Exhibitors Herald World (Jan-Mar 1929)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

54 EXHIBITORS HERALD -WORLD February 9, 1929 Two Premieres on Coast; Beaumont Scores with "Broadway Melody" "The Divine Lady" Is Historical Tale Starring Corinne Griffith Without Dialogue Scenes; Gleason Promotes Again By DOUGLAS HODGES HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 5. — This community enjoyed two gala premieres this week. It's a question which was the most gala although it is unquestionable which premiere offered the most enjoyable picture. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's offering was "Broadway Melody" ably directed by Harry Beaumont and First National's contribution was Corinne Griffith in "The Divine Lady." THE latter is a very long picture which ■*■ embodies but does not exactly relate a potent story from the annals of English history. In fact the life of Lord Nelson contains 18 or 20 stories that are quite compelling and the life of Lady Hamilton contains at least a half dozen stories that would in some cases film very well. It has been Walter Morosco's misfortune to attempt to tell all these stories in the same piece of film. Miss Griffith is an excellent Lady Hamilton, but forfeits the trophies of the role due to a complicated story that lacks unison and coherence. How she became Lady Hamilton is at least a 20,000 word novel. What happened to her manners and environment then is another novel or two. Not only are these stories attempted in the picture but later developments in addition. But the production values of the picture are entirely worthy of the story. The costuming is lavish and the efforts of the director, Frank Lloyd, to picturize the scenario handed to him were great. It looks like a roadshow for these reasons— and for others — and it looks like a picture that has been very costly to First National. Costume pictures of a historical nature should be encouraged. They are the most valuable things this industry has ever possessed. The really great pictures we point back to have all been historically founded. "The Broadway Melody" contains many more audien sequences than "Divine Lady." In fact the latter is synchronized but has no dialogue at all. Miss Griffith enacts a couple of scenes in which she sings to the accompaniment of a harp. * * * "Broadway Melody" Called Best Audien To my way of thinking "Broadway Melody" surpasses all previous efforts to make synchronized pictures with dialogue. Charles Kind, Bessie Love and Anita Page carried the burden of the acting gracefully and were working under the skillful tutelage of Harry Beaumont's direction. Beaumont has done a marvelous job and Hollywood is telling him so. Voices appear natural, and, for the first time in my experience, I found I was more interested in the story than in the illusion. Paramount's "Interference" was well made of course, hut producers are keeping a fast pace with their efforts to perfect the audien manufacture. Beaumont tells a story of three hoofers in the big town who meet a lot of failure and a very little success. The picture closely resembles a musical comedy in spirit. * * * "To Fire Entire Village," Carewe Eddie Carewe sends word that he will fire the village he is working in when the picture is completed. Burn it. He's through with it. He is on location at Point Lobos, Cal., and is shooting a village set that he built himself. The village, which represents Grand Pre, has cost more than $50,000 and will be burned as a climax of "Evangeline." Bill Bloecher has worked his way up in Warner Brothers studio. I suddenly and recently found him in an executive position. He is publicity director and making a success of it. He tells me that one of the noticeable changes he has found in studios since talking pictures have arrived is the method of matching scenes. In the other era matching a scene was simple, according to my friend, Bill. Scenes of a picture are not shot, whether you know it or not, in the sequence in which they appear on the screen. A young man may work in a scene on Friday in the drawing room and it will be Saturday before the camera follows him from the drawing room to the dining room. There was no trick about matching the scenes until the audien devices were born. But actors have found trouble recently in keeping their throats at the same pitch Saturday as the day before. Huskiness develops. Other qualities appear. Bloecher told me that Howard Bretherton has put his casts on strict training diets during their working schedules. Their smoking is regulated at all times and other excesses are cut down to a minimum. * * * Follow Manner of Stage Productions Christie is following the manner of Broadway productions in building his audiens in the studio. James Hanley is creating a half dozen or more special song numbers for the Eddie Dowling starring production, "Broadway Bound." Songs are built into the production along with the scenario of the story. Dowling, of course, will sing the Hanley numbers * * * Stahl Plans Film Similar to "Zeppelin" A story from John M. Stahl informs this department that Stahl is preparing a scenario that will be an actual companion picture for "Zeppelin" and will be called "The Lost Zeppelin." The sales department is well pleased, says Mr. Stahl, with the idea of "Zeppelin," and it wants another to follow it. The production department, say we, is also well pleased and wants to make another grandiose production on the order of the air picture it started some time ago. * * * There's a stadium down at the beach that reads "South Gate Amateur Athletic Club." The sign is rather stupid, but back of it you'll find three interesting characters. Robert Armstrong, Jack Perry and James Gleason are financing the club. Armstrong is the pug who took the count so many times in the stage's "Is Zat So?" and Gleason is the young man who became famous as its author. Perry is the pug who knocked Armstrong out in the stage play. All the trio gave the world a good show and the world gave the trio a good piece of wealth in exchange. Talk of Denny Leaving Universal Held Baseless; Next Film Will Be Audien (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 5.— Reginald Denny is not leaving Universal after he finishes two more pictures, nor is he having difficulties with the Laemmle organization because of his present story, "Companionate Troubles." On the contrary, the comedy star's present relations with his employers are declared most harmonious. Reports have been current that Denny's next option is not to be exercised by Universal because of friction between the former and studio officials over the type of stories he has been given. Carl Laemmle, it was learned, declares the rumors unjust to both himself and Denny. The latter has been vacationing the past two weeks at his mountain retreat and yesterday, upon his return, issued a statement reiterating his pleasant association with Universal. Denny and Edward J. Montagne, scenario editor-in-chief, were to confer today upon the star's next vehicle and the latter is to personally supervise the writing of the screen version and dialogue, the production to be made as a talking picture under the direction of William Kraft. Cecil DeMille Launches "Dynamite" First Audien After 54 Silent Films (Special to the HeraldWorld) CULVER CITY, Feb. 5.— Cecil B. DeMille has commenced work at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer on "Dynamite." his first all-talking production, after making 54 silent pictures. DeMille went on the MGM sound stages ahead of schedule. His rehearsals proceeded faster than originally figured and actual recording has started. The story of "Dynamite" was written by Jeanie Macpherson. The dialogue is the work of John Howard Lawson, author of "Processional," Gladys Unger, noted dramatists, and Jeanie Macpherson. Talking Pictures to Help "Legil?9 Stage and Stars, Declares Jack L. Warner (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 5.— Talking pictures will prove a boon to the "legit" stage, which is about to enter one of its most prosperous eras, says Jack L. Warner, production executive of Warner Brothers. "This is true," Warner declared, "partially because new standards of entertainment have been set for the theatre. The talking picture and the elaborate stage presentations incident to motion picture entertainment of today are in a large measure responsible. They are stimulating the stage to greater motives." Producer and Star Figure In Coast Engagements (Special to the Herald-World) Hollywood, Feb. 5— Two engagements were heralded this week. John Considine, Jr., will wed Carmen Pantages, daughter of Alexander Pantages. Phyllis Haver will be married to William Seaman, brother-in-law, incidentally, of Ned Marin. Hal Roach Studio Reopens After Month's Shutdown (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 5.— Hal Roach Studio officially opened its gates yesterday after a four weeks' shutdown, with everyone ready to "dig in."