Picture Play Magazine (Mar-Jul 1929)

58 VOICE trainers are the latest acquisition of the stars. Norma Talmadge has been among the first to adopt one and frankly admit it. Her instructor is Laura Hope Crews, the stage actress. Wherever Norma goes, Miss Crews is sure to be with her. She is making numerous preliminary suggestions to Miss Talmadge about how best to enunciate her syllables m "Smilin' Through," which is to be remade as a talking film. Norma just had to be in the big procession. She wanted to do "Romeo and Juliet" as a starter, but the powers-that-be forbade it, we heard, and rather than make "The Sign on the Door," which would be like a half dozen other talkies that are now being produced, she chose "Smilin' Through" as a happy compromise. It was, in the silent version, one of her very best successes. Rehearsing in Secret Many of the stars are taking vocal lessons, but they are keeping it a secret. For some reason or other they don't want the world to know that they haven't trained voices. It is really a silly attitude, since how could they expect to be gifted with great oral endowments, with all their years devoted to nothing but silent acting? The principal worry now for a star seems to be whether he or she has singing talents, so many pictures are incorporating" musical numbers. In some cases the voices are being cleverly doubled for songs. Against Small Bungalows Those two virtuosos of colored dialect, Moran and Mack, are now adding luster to filmdom. They are said to be drawing a salary for a single picture amounting to $200,000 from Paramount. You know them, of course, as the "Two Black Crows graph, and vaudeville fame. When they came to Hollywood they immediately set about getting homes for themselves. "And tell those real-estaters," they said, "that just because we're called the 'Two Black Crows,' we're not looking for bird houses." This joke drew the big laugh that their stardom demands, of course. Insects Becoming Audible? One of the largest sets in Maurice Chevalier's first talking picture, "Innocents of Paris," was called the Flea Market, supposed to represent a certain rather sordid district in Paris. The film was made with sound, and because of the size of the scene forty microphones were required. "One for every flea," explained Richard Wallace, who was directing the picture. M K M B t * «■ V "Say it with cake!" seems to be the slogan of Jack Conway, director, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Rod La Rocque, who presented the confection to Joan Crawford to celebrate her elevation to stardom in "Our Modern Maidens." of radio, phono Bits of news and gossip from the glittering social and professional world of the studios. Ruth as Tragic Mother Ruth Chatterton drew the "Madame X" plum at Metro-Goldwyn. She plays the mother role that Pauline Frederick made famous several seasons ago. "Madame X" should be great in the talking version, especially with Miss Chatterton, who has already won high honors by her work in "The Doctor's Secret." She has one of the most attractive voices yet heard, and besides, a restraint in her acting that is charming. ," Raymond Hackett, who was borrowed from the stage to do the heroine's brother in "The Trial of Mary Dugan," has been elected to play the son, the role that Cass on Ferguson did in the original version. Baby Stars Dismayed All dressed up and no; place to go probably describes the plight of the Wampas baby stars. The reason is that the ball at which they were expected to make their debut was called off suddenly and unexpectedly. The Wampas, the organization of studio press agents, asserted that they could not make a success of the affair owing to the heavy demands made -by certain civic charities. The Wampas ball has been an institution for five or six seasons. The big feature is the introduction of the girls picked for fame by the organization. They take a bow and receive the often lackadaisical applause of the audience. The last few years a silver cup has been awarded to the girl who made the most progress in her career during the two years following her selection. This year the Wampas will probably give a dinner in honor of their chosen favorites for celebrity, but the girls were disappointed because they lacked the chance to appear at the bigger function. Epic of the Boudoir What will the well-dressed flapper wear? Mostly, it seems, negligees. That is if we are to accept Clara Bow as the criterion of fashions for that genus of young womanhood. The list of costumes for Clara's picture, "The Wild Party," included ten changes, and of these, six were