Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday All letters to tbt Editor should be addressed c'o BOY'S CINEMA, Room 163, Tbe Fleetway House, Farringdon Stceet, London, E.C.4. " Danger Island." Captain Haiiy Dial<o, Kennctli Hailaii; Boiitiio Adams, Lucille Browne; Doctor Adams, Torn Rickotts: Ben Arnold, Walter Miller; Bull Black. W. L. Thorne; Arlene Chandos, Beulah Hutton ; Brincy, Andy Devinc ; Lascaru Ucorgs Regan; Ccbu, Everett Brown. "cTha Oueet House." .lini Weston, Rex Lease; fjelen Sutter, Doiotliy (julliver; Frank Suttei-. .lay Hunt; Harry Winslovv, Han'_\ Woods; Ben, Harry Todd. " The Lady from Nowhere." John Conroy. John Holland; iSIanon Dale, Alice Day; Bartstow, I'liillip, SmalJey; Rigo, AJisclia Auer; ?*liilie, 15arliara ]3edford; Jones, James Burtis; Colonel >Sno\vden, Lafo McKoc; ^J'ln' ('liicl', Ray Lu)'gay. A Little Child Taught Him. It seems iniproliable that one could capitalise on what might be learned from a two-year-old baby. But it's iwi- siblo. Stan Laurel, the undersized partner of Oliver Hardy, admits he has learned much from babies. And he makes money with the knowledge. Famous, among other things, for his "cry-baby face," Stan frankly admits having learned it from a crying babe. "Making funny faces is an art in itself, when they are used in the spas- modic business of making a motion pic- ture," said the comedian. ''It's easy enough to make a funny face once or twice for the anuiseniont of friends, but when it comes to making the same face over a dozen tmics before a camera, you have to start studying the actual busi- ness of making the face to nuiko it iippcxir natural. "It took mo several months to get even a semblance of a ' cry-baby ' face. I used to stand before a mirror, close my eyes a little, pucker up my mouth and try to look like a stiualling bal)y. Believe me, it was anything but fiuuiy trying to get it down pat. "The first three or four weeks I worked on it the muscles in my jaws were so sore I had to use liniment on them when I ate my meals. I tried holding a baby before the mirror with me, but I guess my efforts to cry made the baby laugh, for I got very little hel|) from the youngster when he feaw me working. "I used to watch a haby cry and thi-n try to get the same expression on my own face. It might entertain mo\ ic audiences now, bul when I pull a ' cry baby ' face around home my daughter embarrasses me. She makes a belicr ono than I do with all the rehearsing I've done, and she's only three jcars old !" King of Stunt Artists to Star for Radio Pictures. Aft<'r having ' tloiibled " for the star of a him drama a hundred tinu'S, one of Hollywood's unphotographcd heroes November 28t1i, 1981. NEXT WEEK'S COMPLETE FILM STORIES. WALLACE BEERY — IN " THE SECRET SIX." Tony Scorpio started as a stockyards slaughterer, then won his way, by a sii^ister trail of gun-play, till be bad a town at bis mercy. Then came the Secret Six, grimly resolved to crush bim. " WILD HORSE." Two kinds of outlaw—a wild stallion and a ruthless bad man—both ridden to a finish —conquered by a daredevil and reckless cowpuDcher. Starring Hoot Gibson and Alberta Vaughn. also The second episode of our gripping new serial-drama of treasure guarded by a itribe of fierce cannibals : " DANGER ISLAND." Tell all your friends about this amazing new story. is at last to i-eceivo due recognition. Dick Grace, a frail little man with a quiet, nervous manner, the last survivor of the famois Squadron of Death Club, formed in Hollywood l)y stunt Hyeis, is now to star in his own story, " The Lost Squadron," based upon his hair-breadth escapes. 'j'his will bo made by Radio Pictiires. with Paul Sloanc directing, aiul Kric von Stroh( im playing in support of Dick G race. When he makes this picture it will be the first o<<asion on which his face has been seen by the audience. .Although ho has crashed thirty-four aeroplanes before the camera, and broken sixty- eight bones in so doing, it has always been with his back to the lens, and the star got the credit. It was Grace who provided the thrills in "Wings." "Young Eagles," and "The Air Circus," whilst his dare-devil stunts in tho Colleen Moore picture. "Love Never Dies," was tho talk of Hollywood. Believing that Fate can be tempted' too many times, when he has finished "The Lost Squadron," Grace intends to retire. But before he does this he lias' to make tho most daring crash he lias ever attempted. ' When every other scene in " The Lost Squadron " has been finished to every- one's satisfaction, he will crash an aero- plane into the sea at 100 miles per hour. Realising that this is courting violent death, Grace had a special clause added to his contract with Radio I'ictures, This calls for a mobile operating theatre with surgeons ready on the spot to take care ot any emergency operation neces- sary, and for .special police to keep the ajea of tho crash free from spectators. "The Lost Squadron " being the swan .song of ono of Hollywood's greatest dare-devils, and dealing with the game he knows so well, will undoubtedly prove one of the most thrilling air spec- tacles ever ottered by the screen. In addition to this, it will bring before tho public one who has for many years "taken all the kicks and collected aught but little of the ha'pence." Director of Horticulture. During the making of Richard Dix's latest Radio picture, "Secret Service," a new Hollywood ijrofession was dis- covered. A Japanese horticulturist supplied the studio, at a few hours' notice, with a complete garden stocked with flowers popular in tho Southern States of America seventy years ago, at the time of the American Civil War. Jimmy Evergreen, as he is called— his own name being unpronouncable— through his own knowledge and the work of his own research department, has managed to cultivate over 10,000 flowers and plants not indigenous to tho country, and consequently does an ex- ceptional amount of business with Hollywood producer.s, supplying land- .scapcs for pictures staged outside America. "Secret Service" is a .story of the American Civil War, and Jimmy Ever- green helped considerably to bring to the screen tho atmo.sphere of the period. Movie Stars in Training. More than a dozen former pugilists and athletes are now making goodly incomes training the male stars of Hollywood. One of the most suocessful of these is Xate Slott, who was a champion boxer in Chicago arenas ten years ago. Ha trained Richard Bartheli'icss for his fight in "The Patent Leatlier Kid," and made a real boxer out of the star within two months. Now he is once more employed in keeping this famous star fit. Barthelmess, however, is not tho only riiiema star he has under his wing. There are others, feminine as well as masculine. Dorothy Mackaill has trained with Slott; James Cagney has taken box.ing lessons with him; Warner (Continued on page 28.) I