Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 1, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 75 Production Tips, Kinks and Wrinkles barn-door track borrowed from a local hardware store). Or, the warehouse can be a leg drop and the door hung on ropes to fly. The latter is the simpler way to build this part of the set. The door may be framed and covered with muslin or paper, or a stretch with a hanging a bottom batten, or several old flats nailed together and repainted. A practical boat, if obtainable, will lend a touch of atmosphere to the setting. However, a painted profile will do, should it be found impractical to use or impossible to secure a real boat. The cases, boxes and barrels are usually easily obtained. In seaports fishing nets may, no doubt, be borrowed from some supply house. As a substitute use a number of tennis nets. SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THE MECHANICAL EFFECT Figure 3 shows in detail how the traveling steamboat effect is achieved. Nail together the pieces CC and B to form a trough of same length as the water row. The trough is supported at the desired height by the legs A. The legs also support the town and lighthouse cutouts G, as well as the water row L, which slants from the dock and boats F to the wharf row J. The light-hood H is attached to back of G. The steamboat E is attached to the base D. The base fits rather loosely in the trough and is pulled through by means of a cord K. A cord may also be fastened to the opposite end of base and used in pulling the boat back to starting point. A small rubber tube, attached to the pull cord, run along the base and up the back of funnel, carries the smoke to funnel. A small flasher or flash plug operates the light in the light house. PAINTING The distant mills, warehouse and lighthouse get white, with shading in gray and black. The water is blue-gray with a rather vague suggestion of reflections of the mills. The reflections and dark gray and green vertical wave lines camouflage the slit through which the boat travels. The wharf timbers, piling and interior of warehouse is done in the gray of weathered, unpainted wood. The steamboat is white and light gray with red band on funnel. How’s Your Inferiority Complex This Fine Day (Continued from page 20) all their varied forms, must be the lungs, liver and lights. Experts presumably must be in charge of both. “Nine times in ten the ‘inferiority complex’ of the chief executive will keep him from operating on the heart — it’s too dangerous. But with even less expert knowledge of the subject, he will not hesitate to cut and slash the other parts on the slightest excuse, until his basic and saving sense of showmanship finally comes to the rescue, which is often too late to save that particular picture or series from a flop. “The consequence is that he compels his advertising and publicity men to develop an ‘inferiority complex’ all their own, for they dare not know more about their own specialty than their boss. “So it goes all down the line, until the industry, as a whole, has developed an ‘inferiority complex’ that hurts. The Banker and the State Righter rose from the table. “My ‘inferiority complex’ tells me,” said the latter significantly, “that yours is working overtime today.” The Critic shoved back his chair and withdrew his well chewed cigar from his mouth. “Quite interesting, Oldtimer,” he drawled patronizingly, “but not wholly correct. We critics, for example, cannot be said to have an ‘inferiority complex.’ ” The Oldtimer grinned for the first time,, and glanced around the now half empty room. “The hell you can’t,” he said. “Wait till your city editor learns from the business office that the Paramet advertising is cancelled because of that fool review you wrote last week, and you'll develop one, I’ll bet.” And taking their “complexes” with them they repaired to the lobby. Carl Laemmle Buys Drama To Picturize Screen rights for “We Americans,” the stage success now playing to capacity houses in ihe Julian Eltinge Theatres, New York City, have been purchased by Universal. It will be made as a feature for the 1927-28 season and probably will have George Lewis, of “His People” and “The Collegians” fame, in the starring role. Bidding Spirited Carl Laemmle’s acquisition of this property is a definite feather in Universal’s cap. There was spirited bidding on the part of several film companies for the screen rights of this piece and it is understood that the Laeinrnle organization came out on top only after offering a very stiff price. The film of this play, a dramatic story of second generation immigrants and their Americanization, in comparison v/ith that of ther parents is in line with the recently instituted efforts of Will H. Hays by which it is hoped to aid in the American ization of immigrants by moton pictures. “Nobody’s Widow’’ IN the De Mille P. D. C. *■ picture “Nobody’s Window,” Leatrice Joy, Charles Ray, Phyllis Haven and Donald Crisp certainly don’t appear to be sad about any husband’s death, so everything turns put all right. The scene above might well be that of a little New Year’s dinner, even to the popping cork and the merry laughter.