Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929)

October 5 , 19 29 1197 HOLLYWO OD WALTER R. GREENE Western Representative Hollywood Office: Mezzanine Floor, Hotel Roosevelt Phone Granite 2143 gllll!llll![||lll]iaili:ill!IUIIII|]l!l!l!!llllllllllll!lilll[|llllll | Talk In Hollywood By Walter R. Greene Illll!!llllllll!!ll!nil!!llllllllllllll!lllllllll!llllll!llll[I!IIIIIIDI!!lllllll!!lllllllllllllllillllllllll!:illllllllllllli WITH Van and Sehenek starring in a talker at M-G-M studios, the latter organization is seething with baseball activity. Both vaudeville stars are rabid baseball players — and the same goes for Buster Keaton and his director, Edward Sedgewick. At present, both factions are preparing for a series of contests on the field adjoining the lot, and plenty of dough is being put up by followers of each side. The Van-Schenck team has in its lineup Mike Donlin, former Giant idol; Jim Thorpe, Indian athlete; and Tilly Shaefer, formerly of the Giants. THIRST NATIONAL has founded a vocal * academy for the benefit of stars and players under contract to the organization. Alexander Gray, musical comedy leading man and contract player with First National, has installed a music studio in his dressing suite, and is donating his services as a courtesy to the company and to those who desire vocal training for the various talker and musical production assignments. Gray has had previous voice coaching experience on the stage. VyHETHER or not it was a deliberate * " publicity plant, the fact remains that M-G-M secured great exploitation when the University of Southern California band of 125 pieces played "Singing In The Rain" between periods last Saturday at the football game staged at the Coliseum. A crowd of about 50,000 were present. If memory is correct, the U. S. C. band never played a popular melody during the Coliseum football games for the past four years, heretofore confining their selections to college songs and marching numbers. T ARRY DARMOUR, producing Darmour*-* R-K-0 comedies for R-K-0 release, is reported planning a revue at the end of his present production season which will include all of his comedians and players that have appeared in his several series of comedies during the current year. The revue would run about six reels, with release through R-K-O. A FRIEND of a well known film star is *» still trying to figure out just what was meant when a 'phone call to the star's home last Friday received the reply, "I'm sorry, he's at the studio working, and won't be home until Monday." (Continued on page 1199) Betty Compson, who is easily one of the busiest actresses in films at the present time, exhibits an elaborate goivn which she tvears in the Tiffany-StahLGainsborough production. *'Woman to Woman." Sono Art Lining Up 25 Pictures; Deal On With Roland (Hollywood Bureau. Motion Picture News) Hollywood, Oct. 3. — George W. Weeks, 0. E. Goebel and Joe Skirboll are here lining up a Sono Art production schedule of 25 pictures. Reginald Denny will appear in four, Eddie Dowling in three, besides others. James Cruze will personally direct two, and will deliver six more, personally supervised by him. Additionally, Sono Art is negotiating with Ruth Roland for a series of starring talkies and musicals. The deal will probably be signed this week. Ceballos-Haskell To Make 26 Short Vitaphone Revues A series of 26 one-reel Vitaphone revues, to be filmed entirely in Technicolor under the co-direction of Larry Ceballos and Jack Haskell, is the latest announcement of short subject product to come from Warner Bros. They will be made at the West Coast studio during coming season. La Rocque's Next For Radio "Strictly Business," Wallace Smith's recent magazine story, will be Rod La Rocque's next Radio Picture vehicle. Hollywood Melody Makers ^IIIU!l!ll!llllll!lllllll!li!lllllllll!l!lll[|||llll!ll!!ni!lllll!llll!!lllllllllll!!l!llll!lll IT ARRY TIERNEY, well known com* * poser of operettas and musical comedies, is creating the melodies for R-K-0 's "Dixiana, " an original filmusical operetta which will star Bebe Daniels. TACK KING composed "Paramount on " Parade," which will be used in the forthcoming Paramount filmusical revue. The melody has been selected as the theme song for all of the producing company's national broadcasting programs for the coming months. TT'ODR new songs have been added to •*■ Warner Brothers Vitaphone operetta, "The Golden Dawn." Grant Clarke and Harry Akst wrote the new melodies which have been named: "My Heart's Love Call," "Africa Smiles No More," "Mooda's Song," and "In a Jungle Bungalow." The first will be sung by Walter Woolf ; the second by Alice Gentle; the third is a duet for Miss Gentle and Vivienne Segal, and the fourth is a comedy number for Lupino Lane. OIX original song numbers have been in^ eluded in the Van and Sehenek production for M-G-M, "Take It Big." The new songs, written by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, are "Ain't You Baby?", "Does My Baby?," "Harlem Madness," "He's That Kind of a Pal," "Me and My Buddy," and "There Will Never Be Another Mary." Vy FRANKE HARLING, recent musi' ' ' j eal director of Paramount 's Eastern studios, has arrived in Hollywood to join the musical statf of the company's Coast studios. Harling's initial assignment will be an original operetta to be produced early next year by Paramount. IT is reported that one of the major pro1 ducing companies has offered George Gershwin $150,000 to compose an original musical operetta for a well known film star. No information can be obtained as to whether or not the composer will accept tlic proposition. VTACIO HERB BROWN and ARTHUR *■ ' FREED will compose the music and lyrics for Ramon Novarro's next M-G-M production, "The House of Troy." It is understood the story is similar to "The Student Prince," but having a Spanish locale instead of Austrian as in the original. (Continued on page 1199)