Boy's Cinema (1935-39)

Every Tuesday Swimming is Stilt Johnny Weissmullar's Favourite Hobby Johnny Wcissnniller iniiy h.ivo pivon ifp' oxiiihitioii swimming for his role <ns int Tarzan of fho scroen, hut lie has 'IV^ver giviMi up his loyalty to the spoil.. ';^c<>ordiiigly, whoii not before the cainora ■6l-'on a pcisonal appearance tour, he is (o be found doing regular duty as a lifeguard on the boacli at Santa Mo'i'ca. Vic has an official badge and regular ho\ns of duty, ju.st as the men who earn Iheii' living in the service. , ile has made several rescues. One was a hoy. Johnny brought him in, un- conscious. Restoratives wore applied. The boy looked up into Johnny's face. "Tarzaii!" he gasped, and promptly fainted again. Johnny's first, fame came when, prac- tising swimming one day, he and his brother rescued several people in an excursion steamer di.saster. Johnny was a sickly boy, and took to ■*wiinniing for his health. He improved, attracted attention in school teams, and wiis taken in hand by William Bach- iaih, coach at the Cliicago Athletic Club, who is still Johnny's mentor. His Olympic and other records, since ac- quired, are now sports history. !Many liO've never been broken. ' Chum " Makes the Grade ■■^Chum, filni-director Walter Forde's four-year-old wire-haired terrier, has at last become a screen actor himself; he will be seen in the Michael Balcoii film "Cheer Boys, Cheer," which his master is directing at the Ealing Studios. His part in the Him is the reward for four years of patient waiting at the back of the camera, for Chum has been Walter Forde's inseparable companion on the Stit. There have been, you may say, dog ^;tors before Chum, and his entry into ilistrionics may not—you may therefore vlaim—merit any undue attention; hut C'lium has made his entry into films jiewsworthy by being the first dog to write in his own pait in the script. There is a scene in "Cheer Boys, Cheor," on which the unit was working the other day and in which there is a col- lision between two cars. Five principals of the film are in this scene—Nova Pil- bcam. Jimmy O'Dea, Edmund Gweiin and that grand comedy team—Mooie BOY'S CINEMA Marriott and Graham MofTatt. The col- lision causes some commotion among tliein, and it was this commotion which (1mm found irresistible; before Walter Forde could reslrnin him ho rushed barking into the fray and pioceeded to bury his teeth cntluisiastically into the ample flesh of Cialiam .Moffatt, causing the stout lad to iirolest in no uncertain Icrms. Chum's entry, it was found when they screened the "rushes," lent great vigour to the scene, and it was decided to keep him in the film. D. W. Qriffith, Pioneer Film Director, Joins Hal Roach Dftvid Wark Gridilh, pioneer Holly- wood director and producer, who re- tired from pictures about eight years ago, is returning to active participa- tion in the industry by joining the Hal- Roach Studios in an advisory capacity. In addition, Mr. Uriflith will «ct as consultant on story material. Should the veteran <lircctor find a vehicle that strikes his particular fancy, ho may even direct it. he states. Inasmuch as the Roach productions arc distributed through United Artists, Griffith returns to a company (hat he himself helped to found in 1919 along with Charlie Cliaplin, Mary Pickford end Douglas Faiibanks. Griffit;h'3 best-known film is "The Birth of ft Nation," which is still being shown in many sections of the globe. He is also responsible for such screen classics as "Intolerance," "Hearts of the World," 'Broken Blos.soms," "Way Down East," and "Orphans of the Storm." Among the players Griffith helped to develop were Mary Pickford, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Blanche Sweet, JNIae Marsh, Richard Barthelmcss, Constance Talmadgc, Owen Moore and Alice Joyce. Sinco his last nicture, "The Struggle." made in 1931, Griffith lias been residing at his birthplace in Ken- tucky, where he has been working on his autobiography. Keeping Up the Props I Cliarlcs Ryan is a most harassed pro- perty man, for not only has he to live in the past, but must dip into the future to keep up with e progressive property box. Ryan, in charge of props for the 27 Hardy Family series, has lo prrforvo every essential article tli&t appeared in tlio first picture of the series more than two yeors ago. Ho also is re- quired to keep Iho various items which accumulate in each succcseivc picture, and the end is not in sight. i "There," said Ryan, pointing to a lingo mounted swordlish, "is a white elephant that came i.t one of the firgt. pictures. Over yonder "—he indicated a huge wall bookcase—"is tiie law library. Mv collection also includes an automobile from ' Love Find.s Andy Hardy.' " The Ryan prop box is augmented in I ho latest jiicturo of the scries, "The Hardys Ride High," by a largo iron frying pan, the first of its kind the family has ever owned. It represents the sole loot which Fay Holden gets out of an inheritance of a fortune that goes astray. "But they'll use that pan in the next picture, so I'll have to keep it," said Ryan. "It's like that with everything they use. Of course, we can and do duplicate some of the articles, but most of tiie familiar ones stay with us. The public has come to recognise them." £400,000 Film Prop The most valuable prop in the history of motion pictures will bo used in "Cliarlie Chan in the City of Dark- ness," if 20tli Century-Fox is successful in its efforts to obtain use of the £400.000 former Imperial throne of China. Executives of the film corporation learned the throne was in the United States when newspapers carried dis- patches from New York stating that it had been mis-addressed, lost and fou'iid again after an exhaustive search. It had stood unguarded on a New York dock for three days before it was dis- covered in a crate addressed to an Oakland professor. The throne would be valuable jo the picture, because "City of Darkness" deals with the theft of precious Chinese objects of art, smuggled from the <;ountry as the .Japanese moved in. This is the history of the throne. Because dispatches negjected to give the name of the person in charge of the tlirono in tiie United Slates. 20th Century-Fox offices in New York have been asked to investigate the possibility of acquiring it for the picture. —made by MARS— that's the best of CHOCOLATE BARS CHRISTMAS CLUB AGENTS wanted for the oldest, largest and best club. New catalogue now ready. Over 1,000 articles. No outlay. Excellent commission. Free gift to every applicant for parties.— SAMUEL DRIVER LTD.. MARSHALL ST., LEEDS. 1,000 STAMPS FREE! ™v^^. ^^X^\{^. PESKETT, 36, FASSETT ROAD, KINGSTON, SURREY. BE SURE TO MENTION "BOY'S CINEMA" WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH ADVERTISERS g^'V n mM^M^^ttL.t^^ btuttoring — Cured, or moncv dTAlVllVltlKINVae back, 5-. Details free, rrivatclv. SPECIALIST, (A), 28, DEAN ROAD, N.W.2. BLUSHING Shyness, Nerves, Selt-conscioasness, Worry habit. tinreasonable lears. etc., cured or money back I Complete Course 5/-. Details— L. A. Stebblng (Al, 28, Dean Road, london, N.W. ALL applications for Advertisement Space in this Publication should be addressed to the Advertisement Manager, "BOY'S CINEMA," The Fleetway House, Farringdon St., London, E.CA. August 5tli, 1039.