The Film Daily (1930)

THE Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion e> Westerns Are Coming Back Strong T ATE in 1927 something went wrong with the "Western" situation. There had been a flood of cheaply made "quickies" by the producers. Early in 1928 when sound pictures had taken definite hold on the public imagination "Westerns" slipped amazingly. Late that year practically none were being made. . . . But the public desire for colorful movement, broad panoramas and romance in beautiful natural backgrounds remained. Exhibitors began to hear from their patrons. In January, 1929, Fox Films officials, headed by Winfield Sheehan, vice president and general manager, decided Movietone had been perfected to the point where it could be used for outdoor recording. "In Old Arizona" was presented. It wasn't a "Western" in the old sense. It was a fully developed romantic story, but it had swift movement and unsurpassed scenery photographed in northern Arizona and southern Utah. It was a sensational success and placed Warner Baxter on a pinnacle among talking picture players. . . .So convinced are Fox production officials that this new type of picture is destined to play an increasingly important part in future production programs that they recently organized a Great Outdoor Romance Department, the special functions of which will be to find stories, develop them for screen purposes and supervise their production according to the new standards of the talking screen. N. Y. "Evening Post" Of the 39 features censored in Germany in March, 1930, 22 were German made and 17 foreign (6 came from America). Along The Rialto with Phil M. Daly THEY PUT some extra jazz into a recent big feature which was not in the script and it was not discovered until the print reached the home office in New York at the first private showing to the officials in the projection room a gent let out a holler as the big expensive ballet scene flashed on the screen "Didja see what I seen?" he gasped they hadn't, so the ballet scene was run over again "Watch the third gal from the left," sez the gent who hollered so they watched the little ballet cutie as she bent over backwards then they all hollered doggone it if the gal hadn't forgotten to wear her — er — panties so the expensive scene had to be shot all over again at the studio and that's why, fellow citizens, there was a slight confusion and merryell at the studio, and the home office officials ran around in circles with the premiere all set for a big Broadway theater now the original stills showing the pantless cutie are selling at a premium. AND THERE was another expensive feature that had to be practically remade because they discovered after it was completed that a platoon of Austrian soldiers used throughout the scenes were dressed in Polish uniforms Roxy took his radio gang to Harrisburg, Pa., to provide the entertainment at a benefit given by the Zembo Temple of Shriners Louise Bave, the "nightingale" of Major Bowes' Capitol Family, will sing the mad scene from Ambrose Thomas' "Hamlet" on the N. B. C. broadcast Sunday eve here is a great treat for music lovers, with solos by Westell Gordon, Hannah Klein and Waldo Mayo * * * * gIG OPPORTUNITY for you film golf hounds: Fox Movief/M-io Mo,t>o Mim>nt issue shows Bobbie Jones leading the Victor Heerman, who is now put ?ich England Bobbie put ting the finishing touches on Animal Crackers," at the Paramount New York studios, also directed one f of the musical sequences in "Paramount on Parade," recently. wich and Doug Fairbanks it on Director Roy Mack gave Drusilla Strain a break in one of his recent shorts. The lovely chorine from "Fifty Million Frenchmen" had been just one of the hoofers in a number vacation time is over. * * * he Motion Picture Service Co., ormous lighting equipment plant as you recall, is the big arco into these Broadway openings >ut at the Lincoln hotel for the ^ork in peace on the Columbia ,vork at the main office JOHN EBERSON, who has had something to do with building theaters around the country, claims that Amos 'n' Andy's catch-line "Check and double-check," is just a variation on his own: "Construct and reconstruct" now some wide-screen boy will be telling us that it is "Film and double-film" Claire Braune, sec to John J. Kemp, suggested an idea to her boss that resulted in his writing a big insurance policy on a Broadway celeb and it is one of those money ideas that can be adapted to a dozen other big prospects so do you wonder that the boss told Claire to go to Hollywood and take a little vacashun for herself? Elvie Hitchings, radio charmer doing her stuff on WPCH every Monday at 3:50, and putting the society debs over on WGBS on Tuesdays, should get a lotta votes from the press agents in that "Daily Mirror" popularity contest how about it, fellers? * * * * W/HAT LOOKS like the greatest lineup of celebrated song pluggers is in back of the Red Star Music Company's list, putting over the song numbers on Fox pictures just look at 'em — John McCormack, Miciael Bartlett, J. Harold Murray, Don Jose Mojica, Marjorie Whi pering" Jack Smith that' peddlers are singing "Nothing Is * * AS WELCOME as a Florid, fornia TJniej IjumeruiiuJiV ' Ten years with Christy Cabanne. Lately with Warner Vltaphone International Photographer*, Local 644 233 W. 42nd St.. Tel. WUconatn 3465 EXPLOITETTES A Clearing House for Tabloid Exploitation Ideas — €)— Stock Quotation Gag for "Caught Short" JNTERESTING contest was placed with the Manchester "Union," by E. J. Caron, of the State, Manchester, N. II. This puzzle showed a stock quotation board with the names of the stock listed incorrectly. Contestants were requested to reconstruct the names correctly and send it in to the editor. This puzzle was placed on the financial page, and tickets for "Caught Short" were given as prizes to the readers sending in the correct solutions. — M-G-M * * * Telegram Invitations for "Disraeli" QURIXG the run of "Disraeli" at the Masque theater, Newark, X. J., Postal Telegraph gave the advertising office a telegram dated Hollywood, and signed by John Barrymore, thanking Manager Bob l'askow for an invitation to the show. With the telegram they sent 10,000 blanks, upon which the advertising office had exact facsimile messages printed. The printed messages were returned to Postal Telegraph. Throughout that week at the rate of 800 a day, the messages were sent out with the I'ostal Telegraph's own hoys along with legitimate dispatches. The John Barrymore telegram was enclosed in a regular telegraph envelope. — Warners MANY HAPPY RETURNS aesi wiMics ana congratui* cions are extended by THF FILM DAILY to the follow ng members of the industry who are celebrating their birthdays: May 31— June 1 Tathryn Williams ^nn Christy Emmett King Hal Skelly Fred Allen Phil Armand Clive Brook