The Film Daily (1930)

THE ■£&^ DAILV Wednesday, January IS, 19J Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion —€)— Improved Tastes Predicted For 1930 Talker Stories NOW that we've found Hemingway, Bromfield, Bernard Shaw and others of like standing, perhaps we can call the season coming "the better movie season" and let the "bigger" slide. The intelligentsia has invaded cinema manufacture. Of course, that is'nt saying that the result will be entirely intelligent but it's a step in the right direction. The main drawback of the silent picture was the exaggeration of all emotion or rather the superlative quality in which every emotion had to be played in order to get over. There were no dynamics — one had to go the full swing of the pendulum. The sarcastic husband was the bully in silent, and the irritating wife must needs be the shrew. Stories emerged like as peas in a pod, and the audiences ate them up. The audiences, sad to say, didn't progress visibly to any extent. Give a group of people who have not enjoyed the advantages of music a series of popular concerts and by the end of the season you will have a definite indication of trend in taste. After five seasons there will be a marked progression. A ripple of applause may greet anything touching on the modern composers. Mollie Merrick in New York "Evening World" * * * Seasonal Alternating Between Talkers and Legit ALTHOUGH some producers predict confidently that in the next few years there may be much seasonal alternating of the same stars between the talking picture and the legitimate stage, not many of the new Hollywooders who have made good in a big way seem interested in a return to Manhattan boards even for a legitimate farewell season. "New York Times Magazine" • THEIR FIRST JOBS PAUL LAZARUS Grosset & Dunlap — book publishers Along The Rialto with PMIM, Daly, Jr. "/^ABE" YORKE, who publicized "Sunny Side Up" in as a yX winner and then skyrocketed home with the "Sky Hawk" both at the Gaiety, N. Y., now is handling "With Mr. and Mrs. Martin Johnson Across the World" the first talker which is scheduled to open at the Geo. M. Cohan shortly Yasha Bunchuk, Capitol conductor is guest of honor this a. m. at the semi-monthly meeting of the Hunter College Chapel. Yasha will offer "Spanish Serenade," "Scherze" and "Elegie" * * + ♦ Max Steiner, musical conductor, who presented "Sons O' Guns" has been added to the roster of Radio. And didn't Jack Oakie, also of Radio, do his stuff in "Hit the Deck" last night? Show girls from "Fifty Million Frenchmen" have lately been seen stepping into the matinee for viewing of "Sally" and "No, No, Nanette" Will Rogers has been granted a leave of absence by Fox to enable him to attend the London Disarmament Conference, which he will report for newspaper syndicates * * * * Kolster radio hour will celebrate Winnie Lightner night on Jan. 29 on a coast-to-coast hook-up of 22 stations of the Columbia Broadcasting System with Winnie appearing as guest of honor. Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, consigned into the hands of John Boyce-Smith, president of the Columbia Alumni Club of Los Angeles a can of film containing a sound picture of an address by Dr. Butler which will be delivered to the members of the Columbia alumni of L. A. at their annual banquet on Feb. 12 * * * * Films of Lindbergh and Mrs. on the bridal trip will be on view to all patrons at the Silver Jubilee Motorboat Show which will be at the Grand Central Palace Jan. 17 to 25 The Warner Club now is dickering for one of the B'way houses in which to give "Gaieties," the club's musical show, its first tryout. Members are eagerly awaiting Feb. when the "big" musical revue is scheduled to make its premiere * ♦ * * Bert Adler supplies the information that the "Evening Graphic"-Fanchon and Marco contest is ended and as a consequence, 30 girls will leave for the Coast Jan. 25 to receive training from the famous producers of stage shows. Martin Starr, w. k., Ampaite, ran the contest from the "Graphic" standpoint » ♦ * ♦ The Universal Club evidently believes in that ancient adage which says "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," and has engaged the services of Dr. Joseph Goldstone to safeguard the health of its 300 members Dick Anderson, distribution director for M. P. Congress, is getting along splendidly at the Murray Hill Sanitarium, following an appendicitis operation A popular priced edition of Elizabeth Alexander's novel "Second Choice," has been issued by A. L. Burt, publisher, with stills from Warners' production starring Dolores Costello. * * * ♦ Exploitation tips and suggestions, all proven by the country's wise showmen, are included among the many interesting sections of the forthcoming 1930 FILM DAILY YEAR BOOK PUT YOUR ORDER IN. JANUARY 15-NANY HAPPY RETURNS Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the foUowing members of the industry, who are calebrating their birthdays today: William Beaudine Dorothy Gould Claude King Ruth Taylor Michael M. Miggins Dan Doherty Harry A. Mersky Charles Zagrans -AND THAT'S THAT By PHIL M. DALY EVERY time some wisenheim* makes a crack that picturd would be placed on a higher artistil plane if the business were taken awa from those who control it now an put in the hands of men with a "be( ter cultural background," we feel lik rearing up and shouting, "Was those ginks with the culchoon whatchamacallit that built up the ir dustry to what it is today?" Among the latest to beat the fa miliar tune on his bass drum is th erudite "Nation." The last issue c this provocative weekly belche forth a. steaming tirade to the efiec that the films are "synonymous witi all that is cheap and vulgar." Mighty harsh words, "Nate." Per haps they were just a mistake, or a: accident. Say it was, wontcha? Of course, there must be som reason for critics or they wouldn exist. But the trouble is that som' of the iconoclastic boys fling them selves at a typewriter when the; ought to take a bromo. * * * You know, fifty million French men — or rather, 115,000,000 payini customers (evei-y week) can't bi wrong. * * * The blurb in "The Nation" occu pied two columns of space, and thi prize-winning reply has just beei made by Pierre de Rohan, the abh "Morning Telegraph" scribe, whc answered it completely in two words "Oh, yeah!" Classic, we call it. * * ♦ While on the subject of critic and such, about a decade ago Rob', ert E. Sherwood was among thos who emitted anguished wails ove the so-called mushy asininity o films in that day. Now the 8om4 eminent judge is expressing wistfu longings for "the good old days." TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY IN Al Kaufman, director of Famous Players, resigns. S. L. "Roxy" Rothafel returns to New York from Los Angeles where he managed the California for Gold-! wyn. I John H. Kunsky sells Equity Pic4 ture franchise for Michigan. j Equity Pictures' Chicago meeting. directors hold