Exhibitors Daily Review (Jul-Dec 1928)

Exhibitors DAILY REVIEW, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1928 RUGGLES TO DO "KING OF JAZZ" Given Direction of Paul Whiteman "U" Sound Production •o STUDIO GOSSIP By \V. R. W. Wesley Haggles, has been assigns ed Hie direction of the all important production that will bring Pau) Whiteman to the screen in a Universal picture. This announcement was made by Carl Laemmle, president of this company. The story is being written by Paul Scofield and will detail the life story Of Whiteman in his rise to become the leading exponent of Jazz. It will be titled "The King of Jazz". The original music to accompany the production is now being written by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Marian Wayne. It will be played by the Whiteman orchestra. The picture will include many of the compositidkis that have become popular through Whiteman's presentation and which have in turn made him famous. Actual shooting on this production will be begun about the 1st of Feb. and will require from eight to twelve weeks. 7The Cleanup" for Fox "The Cleanup" is the title which has been chosen by Fox Film Corporation for the newspaper story which is now being produced at the West Coast studios. Fred Newmeyer is directing. The leading feminine role is being played by Sally Phipps, with Robert Elliott and Frank Albertson also in the cast. Grey with Columbia Johnnie Grey, well known scenarist and playwright, has been added to Columbia's roster of prominent writers. He will do the adaptation and continuity of "The Donovan Affair, the famous mystery play by Owen Davis, which is scheduled to be on" of the company's most pretentious productions of the year. Big "U" Sound Stage With the first two sound-proof stages completed and equipment being installed, Universal has started construction on the largest soundproof stage yet to be erected by any motion pieture studio. The new stage will measure 150 by 200 feet and will be 50 feet high. It is planned to make on this stage practically the entire dialogue version of "Broadway", the super production which Dr. Paul Fejos will direct under Carl Laemmle, Jr's supervision. Katz to Start 5th Managers Class Feb, (Continued from page 1) 1925, and has graduated four classes whose members have been absorbed into executive positions in the theatrical industry in every section of the country and abroad. The fifth class to receive training in theatre management will assemble in February. The class will be limited to twenty-five men. The majority of those will be man now in the employ of Publix, whose record and whose ability merit for them the opportunity of this special training al the expense of the corporation. Ernest G. Grooney has been en,gaged by Warner Bros, to train the chorus of their Vitaphone operetta, "The Desert Song." * * • Alma Tell has been signed for an important role in Corinne Griffith's new starring vehicle, "Saturday's Children." for First National. * * » . The role played by Louis Wolheln in Pathe's "The Shady Lady," is that of a big Havana racketeer and casino proprietor. * *' ■ » Corinne Griffith will be directed by William Seiter in her next starring vehicle, "Prisoners," by Ferenc Molnar. » • • Paramount has bought "Close Harmony" by Elsie Janis and Gene Markey. This willl be an all-talkie. * * # Jed Prouty has been added to the cast of "Broadway Melody" by M-G-M. * * • Conrad Nagel has the lead opr posite Norma Shearer in the "Last of Mrs. Cheney." * • • Tiffany-Stahl has added Ruth Cherlngton to the cast of "Spirit if Youth." * » • Vernon Dent has returned to the Sennett lot to make two reel talking romedies. * * • A, J. Kelley will direct "Confessions of a Wife" for Excellent Pictures. * * • Frank Austin has joined the cast of "The Drifter" for FBO. * * * Etta Lee will have a part in "Heat" which Sidney Franklin is directing for M-G-M. » • • Oliver P. Garrett and Leo Birin ski are preparing an original as George Bancroft's next starring picture. * • • Sharon Lynn, on whose services Fox had an option, is now permanently working for that organization. * • • Carmelita Geraghty, daughter of the famous Tom of 'script fame, is leading woman for Johnny Burke, vaudeville headliner, in "Jim Jam Janitor," his latest Mack Sennett two-reeler for Pathe. * * * Ken Maynard's next picture will be "The California Mail." Dorothy Dwan will play opposite him. * * * Marion Byron, William Holden and Sidney Bracey are the latest additions', to t>he cast of First National's dialogue picture, "His Captive Woman." * * * Lois Wilson, having signed another contract with Columbia, will play the lead in "Object, Alimony." *:-*•* •*' : Clara Heninger .has. just signed a contract to write scenarios for Metr'o Goldwyn-Mayer. " * * * Five billion candle power was required to light one of the huge interior sets in Douglas Fairbanks' United Artists Picture, "The Iron Extra — Extra One day when Henry King was directing a scene, several extras were instructed to stand in doorways and peer out at Miss Talmadge. in the role of a girl of the streets, as she passed. King wanted a little man in a big coat for one of the close-ups. Charlie Chaplin, who happened to be visiting the set, was asked by Henry King how he would like to make $7.50 as an extra. Impulsively Chaplin interrupted the general laughter by exclaiming, "Certainly! Get me an overcoat and I'll do the scene with Norma!" COLUMBIA STUDIOS BUSY PRODUCTION AT PEAK With three pictures in production, two ready for shooting and several in preparation, the Columbia studios are very busy. Several mid-season productions are among the offerings now being made ready for exhibitors. Camera work has been completed on "Nothing to Wear," and the production is now in the cutting room to be edited and titled for early release. Erie C. Kenton has been di recting this marital comedy, which features Jacqueline Logan, Theodor Von Eltz, Jane Winton and Bryant Washburn. Phil Rosen and "The Apache" company are back from location, where they were shooting the waterfront sequences of the French underworld Margaret Livingston, Don Alvaradc and Warner Richmond are featured. Al Rogell is shooting the radio broadcasting and television scene which supplies the denouement of "The Lone Wolf's Daughter." This marks the first screen appearance of this latest invention. It shares the featured roles with Bert Lytell, Gertrude Olmstead, Lilyan Tashman and Charles Gerrard. Shooting started this week on "Restless Youth" under the direction of Christy Cabanne. Marceline Day, Ralph Forbes and Norman Trevor have the featured roles. Sonya Levien have completed the script on a special production adapted from Fannie Hurst's play "It is to Laugh." Frank Capra will direct. Jean Hersholt, Lina Basquette and Ricardo Cortez are among the featured players. Marie Prevost, Ralph Graves and Little Billy head the cast of "Sideshow," a circus story to be directed by Erie C. Kenton. "The Donovan Affair," "Behind Closed Doors" and "Greenwich Village," are the trio in various stages of preparation. "The Donovan Affair" is Columbia's first "talkie" production, which will be directed by Frank Capra with Jack Holt as the star. No cast or director has yet been selected for the other two. Mask',", now in production. * * * Cliff Bowes, the male half of the famous comedy team of Cliff Bowes and Virginia Vance, has been re-engaged to play leads in one-reel Educational-Cameo Comedies. OPINIONS By W. R. WILKERSON CRITICISM This question of calling pictures as you see them should be the only thought in mind when a critic reviews a picture, particularly when the review is set for the eyes of exhibitors. There are times when it seems most evident that a reviewer either has an axe to grind in giving a picture a bad review or was asleep during most of the picture. This present thought was inspired by a review given by Pete Harrison on the Pathe picture "Ned McCobbs Daughter". Pete either has it in for Pathe or had a bad night before reviewing the picture and as a result fell asleep in the projection room. In either case Pete is not doing the right thing by his subscribers. * • * OX THE 0 THE 11 HAND And too, it might be that Pete had no axe to grind with Pathe and that during the unreeling of the picture in the projection room, he saw every foot of it. This being true, we are surprised that Pete could not appreciate Pathe's effort to make in adult picturization of a story that ould easily have been resolved into cheap "true story" magazine stuff. If a critic overlooks the best piece of suspense in a picture in favor of an automobile chase that any slapstick comedy uses, how can one expect the public in general to ever srow up? * * • CREDIT It is the duty of any exhibitor publication to call every picture as his critic views them. There should never be any necessity of favoring this or that company with a good review or cursing them with a poor one. If the production has value, say so. if the reverse is true, that goes also. The duty of any publication is to inform its readers and if the wrong information is given, you have failed in your duty. Advertising or the lack of it should never enter into a review or if one or the other company did something you did not like, that too, is aside from the question. And when every critic, large and small gives a good review to a picture, there seems no good reason for one to flop-out entirely. * ♦ • REAL AND HUMAN "Ned McCobbs Daughter" is real and human. It has no clandestine love scenes, no sticky sentimentality. The story is founded on a love born of respect and the audience is permitted to watch an admiration grow, not through passionate scenes, but by the chief character's reactions to circumstances concerning each other — the will to help each other to something better. Harrison contends that this is "demoralizing and extremely sordid". It is anything but. Any exhibitor or critic will have a tough time finding a better picture than "Ned McCobbs Daughter" this or any other year.