tell  him.”  she  rep  1  ied  turning  to  Armini, 
and  speaking  very  quickly. 

“Giovanna’s  family  have  kept  the 
Albergo  delle  San  Vivaldo  for  gener¬ 
ations.”  Armini  explained,  “but  they 
have  claimed  no  further  distinction. 
You  mustn’t  let  the  terra-cotta  angels  go 
to  your  head,  Carlyle.” 

“They  are  having  a  lot  of  competition 
right  now,”  returned  Dick,  meaningly, 
his  eyes  on  the  dark  beauty  of  the  girl. 

“That  is  good.  But  we  should  lunch 
first.  In  fact  I  think  this  would  be  an 
excellent  opportunity  for  us  to  sample 
some  of  old  man  Gonnelli's  famous 
‘vino’  and  the  polenta  that  is  food  for 
the  gods,”  was  di  Achillo’s  suggestion. 

As  they  made  their  way  through  the 
crowd  of  merrymakers,  the  girl  with  a 
light  hand  on  the  arm  of  each.  Armini 
asked,  “Where  is  Lucia?” 

“She  w  ill  j  oin  us  later.” 

“And  where  is  the  good  Ettore?" 

A  shiver  ran  through  the  girl  and  she 
glanced  around  fearfully. 

“His  father  is  ill.  He  had  to  go  home 
— but  he  will  return.” 


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January,  1937 

As  Dick  listened  he  watched  this 
lovely  young  girl  who  was  so  different 
from  the  sophisticated  co-eds  and  de¬ 
butantes  patterned  to  his  Western  world. 
Could  she  be  as  innocent  as  she  seemed? 
Who  was  this  Ettore?  Had  Armini  any 
claim  on  her?  Such  questions  fairly 
hummed  in  his  head. 

As  they  entered  the  cool  depths  of  the 
inn  more  music  greeted  them  but  this 
time  it  was  the  deep  rhythm  of  men’s 
strong  voices.  Giovanna  slipped  away 
to  see  that  a  table  was  prepared  and 
Dick,  noting  the  picturesque  uniforms 
inquired,  “Who  are  all  the  movie  he¬ 
roes?  It  looks  exactly  like  a  ‘set’  from 
‘Graustark’  or  one  of  the  musical  com¬ 
edies.” 

“W  hy,  they  are  our  Alpine  carabin¬ 
ieri, ,”  replied  di  Achillo.  “They  are  on 
leave  of  absence  to  celebrate  the  fes¬ 
tival.  The  commanding  officer  is  a  very 
good  friend  of  mine.  Where  is  Captain 
Nievo?”  he  inquired  of  one  of  the  men. 

“He  will  be  here  in  a  minute.  Excel¬ 
lency,”  replied  the  soldier  and  almost 
immediately  a  tall,  fair  man,  typical  of 
the  Milanese,  in  braided  jacket,  entered 
the  room,  in  company  with  Giovanna 
and  another  girl  of  distinctly  plump  pro¬ 
portions  who  proved  to  be  Lucia.  Intro¬ 
ductions  were  made  and  the  party  ad¬ 
journed  to  a  table  that  had  been  spec¬ 
ially  set  for  them.  Toasts  were  drunk 
and  the  Captain  politely  wished  the 
Signor  Carlyle  a  very  pleasant  so¬ 
journ.  “We  are  yours  to  command.” 
he  said,  “Isn’t  that  so,  di  Achillo?” 

“As  Dick  says,  ‘you  bet!’”  Armini 
laughed.  “What  can  we  do  for  you. 
Signor  Riccardo?”  he  glanced  expect¬ 
antly  at  the  girls,  evidently  anticipating 
that  Dick’s  desire  would  be  in  their 
direction. 

“When  we  came  in,  Captain  Nievo. 
your  men  were  singing  a  song  that  had 
a  lot  more  pep  than  most  of  the  rags 
we  go  crazy  about  in  New  York.  W  ill 
you  have  them  sing  it  again  for  me?” 

“  ‘Rags!’  ”  murmured  Armini.  absent¬ 
ly  examining  the  contents  of  his  glass. 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  pleasure 
that  shone  in  the  captain's  face  at  what 
he  took  for  a  very  gracious  compliment 
from  the  American. 

“Carlyle  is  in  our  country  to  study 
music — singing — with  the  great  Ciar- 
pini,”  explained  di  Achillo.  We  came 
up  here  especially  for  the  festa  and  the 
singing  of  our  Alpine  guard  is  certainly 
one  of  the  features.” 

“Ah,  then  you  sing!  That  is  why  we 
somehow  felt  that  you  were  one  of  us,” 
said  Captain  Nievo,  making  a  signal  to 
his  men. 

It  was  stirring  music  and  Dick  mar¬ 
velled  at  the  fine  tone  and  pure  quality 
of  many  of  the  voices.  He  couldn't 
understand  the  words  but  got  the  gist 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

of  their  meaning.  W  hen  the  song  was 
done  and  he  suggested  generous  rounds 
of  drinks  he  was  just  about  the  most 
popular  visitor  that  ever  happened  and 
he  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  praise  and 
appreciation  that  was  showered  on  him. 

“Now,  it’s  your  turn,  Carlyle."  Ar¬ 
mini  told  him. 

“Yes,  please,”  chorused  the  rest.  For 
a  moment  there  swam  before  the  young 
man  a  vision  of  the  last  time  a  gay 
group  had  persuaded  him  to  “do  a  turn" 
at  the  behest  of  a  slender  girl  he  was 
trying  furiously  to  forget.  “All  right.” 
he  said,  and  without  any  pose  of  vocal 
gymnastics  he  chose  one  of  their  own 
Italian  melodies,  “Per  Che?”  and  he 
gloried  in  his  power  as  he  saw  tears  rise 
in  many  eyes,  for  his  voice  was  wonder¬ 
fully  sympathetic  and  he  felt  his  soul 
go  out  to  these  kindly  and  appreciative 
people. 

Then  there  were  more  drinks  of  good 
local  wine  and  a  meal  that  convinced 
Dick  Carlyle  that  he  had  reached  the 
only  spot  on  earth  where  a  man  could 
really  be  satisfactorily  full  of  food.  He 
tried  to  convey  this  thought  to  Giovanna 
and  when  she  shyly  gave  him  her  hand 
with  a  whispered,  “Grazie,  Signor 
Dick,"  he  suddenly  found  himself  kiss¬ 
ing  her  fingertips  with  as  much  grace 
as  though  he  had  been  indulging  in  this 
delightful  form  of  salutation  all  his  life. 

Nie  vo  lifted  his  glass.  “To  the  Signor 
Carlyle,”  he  cried.  “Success!  for  he  is 
destined  to  sing.” 

As  they  were  responding  heartily  to 
this  toast  a  group  of  boys  peeped  in  at 
the  door,  two  of  them  entered  and  were 
informally  named  as  Beppo  and  Cino. 

“Your  brothers?”  asked  Dick  of  Gio¬ 
vanna. 

“No — cousins.  They  are  chimney 

sweeps,”  was  the  reply. 

“Oh !  Do  they  sing  too — or  dance,  or 
juggle,  or  merely  sweep?”  asked  Dick, 
with  would-be  facetiousness. 

“They  sing  the  song  of  the  chimney 
sweep,”  Giovanna  told  him  quite  ser¬ 
iously,  and  upon  their  finishing  what 
Dick  menially  termed  “a  darn  good 
number,”  they  were  greeted  with  much 
warm  applause. 

During  all  this  time,  Lucia  and  Ar¬ 
mini  had  been  engaged  in  making  some 
sort  of  arrangement  that  seemed  to 
promise  them  considerable  satisfaction: 
Vanna,  as  she  was  called,  never  took 
her  huge,  brown  eyes  from  Dick’s  face 
and  when  he  inadvertently  touched  her 
he  sensed  a  delicious  ripple  run  through 
her  soft,  flexible  body,  a  sign  that  she 
was  acutely  aware  of  his  proximity. 

“Where  do  we  go  from  here?”  he 
cried  gaily. 

“You  dance?”  Captain  Nievo  asked. 

“Does  a  duck  swim? — and  how!”  was 
( Turn  to  Pace  72 ) 


71 


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(Continued  from  Page  71) 

the  enthusiastic  retort  in  that  curious 
vernacular  that  was  beyond  even  Ar- 
mini’s  power  of  translation  though  he 
had  learnt  a  lot  since  the  day  he  found 
an  automobile  could  also  be  “a  honey.” 

Since  there  is  a  language  that  young 
people  fortunately  can  often  understand 
even  though  its  words  be  unknown,  a 
congenial  foursome  bade  “adio”  to  Cap¬ 
tain  Nievo  and  made  its  way  to  the 
scene  of  the  great  public  ball  that  was 
also  part  of  the  festival,  where  aristo¬ 
crat  and  peasant  mingled,  the  reins  of 
convention  were  loosened  and  fun  ruled 
supreme. 

The  dance  music  p roved  to  be  just  as 
ravishing  as  the  singing  they  had  heard 
and  something  got  into  Dick  Carlyle's 
blood  which  caused  him  to  pick  Gio- 
vanna  right  off  her  feet  and  whirl  her 
light  form  dizzily  around  him.  then  set¬ 
ting  her  down  he  put  his  arm  around 
her  and  they  swept  onto  the  dance  floor, 
in  perfect  physical  and  emotional  ac¬ 
cord. 

‘'You’re  lovely.”  the  young  man  whis¬ 
pered.  “I’m  crazy  about  you  already. 
How  about  a  date  for  tomorrow?  Will 
you  come  out  on  the  Lake?” 

“It  would  be  wonderful."’  replied  the 
girl,  “but — there  is  Ettore!” 

Dick  stood  stock  still  and  looked  at 
her.  “You’re  not  married ?  I  couldn't 
stand  that.  Who’s  Ettore?” 

“No,  I  am  not  married— yet — but 
Ettore  and  I  were  betrothed  by  our  par¬ 
ents  while  we  were  yet  children.” 

“Do  you  love  him?”  demanded  the 
young  man. 

“Love?  What  is  love?”  sighed  Gio- 
vanna.  drifting  light  as  a  feather  in  his 
arms,  ripe  lips  close  to  his  own.  “He  is 
very  jealous  of  me  but  I — I  am  glad 
that  he  visits  his  father  and  that  you 
are  here.”  was  the  girl’s  ingenuous  con¬ 
fession.  as  she  seemed  to  blend  witli 
him  in  the  seductive  measures  of  the 
dance. 

Before  Dick  could  collect  his  thoughts. 
Armini  and  Lucia  were  beside  them  and 
he  found  that  he  was  expected  to  change 
partners  for  the  next  measure.  The 
plump  and  friendly  Lucia  was  like  tepid 
water  after  heady  champagne  to  Dick 
but  he  managed  a  smile  and  asked. 
“Having  a  good  time?” 

“Armini  and  I  always  make  time 
good.”  the  girl  assured  him.  “And  we 
have  a  plan  for  you  and  Gigi.” 

“What  is  it?” 

“Ell  tell  you  presently.  Listen,  it  is 
the  time  for  us  all  to  sing  Picchia  La 
Porticella.  It’s  a  chorus  we  always  sing 
at  the  festa she  explained. 

The  dancing  stopped,  the  orchestra 
leader  rose,  gave  the  signal  and  immed¬ 
iately  trained  and  untrained  voices  burst 
into  the  glad  song  then,  when  it  was 
over,  applauded  themselves  with  a  gusto 


January,  1937 

that  was  as  infectious  as  it  was  unaf¬ 
fected. 

Dick  was  not  able  to  see  Giovanna 
alone  again  as  the  chorus  proved  to  be 
the  finale  of  the  evening  and  when  he 
inquired  for  her  from  Armini  he  was 
told  she  had  returned  to  the  inn  with 
her  cousins. 

As  the  young  men  walked  hack  to 
their  hotel,  Dick  remarked.  “Say.  Lucia 
told  me  you  were  making  plans  of  some 
sort.  She  delicately  indicated  that  they 
concerned  me  and  Giovanna  too.” 

“Right!  They  start  with  dinner  to¬ 
morrow  evening  at  a  village  high  up  in 
the  mountains  where  there  is  a  church 
you  will  be  crazy  about.” 

“At  the  moment  I  am  afraid  there  are 
things  that  I  am  more  interested  in  than 
churches,  old  man ;  strange  as  it  may 
seem!”  observed  Dick,  sententiously. 

“So  I  surmised — hence  the  arrange¬ 
ment.”  was  di  Achillo's  somewhat  dry 
retort.  “But  let’s  forget  girls  for  the 
moment;  the  night  is  so  magnificent  that 
it  goes  to  my  head  like  wine.  I'll  race 
you  to  the  hotel,”  suddenly  declared 
Armini,  and  forgetting  that  he  was 
really  grown  up,  he  gave  a  loud  whoop 
and  started  off. 

Not  to  he  outdone,  Dick  whooped  too 
hut  suddenly  they  were  brought  to  a 
standstill  by  a  stream  of  shrill  invective 
in  Italian  that  was  quite  beyond  him 
and  a  young  woman,  holding  a  baby  in 
her  arms,  shouted  and  shook  an  angry 
fist  at  them. 

“Gee!  What  have  we  done  to  the 
lady?”  asked  Dick.  “She  seems  slightly 
annoyed !” 

“‘Slightly,’  you  say!  Hum!  Her 
baby  is  sick  and  she  had  just  sung  him 
to  sleep  and  we  wakened  him  with  our 
whoopees,”  explained  Armini. 

“That’s  too  bad.  I’m  sorry,”  cried 
Dick,  impulsively.  “Let’s  have  a  squint 
at  the  bambino.” 

di  Achillo’s  courteous  apologies  had 
somewhat  placated  the  angry  young 
mother  and  she  was  further  mollified 
by  the  admiration  the  two  handsome 
youths  bestowed  upon  her  infant.  As 
she  rocked  him  gently,  she  started  to 
croon  one  of  the  sweetest  lullabies  Dick 
had  ever  heard.  Leaning  against  a  tall 
cypress  tree  he  watched  the  woman  seat 
herself  on  a  bench  as  she  continued  to 
sing.  The  music  appealed  to  his  dis¬ 
turbed  emotions  so  powerfully  that  al¬ 
most  unconsciously  he  found  himself 
humming  an  accompaniment  in  his  clear 
tenor. 

“Ah.  ehe  merveglia!  His  voice  is 
marvellous!”  the  woman  said  softly,  her 
dark  eyes  rapt  with  admiration.  She 
continued  her  song  and  Dick  his  obbli¬ 
gato  then  suddenly  he  had  one  of  his 
quick  changes  of  mood  and  he  turned 
stiffly  on  his  heel  and  walked  away  with¬ 
out  a  word. 


January,  1937 

.Next  evening,  the  most  impatient 
young  man  in  Italy  was  Dick  Carlyle. 
He  and  Armini  called  in  good  time  at 
the  Albergo  delle  San  Vivaldo  and  when 
Giovanna  appeared  his  heart  pounded 
so  it  almost  choked  him.  His  inamor¬ 
ata  was  quite  evidently  arrayed  in  her 
hest  clothes.  Her  jet-black  hair  was 
coquettishly  arranged  with  a  large  comb. 
She  was  wearing  a  black  satin  dress  and 
red  pumps  that  vied  in  color  with  her 
ripe  red  lips  and  matched  the  flowers 
embroidered  lavishly  on  the  shawl  that 
put  the  finishing  touch  to  her  costume. 

‘'You  are  just  too  wonderful,”  he  told 
her  breathlessly  and  while  Armini  greet¬ 
ed  Lucia,  he  quickly  bent  his  head  and 
kissed  her  soft  mouth. 

“Oh.  you  mustn’t!”  she  chided  him, 
uncertainly. 

His  answering  look  spoke  volumes 
then  he  gaily  shook  hands  with  Lucia 
and  they  all  bundled  into  the  car. 

The  dinner  was  gay  and  plentifully 
accompanied  by  several  kinds  of  excel¬ 
lent  local  wine.  As  soon  as  they  had 
finished  Armini  took  Lucia’s  hand  and 
said.  “I  hope  you  won’t  mind  but  Lu 
and  I  have  a  call  to  make.  Gigi  will 
show  you  around,  Dick  and  we’ll  ‘be 
seeing  you’  as  you  say  in  America.” 

“Swell  guy!”  observed  Dick  in  En¬ 
glish.  “Shall  we  walk,  madonna  mia — - 
it’s  such  a  glorious  evening,”  and  he  put 
his  hand  protectingly  round  his  com¬ 
panion’s  elbow. 

She  led  the  way  through  the  winding 
streets,  passing  women  in  various  cos¬ 
tumes,  some  with  cloth  leggings  and 
short,  dark  blue  cloth  petticoats  em¬ 
broidered  in  colors;  others  in  skirts  of 
plaited  black  silk  with  fancy  jackets, 
silver  necklaces  and  spreading  head¬ 
dresses,  but  none  so  lovely  and  pictur¬ 
esque  as  Giovanna  Gonnelli.  thought  her 
escort. 

They  left  the  village  and  had  a  mag¬ 
ical  world  to  themselves.  In  the  dis¬ 
tance  they  could  see  shadowed  olive 
groves  and  sometimes  yokes  of  white 
oxen  with  scarlet  fringes  above  their 
meditative  eyes,  moved  past,  the  day’s 
work  done,  with  solemn  deliberateness. 
They  came  to  a  simple  shrine  in  a  small 
clearing  and  here,  on  sweet,  lush  grass, 
they  both  with  one  accord,  sank  down. 

It  did  not  seem  a  night  for  conversa¬ 
tion.  There  was  a  sort  of  hushed  ex¬ 
pectancy  in  the  air  that  communicated 
itself  to  the  youth  and  the  maiden.  He 
took  her  hand,  counting  the  small  fin¬ 
gers,  crooning  over  them  and  pretending 
to  bite,  at  which  they  laughed  happily 
for  no  other  reason  but  the  sheer  joy 
of  being  together. 

“Look  at  the  stars,  they  are  so  large 
and  brilliant,”  whispered  Giovanna.  her 
head  against  his  shoulder. 

He  turned  her  quickly.  “I  would 
rather  look  into  your  eyes.  Gigi  mia. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

They  are  stars  that  carry  the  message  I 
want  to  read.” 

Her  heavy,  white  lids  fluttered  and 
somehow  his  lips  found  hers.  For  a 
long  while  only  strange  little  quivering 
sounds  and  soft  laughter  mingled  with 
the  silence,  the  air  was  charged  with 
fiercely  emotional  vibrations,  the  lang¬ 
uage  that  is  universal  and  needs  no 
words. 

When  Giovanna  reached  her  room 
dawn  was  breaking  but  she  knew  it  not. 
Her  whole  being  was  conscious  only  of 
great  waves  of  ecstasy  through  which 
anything  that  was  not  herself  or  Dick 
Carlyle,  seemed  as  vague,  cold  shadows 
in  a  mist. 

As  the  months  rolled  by  there  proved 
to  be  little  time  for  love-making  for 
Signor  Ciarpini  was  a  ruthless  master. 
Breathing  exercises,  scales,  endless  vocal 
practice  filled  Dick  Carlyle’s  days,  for 
they  were  at  Ciarpini’s  conservatorio  in 
the  hill  region  above  the  Roman  Cam- 
pagna.  The  weather  had  been  very 
warm  and  Dick  was  suffering  from  a 
decided  slump.  Sitting  in  the  garden  he 
pulled  an  old  letter  from  his  mother,  out 
of  his  pocket.  It  was  the  first  intima¬ 
tion  he  had  received  of  Joan  but  it  had 
reached  him  after  the  memorable  trip 
to  Santa  Maria  and  the  awakening  of 
his  wild  desire  for  Giovanna  Gonnelli. 
He  read  it  again: 

“Dickie  dearest: 

It  scarcely  seems  possible  that 
you  have  really  gone  to  Italy  with 
the  great  Ciarpini.  I  suppose  you 
already  have  mastered  quite  a  lot 
of  the  language  and  will  be  able  to 
say  all  those  cute  things  that  sound 
so  charming.  Father  and  I  are 
both  well  but  I  must  tell  you  what 
happened  to  Joan  Preston.  It  ap¬ 
pears  that  she  and  Homer  Wallace 
must  have  found  something  to  in¬ 
terest  them  so  that  they  forgot  the 
time  until  it  was  very  late!  I  don  t 
want  to  shock  you,  my  boy,  but 
they  had  an  accident  getting  back 
to  Greenwich.  At  the  time  it  seemed 
rather  serious.  It  was  Joan's  fault 
though  really  one  cannot  blame  her 
for  she  said  it  was  because  she  was 
so  anxious  to  see  you  before  you 
sailed.  She  grabbed  the  wheel  from 
him,  or  something  and  he  is  furious 
and  won’t  look  at  her  because  his 
new  car  was  badly  damaged  and  he 
got  a  nasty  cut  over  one  eye  that 
has  left  a  scar.  Joan  was  uncon¬ 
scious  for  hours  and  hasn’t  seemed 
the  same  since.  She  said  she  was 
writing  you  so  I  suppose  by  this 
time  you  know  all  about  it. 

I  do  hope  you  are  studying  hard 
and  keeping  out  of  mischief. 

Much  love  from  Dad  and  your 
loving,  Mother.” 

(Turn  to  Page  74) 


73 


UNITED  AIR  LINES 

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FIRST  TIME 
IN  HISTORY 

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BREAKS  with  new 
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CANYON. 


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Express  Offers  a 
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trips! 


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New  scenic  Flight  over 
World-Famous  Beauty 
Spot. 

CEDAR  BREAKS 

West’s  finest  example 
of  natural  grandeur. 


TICKETS  .  .  . 

HOTELS;  TRAVEL 
BUREAUS;  TELE¬ 
GRAPH  OFFICES 


THREE  FLIGHTS  DAILY 


Lv.  Los  Angeles 

1:15P.M. 

7:00P.M. 

11.15P.M 

Ar.  Las  Vegas  . 

.  2:50P.M. 

8:40  P.M. 

12:50P.M 

Ar.  Salt  Lake 

.  6:20P.M. 

11:55P.M. 

4: 10A.M 

Ar.  Denver  . 

,11:35P.M. 

3:50A.M. 

10:00A.M 

Ar.  Chicago  .... 

.  3:29P.M. 

9:12A.M. 

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7:15P.M 

Scenic  Flight  leaves  at  1:15  P.M. 


LOS  ANGELES  CITY  TICKET  OFFICE 
508  W.  6th  St.,  TRinity  3434 

HOLLYWOOD  OFFICE 
6635  Hollywood  Blvd.,  Hollywood  5846 


74 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January,  1937 


“I  guess  she  changed  her  mind  about 
writing,”  mused  Dick,  a  trifle  bitterly. 

He  felt  slightly  guilty  as  he  reviewed 
his  own  interest  in  Giovanna  Gonnelli. 
who,  after  all  was  really  only  a  peasant 
although  she  w'as  so  pretty  and  intelli¬ 
gent.  While  he  was  not  quite  so  crazy 
about  her  now  he  still  found  it  extreme¬ 
ly  pleasant  to  make  occasional  trips 
back  into  the  village  beside  Lake  Como. 
Of  course,  he  only  went  when  Gigi  made 
the  arrangement  and  he  never  asked 
about  Ettore  any  more.  Armini  had 
made  some  rather  pointed  remarks 
about  Ettore’s  jealousy  and  what  he 
would  do  if  he  found  out  that  his  sweet¬ 
heart  was  not  faithful  but  Dick  was 
still  too  young  seriously  to  worry  about 
trouble  that  might  never  happen. 

He  remembered  one  week-end.  a  four¬ 
some  shared  with  Armini  and  Lucia 
when  Giovanna  had  upbraided  him  in 
sudden  anger  when  he  mentioned  a  pic¬ 
nic  with  his  friends  at  home  and  his 
voice  dwelt  caressingly  on  the  name  of 
Joan  Preston. 

“You  still  love  her,  your  cold  Amer¬ 
ican  girl,”  Gigi  had  cried  vehemently. 
“Yet  she  has  never  been  to  you  what  I 
have  been — she  would  think  it  was  not 
nice  to  give  herself  to  you  just  for  love.” 

“Leave  Miss  Preston  out  of  this.” 
Dick  answered  in  a  hard  voice. 

“I  won’t!  I  hate  her!  Have  you  for¬ 
gotten  the  hours  we  have  spent  together, 
all  the  sweet  things  you  have  said!  Have 
I  measured  my  love  for  you — no!  Yet 
some  day  you  will  go  back  to  her  and 
I  shall  kill  myself!” 

“Don’t  talk  like  that."  Dick  said  im¬ 
patiently.  “After  all,  you  have  Ettore.” 

“Ettore!  Yes,  in  his  way  he  adores 
me  but  he,  he  is  so  jealous!  If  he  found 
out  about  us  his  revenge  would  be  ter¬ 
rible  .  .  .  his  knife  would  cut  like  the 
lightning.” 

“But  if  you  are  clever  he  will  not 
find  out,”  Dick  had  countered,  wishing 
she  were  not  quite  so  wild  and  uncon¬ 
trolled  in  voice  and  gesture.  Eor  an¬ 
swer,  she  had  thrown  herself  wildly  onto 
his  breast  and  kissed  him  with  a  passion 
that,  for  the  first  time,  he  sensed  was 
not  altogether  genuine.  He  patted  her 
shoulder  gently  and  gave  her  a  brooch 
that  she  had  several  times  admired,  pin¬ 
ning  it  to  the  front  of  her  bodice,  the 
while  she  continued  to  caress  his  strong 
hands  with  lips  that  trembled. 

So,  from  time  to  time  he  had  contin¬ 
ued  to  see  her  and  it  amused  him  to  hear 
Ciarpini’s  comments  on  the  improved 
quality  of  his  voice  after  these  excur¬ 
sions.  Ciarpini  was  wise.  He  encour¬ 
aged  occasionally  the  trips  to  Santa 
Maria,  having  been  young  himself,  but 
he  encouraged  still  more  a  growing 
comradeship  with  Maria  di  Achillo.  who 
was  also  very  much  in  love  with  his 
(Turn  to  page  76) 


CONTEST  RULES 

How  often  haven't  you  heard  theater  goers  say:  "That  picture 
would  have  been  so  much  better  if  the  lead  had  been  played  by 
some  one  else,"  usually  naming  their  choice  for  the  part.  Every 
patron  of  motion  pictures  is,  in  a  manner  of  speaking  a  casting 
director,  because,  in  the  final  analysis,  it  is  public  demand,  ex¬ 
pressed  via  the  box  office,  which  determines  at  least  the  type  of 
roles  that  the  various  artists  are  cast  to  play. 

But  few  of  those  who  attend  theaters  are  ever  given  a  chance 
to  express,  more  than  indirectly,  their  personal  choices  for  the 
actual  parts. 

To  provide  this  opportunity,  and  to  bring  public  reaction  to 
competent  casting  more  concretely  to  the  studios,  the  Motion  Picture 
Studio  Insider  is  running  this  casting  contest.  You  express  your 
preference,  and  besides,  demonstrate  your  ability  to  pick  stars  for 
the  various  parts.  In  this  issue  appears  the  second  installment  of 
"Destined  to  Sing''  an  original  three  part  story  especially  written 
for  screen  dramatization.  Read  it  in  its  entirety,  then  fill  out  the 
official  entry  blank  with  your  choices,  and  write  us  why  you  have 
selected  the  actors  and  actresses  for  the  various  parts. 

Be  sure  to  read  the  rules  before  you  send  your  entry.  And 
remember,  it  is  the  judgment  you  use  in  your  selections  that  will 
determine  the  winners — not  flowery  nor  elaborate  writing. 


1  Every  reader  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Studio  Insider  (except 
members  of  the  staff,  and 
their  families)  is  eligible  to 
compete  in  this  casting  con¬ 
test. 

2  To  be  eligible  for  prizes,  all 
entries  must  be  made  on  offi¬ 
cial  entry  blank.  Clip  or  paste 
it  firmly  to  the  letter  you 
write.  Send  as  many  as  you 
wish. 

3  At  the  conclusion  of  the  story 
write  a  letter,  not  exceeding 
five  hundred  words  giving 
your  reasons  for  your  selec¬ 
tions.  (Logic  counts  more 
than  literary  ability.) 

4  Decisions  of  the  judges  will 
be  final.  In  case  of  ties,  dup¬ 
licate  awards  will  be  made. 

5  Entries,  to  be  considered, 
must  be  postmarked  not  later 
than  midnight,  March  15th, 
1937  . 

6  Address  all  entries  to  the 
Casting  Contest  Editor,  The 
Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider, 
6425  Hollywood  Blvd.,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 


$250.00 


1 


First  Prize  $100.00 
Second  Prize  $  50.00 
Third  Prize  $  25.00 
Fifteen  other  prizes  of 
$5.00  each 


/ 


Official  Entry  Blank 
The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 
Casting  Contest 

Opposite  the  name  of  the  story 
character,  fill  in  the  name  of  the 
motion  picture  actor  or  actress 
you  think  could  best  protray  the 
part. 


Name  of  Character 


Your  Choice 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


1  o 

NATIONALLY  RECOGNIZED  AUTHORITY  ON  VOICE  INSTRUCTION 


NORMAN  WINTER 


Prepared  such 
Renowned  Artists 


as 

Harry  Stockwell 

M.G.M.  Singing  Star 

Dora  Gibson 

Formerly  of  Chicago  Grand  Opera 

Milton  Watson 

Radio  Star 

Rosalind  Russell 

Screen  Star 

Frank  Baker 

Stage  and  Concert  Star 

Charles  Purcell 

Screen  Star 

Mary  Ardith 
Billie  Bellport 
Margaret  Ervine 


1928  North  Vine  Street 
Hollywood,  California 


Telephone 
HEmpstead  0865 


76 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January ,  1937 


(Continued  from  Page  74) 

pupil.  The  hours  the  two  young  people 
spent  practicing  duets  or  just  studying 
together  meant  everything  to  the  gentle 
daughter  of  his  old  friend,  but  although 
Dick  benefited  from  the  pleasant  asso¬ 
ciation  he  treated  Maria  like  a  younger 
sister  and  seemed  all  unaware  of  the 
secret  so  plainly  revealed  by  her  tell¬ 
tale  glances.  He  took  her  to  dances, 
properly  chaperoned,  and  spent  much  of 
his  spare  time  at  her  home  but  more  and 
more  he  became  absorbed  in  his  music 
and  girls  mattered  less  and  less. 

Came  the  last  year  of  Dick  Carlyle's 
sojourn  in  Italy  and  it  passed  like  a 
flash.  He  sang  at  several  concerts  given 
in  different  Italian  cities  and  even 
achieved  acclaim  in  the  historic  La  Scala 
where  Maestro  Ciarpini  finally  launch¬ 
ed  his  most  gifted  pupils.  After  that 
triumph  success  followed  success. 

"Do  you  know.  Maestro,  I  believe 
when  the  season  is  ended  I  will  return 
to  America.”  he  observed  hesitatingly, 
one  day  when  a  letter  from  his  mother 
had  aroused  a  fierce  nostalgia  for  his 
native  land. 

‘■Just  what  I  was  planning,  my  boy,” 
returned  his  teacher.  “As  you  know.  I 
have  to  be  in  New  York  in  October  and 
I  believe  the  time  has  come  when  you 
should  be  heard  in  your  own  country. 
But.  '  he  added  slyly,  “I  rather  think  a 
certain  letter  from  your  dear  mother  has 
had  something  to  do  with  your  deci¬ 
sion.” 

Dicked  laughed,  for  there  had  been 
a  post-script  to  his  mother’s  letter  in 
the  dear  handwriting  of  Joan  Preston. 
Only  a  few  lines,  warm  and  friendly, 
but  they  had  bridged  the  intervening 
years  and  filled  the  young  man  with 
loneliness  and  longing  for  a  slim,  cap¬ 
able  girl  who  did  not  resort  to  extra¬ 
vagant  tantrums  and  unholy  scenes  to 
gain  her  way  but  was  sweet  and  poised 
and.  Oh. — American.  I  guess,  thought 
Dick.  The  note  rang  true  and  had  a 
delightful  sense  of  humor  in  its  few 
words,  humor  that  Italian  girls  seemed 
to  lack. 

He  had  grown  very  handsome  and 
was  now  completely  a  man  of  the  world 
and  an  artist  who  was  absolutely  sure 
of  himself :  equal  to  handling  any  situ¬ 
ation  so  when  he  received  a  most  pres¬ 
sing  invitation  to  spend  a  last  holiday 
with  Giovanna  he  decided  in  favor 
of  the  trip  because,  as  he  expressed 
it.  he  “didn’t  want  to  go  away  with 
a  nasty  taste  in  his  mouth,”  where  she 
was  concerned.  She  assured  him  that 
she  would  not  urge  him  to  stay,  nor 
would  she  make  a  scene  nor  make  the 
farewell  anything  hut  a  sweet  one. 

Dick  went  up  to  Santa  Maria  alone, 
arriving  early  in  the  day.  He  called 
for  Gigi  but  found  her  in  one  of  her 


rare  somber  moods.  She  lead  him  to 
an  arbor  where  they  had  spent  many 
happy  hours  and  pulled  him  down  be¬ 
side  her  on  a  flower-scented  bench.  Her 
face  pressed  against  his  breast  she 
wound  her  strong  arms  tightly  around 
him. 

“Take  Gigi  to  America.”  she  wheed¬ 
led. 

“W  hy,  dearest,  you  know  that  is  im¬ 
possible.”  he  replied,  uneasily. 

“But  I  will  be  so  good  and  I  will  take 
care  of  you.”  she  went  on,  her  voice 
rising  slightly. 

“I  know  you  would,  but  you  would 
not  be  happy  away  from  your  people. 
It  would  be  foolish  for  you  to  leave 
them.”  Dick  said  gently. 

“It  isn’t  that!”  the  girl  burst  forth  in 
a  shrill  tone.  “You  are  making  up  lies. 
You  don't  love  me — you  never  have  or 
you  would  take  me  with  you.” 

“But  not  if  you  would  be  unhappy  in 
America.”  Dick  temporized. 

“0,  you  and  your  talk,”  Giovanna 
cried  angrily.  “You  are  tired  of  me 
and  you  want  your  sweetheart,  that  cold, 
proud  Joan.  I  knowr  she  has  written  to 
you  lately,  that’s  what  makes  you  want 
to  go  home.” 

“But  you  have  Ettore,  who  wants  to 
marry  you  and  who  will  make  you 
happy.  Don’t  let  us  part  bad  friends. 
Gigi.  We  have  had  so  much  fun  to¬ 
gether.” 

“‘Fun!’  Yes,  that’s  all  it  was  to  you 
but  it  meant  more  than  that  to  me.  I 
won’t  let  you  go  back  to  that  white¬ 
faced  girl.  If  I  tell  Ettore  that  you 
have  been  my  lover,  he  will  kill  you.  as 
I  have  often  said.” 

Her  voice  had  risen  to  a  scream  that 
ended  abruptly  as  footsteps  sounded 
quickly  approaching  the  arbor. 

“What  were  you  saying,  Giovanna?” 
demanded  a  man’s  hoarse  voice,  and  the 
shadow  of  a  towering  figure  in  woods¬ 
man’s  costume,  fell  athwart  the  entrance. 

There  was  a  moment  of  dead  silence, 
then  Giovanna  darted  to  him  and  flung 
herself  into  his  arms,  clinging  to  him 
and  crying  noisily. 

“My  Ettore!  The  American!  He  in¬ 
sulted  me.  He  tried  to  kiss  me — and 
worse,  against  my  will.  But  you  will 
save  your  Giovanna,  won’t  you,  Ettore 

•  99 

mio. 

He  put  her  from  him.  “What  is 
this  she  says.  Signor?”  he  demanded 
harshly.  “Is  it  true?” 

Dick  felt  that  he  was  indeed  “on  the 
spot.”  He  either  had  to  make  a  woman 
out  to  be  a  liar  or  appear  guilty  of 
philandering  when  such  diversion  had 
ceased  to  interest  him.  He  tried  to  be 
dignified  and  inwardly  cursed  himself 
for  getting  into  the  mess. 


“I  guess  there  is  nothing  I  can  say,” 
he  made  as  though  he  would  leave  the 
arbor,  "beyond  the  fact  that  there  has 
been  a  misunderstanding.” 

But  Ettore  still  blocked  the  way  and 
as  the  other  man  strode  towards  him 
his  arm  shot  out  and  Dick  received  a 
cruel  slap  across  his  mouth. 

Then  it  was  the  old  Kingston  boxing 
lessons  that  stood  him  in  good  stead. 
He  grabbed  his  adversary’s  thick  wrist 
and  twisted  it  painfully  but  Ettore  whip¬ 
ped  out  a  villainous  looking  knife.  Gio¬ 
vanna  gave  a  piercing  shriek  as  she  saw 
it  flash  then  start  down  like  lightning. 
But  Dick  was  quicker.  His  fist  with 
knuckles  of  steel,  rammed  the  burly 
Italian  full  under  the  jaw  and  he  went 
down  like  a  felled  ox.  The  girl  sank 
to  her  knees  beside  him  with  wild  pro¬ 
testations  of  love,  but  Dick  rushed  away 
through  the  garden,  into  his  car,  throw¬ 
ing  the  throttle  wide  open.  As  the  steep 
road  fell  away  behind  him,  he  ejacu¬ 
lated:  “Whew!  W  hat  an  escape /” 

(To  be  Concluded) 

Copyright  1936  by  the  Authors 

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★A 


MERLE  ARMITAGE 

OFFERS 

DORIS  KENYON 

DEC.  4 

★ 

THE  GREAT  WALTZ 

ENTIRE  PRODUCTION  OF  THE  GREATEST 
THEATRICAL  PRODUCTION  OF  OUR  TIME 
COMES  DIRECT  FROM  TWO  YEARS  AT 
RADIO  CITY.  NEW  YORK 
OPENING  XMAS  NIGHT,  DEC.  25 
FOR  11  PERFORMANCES 

★ 

MORIZ  ROSENTHAL 

JAN.  11 

★ 

ERICA  MORINI 

FEB.  9 

★ 

JOHN  CHARLES  THOMAS 

APRIL  9 

★ 

MARTHA  GRAHAM 
AND  HER  ENTIRE  DANCE  GROUP 
APRIL  16 

TICKETS  AT  EAST  BOX  OFFICE 
MI-8401 

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ 


January,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


EL  Encanto  cEfotE  and 


SAN  T'A  BARBARA 
CALIFORNIA 


A  winding  road  leads  you  to  the  Riviera  of  Santa 
Barbara.  Here,  overlooking  city  and  sea  amidst 
a  veritable  Eden  of  trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers, 
the  "Enchanted"  El  Encanto  stands.  At  once  you 
are  impressed  with  the  sense  of  peace  and  quieti- 
tude  which  pervades  the  spot  ....  and  you 
will  understand  wherefrom  this  famous  hostelry 
derives  its  name  .... 

" THE  ENCHANTMENT" 


Villa 

El  Carina 
(Fondness  and 
Affection) 


he  Main  Building, 
is  set  amid  tall 
lucalyptus,  lawns 
d  flower  gardens 


The  Bridal  Chambei 
at  El  Encanto 


A  Studio  Living 
Room  at  El  Encanh 


Villa 
°ozo  de  Deseo 


Wishing  Well) 


e  restful,  flower- 
bedecked  Main 
Dining  Room 


The  guests  at  El  Encanto  enjoy  the  finest  of 
accommodations,  the  best  of  cuisine,  perfect 
unobtrusive  service,  in  fact  everything  that 
makes  life  enjoyable 


American  Plan  (Rooms  with  meals) 

Single  from  $7.00  per  day  --  Double  from  $12.00 
Parlor  Suites  available  at  slightly  higher  rates 
European  Plan  rates  on  request 
Separate  diet  kitchen  in  charge  of  graduate  dietitian 


“SEE  AMERICA  FIRST” 


cSsfjzn  minutz±  horn  tfiz  tisaxt  of  Jbanha  J3 axUrara  fju  xzautaz  !ji 


TU±  6.ZIOLCZ 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


Junuurv,  1937 


ANALYTICAL  REVIEWS 


Go  West  Young  Man 


Born  to  Dance 


Reunion 


(Paramount) 


Metro-Goldwyn-Maver 


(20th  Century-Fox) 


CAST: 

Mae  West,  Warren  William,  Randolph 
Scott,  Alice  Brady,  Elizabeth  Patterson,  Lyle 
Talbot.  Isabel  Jewell,  Margaret  Perry.  Jack 
La  Rue. 


CREDITS 

Producer,  Emanuel  Cohen.  Director,  Henry 
Hathaway.  Assistant  director.  Holly  Morse. 
Original  story,  Lawrence  Riley.  Screen  play 
and  dialogue  ,Mae  West.  Art  director,  Wiard 
Ihnen.  Editor,  Ray  Curtis.  Sound,  Hugo 
Orenzbach.  Photography,  Karl  Struss,  A.S.C. 
Music  director,  George  Stoll.  Gowns,  Irene 
Jones. 

• 

TYPE: 

Sophisticated  comedy  of  the  Mae  West 
brand,  which  is  usually  the  same  in  each  pic¬ 
ture.  West  fans  might  like  it.  The  children 
will  lie  bored. 

• 

TECHNIQUE: 

The  story,  which  was  once  a  rattling  good 
play  as  “Personal  Appearance”  is  very  weak 
and  shaky.  To  further  confound  the  behold¬ 
er,  Mae  West  is  in  the  foreground  of  each 
scene,  so  that  the  capable  surrounding  cast  is 
relegated  to  the  background.  The  picture 
suffers  from  poor  timing  of  lines,  un-spark- 
ling  dialogue  and  overworked  situations.  Alice 
Brady  is  swamped  in  a  role  that  could  have 
been  done  by  an  extra.  Randolph  Scott  as 
the  country  boy  seems  ill-at-ease  in  his  role. 
Warren  William  stands  up  well  against  the 
West  technique,  but  his  lines  fail  to  register 
particularly.  What  started  out  to  be  a  trav¬ 
esty  of  motion  pictures  turns  out  to  be  a 
travesty  of  itself.  This  picture  Hites  itself 
and  dies  of  its  own  poison. 


SYNOPSIS: 

K  famous  picture  star  is  stranded  in  a 
country  town  and  attempts  to  be-dazzle  the 
eyes  of  a  simple  country  youth.  Her  man¬ 
ager  saves  the  situation  by  giving  her  a 
chance  to  be  theatrically  sacrificing  and  the 
star  is  safe  for  Hollywood,  leaving  the  coun¬ 
try  boy  safe  for  his  bucolic  sweetheart. 


RATING: 

A  rather  tiresome  repetition  of  the  West 
formulae  without  any  leavening  of  spontan¬ 
eity  to  relieve  it.  if  you  are  one  of  Mae's 
fans,  you  might  be  disappointed — if  you  are 
not  you  will  he  disgusted. 


CAST: 

Eleanor  Powell,  James  Stewart,  Virginia 
Bruce,  Una  Merkel,  Sid  Silvers,  Frances 
Langford,  Raymond  Walburn,  Alan  Dinehart, 
Buddy  Ebsen,  William  and  Joe  Mandel, 
Juanita  Quigley. 


CREDITS: 

Producer,  Louis  B.  Mayer.  Associate  pro¬ 
ducer,  Jack  Cummings.  Director,  Roy  Del 
Ruth.  Story,  Jack  MacGowan,  Sid  Silvers 
and  B.  G.  De  Silva.  Photography,  Ray  June, 
A.S.C.  Songs,  Cole  Porter.  Musical  Director, 
Alfred  Newman.  Dances,  Dave  Gould.  Film 
Editor,  Blanche  Sewell.  Marine  Advisor,  Com¬ 
mander  Harvey  S.  Haislip. 


TYPE: 

One  of  those  big,  lavish  song  and  dance 
pictures.  It's  tuneful,  breezy  and  light  enter¬ 
tainment  for  any  kind  of  audience. 


TECHNIQUE: 

The  story  isn’t  much  hut  the  way  that  it  is 
handled  is  a  great  deal.  The  entire  picture 
is  really  a  series  of  sequences,  with  each 
division  excelling  in  its  own  field.  There  are 
comedy  spots,  dance  ensembles,  songs  and 
nearly  everything  you  can  think  of  all  strung 
neatly  and  smoothly  together  by  some  of  the 
cleverest  cutting  imaginable,  supervised  by 
Blanche  Sewell.  Eleanor  Powell’s  dancing 
continues  to  delight  with  its  skill,  while 
Eleanor’s  acting  retails  its  naturalness  and 
wholesome  charm.  Camera  work  is  excellent. 
Helen  Troy  in  a  bit  part  registers  a  comedy 
hit.  The  big  finale  number  is  on  a  par  with 
“Ziegfeld’’  for  lavish  expenditure,  and  in  spite 
of  this  it  does  not  distort  the  whole  picture, 
which  is  a  credit  to  director  Roy  Del  Ruth. 

• 

SYNOPSIS: 

The  Navy  story  with  embellishments,  in 
which  the  girl  is  given  an  understudy  role  to 
a  big  star,  all  arranged  by  her  sailor  admirer, 
and  on  the  opening  night — !  The  rest  is 
routine,  hut  the  treatment  makes  it  worth¬ 
while. 


RATING: 

One  of  the  hest  of  the  musicals  to  be  seen. 
From  start  to  finish  it  is  a  pleasing  and  gen¬ 
uinely  entertaining  picture. 


CAST: 

The  Dionne  Quintuplets,  Jean  Hersholt. 
Rochelle  Hudson,  Helen  Vinson,  Slim  Sum¬ 
merville,  Robert  Kent,  John  Qualen,  Dorothy 
Peterson,  Alan  Dinehart,  Sara  Haden,  Tom 
Moore.  George  Ernest,  Esther  Ralston,  Maude 
Eburne. 


CREDITS: 

Producer,  Darryl  Zanuck.  Associate  pro¬ 
ducer,  Bogart  Rogers.  Director,  Norman 
Taurog.  Story,  Bruce  Gould.  Screenplay. 
Sam  Heilman,  Gladys  Lehman,  Sonya  Levien. 
Photography,  Daniel  B.  Clark.  Musical  di¬ 
rection,  Emil  Newman.  Film  editor.  Jack 
Murray.  Assistant  director,  Ed  O'Fearna. 


TYPE: 

Human  interest  comedy-drama  which  pro¬ 
vides  entertainment  for  young  or  old. 

TECHNIQUE: 

A  rather  unique  plot  idea  is  carried  through 
with  finesse  by  the  use  of  good  direction  and 
able  cutting.  There  are  a  few  weak  spots 
hut  the  story  is  brightened  by  the  Quins,  who 
take  top  acting  honors  by  just  being  them¬ 
selves.  Jean  Hersholt  scores  again  as  the 
lovable  country  doctor,  and  Slim  Summerville 
carries  a  top  comedy  role  with  excellent  effect. 
Others  in  the  cast  are  up  to  high  form  and 
the  whole  picture  is  bright  and  carried 
through  with  an  eye  to  entertainment.  The 
photography  is  very  good  and  the  dialogue 
sparkles  with  genial  humour  and  a  fresh  wit 
that  aids  in  making  the  technique  of  the 
picture  well  done.  The  Quins  are  handled 
beautifully  and  there  is  enough  footage  of 
them  in  action  to  satisfy  the  interested  aud¬ 
ience  completely. 

• 

SYNOPSIS: 

The  title  indicates  the  plot,  which  is  a 
reunion  of  all  the  people  brought  into  the 
world  by  the  country  doctor  who  ushered  in 
the  Quins.  It’s  a  "Grand  Hotel”  idea,  as  the 
plots  interweave  and  become  entangled,  with 
the  doctor  unravelling  the  tangled  lives  of  his 
patients  with  homely  skill.  The  idea  is  work¬ 
ed  out  without  resorting  to  any  confusing 
technique,  which  is  in  itself  a  surprise. 

• 

RATING: 

Grand  entertainment  packed  witli  good 
laughs  and  fresh  situations.  Well  worth 
seeing. 


lanuary,  1937 

OF  NEW 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

PICTURES 

by  PAULINE  GALE 


79 


The  Garden  of  Allah 


(United  Artists') 
Selzniek  International 


CAST: 

Marlene  Dietrich,  Charles  Boyer,  Rasil 
Rathbone,  C.  Aubrey  Smith,  Tilly  Losch, 
Joseph  Schildkraut,  Alan  Marshall,  John 
Carradine,  Lucile  Watson,  Helen  Jerome 
Eddy. 


CREDITS: 

Producer,  David  0.  Selzniek.  Director, 
Richard  Boleslawski,  Original  story,  Robert 
Hichens.  Screen  play,  W.  P.  Lipscomp  and 
Lynn  Riggs.  Assistant  Producer,  Willis  Gold- 
heck.  Music,  Max  Steiner.  Photography,  W. 
Howard  Green  and  Harold  Rosson.  Associate 
Photographers,  Virgil  Miller,  Wilfred  Cline 
and  Robert  Carney.  Special  effects.  Jack 
Cosgrove.  Color  designer,  Lansing  C.  Holden. 
Color  supervisor,  Natalie  Kalmus  .  Settings, 
Sturges  Carne.  Costumes,  Ernst  Dryden. 
Assistant  director,  Eric  Stacey.  Recorder, 
Earl  A.  Wolcott. 


TYPE: 

Serious  drama  against  a  colorful  back¬ 
ground.  Essentially  an  adult  picture  as  to 
story,  hut  the  color  will  he  appreciated  by 
all  ages  and  classes. 

• 

TECHNIQUE: 

First,  to  the  five  photographers  go  top 
honors  for  truly  beautiful  pictures  in  exquisite 
color.  The  sunsets  on  the  desert  are  breath¬ 
taking  in  their  loveliness.  To  Max  Steiner, 
next,  goes  due  honor  for  music  which  en¬ 
hances  the  story  and  weaves  a  thread  of  en¬ 
chantment  through  the  picture.  Charles  Boyer 
and  Marlene  Dietrich  enact  their  parts  with 
warmth  and  the  supporting  cast,  with  Joseph 
Schildkraut  in  particular,  is  effective.  A 
drawback  is  the  slowness  with  which  the  story 
unfolds,  hut  that  is  offset  by  the  beauty  of 
the  photography  and  the  color.  It  is  a  paced 
drama,  geared  for  color. 


SYNOPSIS: 

Who  doesn't  know  the  Robert  Hichen’s 
classic,  which  portrays  the  meeting  of  an 
escaped  monk  in  the  desert  with  a  beautiful 
woman — of  their  happy  marriage  and  of  their 
unhappy  parting  when  he  returns  to  the 
Monastery  to  live  out  his  vows  in  silence? 

• 

RATING: 

Highly  recommended  for  its  beauty,  but 
the  unhappy  story  is  spun  out  on  a  long 
thread.  The  fact  that  the  thread  is  of  color 
makes  this  a  memorable  picture. 


Winterset 

R  K  O 
RADIO 


(RKO-Radio) 

CAST: 

Burgess  Meredith,  Margo,  Eduardo  C.ianelli. 
John  Carradine,  Edward  Ellis,  Paul  Guilfoyle, 
Mischa  Auer,  Barbara  Pepper. 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  Pandro  S.  Berman.  Director, 
Alfred  Santell.  Original  play.  Maxwell  An¬ 
derson.  Screenplay,  Anthony  Veiller.  Photog- 
derson.  Screenplay,  Anthony  Veiller.  Photo¬ 
graphy,  Peverell  Marley,  A.S.C.  Special  effects. 
Music  arrangements,  Maurice  de  Packh.  Film 
editor,  William  Hamilton. 

TYPE: 

A  haunting  tragedy  played  against  drab 
backgrounds.  Appealing  to  lovers  of  drama 
and  the  mental  type  of  story.  Definitely 
adult  in  theme. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Similar  in  technique  to  the  “Informer”  this 
stage  play,  acclaimed  as  the  best  of  1935,  is 
brought  to  the  screen  with  faithful  rendition 
and  a  sincere  attempt  to  do  it  justice.  Acting 
honors  go  to  Burgess  Meredith  and  Margo, 
the  tjvo  leads,  who  enact  their  stage  roles  for 
the  screen  with  warmth  and  conviction.  The 
surrounding  cast  supports  with  artistry.  There 
is  a  rhythm  and  flow  to  the  screenplay  which 
heightens  the  fateful  effect  of  the  grim  drama. 
Ominous  music  carries  through  the  relentless 
theme. 

SYNOPSIS: 

A  man  is  convicted  of  a  crime  which  he 
did  not  commit  and  is  sentenced  to  electro¬ 
cution.  His  son,  growing  up,  swears  ven¬ 
geance  on  his  father’s  enemies  who  railroaded 
him  to  prison,  and  the  youth  is  drawn  into  a 
weh  of  intrigue  formed  by  the  gangsters  who 
attenqit  to  foil  his  efforts  toward  clearing  his 
father’s  name.  There  is  a  love  theme  when 
a  sister  of  one  of  the  gangsters  allies  herself 
with  the  hoy.  The  mental  as  well  as  physical 
struggle  is  movingly  depicted. 

RATING: 

Not  for  all  audiences,  but  an  absorbing 
drama  with  memorable  acting  and  artistic 
production.  Without  comedy  relief,  it  is  sor¬ 
did  and  hauntingly  depressing,  yet,  in  spite  of 
this,  it  will  hold  you  spellbound. 


Pennies  From  Heaven 


(Columbia) 

CAST: 

Bing  Crosby,  Madge  Evans,  Edith  Fellowes, 
Louis  Armstrong,  Donald  Meek,  Mydia  West- 
man. 

CREDITS: 

Director,  Normal  McLeod.  Screen  play, 
Joe  Swelling.  Original,  Katharine  Leslie 
Moore  and  William  Rankin.  Photography. 
Robert  Pittack.  Songs,  Arthur  Johnson  and 
John  Burke. 

TYPE: 

Amusing  comedy  featuring  songs  and  a  gay 
story.  Everybody’s  picture. 

• 

TECHNIQUE: 

Acting  gets  credits  here,  as  Bing  Crosby 
puts  his  songs  and  himself  over  with  credit¬ 
able  charm.  Edith  Fellowes  runs  him  a  close 
second,  taking  honors  for  a  child  actress  who 
does  not  over-act  nor  become  “cute”  at  the 
wrong  time.  Director  Normal  McLeod  gets 
the  most  from  a  sparse  story  and  packs  it 
with  surprise  laughs  and  ably-placed  songs. 
The  story,  basically,  is  trite,  but  the  acting  of 
the  top  cast  lifts  it  above  its  material  and 
makes  it  worth  while.  The  songs  are  catchy 
and  their  placement  is  noteworthy.  Photo¬ 
graphy  is  well  handled  throughout. 

SYNOPSIS: 

Deemed  unfitted  to  care  for  their  small 
protege,  a  street  singer.  (Ring)  and  the 
child’s  guardian,  (Donald  Meek)  are  left 
without  their  small  companion,  Edith  Fel¬ 
lowes,  who  is  sent  to  an  orphanage.  The  way 
they  make  good  and  the  way  the  child  gets 
lree  from  the  orphanage  and  the  well-meaning 
settlement  workers  is  the  plot,  which  ends 
well,  naturally.  The  title  is  an  actual  one, 
since  Bing,  as  a  street  singer,  exists  from 
pennies  tossed  from  upstairs  windows.  Not 
much  of  a  story,  hut  it  is  so  handled  as  to 
he  entertaining. 

RATING: 

Good  songs,  hilarious  sequences  and  excel¬ 
lent  acting  make  up  for  a  threadbare  and  trite 
plot.  It’s  fun,  and  that’s  what  makes  a  picture 
worth  while,  after  all. 


The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider  Magazine  Recommends 
the  Folloiving  Pictures  as  Worthy  Entertainment : 
“CAM1 LLE Metro-Goldwvn-Mayer 
“ CHARGE  OF  THE  LIGHT  BRIGADE ,”  Warner  Bros. 

“ THE  GARDEN  OF  ALLAH  ”  Selzniek  International 
“ A  WOMAN  REBELS  ”  RKO-Radio 
“ THE  GENERAL  DIED  AT  DAWN,”  Columbia 
“ COME  AND  GET  IT,”  Samuel  Goldwyn 
“ LLOYDS  OF  LONDON,”  20th  Century -Fox 
“ HIDEAWAY  GIRL.”  Paramount 
“3  SMART  GIRLS.”  Universal 


80 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


January.  1937 


A  very  Special  Gift  from  the  Land  of  Sunshine 


10  -T  51b. 


28  B  4  lb. 
$150 


34-T  2  lb  $iqo 


tlelieious  California 
dazed  anti  Candied  Fruits 


IN  LACQUERED  BOXES  and 

ATTRACTIVE  BASKETS 


Black  Mission  Figs,  Glace  Fruits,  Dates  and 
Nutmeats, — all  of  them  neatly  packed  for  those 
who  matter  at  Christmas. 


Shipped  Anywhere  in  the  U.S.A. 


Simply  choose  the  kind  of  Gift 
Box  you  desire.  Fill  in  the 
coupon  and  be  sure  to  mention 
the  numbers  shown  below  the 
illustration. 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA  PACKING  CO. 

Warner  Bros.  Theatre  Bldg. 

Hollywood,  California 

Enclosed  find  S  for  which  ship  to  the 

party  below,  GIFT  BOX  NO.  I  have  included 

50  cents  for  postage. 

NAME 

STREET 

CITY  STATE 


I4  B  51b 


201 

$|Z5 


17-T  3  lb 
$175 


3C  31b- 

$2*§ 


33T  21b 

$122 


utdoor  pool:  toast  your  body  to  a 
'Won  tan;  swim  in  a  turquoise  pool! 


Bicycling — tennis,  or  golf  on  the  desert! 


ne  Outdoors:  neath  a  desert  moon! 

idminton — or  whatever  you  choose 
the  sun! 


Hiding  —  race  out  across  desert  sands,  or 
wend  your  way  to  cool  canyons. 


Sun-laze — under  silvery  palms  in  Desert  Inn’s 
peaceful  35-acre  gardens. 


WORLD ! 


Cadillac  Beauty  .  .  Cadillac  Comfort 

*  *  # 

.  .  and  Cadillac  Performance 


Five-passenger  Touring  Seilan  $1,515*  *  Monthly  payments  to  • 

Today,  five  different  American-built  cars  offer  models  costing 
more  than  the  new  Cadillac  Series  "60” — now  priced* at  only 
$1445*!  Only  three  years  ago,  Cadillac  ownership  cost 
almost  twice  as  much — yet  the  1937  Cadillacs  are  much 
finer,  more  powerful  and  more  beautiful  cars. 

Cadillac  performance  for  1937  has  been  stepped  up  to  135 
horsepower.  It  offers  V-8  smoothness,  V-8  acceleration,  and 
Y-8  .dependability  that  could  only  come  from  Cadillac, 
where  the  first  V-8  engine  was  built. 

And  with  this  superb  performance,  Cadillac  provides 
hydraulic  brakes  .  .  .  Knee-Action  comfort  .  .  .  Unisteel 


your  purse.  Prices  list  at  Detroit ,  subject  to  change  without  notice.  Special  equipment  extra. 

f 

Bodies  by' Fisher  with  Turret-Tops  of  solid  steel — a  combi¬ 
nation  of  features  offered  exclusively  by  the  leading  manu¬ 
facturer  in  the  fine  car  field! 

If  you  plan  to  pay  more  than  a  thousand  dollars  for 
your  next  car,  let  nothing  keep  you  from  Cadillac  ownership. 
It  will  pay  you  in  satisfaction.  It  will  pay  you  in  safety  and 
comfort.  It  will  pay  you  in  pride.  And,  because  of  traditional 
Cadillac  long  life  and  low  upkeep  cost,  it  will  pay  you  in 
economy! 

The  new  Cadillac  Series  "60”  and  "65”  are  cars  to  see  without 
fail.  Your  Cad  iliac  dealer  cordially  invites  you  to  do  so — today! 


o 


SHIRLEY  TEMPLE 


mum 

PICTURES 


WEE  WILLIE  WINKIE 


APRIL 


2  - 


No. 


2 


Vol. 


Twenty -Five 
Cents 

IN  CANADA  -  THIRTY  CENTS 


C  0  LI  Z E  P 


MOTION 


PAHAEI  OP 
T  I  C  T  U  H  I  dmjxa* 


More  and  more,  Lincoln-Zephyr  popularity  is  growing 
with  outstanding  personalities  of  the  motion  picture 
industry.  And  no  wonder !  The  Lincoln-Zephyr  is  a  new  kind 
of  car.  In  streamlined  beauty,  all-steel  safety  construction 
and  12-cylinder  performance,  it  is  years  ahead. 

Drive  a  Lincoln-Zephyr  V-12  today!  Call  at  either  of  the 
improved  and  enlarged  Coberly  locations,  Vine  Street  in 
Hollywood  or  Figueroa  Street  downtown.  Be  one  of  the  first 
to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  this  great  new  car. 


Edward  Everett  Horton 

comedian  of  stage,  screen  and  radio,  with 
his  new  coupe,  the  fourth  Lincoln-Zephyr 
at  Belleigh  Acres. 


NEW  LOW  PRICES 

Convenient  U.  C.  C.  terms  at  Coberly’s 


J.  E.  C  □  B  EI11Y.  INC. 


1357  NORTH  VINE  STREET 
GLADSTONE  5171 

Lincoln  and  Lincoln-Zephyr  Headquarters 


8  2  7  SO.  FIGUEROA  STREET 
VAndike  1321 

Ford  and  Lincoln-Zephyr  Headquarters 


PRESENTING  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  STUDIO  INSIDER 
HONOR  ROLL  MAGAZINE  OF  THE  MOTION 
PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


This  copy  of  The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider  is  presented 
to  you  with  the  compliments  of  the  publisher. 

Examine  it  and  you  will  agree  that  it  is  alone  in  its  class, 
a  clean,  wholesome  publication  entirely  free  of  scandal  and 
gossip  and  devoted  wholly  to  giving  discerning,  intelligent 
readers  the  truth  about  the  motion  picture  industry,  its 
personalities  and  technique. 

Each  month  are  recorded  in  its  pages  the  outstanding  achieve¬ 
ments  of  those  responsible  for  progress  in  motion  pictures  - 
from  the  biography  of  the  most  eminent  producer  to  the 
chronicle  of  the  humblest  grips'  contribution  and  the  stories 
of  those  in  between. 

Publicity  given  is  based  on  merit  alone  and  only  by  dint  of 
worthwhile  accomplishment  does  any  one  win  mention  in  the 
"Insider's"  pages.  These  worthy  ones,  the  stars,  directors, 
cameramen,  extras  -  their  lives  and  works  all  parade  before 
you  that  you  may  know  more  completely  the  inside  story  of 
what  goes  on  behind  the  scenes  when  pictures  are  made.  In 
effect  The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider  takes  you  on  a  per¬ 
sonally  conducted  tour  of  the  studios  and  lets  you  see  for 
yourself  the  personnel  in  action  and  the  technique  employed. 

The  July  issue  is  now  on  sale  at  all  leading  newsstands.  To 
list  only  a  few  of  the  many  interesting  features  it  contains: 

1.  "It's  an  Easy  Life,"  the  story  of  Eddie  Cantor. 

2.  "A  Man's  Man,"  the  biography  of  Edward  Arnold. 

3.  "Born  to  the  Theatre,"  the  fascinating  chronicle  of  Tyrone 
Power' s  rise . 

4.  "New  Faces,"  anecdotes  about  Joe  Penner,  Parkyakarkus,  and 
Milton  Berle. 

5.  "Doubles4  Troubles." 

6.  Latest  Beach  Attire  for  Women. 

Buy  it  now  or  better  still,  send  your  subscription  direct  to 


THE  INSIDER  PUBLISHING  CO.,  INC. 
6425  Hollywood  Boulevard 
Hollywood,  Calif. 


April ,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


1 


lt*s  the 

Fresh  Fruit  Flavor 

in 

G«  G.  G* 

ROCK  and  RYE 


that  is  sure  to  please 

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BURBANK,  CALIFORNIA 


CONCEDED  THE  WORLD’S  FINEST  ALL-AROUND  DRINK 


2 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


FUTURE  FEATURES 

Next  month  the  “ Insider ”  is  proud  to 
present  some  special  features  and  arti¬ 
cles  for  its  May  issue.  Below  is  a  hriej 
forecast  of  our  editorial  calendar. 


Unsung  Heroes 

The  true  story  of  a  newsreel  camera¬ 
man  under  the  withering  fire  of 
Oriental  war  and  rebellion. 


Hollywood's  Most  Famous 
Character  Actor 

The  story  of  Edward  Arnold  and  his 
rise  to  cinematic  heights.  A  personal 
interview. 


The  Biography  of  Samuel  Goldwyn 

Continuing  our  series  devoted  to  por¬ 
traying  the  lives  of  the  leaders  who 
have  moulded  the  destiny  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Industry,  the  May 
issue  will  contain  an  article  about 
that  eminent  pioneer  producer. 


Making  Up  Mother  Nature 

The  fascinating  story  of  how  terrains 
are  changed  so  that  all  parts  of  the 
world  can  be  recreated  on  California 
locations  for  the  benefit  of  the 
camera. 


MURRAY  HOWARD  BOIS-SMITH 
Publisher  and  Editor 


VOL.  2  APRIL,  1937  NO.  2 


BASIL  R.  GREIG  . . . . . . . . . Associate  Editor 

PAULINE  GALE  . . . . . . .  .  .  . Feature  Editor 

FENYMORE  HOWARD  . .  . . . . . Staff  Writer 

BENGT  ARTUR  JONSON . . . . . .  Staff  Writer 

HOWARD  WALDEN  and  MARION  ASHWORTH  Art  Editors 


CONTENTS 

Page 


ACADEMY  AWARD  WINNERS . 4 

THE  BIOGRAPHY  OF  DAVID  O.  SELZNICK .  6 

EDITORIAL . 8 

TWO  "SOULS  AT  SEA” . . .  11 

TOP  OF  THE  TOWN .  12 

ACROSS  THE  ROOF  OF  A  WORLD . .  14 

By  Bengt  Artur  Jonson 

THE  REAL  GLORIA  STUART . 17 

By  Pauline  Gale 

THE  PHENOMENAL  RISE  OF  ROBERT  TAYLOR . .  19 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DIRECTING  MUSICAL  COMEDY .  21 

PRESENTING  FERNAND  GRAVET .  23 

MANY  ARE  CALLED .  25 

COMMENDING  LOST  HORIZON .  27 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  PROPER  CASTING .  28 

MY  TOUGHEST  SHOOTING  ASSIGNMENT.. . 29 

By  Karl  Freund 

CINEMALANGUAGE . 31 

DESTINED  TO  SING . .  . 32 

By  Fenymore  Howard 

A  FILM  EDITOR'S  TECHNIQUE . . . . .  36 

ARCHIE  MAYO— A  VERSATILE  DIRECTOR .  37 

REMEMBER  WHEN . 38 

LAUGHING  STOCK .  40 

MILESTONES  IN  THE  MARCH  OF  MAKE-UP .  42 

By  Max  Factor 

DOES  HOLLYWOOD  SET  THE  STYLES? .  46 

PLAYSUIT  FASHIONS  FOR  SPRING .  47 

ANALYTICAL  REVIEWS  OF  THE  NEW  PICTURES . 62 


Volume  2,  Number  2,  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider  Magazine,  published  monthly  by  The  Insider  Publishing  Company, 
Incorporated.  25  cents  a  copy,  $2.50  per  year  in  United  States.  30  cents  a  copy,  $3.00  per  year  in  Canada.  Editorial  and 
General  Offices,  6425  Hollywood  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  Calif.  Application  for  entry  as  second-class  matter  now  pending. 
Title  registered  in  U.  S.  Patent  Office.  Copyright  1937. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


3 


Photograph — Actual  Size — Emerald  Cut  Blue  White  Perfect  Solitaire ,  $5750.00;  Platinum  Bracelet  all  Fine  Blue 
White  Perfect  Diamonds,  $2500.00;  Platinum  Clip  Pins  (Can  be  worn  as  brooch)  Blue 
White  and  Perfect  Diamonds,  $2,950.00. 


Among  the  gems  of  M.  Weinstein  offered  for  your  inspection  and 
approval,  are  the  lovely  pieces  pictured  above. 

Buying  from  primary  world-wide  markets  and  at  large  estate 
liquidations  makes  it  possible  for  Weinstein's  to  sell  the  finest 
gems  at  true  value  investment  prices. 


On  Seventh  Floor  in  the  Roosevelt  Building,  Room  719 
Seventh  and  Flower  Los  Angeles,  California 


ser- 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


ACADEMY  AWARD 
WINNERS 


Academy  Award  winners  whose  pictures  appear  on 
page  four  are  as  follows:  Upper  Left  and  Upper  Right: 
HUNT  ST  ROM  BERG  and  L.  B.  MAYER  for  the  best 
production  “The  Great  Ziegfeld”,  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer.  Upper  Center:  LU1SE  RAINER ,  actress  award 
for  the  performance  in  “ The  Great  Ziegfeld .” 

Next  Row  Below.  Left:  JACK  CHERTOK  for  the 
best  two  reel  short  subject:  “The  Public  Pays ”  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer.  Center:  ROY  LARSON,  who  received 
special  award  for  “The  March  of  Time."  With  him  is 
FRANK  CAPRA,  who  received  the  director's  award  for 
“Mr.  Deeds  Coes  To  Town,"  Columbia.  Right: 
DOUGLAS  SHEARER,  who  received  the  sound  record¬ 
ing  award  for  “ San  Francisco ",  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 

Bottom  Row.  Left:  HAL  ROACH,  best  one  reel 
short  subject  “ Bored  of  Education"  Hal  Roach  Studios. 
Center:  SEYMOUR  FELIX,  dance  director,  for  the 
“A  Pretty  Girl  is  Like  a  Melody"  number  from  “The 
Great  Ziegfeld"  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  Right:  WAL¬ 
TER  BREN N AN ,  best  supporting  actor ,  for  his  role 
in  “Come  and  Get  It",  Samuel  Goldwyn. 

Pictures  on  page  five  include:  Upper  Right  Hand 
Corner:  W  ALT  DISNEY,  for  his  cartoon  “Country 
Cousin";  with  him  is  DOROTHY  FIELDS,  who  wrote 
the  lyrics  for  “The  Way  You  Look  Tonight"  from 
“Swingtime",  R.  K.  O.  The  same  number  ivon  the 
music  award  for  JEROME  KERN. 


Below,  reading  from  left  to  right  are:  PAUL  MUNI, 
for  best  actor  performance,  “ The  Story  of  Louis  Pas 
I)  teur"  Warner  Brothers;  SHERIDAN  GIBNEY  and 
PIERRE  COLLINGS,  original  story  and  screen  play 
awards  for  the  same  production.  GORDON  HOL- 
LINCSHEAD  who  was  the  co-producer  of  the  best 
color  short  subject  “Give  Me  Liberty",  Warner  Broth¬ 
ers.  GALE  SON DERG  AARD,  supporting  actress 
award  for  “Anthony  Adverse ”,  Warner  Brothers. 
RICHARD  DAY,  art  director  award,  fur  “ Dodsworth ", 
Samuel  Goldwyn.  JACK  W  ARNER.  co-producer  of  the 
best  color  short  subject, “Give  Me  Liberty”.  LEO 
FORBSTEIN  the  musical  scoring  award,  for  “Anthony 
Adverse"  Warner  Brothers.  JACK  SULLIVAN,  the 
assistant  director  award  for  “The  Charge  of  the  Light 
Brigade”,  Warner  Brothers.  Cinematography,  TONY 
CAUDIO  for  “Anthony  Adverse”,  Warner  Brothers. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


THE  BIOGRAPHY 

OF 

DAVID  O.  SELZNICK 

The  history  of  a  man  ivho  believed  in  ideas,  and  who  did  not 
hesitate  to  put  them  in  effect,  with  results  that  have 
made  screen  history. 


DAVID  0.  SELZNICK 


Environment,  it  is  said  has 

much  to  do  with  a  man’s  choice  of 
a  career.  If  his  boyhood  surroundings 
are  in  perfect  harmony  with  his  natural 
inclinations,  stimulating  his  imagina¬ 
tion  and  prodding  his  ambition,  by- 
manhood  he  is  ready  to  fight  toward 
what  has  already  become  a  fixed  goal. 

David  O.  Selznick  was  born  May  10, 
1902  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  but 
while  he  was  still  very  young,  his  fam¬ 
ily  moved  to  California  where  in  boy¬ 
hood  he  was  surrounded  by  the  glamor 
of  motion  pictures,  by  the  whir  of  cam¬ 
eras,  and  by  all  the  deft  maneuvers 
through  which  Hollywood  sells  it  miles 
of  celluloid  to  the  world.  He  came 
as  close,  perhaps,  as  anyone,  to  being 
born  on  a  movie  lot.  His  father  was 
the  late  Lewis  J.  Selznick,  at  one  time 
one  of  the  most  powerful  figures  in  the 
film  world,  and  originator  of  many 
practices  and  ideas  now  entrenched  in 
Hollywood  tradition. 

As  a  youth  David  Selznick  took  an 
able  part  in  various  branches  of  the 
industry,  such  as  publicity  and  exploita¬ 
tion.  Films  captured  his  imagination. 
He  was  a  youngster  who  did  not  need 
to  think  about  what  he  would  be  when 
he  grew  up.  He  knew  his  place  was 
in  the  business  in  which  his  father  had 
pioneered. 

When  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty, 
Selznick  was  ready  to  fight  toward  his 
fixed  goal.  As  it  happened,  however, 
there  were  no  free  handholds  on  the 
ladder  of  fame  awaiting  him.  He  had 
to  start  from  scratch,  build  his  own  rep¬ 
utation,  and  fight  every  foot  of  the  way 
alone.  It  was  not  an  easy  climb,  but 
in  the  space  of  a  few  years  David  0. 
Selznick  has  become  the  head  of  his 
own  producing  company,  Selznick  In¬ 
ternational  Pictures,  Inc.,  has  scored  a 
long  record  of  outstanding  screen  suc¬ 


cesses,  has  gained  many  honors  and 
awards  and,  what  is  supremely  import¬ 
ant.  has  possessed  from  the  start  a  fac¬ 
ulty  of  producing  artistic  pictures 
which  meet  with  popular  approval. 

Since  becoming  head  of  his  own  com¬ 
pany  late  in  1935,  Selznick  has  produc¬ 
ed  three  of  the  screen’s  most  ambitious 
undertakings.  First  came  “Little  Lord 
Fauntleroy,”  which  met  with  outstand¬ 
ing  success  from  both  box-office  and 
artistic  viewpoints.  Next  came  the 
technicolor  desert  romance  “The  Gar¬ 
den  of  Allah,’’  co-starring  Marlene  Diet- 
rich  and  Charles  Boyer,  another  tri¬ 
umph  for  stars  and  producer  alike. 
Third  was  “A  Star  Is  Born,”  starring 
Janet  Gaynor  and  Fredric  March,  in 
technicolor,  first  modern,  up-to-the- 
minute  story  to  employ  the  new  screen 
medium. 

Among  the  important  pictures  sched¬ 
uled  to  be  made  under  the  Selznick 
banner  during  coming  months  are  “The 
Prisoner  of  Zenda,”  starring  Ronald 
Colman,  “Gone  With  the  Wind,”  liter¬ 
ary  sensation  of  the  decade,  “The  Ad¬ 
ventures  of  Tom  Sawyer,”  from  the  im¬ 
mortal  pen  of  Mark  Twain,  and  others 
which  will  round  out  a  1937  production 
schedule  totalling  ten  films. 

Let  us  turn  the  clock,  then,  and  trace 
the  steps  which  lead  to  the  position 
Selznick  holds  today  as  master  of  one 
of  the  most  important  producing  units 
in  Hollywood. 

At  the  time  Selznick  entered  the  mo¬ 
tion  picture  field  on  his  own.  family 
fortunes  were  at  a  low  ebb.  His  father 
had  been  caught  in  one  of  those  unpre¬ 
dictable  situations  at  a  time  when  all  of 
his  resources  were  pooled  on  a  single 
venture.  Success  or  failure  hinged  on 
the  flip  of  a  coin,  figuratively  speaking, 
and  the  wrong  side  landed  face-up. 
The  work  of  a  lifetime  was  wiped  out, 
and  the  elder  Selznick’s  fortune  melted, 
his  fine  home,  servants,  comforts — all 
swept  away. 

David  Selznick  was  left  with  one 
thing,  his  heritage.  He  was  in  New 
York  when  the  catastrophe  struck,  and 
determined  to  do  something  about  it 
at  once.  It  came  to  a  choice  between 


the  promise  of  a  job  wtih  a  fair  salary 
in  a  New  York  department  store,  or  a 
gamble  for  high  stakes  in  the  motion 
picture  field,  with  nothing  on  which  to 
make  the  start. 

Selznick  borrowed  $500  and  a  mo¬ 
tion  picture  camera.  He  found  his  first 
“star,”  Luis  Angel  Firpo,  “Wild  Bull 
of  the  Pampas,”  then  training  for  his 
famous  heavyweight  title  boxing  bout 
with  Jack  Dempsey,  and  talked  him  into 
working  for  him  on  speculation. 

This  first  production,  with  Firpo  as 
the  star  of  a  short  subject  titled,  “Will 
He  Beat  Dempsey?”  required  only  an 
afternoon  to  film,  for  the  camera  had 
to  be  returned  the  next  day.  It  made 
Selznick  a  profit  of  $3000,  not  much  to 
speak  of  as  capital,  but  extremely  en¬ 
couraging  as  a  starting  point. 

With  this  in  hand,  Selznick  soon 
launched  his  second  venture.  Rudolph 
Valentino  was  in  New  York  on  a  visit, 
so  Selznick  plunged  his  $3000  into  the 
(Continued  on  page  45) 


Mr.  DAVID  0.  SELZNICK,  right,  is  seen 
receiving  the  League  of  Nations  1936  gold 
award  from  the  Honorable  F.  E.  EVANS, 
British  Consul  in  Los  Angeles,  for  his  pro¬ 
duction,  “ Little  Lord  Fauntleroy .”  This 
picture  was  Mr.  Selzniclcs  first  production 
as  head  of  the  company  bearing  his  name. 


All  Wigs  and  Make-up 
used  in  Metro-Goldwyn- 
MayerVThe  Good  Earth 
.  .  £xcLuilvaly  try  MAX  FACTOR! 


* Americas  Finest  Make-up  and  Hair  Service’ 

MAX  FACTOR  MAKE-UP  STUDIO 


THE 


CULTURE 


Editoria 

MEANING  OF 


TO  attempt  any  single  dogmatic  definition 
of  culture  would  be  most  unwise  because 
any  one  has  but  to  refer  to  a  dictionary  to 
secure  its  traditional  meaning.  Still,  regard¬ 
less  of  dictionary  or  encyclopedia  interpre¬ 
tations  of  the  word,  culture  means  some¬ 
thing  different  to  each  individual. 

To  some  it  means  spirituality,  to  others 
education,  to  yet  others,  true  appreciation  of 
art;  any  and  all  of  which  may  be  acquired 
in  various  ways.  But  however  defined  or 
attained  matters  not,  in  each  the  seeker  can 
find  both  the  real  and  the  spurious. 

Culture  as  we  like  to  define  it  means  the 
residue  which  remains  after  we  have  forgot¬ 
ten  all  that  we  consciously  and  definitely  set 
out  to  learn  or  acquire. 

Culture  such  as  this,  instilled  in  individ¬ 
uals  will  reflect  its  sterling  qualities  at  all 
times  and  under  all  circumstances.  Another 
type  evidences  itself  in  other  ways.  Born 
into  a  material  world  there  are  those  who 
seek  culture  after  they  have  spent  most  of 
their  life  span  acquiring  wealth  and  such 
mundane  things.  As  a  result  they  usually 
develop  so  much  artificiality,  so  much  veneer 
and  polish  that  very  little  of  worth  remains. 
The  moment  they  are  off  guard  the  baseness 
of  their  true  self  is  revealed. 

There  are  certain  attributes  of  culture  how¬ 
ever  which  are  universally  recognized.  Fore¬ 
most  of  these  perhaps  is  courtesy.  It  might 
be  said  to  be  the  fountainhead  of  all  culture. 
Many  ancient  civilizations  had  it  as  their  all- 
embracing  credo,  and  many  present  philoso¬ 
phies  draw  all  their  inspiration  from  its  well. 

Men  who  drink  of  its  water  today  may  be 
said  to  be  truly  cultured,  because  a  courte¬ 
ous  man  is  a  kind  man,  ever  thoughtful  of 


the  feelings  of  others.  No  matter  how  high 
he  has  climbed  up  the  slippery  rungs  of 
fame,  from  what  humble  origin,  he  remem¬ 
bers  his  friends,  and  those  who  have  helped 
him  on  the  way  up.  No  matter  how  busy 
the  day  or  crowded  the  hours,  he  always 
finds  time  for  them.  Wealth  and  prominence 
do  not  matter — he  remembers. 

A  courteous  man  is  also  thoughtful  of  the 
time  of  others.  He  makes  and  keeps  ap¬ 
pointments,  whether  with  executive  or  mere 
salesman,  and  doesn't  force  anyone  to  cooi 
his  heels  in  some  anteroom  until  it  is  deemed 
they  have  paid  sufficient  obeisance  to  his 
greatness  to  be  allowed  admittance. 

While  this  attribute  of  culture  is  important 
in  all  walks  of  life,  perhaps  nowhere  is  a 
cogent  reminder  more  essential  than  to  the 
members  of  the  Motion  Picture  Industry. 

This  because  the  cinema  world  contains 
so  many  who,  over  night  have  catapulted  to 
pinnacles  of  both  fame  and  fortune.  Too 
often  we  hear  related  instances  of  smug 
egotism,  of  the  self-satisfied  vanity  of  indi¬ 
viduals,  fleeting  favorites  of  the  day,  who 
forget  their  beginnings  and  the  friends  of 
humbler  days — even  near  relatives  are  for¬ 
gotten  and  occasionally  left  in  penury. 

Even  though  such  individuals  may  wear 
the  outer  cloak  of  culture,  nevertheless  it  is 
certainly  only  a  cloak.  They  mistake  the 
garb  for  reality,  and  delude  themselves  with 
their  own  ignorance.  Culture  comes  from  a 
true  understanding  within  and  cannot  be 
acquired  as  readily  as  can  more  material 
things.  Therefore  it  would  be  well  for  all  to 
remember  their  origin,  and  the  tortuous  jour¬ 
ney  therefrom;  that  though  today  they  may 
be  giant  oaks,  yesterday  they  were  but  little 
acorns. 


E,[  Sncanto  c) 


SAN  T*A  BARBARA 

CALIFORNIA 


3stful,  flower 
ecked  Main 
ning  Room 


The  guests  at  El  Encanto  enjoy  the  finest  of 
accommodations,  the  best  of  cuisine,  perfect 
unobtrusive  service,  in  fact  everything  that 
makes  life  enjoyable 

American  Plan  (Rooms  with  meals) 

Single  from  $7.00  per  day  --  Double  from  $12.00 
Parlor  Suites  available  at  slightly  higher  rates 
European  Plan  rates  on  request 
Separate  diet  kitchen  in  charge  of  graduate  dietitian 


"SEE  AMERICA  FIRST” 


The  Bridal  Chamber 
at  El  Encanto 


A  Studio  Living 
Room  at  El  Encanto 


A  winding  road  leads  you  to  the  Riviera  of  Santa 
Barbara.  Here,  overlooking  city  and  sea  amidst 
a  veritable  Eden  of  trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers, 
the  "Enchanted"  El  Encanto  stands.  At  once  you 
are  impressed  with  the  sense  of  peace  and  quieti- 
tude  which  pervades  the  spot  ....  and  you 
will  understand  wherefrom  this  famous  hostelry 
derives  its  name  .... 

"THE  ENCHANTMENT" 


Main  Building 
set  amid  tall 
ilyptus,  lawns 
flower 


Villa 

El  Carino 
(Fondness  and 
Affection) 

•  . 


<^Ss,(J£JX  ftlLYllltzl.  j-%Om  t(l£,  PlSXXXt  oj~  <cScmta.  ^Sux/jClXU  Ijlj  XEXjlltciX  fju±  ±£X(jiC£. 


1 0 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


PARAMOUNT  PRODUCTIONS 


BEHHETTj, 


" INTERNES  CAN'T  TAKE  MONEY.”  Producer — •> Benjamin  Glazer.  Stars — Barbara  Stanwyck,  Joe I  McCrae,  Lloyd  Nolan.  Principal 
Players — Stanley  Ridges,  Gaylord  Pendleton,  Irving  Bacon.  Director  -.41  Santell.  Director  of  Photography — Theodore  Sparkuhl, 
A.  S.  C.  Film  Editor  -Doane  Hcirrison.  Sound — Harold  C.  Lewis. 


"HIGH,  WIDE  AND  HANDSOME.”  Producer — Arthur  Hornblow,  Jr.  Stars — Irene  Dunne,  Randolph  Scott,  Dorothy  Lamour.  Prin¬ 
cipal  Players — Raymond  W alburn,  W/itliam  Frawley,  Charles  Frawley,  Charles  Bickford,  Elizabeth  Patterson,  Akim  Tamiroff.  Direc¬ 
tor — Rouben  Mamoulian.  Director  of  Photography— Victor  Milner,  A.S.C.  Film  Editor — Archie  Marshek.  Sound — Charles  Hissericks. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


LI 


TWO  "SOULS  AT  SEA" 

A  personal  interview  with  two  stars — Gary  Cooper  and  George  Raft,  on  the  set  of 
Paramount’ s  big  picture  in  the  making,  “Souls  at  Sea.” 


JUST  after  we  were  ushered  on  the 
set  a  whistle  blew,  a  cry  came  for 
“silence.”  And  then  started  some  of 
the  fastest  action  that  could  be  seen 
except  of  a  real  shipwreck  on  the  ocean. 

Half  of  a  great  ship,  all  that  was 
left  showing  aibove  the  water,  sank 
slowly  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  wat¬ 
er.  A  fire,  smoldering  in  the  hold,  flar¬ 
ed  up  and  smoke  curled  menacingly 
across  the  deck,  while  a  lifeboat  was 
slowly  lowered,  a  lifeboat  filled  with 
struggling  men  who  fought  to  keep  the 
tiny  craft  from  foundering  in  the  huge 
waves  that  pounded  it  against  the  side 
of  the  sinking  ship.  Down  it  went, 
farther  and  farther.  Two  men  stayed 
on  board  with  stoical  endurance,  de¬ 
termined  to  ride  their  vessel  to  the 
depths  in  the  age-old  hopelessness  of 
man’s  fight  against  the  sea.  The  fire 
grew  in  volume  .... 

“Cut!  Cut!  Okay.”  The  director, 
Henry  Hathaway,  waved  his  arm  and 
ihe  struggling  souls  at  sea  relaxed, 
sighing. 

What  matter  if  the  smoke  came  from 
a  burner  hidden  in  the  ship’s  hold? 
What  matter  if  the  pounding  waves 
came  from  water  agitators  that  churn¬ 
ed  the  contents  of  the  still  tank  into  a 
small  maelstrom  of  fury?  What  mat¬ 
ter  if  hydraulic  lifts  were  used  to  sink 
the  boat  deeper  into  the  water  and  raise 
it  again,  only  to  sink  it  once  more  for 
a  re-take? 

The  effect,  for  a  moment,  was  real 


GEORGE  RAPT  and  GARY  COOPER  as 
they  appear  in  “Souls  at  Sea.” 

and  gripping,  and  somehow  terrible. 
It  was,  to  the  beholder,  indeed  a  sink¬ 
ing  ship  with  human  souls  aboard. 

Gary  Cooper  came  over  to  us  and  sat 
down  with  a  shiver.  He  wore  a  blank¬ 
et  around  his  shoulders  and  his  hair 
was  wet  from  immersion  in  the  cold 
water.  It  was  truly  cold,  too,  as  we 
soon  found  out. 

“I  put  a  thermometer  into  that  water 
and  it’s  40,”  said  Gary  with  a  grin. 
“Now  I  feel  colder  than  ever.” 


On  our  other  side  another  gentleman 
sat,  completely  dressed  in  camel’s  hair 
overcoat,  muffler,  hat  and  pigskin 
gloves.  An  introduction  followed  and 
we  recognized  George  Raft,  who  looked 
the  glass  of  fashion.  He  also  looked 
snugly  warm,  even  though  the  sound 
stage  which  was  merely  a  runway 
around  the  huge  water  tank  holding  the 
“sinking”  ship,  was  filled  with  icy 
draughts. 

“My  turn  comes  next,”  sighed  George 
Raft.  “You  see,  I  am  the  guy  who 
stays  on  board  and  sinks  with  the  ship 
while  the  water  creeps  higher  and 
higher.  I’ll  be  sitting  in  it  for  days,  I 
suppose.” 

Hot  coffee  was  passed  to  us  and  we 
sat  sipping  gratefully  while  the  boat 
was  maneuvered  into  position  for  a 
new  scene. 

In  Gary  Cooper's  hand  was  a  large 
paper  hibiscus.  He  had  been  visiting 
on  the  next  set  where  Bing  Crosby  is 
making  “Waikiki  Wedding”  and  the 
flower  was  absently  plucked  from  the 
flower-strewn  set  when  Gary  left. 

With  due  formality  he  presented  the 
horticultural  monstrosity  to  us.  It 
seemed  a  strange  contrast  to  the  scene 
of  water  and  desolation  before  us. 

“You  should  have  been  with  us  when 
we  took  location  shots  off  Catalina  Is¬ 
land,”  said  George  Raft.  “We  got  up 
( Continued  on  page  52) 


The  “Lottie  Carson”  puts  out  to  sea  for  the  filming  of  the 
storm  sequences.  (Left.)  The  center  picture  is  the  remark¬ 
able  studio  tank  set,  where  the  sinking  ship  is  depicted  in  all 
its  realism.  Right — The  bark  “Star  of  Finland,”  co-star  with 
the  “Lottie”  in  the  shipboard  scenes,  sails  majestically 
into  harbor. 


Harkrider  and  his  staff  conferring  about  a  model 
of  the  set. 


TOP  OF 


John  Harkrider,  Art  Director  for  New  Universal  outlines 
what  transpires  in  his  department  di&ing  the  building 
of  a  large  set. 


TO  create  a  world  of  illusion  that 
is  more  real  than  reality,  for  the 
entertainment,  diversion  and  education 
of  the  multitude,  and  to  do  this  at  a 
profit,  might  be  said  to  be  the  sole  pur¬ 
pose  of  making  motion  pictures. 

Naturally  all  departments  have  to 
cooperate  in  order  that  this  end  may  be 
achieved.  Scripts  must  be  written,  ac¬ 
tors  must  be  cast  in  appropriate  roles, 
directors  must  decide  and  attain  the 
proper  interpretation  via  mood,  tem¬ 
po  and  emphasis,  but  the  efforts  of  all 
of  these  would  come  to  naught  if  be¬ 
hind  the  whole  there  were  not  certain 
technical  departments  functioning  with 
fidelity  and  efficiency. 

Only  as  these  progress  and  advance 
in  technique  does  the  industry  as  a 
whole  achieve  new  heights.  Thus  we 
have  the  technological,  mechanical  and 
research  departments  to  thank  for  many 
of  the  advances  made. 

However,  to  the  specific,  let’s  take 
just  one  big  picture,  “The  Top  of  The 
Town,”  musical  extravaganza  recently 
completed  by  Universal,  and  consider 
the  work  that  was  necessary,  and  the 
material  required  before  a  single  scene 
was  shot. 


For  three  sequences  in  this  picture 
there  was  created  what  was  perhaps 
the  largest  indoor  set  ever  constructed, 
with  a  floor  space  of  33.580  square  feet, 
and  an  interior  height  of  seventy  feet. 
Built  of  steel,  concrete  and  glass  brick, 
it  towered  four  stories  into  the  air. 

Scenes  shot  on  such  a  set  would  have 
been  very  ineffective  but  for  a  massive 
camera-bearing  crane,  which  permitted 
instant  maneuvering  from  floor  level 
to  floor  level  and  from  place  to  place 
on  the  set.  It  weighed  twenty  tons,  yet 
it  was  so  responsive  to  finger  tip  con¬ 
trol  that  it  could  be  brought  into  actual 
physical  contact  with  as  fragile  an  ob¬ 
ject  as  an  electric  light  globe  without 
damage  to  either. 

It  was  controlled  by  the  man  sitting 
next  to  the  cameraman,  as  you  can  see 
in  the  accompanying  pictures,  and  he, 
guided  by  the  director  of  the  picture 
and  the  director  of  photography,  swung 
it,  raised  t  or  lowered  it,  effortlessly 
and  rapidly  to  wherever  it  was  requir¬ 
ed.  Operated  by  a  combination  of  elec¬ 
tric  and  hydraulic  power,  it  is  only 
one  of  many  machines  that  were  nec¬ 
essary  before  such  spectacular  shots 
could  be  made. 


Below  right  and  left -  Two  views  showing  the  beautiful 
interior  of  the  Moonbeam  Room. 


ir 

THE  TOWN 


JOHN  HARkRIDER 


Below  right — Another  artist's  drawing  showing  the  imag¬ 
inary  building  from  a  different  angle.  Left — This  camera¬ 
bearing  crane  weighs  more  than  twenty  tons,  yet  it  is 
operated  with  fingertip  control. 


But  to  return  to  the  set  itself.  The 
machinery  necessary  to  photograph 
these  huge  sets  having  been  made,  it 
was  then  necessary  to  create  the  sets, 
plan  their  construction  and  build  them. 
The  creation  and  planning  of  them 
fell  within  the  province  of  John  Hark- 
rider.  Art  Director,  and  his  crew. 

Out  of  their  fecund  imaginations 
sprang  the  startlinglv  beautiful  Moon¬ 
beam  Room,  as  ethereal  and  gossamer 
as  if  woven  of  webs  of  moonlight;  came 
the  plans  that  created  the  illusion  of  a 
building  hundreds  of  stories  tall,  rival¬ 
ing  the  fabled  topless  towers  of  Iliom. 
but  piercing  unsealed  future  heights 
instead. 

No  such  building  was  built  of  course, 
but  still  it  was  apparently  clearly  vis¬ 
ible  through  the  glass  floor  of  the 
Moonbeam  Room,  the  pent  house  night 
club  presumably  poised  on  its  topmost 
pinnacle.  Those  who  see  the  picture 
w  ill  agree  that  the  illusion  is  perfect. 

The  set  first  took  physical  form  as  a 
model,  a  picture  of  which  is  shown 
herewith.  This  model  was  then  studied, 
changed  and  finally  approved  by  all 


the  executives  that  were  working  on 
the  picture  such  as  the  producer,  direc¬ 
tor  and  the  cameraman. 

After  their  approval  had  been  given, 
Harkrider’s  department  again  went  to 
work,  and  drew  the  plans  from  which 
the  actual  set  was  constructed  and  fur¬ 
nished.  Forty  people  worked  nearly 
five  weeks  bringing  the  proceedings  to 
this  state  of  development. 

From  then  on,  it  took  thirty  artisans 
three  weeks  actually  to  build  that  one 
set,  all  for  three  sequences.  Some  idea 
of  its  interior  decoration  can  be  gath- 
ed  from  the  fact  that  about  36,000 
yards  of  Mediterranean  blue  and  silver 
cellophane  were  used  in  making  the 
curtains  that  screen  three  of  its  walls 
from  floor  to  ceiling.  These  curtains 
are  spattered  with  literally  millions  of 
stars  that  wink  and  twinkle  in  the  rays 
from  the  myriad  lights  used  throughout. 

The  word  “myriad”  is  used  advised¬ 


ly.  because  back  of  the  curtains  alone 
there  are  four  thousand  separate  100- 
waLt  globes  hidden.  Augment  these 
with  the  brilliance  of  100  photo  flood 
lights  that  were  used,  and  the  result  is 
literally  dazzling.  Besides  these  there 
were  200  Kleigs  hidden  in  the  cat  walks 
all  over  the  set  to  provide  the  proper 
lighting  for  the  best  photography. 

Labor  and  materials  for  the  set  itself 
cost  $33,000.00,  with  an  additional 
$8,000.00  being  spent  for  furnishings. 

When  finished  the  set  easily  accom¬ 
modated  the  more  than  thousand  people 
that  were  on  it  during  the  several  shots. 
So  problems  occur  and  are  surmounted 
in  every  department.  But  the  above 
will  serve  to  illustrate  a  few  of  those 
met  and  overcome  in  the  filming  of 
“The  Top  of  The  Town,”  and  will  serve 
to  outline  the  work  done  by  several  de¬ 
partments  which  are  “behind  the 
scenes.” 


ACROSS 


Upper  Left:  A  Lama  at  his  prayers. 
Above:  Roy  Chapman  Andrews  with  his 
head  camel-driver  seeking  out  a  route  for 
their  caravan  through  desolate  Mongolia. 
Center:  The  caravan  on  the  march.  Left: 
Religious  ceremonies  near  a  temple  in 


THE 

A 


l  rga.  Lower  Left:  Shackelford  taking  a 
close-up  of  a  High  Priest. 


i elo  w :  Natives  making  felt,  to  be  used  as  covering 
or  the  framework  of  their  qurt  shown  at  right, 
.ower  Right:  Native  women  with  their  children  in 
ront  of  the  finished  dwelling.  Upper  Center: 

Century-old  Mongolian. 


Intrepid  Cameraman  describes  his  adven¬ 
tures  while  official  photographer  on  the 
four  Roy  Chapman  Andrews  expeditions 
to  the  wastes  of  Mongolia. 


THE  insatiable  desire  of  mankind  to 
know  what  lies  “back  of  the  be¬ 
yond”  has  been  the  motivating  force 
that  has  compelled  explorers  since  time 
began,  to  seek  what  is  “lost  behind  the 
ranges.”  Adventurers  from  the  Old 
World,  fired  by  that  restless  lure,  found 
the  New — but  in  this  era,  others,  im¬ 
bued  with  the  same  questing  spirit, 
have  to  go  back  to  a  far  older  land,  to 
Asia,  the  Mother  of  Continents,  to  find 
full  scope  for  their  activities,  in  their 
efforts  to  extend  farther  and  ever  farth¬ 
er  the  intangible  horizon  of  human 
knowledge. 

In  order  that  others  may  benefit  from 
such  explorations  and  visit  them  as  if 
by  proxy,  records  of  discoveries  and 
experiences  must  be  made  and  kept, 
and  rendered  available  to  the  world  at 
large.  And  it  is  of  all  such  that  we 
write. 

To  be  specific,  of  the  four  Roy  Chap¬ 
man  Andrews  Central  Asiatic  Expedi¬ 
tions,  and  the  man  who  was  cameraman 
on  them — James  B.  Shackelford. 

Not  to  tell  the  stories  of  the  expedi¬ 
tions  themselves,  because  those  are 
thrice  told  tales — volumes  and  volumes 
have  detailed  their  signal  achievements, 
but  to  chronicle  Mr.  Shackelford’s  per¬ 
sonal  experiences  and  reactions. 

To  him  must  go  the  credit  for  fifty 
thousand  feet  of  motion  picture  film, 
and  thousands  of  still  pictures  which 
preserve  for  all  time  a  visual  record  of 
what  was  accomplished  and  how  it  was 
done.  Some  of  these  pictures  are  run 
herewith,  to  give  our  readers  a  graphic 
concept  of  life  and  customs  there  across 
the  roof  of  the  world. 


$ 


f 


ROOF  OF 
WORLD 


Above:  Heavily-laden  caravan  winding  its 
tedious  way  into  camp.  Upper  Right: 
Photographing  the  actual  digging  in  the 
field.  Right  and  Lower  Right:  Tibetan 
hairdress  before  and  after  marriage.  Be- 
loiv:  Another  dour  centenarian ,  having 
his  picture  taken  for  the  first  time.  Bot¬ 
tom  Left:  Giant  Tibetan,  nearly  eight  feel 
tall.  Bottom  Right:  Natives  taming  some 
of  their  cattle. 


To  BENGT  ARTUR  JONSON 


Life  and  customs  that  in  many  cases 
take  us  back  to  the  dawn  of  the  Dark 
Ages,  for  in  ten  centuries  there  has  been 
little  change  in  the  beliefs  and  habits  of 
the  nomadic  races  that  inhabit  the  drear 
and  barren  wilds  of  Outer  Mongolia 
and  the  Gobi  Desert. 

The  chief  mode  of  transportation  is 
still  by  camel  caravan,  and  across  the 
vast  plains  that  lie  between  Kalgan, 
just  outside  Peiping,  and  Urga,  hun¬ 
dreds  of  miles  to  the  far  northwest, 
their  picturesque  files  still  are  silhouet¬ 
ted  against  lonely  desert  skies,  even  as 
they  were  in  the  days  of  Attila  and  Bela 


“And  it  was  by  camel  caravan  that 
we  traveled  also,”  said  Mr.  Shackel¬ 
ford,  in  speaking  of  his  experiences 
there.  “Camel  caravan  supplemented 
by  eight  motor  cars  and  trucks.  These 
we  used  in  open  country  where  they 
naturally  provided  greater  speed  and 
mobility  for  excursions  off  the  caravan 
route.  However,  we  depended  entirely 
upon  our  125  camels  for  our  movable 
base  of  supplies,  and  without  them,  our 
expeditions  would  not  have  been  pos¬ 
sible.” 

“And  without  camels,  life  would  al¬ 
so  be  impossible  for  the  inhabitants. 
They  supply  transportation  from  place 
to  place,  their  milk  and  flesh  furnish 
food,  their  hair  and  skins  provide  felt 
and  clothing.  To  these  primitive  peo¬ 
ples  they  are  now,  even  as  they  were  in 
ages  past,  indispensable. 

“It  is  this  sameness  of  life,  this  ut¬ 
ter  lack  of  progress  that  fascinates  me 
about  that  country.  Perhaps  it  is  even 
( Continued  on  page  48) 


1<> 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insidei, 


April ,  1937 


20th  CENTURY-FOX  FILM  CORPORATION 


“ SLAVE  SHIP  Producer — Normally  Johnson.  Stars — Warner  Baxter,  Elizabeth  Allen,  Mickey  Rooney.  Principal  Players — George 
Sanders,  Billy  Bevan,  Arthur  Hohl,  Francis  Ford,  J.  P.  McGowen.  Director — lay  Garnett.  Director  of  Photography — Ernie 
Palmer,  A.S.C.  Art  Director-  Hans  Peter.  Sets-  Thomas  Little.  Film  Editor — Lloyd  Nosier.  Cotsumes — Roy. 


“WEE  WILLIE  W  INK1E"  Producer — Gene  Markey.  Stars — Shirley  Temple,  Victor  McLaglen,  June  Lang,  Michael  Whalen.  Prin¬ 
cipal  Players — C.  Aubrey  Smith,  Constance  Collier,  Cesar  Romero,  Douglas  Scott,  George  Hassell.  Director — John  Ford.  Director  of 
Photography — Arthur  Miller,  A.S.C.  Art  Director — William  Darling.  Sets — Thomas  Little.  Film  Editor — Walter  Thompson. 

Costumes — Gwen  Wakeling. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


17 


THE  REAL  GLORIA  STUART 

By  PAULINE  GALE 


IF  there  is  a  single  person  in  all  Hol¬ 
lywood  who  is  not  imbued  with  a 
sense  of  her  own  importance,  that  per¬ 
son  is  Gloria  Stuart. 

Perhaps  this  is  because  she  is  a  for¬ 
mer  newspaperwoman,  and  a  year  or  so 
on  a  newspaper  seems  to  brew  a  certain 
sort  of  indifference  to  public  opinion 
that  results  in  a  fairly  well-balanced 
personality. 

We  met  Gloria  in  her  dressing  room 
at  Universal  Studios  on  the  set  of  a 
picture  titled:  “Girl  Overboard!  ' 
The  scene  was  a  shipwreck.  In  fact, 
it  closely  resembled  the  “Morro  Cas¬ 
tle”  disaster,  from  which  the  story  idea 
came.  At  least  six  times  Gloria  was 
bundled  into  a  lifeboat  and  lowered 
away  with  a  screaming  mob  of  extras. 
On  the  sixth  take  it  was  declared 
“good”  and  Mi  ss  Stuart,  disheveled  and 
rather  breathless,  returned  to  her  dress¬ 
ing  room  to  be  repaired  and  to  be 
questioned  some  more  by  us. 

It  was  the  strangest  kind  of  interview. 
Snatches  of  conversation  punctuated  by 
directions  from  the  long-suffering  still 
man,  who  was  begging  Gloria  for  a 
pose  between  scenes. 

“Where  did  you  work  on  a  newspap¬ 
er,  Gloria?”  we  asked,  as  we  stood  be¬ 
hind  the  still  man. 


The  lovely  GLORIA,  grown  up  and  glamorous. 

A  star  who  does  not  forget  her  friends. 

“A  little  to  the  right,  Miss  Stuart — 
there — hold  it!”  (This  was  the  still 
man,  giving  directions.) 

Gloria  posed  a  moment  and  then 
spoke  through  the  blinding  light  while 
the  still  man  prepared  for  another  shot. 

“I  worked  for  two  years  on  a  small 


GLORIA  STUART  (right)  and  PAULINE 
GALE  when  they  were  very ,  very  young  in 
Santa  Monica,  California. 


weekly  paper,'  she  answered  us,  hold¬ 
ing  the  pose.  “It  was  in  Carmel,  in 
Northern  California,  and  I  was  general 
handyman  on  the  paper.  Did  stories, 
even  took  ads.  I  learned  to  run  a  lino¬ 
type  machine,  too. 

“Thank  you,”  said  the  still  man. 

“Come  on,”  said  Gloria,  and  we  ran 
for  the  sanctity  of  her  dressing-room, 
where  we  closed  the  door,  sank  down 
on  chairs  and  lit  cigarettes  with  a  sigh. 

We  compared  notes  and  found  that 
our  small  town  newspaper  experiences 
were  quite  similar,  since  that  is  where 
this  writer  began  pounding  out  news 
“in  the  beginning.” 

“There  was  a  time  when  I  had  a 
choice  of  following  two  careers,”  said 
Gloria.  “I  could  either  work  on  in 
journalistic  and  newspaper  work  and 
try  to  become  a  proficient  and  success¬ 
ful  writer.  Or — I  could  go  on  with  my 
stage  work,  since  I  had  been  leading 
lady  in  many  theatrical  productions.  I 
chose  the  latter  and  am  not  sorry. 
Though  my  interest  in  writing  is  now 
merely  as  a  reader,  still,  I  am  glad  of 
the  experience  it  gave  me.” 

“Would  you  do  any  writing  now?” 
we  asked.  “Do  you  ever  try  it  any 

O  ” 

more : 

Gloria  laughed  and  shook  her  head. 
“I  haven’t  time.  No  sooner  do  I  fin¬ 
ish  this  picture  than  I  must  tear  out  to 
Twentieth  Century-Fox  and  begin  work 
on  a  new  picture  there.  So  that  is  how 
it  is.  I  took  six  weeks  off  not  long  ago 
and  furnished  my  new  house.  Had  a 
gorgeous  time  shopping.” 

We  then  went  into  one  of  those  in¬ 
explicable  feminine  huddles  which  end¬ 
ed  in  our  both  talking  at  once.  We  us¬ 
ed  phrases  like  oyster  drapes  (and  we 
didn’t  mean  gowns  for  crustaceans, 
either),  velvet  chaise  longue,  Rosewood 
dining  table,  taupe  carpet,  library  pan¬ 
eling — and  the  like. 

“I  think  I  should  like  to  be  an  in¬ 
terior  decorator  if  I  wasn’t  an  actress,” 
said  Gloria,  with  a  happy  and  reminis¬ 
cent  sigh,  and  we  could  see  that  her 
fancy  was  roaming  through  her  house, 
taking  mental  delight  in  its  new  in¬ 
terior. 

Gloria  and  I,  you  see,  were  friends 
long  ago,  when  I-was-twelve-and-she- 
was-nine.  We  played  hop-scotch  to¬ 
gether  under  the  eucalyptus  trees  in 
Santa  Monica.  We  played  jacks  “for 
keeps”  and  tennis  and  hide-and-seek. 

( Continued  on  page  54) 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


,v  % 

K  ffmm 

- 1 

METRO- 

GOLDWYN- 

MAYER 


“MAYTIME”  Producer  —  Hunt 
Stromberg.  Director  —  Robert  Z. 
Leonard.  Stars — Jeanette  MacDon¬ 
ald,  Nelson  Eddy,  John  Barrymore. 
Principal  Players — Lynne  Carver, 
Guy  Bates  Post,  Tom  Brown.  Di¬ 
rector  of  Photography — Oliver  T. 
Marsh,  A.S.C. 


“PARNELL.”  Producer — Louis  B.  Mayer.  Stars — Clark  Gable,  Myrna  Loy.  Principal  Players — Billie  Burke,  Edmund  Gwenn,  Mon¬ 
tague  Love,  Donald  Crisp,  Berton  Churchill,  Alan  Marshall,  Brandon  Tynan,  Jack  O'Hara,  Donald  Meek.  Director — John  M.  Stahl. 

Director  of  Photography — Karl  Freund,  A.S.C. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


19 


THE  PHENOMENAL  RISE 

OF 

ROBERT  TAYLOR 

Here  is  not  “just  another  story ”  about  the  most  talked-of  young  man  in  America  but 
a  true-to-lije  sketch  of  the  career  of  a  star  who  has  risen  to  the  top  in  the  shortest 

time  of  any  actor. 


A  college  production  of  “Journey’s 
End,”  dramatized  by  a  student’s 
club  at  Pomona,  California,  started 
Robert  Taylor  on  the  career  which  is 
now  becoming  a  legend  of  success 
stories. 

Before  the  curtain  went  down,  his 
performance  as  an  amateur  landed  him 
a  contract  with  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
studios.  It  is  a  significant  clue  to  the 
character  of  Robert  Taylor  himself  that 
he  finished  his  remaining  months  of 
college  training  and  graduated  with  a 
Liberal  Arts  degree,  in  spite  of  the 
glowing  success  of  the  screen  test  giv¬ 
en  him  by  the  studio  upon  placing  him 
under  contract. 

A  survey  of  the  background  of  this 
surprisingly  level-headed  young  man 
who  is  the  movie  idol  of  thousands 
gives  the  key  to  the  poise  and  clear- 
thinking  manner  which  has  character¬ 
ized  him  from  the  outset  of  his  career. 

In  the  first  place,  he  is  a  small-town 
boy  and  will  happily  admit  that  he  was 
born  in  Filley,  Nebraska,  which  is  one 
of  the  very  small  towns  in  the  state. 
His  father,  a  physician,  (Doctor  S.  A. 
Brough,)  moved  his  family  to  Beatrice, 
Nebraska,  when  young  Robert  was  a 
mere  baby.  He  was  educated  in  public 
schools  of  that  town  and  graduated 
from  high  school  there. 

He  attended  college  at  Doane,  Ne¬ 
braska,  for  two  years,  and  finished  his 
course  at  Pomona  College,  California, 
where  his  dramatic  work  began  attract¬ 
ing  the  attention  of  outsiders  as  well  as 
the  faculty  of  the  college. 

It  was  while  in  Pomona  that  young 
Taylor  played  in  various  productions 
put  on  by  Hollywood  theatre  groups 
including  “M’Lord  the  Duke,”  at  the 
Playhouse,  “The  Importance  of  Being 
in  Earnest,”  and,  strangely  enough, 
“Camille,”  in  which  he  played  Armand. 
He  admits  that  there  was  no  faint  idea 
in  his  head  at  the  time  he  played  “Ca¬ 
mille”  the  summer  before  he  graduated 
from  college,  that  he  might,  in  a  year 
or  two,  play  the  same  role  opposite 
one  of  the  truly  great  screen  stars, 
Greta  Garbo,  and  be  a  star  of  the  first 
magnitude  himself. 

After  the  “Journey’s  End”  produc¬ 
tion  which  won  the  contract  for  him,  he 


became  discouraged.  A  studio  contract 
does  not  indicate  that  an  actor  will 
work  in  a  production  at  once,  and  as 
the  months  passed  without  a  role  as¬ 
signed  to  him,  he  decided  that  it  was 
“all  a  mistake.” 


ROBERT  TAYLOR 


A  visit  to  Louis  B.  Mayer  of  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  studios  was  Mr.  Tay¬ 
lor’s  next  step,  and  he  informed  the 
surprised  studio  chief  that  he  believed 
he  had  “no  future  in  pictures,”  and 
asked  for  a  release  from  his  contract. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  an  enduring 
friendship  sprang  up  between  Louis  B. 
Mayer  and  young  Robert  Taylor.  Mr. 
Mayer,  seeing  the  possibilities  in  the 
young  actor,  delegated  himself  as  per¬ 
sonal  counselor  to  Taylor.  He  taught 
him  how  to  climb  the  Hollywood  lad¬ 
der  of  success,  and  advised  him  regard¬ 
ing  his  wardrobe,  pointed  out  ways  to 
invest  and  safeguard  his  money  and, 
above  all,  how  to  cultivate  patience.  He 
instilled  in  Robert  Taylor  a  desire  to 
be,  not  just  another  actor,  but  an  ex¬ 
ceptionally  good  actor.  The  time 
which  elapsed  before  he  was  given  an 
opportunity  to  show  what  he  could  do 
on  the  screen  was  well  spent  due  to  the 
advice  and  counsel  of  Mr.  Mayer.  He 


trained  his  voice  and  acquired  dra¬ 
matic  presence  under  the  direction  of 
Oliver  Hinsdell.  well  known  dramatic 
coach.  He  studied  other  players,  and 
went  frequently  to  see  stars  in  motion 
pictures  in  order  to  analyze  their  act¬ 
ing.  He  learned  to  dress  casually  and 
correctly;  he  learned  to  take  advice 
from  other  people;  he  trained,  in  fact, 
for  his  first  screen  role  just  as  a  fighter 
trains  for  a  major  bout.  When  the 
time  camp  for  his  first  role,  a  new  Rob¬ 
ert  Taylor,  filled  with  a  new  confidence, 
reported  at  the  studio  for  work.  He 
had  gained  a  certain  polish  and  much- 
needed  poise  in  the  months  of  waiting. 
Louis  B.  Mayer  saw  the  change  and  his 
heart  glowed.  The  young  man  in  whom 
he  had  placed  a  great  deal  of  faith 
was  rewarding  that  faith  completely. 

The  above  may  answer  the  question 
that  has  often  arisen  regarding  the 
career  of  Robert  Taylor.  In  the  minds 
of  most  people  it  seems  as  though  the 
young  man  had  been  taken  straight 
from  the  ranks  of  amateur  dramatics 
and  placed  on  the  pinnacle  of  fame. 
This  is  not  so.  All  of  the  laurels  plac¬ 
ed  upon  the  handsome  brow  of  Robert 
Taylor  today  are  the  result  of  some  real 
headwork  on  the  part  of  that  same  brow 
before  he  ever  became  famous.  It  is 
truly  due  to  effort ,  and  hard  effort,  that 
the  screen’s  most  popular  young  male 
star  is  such  a  success.  He  put  the  same 
concentrated  study  into  his  screen  act¬ 
ing  that  he  used  to  tackle  his  college 
studies  or  develop  his  back  stroke  in 
tennis.  It  is  not  a  rabbit’s  foot — but 
hard  work  and  lots  of  it,  that  makes 
Robert  Taylor  what  he  is  today. 

The  changed  young  man  who  report¬ 
ed  to  the  studio  was  given  a  second 
screen  test,  and  studio  officials  today 
like  to  compare  the  two.  test  No.  1  and 
No.  2 — of  Robert  Taylor.  The  first, 
made  during  his  college  days,  showing 
glimpses  of  promise  and  possibilities  of 
dramatic  talent.  The  second,  which 
won  for  him  a  featured  role  in  “Society 
Doctor,”  showing  a  real  personality  ex¬ 
pressed  on  the  screen — a  new  voice,  a 
certain  power  which  had  not  been  vis¬ 
ible  in  the  previous  test.  Mr.  Mayer 
( Continued  on  page  57) 


20 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


RKO-RADIO 

PICTURES 


“ QUALITY  STREET ”  Producer: 
Pandro  Berman.  Stars — Katherine 
Hepburn,  Franchol  Tone.  Princi¬ 
pal  Players — Eric  Blore,  Fay  Bain- 
ter,  Cora  W  itherspoon,  Estelle  Win- 
wood,  Florence  Lake,  Helena  Grant, 
and  Bonita  Granville.  Director — - 
George  Stevens.  Director  of  Pho¬ 
tography — Robert  deGrasse,  A.S.C. 
Musical  Score -  Rav  Webb.  Art  Di¬ 
rector-  Hobe  Erwin.  Costumes — 
Walter  Plunkett.  Sets — Darrell  Sil 
vera. 


1  >  ! 

jL'  .  ^ 

1/ 

3m  i! 

“ OUTCASTS  OF  POKER  FLAT ”  Producer — Robert  Sisk.  Stars — Preston  Foster,  Jean  Muir.  Principal  Players — Van  Heflin, 
Margaret  Irving,  Virginia  Weidler,  Si  Jenks,  Alec  Thomas,  Billy  Gilbert,  George  Irving.  Director — Christy  Cabanne.  Director  of 

Photography — Robert  de  Grasse,  A.S.C.  Film  Editor — Cheeseman. 


Apiil,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


21 


The  man  who  directed  “ Top  Hat”  “ Follow  the  Fleet,”  “Gay  Divorcee”  and  now. 
“ Shall  We  Dance?”  is  Mark  Sandrich,  of  RKO  studios.  Here  is  a  personal  interview 
in  which  he  outlines  his  method  of  making  successful  musical  pictures. 


HOW  much  do  you  realize  of  the 
work  involved  when  you  watch 
Ginger  Rogers  and  Fred  Astaire  grace¬ 
fully  whirling  on  a  polished  dance  floor 
in  one  of  their  screen  romances? 

How  many  hours  of  hard  labor  do 
you  think  are  necessary  before  you  en¬ 
joy  a  song  presented  on  the  silver 
screen  by  Ginger  Rogers? 

What  do  you  know  of  “timing”  in 
comedy  when  you  hear  Edward  Ever¬ 
ett  Horton  or  Eric  Blore  deliver  some 
of  their  funny  lines? 

Of  course  ihe  answer  most  people 
would  give  to  the  questions  above 
would  be  that  they  don’t  care!  They 
would  say  that  they  enjoy  their  music¬ 
al  comedies  and  don’t  really  want  to 
know  the  mechanics  involved  in  their 
making. 

But  feeling  that  there  are  many  who 
are  interested  in  knowing  how  the  joy¬ 
ous,  carefree  effect  of  a  Ginger  Rogers- 
Fred  Astaire  picture  is  gained,  we  in¬ 
terviewed  the  man  who  has  directed  the 
most  famous  of  the  series,  and  who  is 
now  directing  the  latest  picture  of  this 
dance  team,  titled,  appropriately 
enough,  “Shall  We  Dance?” 

Mark  Sandrich  is  young  enough  to 
know  what  young  people  like  on  the 
screen.  He  has  a  youthful  outlook, 
despite  a  basic  knowledge  of  pictures 
gained  from  many  years  as  a  director. 
To  get  this  viewpoint,  we  asked  him 
first  about  his  own  reaction  to  musicals. 

“I  think  that  people  like  to  see  beau¬ 
tiful  sets — lovely  gowns — attractive 
girls  and  handsome  men.  I  think  that 
they  like  swing-y  music  and  graceful 
dancing — and  last,  I  think  they  like  to 
laugh.  If  all  of  those  things  are  incor¬ 
porated  into  one  picture,  then  I  believe 
it  cannot  fail  with  the  public.” 

His  answer  is  backed  by  proof,  for 
people  flocked  to  see  “Top  Hat”  and 
then  came  back  for  a  second  time  with 
friends,  to  view  the  picture  all  over 
again.  The  same  thing  happened  to 
“Gay  Divorcee”  and  “Follow  the  Fleet.” 

It  isn’t  difficult  to  predict  that  “Shall 
We  Dance?”  will  enjoy  the  same  world¬ 
wide  popularity.  And  the  answer  is  as 


Mr.  Sandrich  declared  to  us.  People 
like  to  see  beautiful,  impossible,  joy¬ 
ous  things  happening  on  the  screen  to 
the  tune  of  melodies  that  they  can  hum 
or  whistle  or  sing  long  after  the  pic¬ 
ture  is  forgotten. 

This  brings  us  to  some  of  the  diffi¬ 
culties  involved  in  making  pictures 
which  are  constantly  broken  into  by 
songs  and  by  dance  numbers.  But  the 
way  Mark  Sandrich  directs,  they  are 
not  broken  into.  The  song  or  dance  is 
made  to  be  an  integral  part  of  the  plot. 

“If  I  find  that  a  song  or  a  dance  does 
not  take  the  place  of  an  entire  sequence 
in  the  story — then  I  discard  the  song,” 
Mr.  Sandrich  explained.  “Next  time 
you  see  one  of  my  musical  pictures,  no¬ 
tice  a  song  or  a  dance.  If,  in  your 
opinion,  that  song  could  be  left  out  of 
the  picture  without  spoiling  part  of  the 
story,  then  I  have  done  my  job  poorly. 

( Continued  on  page  59) 


MARK  SANDRICH 


COFFEE  AT  FOUR  O'CLOCK!  An  in¬ 
formal  moment  on  the  set  of  “Shall  We 
Dance?”  in  which  GINGER  ROGERS, 
JEROME  COWAN  and  MARK  SAND¬ 
RICH  forget  work  for  a  few  carefree  mo¬ 
ments.  This  scene  is  indicative  of  the 
spirit  in  which  MARK  SANDRICH  directs 
his  pictures.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  his 
musicals  are  filled  with  the  fov  of  living? 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DIRECTING 
MUSICAL  COMEDY 


2'Z 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


WARNER  BROS.-FIRST  NATIONAL  STUDIOS 


“ CALL  IT  A  DAY.”  Executive 
Producer-  -Hal  B.  Wallis.  Associate 
Producer — Henry  Blanhe.  Director 
— Archie  Mayo.  Assistant  Director 
-Jack  Sullivan.  Stars  and  Princi¬ 
pal  Players — Olivia  de  Haviland, 
Ian  Hunter,  Anita  Louise,  Roland 
Young,  Freida  Inescort,  Bonita 
Granville,  Marcia  Ralston,  Walter 
Woolf  King,  and  Peggy  Wood. 
Screen  Play — Casey  Robinson.  Pho¬ 
tography — Ernest  Haller,  A.S.C. 
Film  Editor-  -James  Gibbons.  Mu¬ 
sical  Director  —  Leo  Forbstein. 

Gowns — Orry-Kelly. 


“ MARKED  WOMAN ”  Producer 
— Lou  Edelman.  Stars — Bette  Davis, 
Humphrey  Bogart.  Principal  Players-- 
Rosalind  Marquis,  Henry  O'Neill,  May 
Methot,  Isabel  Jewell,  Lola  Lane,  Ray¬ 
mond  Hatton,  Eduardo  Ciannelli,  Teddy 
Hart.  Director — Lloyd  Bacon.  Direc¬ 
tor  of  Photography — George 
Barnes,  A.S.C. 


April,  1937 


FERNAND  GRAVET  plays  King  Alfred 
VU  and  JOAN  BLON DELL  is  the  Amer¬ 
ican  chorus  girl  who  becomes  the  object  of 
his  affections  in  “ The  King  and  the  Chorus 
Girl ”,  which  MERVYN  LE  ROY  has  pro- 
duced  and  directed  for  Warner  Brothers. 


OF  all  the  foreign  importations 
who  have  arrived  in  Hollywood 
during  the  years  that  actors  and  ac¬ 
tresses  have  trekked  to  this  entertain¬ 
ment  Mecca,  none  perhaps  deserves  the 
title  of  internationalist  more  truly  than 
Fernand  Gravet. 

This  protege  of  Mervvn  LeRoy’s  who 
recently  completed  his  first  American 
picture,  “The  King  and  The  Chorus 
Girl”  has  played  in  twenty-four  French 
and  two  English  pictures  in  the  last 
six  years,  interspersing  an  appearance 
or  two  before  German  cameras  during 
that  same  period. 

Prior  to  his  motion  picture  debut,  he 
had  appeared  in  more  than  twenty 
plays  in  nearly  every  country  of  Con¬ 
tinental  Europe  and  many  of  Asia  and 
South  America.  This  necessitated  his 
learning  many  languages,  among  them 
being  French,  German,  English  and 
Italian,  all  of  which  he  speaks  perfect¬ 
ly.  But  being  born  in  Belgium,  of  a 
French  father  and  a  Belgian  mother, 
and  educated  at  the  famous  St.  Paul’s 
school  at  Hammersmith,  England,  he 
got  away  to  a  good  international  start. 

With  that  wealth  of  experience  and 
background,  it  was  not  only  natural, 
but  inevitable  that  he  should  eventual¬ 
ly  work  under  a  Hollywood  producer 
here.  For  years,  however,  he  turned 
down  every  offer,  until  Mervyn  LeRoy 
went  to  Europe  and  signed  him  to  a 
contract.  This  document  stipulated,  by 
the  way,  that  Mr.  LeRoy  should  per¬ 
sonally  direct  all  his  pictures  here; 
stipulated  also  an  immediate  picture  as¬ 
signment,  so  the  “King  and  the  Chorus 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


PRESENTING 

FERNAND  GRAVET 


A  character  study  of  Mervyn  Le  Roys  new  star,  with  some 
sidelights  upon  one  of  the  most  interesting  people  in  the 
cinematic  world  today,  Fernand  Gravet! 


Girl”  went  into  production  almost  at 
once  after  bis  arrival  here. 

That  was  why  he  refused  to  come 
here  before — his  fear  that  he  would  be 
put  under  a  contract  and  then  be  forc¬ 
ed  to  spend  months  in  idleness  waiting 
for  a  suitable  vehicle.  And  the  above 
record  testifies  that  he  is  anything  but 
an  idle  young  man. 

But  this  role  pleased  him.  Cast  as  a 
romantic,  active,  manly  young  king  in 
love  with  a  commoner,  and  most  hap¬ 
py  about  it,  it  gives  full  play  for  his 
dashing  personality.  (The  fact  that  he 
is  not  unlike  the  present  Duke  of  Wind¬ 
sor  in  appearance  only  adds  to  his  per¬ 
formance  and  the  timeliness  of  the  pro¬ 
duction.  ) 

Tall,  with  a  fine  military  carriage 
(the  latter  a  heritage  from  his  days  in 
the  Belgian  cavalry),  his  is  a  striking 
figure.  Coal  black  hair,  crowning  a 
pleasant,  romantic  face,  gives  him  ap¬ 
peal  for  both  men  and  women  alike. 


Couple  his  appearance  with  a  fine 
baritone  voice  and  it  is  small  wonder 
that  he  has  been  dubbed  the  Robert 
Taylor  of  the  Continent.  Though  ro¬ 
mantic  in  appearance  however,  and 
despite  the  fact  that  he  has  been  essen¬ 
tially  merry  in  most  of  his  roles,  he 
approaches  his  work  with  the  utmost 
seriousness. 

So  much  so,  that  even  with  all  the 
foregoing  stage  and  screen  experience 
he  did  not  consider  that  he  was  yet 
ready  for  his  American  debut.  Feeling 
that  an  actor  should  really  know  how 
his  work  gets  on  film  and  what  hap¬ 
pens  to  it  after  it  does,  he  spent  months 
studying  cameras  and  lighting.  Fur¬ 
ther  months  were  spent  working  as  a 
film  cutter,  so  that  besides  being  a  con¬ 
summate  actor,  he  is  also  an  accom¬ 
plished  technician. 

He  also  studied  costume  design,  par- 

( Continued  on  page  54) 


An  informal  chat  between  scenes  in  which  MERVYN  LE  ROY  and 
FERNAND  GRAVET  discuss  a  change  in  the  script  of  “ The  King 
and  the  Chorus  Girl.” 


24 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


UNIVERSAL  PICTURES 


“IT  HEN  LOVE  IS  YOUNG."  Producer-  Robert  T'resnell.  Director  -Hal  Mohr.  Stars — Virginia  Bruce,  Kent  Taylor ,  and  lean 

Rogers.  Photography — Jerry  Ash.  Art  Director — Johnny  Otterson. 


“ THE  ROAD  BACK”  Producers — James  Whale  and  Edmund  Grainger.  Director — James  Whale.  Stars — Larry  Blake,  Andy  Devine, 
Slim  Summerville,  and  John  King.  Photography — Johnny  Mescall.  Screen  Play — R.  C.  Sherri)}.  Art  Director — Danny  Hall. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


25 


MANY  ARE  CALLED 


The  New  Universal’s  test  director  explains  what  cinema  aspirants 
must  have  and  do  in  order  to  obtain  consideration  )rom  motion 
picture  executives.  A  personal  interview  with: 


UTHORITIES  estimate  that  there 
are  three  million  people  in  Amer¬ 
ica  who  have  yearnings  for  a  screen 
career.  So  many  thousands  yearly 
have  obeyed  that  impulse  and  have 
come  to  Hollywood  that  casting  direc¬ 
tors  say  there  are  thirty-five  thousand 
people  here  who  have  their  hearts  set 
on  the  single  goal  of  screen  stardom. 
Therefore,  to  ask  what  must  they  have 
or  do  to  achieve  their  ambition  is  a 
pertinent  question. 

We  posed  the  dual  query  to  S.  Syl¬ 
van  Simon,  head  test  director  at  Uni¬ 
versal  Pictures.  He  answered,  “What 
they  must  do  is  easy.  All  any  one  with 
screen  ambitions  has  to  do  is  to  come 
either  to  our  New  York  or  Hollywood 
office  and  interview  the  test  director  in 
either  place. 

“Inasmuch  as  I  function  in  that  ca¬ 
pacity  here,  f  will  speak  for  myself. 
Any  one  can  see  me,  at  any  time.  I 
am  not  surrounded  by  a  covey  of  sec¬ 
retaries  trying  to  keep  people  away. 
On  the  contrary,  I  am  eager  to  see  and 
interview  the  aspirants  because  we  are 
always  looking  everywhere  for  new  tal¬ 
ent  and  are  only  too  happy  to  give  any 
one  an  opportunity  who  shows  that  she 
or  he  has  what  it  takes.  By  that,  I 
mean  they  must  have  possibilities. 
They  don’t  have  to  know  how  to  act, 
because  it  is  my  firm  conviction  that 
actors  are  made  and  not  born.  If  they 
have  that  intangible  yet  vital  quality  of 
personality,  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the 
battle  is  over;  that  divine  spark,  plus 
native  intelligence  and  if  possible  an 
intellectual  background,  is  all  that  they 
need  because  they  can  be  taught  the 
other  essentials.  But  the  reason  that 
so  few  make  the  grade  and  attain  screen 
careers  is  because  so  few  possess  those 
dynamic  characteristics  which  go  to 
make  up  a  likeable  personality. 

“I  interview  between  forty  and  fiftv 
people  a  day,  week  in,  week  out.  From 
them  I  choose  perhaps  two  a  week  of 
whom  to  make  tests. 

“I  choose  those  two  on  this  basis: 
from  years  of  experience  in  the  thea¬ 
trical  and  motion  picture  fields,  I  have 


to  a  degree  learned  the  type  of  person¬ 
ality  that  audiences  like  and  I  judge  all 
those  seeking  entrance  by  that  one  test, 
audience  reaction.  If  they  impress  me 
as  having  the  personality  necessary  to 
get  a  favorable  audience  reaction,  they 
are  immediately  set  for  a  test.  It  may 
be  only  the  flash  of  a  smile,  a  whimsi¬ 
cal  turn  of  speech  or  the  cheery  sparkle 
of  an  eye.  Who  can  tell? 

“I  am  anxious  to  help  each  one,  but 
if  they  lack  that  certain  something,  they 
will  never  make  good  in  screen  careers 
any  way,  so  it  is  better  to  head  them 
off  before  they  continue  further  along 
that  weary,  laborious  road  that  eventu¬ 
ally  leads  for  so  many  but  to  despair 
and  heartbreak. 

Mr.  Simon  leaned  back  in  bis  chair, 
a  slightly  sad  and  wistful  look  dark¬ 
ening  his  face  for  the  moment,  as  if  he 
were  contemplating  that  long  line  of 
eager  youth  that  had  been  weighed  in 
the  balance  and  found  wanting. 


S.  SYLVAN  SIMON 


“Once  we  select  them  for  a  test,  we 
do  everything  in  our  power  to  help 
them  make  good.  Scenes  are  selected 

( Continued  on  page  49) 


26 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April.  1937 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES 


l  ENIS  MAKES  I  ROUBLE.  Producer — Wallace  MacDonald.  Director — Gordon  Wiles.  Assistant  Director — Sam  Nelson.  Stars 
and  Principal  Players — James  Dunn,  Patricia  Ellis ,  Gene  Morgan,  Thurston  Hall,  Beatrice  Curtis,  Spencer  Charters,  and  Astrid 
Alivyn.  Photography — Lucien  Ballard,  A.S.C.  Story  and  Screen  Play — Michael  L.  Simmons. 


THE  DEVIL  IS  DRIVING."  Producer— Edward  Chodorov.  Stars- Richard  Dix,  Joan  Perry,  Nana  Bryant.  Director— Harry  Lach- 

man.  Director  of  Photography — Allen  Siegler. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


27 


COMMENDING  LOST  HORIZON 

The  Insider  congratulates  Columbia  Pictures  on  their  most  magnificent  new  production,  hailing  it  as  a  distinct 

advance  in  cinema  art. 


FOR  years  producing  heads  of  mo¬ 
tion  picture  companies  have  evaded 
stories  which  dealt  with  matters  not  en¬ 
tirely  based  on  every  day  happenings. 
Such  themes  were  definitely  taboo. 
When  an  author  mentioned  such  words 
as  fantastic,  imaginative,  ethereal  or 
occult  he  immediately  had  heads 
shaken  at  any  proposal  to  film  such  a 
story.  The  public,  according  to  the 
know-it-alls,  didn’t  want  an  undue 
amount  of  imagination  on  their  cine¬ 
matic  dishes.  The  flavour,  it  was  con¬ 
sidered,  was  too  delicate  for  mundane 
tastes. 

In  spite  of  these  words,  such  pictures 
as  “The  Island  of  Lost  Souls,”  “King 
Kong”  and  “She”  was  made  and  found 
acceptable  to  the  public  even  though 
the  stories  were  based  on  the  wildest  of 
fantastic  ideas.  The  Tarzan  series  en¬ 
joyed  great  popularity  though  the  basic 
idea  was  one  of  purest  fiction. 

Now,  a  producer  has  come  along  who 
has  made  a  different  kind  of  picture — 
yet  has  again  defied  the  credo  of  “no 
imaginative  stories.”  That  man  is  Har¬ 
ry  Cohn — and  the  story  is  “Lost  Hor¬ 
izon.”  Based  on  vivid  drama  and  filled 
with  the  most  pulse-pounding  excite¬ 
ment,  this  story  is  at  heart  a  tale  of 
the  most  ethereal  and  occult  type — the 
kind  of  story,  in  short,  that  has  been 
taboo  for  years.  Its  screening  shows  a 
story  that  the  simplest  mind  can  grasp 
— yet  which  aims  at  a  type  of  intelli¬ 
gence  that  has  not  yet  been  truly 
reached  by  the  screen.  It  is  an  experi¬ 
ment  in  ideas — and  Harry  Cohn,  who 


RONALD  COLMAN 


believes  in  such  things,  has  staked  near¬ 
ly  two  million  dollars  on  his  belief  that 
people  like  stories  that  appeal  to  their 
minds  and  hearts — even,  to  their  souls, 
and  that  is  real  news. 

The  people  who  made  this  picture 
under  the  guiding  hand  of  Frank 
Capra  and  Harry  Cohn,  felt  the  vital 
idea  back  of  the  picture  and  put  their 
whole  minds  and  their  entire  experience 
back  of  the  work  that  was  necessary  to 
turn  out  such  a  most  magnificent  pro¬ 
duction.  Expense  was  not  spared — 
effort  was  not  spared — whole-hearted 
co-operation  and  a  singleness  of  pur¬ 
pose  drove  the  makers  of  “Lost  Hor¬ 
izon”  to  creating  something  that  was 
not  only  the  finest  of  its  kind  in  enter¬ 
tainment — but  t He  only  one  of  its  kind 


JANE  WYATT 


to  show,  to  date,  on  the  screen.  They 
are  the  pioneers  of  a  new  type  of  pic¬ 
ture.  A  picture  which  dares  expound 
a  message,  gently  and  unostentatiously, 
yet  very  definitely — a  message.  If  au¬ 
diences  fail  to  read  “between  the  lines” 
they  have  still  seen  a  glorious  and  in¬ 
tensely  entertaining  picture.  But  there 
will  be  many  in  each  audience  who  will 
see  much  more  in  “Lost  Horizon”  than 
just  moving  figures  on  a  screen.  It  is 
to  this  audience  that  Harry  Cohn, 
Frank  Capra,  James  Hilton  and  Robert 
Riskin  directed  their  picture.  They 
dared  to  make  it  more  than  “just  an¬ 
other  grand  moving  picture” — they 
worked  to  see  that  it  was  “more  than 
a  million-dollar  production.”  Well — 


FRANK  CAPRA 

they  have  succeeded.  It  is  more  than  a 
picture.  It  is  the  belief  of  the  “Insider” 
that  “Lost  Horizon”  will  prove  a  new 
sensation  to  not  only  film-goers — but  to 
the  industry  itself. 

We  recommend  this  picture  whole¬ 
heartedly  and  without  restraint  to  ev¬ 
ery  man,  woman  or  child  who  wants  a 
new  experience.  We  appeal  to  those 
who  want  to  think  a  little.  Those  who 
want  to  believe  a  little  and  those  who, 
like  ourselves,  know  that  the  motion 
picture  industry  has  more  to  offer  than 
has  been  seen  so  far.  “Lost  Horizon” 
is  that  offering. 

We  doff  our  hats  to  Columbia  Pic¬ 
tures  Corporation,  and  to  all  those  who 
gave  of  their  best — no  matter  how  large 
or  how  small  their  part  in  producing 
such  an  outstanding  picture.  It  is  with 
pleasure  that  we  commend  the  follow¬ 
ing  personages  for  their  work  in  making 
“Lost  Horizon”:  Harry  Cohn,  Produc¬ 
er;  Frank  Capra,  Director;  Robert  Ris¬ 
kin,  Screen  Play;  Joseph  Walker, 
A.S.C.  Photography;  Elmer  Dyer, 
Aerial  Photography;  Max  Steiner,  Mu¬ 
sical  Director;  Dimitri  Tiomkin,  Mu¬ 
sical  Score;  Gene  Havlick,  Film  Edi¬ 
tor;  Harrison  Forman,  Technical  Ad¬ 
viser;  Stephen  Goosson,  Art  Director; 
Jack  Dawn  and  Max  Factor,  Makeup 
of  High  Lama;  Ernst  Dryden  and 
Western  Costume  Co.,  Costumes;  and 
all  the  cast,  which  included  Ronald 
Colman,  Jane  Wyatt.  Edward  Everett 
Horton,  Isabel  Jewell,  H.  B.  Warner, 
Sam  Jaffe,  John  Howard,  Thomas 
Mitchell  and  Margo. 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April.  1937 


THE  IMPORTANCE 
PROPER  CASTING 

BOB  MAYO.  Casting  Director  for  Columbia  Studios,  describes  some  of  the  difficulties 
of  casting  pictures  as  well  as  some  of  the  interesting  and 


ICHELANGELO  once  said  that 
“trifles  make  perfection  and  per¬ 
fection  is  no  trifle".  That  might  well 
be  the  motto  of  Bob  Mayo,  casting  di¬ 
rector  at  Columbia  Pictures,  because 
he  maintains  that  infinite  attention  to 
detail  in  the  selection  of  all  the  char¬ 
acters  for  a  picture  is  the  prime  fac¬ 
tor  in  determining  whether  a  picture  is 
truly  great  or  merely  mediocre. 

Seated  in  Mr.  Mayo’s  office,  there  to 
discover  just  how  a  casting  office  works 
and  why,  we  listened  to  him  expound 
the  tenets  of  his  credo. 

“It  is  our  job  to  find  characters  who 
fit  the  role  selected  for  them  to  the  last 
detail.  Only  when  actors  do  fit  does 
the  picture  seem  real  and  true  on  the 
screen.  I  believe  that  the  work  of  a 
bit  player  is  just  as  important  in  many 
cases  as  the  work  of  a  star." 

We  interrupted  him  by  asking  him 
to  begin  at  the  beginning  and  tell  us 
just  how  a  picture  is  cast  so  that  we 
could  get  the  facts  in  chronological  or¬ 
der. 

“Well,  to  start  with,”  he  answered, 
“I  get  a  copy  of  the  script  and  study 
it,  making  notations  on  the  various 
roles  as  I  go  through  it.  The  stars  are 
usually  set  by  agreement  among  the 
producer,  the  director,  other  executives 
and  myself,  before  the  rest  of  the  cast¬ 
ing  of  the  picture  starts  and  thus  cast¬ 
ing  the  star  is  no  particular  worry  of 
mine.  Quite  often  also  it  is  predeter¬ 
mined  by  such  factors  as  the  avail¬ 
ability  of  the  players  whom  we  have 
under  contract  and  for  whom  the  story 
was  intended;  but  when  it  comes  to  the 
minor  players,  that  is  when  my  work 
begins.  I  have  to  determine  the  person 
for  each  role  and  when  I  have  studied 
the  script  thoroughly  I  go  over  my 
notes  and  see  who  in  my  estimation  is 
best  fitted  for  each  particular  part. 

“Right  here  I  want  to  point  out  that 
casting  directors  are  not  made  in  a  day; 


pleasurable  rewards  of  this  specialized  job. 


that  years  of  experience  in  the  casting 
business  itself  are  required  before  an 
individual  is  fitted  for  the  job.  Many 
studios  maintain  extensive  files  where 
each  actor  and  actress  is  classified  as 


BOB  MAYO 


to  his  or  her  ability  to  portray  certain 
roles.  Some  studios  that  I  know  of 
have  separated  them  into  as  many  as 
forty  different  classifications,  such  as 
crooks,  toughs,  drunks,  grandmothers, 
ingenues,  etc.,  with  notations  on  the 
back  of  the  card  denoting  age,  weight, 
height,  wardrobe,  capability  and  simi¬ 
lar  information  of  all  sorts. 

“I  personally  don’t  work  that  way  at 
all  because  I  believe  that  quite  often 
an  actor  becomes  buried  in  one  classi¬ 
fication  and  unless  the  casting  director 
personally  knows  that  individual  he 
will  never  get  a  chance  at  anything 
else.  Take  for  example,  Mischa  Auer. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  cast  as  a  ‘men¬ 


ace’,  a  sinister  individual  whose  busi¬ 
ness  it  usually  was  to  scare  other  peo¬ 
ple.  This  went  on  until  someone  with 
imagination  tried  him  out  in  a  comedy 
part,  and  if  you  have  seen  his  pictures 
such  as  ‘That  Girl  from  Paris’,  you  can 
readily  understand  he  has  a  distinct 
flair  for  that  type  of  role. 

“I  could  mention  others  in  like 
measure,  men  who  played  heavies  only, 
in  dozens  of  pictures,  and  got  no 
chance  at  anything  else;  that  is  why 
long  ago  I  discarded  the  multiple  clas¬ 
sification  system.  Now  I  just  have  the 
two  groups,  men  and  women,  and  I 
make  it  my  business  to  become  thor¬ 
oughly  familiar  and  acquainted  with 
each  individual,  and  his  various  quali¬ 
fications  so  I  cast  the  pictures,  prac¬ 
tically  speaking,  from  memory.” 

We  could  have  pointed  out  to  Mr. 
Mayo  that  he  had  a  card  index  file 
but  it  was  a  mental  one  rather  than 
the  usual  type.  His  memory  serves  him 
where  physical  reminders  are  necessary 
for  less  capable  people. 

But  to  return  to  his  casting  proce¬ 
dure:  “When  as  a  result  of  my  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  qualifications  of  a  particu¬ 
lar  individual.  I  choose  him  or  her  for 
the  part,  then  I  submit  my  selection, 
with  perhaps  an  alternate,  to  the  di¬ 
rector  and  the  producer.  If  they  are 
satisfied  with  my  choice,  then  that  per¬ 
son  is  called  in,  and  if  he  or  she  agrees 
to  take  the  role,  they’re  given  their 
parts  to  study,  and  told  to  await  call. 
If  special  costumes  are  necessary,  of 
course  they  are  sent  to  the  wardrobe 
for  fitting  so  that  when  we’re  ready  to 
shoot,  all  will  be  set. 

“Thus  if  in  our  opinion  they  fill  the 
bill,  they  are  cast  in  that  part,  and 
that’s  all  there  is  to  it. 

“That  may  sound  rather  simple,  but 
every  detail  of  each  individual  must  be 
absolutely  right  if  the  picture  itself  is 
( Continued  on  page  55) 


April,  19.37 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


29 


MY  TOUGHEST 

SHOOTING  ASSIGNMENT 

The  story  of  pictures  when  the  screen  teas  young  and  photography  an  untried  art. 

by 


MY  toughest  shooting  assignment? 

Well,  that  is  rather  hard  to  say. 
To  pick  one  particular  incident  out  of 
30  years  of  work  and  say  definitely  and 
unequivocally  that  that  was  the  hard¬ 
est  job  I  have  ever  had  to  do  is  ex¬ 
ceedingly  difficult,  not  to  say  impos¬ 
sible,  because  all  those  things  are  rela¬ 
tive,  depending  upon  the  time,  the 
place,  the  nature  of  equipment  you 
have  to  work  with,  the  conditions  under 
which  you  work  and  the  effect  for 
which  you  are  striving.  Things  that  at 
the  time  seem  to  present  almost  insur¬ 
mountable  difficulties,  in  retrospect 
look  easy. 

For  example,  when  I  first  broke  into 
the  motion  picture  business  back  in 
1906,  all  pictures  had  to  be  shot  out- 
of-doors  because  we  had  not  yet  learned 
to  use  artificial  light  and  you  know 
how  the  sun  is  in  Germany,  here  one 
hour  and  gone  the  next  two  weeks. 

Then  came  the  electrical  lighting 
and  with  it,  a  new  technique.  In  the 
new  studios  that  were  built  for  us  in 
Paris,  where  I  was  working  at  the  time, 
all  the  rooms  wherein  we  were  going 
to  shoot  pictures,  were  made  of  trans¬ 
parent  glass;  the  architects  and  studio 
executives  feeling  that  this  would  make 
the  interiors  as  well  lighted  as  possible 
and  require  very  little  artificial  illumi¬ 
nation. 

Trying  them  out,  I  found  that  the 
combination  of  the  artificial  light  and 
natural  light  filtered  through  the  glass 
was  not  at  all  satisfactory,  so  I  had  a 
painter  paint  all  the  glass  in  the  studio 
dead  black,  making  the  studio  totally 
dark.  When  the  producer  saw  what  I 
had  done,  he  said,  “Freund,  you  are 
crazy.”  This  accusation  I  disproved 
by  lighting  the  interior  with  artificial 
light  and  taking  a  few  trial  shots.  The 
resulting  negatives  were  so  much 
sharper  and  clearer  than  any  taken 


KARL  FREUND  checks  the  lighting  of 
the  set  with  specially-ground  glasses  which 
are  color-corrected.  It  is  his  painstaking 
attention  to  detail  ivhich  has  won  him  an 
enviable  position  in  the  film  world  and 
made  M.G.M.  pictures  photograph¬ 
ically  beautiful. 

theretofore,  that  artificial  lighting  im¬ 
mediately  became  the  rule  rather  than 
the  exception.  Thus  was  born  a  new 
technique,  many  principles  of  which, 
then  developed,  are  still  basic. 

Or  I  might  mention  the  time  I  was 
a  newsreel  cameraman  in  Berlin  and 
was  assigned  to  cover  Kaiser  Wilhelm’s 
Silver  Jubilee,  celebrating  twenty  five 
years  of  his  reign.  No  governmental 
permission  was  obtainable  to  get  inside 
the  palace,  where  royalty  from  all  over 
Europe  was  gathered  to  pay  homage  to 
the  then  great  emperor. 

However,  I  was  assigned  by  my  com¬ 
pany  to  cover  the  job,  which  I  did  by 
sneaking  into  the  palace  at  four  o’clock 
in  the  morning,  hiding  myself  behind 
pillars  and  furniture  until  the  festivi¬ 
ties  commenced  and  then  poking  my 
camera  through  improvised  peep  holes 


from  time  to  time  when  momentous 
events  were  transpiring. 

That  day  I  got  “candid  camera” 
shots  of  most  of  the  crowned  heads  of 
Europe,  all  without  getting  kicked  un¬ 
ceremoniously  off  the  royal  premises, 
which  would  have  happened  in  the 
event  someone  in  authority  had  discov¬ 
ered  my  forbidden  efforts.  To  the 
newsreel  cameramen  of  today  that  may 
not  seem  to  have  been  a  very  difficult 
feat,  but  in  1913  things  and  conditions 
were  different.  As  I  said,  all  things 
are  relative. 

I  shot  “Variety”  and  “The  Last 
Laugh,”  those  German  pictures  which 
startled  the  world  with  their  photogra¬ 
phic  technique.  That  was  trick  pho¬ 
tography  at  its  ultimate.  Unusual,  al¬ 
most  impossible  angles  had  to  be  ob¬ 
tained.  We  shot  from  the  floor,  from  the 
ceiling,  from  the  walls,  from  flying 
trapezes,  from  almost  every  position 
excepting  the  normal  one,  and  the  re¬ 
sult,  well,  why  dwell  on  the  obvious? 

Trick  photography  as  such  has  been 
abandoned  in  the  industry,  practically 
speaking.  With  the  advent  of  the 
talkies,  its  technique  became  obsoles¬ 
cent,  if  not  entirely  obsolete.  We  have 
to  use  it  occasionally  to  make  certain 
scenes,  shot  without  the  principals  in 
one  locale,  fit  into  scenes  shot  with 
principals  in  another,  such  as  we  had 
to  do  with  the  locust  scenes  in  “Good 
Earth”. 

Naturally  we  could  not  capture  great 
clouds  of  locusts  “on  the  swarm’  and 
bring  them  to  our  “Good  Earth”  loca¬ 
tion,  so  “Mohamet  went  to  the  moun¬ 
tain”.  We  went  to  the  locust  country 
and  photographed  the  devastating  mil¬ 
lions  at  work.  (And  if  you  don’t  think 
it  is  a  job  to  “direct”,  light  and  bring 
into  focus  these  whirring,  kicking,  fly¬ 
ing,  jumping,  long-legged  denizens  of 

( Continued  on  page  60) 


30 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


SAMUEL 

GOLDWYN 

PRODUCTIONS 


“ WOMAN  CHASES  MAN”  Producer — 
Samuel  Goldwyn.  Associate  Producer 
— George  Haight.  Director — John  G. 
Blystone.  Stars  and  Principal  Players 
— Miriam  Hopkins,  Joel  McCrea, 
Charles  If  inninger,  Erik  Rhodes,  Leona 
Maricle,  Ella  Logan  and  Broderick 
Crawford.  Story — Lynn  Root  and 
Franklin  Fenton.  Screen  Play-  Jo¬ 
seph  Anthony,  Manuel  Seff  and  David 
Hertz.  Sound — Frank  Maher.  Photog¬ 
raphy — Gregg  Toland,  A.S.C.  Music 
Director — Alfred  Newman.  Costumes — 
Omar  Kiam.  Art  Director  Richard 
Day.  Film  Editor — Daniel  Mandell. 


SELZNICK  INTERNATIONAL  PICTURES 


mm  wm 

k  — 'Tiririji 

/  NjiA  rwl 

i'  '  A 

**■ ,  i  aMP-ji  Y  ,  f  •  Aagm  J'sB&Wm 

ii  fwo  fat-’ 

”  EjjT 

i/Jl  -T 

■fijr  ~  i| 

A  STAR  IS  B0R  \  Producer — David  O.  Selznick.  Director — WilliamA.  ff'ellman.  Stars  and  Prin  cipal  Players — Janet  Gaynor, 
Fredric  Marsh,  Adolph  Menjou,  May  Robson,  Andy  Devine,  Lionel  Stander,  and  Elizabeth  Jenns.  Photography — W.  Howard  Greene. 
Music — Max  Steiner.  Special  Effects — Jack  Cosgrove.  Sound — Oscar  Lagerstrom. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


31 


CINEMALANGUAGE 

When  a  picture  is  in  production  phrases  are  used  which  are  completely  unintelligible 
to  the  layman.  Here  is  a  partial  dictionary  that  will  amaze  you. 


EACH  year  more  and  more  thou¬ 
sands  of  tourists  flock  into  Los 
Angeles  and  Hollywood  with  the 
avowed  intention  of  seeing  the  inner 
workings  of  a  motion  picture  studio. 
No  matter  how  firmly  the  gates  remain 
closed  to  their  importunings,  their  will 
to  get  inside  is  only  strengthened  hy 
opposition. 

It  is  a  sad  fact  that  those  who  do 
pass  the  cinematic  portals  with  success, 
find  themselves  on  a  sound  stage  with 
no  key  to  the  strange  phrases  that  are 
used  by  the  studio  workers.  It  might 
as  well  be  Sanskrit  or  ancient  Greek 
that  is  being  spoken,  so  far  as  an  out¬ 
sider  is  concerned.  Through  familiar 
usage,  technical  terms  for  the  various 
departments  in  a  studio  have  shortened 
and  changed,  so  that,  while  familiar  to 
the  particular  department  in  which  the 
phrase  or  word  is  custom,  yet  it  is  a 
part  of  what  we  might  call  “Cinema- 
language”. 

Walk  on  to  the  set  of  any  big  studio 
and  listen  to  the  conversation  of  the 
electricians,  cameraman  and  director. 
See  if  you  can  understand  what  they 
say.  You  might  hear  something  like 
this: 

“Pull  over  the  gobos  to  the  left  of 
that  bon  bon  and  get  a  new  egg 
the  loopy.  It’s  a  close-up.” 


Can  you  understand  what  the  chief 
cameraman  is  talking  about? 

Or  maybe  it’s  a  conversation  between 
two  writers.  It  might  sound  something 
like  this: 

“We’ll  have  to  gag  up  that  situation 
so  that  Butch  can  begin  to  suffer.  I 
guess  we  get  out  the  sleigh  in  this  se¬ 
quence  or  we’ll  have  a  turkey  on  our 
hands.” 

Can  you  make  any  sense  out  of  that 
conversation? 

Just  to  remove  the  suspense,  we  will 
attempt  to  iron  out  the  meanings  of 
some  of  these  words  and  give  you  a 
rough  idea  of  cinemalanguage  as  it  is 
spoken  on  the  lot. 

HUDDLE: 

Story  conference. 

GREEKS: 

Characters  written  into  the  script 
only  to  explain  what  is  happening. 

SITUATION: 

Conflict  in  the  story  structure. 
BUTCH: 

Temporary  name  for  the  hero  while 
the  story  is  in  the  writing. 

GAG: 

Any  story  incident  whether  comedy 
or  dramatic. 


SYNOPSIS: 

Approximately  two  to  ten  thousand 
word  treatment  of  story  with  dia¬ 
logue  only  indicated.  First  form. 
TREATMENT : 

Further  development  of  the  synopsis 
with  all  details  of  the  story  graphic¬ 
ally  told.  Usually  about  25,000 
words  when  finished. 

CONTINUITY: 

Story  broken  down  in  scenes  in  the 
sequence  which  they  are  to  be  filmed. 
SHOOTING  CONTINUITY: 

Completed  script  ready  to  start  film¬ 
ing. 

SQUEEZE: 

To  fade  out  a  scene  on  the  camera. 
ESTABLISHING  SHOT: 

Scene  whose  entire  purpose  is  to  es¬ 
tablish  time,  location,  or  conditions 
surrounding  scene  to  follow. 

GET  OUT  THE  SLEIGH : 

To  start  persecution  against  a  charac¬ 
ter  in  the  story. 

TURKEY: 

Story  that  has  failed. 

FLOPPOLA : 

Twice  a  turkey. 

SHELVE: 

To  defer  indefinitely  the  production 
on  a  story. 

ORIGINAL  STORY: 

A  story  that  is  written  primarily  for 

( Continued  on  page  58) 


(Lower  left.)  The  ‘'web-man.”  Jesse  Wolfe  uses  a  spider-web  weaving  machine  that  sprays  glue  into  a  fine  web.  For  further  age¬ 
ing:  dark  powder  is  dusted  on  the  finished  web.  (Lower  center.)  A  “tin”  is  the  reflector  at  the  extreme  left,  the  man  in  white 
overalls  is  a  “grip”  and  he  is  holding  a  “gobo.”  The  shadow  on  the  wall  is  the  “boom  mike.”  The  actors  are  Victor  McLaglen 
and  Peter  Lorre,  on  the  20th  Century-Fox  “lot.”  (Lower  right.)  An  “angle  shot.”  The  cameraman  and  his  “best  boy”  are  “riding 
the  boom.”  The  “gaffer”  stands  below  the  ladder.  The  scene  is  “Slave  Ship.”  The  camera  is  focussed  on  Wallace  Beery.  (Upper 

center.)  “Okay  for  sound!”  The  “box  boy”  tunes  for  volume. 


32 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


DESTINED  TO  SING 


By  FENYMORE  HOWARD 

What  would  your  choice  be?  Conclude  this  Casting  Contest  story,  and  let  us  know  who 
you  would  cast  in  each  character  role ,  if  you  were  casting  director.  For  contest  rules, 

turn  to  page  50. 


Pictured  below  are  ANNE  SHIRLEY ,  JEAN  ARTHUR,  MADELEINE  CARROLL,  CLAUDETTE  COLBERT, 
MADGE  EVANS,  FAY  IT  RAY'  and  ANN  SOUTHERN .  In  your  opinion  would  any  of  these  noted  stars  of  the 
silver  screen  be  suited  for  the  role  of  JOAN  PRESTON ?  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  eminent  artists  that  you 

have  to  choose  from  in  this  CASTING  CONTEST. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  PREVIOUS  INSTALMENTS 

Dick  Carlyle,  a  gifted  young  American,  had 
steadily  refused  to  go  to  Italy  to  study  singing, 
giving  as  his  reason  that  he  would  not  leave  “my 
girl,"  Joan  Preston.  In  order  to  make  him,  of 
his  own  accord,  embark  upon  what  she  and  his 
parents  believed  to  be  the  most  important  thing 
in  his  life,  namely,  the  cultivation  of  his  splen¬ 
did  voice,  Joan  pretended  to  be  in  love  with 
Homer  Wallace,  a  schoolmate.  When  Dick  felt 
that  she  was  no  longer  interested  in  him  he  de¬ 
cided  to  go  to  Italy  with  Maestro  Ciarpini.  Up 
to  the  last  moment  he  expected  that  Joan  would 
capitulate  and  when  she  did  not  appear  to  see 
him  off.  his  disappointment  was  so  acute  that  to 
hide  it  he  gave  way  to  Ciarpini  s  plans  and,  at 
first  with  indifference,  allowed  himself  to  be 
beguiled  into  taking  part  in  shipboard  activities. 

Landing  in  Italy  he  plunged  at  once  into 
study,  with  his  maestro.  Signor  Ciarpini.  Study 
that  was  interspersed  with  trips  to  various  parts 
of  rural  Italy  where  he  not  only  familiarized 
himself  with  the  music  of  each  locale,  but  met 
many  interesting  people.  At  a  peasant  festival 
he  met  a  girl,  Signorina  Ciovanna  Gonnelli, 
with  whom  he  had  a  love  affair  that  almost 
ended  disastrously  for  him  when  her  jealous 
sweetheart  caught  the  two  together.  However, 
he  extricated  himself  without  injury.  During 
the  last  year  of  his  sojourn  in  Italy  he  sang  at 
many  concerts,  and  finally  was  launched  at  the 
historic  La  Scala  where  his  voice  won  tremen¬ 
dous  acclaim.  During  all  these  years  he  had 
not  heard  from  Joan  nor  had  he  written  to  her. 

i  OME,  Maria,  we  will  have  our  last 

song  together,”  called  Dick  Carlyle  in 
high  good  humor,  as  he  and  Armini  di  Achillo 
entered  the  latter  s  lovely  home  after  a  gruelling 
set  of  tennis. 

Maria  di  Achillo,  her  delicate,  childish  fea¬ 
tures  alight  with  pleasure,  joined  her  brother 
and  his  American  friend  and  together  they 
wandered  into  the  drawing  room.  This  lofty 
chamber,  with  its  beautiful  old  Italian  furniture 
and  rare  collection  of  Venetian  faience,  was 
always  a  source  of  inspiration  to  Dick  even 
before  his  little  companion’s  slender  fingers 
would  seek  the  keys  of  her  concert  Bechstein 
and  draw  forth  the  breath-taking  music  of  the 
world’s  masters.  Dick  seated  himself  beside 
her  on  the  long  bench  and  put  a  brotherly  arm 
around  her  waist. 

1  You  look  fascinating,  Maria  mia,’’  he  said, 
noting  the  expensive  simplicity  of  the  white 


sports  frock  she  was  wearing.  “You  dress 
your  hair  differently;  it  makes  you  seem  quite 
grown  up.” 

A  deep  blush  suffused  the  girl’s  clear,  dusky 
skin.  “Do  you  like  me  any  better — grown  up?” 
she  whispered. 

“I  think  my  friend  Armini  has  just  about 
the  most  stunning  young  sister  in  the  world,” 
returned  the  ever  gallant  Dick.  “I'll  surely 
miss  our  practice  hours  and  the  real  help  you 
have  been  with  your  clever  accompaniments 
and  endless  patience.” 

“Yet  you  will  soon  forget  Maria,”  the  girl 
said  brokenly.  “In  America  there  will  be  so 
many  others  cleverer  than  I — and  you  will  not 
treat  them  always  like  little  girls.” 

Half  teasing,  he  turned  her  face  towards  him 
oidy  to  see  her  eyes  brimming  with  tears.  She 
dashed  them  away  angrily  and  with  surprising 
strength  and  fine  technique  she  struck  the  open¬ 
ing  bars  of  E  Lucevan  Le  Stelle  from  the  Opera 
Tosca. 

A  moment  of  wonderment  crossed  Dick’s 
mind  but  was  immediately  lost  in  the  beckon¬ 
ing  music  and  his  full,  rounded  tones  rang  out 
in  such  perfection  that  Armini,  sprawling 
among  many  cushions  on  a  huge  settle,  ap¬ 
plauded  vigorously. 

“You  are  a  ‘knock-out,’  Carlyle,  he  cried. 
“I  wish  I  might  be  in  your  great  Metropolitan 
Opera  House  the  first  night  you  sing  there.’ 

Dick’s  mouth  set  in  a  firm  line.  “Yes,’  he 
said,  slowly.  “I  will  sing  at  the  Metropolitan. 
Nothing  shall  stop  me.  I  can  already  see  the 
splendid  horseshoe  glittering  with  the  diamonds 
of  its  bored,  beautiful  American  women,  and 
their  men.  But  when  I  sing  they  will  quicken, 
lean  forward  the  better  to  hear  each  note,  and 
I  will  give  them  something  to  remember;  I 
swear  it!”  As  he  spoke,  Dick  Carlyle  saw  his 
destiny  clearly  and  there  was  a  sort  of  rever¬ 
ence  in  his  tone. 

“I  wish  you  would  do  one  of  those  old  shep¬ 
herd  songs  we  heard  up  at  Santa  Maria,”  Ar¬ 
mini  said,  puffing  contentedly  on  a  long,  black 
cigarette.  “By  the  next  time  I  see  you,  they 
will  probably  be  altogether  beneath  your  dig- 
nity. 

“Sorry,  old  man,  but  I  don’t  feel  like  it  at 
the  moment,”  returned  Dick,  with  a  slight  ges¬ 
ture  of  distaste  as  he  thought  of  his  last  pil¬ 
grimage  to  see  Giovanna  and  its  unpleasant 
finale. 


April,  1937 

“Then  sing  an  English  song.  There 
is  one  called  ‘Because’  that  always  ap¬ 
peals  to  me.  Can  you  remember  it, 
Maria?  It  should  be  easy  after  all  the 
digital  gymnastics  you  have  just  been 
going  through.” 

Maria  struck  a  few  notes,  then  fal¬ 
tered,  and  as  Dick’s  sensitive  tones  vi¬ 
brated  with  the  words,  “Because  God 
made  thee  mine,  I’ll  cherish  thee,”  she 
suddenly  rose  from  the  piano  and 
rushed  from  the  room  with  a  heart¬ 
broken  cry. 

“The  little  sister  has  fallen  under 
your  spell,  amici  mio,”  said  Armini. 

“Oh,  don’t  be  an  ass,”  muttered 
Dick,  gruffly.  “She’s  only  a  child  and 
that’s  the  way  I  have  always  treated 
her — as  I  would  a  child.” 

“I  know,”  replied  di  Achillo.  “But 
under  our  ardent  Italian  sun  girls  ma¬ 
ture  early  and  even  I  hoped  that  you 
and  Maria — well,  you  know,  she  is 
beautiful!  But  I  have  long  seen  that 
your  deep  interest  was  elsewhere.  I 
will  go  to  her.  It  isn’t  your  fault,  my 
friend.  See  you  at  dinner.” 

Dick  stood  uncertainly,  then  he  went 
to  his  room  wishing  this  particular  in¬ 
cident  had  not  occurred  to  mar  the  last 
of  his  many  delightful  visits. 

However,  at  his  farewell  dinner  that 
night  there  was  much  gaiety  and  toasts 
were  drunk  to  his  success.  Maestro 
Ciarpini  beamed  on  everyone  and  made 
no  secret  of  his  pride  in  having  found 
an  American  whose  voice  compared  fa¬ 
vorably  with  those  of  the  greatest  sing¬ 
ers  he  could  name.  A  famous  orches¬ 
tra  played  dance  music  that  was  still 
new  in  New  York  and  although  the 
guests  only  numbered  about  twenty, 
there  was  a  lavishness  in  the  occasion 
that  plainly  showed  how  much  the 
Italian  representative  of  Carlyle  and 
Son  esteemed  that  “son”  whose  destiny 
was  taking  him  so  far  from  the  prosaic 
routine  of  the  exporting  business  into 
the  inspired  realm  of  song.  There  was 
much  gay  badinage  besides  the  real 
conversation  that  these  cultured  people 
fell  into  so  naturally;  hut  no  matter 
what  the  theme  the  compliments  and 
good  wishes  of  the  group  kept  revert¬ 
ing  to  the  guest  of  honor  and  prophe¬ 
cies  of  a  glorious  future  might  well 
have  turned  a  less  balanced  head  than 
Dick  Carlyle’s. 

Two  days  later  as  the  Conte  di  Fi- 
renza  was  plowing  her  way  through  a 
somewhat  choppy  Mediterranean,  Dick 
heaved  himself  into  a  steamer  chair 
and  tried  to  review  his  sojourn  in  Italy. 

His  emotions  were  conflicting,  for  he 
had  made  many  good  friends  whose  en¬ 
couragement  had  cheered  and  helped 
him,  and  his  experiences,  good  and 
bad,  after  all  were  those  that  built  a 
man. 

What,  he  wondered,  would  he  find 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

in  America.  Of  course,  it  would  be 
nice  to  see  his  mother  and  when  he 
thought  of  his  dad  a  very  warm  glow 
of  affection  swept  through  him.  But 
there  was  something  else.  How  would 
Joan  Preston  receive  him?  Beyond  the 
few  friendly  words  appended  to  a  let¬ 
ter  from  his  mother,  Joan  had  never 
written.  And  why  should  she?  He 
wished  with  all  his  heart  that  he  had 
kept  in  touch  with  her.  Mrs.  Carlyle 
had  told  him  that  she  had  duly  been 
graduated  from  Kingston  University 
with  high  honors  and  that  she  had  been 
out  a  great  deal  with  a  client  of  her 
father’s,  quite  an  elderly  man  who  was 
head  of  the  biggest  radio  broadcasting 
company  in  the  States,  hut  that  was  all. 

His  reflections  were  interrupted  by 
a  gay  cry  of,  “Here  he  is!”  and  Helen 
Jamieson,  whom  he  had  met  the  pre¬ 
vious  day  with  her  pretty  young  moth¬ 
er,  suddenly  appeared. 

“We’ve  been  looking  for  vou  to  make 
a  fourth  at  shuffleboard,”  she  said. 
“You  won  two  bucks  from  me  yester¬ 
day  and  I’ve  got  to  get  it  back.” 

“As  a  shuffleboard  player  you’re  a 
better  deck  tennis  artist,”  Dick  replied 
lightly,  rising  with  a  shade  of  reluc¬ 
tance. 

“I’ll  admit  that  vou  and  Mom  are 
the  hottest  team  on  the  ship,”  the  young 
girl  remarked  inelegantly,  “but  just 
wait.  Signor  Ciarpini  has  promised  to 
play  with  me  and  lie’s  a  diz  at  it.  The 
odds  are  on  us.” 

And  Helen  was  right.  The  Maestro 
was  by  no  means  an  old  fogey  and 
something  of  his  partner’s  bright  youth 
certainly  animated  him  as  he  scored 
again  and  again  until  Dick  found  him¬ 
self  handing  out  more  than  the  “two 
bucks”  that  he  had  previously  won. 

When  the  game  was  over  the  Maestro 
observed  that  it  was  time  for  their 
morning  vocalizing.  “Come  along,  my 
hoy.  We  will  go  below  and  rest  a  few 
minutes,  then  you’ve  got  to  ‘get  busy’ 
as  vou  say.” 

The  small  studio  piano  was  ordered 
up  to  Dick’s  stateroom  and  soon  the 
queer  staccato  notes  that  gave  the  kev 
to  what  he  called  his  “vocal  acrobatics” 
could  be  heard  regularly  accompany¬ 
ing  scales  and  arpegsios  that  sounded 
more  musical  than  the  operatic  offer¬ 
ings  of  many  a  so-called  singer.  His 
voice  was  splendid  and  as  he  thought 
of  returning  “home”  after  his  long 
exile,  the  glad  flute-like  tones  made 
even  Ciarpini  marvel. 

There  was  a  discreet  knock  and  the 
purser  entered.  He  was  a  distinguished 
looking  man  of  the  type  often  found 
on  the  big  liners.  A  type  that  caused 
young  Carlyle  to  wonder  what  strange 
freak  of  fortune  could  have  swept  such 
an  impressive  individual  into  the  some¬ 
what  equivocal  position  that  comes  so 


33 

far  behind  the  professions  of  naviga¬ 
tion  or  engineering. 

“Excuse  me,  gentlemen,”  he  said 
courteously,  “but  I  am  making  arrange¬ 
ments  for  the  ship’s  concert  tomorrow 
night.  Mr.  Carlyle,  will  you  sing  for 

O  5? 

us: 

Dick  hesitated  a  moment.  “Well, 
really,  I  don’t  know,”  he  said.  “You 
see,  I  am  supposed  to  be  taking  a  com¬ 
plete  rest  on  this  trip  and  there  are 
several  fine  singers  among  the  passen¬ 
gers,  so  I’ve  been  told.” 

“But  no  one  with  a  voice  like  yours, 
sir,”  returned  the  man,  eagerly.  “We 
have  heard  of  your  triumphs  in  Milan, 
Rome  and  many  other  places;  we  have 
heard  you  practicing  on  the  ship,  and 
if  you  will  only  sing  even  one  song, 
it  will  help  tremendously  to  make  our 
concert  a  success.” 

Dick  looked  inquiringly  at  his  mas¬ 
ter.  “Do  so,”  Ciarpini  said,  decidedly. 
“As  you  know,  the  concert  is  in  a  good 
cause — for  the  widows  and  orphans  of 
sailors.  You  could  not  use  the  gift  God 
gave  you  to  better  purpose.” 

“Miss  Jamieson  will  accompany  you 
on  the  violin,”  said  the  purser,  “if  you 
wish.  She  is  a  finished  artist,  you  know, 
and  her  mother  plays  the  piano  like  a 
professional — unless  Signor  Ciarpini 
wishes  to  play  for  you.”  He  looked 
at  the  Maestro  questioningly. 

“I  think  it  would  be  better  if  I  were 
just  your  audience  on  this  occasion,’ 
said  Ciarpini. 

“Then  you’ll  sing,  Mr.  Carlyle?” 
asked  the  purser. 

“Gladly,”  replied  Dick. 

Next  evening  the  ship’s  huge  saloon 
was  entirely  decorated  with  palms  and 
cleverly  devised  scenes  which,  with 
subdued  and  artistic  lighting,  gave  a 
surprisingly  realistic  effect  of  sunset  at 
Waikiki.  It  was  to  be  an  exceptionally 
gala  night  for  among  the  passengers 
were  many  notables  and  on  the  concert 
program  were  names  that  made  Dick 
wonder  if,  after  all,  his  teacher  was  not 
a  trifle  too  optimistic  when  he  coun¬ 
tenanced  such  competition. 

However,  he  decided  upon  two  num¬ 
bers,  Le  Reve  de  Des  Grieux  (The 
Dream  of  Des  Grieux)  from  “Manon”, 
and  one  of  his  simple  Neopolitan 
songs. 

There  was  complete  silence  as  he 
stood  by  the  great  piano,  then  his  voice 
rose  above  the  accompanying  music  and 
its  wonderful  timbre  and  bell-like  qual¬ 
ity  held  the  audience  spell-bound. 
Rounds  of  wild  applause  rang  through 
the  saloon,  dying  down  only  as  he  gave 
the  simple  encore.  Again  and  again  he 
was  recalled  but  he  modestly  asked  that 
he  be  allowed  to  make  way  for  the 
many  other  interesting  “turns”  that 
were  to  follow. 


34 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


When  the  concert  was  over  a  stew¬ 
ard  respectfully  presented  a  message 
requesting  that  he  come  immediately  to 
Ciarpini’s  room.  He  found  the  Maes¬ 
tro  in  conversation  with  a  youngish 
man  who  typified  the  ideal  American 
business  executive  and  who  proved  to 
be  no  other  than  John  Tylesworth.  of 
the  World  Wide  Broadcasting  Com¬ 
pany. 

“I  thought  that  it  would  be  a  privi¬ 
lege  for  you  to  meet  Mr.  Tylesworth,” 
said  Ciarpini.  “If  he  thinks  it  would 
be  possible  to  present  you  to  his  vast 
radio  audiences  that  would  be  a  splen¬ 
did  introduction  to  the  American  world 
of  music  and  would  pave  the  way  for 
the  Metropolitan  engagement  that  will 
set  the  seal  upon  your  future.” 

Mr.  Tylesworth  fixed  his  piercing 
eyes  on  the  young  man  and  a  hard 
glint  came  into  them.  “We  are  loath  to 
promise  auditions,”  he  said.  “As  you 
know,  many  performers  whose  voices 
are  excellent  in  the  concert  hall,  do  not 
record  well.  You.  undoubtedly,  have 
a  magnificent  voice  but  the  very  qual¬ 
ity  that  is  so  appealing  as  one  listens 
direct  is  susceptible  of  distortion  when 
subjected  to  the  mechanism  of  the  mi¬ 
crophone.” 

“But  you  will  give  me  a  chance  to 
try,  won’t  you  sir?”  asked  Dick  re¬ 
spectfully,  somewhat  disappointed  in 
this  very  unsatisfactory  comment. 

“I  never  promise  anything  without 
consulting  my  brother  in  New  York; 
he  is  the  senior  member  of  our  Com¬ 
pany,”  said  Mr.  Tylesworth  dryly. 
Then  he  suddetdy  remarked,  “You  are 
very  interested  in  Miss  Jamieson?” 

“Why  no.  That  is,  I  think  she’s  an 
awfully  nice  girl  and  a  swell  violinist,” 
answered  Dick,  struck  by  something  in 
the  other’s  tone. 

“She  broke  an  engagement  to  see  the 
ship’s  gyroscopes  with  me  this  morning 
and  when  I  eventually  found  her,  she 
was  recounting  to  the  purser  that  she 
had  been  getting  her  own  back  from 
Dick  Carlyle,  and  waving  some  dollar 
bills  to  prove  it,”  Mr.  Tylesworth  in¬ 
formed  them  stiffly. 

Ciarpini  broke  in  hastily,  “Ah,  but 
that — it  was  my  fault.  Miss  Jamieson 
had  been  playing  with  me.  She  was 
under  the  impression  that  you  wanted 
to  see  the  famous  stabilizers  later  on.” 

Dick  felt  quite  amused  at  his  Maes¬ 
tro  bothering  to  appease  the  obviously 
ruffled  Tylesworth  but  he  understood 
and  appreciated  the  overture  when  the 
power  of  the  Wide  World  Radio  Com¬ 
pany’s  endorsement  was  made  plain  to 
him. 

“Evidently,  he  has  a  ‘crush’  on  Helen 
Jamieson,”  mused  Dick.  “And  because 
he  thinks  I  am  butting  in  he  is  going 
to  get  even  by  not  allowing  me  a 
chance  to  broadcast  over  his  old  net¬ 


work.  The  dickens  with  him!  Helen’s 
a  nice  girl  but  beyond  playing  games 
with  her,  I  am  certainly  not  interested.  ’ 

He  tried  several  times  to  placate  the 
aggrieved  Mr.  Tylesworth  but  found  it 
hard  because  the  Jamiesons  seemed  de¬ 
termined  to  stick  to  him  and  at  times 
they  assumed  a  proprietory  air  that  an¬ 
noyed  the  young  man  and  placed  him 
in  a  false  position. 

However,  all  journeys  come  to  an 
end  and  in  due  course  the  Conte  di 
Firenza  sailed  majestically  into  New 
York  harbor.  Past  the  distant  Jersey 
shores  and  the  green  reaches  of  Staten 
Island,  the  imposing  Lady  symbolizing 
our  Land  of  Liberty  until,  pushed  and 
pulled  by  the  busiest  tugs  in  the  world, 
she  nosed  into  her  pier.  Milling  crowds 
waited  to  greet  the  friends  and  dear 
ones  who  had  been  absent  and  so  far 
away,  handkerchiefs  fluttered  and  tears 
of  joy  filled  many  welcoming  eyes. 

Dick  Carlyle  was  eagerly  scanning 
the  upturned  faces,  beside  him  Ciarpini 
fixed  his  pince-nez  more  firmly  on  his 
nose.  “Ah,  the  Signora  Vanderlip,” 
he  exclaimed,  as  he  recognized  his  old 
friend. 

“Where?”  shouted  Dick,  frantically. 

“See,  they  come  on  board,”  and  Ciar¬ 
pini  made  his  way  through  the  throng, 
with  Dick  at  his  heel.  They  reached  the 
gangplank  as  Mrs.  Vanderlip  and  the 
Carlyles  stepped  on  deck.  There  was 
the  wildest  confusion  of  greetings  but 
before  Dick’s  parents  could  ask  any 
questions,  he  demanded  “Where’s 
Joan?” 

“Well,  dear,  you  see — she  wasn't 
quite  sure  whether  you  would  be  look¬ 
ing  for  her — so  she  decided  not  to 
come,”  explained  his  mother  somewhat 
lamely,  though  inwardly  her  heart 
lightened  to  find  that  Dick  still  wanted 
to  see  his  sweetheart  first  —  that  her 
schemes  had  not  had  the  disastrous  re¬ 
sults  that  at  times  had  seemed  more 
than  probable.  “How  are  you,  Signor 
Ciarpini.  You  are  coming  out  to  Green¬ 
wich  with  us,  surely?” 

But  the  Maestro  courteously  declined 
and  after  clearing  the  customs  they  saw 
him  with  much  affection,  assist  his  old 
friend,  Letitia  van  Cortlandt  Vanderlip, 
into  her  limousine,  climb  in  with  the 
lightness  of  a  boy  and — “Well!”  ex¬ 
claimed  Dick.  “I  shouldn’t  wonder  if 
we  are  not  witnessing  the  last  act  in  a 
real  life  romance.  How  about  it.  Dad?” 

“I  shouldn’t  wonder!”  Mr.  Carlyle 
chuckled. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  home  Dick 
flew  to  the  telephone. 

“Gee  whiz!”  he  exclaimed,  ruefully. 
“Gone  to  Boston — and  you  haven’t  her 
phone  number!”  He  slammed  down  the 
receiver  and  locked  his  door,  deaf  to 
his  mother’s  entreaties  that  he  come 


downstairs  and  meet  various  friends 
who  were  dropping  in  to  welcome  him. 

So  she  didn’t  care  after  all.  What  a 
fool  he  had  been,  looking  forward  to 
seeing  her.  Counting  the  days  until  he 
got  back! 

Hastily  turning  out  the  contents  of 
trunks  and  bags  he  found  the  carefully 
packed  box  containing  gifts  he  had  se¬ 
lected  for  Joan  Preston.  Some  ex¬ 
quisitely  carved  figurines  in  ivory  and 
gold;  an  ancient  triptych;  embroidered 
altar  cloths  and  a  priceless  old  intaglio 
ring  that,  besides  a  platinum  set  star 
sapphire  and  a  curiously  carved  emer¬ 
ald  in  soft,  yellow  gold,  he  had  chosen 
for  betrothal  rings  instead  of  the  con¬ 
ventional  solitaire  diamond.  His  first 
impulse  was  to  fling  the  beautiful 
things  out  of  the  window  but  he  cov¬ 
ered  the  box,  stifled  a  groan  and  sat 
until  Phelps  knocked  insistently  and, 
with  affectionate  but  very  anxious  ex¬ 
pression,  laid  out  his  dinner  clothes. 

During  dinner  Dick  tried  to  enter 
into  the  gaiety.  Mrs.  Preston  assured 
him  that  Joan  “sent  her  love”  and  that 
she  would  be  back  from  Boston  with¬ 
in  a  few  days.  “No.  I  don’t  know  why 
she  went,”  admitted  her  mother.  “You 
see,  she  is  grown  up  now  and  does 
pretty  much  as  she  pleases.  Though  ev¬ 
erything  she  does  is  right — she  is  a 
wonderful  daughter,”  added  the  sweet 
little  lady,  proudly. 

Besides  the  Prestons  there  were  Mrs. 
Vanderlip  and  her  now  acknowledged 
cavalier.  Signor  Ciarpini  and  a  Mr. 
Henry  Tylesworth,  who  sat  opposite 
to  Dick. 

As  soon  as  a  lull  in  the  general  con¬ 
versation  permitted,  Dick  said,  “It’s  an 
odd  coincidence,  sir,  but.  I  crossed  with 
a  Mr.  John  Tylesworth,  and  the  name 
is  not  a  common  one.” 

His  vis-a-vis  gave  him  a  friendly 
smile.  “On  the  Conte  di  Firenza ? 
That’s  my  brother.  Great  fellow,  isn’t 
he?” 

“I  really  didn’t  see  very  much  of 
him.”  replied  Dick,  non-committally. 

“That’s  a  pity.  I  have  heard  from 
Joan  Preston”  (Dick  started,)  “that 
you  have  a  particularly  good  voice.” 

“Why  the  lad  had  a  marvellous  voice 
before  ever  he  went  to  Italy.  You  tell 
Mr.  Tylesworth,  Antonio,  that  he  must 
give  Dick  an  audition,  immediately.  If 
there  is  any  expense  attached  I  will 
take  care  of  it,”  said  Mrs.  Vanderlip, 
just  as  “managing”  as  ever. 

“And  John  was  abroad  in  search  of 
new  talent,”  his  brother  went  on,  with 
the  merest  bow  towards  the  old  lady 
who  would  tell  everyone  what  to  do. 
“Did  he  hear  vou  sing?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then  I  suppose  he  promised  you  an 
audition.  He  must  have  been  interested 
in  your  voice.” 


April,  1937 

“No.  He  was  more  interested  in  my 
shuffleboard  exploits,  which  did  not 
particularly  please  him,”  replied  Dick. 

“Don’t  be  absurd,  Dickie,”  his  moth¬ 
er  chimed  in.  “What  could  a  silly  game 
have  to  do  with  it?” 

“A  darn  sight  more  than  you  have 
any  idea  of,  mater,”  her  son  returned, 
rather  ungraciously. 

He  fell  the  senior  Tylesworth  give 
him  a  sharp  glance  as  they  rose  from 
the  table,  then  there  were  endless  gen¬ 
eralities  in  the  drawing  room  until  he 
couldn’t  stand  it  any  longer.  To  his 
parent’s  keen  disappointment,  he  ex¬ 
cused  himself  and  only  said,  “I  cannot 
sing  tonight.  I  don’t  know  what’s  the 
matter  with  me  but  you  will  all  have 
to  forgive  me,”  as  he  retreated  hur¬ 
riedly,  threw  on  a  light  overcoat  and 
took  his  father’s  roadster.  He  slid 
swiftly  down  the  drive  and  into  the 
open  country  and  did  not  return  until 
dawn  was  breaking. 

Beside  his  place  at  breakfast  there 
was  a  large,  square  envelope  with  a 
Boston  postmark  and  his  name  ad¬ 
dressed  in  the  clear,  firm  script  that  had 
always  set  his  heart  beating  faster.  He 
tore  it  open  and  found  Joan’s  note. 
Just  a  few  lines. 

“Welcome  home,  old  dear! 

“Sorry  I  had  to  run  up  here; 

I’ll  explain  when  I  see  you.  How’s 

the  voice?  I’m  dying  to  hear  it 

again — very  soon.  Until  then, 

cheerio, 

Joan.” 

And  that  was  all.  But  there  was  an 
under-current  that  reached  him  and 
sent  his  spirits  soaring,  to  the  great 
delight  of  his  mother  who  fluttered  in 
a  little  later. 

“My  dear,"  she  exclaimed  after  of¬ 
fering  her  smooth  cheek  for  his  old 
greeting,  “the  filial  peck,”  she  called 
it.  “Such  news!  That  nice  Mr.  Tyles¬ 
worth  telephoned  this  morning  and 
says  he  has  arranged  an  audition  for 
you  and  that  the  great  impresario,  Sig¬ 
nor  Galli,  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House,  is  to  be  there!  Oh,  I’m  so  ex¬ 
cited.” 

“It’s  funny.  He  didn’t  seem  at  all 
keen  last  night,”  mused  Dick.  “I  won¬ 
der  what  did  it!  Do  vou  know  him 
well?” 

“Fairly.  He  is  one  of  Mr.  Preston’s 
best  clients  and  has  spent  a  lot  of  time 
with  them  during  the  past  year,”  re¬ 
plied  Mrs.  Carlyle,  looking  the  picture 
of  innocence. 

“Oh!  I  see.  Does  Joan  like  him?” 

“How  should  I  know?”  countered 
his  mother.  “When  Joan  is  with  me  she 
thinks  of  little  besides  asking  questions 
about  you.  And  I  really  don’t  think  you 
put  yourself  out  sufficiently  on  her  ac¬ 
count  while  you  were  away,  to  deserve 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

such  interest.”  Mrs.  Carlyle’s  tone  car¬ 
ried  a  distinct  rebuke,  but  she  quickly 
bubbled  up  again  as  she  thought  of  the 
coming  audition. 

When  the  Carlyles  emerged  from  the 
elevator  onto  the  sixtieth  floor  of  the 
World  Wide  Radio  Building  they  were 
met  and  escorted  to  Mr  Henry  Tyles- 
worth’s  private  office.  Here  they  found 
Mrs.  Vanderlip  with  Ciarpini  and  his 
celebrated  fellow-countryman,  Signor 
Galli,  that  beloved  and  much  photo¬ 
graphed  impresario  whose  face  was 
known  to  every  music  lover  in  the 
country.  The  Maestro  had  already  se¬ 
lected  songs  that  would  bring  out  every 
golden  quality  in  Dick’s  voice  and  was 
calling  the  accompanist’s  attention  to 
various  pianissimo  and  crescendo  pass¬ 
ages  that  emphasized  his  especially 
beautiful  tones. 

The  audition  chamber  was  dead 
quiet.  Beyond,  through  a  glass  wall. 
Dick  could  see  complicated  apparatus 
and  unconcerned  technicians,  media 
through  which  his  singing  would  pass 
the  test — or  fail — but  that  was  not  to 
be  thought  of. 

As  the  few  introductory  chords  were 
being  played  all  the  events  leading  to 
this  moment  rushed  through  the  young 
man’s  mind  with  lightning-like  rapidity 
but  no  matter  what  the  fleeting  picture, 
the  one  sure,  stable  thread  that  bound 
them  all  together,  was  the  vision  of 
Joan  Preston  and  from  some  outer 
space  wonderful  vibrations  of  encour¬ 
agement  reached  him  and  he  sang  with 
an  intensity  of  feeling  that  astonished 
even  Ciarpini — the  others  were  breath¬ 
less. 

At  the  close  of  the  audition,  Signor 
Galli  shook  him  repeatedly  by  the 
hand  and  poured  forth  a  stream  of 
voluble  praise  in  his  native  Italian  that 
delighted  the  beloved  Maestro,  who  was 
unusually  quiet.  He  knew  now  that 
his  protege’s  success  was  assured. 

Mr.  Tylesworth  congratulated  Dick 
warmly  and  spoke  decisively  of  a  radio 
contract  in  the  near  future. 

“I  don’t  know  how  to  thank  you  for 
giving  me  this  opportunity,  sir,”  said 
Dick  gratefully.  “Somehow,  I  was 
afraid  that  it  just  wouldn’t  happen.” 

“Then  don’t  thank  me — thank  a  cer¬ 
tain  young  lady  who  has  been  ‘build¬ 
ing  you  up,’  as  they  say,  very  steadily 
and  for  a  long  time.  I  cannot  think 
why  she  isn’t  here,”  and  Tylesworth’s 
glance  swept  the  small  group  in  some 
perplexity. 

“A  very  nice  girl.  I  heartily  approve 
of  her,”  remarked  Mrs.  Vanderlip  with 
her  customary  decision.  “Rather  quiet, 
of  late,  but  that’s  a  nice  change  from 
the  hoydenish  flappers  one  meets  these 
days.” 


35 

Dick’s  emotions  were  utterly  con¬ 
fused.  He  cursed  himself  for  a  stupid 
ass  in  not  having  cabled  Joan — or 
written  her  saying  how  much  he  loved 
her.  His  mother  had  been  right.  He 
had  just  taken  evervthing  for  granted 
in  truly  masculine  fashion.  And  Joan, 
he  remembered,  had  once  told  him  that 
she  considered  thoughtfulness  the 
rarest  and  most  precious  characteristic 
in  any  man. 

It  was  five  years  since  he  had  told 
his  sweetheart,  with  all  his  young  pas¬ 
sion,  that  he  loved  her  and  would  mar¬ 
ry  no  one  else.  And  five  years  was 
a  long  time.  And  Joan  was  an  ex¬ 
tremely  attractive  girl,  he  knew  it  now 
and  the  unmistakable  inflection  in 
Tylesworth’s  voice,  his  expression 
when  he  spoke  of  her,  suddenly 
brought  home  a  realization  of  compe¬ 
tition  that  might,  in  the  eleventh  hour, 
snatch  away  from  him  what  he  now 
knew  was  irrevocably  his  heart’s  de¬ 
sire. 

With  hurried  thanks  and  the  excuse 
of  an  urgent  appointment,  Dick  left 
the  World  Wide  Radio  Building  and 
sped  homewards.  Then,  he  changed  his 
mind  and  went  direct  to  the  Preston’s. 
As  he  circled  the  wide  lawn  he  thought 
he  saw  a  white-clad  figure  disappear 
into  the  surrounding  shrubbery.  He 
followed  quickly,  his  steps  making  no 
sound  on  the  soft  ground. 

And  there  he  found  her;  staring 
wide-eyed  and  tragic  over  the  sun- 
kissed  garden. 

“Joan!  my  darling!”  His  two  strong 
arms  went  round  her. 

She  turned  to  him  and  put  her  hands 
behind  his  head,  holding  him  close,  but 
no  words  came,  only  a  strangled  sob. 

“Joan,  honey,  what’s  the  matter? 
Aren’t  you  glad  to  see  me?”  frantically 
demanded  Dick. 

For  answer  she  gently  patted  his 
cheek  but  looked  beyond  him*  an  ex¬ 
pression  of  hopeless  misery  on  her 
small,  white  face. 

“Joan!”  he  cried,  almost  shaking  her 
in  his  agony  of  apprehension.  “What 
is  the  matter?  You  haven’t  even  spoken 
to  me!” 

Then  came  a  torrent  of  broken 
words. 

“It’s  so  cruel.  What  have  I  done  that 
I  should  be  so  punished?” 

“Punished?  What  do  you  mean?” 

She  drew  him  down  beside  her  on 
the  cool  grass  and  he  waited  patiently 
for  her  to  speak. 

“You  know,  Dick,  the  night  you  went 
away  I  smashed  up  Homer  Wallace  and 
myself  pretty  badly.  We  ran  out  of 
gas  on  the  boat  and  he  wouldnt  drive 
fast  enough  so  I  snatched  the  wheel 
expecting  that  he  would  give  me  his 

( Continued  on  page  50) 


36 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  ly'37 


A  FILM  EDITOR’S 
TECHNIQUE 

Hal  McCord,  Film  Editor  at  Warner  Brothers  First  National  Studios,  describes 
what  actually  takes  place  ivhen  films  are  cut. 


IGHTY-FIVE  miles  of  film  were 
shot,  of  which  only  two  miles 
finally  reached  the  screen  for  the  pic¬ 
ture  “Midsummer  Night’s  Dream  ’.  The 
story  of  what  happened  between  pro¬ 
duction  and  projection  is  that  of  the 
film  cutting  room,  for  in  the  last  anal¬ 
ysis  the  cutter  is  the  final  arbiter  as  to 
what  action  shall  reach  the  screen  and 
what  personalities  shall  become  “faces 
on  the  cutting  room  floor”. 

Of  course  it  is  only  on  rare  occasions 
that  so  much  film  is  shot  for  any  one 
picture,  but  quite  often  a  hundred 
thousand  feet  are  shot,  of  which  only 
six  to  seven  thousand  feet  are  used  and 
to  edit  every  foot  of  it  is,  as  previously 
stated,  the  job  of  the  cutter. 

The  story  of  the  advance  in  cutting 
room  procedure  and  technique  through 
the  years  from  the  earliest  days  of  si¬ 


lent  pictures  to  the  present  highly  tech¬ 
nical  sound  and  technicolor  features  is 
an  epic  in  itself. 

No  one  is  better  fitted  to  tell  that 
story,  perhaps,  than  Hal  McCord,  head 
film  editor  at  Warner  Brothers  Studios. 
Joining  the  industry  in  1909,  he  has 
been  employed  in  the  various  branches 
of  cutting  ever  since.  Today  he  also 
holds  the  important  post  of  Chairman 
of  the  Film  Editor  branch  of  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences.  So  it  was  to  him  we  went 
for  the  exact  information  as  to  what 
actually  takes  place  in  a  modern  cut¬ 
ting  room.  Keen-eyed,  alert,  efficient, 
he  knows  “all  the  answers”  and  this 
in  effect  will  be  his  story,  also. 

Answering  our  question  regarding 
the  early  days  in  the  industry,  he  said: 

“At  that  time  we  didn’t  have  a  great 


HAL  McCORD 


deal  of  film  to  handle  on  any  one  pro¬ 
duction,  because  if  a  one-reel  picture 
was  to  run  eight  hundred  feet,  only  a 
thousand  feet  would  be  shot  and  then 
it  was  merely  the  job  of  assembling  a 
picture  in  continuity,  but  when  we  be¬ 
gan  to  make  longer  pictures  and  well 
known  writers  contributed  the  story  ma¬ 
terial.  the  task  became  more  compli¬ 
cated  and  difficult.  Close-ups,  trick 
shots,  different  angles,  all  had  to  be 
edited  in  for  the  best  effect,  and  gradu¬ 
ally  we  evolved  the  system  that  is  in 
use  today. 

“Now,  films  are  cut  for  story,  for 
dramatic  effect,  for  reaction  to  dramatic 
effect  and  for  comedy.  We  cut  for 
“story”  in  order  that  the  tale  the  film 
is  portraying  will  flow  smoothly  and 
effectively  from  start  to  finish.  Of 
course  that  is  a  quite  obvious  part  of 
our  technique.  By  ‘cutting  for  dramatic 
effect’  I  mean  focusing  the  attention  of 
the  audience  upon  the  most  dramatic 
person  or  action  in  any  particular  bit 
of  film.  For  example,  suppose  we  are 
showing  a  court  scene.  We  might  de¬ 
vote  a  few  feet  to  the  speech  of  the 
prosecuting  attorney,  showing  him  and 
his  actions  in  delivery.  From  that,  we 
may  cut  to  the  jury,  showing  its  re- 

( Continued  on  page  55) 


Upper  Left:  View  of  Film  Editor’s  equipment  showing  Moviola  viewing  machines, 
which  are  miniature  projection  outfits  capable  of  running  separate  picture  and 
sound  track  in  synchronization — for  editorial  purposes  only.  Upper  Left:  Film 
numbering  room,  where  picture  and  sound  track  of  individual  scenes  are  numbered 
for  the  use  of  the  picture  editor  so  that  the  right  track  for  each  scene  may  be 
readily  identified.  Lower  Left:  Automatic  patching  machine  where  thousands  of 
feet  of  film  are  daily  spliced  for  the  different  Film  Editors.  Lower  Right:  View 
in  projection  booth.  These  machines  are  capable  of  using  separate  picture  and 
sound  tracks  as  well  as  composite  prints  ( called  “Movietone” )  which  means  the 
sound  and  the  picture  are  on  one  film. 


37 


April,  1937 


ARCHIE  MAYO 

AS  a  man,  Archie  Mayo  speaks  with 
deliberate  and  careful  phrasing. 
He  is  a  person  who  believes  in  Ameri¬ 
canism  and  who  loves  to  express  his 
beliefs  to  those  who  are  really  inter¬ 
ested,  and  there  are  many,  for  his  mind 
is  attuned  to  modern  things;  to  the 
problems  of  now  and  the  future  of  the 
country  in  which  he  lives. 

As  a  director,  Mr.  Mayo  shows  his 
beliefs  and  his  love  of  country  in  a 
thousand  ways  throughout  his  pictures. 
It  is  as  a  director  that  he  best  ex¬ 
presses  himself  and  due  credit  may  be 
given  that  expression  when  his  latest 
picture  is  viewed.  It  is  “Black  Legion,” 
a  strong,  even  a  daring  expose  of  mod¬ 
ern  conditions  with  a  historical  back¬ 
ground  of  fact.  He  looks  to  a  future 
of  motion  pictures  which  will  demon¬ 
strate  ideas  and  trends  of  modern  civil¬ 
ization  as  well  as  give  a  story  for 
amusement  purposes. 

“I  think  that  the  time  has  come  for 
controversial  pictures,”  said  Mr.  Mayo 
to  us.  “I  mean  by  that  stories  gleaned 
from  the  headlines  of  the  daily  papers, 
from  foreign  dispatches,  from  news 
stories.  There  are  a  thousand  problems 
of  daily  life  and  of  political  interest 
which  can  be  touched  upon  through  the 
medium  of  the  motion  picture  without 
making  that  picture  a  vehicle  of  propa¬ 
ganda.” 

The  best  illustration  of  that  remark 
is  to  be  seen  in  “Black  Legion,”  when 
a  purely  news-value  story  is  trans¬ 
formed  into  a  gripping  portrayal  of 
intense  value  as  entertainment  yet  with 
the  added  background  of  a  problem 
placed  before  the  public  eye  without 
any  effort  whatever  to  influence  the 
opinion  of  the  audience.  To  make  a 
story  of  this  sort  requires  deft  han¬ 
dling  of  players  and  story  as  well  as 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


ARCHIE  MAYO 

THE  VERSATILE  DIRECTOR 


An  interview  with  a  modern  director:  ARCHIE  MAYO,  of  Warner  Brothers  Studios. 


a  true  sense  of  drama.  These  are  the 
possessions  of  Archie  Mayo  without 
doubt,  and  also  without  doubt  this  lat¬ 
est  picture  of  his  direction  is  a  real 
achievement.  He  himself  feels  that 
this  is  so. 

“I  am  proud  to  have  directed  ‘Black 
Legion',”  he  said  to  us  and  we  knew 
that  it  was  a  sincere  utterance. 

He  had  more  to  say  about  the  psy¬ 
chology  of  directing. 

“It  is  a  believing  sort  of  world.  Ev¬ 
eryone  believes  in  something.  Some  be¬ 
lieve  in  virtue  and  goodness  and  even¬ 
tual  success  due  to  right  effort,  and 
some  do  not.  But  even  the  agnostic  be¬ 
lieves  in  life  sufficiently  to  hold  on  to 
it.  Therefore  I  take  especial  pains  to 
see  that  my  pictures  have  a  solution 
divorced  from  too  bitter  realities  of  life 
to  allow  the  audience  to  feel  them¬ 
selves  sympathetic  to  its  roles  without 
hurt.” 

“What  do  you  think  the  public 
wants?”  we  asked. 


He  took  time  to  ponder  our  question. 

“I  think  I  know  what  the  public 
wants.  Humor  and  pathos,  comedy, 
drama,  farce — even  tragedy.  But  not 
too  much  of  any  one  thing  at  a  time. 
Reality  yes,  but  garnished  with  the 
lighter  things  that  make  of  life  some¬ 
thing  to  be  lived  with  at  least  a  modi¬ 
cum  of  joy  instead  of  a  constant  bit¬ 
ter  struggle.  An  optimistic  note  inject¬ 
ed  into  all  pictures  now,  when  the 
whole  world  is  sunk  in  war-fear  and 
an  aftermath  of  depression,  would  do 
more  to  snap  people  out  of  their  gloom 
than  any  one  thing. 

“Certainly  this  is  no  time  to  stress 
the  tragic  side  of  things.  Yet  a  vital 
social  problem,  as  I  have  said  before, 
interestingly  and  grippingly  presented, 
is  not  a  tragic  nor  a  depressing  pic¬ 
ture.  The  responsibility  of  motion  pic¬ 
ture  showmen  today  is  very  great.  They 
control  the  greatest  single  avenue 
reaching  the  mass  mind  of  the  people. 

( Continued  on  page  60) 


ARCHIE  MAYO  and  cameraman  GEORGE  BARNES  watch  a  scene  being  rehearsed 
between  HUMPHREY  BOGART  and  EDDIE  ACUFF.  The  picture  is  “Black  Legion.’’ 


38 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


Pictures  on  this 
page  jrorn  the  col¬ 
lection  of  VICTOR 


POT  EL. 


1911.  This  scenario  uon  $50  in  a  contest.  It  was  called  “ Flustered  and  Frustrated.” 
Here  is  a  gripping  (very)  scene  from ,  the  finished  production.  The  picture  was  made 
by  the  old  Essanay  company.  Margaret  Joslin  is  the  lady.  The  man-being-choked  is 

Victor  Potel.  ]1’|| 


Left:  “ A  Just  Reward,”  made  in  1910.  G.  M.  Anderson,  Ed  Parks,  Arthur  Mackley  and  Vedah  Bertram  comprised  the  cast.  Right: 
“Snakeville’s  Reform  Wave.”  Made  in  1913.  One  of  the  first  suffragette  pictures.  Bill  Cato,  Margaret  Joslin,  Evelyn  Selbie,  True 
Boardman,  Sr.,  Harry  Todd  and  Victor  Potel  are  the  respective  actors 


Left.  The  entire  Essanay  Stock  (.ompa.ny  at  Niles,  California,  in  1914.  This  picture  was  taken  to  celebrate  the  erection  of  the 
first  indoor  stage  in  the  W'est.  Right:  ‘"Broncho  Billy  Gets  Squ  are.”  Made  in  1910. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


39 


Pictures  on  this 
page  from  the  col¬ 
lection  of  VICTOR 


POT  EL. 


“Aloma  of  the  South  Seas”  was  the  title  of  this.  Percy  Marmont  at  the  left,  William 
Powell  right,  and  Ju/anne  Johnson  in,  the  middle.  The  top  star  at  this  time  was 

Percy  Marmont. 


Left:  The  lady  with  the  rolling  pin  is  Alice  Belcher.  Reginald  Denny  is  the  pajama-ed  gentleman  and  George  Ovey  is  the  bellig¬ 
erent  mart  in  the  checked  suit.  Right:  One  of  a  series  of  comedies  made  at  the  old  F.B.O.  studios.  W ritten  by  Darryl  Zanuck  and 
directed  by  Mai  St.  Clair.  These  stories  were  based  on  original  ideas  by  H.  C.  W'itwer.  The  title  of  this  one  was,  “W  hen  Knight¬ 
hood  was  in  Sour!” 


Left:  “The  Eagle’s  Feather.”  Dirty  work  is  afoot,  with  Elinor  Fair  as  the  harassed  heroine,  James  Kirkwood  the  unhappy  captive 
and  George  Seigman  the  villain  of  the  piece.  Right:  One  of  Buddy  Rogers’  first  pictures,  a  comedy,  or  need  we  say  so?  “Heinie” 

Conklin  and  Otto  Hoffman  are  the  others  “on  the  line.” 


40 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April  193 7 


LAUGHING  STOCK 

An  exclusive  interview  with  JACK  BENNY  who  expounds  his  theory  of  comedy  for 
the  benefit  of  the  laugh-conscious.  There  are  surprises  in  his  story  for  those  who 
believe  that  the  jokes  which  amuse  an  entire  continent  are  simple  to  deliver  so  that 
they  are  funny.  Humor  is  a  complicated  art,  and  JACK  BENNY  herein  explains  its 

many  facets. 


JACK  BENNY 


THE  world  loves  to  laugh  at  a  man 
in  trouble,  providing  the  trouble 
is  embarrassing  but  not  too  serious. 

This  was  the  philosophy  expressed 
by  Jack  Benny,  leading  radio,  screen 
and  stage  star,  when  asked  to  discuss 
the  psychology  upon  which  his  humor 
is  based. 

“To  illustrate,  what  is  funnier  than 
a  man  slipping  on  a  banana  peel  and 
his  resulting  gyrations  as  he  tries  to 
maintain  his  balance,  or  a  man  who 
accidentally  rips  an  essential  part  of 
his  clothing  at  a  crucial  moment,  both 
painful  to  the  victim  perhaps,  but  ex¬ 
tremely  funny  withal. 

“I  don’t  believe  that  this  proves  that 
the  human  race  is  essentially  cruel,  but 
I  believe  that  laughs  are  born  partly 
from  a  certain  primitive  sense  of  su¬ 
periority  over  the  victim.  At  the  same 
time,  while  we  laugh  at  them,  we  feel 
sorry  for  them  and  are  in  sympathy 
with  them.  I  know  this  is  getting  kind 
of  involved,  so  we  won’t  pursue  the 
quest  into  the  realm  of  psychology 
much  further.  But  I  do  know  that  all 
great  comedians  of  our  time  have  pur¬ 
sued  that  method.  They  have  become 


involved  in  embarrassing  situations, 
thus  arousing  the  risibilities  of  the  au¬ 
dience. 

“Take  for  example  the  man  I  feel 
is  the  greatest  comedian  of  our  day, 
Charlie  Chaplin.  His  whole  career  was 
built  on  getting  into  and  out  of  just 
such  situations.  He  illustrates  perfect¬ 
ly  what  I  mean.  We  would  split  our 
sides  at  his  antics,  but  always  there  was 
something  just  a  bit  pathetic  about  him. 
He  captured  and  portrayed  the  true 
spirit  of  clean  comedy  and  his  psy¬ 
chology  was  basic. 

“Others  who  have  employed  the 
same,  with  their  own  variations  and 
methods  are  Will  Rogers,  Harold 
Lloyd,  Ed  Wynn;  I  could  go  on  and 
enumerate  all  great  comedians.  This 
proves,  I  believe,  that  you  must  have 
comic  situations,  not  just  gag  lines.  And 
that  is  what  we  strive  for  in  our  radio 
program.  Mere  cracking  of  jokes  back 
and  forth  gives  no  flavor  that  lingers, 


nothing  that  people  can  talk  about  the 
next  day. 

“Early  in  my  own  career  I  discovered 
that  in  order  to  be  successful  I  would 
have  to  be  in  trouble,  and  I  have  been 
in  hot  water  ever  since!  In  my  on¬ 
stage  moments,  I  mean.  To  give  you  a 
pertinent  incident  or  two,  consider  my 
consistently  getting  the  worst  of  it  in 
my  fights  with  Mary  Livingstone,  Phil 
Harris,  Kenny  Baker,  and  now  lately, 
with  Fred  Allen. 

“Always  it  must  be  the  lead,  the 
star,  who  is  the  goat,  in  order  to  get 
that  favorable  public  reaction.  I  could 
not  pick  on  anybody  else  all  the  time 
without  my  listeners  feeling  too  sorry 
for  him,  and  being  angry  with  me. 
However,  it  is  perfectly  all  right  for  all 
the  rest  of  them  to  pick  on  me.” 

Mr.  Benny  went  further  in  outlining 
this.  He  pointed  out  that  each  actor 
on  his  program  was  chosen  to  depict 
a  certain  phase  of  humor.  That  a  line 
( Continued  on  page  60) 


JACK  BENNY  and  his  wife,  MARY  LIVINGSTONE,  prepare  for  one  of  their  hilar¬ 
ious  NBC  broadcasts. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Ins,der 


41 


NATIONALLY  RECOGNIZED  AUTHORITY  ON  VOICE  INSTRUCTION 


NORMAN  WINTER 


Prepared  such 
Renowned  Artists 


Harry  Stockwell 

M.  G.  M.  Singing  Star 


Jayne  Regan 
Milton  Watson 
Frank  Baker 


Screen  Player 


Radio  Star 


Concert  Star 


Charles  Purcell 

Stage  and  Screen  Star 


Billie  Bellport 
Mary  Ardath 
Margaret  Irving 


Stage  and  Screen 


1928  North  Vine  Street 
Hollywood,  California 


Telephone 
HEmpstead  0865 


42 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


MILESTONES 

IN 


THE 

MARCH 


ROCHELLE  HUDSON 


MAKE-UP  begins  seriously  at 
twenty  and  marches  past  a  defi¬ 
nite  milestone  in  technique  every  ten 
years  after  that.  This  is  graphically 
demonstrated  here  in  Hollywood,  where 
stars  know  how  to  age  without  dulling 
their  brilliance,  or  making  a  comedy 
of  their  years. 

Rochelle  Hudson  and  Jean  Parker 
are  at  the  age  where  make-up  has  but 
recently  become  a  matter  of  importance 
when  off  the  set.  They  are  within  the 
portals  of  the  tireless  twenties,  and 
their  goal  is  to  be  natural. 


At  twenty  a  girl  should  first  find 
out  just  what  colors  of  powder,  rouge, 
and  lipstick  belong  to  her  own  com¬ 
plexion.  She  must  learn  to  apply  them 
so  that  they  flatter  her  features,  and 
she  must  ward  off  any  tendency  that 
might  tempt  her  to  use  too  much  lip¬ 
stick,  or  too  much  rouge. 

Twenty  is  the  age  for  laving  a  foun¬ 
dation  for  future  appearance.  The  first 
requisite  in  beauty  conservation  is 
cleanliness.  Make-up  is  used  for  deco¬ 
rative  purposes,  but  both  make-up,  and 
the  dust  and  grime  that  one  encoun¬ 
ters  even  in  the  air,  must  be  removed 
from  the  skin  before  retiring. 

Cleansing  cream,  then  soap  and 
warm  water,  and  a  cool  rinse  will  keep 
that  youthful  skin  glowing  for  years. 
If,  for  some  reason  of  health  or  cli¬ 
mate,  the  skin  is  dry  at  twenty,  skin 
and  tissue  cream  applied  every  two  or 
three  nights  will  correct  it.  However, 
a  healthy  girl  at  twenty  should  have 
few  skin  problems. 

When  a  woman  is  thirty  she  can  af¬ 
ford  to  be  vivid.  Thirty  is  the  age 
when  a  woman  can  look  back  and  look 
ahead,  with  clear  vision  in  both  direc¬ 
tions.  The  most  vivid  stars  of  today 
are  thirty  or  thereabouts.  It  is  the 
most  advantageous  age  of  all.  for  they 


OF 

MAKEUP 


JOAN  CRAW' FORD 

have  experience  and  youth — an  unbeat¬ 
able  combination.  Dolores  Del  Rio, 
Claudette  Colbert,  Myrna  Loy,  Joan 
Crawford — in  fact,  three-fourths  of 
Hollywood’s  most  famous  women  are 
members  of  the  thrilling  thirties. 

They  are  at  the  age  where  they  can 
accentuate  their  lipstick,  when  eyelash 
make-up  and  accented  eyebrows,  eye 
shadow  and  glowing  skin  spells  “glam¬ 
our”.  But  they  have  also  come  to  the 
time  when  powder  base  and  moist 
rouge  are  important.  The  skin  at 
thirty,  while  still  young,  does  not  glow 
(Continued  on  page  54) 


April,  1937 


Mo. ion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


43 


STUDIO  COIFFEURS 

ADOPT 

STREAMLINING 


i  <  fTT  HIS  is  the  age  of  streamlining. 

I  We  have  streamlined  automo¬ 
biles,  trains,  and  airplanes  —  even 
streamlined  stoves  and  kitchen  ware. 
But  only  recently  did  I  discover  that 
streamlining  had  also  invaded  the 
beauty  parlor.”  So  declared  vivacious 
Barbara  Pepper,  B.K.O.  star  who  re¬ 
cently  completed  “Wanted  Jane  Tur¬ 
ner”  and  who  at  the  present  time  has 
the  role  of  Angela  Brown  in  “Satis¬ 
faction  Guaranteed.” 

“The  equipment  itself  is  actually 
streamlined,”  she  continued,  “and  it 
has  the  same  speedy  effect.  1  never 
before  realized  how  rapidly  one  can 
get  one’s  hair  dried  and  still  be 
comfortable.  Prior  to  my  present  ex¬ 
perience  under  this  dryer,  I  have  al¬ 
ways  had  to  wait  and  wait,  actually 
for  hours,  or  else  literally  get  baked 
if  I  wanted  the  operator  to  hurry.” 

“But  this  one  combines  speed  with 
comfort.  And  1  am  so  glad  our  studio 
installed  it  because  it  saves  me  so  much 
time.  I  can  get  here  an  hour  later, 
and  still  not  be  tardy  on  the  set.” 

Her  experience  is  similar  to  that  of 
thousands  of  women,  all  over  the  na¬ 
tion,  who  are  learning  the  same  les¬ 
son — that  they  can  get  their  hair  dried 
rapidly,  and  still  be  comfortable.  This 
happy  condition  has  been  brought 
about  by  the  development  of  a  new  hair 
dryer,  with  new  features  that  eliminate 
the  necessity  for  so  much  time  being 
required. 

The  studios  in  Hollywood  were 
among  the  first  to  adopt  it  as  standard 
equipment,  because  nowhere  is  time 
saving  more  important  than  it  is  in 
cinema  land.  Beauty  shops  everywhere 
are  following  Hollywood’s  lead,  be¬ 
cause  women,  albeit  they  are  not  ac¬ 
tresses,  appreciate  the  time  saved  and 
the  comfort  they  enjov  while  getting 
their  hair  dried  this  new  “streamlined” 
way.  And  as  soon  as  they  learn  of  the 
new  modern  method,  they  insist  that 
their  favorite  beauty  shops  install  it. 

Adv. 


BARBARA  PEPPER 
is  currently  playing 
the  role  oj  “ Angela 
Brown ”  in  “Satisfac¬ 
tion  Guaranteed.” 


A  view  of  BAR¬ 
BARA  PEPPER, 
vivacious  R.  K.  0. 
star,  as  she  has  her 
hair  dried  the  new 
way  and  happily  ac¬ 
claims  its  speed 
and  comfort. 


44 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


PRIZE  PHOTOGRAPHS 


OF  AMATEURS 


Solitude  by  L.  S.  Geyer 


The  pictures  shown  on  this 
page  were  taken  by  members  of 
the  Warner  Bros.  Studio  Camera 
Club.  They  were  adjudged  five 
of  the  best  prints  made  by  club 


At  Rest  by  R.  C.  McClay 


members  during  1936.  This  ama¬ 
teur  photography  page  is  plan¬ 
ned  as  a  monthly  feature,  and 
The  “ Insider ”  invites  comments 
from  those  interested. 


Joy  by  Ted  Krise 


Soft  Green  Sea  by  R.  C 
McClay 


motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


45 


Ap.il,  1937 

[HE  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Continued 

promotion  of  a  beauty  contest  at  Mad¬ 
ison  Square  Garden.  He  induced  the 
great  screen  lover  to  act  as  a  judge, 
filmed  the  proceedings,  thus  obtaining 
the  services  of  one  of  the  screen’s  high¬ 
est  salaried  stars  for  next  to  nothing. 
Th  is  short  subject  returned  a  profit  of 
$5000,  thus  increasing  the  original  bor¬ 
rowed  capital  by  1000  per  cent. 

Now  Selznick  felt  himself  ready  for 
the  assault  upon  Hollywood’s  gates.  He 
traveled  across  the  continent  and  pre¬ 
sented  himself  at  various  studios,  ask¬ 
ing  only  a  chance  to  prove  his  worth. 
He  discovered,  however,  that  while  be 
was  ready  for  Hollywood,  Hollywood 
wasn’t  ready  for  him.  Despite  the  rep¬ 
utation  enjoyed  by  his  father,  produc¬ 
ers  told  him  to  “go  out.  son,  and  get  a 
reputation  for  yourself,  then  come 
back.” 

There  was  nothing  to  do  hut  turn  to 
the  production  of  “quickies,”  those  in¬ 
expensive  films  made  along  Holly¬ 
wood’s  poverty  row  in  the  least  possible 
time  and  with  the  smallest  possible  out¬ 
lay  for  capital.  For  two  years  Selznick 
made  them,  earnestly  working  toward 
the  reputation  he  had  been  told  to  go 
out  and  get. 

At  the  end  of  this  initial  period,  dur¬ 
ing  which  time  Selznick  learned  the 
many  phases  of  the  business,  he  landed 
a  job  with  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  then, 
as  now,  one  of  the  world’s  outstanding 
studios.  He  lasted  just  one  day,  for 
there  seemed  to  be  no  place  for  him  as 
a  producer,  and  a  producer’s  position 
is  what  he  wanted — no  less.  Selznick 
felt  within  himself  that  he  had  demon¬ 
strated  his  ability  on  his  own. 

A  last-minute  appeal  to  the  highest 
court,  Louis  B.  Mayer,  won  for  Selznick 
a  two-week’s  stay  of  execution.  He  was 
told  that  in  those  fourteen  days  he 
would  be  given  a  chance  to  show  what 
he  could  do  for  M-G-M.  Buckling  down 
to  meet  the  test,  Selznick  fairlv  bom¬ 
barded  Mayer’s  office  with  memoranda, 
containing  a  steady  stream  of  sugges¬ 
tions  concerning  production,  talent  and 
film  material.  Whether  Selznick  final¬ 
ly  was  made  a  producer  of  “westerns” 
or  “horse  operas”  because  of  his  sug¬ 
gestions  or  because  Mayer  wanted  to 
escape  the  memos  has  never  been  de¬ 
termined.  The  important  thing  is  the 
fact  that  Selznick  survived  the  trial 
period. 

Although  Selznick  knew  nothing 
about  horses  or  drawling  he-men  from 
“way  out  yonder,”  he  quickly  made  the 
most  of  his  opportunity  with  a  major 
studio.  One  afternoon  he  returned  from 
location  with  two  pictures  of  his  sched¬ 
ule  completed  instead  of  one.  Mayer, 
quite  pleased,  wanted  to  know  how  it 


DAVID  O.  SELZNICK 

'rom  page  6) 

was  done.  Selznick,  he  learned,  had 
gone  out  on  location  with  two  scripts, 
two  sets  of  stars,  and  one  supporting 
cast.  He  had  made  two  pictures  for  the 
price  of  one  and  a  half,  ft  was  hailed 
as  a  brilliant  idea,  and  proved  Selz- 
nick’s  ability  to  handle  every  phase  of 
film  production. 

Thus  having  gained  favor  in  execu¬ 
tive  eyes,  Selznick  moved  another  step 
upward,  from  M  G-M  to  a  more  impor¬ 
tant  post  at  Paramount,  and  there  he 
remained  for  six  years,  climbing  steadi¬ 
ly.  During  his  first  year  he  was  an  as¬ 
sistant  producer.  In  the  second,  in 
charge  of  the  story  department.  In  the 
third,  assistant  to  the  general  manager. 
The  fourth,  a  producer  on  his  own.  The 
fifth,  second  in  command  of  the  studio, 
and  finally  in  charge  of  the  entire  stu¬ 
dio  during  the  long  absence  on  vacation 
of  the  chief,  B.  P.  Schulberg.  Among 
the  outstanding  pictures  he  made  as  a 
producer  at  Paramount  were  “Four 
Feathers”  and  “Street  of  Chance,”  the 
latter  bringing  Kay  Francis  to  promin¬ 
ence  and  making  William  Powell  a  full- 
fledged  star. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Selznick  con¬ 
ceived  the  idea  of  unit  production,  an 
idea  now  standard  throughout  the  film 
world.  He  decided  that  quality  pictures 
could  not  be  made  in  quantity.  Pic¬ 
tures,  he  was  convinced,  should  he 
made  by  separate  units,  each  with  its 
own  producer,  instead  of  having  a  sin¬ 
gle  executive  oversee  all  pictures  at  the 
same  time.  The  soundness  of  the  idea 
since  has  been  proven  by  the  test  of 
time,  but  at  the  moment  mentioned,  it 
was  received  with  doubts. 

The  scene  next  changes  to  RKO, 
where  Selznick  became  executive  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production. 
There  he  turned  out  such  pictures  as 
“Symphony  of  Six  Million,”  “Bird  of 
Paradise,”  What  Price  Hollywood,” 
“State’s  Attorney,”  “Topaze”  and  “The 
Animal  Kingdom.”  Selznick  continued 
to  develop  and  place  into  execution 
new  motion  picture  ideas,  and  there 
was,  of  course,  opposition  along  the 
line. 

After  almost  two  years,  Selznick 
moved  from  RKO  back  to  M-G  M. 
which  had  marked  his  starting  point 
among  major  producing  companies.  In 
rapid  succession  he  produced  “Viva 
Villa,”  “Dinner  at  Eight.”  “A  Tale  of 
Two  Cities,”  “Anna  Karenina”  and 
“David  Copperfield.” 

“Copperfield”  proved  of  vital  impor¬ 
tance  to  the  industry.  It  introduced  to 
the  screen  Selznick’s  child  discovery, 
Freddie  Bartholomew,  and  proved  for 
all  time  the  value  of  classic  literature, 
properly  handled,  as  film  material.  Far 


more  important,  however,  it  was  pro¬ 
duced  during  those  days,  trying  to  the 
entire  industry,  when  Hollywood  was 
under  fire,  and  charges  of  indecency 
threatened  a  complete  boycott.  The  Le¬ 
gion  of  Decency,  among  numerous  or¬ 
ganizations,  was  quick  to  hail  “Copper- 
field”  as  an  example  of  Hollywood  at 
its  very  best.  The  boycott  was  no  longer 
considered,  a  crisis  had  been  averted. 

Yet  with  all  his  success,  Selznick  was 
not  to  be  satisfied  until  he  had  achieved 
his  fixed  goal — the  Selznick  name  again 
at  the  head  of  a  film  company.  In  1935 
he  consummated  a  deal  with  John  Hay 
Whitney  whereby  Selznick  International 
Pictures,  Inc.,  a  company  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  making  Class  A  pic¬ 
tures,  and  only  the  finest,  came  into  be¬ 
ing. 

President  of  the  new  company  was 
David  0.  Selznick,  a  man  in  his  early 
thirties.  His  father  before  him  had 
made  a  household  byword  of  the  slo¬ 
gan,  “Selznick  Pictures  Make  Happy 
Hours,”  had  introduced  the  first  elec¬ 
trically  lighted  theater  marquee,  had 
created  new  production  and  showman¬ 
ship  methods,  and  showed  Hollywood 
the  way  for  many  years.  Now  his  son 
was  carrying  on  a  tradition,  turning 
out  quality  pictures,  pioneering  in  new 
fields. 

Today  a  Selznick  is  again  showing 
the  way. 


"SPLENDID -UNIQUE" 

exclaims  each  guest  when  the 
Premiere  cake  creation  adorns 
the  table. 


"DELICIOUS"  is  the  verdict 
when  these  special  designed 
cakes  are  finally  served!  Per¬ 
fect  pastries  for  every  occasion. 


^tanku  Gatw&ui 

J  Banquet  Halls,  Ice  Cream,  Pastry,  Candy 

3908  WILSHIRE  BOULEVARD.  (AT  ST.  ANDREWS  PLACEJ 
LOS  ANGELES.  CALIFORNIA 
DRe*el  3163 


46 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


DOES  HOLLYWOOD 


SET 

THE  STYLES? 


Right:  CAROLE 

LOMBARD  and 
TRAVIS  BAN  TON 
in  conference.  Be¬ 
low  left:  FRANCES 
DEE  as  she  ap¬ 
pears  in  “Souls  At 
Sea”  wearing  the 
gown  MR.  BAN- 
TON  designed.  Be¬ 
low  right:  Sketch  by 
MR.  B.4NTON  for 
DOROTHY 
LAMOUR. 


TRAVIS  BANTON,  head  designer  for  Paramount  Studios, 
answers  this  question  and  many  others  in  this  special 
interview. 


A  LOT  of  credit  for  various  fads 
goes  to  Hollywood  undeservedly. 
That,  at  least,  is  what  Mr.  Banton  be¬ 
lieves.  He  enlarged  upon  the  theme 
for  our  benefit  and  yours: 

“Since  Hollywood  is  doing,  and  will 
continue  to  do,  a  pretty  fine  job  of 
launching  styles,  customs  and  fads,  we 
might  as  well  be  honest  about  the 
things  which  are  automatically  classi¬ 
fied  under  the  heading  of  “Hollywood- 
isms”  but  which  actually  hark  back  to 
some  more  definite  origin.  Some  of 
these  eccentric  styles  have  given  Hol¬ 
lywood  undeserved  credit  for  crazy  cus¬ 
toms  that  are  frowned  upon  by  the 
Paris  designers,  so  perhaps  it  would 
be  best  to  answer  the  leading  question 
by  analyzing  the  origin  of  the  strictly 
“movie”  styles  that  are  copied  so  ex¬ 
travagantly  and,  sadly  enough,  so  ig¬ 
norantly,  in  many  cases. 

For  instance,  it  is  fashionably  smart 
nowadays  to  go  hatless,  though  a  few 
years  ago  it  was  never  done  by  well- 
dressed  ladies.  The  fad  started  in  Hol¬ 
lywood,  where  the  benefits  of  good  sun¬ 
shine  make  the  hair  and  skin  lovely 
and  fresh-looking.  The  style  has  been 
casually  launched  in  pictures  and  the 
use  of  ribbons  and  ornaments  in  the 
( Continued  on  page  56) 


Above:  DOROTHY  LAMOUR 
wears  the  finished  gown.  Lower 
right:  GLADYS  SWARTHOUT 
models  the  gown  made  from  sketch 


PLAY  SUIT  FASHIONS 
FOR  SPRIN Q 

With  the  advent  of  a  joyous  summer,  vacationers  succumb  to  the 
lure  of  the  open,  harken  to  the  call  of  the  desert  and  the  sea,  and 
turn  the  fashion  spotlight  to  playtime  clothes.  Here  are  shown  nine 
costumes  that  herald  the  newest  trend  in  early  summer  styles.  The 
stars  who  model  are  as  follows:  top  left:  TALA  BIRELL.  Center: 

LYNN  GILBERT.  Right:  JUDITH  BARRETT.  Middle  row:  left, 

GLADYS  SWARTHOUT.  Center,  TALA  BIRELL.  Right,  LYNN 
GILBERT.  Bottom  row:  left,  GLADYS  SWARTHOUT.  Center, 

JUDITH  BARRET.  Right,  LYNN  GILBERT. 


Motion  Pi  tore  Studio  Insider 


April.  1937 


ACROSS  THE  ROOF  OF  A  WORLD 

( Continued  from  page  15) 


more  interesting  than  the  mute  stories 
we  found  imprisoned  in  the  rocks  of 
earlier  geologic  eras.  Because  those 
stories  were  but  crumbling  bones  and 
fossils  from  which  we  could  reconstruct 
forms  of  life;  the  natives,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  living  human  beings  whose 
life  we  could  live  and  record  day  by 
day. 

“It  is  such  pictures  that  I  want  to 
make  and  make  available  for  modern 
audiences.  Because  in  effect,  it  trans¬ 
ports  them  back  through  the  interven¬ 
ing  spans  of  time,  and  transplants  them 
in  other  ages  and  environments.  This 
to  me,  is  one  of  the  prime  functions  of 
educational  motion  pictures — to  give 
authentic  information  about  other  peo¬ 
ples  and  lands. 

“I  want  to  go  back  to  that  country 
and  film  the  caravans  wending  their 
tedious  way  across  from  Kalgan  to  Ur- 
ga,  and  beyond  into  Southern  Siberia 
and  Eastern  Turkestan.  I  want  to  pro¬ 
duce  the  story  of  the  nomadic  natives 
against  that  background  and  bring  to 
modern  light  their  beliefs  and  customs, 
half  as  old  perhaps  as  time  itself.” 

Mr.  Shackelford’s  eyes  glowed  with 
a  zealous  flame  as  he  revealed  his  most 
cherished  dream,  a  dream  that  has  been 
frustrated  for  years  past  because  of  tbe 
unsettled  political  conditions  obtaining 
there  since  the  days  of  Russian  pene¬ 
tration  into  Outer  Mongolia.  All  Amer¬ 
ican  exploration  has  been  stopped  and 
he  has  been  unable  to  get  permission 
from  the  governments  involved  to  go  in. 

“I  also  want  to  make  a  pictorial 
study  of  their  religion,  as  mysterious 
and  inscrutable,  and  as  awe-inspiring  in 
its  color  and  pageantry  as  anything  on 
this  planet.  It  is  all-pervading  in  its 
influence  on  their  daily  lives,  and  would 
be  a  revelation  if  shown  to  civilized 
peoples.” 

Ti  me  and  time  again  during  the  years 
that  he  was  there,  Mr.  Shackelford  film¬ 
ed  native  rites,  filmed  the  exterior  of 
their  temples  and  their  holy  places. 
But  though  he  was  allowed  in  the  in¬ 
teriors  of  these  many  times,  he  was  un¬ 
able  to  photograph  any  events  there. 

“With  the  flashlight  equipment  that 
we  had  at  that  time,  we  would  have 
burned  the  churches  to  the  ground,”  he 
said.  “Paper  prayer  wheels  and  pray¬ 
er  scripts  fluttered  from  every  available 
inch  on  both  walls  and  ceilings,  dingy 
hangings  that  had  been  there  for  per¬ 
haps  generations,  and  to  attempt  using 
light  powder  would  have  been  too  haz¬ 
ardous,  even  if  it  had  been  allowed. 

“I  believe  that  we  could  eventually 
obtain  permission  from  the  lamas  now, 
however,  if  we  went  about  it  right,”  he 


continued.  “I  always  found  them  very 
tractable,  and  if  once  they  were  con¬ 
vinced  of  one’s  sincere  interest,  they 
usually  would  cooperate. 

“And  with  modern  electrical  equip¬ 
ment  we  could  make  available  scenes 
which  few  Caucasian  eyes  have  ever 
viewed.  Likewise  it  would  be  of  in¬ 
tense  interest  to  the  anthropologist  and 
the  philosopher  who  seek  the  seeds  of 
the  present  in  the  musty  archives  of  the 
past. 

“Pictures  of  the  daily  lives  of  these 
people  as  they  migrate  from  place  to 
place  following  their  flocks  in  accord 
with  season  and  pasturage  would  also 
greatly  facilitate  our  understanding  of 
our  own  early  ancestors,  who,  centuries 
ago,  lived  similar  migratory  lives." 


“Shack”  with  a  wild  ass  he  roped  on 
the  desert. 


His  enthusiasm  for  these  pictures  that 
he  wanted  to  make  carried  us  away 
from  those  he  had  made  while  in  the 
Gobi  with  the  Andrews  excursions,  “on 
the  trail  of  ancient  man.”  But  our 
query  as  to  difficulties  then  encounter¬ 
ed  brought  him  back. 

“My  job  was  to  take  pictures  of  finds 
as  they  were  made,  of  the  daily  activi¬ 
ty  and  progress  of  the  expeditions  them¬ 
selves,  and  to  help  as  I  could  in  the  ac¬ 
tual  exploration  work.  It  was  neither 
hard  nor  dangerous,”  he  minimized. 
“We  were  of  course  handicapped  to  a 
degree  by  not  being  able  to  carry  as 
much  equipment  with  us  as  we  might 
have  liked,  but  otherwise  it  wasn’t  dif¬ 
ficult.” 

“Motion  picture  films  were  packed 
in  hermetically  sealed  containers  and 
shipped  back  to  laboratories  in  the 
States  to  be  developed  and  printed. 


while  the  still  pictures  were  finished 
right  in  the  field. 

“Of  course,”  he  continued,  “if  we  had 
stayed  out  there  in  the  winter  time,  we 
might  have  had  lots  of  trouble,  because 
the  temperature  quite  often  falls  to  six¬ 
ty  degrees  below  zero,  and  under  those 
conditions,  one  would  have  to  use  an 
artificially  heated  camera,  such  as  was 
used  filming  Mt.  Everest  a  few  years 
ago.  But  the  summers,  while  hot,  were 
not  humid,  and  humidity  is  the  worst 
foe  we  have  to  combat  with  films. 

“In  the  jungles  of  the  islands  in  the 
South  Seas,  where  I  went  after  return¬ 
ing  from  the  Gobi,  quite  often  the  at¬ 
mosphere  was  so  humid  the  emulsion 
would  slip  right  off  the  film,  leaving 
only  a  blank,  perhaps,  after  days  of 
labor. 

“Our  greatest  trouble  in  the  Gobi 
desert  was  in  protecting  our  equipment 
from  the  violent  sand  storms  that  would 
swirl  without  warning  down  upon  us 
from  across  the  yellow  plains. 

“I  remember  one  in  particular  at 
Shabarakh  Usu,  in  ’26.  All  was  calm 
and  quiet  at  our  camp.  Each  one  was 
busy  at  his  appointed  task,  when  sud¬ 
denly  we  heard  the  wind,  howling  in  an 
intolerable  crescendo — and  the  smoth¬ 
ering,  saffron  cloud  was  upon  us.  Strik¬ 
ing  with  the  violence  of  exploding 
shrapnel,  it  tore  our  tents  to  ribbons, 
scattered  camp  equipment  over  the  deso¬ 
late  countryside,  and  for  an  hour  kept 
us  fighting  for  our  very  lives,  literally 
having  to  chew  the  air  we  breathed. 
Then  its  hundred  mile  an  hour  velocity 
swept  it  past  us,  and  we  were  able  to 
dig  out  of  the  wreckage! 

“Naturally  it  drove  sand  into  every 
working  part  of  my  cameras,  and  I  had 
to  spend  days  cleaning  them  up  before 
I  could  shoot  again. 

“This  particular  storm  was  the  most 
violent  one  that  we  experienced  during 
the  four  years  that  we  were  out  there, 
but  there  were  others  nearly  as  bad 
at  Tuerin  and  at  Ulu  Usu,  that  same 
year.  But,  beyond  discomfort  and  dam¬ 
age  to  equipment,  the  sand-laden  hur¬ 
ricanes  caused  little  actual  harm.  All 
such  conditions  had  been  expected  and 
prepared  for  prior  to  departure.” 

More  queries  brought  more  details 
of  the  arduous  journeys,  but,  “Why  not 
let  the  pictures  speak  for  themselves; 
they  tell  the  story  of  the  people  and  the 
country  much  more  truly  than  words?” 
he  asked. 

And  so  we  will.  But  in  closing,  let  it 
suffice  to  say  that  the  man  who  took 
them,  while  returning  to  civilization  on 
occasion,  does  it  only  to  prepare  for 
another  foray  into  the  fastnesses  “be¬ 
yond  the  ranges,”  and  we  can  only  hope 
that  when  he  next  returns  he  will  bring 
more  such  pictures  as  we  show  here¬ 
with. 


April,  1917 


Motion  Picture  Stjo’c  Insider 


4° 


MANY  ARE  CALLED 

( Continued  from  page  25) 

for  them,  actual  pictures  that  are  tiih- 
er  shooting  or  to  be  shot.  We  go  over 
these  scenes  with  them,  show  them  how 
we  feel  the  scenes  should  be  played  and 
then  let  them  take  the  scenes  home  with 
them  to  study  and  practice  until  the 
lime  set  for  the  test.  When  they  come 
back,  our  makeup  department  prepares 
them,  the  costume  department  takes  a 
hand  if  necessary  and  then  on  an  actual 
motion  picture  stage  with  lights,  cam¬ 
eras  and  everything,  thev  are  rehearsed. 
We  spend  four  or  five  hours  with  them 
if  need  be,  until  we  feel  they  are  ready 
to  do  their  best  before  the  camera. 
Then  the  scene  is  played  and  shot  as  if 
it  were  actual  entertainment  in  produc¬ 
tion. 

“But  why  don’t  you  come  to  the  set 
this  afternoon  and  see  for  yourself  just 
how  it  is  done?” 

We  accepted  his  invitation  and  found 
that  a  special  set  had  been  built  for 
a  boy  singer  who  was  to  be  tested.  Son¬ 
ny  Arlington,  aged  ten,  was  to  be  given 
his  first  chance  for  fame  and  fortune. 
A  woodland  nook  had  been  contrived 
in  one  corner  of  Sound  Stage  11.  He 
was  to  enact  scenes  from  the  play  “Pen- 
rod.”  Lighting  experts,  the  best  in  the 
studio,  labored  to  see  that  every  phase 
of  the  boy’s  features  showed  to  best 
advantage.  Director  Simon,  with  his 
assistant,  “Speed”  Margolies,  rehearsed 
the  boy  and  his  vis-a-vis  Wister  Clark 
in  their  parts.  Each  bit  of  “business” 
was  tried  again  and  again,  seeking  the 
best  effect. 

Director  of  photography  John  Mes- 
call,  who  functioned  in  that  capacity 
on  “Show  Boat”  and  who  is  now  film¬ 
ing  “The  Road  Back,”  with  his  assist¬ 
ant,  William  Dodds  and  their  operat¬ 
ing  cameraman,  John  Hickson,  maneu¬ 
vered  the  cameras  with  as  much  care  as 
if  the  greatest  star  were  being  photo¬ 
graphed. 

Hours  passed,  arduous  hours,  before 
Director  Simon  was  satisfied  and  said, 
“Roll  ’em,”  but  when  it  was  over  we 
recognized  the  truth  of  his  assertion 
that  once  a  subject  was  chosen  for  a 
test,  nothing  was  spared  to  make  that 
test  favorable  in  every  way  to  the  sub¬ 
ject.  Director  Simon  estimated  that  it 
cost  Universal  between  $500.00  and 
$800.00  to  make  each  screen  test,  so  it 
is  no  wonder  that  great  care  is  exercis¬ 
ed  in  choosing  those  to  be  tested. 

“We  use  about  3000  feet  of  film,  tak¬ 
ing  them  from  all  angles,  long  shots, 
middle  shots  and  closeups.  This  foot¬ 
age  is  cut  to  about  1000  feet,  which 
comprises  the  test  reel. 

“This  is  run  for  the  studio  executives, 
Charles  Rogers,  Val  Paul  and  Rufus 
LeMaire,  and  they  decide  whether  the 
person  should  be  put  under  contract. 


It  thus  signed  up,  their  schooling 
begins. 

“We  have  no  actual  stock  school  that 
the  youngsters  must  attend  except  that 
of  voice.  Each  student  must  attend 
Madame  Koppell’s  School  of  Voice  and 
it  is  not  only  the  tyros  who  go,  either. 
Many  of  our  featured  players  and  our 
stars  attend  her  classes  regularly  to 


Pictured  above  are  a  few  of  the  players 
discovered  by  the  New  Universal,  who  are 
now  being  groomed  for  stardom.  Top  to 
bottom  they  are:  LAURIE  DOUGLAS, 
SCOTT  KOLK,  LYNN  GILBERT,  LAR¬ 
RY  BLAKE,  MARTHA  O’DRISCOLL, 
and  ROBERT  WHITNEY. 


improve  their  enunc  ation  and  diction, 
but  instead  of  a  stock  school  for  actors, 
we  put  youngsters  through  actual  ex¬ 
perience. 

In  every  picture  where  their  type  can 
possibly  be  used,  they  function  as  ex¬ 
tras  and  as  they  become  more  experi¬ 
enced,  they  get  a  line  or  two  to  speak, 
always  coming  under  the  tutelage  of 
our  capable  and  experienced  directors. 
Thus  in  one  year  these  young  contract 
players  may  act  in  as  many  as  twenty 
or  thirty  different  pictures,  always  un¬ 
der  actual  production  conditions.  We 
feel  that  the  best  way  to  learn  to  act  is 
to  act,  and  therefore  we  give  these 
young  people  all  the  acting  to  do  that 
we  possibly  can. 

Those  that  show  especial  promise 
naturally  get  larger  and  larger  parts, 
until  finally  they  are  full  fledged  fea¬ 
ture  players.  Further  experience  is 
given  all  of  them  by  allowing  them  to 
play  in  bits  opposite  the  newcomers  be¬ 
ing  tested.  In  all  these  ways,  then,  the 
youngsters  get  the  benefit  of  actual  ex¬ 
perience  under  real  production  condi¬ 
tions,  and  we  believe  that  no  academic 
course  in  acting  would  do  nearly  as 
well. 

Of  course  special  cases  demand  spec¬ 
ial  attention.  Those  with  certain  quali¬ 
ties  require  one  kind  of  practice  and 
consideration.  Those  with  others,  a 
different  kind,  but  our  method  has  been 
successful  for  us.  I  need  only  to  men¬ 
tion  Deanna  Durbin,  who  in  a  very 
short  time  has  become  a  star  in  her 
own  right.  Others  whom  we  have  de¬ 
veloped  in  the  same  way  and  about 
whom  I  believe  you  will  hear  a  great 
deal  in  months  to  come  are  Martha 
O’Driscoll,  Lynn  Gilbert,  Bob  Dalton, 
Scott  Kolk,  Bob  Whitney  and  Larry 
Blake.” 

This  exemplifies  the  policy  of  New 
Universal,  which  as  one  executive  in 
that  studio  expressed  it,  is  “gambling 
its  shirt”  on  comedy  and  youth,  and 
rushing  to  stardom  any  one  who  shows 
promise  at  all.  As  examples  of  this 
policy  the  aforesaid  executive  pointed 
out  that  for  comedy  it  was  hard  to  beat 
“My  Man  Godfrey.”  As  for  youth,  in 
“Three  Smart  Girls”  Universal  took 
three  absolutely  inexperienced  players, 
Deanna  Durbin,  previously  mentioned, 
who  had  just  turned  fourteen,  Nan 
Grey,  sixteen,  and  Barbara  Reid,  eigh¬ 
teen,  and  built  a  picture  around  them. 
Public  acclaim  proved  the  success  of 
the  policy.  How  rapid  the  rise  to  star¬ 
dom  can  be  under  this  New  LIniversal 
method  is  evident  when  you  consider 
the  case  of  Polly  Rowles,  who  was  test¬ 
ed  and  signed  up  by  them  three  days 
after  she  arrived  in  Hollywood.  Six 
weeks  later,  she  sat  in  a  theater  and 
saw  herself  as  the  leading  woman  in 
( Continued  on  page  51) 


50 


Motion  Pictu  e  Studio  insider 


April,  1937 


DESTINED  TO  SING 

( Continued  from  page  35) 

seat.  But  just  at  that  moment  he  tried 
to  kiss  me  and  the  car  swerved  and 
hit  one  of  those  huge  construction  ma¬ 
chines  that  they  use  in  mending  the 
roads.  It  had  been  drawn  up  there 
since  we  passed  earlier  in  the  day  and 
I  didn’t  see  it. 

She  shivered  and  Dick  drew  her  to 
him. 

“Well,  I  guess  you  heard  what  hap¬ 
pened.  Homer  never  forgave  me  and  I 
was  badly  shaken  and  mv  head  had  the 
brunt  of  the  shock.  Some  months  ago 
my  eyes  suddenly  got  very  bad  and  I 
went  to  a  specialist  in  New  York  with¬ 
out  telling  Mom  or  Dad  because  I 
didn’t  want  to  worry  them.  As  you 
never  wrote  I  didn’t  care  much  about 
the  future  though  I  guessed  I’d  survive 
— other  girls  have.  But  my  eyes  got 
worse  and  the  New  York  doctors  were 
frightened  and  finally  said  they  were 
afraid  I’d  lose  my  sight  and  that  the 
only  man  who  could  hel p  me  would  be 
Dr.  John  Lang,  of  Boston,  the  great 
eye  specialist.” 

“Oh.  honey,  to  think  of  your  going 
through  all  this  alone.”  Dick’s  low 
voice  trembled  with  emotion,  his  lips 
brushed  her  cheek  which  lay  quite  un¬ 
responsive  against  his.  “But — what  did 
Dr.  Lang  say?” 

For  a  while  Joan  did  not  reply.  Her 
soft  mouth  trembled  and  she  clung  to 
him  piteously. 

“He  says  the  only  thing  that  can  save 
my  sight  is  a  very  delicate  operation 
and  he  holds  out  about  a  fifty-fifty 
chance  of  its  being  successful.  I 
couldn’t  saddle  you  with  a  blind  wife, 
Dick,  just  when  your  career  is  start¬ 
ing  and  promises  so  much.” 

“But  you  won’t  be — ”  he  could  not 
bring  himself  to  say  the  terrible  word. 
“Dr.  Lang  will  cure  you.  He  must.  And 
if  he  can’t  I’ll  take  you  to  best  men 
abroad.  You  will  be  all  right,  my  dar¬ 
ling,  don’t  be  afraid.” 

“It  appears  that  as  a  result  of  the 
accident  there  had  gradually  arisen 
some  pressure  on  nerve  centers  very 
close  to  the  brain,  right  inside  my  head. 
Oh,  Dick!  I’m  so  afraid,”  she  cried 
hopelessly.  He  held  her  closer. 

“Tell  me  something,”  he  said  sud¬ 
denly.  “Why  did  you  go  with  Homer 
Wallace  that  day  I  sailed?  Why  did 
you  behave  as  you  did,  acting  as  though 
you  had  ceased  to  care  for  me?  You 
know  I  would  never  have  gone  away 
if  I  hadn’t  been  so  darn  miserable  be¬ 
cause  I  thought  you  didn’t  want  me 
any  more.” 

“That’s  the  reason — you’d  never  have 
gone  away!  And  you  had  to  go,  Dick. 
Only  in  Italy  could  your  wonderful 
voice  be  trained  as  it  should,  that  God- 


CONTEST  RULES 

How  often  haven't  you  heard  theater  goers  say:  "That  picture 
would  have  been  so  much  better  if  the  lead  had  been  played  by 
some  one  else,"  usually  naming  their  choice  for  the  part.  Every 
patron  of  motion  pictures  is,  in  a  manner  of  speaking  a  casting 
director,  because,  in  the  final  analysis,  it  is  public  demand,  ex¬ 
pressed  via  the  box  office,  which  determines  at  least  the  type  of 
roles  that  the  various  artists  are  cast  to  play. 

But  few  of  those  who  attend  theaters  are  ever  given  a  chance 
to  express,  more  than  indirectly,  their  personal  choices  for  the 
actual  parts. 

To  provide  this  opportunity,  and  to  bring  public  reaction  to 
competent  casting  more  concretely  to  the  studios,  the  Motion  Picture 
Studio  Insider  is  running  this  casting  contest.  You  express  your 
preference,  and  besides,  demonstrate  your  ability  to  pick  stars  for 
the  various  parts.  In  this  issue  appears  the  last  installment  of 
"Destined  to  Sing,"  an  original  three  part  story  especially  written 
for  screen  dramatization.  Read  it  in  its  entirety,  then  fill  out  the 
official  entry  blank  with  your  choices,  and  write  us  why  you  have 
selected  the  actors  and  actresses  for  the  various  parts. 

Be  sure  to  read  the  rules  before  you  send  your  entry.  And 
remember,  it  is  the  judgment  you  use  in  your  selections  that  will 
determine  the  winners — not  flowery  nor  elaborate  writing. 

Read  The  Concluding  Installment  Now! 


CONTEST  RULES 

1  Every  reader  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Studio  Insider  (except 
members  of  the  staff,  and 
their  families)  is  eligible  to 
compete  in  this  casting  con¬ 
test. 

2  To  be  eligible  for  prizes,  all 
entries  must  be  made  on  offi¬ 
cial  entry  blank.  Clip  or  paste 
it  firmly  to  the  letter  you 
write.  Send  as  many  as  you 
wish. 

3  At  the  conclusion  of  the  story 
write  a  letter,  not  exceeding 
five  hundred  words  giving 
your  reasons  for  your  selec¬ 
tions.  (Logic  counts  more 
than  literary  ability.) 

4  Decisions  of  the  judges  will 
be  final.  In  case  of  ties,  du¬ 
plicate  awards  will  be  made. 

5  Entries,  to  be  considered, 
must  be  postmarked  not  later 
than  midnight,  May  1st,  1937. 

G  Address  all  entries  to  the 
Casting  Contest  Editor,  The 
Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider, 
6425  Hollywood  Blvd.,  Holly¬ 
wood,  Calif. 


$250.00 


First  Prize  $100.00 
Second  Prize  $  50.00 
Third  Prize  $  25.00 
Fifteen  other  prizes  of 
$5.00  each 

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The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 
Casting  Contest 

Opposite  the  name  of  the  story 
character,  fill  in  the  name  of  the 
motion  picture  actor  or  actress 
you  think  could  best  portray  the 
part. 

Name  of  Character  Your  Choice 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


51 


given  gift  that  is  not  yours  alone  but 
the  world’s.  You  wouldn’t  have  gone 
unless  I  had  done  something  to  make 
you  and  I  did  the  thing  that  was  surest 
— it  was  the  only  way.” 

He  looked  at  her  wonderingly,  ador¬ 
ingly.  “The  ways  of  a  woman  are  be¬ 
yond  me.  But  with  all  the  love  in  the 
world,  I’ll  make  it  up  to  you,  honey. 
And  you’ll  be  all  right.  You  willl ” 

A  new  gravity  added  charming  ma¬ 
turity  to  Dick’s  handsome  face  as  he 
comforted  her.  Surely  nothing  could 
happen  to  those  great  blue  eyes  that 
mirrored  his  reflection  so  clearly.  It 
didn’t  seem  possible;  a  dreadful  night¬ 
mare  from  which  they  would  soon 
awake. 

“I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  tell  them,” 
Joan  finally  said.  “But  we  mustn’t  let 
them  know  how  serious  it  is.  Mother 
worries  so  if  I  am  not  top  notch.” 

But  in  the  end  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pres¬ 
ton  had  to  know  of  their  adored  young 
daughter’s  danger  and  the  operation 
was  duly  arranged.  At  the  same  time 
Ciarpini  was  making  happier  arrange¬ 
ments  for  Dick  Carlyle’s  debut  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House. 

Because  of  his  splendidly  fluent  and 
perfect  French  and  his  love  of  the  par¬ 
ticular  opera  it  was  decided  that  he 
should  appear  first  in  Faust.  Hours  and 
days  of  constant  practice  followed,  to 
be  broken  incontinently  by  Dick  him¬ 
self  during  the  time  Joan  was  in  Dr. 
Lang’s  private  nursing  home.  The  day 
of  the  operation  a  half-crazed  young 
man  waited,  hollow-eyed  with  anxiety, 
for  news.  When  it  came  it  was  laconic 
words  from  a  prim  nurse  who  merely 
said,  “There’s  hope!” 

Hope! 

So  while  Joan  lay  in  a  dark  room, 
her  head  swathed  in  bandages,  her 
sweetheart  hoped  and  prayed  as  he 
had  never  done  before.  With  all  the 
strength  of  his  being  he  willed  that  the 
blessed  gift  of  sight  should  not  be  taken 
from  the  girl  who  had  risked  so  much 
to  see  him.  Who  had  even  risked  los¬ 
ing  him,  from  love  so  unselfish  that  it 
was  almost  beyond  belief. 

At  last  Richard  Carlyle’s  great  night 
arrived.  In  his  heart  was  joy  and  con¬ 
fidence  for  his  prayers  had  been  grant¬ 
ed.  Joan,  fragile  but  radiant,  sat  in  the 
box  that  held  all  those  who  were  his 
nearest  and  dearest. 

Never  had  the  historic  building  rung 
to  the  tones  of  a  more  perfect  voice. 
Never  had  a  Metropolitan  audience  so 
completely  lost  its  head.  Again  and 
again  the  new  star  in  the  operatic  fir¬ 
mament  was  hailed  with  applause  that 
ran  from  wild  cheers  and  vociferous 
calls  from  the  gallery  to  furious  hand¬ 
clapping  and  many  involuntary 
“Bravos!”  from  the  critical  occupants 
of  the  bejewelled  horseshoe;  all  who 


were  notable  in  New  Yorl’s  musical 
life  acclaimed  him  with  passionate  ad¬ 
miration. 

As  Dick  came  out  and  bowed  his  ac¬ 
knowledgments,  his  hand  in  no  empty 
gesture,  upon  his  heart,  the  sea  of  faces 
was  dim  and  only  one,  small  and  lov¬ 
ing,  stood  out  clearly.  He  must  get  rid 
of  this  crowd  and  try,  with  his  whole 
body  and  soul  to  express  the  over¬ 
whelming  longing  and  gratitude  that 
were  consuming  him — he  must  be 
alone  with  Joan. 

But  the  conventions  were  still  too 
strong.  Even  after  the  many  congratu¬ 
lations  were  over  there  was  a  supper 
that  his  parents,  Mrs.  Vanderlip  and 
Ciarpini  had  arranged  and  he  simply 
couldn’t  belong  to  himself  until  that 
was  over. 

Responding  for  the  last  time  to  their 
toasts,  he  raised  his  glass  and  with  his 
other  hand,  pulled  Joan  to  her  feet. 
His  golden  voice  now  hoarse  from  ex¬ 
citement  he  cried  boyishly,  “I  don’t 
know  how  to  thank  you  all,  I’m  so 
happy.  My  parents — you,  dear  lady,” 
he  bowed  charmingly  to  Mrs.  Vander¬ 
lip,  “the  dear  Maestro,  have  done  so 
much  for  me,  but  without  this  small 
girl,  it  could  never  have  been.  And 
now,  if  you  will  excuse  us,  I — we — !” 

He  half  dragged  Joan  from  the  table 
and  together  they  ran  like  children, 
from  the  room. 

And  in  the  moon  drenched  garden 
they  rested,  but  only  long  enough  to 
breathe  a  moment. 

Clasped  in  an  embrace  that  had 
much  of  reverence  with  its  love,  Joan 
gave  her  face  to  her  lover’s  ardent  lips, 
her  eyes,  her  mouth. 

“My  beautiful,”  he  whispered.  “Are 
you  happy?” 

Strangely  enough,  Joan  didn’t  even 
say  yes,  because  her  small  mouth  was 
otherwise  engaged! 

MANY  AREJCALLED 

( Continued  from  page  49) 

“Love  Letters  of  a  Star.”  Thus  new 
talent  gets  a  break  at  the  New  Uni¬ 
versal. 

Mr.  Simon  not  only  is  always  on 
the  lookout  for  new  talent  at  the  studio, 
but  has  talent  scouts  touring  the  col¬ 
leges  and  universities,  seeking  just  what 
gold  might  lie  in  “them  thar  hills.” 
Further  than  that,  when  a  definite  type 
is  needed  for  any  one  picture,  it  is  his 
job  to  find  it  and  he  confessed  that  the 
most  arduous  task  he  has  ever  had  to 
perform  along  this  line  was  to  find 
some  boys  between  17  and  20  to  play  in 
“The  Road  Back.”  For  this  one  pic¬ 
ture,  he  interviewed  4000  individuals 
and  made  350  tests  in  order  to  find 
four  boys.  So  we  feel  that  we  are 
right  in  saying  that  quite  often,  many 
are  called,  but  few  are  chosen. 


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52 


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TV.'O  "5  01115  AT  SEA" 


'  Continued 

at  five  in  the  morning  and  cruised  fiLy 
miles  to  get  rough  sea.  Then,  when  we 
finally  found  big  waves,  everybody  got 
seasick.  What  a  trip.”  He  shivered 
reminiscently.  We  could  see  why  he 
wore  the  topcoat  and  muffler. 

Gary  sighed  wearily.  “I  am  tired,” 
lie  said.  “I’d  like  to  sleep  for  a  week.” 

“But  you  like  to  do  this  kind  of  pic¬ 
ture?”  we  asked. 

“Oh  yes,”  he  was  enthusiastic.  “I 
like  stories  with  action.  Adventure — 
travel.  That  sort  of  thing.  I  think  it’s 
the  best  sort  of  entertainment.” 

We  agreed.  Then  we  asked  Gary 
about  his  travels.  He  made  a  safari  in 
Africa  not  so  long  ago. 

“It  was  grand  fun,”  he  said.  “We 
flew  from  Cairo  and  then  trekked  into 
the  big  game  lands.  It  is  a  magnificent 
country.” 

We  asked  how  he  had  the  heart  to 
shoot  the  beautiful  African  jungle  ani¬ 
mals. 

“Well.”  he  admitted,  “I  didn't  like  to 
do  it,  but  you  have  to  kill  some  of  them 
off.  They  destroy  crops  and  kill  na¬ 
tives.  But  I  went  more  for  the  adven¬ 
ture  of  the  thing  than  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  so  many  head  of  game.” 

Gary  likes  to  travel.  He  seemed 
eager  to  go  again.  South  America  next 
lime,  it  would  seem. 

“Now  there’s  a  country  I  want  to 
see,”  he  said,  and  his  eyes  lighted  up 
happily. 

All  this  time  George  Raft  had  been 
doing  tricks  in  mathematics  with  pencil 
and  paper  for  the  amusement  of  those 
around  him. 

We  asked  if  he  had  a  pack  of  cards. 

“I  can  do  card  tricks,  too,”  he  laugh¬ 
ed.  Then  he  sighed  dolefully.  “But 
I  can’t  pick  the  horses  at  Santa  Anita. 
I’m  through  trying.” 

We  didn’t  say  “Oh  yeah?”  but  we 
wanted  to.  Because  of  course  George 
will  try  again,  and  lose  again — or 
maybe  win  again?  He  loves  to  take  a 
chance,  does  George  Raft,  and  he 
knows  it  as  well  as  anyone. 

The  two  men  represent  opposite  types 
in  tradition,  experience  and  environ¬ 
ment.  Gary  Cooper  is  a  man  of  the 
outdoors.  He  is  not  socially  minded, 
hates  crowds,  hates  big  cities,  is  reticent 
and  self-contained. 

George  Raft  is  a  product  of  big  cities. 
He  kn  ows  the  ins  and  outs  of  metropoli¬ 
tan  life.  He  likes  society,  the  kind 
that  is  sophisticated  and  cosmopolitan. 
He  loves  big  cities  and  goes  to  New 
York  between  pictures  to  see  the  new 
plays  and  feel  the  tall  buildings  around 
him,  while  Gary  hies  himself  to  the 
hinterlands  for  a  vacation,  just  as  far 
from  people  and  cities  and  studios  as 


i 'an  "ape  II) 

fie  can  get.  Yet  in  spite  of  this  differ¬ 
ence  in  their  inherent  tastes,  these  two 
men  meet  on  the  common  ground  of 
friendship,  and  as  they  both  play  men 
of  the  sea  in  “Souls  at  Sea”  they,  odd¬ 
ly  enough,  look  the  part,  though  neith¬ 
er  of  them  belongs  to  the  ocean  at  all. 

With  the  return  of  Gary  Cooper  to 
the  scene  and  a  momentary  lull  in  con¬ 
versation,  we  gathered  information  on 
“Souls  at  Sea  ’  from  many  people  on 
the  set,  and  the  story  of  some  of  the 
properties  used  in  making  this  picture 
is  as  interesting  as  the  diary  of  any 
moving-picture  star. 

For  instance,  two  actresses  performed 
in  this  picture  who  will  receive  no  cast 
credit  on  the  screen,  but  who  form  an 
integral  part  of  the  production. 

The  bark  “Star  of  Finland,”  once 
queen  of  the  Alaska  fishing  trade,  and 
the  schooner  “Lottie  Carson,”  with  a 
career  almost  as  rakish  as  a  pirate’s, 
were  chartered  for  the  film.  It  was 
down  in  the  script  that  they  were  to 
perform  for  the  camera  on  the  deep- 
sea  set,  with  foam  about  their  cutwaters, 
men  in  their  rigging,  and  every  stitch 
of  sail  in  the  wind.  And  perform  they 
did.  They  were  the  two  “stars”  of  the 
production.  There  were  others  who 
were  hired  for  bit  parts  in  the  water¬ 
front  scenes,  with  names  on  their  bows 
that  would  draw  memories  of  Pacific 
adventures  from  many  old  seamen  in 
the  harbor. 

The  “Lottie  Carson”  for  instance, 
was  a  rum-runner  during  prohibition, 
and  had  two  or  three  brushes  with  the 
Coast  Guard.  Then  she  traded  for  a 
while  in  the  South  Seas,  only  to  be 
brought  home  to  Balboa  to  be  charter¬ 
ed  occasionally  for  film  work.  Her 
master,  Carl  Guntert,  says  sea  life  isn’t 
the  same  any  more.  “Lottie”  was  re¬ 
rigged  for  her  part  in  the  picture  and 
her  green  hull  was  painted  black. 

While  being  used  in  “Souls  at  Sea” 
the  “Lottie”  carried  a  crew  of  ten,  and 
the  “Finland”  a  crew  of  thirty,  most  of 
them  old  sailing  ship  hands,  who  glar¬ 
ed  disdainfully  at  passing  steamships. 
With  nearly  every  other  commercial 
vessel  on  the  Pacific  Coast  tied  up  by 
the  walkout  of  the  ship  workers,  the 
“Star  of  Finland”  and  the  “Lottie  Car- 
son”  were  sailed  out  beyond  Catalina 
Island  from  Los  Angeles  harbor  by  full 
crews  of  union  men  and  marine  loca¬ 
tion  scenes  of  the  picture  taken  with¬ 
out  any  trouble. 

The  “Finland”  is  to  be  kept  as  a  sou¬ 
venir  by  her  proud  owners  on  her  com¬ 
pletion  of  this  picture.  It  costs  money 
to  take  a  ship  like  her  out  to  sea;  but 
the  studio  is  giving  her  owners  a  film 


April,  1-137 


kV-'iiON  Picture  Studio  Iinsidep 


53 


reel  showing  he’  -ailing  be*c.e  the 
wind,  so  that  they  will  have  a  graphic, 
lasting  recaid  of  how  she  looked  under 
canvas  before  the  unavengable  i.isult 
of  steam. 

It  isn’t  difficult  to  believe  that  a  gal¬ 
lant  ship  with  a  lifetime  of  memories 
can  give  a  seaworthy  cinematic  per¬ 
formance  in  her  last  appearance,  be¬ 
fore  she  sleeps  in  harbor  forever.  It 
isn’t  even  hard  to  believe  that  both  of 
these  ships,  the  “Lottie”  and  the  “Fin¬ 
land,”  each  with  newly  scrubbed  decks, 
creaking  sails  and  well  polished  metal, 
rose  and  fell  to  the  rhythm  of  the  sea 
in  a  new  pleasure  at  their  briefly  reviv¬ 
ed  lives.  There  is  a  thrill  to  lifting 
decks  and  swaying  canvas  that  no  other 
method  of  sea  travel  can  equal.  The 
actors  on  board  the  two  ships  felt  the 
surge  of  adventure  as  much  as  the  ships 
felt  renewed  thrills  in  the  foaming 
ocean. 

One  ship’s  carpenter  who  had  turned 
studio  carpenter  spoke  feelingly  of  that, 
trip  out  from  the  harbor: 

“There’s  no  sentiment  like  the  senti¬ 
ment  you  feel  for  the  sea.” 

We  looked  at  the  studio  tank  and 
the  sinking  ship  half  submerged  in 
twenty  feet  of  concrete  prisoned  water. 

“No,”  we  agreed,  dreamily,  “the 
ocean  casts  a  spell.” 

Our  reverie  was  broken  rudely. 

“Did  you  know  that  when  we  had  the 
indoor  cabin  scene  and  a  storm  was 
supposed  to  be  in  progress,  everyone 
got  sick?” 

It  was  George  Raft,  breaking  into  our 
little  journey  on  tall  ships  with  tall 
sails.  We  were  quite  disgusted.  Imag¬ 
ine.  talking  about  cabin  sets  when  we’re 
miles  out  in  the  blue,  headed  for  sunny 
islands.  We  caught  the  Raft  eye  for  a 
moment,  and  saw  an  unmistakable 
twinkle.  So  we  grinned  rather  shame¬ 
facedly  and  traveled  back  to  Hollywood 
— to  Paramount  studios — to  George 
Raft  on  our  left  and  Gary  Cooper  on 
our  right;  to  Henry  Hathaway  in  front 
of  us,  directing  men  on  an  overhead 
boom  who  were  adjusting  the  camera 
for  a  bird’s  eye  “take”;  to  a  ship  sink¬ 
ing  in  a  tank  full  of  water,  and  to  the 
realization  that  the  Pacific  Ocean  was 
twenty-five  miles  away.  Oh  well. 

“We’d  like  to  take  a  long  ocean  voy¬ 
age,”  we  murmured  to  Gary. 

“So  would  I.  South  America.”  He 
grinned,  huddling  in  his  blanket.  It 
was  still  icy  on  the  sound  stage. 

George  Raft  sipped  a  Coca-cola  and 
grinned  back.  His  mind  was  dancing 
in  a  night-club,  not  sailing  a  lonely  sea. 

So  we  left  the  souls  at  sea  and  the 
sinking  ship,  which  was  about  to  go 
down  for  the  seventh  time.  It  was  a 
very  wet  ship,  by  this  time,  peopled  b) 
a  very  wet  and  shivering  crew. 


f 


PHILHARMONIC  AUDITORIUM 


5th  and  Olive 

L.  E.  Behymer  presents 


LOTTE  LEHMANN 

Dramatic  Soprano 

TUES.  EVE.,  MAR.  30 

55c,  85c,  #1.10,  #1.65,  #2.20, 
#2.75,  #3.30,  inc.  tax. 


Lehmann 


TED  SHAWN  AND  HIS  MALE  DANCERS 

Two  New  Programs 
SAT.  MAT.  &  EVE.,  APR.  3 
Mat.  55c  to  #2.20;  Eve.  55c  to  #2.75,  inc.  tax. 


TIBBETT 

TUES.  EVE. 
APR.  13 


T  ibhett 


MARTINI 

TUES.  EVE. 
APR.  27 


Either  Concert,  55c  to  #3.30,  inc.  tax 


M  a  rtini 


PHILADELPHIA  SYMPHONY 
ORCHESTRA 

JOSE  ITU  RBI,  Conductor 

(Shrine  Auditorium) 

FRI.  EVE.,  APR.  30;  SAT.  EVE.,  MAY  1 
50c,  75c,  #1,  #1.50,  #2,  #2.50,  #3.  No  tax. 


Iturbi 


// 


WEST  Boxoffice,  MU.  1983;  So.  California  Music  Co., 

73  7  S.  Hill,  TU.  1144;  The  Music  Shop, 

6634  Hollywood  Blvd.,  GL.  1012. 

REMEMBER  THESE  DATES 


// 


54 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April,  1937 


THE  REAL  GLORIA  STUART 

( Continued  from  page  17) 


She  was  a  tow-headed  little  girl  then 
who  would  always  “take  a  dare.” 

After  I  returned  from  New  York  to 
continue  my  schooling  in  Santa  Monica 
High  School,  Gloria  and  I  met  again 
and  went  on  from  where  we  had  left 
off,  only  this  time  we  were  on  High 
School  dance  committees  in  unison.  It 
was  Gloria  who  took  the  lead  in  the 
High  School  plays  and  I  who  wrote 
the  glowing  accounts  of  her  perform¬ 
ance  in  the  school  paper.  It  is  strange 
that  we  did  not  see  what  the  future  held 
for  her  then.  I  graduated  and  we  saw 
no  more  of  each  other  until,  under  the 
bright  lights  of  a  sound  stage,  I  was  in¬ 
troduced  to  Miss  Stuart  and  wondered 
if  she  would  remember  an  old  school 
friend.  You  know  how  people  change 
after  a  few  years?  It  was  with  some 
idea  of  saying  nothing  of  our  adolescent 
days  that  I  met  Gloria.  If  she  remem¬ 
bered.  it  would  be  nice;  if  not — then  it 
would  be  “just  another  interview.” 

At  first  we  talked  of  other  things, 
but  in  the  clear  light  of  her  dressing 
room  she  looked  at  me  closely. 

“Aren't  you  a  girl  I  used  to  know?” 
she  asked,  in  surprise.  “Didn’t  your 
name  use  to  be  Pauline  Jenking?” 

“Yes,”  we  replied,  happy  to  meet  a 
star  who  was  glad  to  meet  an  old 
friend.  “And  you’re  Gloria  Finch.” 

After  that  we  gossiped  happily  about 
our  friends.  Conversationally  we  were 
constantly  interrupting  each  other:  “Do 
you  remember  the  night  the  peach  tree 
in  the  ‘Mikado’  fell  down? — Whatever 
became  of  Edna  Bader — Remember  the 
marvelous  apple  sauce  in  the  school 
cafeteria? — Remember  being  caught 
smoking  a  cigarette  on  the  school 
grounds  ?  — Remember  ? — Remember  ?  ” 

It  was  grand  fun,  it  was  a  feminine 
tea-party;  but — and  I  suddenly  came 
to  my  senses — it  wasn’t  an  interview! 

“Gloria,”  I  cried,  “I  have  to  get  a 
story  from  you,  you  know.  I’m  here 
to  interview  you!” 

It  seemed  too  funny  for  a  moment. 

“Let’s  begin,  then,”  she  said,  “what 
do  you  want  to  know?” 

I  opened  my  mouth  and  then  closed 
it  as  the  director  called  in  through  the 
door. 

“Miss  Stuart  on  the  set,  please.” 

She  shrugged  at  me  despairingly  and 
went  out. 

For  a  half  hour  I  listened  to  the 
screams  of  the  drowning  and  the  curt 
directions  of  the  men  behind  the  cam¬ 
era.  Gloria’s  voice  came  to  me,  muffled 
by  the  walls  of  the  dressing  room,  call¬ 
ing  out  to  a  woman  who.  according  to 
the  script,  jumped  from  the  rail  of  the 
ship.  “Stop  her!  Stop  her!”  called 
Gloria.  Then  a  lovely  scream.  The 


maid  hurried  in,  took  up  a  package  of 
cough  drops  and  hurried  out  again,  bent 
on  relieving  Gloria’s  throat.  The 
shouting,  scuffling  and  bellowing  of 
several  hundred  people  was  very  sooth¬ 
ing  and  I  was  about  to  doze  comfort¬ 
ably,  when  Gloria  came  in,  laughing 
and  shaking  her  head. 

“I  think  I’ve  struggled  to  get  out  of 
that  lifeboat  at  least  a  hundred  times,” 
she  said,  sitting  down  with  a  sigh,  “but 
I  do  think  they’ve  got  the  scene  finally 
finished.” 

We  were  off  again  on  the  “do  you 
remembers.”  Gloria  is  not  a  person 
who  forgets  friends,  as  I  realized  when 
she  mentioned  people  she  saw  fre¬ 
quently  whom  I  knew  in  Santa  Monica. 
She’s  a  very  real  personality  and  truly 
sincere. 

“I  want  to  do  a  picture  in  England,” 
she  said.  “They  have  made  me  some 
nice  offers,  but  I  don’t  want  to  go  un¬ 
less  my  husband,  Arthur  Sheekman,  can 
go  with  me.  You  know,  I  have  a  baby 
less  than  a  year  old,  and  she  keeps  me 
at  home.” 

We  launched  into  some  more  feminine 
conversation  and  then  another  call 
came  for  close-ups.  Time  had  flown 
and  it  was  five-thirty,  so  we  said  good¬ 
bye,  after  planning  to  meet  for  lun¬ 
cheon. 

“But  Gloria,”  I  called,  remembering 
that  I  had  not  yet  interviewed  her  as 
I  should. 

Gloria  was  making  a  close-up  and  1 
left  the  set,  feeling  warm  and  cold  at 
the  same  time;  warm,  because  I  had 
found  again  a  good  friend:  cold,  be¬ 
cause  I  had  no  story. 

You  see,  I  never  did  get  a  proper 
interview,  after  all! 


PRESENTING 
FERNAND  GRAVET 

( Continued,  from  page  23) 

ticularly  those  of  historic  military  in¬ 
terest.  This  carried  him  so  far  afield 
that  today  he  has  more  than  five  hun¬ 
dred  military  chapeaux  of  French  cam¬ 
paigns  alone,  faithfully  reproduced  in 
miniature.  Uniforms  have  come  in  for 
the  same  intense  scrutiny,  so  that  today 
in  that  particular  sphere  he  has  come 
to  be  recognized  as  an  authority  by  the 
French  Museum  of  History. 

But  all  the  above,  he  believes,  is  on¬ 
ly  adequate  preparation  for  a  cinema 
career.  Because  questions  of  technique 
of  design  arise  in  all  pictures,  and  it 
behooves  the  thorough  actor  to  be  ful¬ 
ly  familiar  with  all  details. 

That  thoroughness  is  characteristic 
of  the  man.  Having  worked  in  so  many 
countries  under  such  varying  condi¬ 


tions,  it  is  only  natural  that  he  is  also 
a  close  student  of  world  politics  and 
particularly  of  European-American  re¬ 
lations. 

That  facet  of  his  personality  can  per¬ 
haps  best  be  explained  by  quoting  what 
he  said  on  his  first  arrival  in  Holly 
wood:  “Europeans  too  frequently  fail 
to  understand  American  democracy, 
because  they  have  a  feeling  that  true 
democracy  comes  only  when  poverty 
compels  large  groups  to  band  together 
as  a  family  for  self-preservation.  They 
cannot  understand  a  democracy  such  as 
this,  built  on  competition  and  desire  for 
mutual  success.” 

This  internationalist  then  perhaps 
can  assist  in  these  troublous  times  in 
explaining  the  various  nations  to  each 
other,  and  by  means  of  his  art,  which 
is  universally  recognized,  interpret  them 
to  each  other. 

After  his  first  American  experience, 
which  endured  for  only  that  one  pic¬ 
ture,  he  returned  immediately  to  Eu¬ 
rope,  and  already,  perhaps,  he  is  ex¬ 
plaining  “the  American  Way”  where 
it  will  do  the  most  good. 

He  had  to  go  back  to  Europe  to  ful¬ 
fill  previous  motion  picture  commit¬ 
ments,  but  as  soon  as  they  have  been 
finished  he  will  return  to  America  to 
act  again  under  the  LeRoy  banner. 

In  his  next  vehicle  he  will  be  co- 
starred  with  Ethel  Merman,  in  a  mus¬ 
ical  as  yet  untitled. 

Still  in  his  early  thirties,  Mr.  Gravet 
feels  that  he  has  just  embarked  upon 
his  career,  but  if  “The  King  and  The 
Chorus  Girl”  can  be  used  as  a  criterion, 
that  career  bids  fair  to  become  increas¬ 
ingly  brilliant  through  the  years  to 
come.  Congratulations  are  also  due 
Mr.  LeRoy  for  bringing  such  a  scintil¬ 
lating  personality  to  the  American 
screen. 


MILESTONES  IN  THE  MARCH 
OF  MAKEUP 

( Continued  from  page  42) 

with  that  abundant  vitality  that  is  nat¬ 
ural  at  twenty. 

The  moist  rouge  will  merge  into  the 
powder  base  if  it  is  properly  applied, 
so  that  when  the  face  is  powdered  and 
the  dry  rouge  lightly  dusted  on  there 
will  be  no  harsh  line  of  demarcation 
to  proclaim  the  artificial  coloring. 

This  is  also  the  time  to  start  using 
skin  and  tissue  cream  consistently,  at 
least  every  other  night.  The  natural 
oils  that  start  drying  up  at  thirty  must 
be  replaced,  because  a  well-groomed 
skin  will  be  even  more  important  ten 
years  later.  The  same  systematic 
cleansing  is  necessary,  and  if  the  skin 
is  the  dry  type,  skin  freshener  should 
follow  the  washing.  If  it  is  oily  then 


Apr:J,  1937 


55 


an  astringent  should  be  us°d  tc  guard 
against  large  pores. 

And  who  are  the  fashionable  forties? 
Irene  Rich  and  Wallis  Simpson  are  two 
who  admit  that  they  are  forty  as  well 
as  fashionable.  There  are  scores  of 
others,  and  whether  or  not  they  admit 
their  age,  there  is  no  doubt  that  forty 
holds  a  charm  all  its  own. 

The  woman  who  has  carefully  guard¬ 
ed  her  natural  beauty  from  twenty  to 
forty,  who  has  discriminating  taste  in 
dress  and  coiffure,  with  a  rich  back¬ 
ground  and  the  poise  that  comes  only 
from  experience,  is  reallv  in  the  prime 
of  life. 

Forty  is  the  time  to  change  the  color 
harmony  in  cosmetics,  if  one  hasn’t  al¬ 
ready  done  so  in  the  last  two  or  three 
years.  The  skin  naturally  becomes  a 
little  darker,  usually  beginning  at  about 
thirty-five,  and  as  a  rule  the  hair  is 
becoming  gray.  If  she  has  not  the 
keen  instinct  required,  plus  the  artist  s 
eye,  to  choose  the  proper  shade  for  her 
cosmetics  then  she  should  seek  expert 
advice.  She  must  take  better  care  of 
her  skin  than  ever  before. 

At  fifty  beauty  is  exquisite  and  dig¬ 
nified,  else  it  is  not  beauty  at  all.  Fiftv 
is  formal,  and  to  attempt  to  look  thirty 
is  not  only  attempting  the  impossible, 
but  utterly  ruinous  to  the  delicate 
beauty  that  belongs  to  the  age. 

Cosmetics  are  still  important,  but 
they  must  be  used  discreetly,  and  all 
thought  of  the  flaming  glamour  of 
thirty  should  be  put  aside.  The  woman 
who  has  attained  what  Browning  called 
“The  last  of  life,  for  which  the  first 
was  made”  may  keep  this  exquisite  ap¬ 
pearance  for  the  remainder  of  her  life 
if  she  is  conscientious  in  the  care  of 
her  skin  and  hair,  and  careful  in  her 
selection  of  cosmetics  and  clothes. 


THE  IMPORTANCE  OF 
PROPER  CASTING 

( Continued  from  page  28) 

going  to  click.  Take  for  example  the 
two  pixilated  ladies  in  ‘Mr.  Deeds 
Goes  to  Town’.  One  has  to  admit  that 
their  little  bit  added  immensely  to  the 
success  of  the  comedy  and  yet  they 
were  on  for  only  a  bit.  We  can  mul¬ 
tiply  that  instance  by  thousands  to 
prove  what  I  mean,  when  I  say  that 
quite  often  a  bit  player’s  work  is  as 
important  in  a  well  rounded  picture  as 
is  that  of  the  star.  A  janitor,  a  butler, 
a  messenger  boy,  a  waitress,  might  be 
just  the  one  to  provide  that  comic  or 
dramatic  touch  necessary,  and  that’s 
where  we  have  our  troubles. 

“Let  me  say  right  now.  however,  that 
the  casting  director  is  not  the  one  who 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 

has  the  whole  job.  It  is  hi:  assistant, 
and  I  sin  uld  know,  because  I  have  only 
been  a  casting  director  this  last  year 
and  a  half.  Prior  to  that  I  was  an 
assistant,  and  he  is  the  one  who  does 
much  of  the  work,  because  these  minor 
characters  are  his  job  to  provide  and 
often  he  has  to  interview  hundreds  be¬ 
fore  he  can  satisfy  the  producer,  the 
director  and  myself.  So  give  the  as¬ 
sistant  casting  director  plenty  of  credit. 
I  feel  he  is  one  of  the  unsung  heroes 
of  the  motion  picture  business. 

“Special  pictures  propound  special 
problems.  Take  ‘Lost  Horizon’  for 
instance.  We  had  to  provide  hundreds 
of  Tibetans,  without  a  one  under  con¬ 
tract.  It  is  common  knowledge  that  after 
months  of  work,  we  discovered  that  a 
certain  tribe  of  American  Indians  out- 
Tibeted  the  Tibetans,  which  solved  that 
problem  for  us.  At  other  times  we  are 
limited  by  our  budget.  The  ideal  char¬ 
acter  for  a  role  is  perhaps  too  expen¬ 
sive  for  that  part,  so  then  we  have  to 
take  what  we  can  get,  rather  than  what 
we  would  like  to  have,  but  most  of  the 
time  among  the  thousands  of  actors  and 
bit  players  that  we  have  listed,  we 
usually  find  the  proper  one  for  the 
role.” 


A  FILM  EDITOR'S  TECHNIQUE 

( Continued  from  page  36) 

spouse,  which  might  be  more  dramatic 
than  his  actions,  in  putting  over  what 
we  are  after.  Of  course  his  voice  can 
carry  on  the  sound  track  even  when 
there  is  no  picture  of  him  on  the  film, 
speaking.  The  above  is  also  a  good  ex¬ 
ample  of  reaction  to  dramatic  effect,  in 
that  we  may  cut  to  a  shot  of  the  pris¬ 
oner  at  the  bar,  a  key  witness  or  to 
interested  spectators  in  the  audience. 
What  I  have  mentioned  above  of  course 
are  so  closely  interwoven  with  each 
other  that  quite  often  one  cut  or  one 
bit  of  editing  might  suffice  for  all  three. 

“How  we  cut  for  comedy  is  again 
obvious.  We  try  to  allow  time  for  the 
audience  to  react,  to  laugh,  and  the 
more  ludicrous  or  funny  the  situation, 
the  longer  time  we  try  to  allow  with¬ 
out  letting  the  film  drag.  We  use  our 
own  judgment  in  the  early  editing,  but 
are  guided  to  a  marked  degree  by  the 
reaction  of  preview  audiences  to  the 
film  when  it  is  completed.  So  much  for 
the  general  theory  by  which  we  work. 

“As  for  the  technique  of  actual  op¬ 
eration,  every  day  while  the  picture  is 
being  shot,  the  cutting  room  gets  the 
amount  of  film  shot  that  day.  These 
we  call  ‘dailies’  or  ‘rushes’.  These  we 
edit,  keeping  pace  with  production  so 
that  they  can  be  played  back  daily  for 
the  producer,  the  director  and  others 
who  are  working  on  the  feature.  Thus 


we  constantly  eliminate  scenes  of  no 
value. 

“We  use  a  machine  known  as  the 
moviola  to  play  the  film  and  the 
sound  track  for  the  actual  physical  op¬ 
eration  of  cutting.  The  sound  track 
and  film  are  run  in  synchrony,  so  that 
the  cutter,  watching  the  film  in  his 
small  screen  on  the  moviola  also  hears 
the  sounds  from  the  loud  speaker.  The 
moviolas  have  reversible  motors  so  that 
a  film;  can  be  run  either  forwards  or 
backwards,  time  after  time,  until  the 
cutter  reaches  the  exact  spot  where  he 
wishes  to  make  a  break. 

“Every  foot  of  the  film  is  numbered 
with  a  corresponding  number  on  the 
sound  track,  thus  both  can  be  cut  to 
the  fraction  of  an  inch.  The  precision 
necessary  can  be  understood  from  the 
fact  that  it  takes  a  foot  of  film  to  utter 
a  single  syllable,  approximately,  de¬ 
pending  of  course  on  the  rapidity  of 
speech  employed,  and  it  takes  both  ex¬ 
perience  and  a  high  degree  of  tech¬ 
nical  knowledge  to  perform  this  op¬ 
eration. 

“When  the  film  is  cut,  it  has  to  be 
respliced  to  join  the  two  selected  ends 
together.  For  that  a  film  splicing  ma¬ 
chine  is  used  that  shaves  the  end  of 
each  portion  to  be  spliced  to  one-half 
its  thickness,  then  tbe  two  are  glued 
together,  and  the  completed  splice  is  no 
thicker  than  any  of  the  rest  of  the  film. 

“The  ‘dailies’  are  cut  and  assembled 
for  continuity  as  fast  as  completed  epi¬ 
sodes  come  in,  so  that  each  day  as 
scenes  are  shot,  they  can  be  played 
back  for  those  working  on  the  picture. 
When  all  action  is  finally  recorded,  the 
whole  picture  is  then  assembled  for  con¬ 
tinuity. 

“After  it  is  thus  completed,  it  is  pre¬ 
viewed  by  its  various  executives.  They 
then  make  such  final  editing  as  is  mu¬ 
tually  decided  upon,  after  which  the 
film  is  released  for  previews.  Depend¬ 
ing  on  audience  reaction,  changes  are 
made,  scenes  are  cut,  new  scenes  are 
shot,  and  the  picture  again  assembled 
for  its  final  release.” 

During  all  the  time  that  Mr.  McCord 
was  giving  us  this  information,  he  took 
us  from  place  to  place  in  his  depart¬ 
ment,  explained  in  detail  the  operation 
of  the  various  machines  and  outlined 
the  procedure.  About  eighty  people  are 
employed  in  the  department.  These  in¬ 
clude  eighteen  film  editors  and  their 
assistants,  fifteen  film  projection  ma¬ 
chine  operators,  and  a  staff  of  eight 
people  in  the  film  library.  These  latter 
have  charge  of  literally  millions  of  feet 
of  film — “stock  shots”  of  every  va¬ 
riety,  which  are  saved  for  use  in  fu¬ 
ture  productions. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  that  there 
was  no  fabled  “face  on  the  cutting 


56 

room  floor”.  On  the  contrary,  the 
greatest  care  is  taken  ot  even  the  least 
valuable  bit  of  film.  Steel  cans  are 
used  as  receptacles  for  waste,  this  of 
course  to  eliminate  danger  of  fire,  films 
being  highly  combustible. 

Back  in  his  office,  Mr.  McCord  remi¬ 
nisced  about  personalities  he  had  seen 
come  and  go  on  the  moviola  screen. 
Great  names  of  yesterday  are  today  lost 
in  the  limbo  of  an  unyielding  past,  and 
extras  and  bit  players  of  yesterday  are 
today  headline  stars. 

Which  brought  us  to  another  phase 
of  cutting. 

“Quite  often,”  Mr.  McCord  related, 
“we  cut  a  picture  for  ‘star  value’.  Big 
stars  naturally  have  box  office,  and  even 
the  most  excellent  work  of  a  bit  player 


hair  in  place  of  a  hat  developed  right 
in  the  film  city.  In  “Swing  High  Swing 
Low,”  Carole  Lombard’s  new  picture, 
you  see  her  enter  a  restaurant  and  take 
off  her  hat  before  she  starts  her  lunch¬ 
eon.  It  is  done  quite  naturally,  and 
since  the  gesture  is  a  comfortable  one 
as  well  as  sensible,  it  has  been  happily 
adopted  by  women  who  believe  in  “be¬ 
ing  themselves,”  of  whom  Carole  Lom¬ 
bard  and  Gladys  Swarthout  are  typi¬ 
cal  examples.” 

Travis  Banton  believes  that  Holly¬ 
wood  does  set  styles,  but  not  exclusive¬ 
ly  so.  When  color  pictures  become 
generally  used,  though,  he  predicts 
some  style  changes  on  the  screen  as 
well  as  in  the  costumes  of  women  who 
follow  picture  styles. 

“Hollywood  will  meet  any  sudden 
demand  for  exotic  color  in  film  ward¬ 
robes,”  he  said.  “Although  I  have  al¬ 
ways  used  colors  that  I  considered 
most  becoming  to  the  star  I  am  creat¬ 
ing  for,  I  will  certainly  abandon  as 
many  colored  costumes  as  possible  in 
any  Technicolor  film.  Blacks,  whites, 
greys  and  dull  tones  of  certain  colors 
will  predominate.  Vivid  colors  will  be 
few  and  far  between  in  any  screen 
wardrobe  I  have  anything  to  do  with.” 

He  had  good  reason  for  this  startling 
statement. 

“You  see,”  Mr.  Banton  explained, 
“when  you  stop  to  think  about  it — 
the  colors  in  settings,  the  natural  col¬ 
oring  of  the  players  and  the  greens, 
blues  and  browns  of  the  out-of-doors 
will  be  sufficient  taxation  on  the  eye¬ 
sight  of  an  audience.  If  we  try  to 
dress  feminine  stars  in  a  kaleidoscopic 
range  of  colors  it  will  surely  be  dis¬ 
tressing  to  an  audience  and  it  will 
without  doubt  confuse  that  audience  to 
the  point  where  there  will  be  too  much 
to  look  at  all  at  once  with  the  result 


Motion  Picture  Studio  I'.sid-.:, 

can’t  be  allowed  in  the  film  to  'steel 
the  she  w\  If,  after  previewing  ihe  pic¬ 
ture,  a  leading  star  should  complain 
about  not  being  given  proper  treat¬ 
ment  in  the  cutting,  or  about  someone 
else  being  allowed  too  much  space,  re¬ 
visions  of  course  have  to  be  made,  de¬ 
pending  always  upon  how  important 
the  individual  is.  Thus  you  see  that 
occasionally  excellent  work  is  discarded 
entirely  and  actors  may  work  through 
an  entire  picture  but  never  see  them¬ 
selves  on  the  screen  in  the  completed 
feature.” 

Which  to  us  explained  El  Brendel’s 
remark  that  he  “had  been  the  face  on 
the  cutting  room  floor  so  often  that  he 
was  getting  fan  mail  from  studio  jani¬ 
tors.” 


a  jumble  of  discord  rather  than  har¬ 
mony.  And  harmony  is  needed  in  a 
picture  between  the  wardrobe  and  the 
story  as  much  as  between  the  star  and 
the  director.  I  intend  to  tone  down  the 
coloring  of  my  costumes  so  that  there 
wi  11  I  ie  a  minimum  of  color.  In  this 
way  I  hope  to  avoid  any  “colored  post¬ 
card  effects.” 

Travis  Banton  speaks  emphatically 
and  with  a  wide  knowledge  of  his  sub¬ 
ject. 

In  adapting  costumes  for  every-day 
wear  Mr.  Banton  likes  to  keep  to  the 
influence  of  modern  things.  The  Eng¬ 
lish  Coronation,  for  instance.  The 
events  of  a  busy  modern  life  form  the 
best  basis  for  costume,  rather  than  the 
styles  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  years  ago. 
When  adaptations  come  from  period 
costumes,  then  they  often  become  the 
Hollywood  “fads”  that  Mr.  Banton  de¬ 
plores. 

“When  it  comes  to  designing  for  the 
screen,  though,”  Mr.  Banton  declared, 
“I  naturally  do  a  great  deal  of  research 
and  adapt  directly  from  ancient  clothes. 
Illustrations  by  Cruikshank  and  “Phiz” 
in  the  books  of  Charles  Dickens  in¬ 
spired  many  of  the  costumes  in  “Souls 
at  Sea.”  A  suit  of  David  Copperfield’s, 
for  instance,  served  as  a  model  for  one 
Gary  Cooper  wears  in  the  picture. 
Drawings  of  Little  Em’ly  in  the  same 
book  provided  the  design  for  little  Vir¬ 
ginia  Weidler’s  costume,  and  the 
clothes  Tully  Marshall  wears  as  Henry 
Wilcoxon’s  crafty  partner  were  fash¬ 
ioned  after  those  of  old  Scrooge  him¬ 
self. 

The  graceful  Victorian  costumes  of 
Frances  Dee,  Olympe  Bradna  and  Cecil 
Cunningham  were  original  creations  by 
myself  and  were  inspired  by  old  cam¬ 
eos,  prints,  and  portraits.  I  shall  cer¬ 


4pril,  1937 

tainly  adapt  one  or  two  of  France: 
D'^e  s  costume^  n  this  picture  for 
ern  wear  since  the  Victorian  era  fur 
nished  such  graceful  lines  in  feminine 
clothes.  One  costume,  for  evening,  is 
of  white  satin,  cut  low  in  period  fash¬ 
ion  and  garlanded  with  white  satin  gar¬ 
denias.  There  is  no  question  but  that 
this  costume  could  be  worn  today  on 
any  dance  floor  and  would  attract  only 
the  most  admiring  glances.  It  deserves 
to  be  revived,  though  I  saw  it,  first,  on 
a  faded  miniature,  and  from  that  source 
drew  my  inspiration.” 

We  asked  about  modern  business 
dress.  The  sort  of  thing  the  busy 
young  worker  wears  in  the  city.  What 
about  the  clothes  for  girls  like  this? 

Mr.  Banton  had  a  ready  answer. 
“Simple  clothes,  well-cut  and  a  bit 
streamlined  for  the  speed  of  today’s 
business  are  suited  to  the  girl  in  the 
city.  They  should  be  fashioned  for 
quick  donning,  and  there  is  nearly  al¬ 
ways  a  place  for  the  zipper,  in  my 
opinion.” 

We  asked  about  them.  “Don’t  you 
think  they  are  rather  ugly?  Can  a 
zipper  adorn  a  costume  in  any  way?” 

“Simple,”  laughed  Mr.  Banton.  “On 
a  dress  for  Carole  Lombard  in  “Swing 
High  Swing  Low”  the  zipper  is  used 
as  the  only  highlight  on  the  dress, 
which  is  of  plain  black  wool  in  one- 
piece.  Silver  zippers  are  used  up  the 
front  of  the  dress  and  on  the  pockets 
which  are  set  just  below  the  normal 
waistline.  Placques  o  f  silver  with  cut¬ 
out  monograms  attached  to  the  talon  on 
each  zipper  and  there  is  no  other  trim¬ 
ming.  It’s  simple,  smart,  and  easy  to 
put  on  and  take  off.  My  contribution 
to  the  speed  of  modern  living.  I  hope 
business  girls  will  like  it  and  can  adapt 
it  to  their  needs.” 

All  Mr.  Banton’s  costumes  have  the 
quality  of  practicability  to  recommend 
them.  For  “Champagne  Waltz”  he  has 
designed  a  bouffant  waltz  dress  of  sheer 
organdie,  his  favorite  material  for  eve¬ 
ning  wear,  and  trimmed  it  with  gar¬ 
lands  of  daisies  around  the  low  neck 
and  the  hem.  The  trick  is,  it  can  be 
made  quite  easily  by  any  clever  young 
seamstress,  and  the  trimming  changed 
a  hundred  ways,  using  the  basic  dress 
as  the  background.  It  is  easy  to  see 
why  women  go  to  pictures  which  por¬ 
tray  costumes  designed  by  Mr.  Banton 
expressly  to  “get  ideas”  for  their  own 
wardrobes.  It  is  typical  of  Mr.  Ban- 
ton’s  practicability  of  vision  that  he 
sincerely  hopes  that  girls  everywhere 
will  derive  benefit  and  truly  get  in¬ 
spiration  from  his  designs. 

So — though  Mr.  Banton  refuses  to 
commit  himself,  we  would  like  to  say 
that  Hollywood  does  set  the  style,  and 
one  of  the  chief  “setters”  is  Travis 
Banton  of  Paramount  studios. 


DOES  HOLLYWOOD  SET  THE  STYLES? 

(Continued  from  page  46) 


April  IV 3 7 


decided  it  was  tune  to  see  what  Robert 
Taylor  could  do,  and  the  avalanche  of 
fan  mail  that  descended  upon  the  studio 
after  the  showing  of  “Society  Doctor,” 
all  addressed  to  Mr.  Taylor,  was  real¬ 
ly  not  such  a  surprise  to  the  canny 
Louis  B.  Mayer  as  would  he  imagined. 
He,  in  fact,  expected  it. 

Then  followed  “Magnificant  Ob¬ 
session,”  which  added  more  thousands 
to  his  fan  letters,  and  in  rapid  success¬ 
ion  “Small  Town  Girl,”  “Private  Num¬ 
ber,”  and  “The  Gorgeous  Hussy.” 

It  was  Robert  Taylor  himself  who 
did  not  expect  such  an  ovation.  There 
was  no  stopping  the  acclaim  or  the  ap¬ 
plause  of  the  fans.  They  wanted  to  see 
more  of  this  young  man — and  said  so, 
emphatically.  From  that  time  until 
th  is,  the  studio  has  been  unable  to 
produce  enough  Robert  Taylor  pic¬ 
tures.  If  he  were  only  quintuplets,  it 
would  be  practically  perfect.  “Broad¬ 
way  Melody  of  1936”  put  him  up 
among  the  stars,  and  leading  ladies  be¬ 
gan  demanding  him  as  their  leading 
man.  Barbara  Stanwyck,  Loretta  Young, 
Joan  Crawford,  and  Janet  Gaynor  be¬ 
came  in  turn  the  cinema  sweethearts  of 
Taylor.  They  even  argued,  quite  po¬ 
litely,  of  course,  about  who  was  to  get 
him.  Then,  for  his  sake.  Garbo  came 
out  of  her  sphinx-like  silence  and  put 
in  her  demand.  She  got  him,  of  course, 
and  “Camille”  was  the  result,  with  Tay¬ 
lor  playing  the  same  role  as  before, 
when  he  had  acted  Arrnand  in  an  ama¬ 
teur  production. 

It  wasn’t  easy  for  a  young  man  to 
keep  his  head  steady  when  half  the 
beautiful  sirens  of  the  screen  were  de¬ 
manding  him  as  their  acting  partners. 
When  Garbo  herself  asked  for  him, 
Robert  Taylor  felt  rather  overcome.  It 
was  just  too  much,  he  thought.  Too 
much  publicity — to  much  popularity, 
too  much  money — all  at  once.  For¬ 
tunately,  the  Louis  B.  Mayer  who  had 
first  counseled  the  young  Taylor  now 
helped  out  again.  The  friendship  of 
the  studio  executive  and  the  newly-ris¬ 
en  star  ripened,  and  Robert  Taylor,  his 
head  firmly  set  on  his  shoulders,  weath¬ 
ered  the  storm  of  sudden,  amazing 
popularity  with  equable  calm  and  a 
saving  sense  of  humour  that  has  al¬ 
ways  helped  him  over  the  had  places. 

On  the  set,  although  the  studio  pub¬ 
licity  attempted  to  bring  out  the  fact 
that  Robert  Taylor  and  Garbo  were 
smitten  with  love  for  one  another,  the 
true  facts  were  otherwise.  In  the  first 
place — Robert  Taylor  was  a  little  afraid 
of  the  Star  of  Sweden.  He  had  been  a 
screen  fan  such  a  short  time  ago — had 
watched  Garbo  in  films  and  admired 


Av/'i'fOH  I  ICTUUE  SiUDIO  INSIDER 


her  from  afar.  Now  he  was  suddenly 
placed  in  the  role  of  Arrnand — her  ar¬ 
dent  lover.  And  he  didn’t  know  her 
at  all! 

They  were  introduced  on  the  set  and 
Robert  Taylor  called  his  leading  lady, 
quite  respectfully:  “Miss  Garbo.” 

It  wasn’t  easy  at  first  to  bring  to  his 
role  the  warmth  and  spirit  it  deserved. 
How  can  a  man  act  as  though  he  adores 
someone  when  actually  he  only  admir¬ 
es  and  respects  her?  How  break  down 
the  wall  of  reserve  which  is  Garbo’s 
natural  psychological  cloak  and  attain 
the  feeling  of  intimacy  that  the  role 
requires? 

There  was  a  bitter  struggle  until, 
suddenly,  “Miss  Garbo,”  sensed  what 
was  wrong.  With  her  usual  sudden 
generosity  she  thawed  to  Mr.  Taylor  and 
talked  with  him,  speaking  as  one  actor 
to  another;  not  as  a  queen  to  an  un¬ 
happy  subject.  It  was  then  that  the 
picture  really  began  to  take  shape,  and 
the  effect  on  Robert  Tavlor’s  acting  can 
easily  be  seen  by  merely  watching  the 
picture,  “Camille.”  In  spite  of  this, 
however,  it  is  Garbo  who  dominates  ev¬ 
ery  scene,  and  Taylor  who  struggles 
with  the  role.  For  the  first  time  since 
“Society  Doctor,”  Robert  Taylor  meets 
his  match.  He  admits  it.  Her  peculiar 
acting  quality  and  genuine  genius  for 
portraying  a  screen  character  forces  al¬ 
most  any  other  actor  with  her  into  the 
background.  Not  because  she  wishes 
it — but  because  she  cannot  help  it. 

Small  wonder,  then,  that  Robert  Tay¬ 
lor  found  himself  keyed  to  the  highest 
pitch  in  order  to  make  good  on  that  pic¬ 
ture.  And  he  did,  indeed,  make  good. 

As  to  his  personal  self,  Robert  Tay¬ 
lor  is  so  undeniably  handsome  as  to 
seem  unbelievable,  at  first.  He  is  six 
feet  tall  and  weighs  165  pounds,  with 
a  physique  that  speaks  of  his  training 
in  boxing,  swimming  and  tennis,  sports 
he  takes  very  seriously  and  enjoys 
hugely. 

His  hair  is  dark  brown  and  grows  to 
a  point  on  his  forehead,  and  his  eyes 
are  a  startling  bright  blue.  If  he  were 
not  a  famous  star  of  the  screen  at  all, 
but  just  a  young  man  on  the  street, 
people  would  turn  to  look  at  him  be¬ 
cause  of  his  amazing  handsomeness. 
Despite  what  his  mirror  tells  him,  he  is 
not  at  all  vain,  and  grins  in  abashed 
wonder  at  the  windrows  of  fan-mail  ad¬ 
dressed  to  him. 

Oddly  enough,  for  so  busy  a  person, 
he  is  an  avid  reader,  a  student  of  psy¬ 
chology  and  of  medicine.  His  book¬ 
shelves  contain  the  newest  and  most 
outstanding  works  dealing  with  those 
subjects.  The  books  are  well-thumbed, 


r  ■* 

kJ  » 

too,  with  pencilled  markings  and  notes, 
proving  that  they  are  actually  read  and 
studied,  not  merely  a  “front”  to  im¬ 
press  the  visitors  to  his  house. 

There’s  a  collie  dog  at  the  Taylor 
homestead  who  is  trained  to  wake  Rob¬ 
ert  every  morning  for  his  seven-thirty 
call  at  the  studio.  The  dog  howls  un¬ 
der  the  Taylor  bedroom  window  and 
effectively  wakens  his  master.  He  also 
wakens  the  entire  household  but  they 
haven’t  the  heart  to  complain  since  the 
dog  and  Robert  Taylor  seem  to  enjoy 
the  performance.  Unfortunately,  the 
collie,  who  is  called  “Sport,”  howls 
faithfully  on  Sundays  and  holidays,  and 
also  on  all  days  when,  as  now,  Taylor 
is  resting  between  pictures.  However, 
the  young  actor  grins  and  bears  it  be¬ 
cause  the  dog  would  never  understand 
if  he  were  sent  away.  A  good  ex¬ 
ample  of  the  quixotic  Taylor  tempera¬ 
ment. 

The  legitimate  theatre  is  the  first  love 
of  Robert  Taylor,  and  some  day  he 
wants  to  join  a  stock  company  on  the 
road,  playing  the  role  of  Captain  Stan¬ 
hope  in  “Journey’s  End,”  which  is  his 
idea  of  a  grand  play. 

He’s  a  regular  fellow,  this  Robert 
Taylor.  A  real  American  and  a  good 
sport.  He  has  earned  his  popularity 
and  undeniably  deserves  it. 

The  future?  “I’ll  leave  that  to  Fate,” 
says  Mr.  Taylor,  wisely. 


THt:  PHENOMENAL  RiSE  Of  ROBERT  TAYLOR 

(Continued  from  page  19) 


WEDDINGS  -  BANQUETS 

Social  Functions 

Large  or  small  parties  are  in¬ 
variably  a  distinct  success 
where  Premiere  assumes  the 
catering  responsibility.  Our  ex¬ 
perience,  service  equipment 
and  personnel  overlook  noth¬ 
ing  to  make  the  host  or  host¬ 
esses  moments  entirely  care¬ 
free. 


Catered  by  Premiere 

OatMe/iA 

M  Banquet  Halls,  Ice  Cream,  Pastry,  Candu 

3906  WILSHIRE  BOULEVARD,  (AT  ST.  ANDREWS  PLACE) 
LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 
DREXEL  3163 


58 


Motion  Pictull  bruDio  J\sii..r 


April,  1937 


CINEMA  LANGUAGE 

( C or tinned  from  page  3i) 


films,  without  publication  or  stage 
dramatization. 

TOP  IT: 

A  comedy  gag  that  follows  and  ex¬ 
cels  a  comedy  scene  just  preceding. 
108: 

A  complete  comedy  fall. 

MUFF: 

Moustache. 

GRASS  MAT: 

Wig  of  any  kind. 

DRAPE: 

Actor’s  costume  or  wardrobe. 
MATCH: 

Any  set  or  actor  that  compare  as 
likenesses.  A  double. 

GOBO: 

Or  NIGGER.  A  black  movable  screen 
to  deflect  light. 

2  K-W: 

2000- watt  bulb. 

EGG: 

Or  BOTTLE.  Any  bulb. 

ORANGE  PEEL: 

Soft  light  to  produce  glow  for  close- 
ups. 

LOOPY: 

Light  used  on  camera  for  direct 
beam. 

SPIDER: 

The  terminal  bars  that  transmit  the 
electricity  from  the  master  circuit. 
CAN: 

The  main  outlet  for  electricity  on  the 
walls  of  the  stage. 

WILD  WALL: 

A  piece  of  scenery  matching  the  set 
which  is  removable. 

LAVENDER: 

The  first  print  of  the  negative.  A 
cutter’s  term. 

BOOM: 

High  steel  girder  for  camera  shots 
from  the  top  of  the  sound  stage.  Also 
the  rod  for  the  microphone. 

MIKE: 

Microphone. 

BON-BON: 

Large  spotlight. 

BAMBINO: 

Baby  spotlight. 

GAFFER: 

Head  electrician  on  set. 


BEST  BOY: 

Assistant  to  gaffer. 

SWING  GANG: 

Furniture  movers  on  set. 

WOOD  BUTCHER: 

Studio  carpenter. 

FLACK: 

Publicity  man. 

OLD  MAN: 

Director. 

JUICER: 

Electrician. 

GRIP: 

Stage  handv-man. 

JUNIOR: 

New  type  spotlight. 

5  K-W: 

5000-kilowatt  spotlights. 

SUN  ARC: 

Lluge  back  light  simulating  daylight. 
RIFLE: 

Soft  spotlight  with  movable  head. 
STRIPS: 

Row'  of  5  overhead  lights  in  bank. 
CELLO: 

Diffuser  of  linen  or  silk  over  light. 
JELLIES: 

Gelatine  diffusers  that  fit  over  lights. 
BARN  DOOR  or  FLIPPER: 

Wings  of  black  metal  that  cut  off 
side  light.  They  fit  on  the  light-head. 
DIVERSION  DOOR: 

Hand  turned  glass  screen  for  light 
diffusion. 

FLORENTINE: 

Cracked  glass  light  diffuser. 

HORSE  BLANKET: 

Japanese  silk  light  diffuser  for  a 
“broad”. 

BROAD: 

Two  1,000-watt  bulbs  on  bank  in  a 
stand  for  flat  lighting. 

RAIN  HAT: 

Tin  hood  the  shape  of  the  light  to 
protect  it  during  storm  or  rain 
scenes. 

WEB  MAN: 

The  special  effects  man  who  spins 
spider  webs  out  of  glue  for  ageing 
set. 

PANCAKE: 

Platform  for  cameraman  on  high 
set-ups. 


BLlMi  • 

Soeno  proof  sil  n  -er  i  camera. 
NOSE  BAG: 

Hood  over  mike  to  obtain  win  f  ef¬ 
fects 

FUNNEL  or  SNOUT: 

Round  metal  deflector  to  centralize 
light. 

TIN: 

Silver  light  concentrator  for  outdoor 
sets. 

GOLD: 

Outdoor  light  concentrator  of  gilded 
tin. 

BUTTERFLY: 

Large  cheesecloth  screen  to  deflect 
direct  ravs  of  light  from  actor’s  faces. 
DOUGHNUTS: 

Circles  of  light  caused  by  faulty 
lighting.  They  reflect  on  the  wall. 
MONTAGE: 

Method  by  which  action  is  indicated 
symbolically  in  the  picture.  Viz:  pic¬ 
turing  train  wheels  turning  and  then 
feet  on  platform  to  indicate  a  jour¬ 
ney,  without  once  showing  the  entire 
train. 

WIPE: 

The  division  which  separates  unre¬ 
lated  scenes  on  the  screen. 
DISSOLVE  WIPE: 

One  scene  melting  into  another  on 
the  screen. 

INTERLOCK: 

Sound  term.  To  space  the  sound¬ 
track  on  the  film  in  conjunction  with 
other  sounds  in  correct  unison. 
ROLL  EM: 

Start  filming.  Director’s  phrase. 
NEW  DEAL: 

To  re-light  a  set  entirely  from  a  new 
angle. 

CANARY: 

A  buzz  or  imperfection  in  the  micro¬ 
phone. 

MIKE  MONKEY: 

The  man  who  rides  on  the  boom 
which  holds  the  microphone. 

TWO-STEP: 

Not  a  dance.  A  small  two-stepped 
ladder  for  use  of  grips  and  electri¬ 
cians  on  the  set. 

M.O.S.: 

“Mit-Out-Sound.”  A  silent  shot. 
Started  as  a  joke  and  now  is  regu¬ 
larly  used. 

DUBBING  ROOM: 

The  re-recording  department  where 
music  is  played  off  the  sound  track 
and  cut  into  the  picture. 

PLAYBACK: 

Running  off  the  sound  track  for  cor¬ 
rections. 

BEE  BURNER: 

Small  smoke  pot  with  a  long  spout 
and  bellows  for  fog  scenes  or  smoke 
effects. 

And  now  do  you  see  why  visitors  on 
the  set  complain  that  they  “don’t  under¬ 
stand  a  word  they’re  saying”? 


To  THE  INSIDER  PUBLISHING  CO..  Inc. 

6425  Hollywood  Boulevard 
Hollywood.  Caliiornia 

Please  enter  my  subscription  lor  the  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider. 

For  One  Year — S2.50  For  Two  Years — $4.50 

Enclosed  please  find  $  □  Check  □  Money  Order  □  Stamps  □  Cash 

Name . . . . . ___ . . . . 

Address 

City . . . . . . . . . State . . . 

Make  All  Checks  Payable  to  the  Insider  Publishing  Co.,  Inc. 


Notion  Picture  Studi^  Insi  er 


59 


April,  1937 


THE  GYCHCLOGY  OF  DIRECTING 
MUSICAL  COMEDY 

(Continued  from  page  21) 


You  see,  unless  the  music  is  part  of  the 
story  development,  the  audience  is  made 
to  feel  a  slowing  up  of  the  plot  while 
a  song  or  a  dance  sequence  takes  place. 
Haven’t  you  often  had  a  feeling  of  im¬ 
patience  while  you  listened  to  the  sing¬ 
ing  of  a  character  while  the  story  rest¬ 
ed  at  a  crucial  point,  waiting  to  be 
taken  up  after  the  musical  interlude 
was  over?” 

There  are  no  musical  interludes  in 
pictures  directed  by  Mark  Sandrtich. 
He  brings  in  the  songs  naturally,  as 
part  of  the  entire  picture,  and  the 
dances  enter  the  plot  as  much  as  the 
dramatic  moments. 

To  get  this  effect  it  is  necessary  for 
the  director,  the  aulhor  and  the  com¬ 
poser  of  the  music  to  work  together, 
day  after  day,  before  a  single  scene  is 
taken,  moulding  the  story  into  a  smooth¬ 
ly  running  musical  which  tells  its  story 
in  song  and  tap-steps  as  well  as  in 
words. 

The  composer  of  the  music  for 
“Shall  We  Dance?”  is  George  Gersh¬ 
win.  We  asked  at  once  if  the  composer 
of  such  a  famous  piece  of  music  as 
“Rhapsody  in  Blue”  did  not  object  to 
having  his  music  worked  over  by  the 
director  and  author  of  the  motion 
picture. 

“Of  course  not,”  replied  Mark  Sand- 
rich,  in  surprise.  “Musical  composers 
get  the  idea  at  once,  and  I  have  work¬ 
ed  with  both  Irving  Berlin  and  Gersh¬ 
win.  They  plan  their  songs  as  part  of 
the  story — and  work  with  the  author 
until  the  song  harmonizes  perfectly 
with  the  mood  and  idea  of  the  sequence. 
It  isn’t  easy,  I  can  tell  you  that  much. 
I  directed  Katharine  Hepburn  in  ‘A 
Wpman  Rebels,’  and  the  dramatic  story 
is  much  less  difficult  to  direct.” 

Describing  his  directing  technique 
further,  he  said: 

“The  minute  an  audience  becomes 
aware  of  directing,  then  in  my  opinion 
they  lose  the  mood  of  the  story.  I 
like  the  camera  and  the  director  to  be 
unobtrusive  at  all  times.  You  will  no¬ 
tice  that  in  dialogue  sequences,  I  like 
to  take  quite  a  long  speech  without 
breaking  up  the  scene  by  different 
camera  shots.  That  is  one  way  of  mak¬ 
ing  the  scene  in  question  smooth  and 
relegating  the  camera  into  the  back¬ 
ground  of  the  audience’s  consciousness.” 

We  asked  about  the  dancing  scenes, 
those  lovely  whirls  and  gay  taps  that 
Ginger  and  Fred  dance  for  the  enjoy¬ 
ment  of  thousands. 

“There  we  come  to  the  hard  part  of 
musical  direction,”  replied  Mr.  Sand- 


rich.  “The  camera  is  rolled  around  on 
the  dance  floor  to  follow  exactly  every 
step  of  the  dancers’  feet.  I  take  these 
scenes  in  full,  if  possible,  that  is,  I 
do  not  like  to  break  up  the  dance  for 
new  camera  angles.  It  is  my  belief  that 
people  want  to  see  the  dance  as  if  they 
were  actually  watching  it,  so  the  cam¬ 
era  must  never  give  a  dizzying  effect  or 
permit  the  dancers  to  get  too  far  out  of 
range  in  the  distance.  Our  camera  is 
mounted  on  a  rubber-tired  dolly  and 
pushed  over  the  floor  soundlessly,  in 
perfect  unison  with  the  rotations  of  the 
dancers.  That  is  why,  if  you  enjoy 
Ginger’s  and  Fred  Astaire’s  dancing  on 
the  screen,  you  are  seldom  aware  of 
anything  but  themselves.  Scenes  like 
that  cost  many  thousands  of  dollars  in 
time  and  money  to  get  the  proper  ef¬ 
fect,  but  I  think  it  is  worth  it  for  two 
such  dancers  as  Ginger  and  Fred.” 

We  watched  Mark  Sandrich  direct  a 
scene  and  liked  his  manner  on  the  set. 
He  is  quiet  and  unassuming.  The  fact 
that  he  wears  a  hat,  coat  and  muffler, 
as  though  he  were  a  business  man  out 
for  a  stroll  quite  often  causes  him  to 
be  mistaken  for  a  visitor  on  the  set, 
much  to  Mr.  Sandrich’s  amusement. 

He  has  a  gift  for  “leaving  people 
alone,”  and  allows  his  stars  to  work  out 
their  own  scenes  in  their  own  way  be¬ 
fore  he  calls  a  rehearsal.  He  does  not 
interrupt  them  and  due  to  this  fact  they 
work  at  their  lines  with  concentration. 
If  it  looks  all  right  he  quietly  calls  for 
a  “take”  and  the  scene  is  shot — seldom 
more  than  once.  If  it  is  particularly 
good,  he  always  has  a  word  of  praise. 

“How  do  you  like  working  with  Gin¬ 
ger  Rogers  and  Fred  Astaire?”  we  ask¬ 
ed  him. 

“They  are  two  of  the  grandest  peo¬ 
ple  in  the  business,”  he  said  enthusias¬ 
tically.  “We  enjoy  one  another’s  com¬ 
pany,  seem  to  understand  one  another, 
and  actually  derive  real  pleasure  out  of 
making  a  picture  together,  in  spite  of 
the  hard  work  involved.” 

His  words  seemed  justified,  for  a  feel¬ 
ing  of  camaraderie  and  good  fellowship 
was  present  on  the  set  and  could  be  no¬ 
ticed  by  any  visitor  who  came  to  watch 
the  shooting. 

Mark  Sandrich  shot  to  cinematic 
fame  after  years  of  directing  slapstick 
when  he  won  the  Academy  Award  for 
his  three-reel  short  subject,  “So  This 
is  Harris,”  which  was  a  musical,  hailed 
as  a  “new  technique  in  musical  direct¬ 
ing.” 

After  that  he  was  promptly  promoted 
to  feature  director  and  he  just  as 


prompt  .’,  proved  that  die  appo  utment 
was  a  wise  om-bv  turning  out  “Melody 
Cruise,  a  high!’,  popular  musical  and 
among  the  first  to  he  re-run  man/  times 
by  request  of  pleased  audiences. 

His  versatility  has  been  proved  by 
the  success  of  a  pure  comedy,  “Cock¬ 
eyed  Cavaliers,”  with  Wheeler  and 
Woolsey,  which  he  directed,  and  by  the 
fact  that  he  could  turn  to  pure  drama, 
such  as  “A  Woman  Rebels,”  and  make 
both  pictures  successful  box-office 
screenings,  liked  by  the  public  and  the 
industry  as  well. 

He  is  a  graduate  of  Columbia  Uni¬ 
versity  and  knows  the  cinematic  world 
from  the  ground  up.  Born  in  New 
York,  he  loved  the  theatre  but  has  done 
no  work  with  the  stage,  having  been 
occupied  with  the  motion  picture  for 
many  years.  A  flattering  offer  came 
for  Mr.  Sandrich  to  do  a  stage  musical 
in  New  York  but  his  picture  contracts 
forced  him  to  turn  it  down. 

“Besides,”  he  said  candidly,  “I  know 
pictures.  But  the  stage  is  a  new  me¬ 
dium.  Perhaps  I  would  not  be  so  suc¬ 
cessful  there.” 

We  think  he’d  do  a  grand  job,  but  it 
is  to  the  benefit  of  the  public  that  Mark 
Sandrich  sticks  with  Ginger  Rogers  and 
Fred  Astaire — guiding  them  to  further 
fame. 


G  *  G/GL 

SCOTCHES. 


60 


Mv  ICUGHEST  SriGO.’lNG 
ASS'GNMEN  i 

{Continued  from  page  29) 

the  desert,  you  have  another  thought 
coming).  Of  course  all  this  had  to  be 
done  out-of-doors  where  controlling 
light  over  such  large  areas  as  were 
there  is  impossible,  so  we  had  the 
problem  of  making  them  appear  like 
the  veritable  palls  of  doom  that  they 
were  and  still  get  them  clear  and  recog¬ 
nizable  on  the  screen.  After  we  had  got 
them,  there  was  again  the  problem  I 
referred  to  of  cutting  in  those  shots 
made  without  the  principals  present, 
into  those  made  with  Muni  and  Rainer 
and  the  rest  on  the  “Good  Earth”  set, 
without  the  whole  appearing  incon¬ 
gruous.  The  light  over  in  the  locust 
country  naturally  was  different  from 
that  here  in  southern  California.  In 
the  picture,  however,  we  had  to  make 
them  appear  the  same,  so  we  built 
great  screens  of  silk  which  we  hung 
over  the  sets  and  filtered  all  the  sun¬ 
light.  Then  we  made  test  after  test  to 
make  sure  that  the  light  matched  from 
foot  to  foot  of  the  film,  regardless  of 
the  location  upon  which  it  was  shot. 

This  problem  of  matching  light  is 
always  a  tough  proposition  out-of- 
doors.  Indoors,  of  course,  you  always 
can  control  it  but  on  the  outdoor  set 
of  “Good  Earth  quite  often  we  would 
be  gin  shooting  a  scene  at  nine  o’clock 
in  the  forenoon  with  the  usual  good 
morning  light.  Then  something  would 
come  up,  scenes  to  be  rehearsed,  new 
bits  of  business  to  be  added,  situations 
to  be  changed  for  better  effect,  discus¬ 
sions  as  to  which  way  to  play  a  scene 
and  all  of  the  innumerable  things  that 
happen  to  delay  a  production.  Net  re¬ 
sult?  We  would  still  be  shooting  the 
same  scene  at  noon  or  perhaps  far  into 
the  afternoon,  with  the  light  still  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  of  the  same  quality  and  in¬ 
tensity  and  the  shadows  still  supposed 
to  fall  in  the  same  direction  as  they  did 
when  we  began  shooting  at  nine 
o’clock.  This  again  we  solved  with  the 
same  enormous  screens  of  silk  that  I 
referred  to  before,  thus  achieving  a  con¬ 
stant  light  the  whole  day  through. 

These  screens  are  of  course  not  al¬ 
ways  practical  because  high  winds 
make  them  flap  and  the  consequent 
noise  recorded  on  the  sound  track  is 
usually  quite  at  variance  with  that 
which  is  supposed  to  go  with  the  scene, 
but  to  date  they  are  our  best  bet. 

Shooting  scenes  made  in  fog  presents 
a  lighting  problem  of  an  entirely  dif¬ 
ferent  nature.  For  example,  at  the 
present  time  we  are  shooting  “Parnell”, 
many  scenes  of  which  are  depicted  in 
typical  London  “pea  soupers”.  Again 
countless  tests  are  necessary  to  deter¬ 
mine  the  proper  density  of  the  fog 


Motion  Pterin  h  Stu  jio  lNrioER 

which  die  fog  n  achine  shoul  d  emit. 
(The  c  machines  In  themselves,  I  might 
add,  a>e  masterpieces  of  ing  unify  in 
that  they  will  exude  fogs  tailored  to 
measure,  i.e ,  billowing,  low  hanging, 
choking,  swirling  or  what  have  you.) 
The  tests  are  made  right  on  the  sets 
with  “stand  ins”  present  for  the  prin¬ 
cipals,  wearing  the  same  clothes  and 
the  same  makeup  as  the  principals  will 
wear  when  the  scene  is  actuallv  shot. 
We  experiment  with  lights  and  with 
the  fog  until  we  achieve  the  exact 
“mood”  which  we  want.  When  that 
has  been  attained  in  the  tests,  we  du¬ 
plicate  the  same  conditions  when  the 
scene  is  actually  shot. 

And  so  it  goes.  With  new  equipment, 
new  methods  and  new  technique,  we 
conquer  each  problem  as  it  arises. 
When  the  equipment  is  not  available 
we  devise  it.  I  designed  the  first  mo¬ 
tor  driven  camera  and  was  the  first 
photographer  to  use  a  moving  camera. 
Now,  of  course,  we  have  them  on  per¬ 
ambulators  but  in  those  old  days  we 
wore  them  strapped  to  our  chests.  To 
reach  back  into  that  grab  bag  of  mem¬ 
ories  and  pluck  out  any  one  incident 
and  label  it  the  “toughest”  is  for  me 
impossible,  but  I  have  found  that  when 
everyone  cooperates  there  are  very  few 
problems  in  my  work  which  human  in¬ 
genuity  cannot  surmount. 


LAUGHING  STOCK 

( Continued  from  page  40) 

would  bring  a  laugh  when  spoken  by 
Andy  Devine  but  fall  flat  perhaps  when 
read  by  Kenny  Baker.  Each  of  them 
of  course  could  embarrass  the  star  but 
each  also  had  to  do  so  in  his  own  way. 

“Situations  have  to  have  a  certain 
continuity,”  Mr.  Benny  continued,  “in 
order  to  maintain  that  week  to  week 
interest,  like  our  ‘Buck  Benny  Rides 
Again’  series  which  we  recently  con¬ 
cluded.  Listening  audiences  wait  for 
each  new  adventure  and  thus  we  main¬ 
tain  a  continuity  of  interest  that  is  so 
essential  for  a  successful  series.” 

Bit  by  bit  Mr.  Benny  analyzed  the 
component  parts  which  make  for  con¬ 
tinued  success  in  the  comedy  world, 
proving  himself  a  keen  student  of  mass 
psychology,  as  well  as  a  philosopher. 

Because  it  has  taken  both  studv  and 
work  to  bring  him  from  his  early  be¬ 
ginnings  as  a  fiddler  in  Waukegan,  Il¬ 
linois,  to  where  he  is  today,  voted  by 
more  than  four  hundred  critics  the  most 
popular  purveyor  of  humor  on  the  air. 

Way  stations  along  that  arduous 
route  include  being  an  entertainer  at 
the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station 
during  the  war  years,  the  regular 
vaudeville  stage,  a  motion  picture  ca¬ 
reer  that  started  with  the  “Hollywood 
Review  of  1929”  for  M-G-M  and  a  ra¬ 


April,  .1937 

t 

die  debic  da  ing  back  but  mur  short 

ye  is. 

He  w r  -  ma.iied  ir.  >977  i:o  Sadye 
Marks,  .vbo  if  today  knevn  cn  the  an¬ 
as  Mary  Livingstone.  She  made  her 
s+art  in  radio  one  night  when  one  of 
the  regular  players  failed  to  appear. 
Her  part  was  only  two  lines.  The  next 
week  she  appeared  on  the  air  again  and 
then  left  the  program.  After  waiting 
two  weeks,  Benny’s  radio  audience  be¬ 
came  impatient  and  bombarded  him 
with  letters  demanding  that  Mary  re¬ 
turn.  She  has  never  missed  a  program, 
since. 

We  also  exemplify  Benny’s  basic 
psychology  of  humor  in  that  listeners 
enjoy  tremendously  Marv’s  putting  him 
“on  the  spot”. 

Mr.  Benny  is  even  more  charming  if 
that  is  possible,  to  meet  personally  than 
he  is  to  listen  to  over  the  air  or  see 
on  the  screen.  Perfectly  poised,  with 
a  resonant  voice,  excellent  diction,  and 
an  agile,  keen  mind.  He  is  at  home 
on  any  subject.  Modest  and  unassum¬ 
ing,  he  gives  much  of  the  credit  for 
his  success  to  his  co-workers,  and  his 
authors,  Bill  Morrow,  Ed  Beloin  and 
A1  Boasberg.  His  conversation  is  con¬ 
stantly  interlarded  with  praise  for  oth¬ 
ers  who  have  helped  him  achieve  the 
success  he  now  enjoys.  While  he  is  ad¬ 
mittedly  “tops”  in  his  chosen  field,  one 
has  only  to  meet  the  man  to  feel  that 
his  efforts  and  personality  would  have 
won  for  him  success  in  any  other  type 
of  endeavor. 


ARCHIE  MAYO 

A  VERSATILE  DIRECTOR 

( Continued  from  page  37) 

Pictures,  I  believe,  can  do  more  if  they 
will,  toward  bringing  happiness  and 
hope  back  to  people’s  hearts  than  any 
other  single  force.” 

Mr.  Mayo  has  a  belief  in  the  future 
of  good  pictures  that  nothing  can  dim. 

“We  are  becoming  an  educated  na¬ 
tion,”  he  declared.  “The  director  who 
wants  to  know  what  audiences  demand 
has  got  to  take  cognizance  of  that  fact. 
Not  that  we  will  ever  get  away  from 
heart  interest  stories,  but  along  with 
them  we  must  take  into  account  the 
emotional  and  mental  fashions  of  the 
day,  such  as  sophistication  and  the  lik¬ 
ing  for  brighter  and  more  striking  sto¬ 
ries.  Triteness  is  passe.  ‘The  old 
farmhouse  being  lost  for  the  mortgage’ 
has  gone  forever. 

“No  audience  goes  to  a  picture  to 
see  it,  in  my  estimation,  or  even  to 
hear  it.  They  go  to  feel  it!  An  audi¬ 
ence  which  only  sees  or  hears  a  pic¬ 
ture  is  but  half  won.  A  director  knows 
this  when  he  goes  to  a  theatre  to  catch 
the  audience  response.  Not  until  he  is 
satisfied  that  they  feel  his  picture  does 


April,  IPS? 


61 


MoiiON  r>ICT7_  R"  SlIJiXO  1  5iDER 


lie  stop  try’nj.  to  improve  it.  That,  at 
least,  is  or  v  'i'Jig  creel’ 

We  askeo  IV  .  Ma/o  his  ooinion  of 
the  necessity  of  omed/  in  a  picture 
and  of  the  p  oh'rms  regard. ng  direct¬ 
ing  comedy  situations  The  picture  fol¬ 
lowing  “Black  Legion”  is  “Call  It  a 
Day”,  which  is  light-hearted  comedy.  It 
pretends  to  no  problem  appeal.  He 
had  some  things  to  say  about  it  which 
were  pertinent: 

“From  directing  comedies  a  director 
learns  the  value  of  bringing  freshness 
and  spontaneity  to  every  shot.  He 
learns  to  beware  of  ‘dead  lumber’  in 
his  picture  as  he  would  a  plague.  The 
minute  the  vigorous  life  of  these  quali¬ 
ties  leaves  a  picture,  in  my  opinion  it 
is  ready  for  shelving.  The  story  is  the 
life  of  the  picture — but  also,  that  life 
must  remain  quick  in  the  directing. 
There  is  the  virtue  of  comedy.” 

As  we  have  already  stated,  another 
of  Mr.  Mayo’s  firm  beliefs  is  that  the 
story  is  the  most  important  part  of  a 
picture.  Not  the  director,  not  the  star, 
but  the  story!  With  this  idea  in  mind, 
he  works  with  the  author  and  tries  to 
catch  exactly  what  is  meant  by  his  ev¬ 
ery  paragraph.  Perhaps  that  is  why 
pictures  directed  by  this  man  have  a 
well-knit,  fully  rounded  effect,  as  of  a 
story  well  told  and  satisfactorily  con¬ 
cluded.  He  never  forgets  that  the 
screen  is  unfolding  a  tale,  that  between 
the  author  and  the  director  that  story 
is  told — and  the  stars  and  players 
show  the  story  to  the  world. 

For  the  past  ten  years  Archie  Mayo 
has  been  directing  pictures  and  his  in¬ 
creasingly  important  assignments  have 
come  as  a  result  of  his  knowledge  of 
technique  and  modern  viewpoint. 

He  therefore  feels  a  part  of  Holly¬ 
wood  and  the  industry  more  than  many 
who  have  recently  come  here  from  for¬ 
eign  countries.  In  mentioning  Holly¬ 
wood,  Mr.  Mayo  had  no  bricks  to 
throw,  which  is  unusual. 

“I  have  no  patience  with  the  people 
who  scoff  at  Hollywood  for  the  show- 
place  that  it  is.  I  know  that  there  are 
real  people  here — real  brains  and  real 
talents,  because  I  have  had  the  pleas¬ 
ure  of  working  with  many  of  them. 
Though  Hollywood  has  its  faults,  it  is 
a  city  of  ideas,  and  in  ideas  there  is 
power.  Hollywood  has  been  very  kind 
to  nye.  It  has  been  kind  to  many  of 
its  hard  working  studio  people.  You 
see,  the  motion  picture  combines  art, 
science  and  business  in  such  a  closely 
allied  trio  that  a  lot  of  each  branch 
of  endeavor  goes  into  the  making  of  a 
picture.  If  some  of  the  pictures  pro¬ 
duced  on  a  major  studio’s  huge  sched¬ 
ule  turn  out  to  be  completely  lacking 
in  true  worth,  it  is  unfair  to  judge  that 
studio  or  the  industry  at  large  by  the 
public’s  reaction  to  that  one  picture.  I 


oelie-e  in  giving  a  man,  an  industry— - 
or  a  ountiy — a  bieak  ” 

M>\  Mayo,  with  a  wide  smile,  stop¬ 
ped  talking.  He  is  good  natuied  and 
possesses  a  keen  wit.  He  is  rigidly 
punctual  in  his  appointments,  and  es¬ 
pecially  so  in  appearing  for  work  in 
the  morning,  a  habit  formed  when  he 
was  a  vaudeville  trouper  and  song 
plugger,  and  had  to  be  on  time.  He 
likes  punctuality  from  player  and 
crew.  And  gets  it,  which  is  more  im¬ 
portant. 

We  watched  him  direct  a  few  scenes 
from  “Call  It  a  Day”  and  discovered 
that  his  wise  cracking  and  seemingly 
easy  going  technique  packed  a  world 
of  power  behind  it.  Linder  these  pleas¬ 
ant  conditions  the  actors  worked  harder 
than  they  realized.  When  a  scene  is 
finished  to  his  satisfaction,  Mr.  Mayo 
has  a  phrase  which  he  uses  at  all  times: 
“Take  it  away  and  give  it  to  the  hungry 
public.” 

His  good-natured  bantering  puts  the 
entire  assemblage  in  a  co-operative 
frame  of  mind.  He  even  acts  out  small 
bits  for  various  players  so  they  can 
see  exactly  what  he  means  to  convey, 
and  the  acting  is  good  enough  to  pre¬ 
sent  his  thought  on  the  matter  with  well 
defined  precision. 

An  excellent  example  of  his  technique 
was  seen  when  in  a  certain  scene  he  was 
directing  little  Bonita  Granville,  the 
child  who  stole  the  picture,  “These 
Three,”  a  year  ago. 

“What  are  you  doing,  Bonita?”  he 
called  to  her,  laughing,  “are  you  act¬ 
ing ?  Because  if  you  are — don’t!” 

Bonita  laughed  and  immediately  be¬ 
came  more  natural  in  the  scene  which 
followed. 

Another  time  he  cautioned  a  young 
“bit”  player: 

“Don’t  be  so  cute,”  he  said,  “I  don’t 
want  cuteness.  This  scene  is  supposed 
to  be  funny — but  not  cutely  so.” 

His  humor  necessarily  has  percepti¬ 
ble  barbs  and  there  are  teeth  in  his 
words  for  some  who  want  to  look  for 
them. 

The  best  example  of  the  Mayo  gift 
for  putting  a  story  on  the  screen  can 
be  seen,  we  repeat,  in  “Black  Legion.” 
This  is  the  type  of  picture  which  Mr. 
Mayo  likes  best  to  direct,  and  which  he 
believes  will,  more  and  more,  become 
the  picture  of  today  and  tomorrow. 
The  pungent  stories  of  life  as  it  is  lived 
at  this  moment.  That  is  his  message  re¬ 
garding  the  screen.  And  he  is  one  of  the 
few  who  backs  up  his  beliefs  with  a 
concrete  proof  of  his  whole-hearted¬ 
ness. 

Since  everyone  cannot  meet  Mr. 
Mayo — and  since  this  is  only  a  rough 
sketch  of  the  man  as  a  person — you 
may  meet  the  director  when  you  see 
Black  Legion. 


TRAVEL 

STEAMSHIP 

RAILWAY 

AIR 

Dr.  Renato  C.  Longobardi, 

General  Manager 

Booking  your  passage  is  only  a  routine 
part  of  the  service  you  receive  when 
your  transportation  is  handled  via 
I.  A.  T.  A. 

Countless  unexpected  courtesies  not 
usually  considered — rendered  gratu¬ 
itously — are  a  pleasant  feature  of 
our  responsibilities  when  your  Travel 
Tickets  are  purchased  through  our 
convenient  Los  Angeles  office. 
Numerous  little  matters  which  you 
might,  perhaps,  overlook,  come  to 
our  notice  through  years  of  experience 
with  travelers’  needs  and  comforts. 
Free  Information  and  Brochures 
510  W est  Sixth  Street 
Phone  MUtual  1287-1288 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

★  ★  ★  ★ 

I  A  T  A  travel 

I  mr\m  SERVICE 


The  Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 
recommends  the  following  pictures  as 
worthwhile  entertainment: 

“ THE  KING  AND  THE  CHORES 
GIRL ”,  “ CALL  IT  A  DAY ”,  “ STOLEN 
HOLIDAY ”,  “ WHITE  BONDAGE ”  and 
“READY,  WILLING  AND  ABLE ”, 
Warner  Bros.-First  National. 


“SWING  HIGH— SWING  LOW ”,  and 
“WAIKIKI  WEDDING ”,  Paramount. 

“HISTORY  IS  MADE  AT  NIGHT’, 
Walter  W anger. 

“THE  WOMAN  I  LOVE'’  and  “ QUAL¬ 
ITY  STREET’,  R.  K.  0. 


“ TOP  OF  THE  TOWN”,  Universal. 

“SEVENTH  HEAVEN”,  “ LOVE  IS 
NEWS”  and  “ON  THE  AVENUE” 
20th  Century-Fox. 

“LOST  HORIZON”  and  “WHEN 
YOU’RE  IN  LOVE”,  Columbia. 


62 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


April.  1937 


ANALYTICAL  REVIEWS 


Love  Is  News 


(20th  Century-Fox) 


CAST: 

Tyrone  Power,  Loretta  Young,  Don 
Ameche,  Slim  Summerville,  Dudley  Digges, 
Walter  Catlett,  George  Sanders,  Jane  Darwell, 
Stepin  Fetchit,  Pauline  Moore,  Edwin  Max¬ 
well. 

• 

CREDITS: 

Associate  producers:  Earl  Carroll  and  Har¬ 
old  Wilson.  Director,  Tay  Garnett.  Screen 
Play,  Harry  Tugend  and  Jack  Yellen.  Story, 
William  R.  Lipman  and  Frederick  Stephani. 
Photography.  Ernest  Palmer,  A.S.C.  Art  di¬ 
rector,  Rudolph  Sternad.  Sets,  Thomas  Little. 
Assistant  director,  Booth  McCracken.  Film 
editor,  Irene  Morra.  Costumes,  Royer.  Sound, 
Roger  Heman. 

• 

TYPE: 

Rapid-fire  newspaper  story,  packed  with 
laughs  and  amusing  situations. 


TECHNIQUE: 

Tay  Garnett  has  directed  this  with  so  much 
verve  and  sparkle  that  the  occasional  straining 
of  situation  in  the  story  is  buried  in  the  rapid- 
fire  style  of  its  portrayal.  Never  has  Loretta 
Young  been  permitted  to  show  so  much  life 
and  freshness.  Tyrone  Power,  as  the  fast¬ 
thinking  newspaper  man  is  at  home  in  the 
role,  and  Don  Ameche  gives  a  surprise  per¬ 
formance  as  the  city  editor.  All  three  are 
first-rate  and  their  respective  efforts  give  off 
sparks  that  make  for  grand  entertainment.  The 
picture  steps  along  at  a  lively  pace  throughout 
and  the  technical  staff  has  more  than  ade¬ 
quately  handled  its  part. 

SYNOPSIS- 

The  efforts  of  a  newspaper  reporter  to  gain 
a  scoop  story  on  a  young  heiress  results  in  her 
framing  him  on  the  front  pages  by  using  his 
own  methods.  The  plot  revolves  around  the 
strategy  with  which  these  two  revenge  one 
another,  with  the  city  editor  of  the  young 
man’s  paper  taking  a  beating  for  most  of 
the  incorrect  stories.  Not  at  all  a  sensible 
story-plot  to  begin  with,  but  its  deft  handling 
makes  it  so. 

• 

RATING: 

First-class  entertainment  with  a  joyous  spar¬ 
kle  all  its  own.  Sophisticated  yet,  in  spite 
of  this,  young  people  will  like  the  fun.  Never 
a  dull  moment. 


The  King  and  the  Chorus  Girl 


(Warners) 


CAST: 

Fernand  Gravet.  Joan  Blondell,  Edward 
Everett  Horton.  Alan  Mowbray,  Mary  Nash, 
Jane  Wyman,  Luis  Alberni,  Kenny  Baker, 
Lionel  Pape. 

CREDITS: 

Producer-director,  Mervyn  LeRoy.  Original 
screenplay,  Norman  Krasna  and  Groucho 
Marx.  Photographer,  Tony  Gaudio,  A.S.C. 
Musical  director,  Leo  F.  Forbstein.  Dance 
director,  Bobby  Connolly.  Film  editor,  Thomas 
Richards.  Assistant  director.  Arthur  Lueker. 

• 

TYPE: 

Satiric  comedy  of  the  fast-moving,  sophisti¬ 
cated  brand.  Deliciously  funny. 

TECHNIQUE: 

First  of  all  this  picture  identifies  Fernand 
Gravet  as  a  new  and  brightly-shining  star. 
Mervyn  LeRoy  has  made  this  one  of  the  mad¬ 
dest,  merriest  pictures  of  the  year,  which 
races  along  in  its  nonsense  with  the  verve  of 
a  high-strung  race  horse.  The  excellent  sup¬ 
porting  cast  lends  its  best  effort  toward  high 
comedy  and  the  varied  roles  interlock  with 
perfect  timing.  Luis  Alberni  is  one  who 
deserves  high  praise  for  his  grand  comedy 
work.  Dialogue  is  brilliant  and  witty.  Pho¬ 
tography,  sets,  costumes  and  all  techn:cal  de¬ 
tails  keep  to  the  high  level  set  by  the  entire 
story  and  cast.  Altogether  charming  and  de¬ 
lightful. 


SYNOPSIS: 

The  fact  that  this  story  concerns  an  ex- 
king  and  his  romance  with  an  American  girl 
will  set  tongues  to  wagging.  The  chorus  girl 
is  hired  to  add  resistance  and  give  an  interest 
to  the  bored  young  ex-king’s  life,  who  is 
drinking  hmself  into  a  stupor.  After  their 
arranged  meeting,  the  fun  starts  and  never 
stops  until  the  end  of  the  picture.  The  fact 
that  Fernand  Gravet  resembles  in  appearance 
the  former  Prince  of  Wales  in  his  younger 
days  adds  an  extra  note  of  interest  to  the 
story. 

• 

RATING: 

Sure-fire  comedy  entertainment  with  a  score 
of  tops  for  genuine  fun.  It’s  a  spring  tonic. 


Lost  Horizon 


(Columbia) 


CAST: 

Ronald  Colman,  Jane  Wyatt,  Edward 
Everett  Horton,  John  Howard.  Thomas  Mit¬ 
chell,  Margo,  Isabel  Jewell,  H.  B.  Warner,  Sam 
Jaffe,  David  Torrence,  Hugh  Buckler. 

• 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  Frank  Capra.  Director,  Frank 
Capra.  Screen  play,  Robert  Riskin.  Original 
story,  James  Hilton.  Musical  director,  Max 
Steiner.  Musical  Score,  Dimitri  Tiomkin. 
Photography,  Joseph  Walker,  A.S.C.  Aerial 
photography,  Elmer  Dyer.  A.S.C.  Technical 
advisor,  Harrison  Forman.  Film  editor,  Gene 
Havlick.  Special  camera  effects,  E.  Roy  Da¬ 
vidson  and  Ganahn  Carson.  Art  director. 
Stephen  Goosson.  Costumes,  Ernest  Dryden. 
Voices,  Hall  Johnson  Choir. 

• 

TYPE: 

Adventure;  both  physical  and  mental.  For 
adult  audiences  with  adidt  minds  and  a  ca¬ 
pacity  for  thrills  of  an  unusual  type. 

TECHNIQUE: 

Each  phase  of  the  technical  work  on  this 
production  has  been  so  expertly  dovetailed 
with  all  the  rest  that  an  excellent  balance  has 
been  achieved,  making  “Lost  Horizon”  as  near¬ 
ly  a  perfect  picture  from  every  standpoint  as 
has  ever  come  out  of  Hollywood.  Acting 
credits  must  go  to  each  and  every  member  of 
the  large  and  carefully-chosen  cast.  To  Ron¬ 
ald  Colman  for  a  thoughtful  and  vivid  por¬ 
trayal.  To  Jane  Wyatt  for  a  fresh  and  under¬ 
standing  interpretation.  To  Edward  Everett 
Horton  for  a  comedy  role  that  harmonizes 
flawlessly  with  the  mood  of  the  picture.  To 
Isabel  Jewell  for  an  appealing  and  dramatic 
bit  of  acting.  To  Thomas  Mitchell  for  a 
finely-shaded  characterization.  The  photo¬ 
graphy  is  arrestingly  beautiful  and  amazingly 
real.  Direction  is  smooth  and  has  an  intense 
sweep.  Altogether,  a  technical  triumph  for 
all  concerned  with  the  picture,  down  to  the 
last  grip  and  the  least  important  extra. 

• 

SYNOPSIS: 

It  is  pointless  to  relate  the  entire  plot  here. 
The  adventures  of  a  band  of  people  who  are 
kidnapped  by  plane  and  taken  to  an  ageless 
lamesary  in  Tibet  is  the  basis  of  the  plot.  The 
psychological  effects  of  their  journey,  and  the 
results  of  their  discoveries  in  the  lamesary, 
make  a  breath-taking  tale. 

• 

RATING: 

A  gem  of  a  picture.  It  has  power,  wisdom, 
excitement  and  action  from  start  to  finish. 
This  is  more  than  entertainment — it  is  an  ex¬ 
perience  in  itself. 


April,  1937 


Motion  Picture  Studio  Insider 


63 


OF  NEW 


Maytime 


(M.G.M.) 


CAST: 

Jeanette  MacDonald,  Nelson  Eddy,  John 
Barrymore,  Herman  Bing,  Tom  Brown,  Lynne 
Carver,  Rafaelo  Oltiano,  Charles  Jndels,  Paul 
Porcasi,  Guy  Bates  Post. 

• 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  Hunt  Stromherg,  Director,  Rob¬ 
ert  Z.  Leonard.  Original  story,  Rida  John¬ 
son  Young.  Screenplay,  Noel  Langley.  Mu¬ 
sic,  Sigmund  Romberg.  Musical-direction, 
Herbert  Strothart.  Special  lyrics,  Bob 
Wright,  Chet  Forrest.  Photographer,  Oliver 
T.  Marsh,  A.S.C.  Recording  director,  Doug¬ 
las  Shearer.  Art  director,  Cedric  Gibbons. 


TYPE: 

A  musical  superbly  mounted  and  exquisite¬ 
ly  placed  against  a  background  of  romantic 
appeal.  Music  lovers  will  be  satisfied  at 
last,  for  the  score  is  permitted  to  dominate 
the  picture,  and  it  is  hauntingly  beautiful 
music. 


TECHNIQUE: 

Direction  is  steadily  and  smoothly  handled, 
in  pace  with  a  story  that  has  been  loved  for 
many  years.  The  music  runs  the  gamut  of 
old-time  songs  to  snatches  of  opera  and  the 
beautiful  love  song:  “Will  You  Remember?” 
Recording  takes  honors  for  clear  rendition 
of  the  lovely  voices  of  Nelson  Eddy  and 
Jeanette  Macdonald.  A  colored  filter  has 
been  used  to  heighten  the  dream-like  qual¬ 
ity  of  the  picture  and  it  adds  to  the  fine 
photography  immeasurably.  John  Barrymore, 
as  the  maestro,  gives  another  of  his  finely- 
chiselled  performances.  A  triumph  in  tech¬ 
nique,  and  the  only  critical  suggestion  that 
might  be  added  is  the  almost  wedding-cake 
elaboration  of  the  sets,  which  are  permitted 
to  over-dazzle  what  is,  in  reality,  a  simple 
and  charming  love  story.  It  is  the  music 
which  carries  the  picture,  this  time. 


RATING: 

The  plot  is  told  in  flashback,  opening  in 
1905.  An  old  lady  remembers  her  operatic 
career,  and  the  story  of  her  Maytime  ro¬ 
mance  is  told,  which  ends  in  gentle  tragedy. 
The  music  tells  the  story  through  the  voices 
of  the  two  singing  stars. 


RATING: 

Romance  in  a  swirl  of  May  blossoms  is  the 
mood  of  this  musical.  It  is  essentially  a  love 
story,  and  for  its  very  unsophisticated  charm 
and  lilting  melodies  it  will  be  loved  by  young 
and  old  who  see  it. 


PICTURES 

Swing  High  Swing  Low 


^ 


(Paramount) 

CAST: 

Carole  Lombard,  Fred  MacMurray,  Charles 
Buttersworth,  Jean  Dixon,  Dorothy  Lamour, 
Harvey  Stephens.  Cecil  Cunningham,  Charlie 
Arnt,  Franklin  Pangborn,  Charles  Judels. 

• 

CREDITS: 

Producer,  Arthur  Hornblow,  Jr.  Director, 
Mitchell  Leisen.  Play,  George  Manker  Wat¬ 
ters  and  Arthur  Hopkins.  Screenplay,  Vir¬ 
ginia  Van  Upp,  Oscar  Hammerstein,  Jr.  Mu¬ 
sical  director,  Boris  Morros.  Photographer, 
Ted  Tetzlaff  A.S.C.  Art  directors,  Hans 
Dreier  and  Ernest  Fegte.  Original  songs, 
Ralph  Rainger.  Leo  Robin.  Sam  Coslow,  A1 
Siegel,  Burton  Lane,  Ralph  Freed. 


TYPE: 

Comedy  romance  with  songs  and  dances. 
The  love  story  dominates  with  a  thread  of 
bright  comedy  for  sparkle  and  some  sing¬ 
able  songs. 


TECHNIQUE: 

Fred  MacMurray  gets  his  best  chance  to 
date  as  the  jazz  trumpet  player.  He  is  nat¬ 
ural  and  acts  with  sincerity  throughout. 
Carole  Lombard  is  not  dimmed  by  MacMur- 
ray’s  performance,  however,  and  the  two  team 
together  in  a  merging  of  genuine  ability. 
The  handling  of  the  story  is  unusual,  since 
comedy  gives  way  to  drama  in  the  middle  of 
the  picture  without  losing  the  balance  of  the 
production.  Nice  cutting  and  equally  nice 
placement  of  some  remarkably  good  songs 
will  please  the  most  critical  audience.  The 
photography  is  superior  in  every  way  and  the 
technical  work  is  cleverly  fitted  to  the  needs 
of  the  story.  Charles  Butterworth,  in  a  com¬ 
edy  supporting  role,  is  given  ample  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  steal  scenes,  and  he  gets  them  every 
time.  Credit  to  the  producer  for  seeing  the 
need  for  drama,  well  acted,  as  well  as  com¬ 
edy  in  a  musical  picture. 

• 

SYNOPSIS: 

Just  out  of  the  army,  a  swing  trumpet 
player  meets  a  girl  in  Panama  who  aids  him 
in  becoming  an  outstanding  cafe  attraction. 
He  goes  on  to  Broadway  but  neglects  to  send 
for  the  girl  who  gave  him  his  chance.  It 
winds  up  with  true  love  finding  its  right  path, 
but  not  until  after  many  amusing  and  often 
dramatic  episodes  have  transpired. 


RATING: 

Another  blues-chaser  and  a  boon  to  early- 
summer  theatre-goers.  Not  so  light  as  to  be 
merely  musical,  this  rates  as  high  entertain¬ 
ment  and  the  laughs  are  very  real. 


By  PAULINE  GALE 

When  Love  Is  Young 


(Universal) 


CAST: 

Virginia  Bruce,  Kent  Taylor,  Robert  Bren¬ 
nan. 

o 

CREDITS: 

Associate  producer,  Robert  Presnell.  Di¬ 
rector,  Hal  Mohr.  Songs,  McHugh  and 
Adamson. 

• 

TYPE: 

Love  story  of  the  ugly  duckling  with  small¬ 
town  versus  big  city  backgrounds.  Music. 

• 

TECHNIQUE: 

Hal  Mohr,  former  ace  cameraman,  handles 
this,  his  first  directing  job,  with  skill  and 
deft  artistry.  The  story  is  not  permitted  to 
lag  and  songs,  rendered  by  Virginia  Bruce 
are  worthy  of  remembering.  In  particular 
“When  Love  Is  Young”,  the  title  song,  and 
“Did  Anyone  Ever  Tell  You”  are  outstanding. 
Kent  Taylor  gives  one  of  his  smooth  per¬ 
formances.  Miss  Bruce  is  given  a  chance 
to  wear  some  exotic  gowns  in  this  and  adorns 
the  picture  successfully  as  a  result.  Photog¬ 
raphy  is  top  notch  and  the  recording  on  the 
songs  is  clear  and  well-timed. 

• 

SYNOPSIS: 

The  class  prophecy  is  read  and  the  heroine 
is  told  she  will  grow  the  biggest  pumpkin 
in  the  country,  as  an  example  of  how  ex¬ 
citing  her  classmates  think  her.  Irked  by 
the  dull  future  in  store  for  her,  the  girl 
goes  to  New  York  and  makes  good,  singing 
on  the  stage.  Her  return  home  is  a  triumph 
but  she  sees  that  her  former  sweetheart  is  a 
dull  small-towner  and  she  returns  to  New 
York  and  the  love  of  a  press-agent.  It’s 
Cinderella  again. 

o 

RATING: 

Quite  well  worth  seeing  and  hearing.  The 
story  has  few  surprises,  but  Virginia  Bruce 
has  many,  one  being  a  golden  singing  voice. 
For  old  and  young. 


WE  REGRET 

The  “Insider”  regrets  that  credits  for 
the  Remember  When  pictures  in  the 
January  issue  were  inadvertently 
omitted.  Those  on  page  38  were  from 
the  collection  of  William  Lanahan  of 
M-G-M ;  those  on  page  39  from  the 
collection  of  T.  L.  Talley. 


64 


Motion  Picttik.-j  Stc  :<•  tnsider 


/  a  T9 


A  General  Motors  Value 


MORE  BEAUTIFUL  SILVER  STREAK  STYLING 

SAFETY  TRIPLE-SEALED  HYDRAULIC  BRAKES 

• 

LONGER  WHEELBASE 

117  INCH  ON  "6”  AND  122  INCH  ON  “8" 

• 

LARGER  LUGGAGE  AND 
SPARE  TIRE  COMPARTMENT 

• 

PERFECTED  SAFETY  CENTER-POINT  STEERING 

LARGER  UNISTEEL  BODIES  BY  FISHER 

• 

INCREASED  POWER  AND  ACCELERATION 
WITH  GREATER  ECONOMY 

• 

BIGGER  DOORS— LOWER  UNOBSTRUCTED  FLOORS 
ADJUSTABLE  TILTING  3-PASSENGER  FRONT  SEAT 
IMPROVED  KNEE-ACTION  RIDE 


SIXES  AND  EIGHTS 


S/(?(f£R  CAR. .  BETTER  VALUE 


AMERICA’S  FINEST  LOW-PRICED  CAR 


IT’S  happened  to  thousands.  .  .  .  And  it  will  happen  to 
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will  start  a  life-long  friendship!  And  the  more  you  know 
about  other  inexpensive  cars,  the  surer  the  result  will  be. 
Because  Pontiac  does  not  resemble  a  low-priced  car  at  all! 
Look  at  that  smart,  distinctive,  Silver  Streak  styling.  It’s 
new  to  motoring,  and  it  again  stamps  Pontiac  the  most 
beautiful  thing  on  wheels.  Note  the  length  of  this  Silver- 
Streaked  beauty.  It’s  your  guarantee  of  the  roomiest  interior 
and  the  easiest  ride  you  could  possibly  require.  Next,  run 
your  eyes  over  this  abbreviated  list  of  features.  Everything 
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HIS  ROYAL  HIGH  Ofc  HO)  NES 


LEj^oy’c 


N  ^PfiAR. 

PRODUCT! 


arr  Nasft 

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1  Orders 


’’‘'Vi 

■S.V.P. 


ar*&N.r»„11Kn 

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Fi’i  dom  cro.vns  a  new  of  josicncei  ...  os  on  international  -ia->i 
comes  to  *r.c  screen  in  the  mirth-pccked  story  of  o  democratic  ex  Kir.g 
on  a  rollicking  hunt  for  a  Queen  of  Hearts  to  share  his  throne  of  love! 


See  a  real  French  re 
vue  with  the  world's  j 
loveliest  mademoi¬ 
selles  singing  those  • 
reigning  hits  of  the  air 
by  Werner  R  Heymann 
and  Ted  Koehler 
“FOR  YOU" 

“ON  THE  RUE  DE  LA  PAIX" 


US  Ml 
*«<«« 
Minenta 


A  new  kind  of  de  luxe  accommodation 
will  be  established  over  the  scenic 
BOULDER  DAM  coast-to-coast  route. 


These  SKYLOUNGE  MAINLINERS 
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planes  in  America — have  triumphantly 
established  themselves  in  air  transpor¬ 
tation.  Backed  by  150  million  miles 
and  ten  years  of  experience. 


FOR  INAUGURAL 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 


Hollywood,  6635  Hollywood  Blvd 


TRinity  4771 


Scanned  from  the  collection  of 

Karl  Thiede 


Coordinated  by  the 
Media  History  Digital  Library 
www.  mediahistoryproj  ect.org 


Funded  by  a  donation  from 
Richard  Scheckman