Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

42 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD October 20, 1928 Schertzinger to Direct Dix and Vidor in P F L Picture George Sidney Gets Big Ovation at Arbuckles Plantation; Lupe Does "40" and Says "Morning, Judge"; Sound Films Are Easy By DOUGLAS HODGES HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 16.— Victor Schertzinger will direct "The Wheel of Life" for Paramount, according to reports today: He will have a pair of excellent box office people in the lead roles, Richard Dix and Florence Vidor. TT is the first time P F L has teamed Vidor with Dix, but it's an idea that has merit. The most recent picture done by Schertzinger was "Red Skin," which also starred Richard Dix. Work on this one will begin very soon. * * * Lupe Velez, snappy and high-strung femme, was nabbed last week for wheeling her limousine too racingly. She faces the Beverly Hills police judge today to explain her excuse for doing 40 in a 15-milean-hour_ zone at Sunset and Beverly Hills Drive. The arresting copper also squawked to the court that she has no operator's license. * * * George Sidney Gets Big Ovation at Plantation George Sidney made a hit at the Plantation Cafe Sunday night, when he was guest of honor at the invitation of "Fatty" Arbuckle. Sidney got a big ovation upon his appearance. He officiated at the presentation of a silver loving cup to winners of a dancing contest. * * * Spanish Senorita Loses Role in Fox Picture Maria Alba, the gal that won a Spanish beauty contest and a Fox Film contract, lost the job of leading woman in "In Old Arizona" yesterday. It is the yarn that Raoul Walsh was filming when he figured in a serious auto accident recently. Walsh withdraws from the cast as well as the directorship of the picture. Irving Cummings is to finish the picture. Cummings has given Walsh's role to Warner Baxter and is testing for a girl to take the leading feminine role. It must be a woman who can speak the English language better than the senorita can, because the picture will have dialogue sequences. * * * Tay Garnett Makes A Sound Film at Pathe A couple of film companies have thrown a veil of "mystery" around the theory of producing talking pictures. But Tay Garnett, director at Pathe* said this week, "There's no mystery in making them. Sound pictures are made just like silent pictures, except that people talk. That's all." Warner Brothers "execs" also are beginning to poke fun at the "mystery" gag. It comes straight from the studio that parts of various talking pictures have been made on "regulation" stages and that soundproof stages are certainly not indispensible. * * * Walter Reimann, famous art director for leading European theatres, is in Hollywood. The secret leaked out today that Ernst Lubitsch engaged him to design sets for the expensive "King of the Mountains," in which John Barrymorc is starring for United Artists. * » * Alfred E. Green has returned from Detroit, where he viewed a performance of "The Five o'Clock Girl," a film version of which he will direct for M G M. The picture stars Marion Davies. Just to have it on record, Helen Twelvetrees, featured actress, complains she can't sleep nights in Hollywood because she hears crickets chirp. "I nearly jump out of bed," she avers. * * * Mae Murray is sought for arrest on charges of perjury growing out of a civil suit. Same old suit that's been getting aired for six months. Jack Donovan sold her a house for $50,000. Mae says it wasn't worth a cent over 25 grand and Jack knew it. Says he swindled her. Jack now says she had little regard for the truth at intervals in her testimony. If he finds her he will assist the sheriff in serving a warrant. She is scheduled to appear today for further hearings in the civil suit. (Can't blame her if she is A.W.O.L.) Mystic Veil to Be Lifted from Talkie Making, They Opine (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 16.— That the veil of mystery is obviously to be raised from the production of talking pictures, was the gist of speeches Monday night at the meeting of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a matter of fact, most speakers agreed there is no secret about it. There is much that is not known, but information is not being purposely withheld, they said. "Directors who have been engaged for stage productions are entirely unnecessary in directing talking pictures," declared Donald Crisp. "The talkie director needs to know such things as selection of voice, face and type. Any capable screen director is competent to judge these features." D. W. Griffith confessed he knows little, if anything, about directing talking pictures, but he predicted that a new process will bring "art" to motion pictures, in which real artists, he said, have heretofore been deprived of an opportunity to demonstrate their ability. William DeMille contradicted Griffith to say that "the screen has always been an art." Fred Niblo, Jack Warner, Robert Edeson, George Fawcett, Conrad Nagel and Ted Reed were called on for addresses by Stuart Blackton, chairman of the meeting. Mrs. Alan Hale Returns To Films; Was with Fox (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 16— Mrs. Alan Hale will make her return to the screen in an important role in "She Goes to War." As Sonia Markova, Mrs. Hale achieved fame with Fox Films before becoming Mrs. Hale. Gloria Has New Stepfather HOLLYWOOD. — Gloria Sw.inson has a new stepfather, it has just been learned. Her mother, Mrs. Adeline Lou Hums of Tiajuana, married C. C. Woodruff, member of the orchestra of the Chicago Civic Opera company last May. They live in Chicago. 17NOUGH Ej SAID: WOULD YOU BEAL-LIEVE IT? Ned Marin's steno called up Ham Beall's office the other day and asked if she could get two Canuenga Passes. JUST A FLOCK OF CHINESE YOUNGSTERS Harold Lloyd's current production boasts 15 Chinese men whose ages total 1,140 years. Soo Hoo Sum is the oldest of the set. He's 90. The others range from 90 to 85. NO SWISS MISS MISSES JOHN John Barrymore and Camilla Horn were dancing wildly in a Swiss masquerade scene in Ernst Lubitsch's new production, "King of the Mountains," at the United Artists Studio. Hundreds of extras also were crowding the floor. One girl kicked the great John on the shins. "Pardon me," apologized the extra. "It's alright," said Barrymore. "Just an old Swiss custom, I presume." A QUIET EVENING WILL BE HAD BY ALL Cecil B. DeMille, who has joined MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, announces that he will shoot "Dynamite" immediately. A DOLLAR POLICY The charming Martha Mattox is now speeding around the Boulevard again, after a serious auto accident, due to the locking of the steering gear. Martha says, "The Examiner Policy is a good one." BACK AGAIN America's sweetheart was seen wandering around Universal the other day. Wild rumors were immediately started. Mary Pickford was merely showing Sir Austin Chamberlain and Lady Chamberlain the beautiful Swiss village set of Ernst Lubitsch. NOTHING TO SAY Joseph Schenck was for a few days as silent as silent pictures. Joe is having his Klieg tonsils removed at a local hospital. Our Best Preview This Week F B O's, "The Air Legion," directed by Bert Glennon. A sure-fire program picture with a lot of real thrills. Martha Sleeper, Ben Lyon and Tony Moreno portray their parts perfectly. The photography by Paul Perry, A.S.C., calls for a lot of skill and daring. Our tip is to watch this young director's future pictures, for Bert shows all the promise of a real artist. PIGS IS PIGS The natives of Cerralva. Mexico, gave a real banquet to the Messrs. Stephen R. Roberts, Charles Lamont and Jerry Drew last week. These prominent Educational film folks are spending their vacation in the state of Nuevo Leon. The Dons, wishing to show the proper municipal customs, served a very tempting repast in the home of the porkers. —HARRY ENOUGH NICHOLS. Classes Held Between Scenes on M G M Set (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 16. — A strange and small High school class is being held on a set of M G M's "Mysterious Island." Ted Stnollen, 17 years old and less than three feet in height, studies algebra and English between scenes. James Crang's Father Dies TORONTO. — The sympathy of moving picture men in Ontario has gone to James Crang, manager of the .Oakwood theatre, Toronto, in the death of his father who had reached the ripe old age of 88 years.