Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

60 MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 11, 19 3 1 CN THE DCTTED LINE,.. Columbia Richard Cromwell in "Fifty Fathoms Deep" . . . Mae Clark, R. William Neill, director, "Good Bad Girl" . . . Barbara Stanwyck, Charles Middleton, Russell Hopton, Frank Capra, directoF, "Bless You Sister" . . . Lillian Worth, Nina Quarto, Loretta Sayers, Paul Fix, Robert Ellis, Harlan E. Knight, Tom Bay, Louis King, director, "Red River Rogues" . . . Walter Miller, Ashley Buck, Lloyd Hughes, Marcelin'.Day, Emerson Treacy, Wheeler Oakman, William O'Brien, Ed Le Saint^ Christie Cabanne, director, "The Sky Patrol" . . . Edgar Nortoii, A. Leslie Pierce, director, "Meet the Wife." . . . Fox Linda Watkins, long-term contract . . . Cecelia Parker, long-term contract and in "Young Sinners" . . . Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracv , Warren Hymer, Benjamin Stoloff, director, "Blondie" . . . Joan Bennett, C. Henry GordonSidney Lanfield, director, "Hush Money" . , . Sheila Manners in "Daddy Long Legs" . . . M-G-M Greta Garbo, Jean Hersholt, King Vidor, director, "Susan Lenox, Her Fall and Rise" . . . Alfred Lunt, Lynne Fontaine, contract for one picture . . . Ruth Selwyn in "Five and Ten" . . . Ramon Novarro, Jacques Feyder, director, "Thi Son of the Rajah" . . . Tod Browning, new directorial contract . . . Neil Hamilton, Hobart Bosworth in "Girls Together." . . . Paramount Samson Raphaelson, adaptation of new Chatterton vehicle . . . Mitzi Green, Edna Ma\ Oliver, Louise Fazenda, Jackie Searl, Juliettj Compton, Norman Taurog, director, "Queen oi Hollywood" . . . Otis Sheridan in "Scarlet Hours" . . . Dolores Del Rio, Edward Sloman, director, "The Rose of the Rancho." . . . Radio Gregory LaCava, William Seiter, directorial contracts . . . Don Alvarado in "The Next Corner" . . . Lily Damita, Vic Schertzinger. director, Jane Murfin, adaptation, "The Sphinx Has Spoken" . . . Pauline Garon, Emile Chautard, Janne Hebblmg, Geymon Vital, Georgette Rhodes, Eva Grippon, Suzanna Hugo, Audre Columbet, Yvonne Darcy, Henri de la Falaise, director, "The Woman Between" (French) . . . Nicholas Soussanin, Robert Keith, Mary Astor, Ricardo Cortez, Kitty Kelly, Jack Holt, Arline Judge, Lita Chevret, Sidney Toler, Helen Fairweather, Jerry Storm, Lex Linsey, Pat Caron in "White Shoulders." . . . RKO Pa+he Marie Astaire, Hooper Atchley, Wade Boteler, Michael Viscaroff, Walter Long, Brooks Benedict, Harry Frazer, director, "Night Class" . . . Hedda Hopper in "Common Law" . . . Russell Gleason in "Beyond Victory." . . . United Artists Lily Damita, new contract, three more years . . . Sidney Franklin, director, "The Unholy Garden" . . . William Collier, Jr., in "Street Scene" . . . Betty Grable, contract. . . . Universal Rose Hobart, Charles Bickford in "White Captive" . . . Walter Huston, Genevieve Tobin in "Boulevard" . . . Bela Lugosi, long-term contract and in "Frankenstein." . . . Warner-First National Evelyn Knapp in "Side Show" . . . Bebe Daniels, Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges, Una Merkel, Robert Elliott. Thelma Todd, James Ashmore Creelman, adaptation, "The Honor of the Family" . . . Constance Bennett. Ben Lyon, Charles Kenyon and Raymond Griffith, adaptation, Archie Mayo, director, "The Dangerous Set" . . . Bert Roach, John Adolfi, director. "We Three" . . . Ona Munson, Mervyn LeRoy, director, "Five Star Final." . . . Mannon in From Hollywood To Confer on Shorts Group Alfred T. Mannon, producer of Tiffany's "Voice of Hollywood" series, is in New York to confer with Grant L. Cook on future shorts. Mannon will produce a series of one-reel football subjects, to be released by TifYany as "Pigskin Problems," featuring Howard Jones, coach of the University of Southern Gal. Production will be at Tec Art, Hollywood, of which Mannon is president. Asks Cheaper Multi-Linguals To Save Foreign Film Trade Hollywood — Roy J. Pomeroy, director and technical expert, who predicted correctly the method of making multi-linguals would be abandoned as unprofitable, believes this country may lose out in the foreign market unless cheaper multi-linguals are made. Foreign versions are a technical problem, according to Pomeroy, and should be left to that branch of the industry. O'Brien Back From Orient; Will Do Another Westerr. Hollywood (QP) — Following a several months' tour of the Orient, George O'Brien, Fox star, will dock either in San Francisco or Los Angeles within the ne.xt few days. He is accompanied by his director, John Ford. He immediately will start work on another Western, "Riders of the Purple Sage," with Edmund Grainger as associate producer. Originals Will Be Story Source, Says Miss Brown Hollywood — Most of the story material must come from original sources for the coming year, says Katherine Brown, story chief at Radio's home office. The material must be constructed to fit stars, she holds. Miss Brown is here for the final selection of stories for 1931-32 program. Story for Wheeler, Woolsey Hollywood — Douglas MacLean, Radio associate producer, has done an original for Wheeler and Woolsey, titled "Full of Notions." ree New Tiffanv Westerns Hollywood — "The Two Gun Man," "Alias the Bad Man" and "The Arizonian" are three coming Ken Maynard Westerns for Tiffany. Rugqies Will Make Short Charlie Ruggles, Paramount comedian, will make a short, "A Friend in Need," at the Eastern studio. Ursula Parrott to Coast Hollywood (QP) — Ursula Parrott is due soon for conference on "Love Goes Past," her novel which United Artists will film. Lawson Doing Radio Play John Howard Lawson, Radio writer, is in New York doing a third play for the company. HARD LUCK There was news in the fact that "Dirigible," Columbia's special, opened at Grauman's Chinese theatre April 7 with a great deal of fanfare and hullaballoo, but there was a human interest story behind the opening which probably won't be told. This story concerns the hard luck and the good luck of one LieutenantCommander F'rank W. Wead, one of the first naval air pilots, wartime flier, writer, and exinvalid. Wead flew all kinds of airplanes with amazing luck. He flew them all kinds of ways. He cracked up with amazing frequency. The Navy wore out wreck sirens and ambulances for no good reason, for Mr. Wead — I should say Pilot Wead — always came up smiling. His flying ability was the toast of the San Diego air base and his ability to get out of all kinds of air scrapes was the subject of frequent comment. That was good luck. Then, one day, he slipped and fell off the bottom step of a whole flight of steps and broke his back. Nothing could have been worse luck. But, in spite of his injury, which placed him on his back for months, he refused to give up fighting. He swore that they couldn't down Pilot Wead, and that was that. Reading and writing were his only diversions. AUTHOR He started penning fiction, and sold several stories to pulpwood adventure magazines. At about this time — the spring of 1928 — a certain writer from M-G-M went to the naval air base in quest of data to be used in connection with that highly successful air picture, "The Flying Fleet." "Go over to the hospital and see Wead," was the advice given him on all sides. He went. He talked with Wead and recognized a "motion picture mind" at the outset. He dashed back to Culver City, and begged Irving Thalberg to hire Wead as technical adviser. "Not a chance," said Thalberg at first. "But you don't want the public picking flaws in your story," the writer urged. "You want it technically correct if it's to be a good picture." Thalberg finally was won over. The writer returned to San Diego and broke the news to Wead. On crutches, Wead came to Los Angeles. He has been here ever since. He went on the M-G-M payroll at $200 a week. Now, he gets several times this sum for his work. Whenever a bang-up naval, aviation or sea picture shows up, it's a pretty good bet that Lieutenant-Comrnander Frank W. Wead had a hand in it. His latest is "Dirigible." It has been heralded by critics as an exceptionally fine and a very unusual picture. "The Flying Fleet" was called one of the best of the air pictures. "Shipmates," a naval story without airplanes, starring Robert Montgomery, afco is partly his work. IMPROVING Wead's physical condition is constantly improving. He's having a lot of fun. So, we have not only an interesting story about an interesting man but a lesson in the old "Never Say Die" philosophy. The opening of "Dirigible" at the Chinese theatre was a tribute not only to Columbia Pictures, to Harry Cohn, to Frank Capra, the director, and to the players, but to LieutenantCommander Wead. In closing, an interesting item about the picture. It was shot so painstakingly and worked on with such thoroughness, that when it was finished it was 125,000 feet long. Many previews were necessary to get it down to program length. On the first run, the showing consumed an entire day and studio executives were given time out for luncheon and supper. —CHURCHILL