Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

20 AN UNEXPECTED BATH n Bing Crosby and Bob Hope took an un- expected bath the other day. Co-starring in Parainount's "The Road to Singapore." the pair were suppcsed to scull a dugout across the lake in a native island setting at Lake Baldwin in Santa Anita. Everything went well until Bob attempted to change his position. That proved fatal. The tipsy craft rolled over. Bob and Bing landed in two feet of weter end ten feet of soft mud. The cameras continued to grind and Direc- tor Victor Schertzinger declares he will use the scene, although another one was taken after the two stars changed clothes This time Bob sat still and the craft crossed the lake safely. THE MISFORTUNES OF MARTHA Tlie other day a tree fell on Martha Raye. It was just another addition to the thousands of things ihat have happened to the comedy star during her fl!m career. The previous day she fell in a well. The week before she tumbled off a ladder. An apple fell out of a tree and hit her on the head. A church in which she was singing burned down. She doe.s an amateur stege show and the roof blows off the building. And she fell downstairs. All these things happen in her latest starring picture at Paramount, "The Farmer's Daughter." The tree-fallinp episode came during a sequence m which she performs in the theatrical production. Richard DenninK leaned against a "prop" palm-tree. It tumbled Martha was right beneath it and made a perfect forward-pass catch of the arboreal "prop." " If I get through with this one without breaking my neck, I'm going to take the pledge.' Martha ruefully remarked. FIFTY-SIX SETS USED IN NEW GABLE-CRAWFORD FILM Construciion crews built a replica of a Guiana prison yard on Metro-Goldwvn- Mayer's " sixty acres " south of the studio, the first of the fifty-six sets to be used in the BOY'S CINEMA Clark Gable-Joan Crawford starring vehicle. " Not Too Narrow, Not Too Deep," now under way. The prison setting includes exteriors of hospital, kitchen and dormitory buildings, the outer gate and street. Under the super- vision of Associate Art Director Dan Cath- cart, the dock tank on the studio's lot one has been remodelled to reproduce a dock and streets in Port of Spain, Trinidad. A second wharf is also being constructed as part of the penal colony Interior sets include a cheap cafe, fisherman .- shack, the prison hospital rooms and dormitory. DIFFICULT PROBLEM INGENI- OUSLY SOLVED Every Tuesday other screen successes, has been signed hv RKO Radio Pictures to co-star with Gintter Rogers in the coming production of " The Primrose Path." Simultaneously, it was announced that Marjorie Rambeau, brilliant character actress an J former star of silent films, will play a featured role in the new picture. Miss Ram- beau recently appeared in "Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence " and "The Rains Came." Gregory La Cava will produce and direct "The Primrose Path." His most recent pic- ture for RKO Radio was "Fifth Avenue Girl," while" he was al.so responsible for "Stage Door" and "My Man Godfrey." After several days of experimentation, a difTicult problem of recording dialogue has been solved. The problem was a new one in the record- ing of dialogue It was the proportion and balance in the voices of Gulliver and the Lilli- putians in "Gulliver's Travels." Gulliver stands over six feet and the Lilli- pufians only stand about six inches. Conse- quently, there had to be a variation in depth and power of the voices to give the illusion of a ^lant talking when compared with the diminutive people. The experimentation required several days At first, Dave Fleischer, director of the pic- ture, attempted to capture the illusion by stationing persons voicing the roles of ihe Lilliputians farther from tne microphone than Sam Parker, who voices the role of Gullivor. The sensitiveness oi the microphones, how- ever, precluded solving the problem in this manner. Finally. Parker was stationed behind the microphone and close to it, while the others were stationed in front and about five feet away. By amplifying the power when Parker was talking, tne microohone picked up just the proper amount of distortion and volume to give a pleasant, deep voice to Gulliver. Diminishing the power for the Lilliputia.ns provided the proper contrast. JOEL McCREA CO-STARRED WITH GINGER ROGERS < IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT— Joel McCrea, star of "Cnion Pacific." Wells Fargo," "Dead End," and numerous E^rle Hodgins, poitrnying the fake medicine man in "The J<Cedicine Show," starring Wil- liam Boyd, began his career as a medicine show wagon entertainer at 16. Captain C. B. Brennan, aged 92, who was appointed a pony express rider by Abraham Lincoln, served as a scout with Custer, helped to write the Colorado State Constitution, and became the first United States Congressman from Denver, served as technical adviser on an Indian battle scene for "Geronimo," featur- ing Preston Foster, Ellen Drew, Andy Devine and William Henry. For the first time for many pictures, Akim Tamiroff, man of a million make-ups, playi a straight role in the Technicolor epic of the northwoods, "Untamed." Although Dorothy Lamour gets away from her sarong in Paramont's adaption of Lloyd C. Douglas' best seller, "Disputed Passage," she still appears in glamorous oriental garb. Her costumes in the picture are all beautiful brocaded Chinese gowns. Jackie Cooper, appearing in the film ver- sion of Booth Tarkington's "Seventeen," declares he likes the role in it because it is so natural and human The young actor says he has never played a part he enjoyed as much. Robert Paige has been either policeman or convict in every one of his eiorht Holly- wood pictures. He plays a member of the police department emergency squad in "Emergency Squad." which also feature! William Henry and Louise Campbell. The sensa'.iouai adventures ot a daring Secret Service agent ID his efforts to avenge the murder oi a colleagae and to bring to justice the bead o! a gang of spies. In the Columbia picture from wbicb this swift drama is adapted Ralpb Bellamy Us starred with Fay Wray EX-CHAMP When Gunner Grey became too old to box, he did the next best thing—be taught a youngster all he knew about the game, and lived bis struggles all over again. A human story of the fight racket based on the Universal film, which 'tars V'ctor MoLaglen as Gunner Grey OREGON TRAIL Don't miss the next exciting episode of this grand Universal serial—Johnny Mack Brown i3 the star i'rinted in EnRlaiid .ind puljlislied evcrv Tuestlay by tlie I'loprii'tors, Thk Am.u.c.vmati;]) I'khss. 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