Exhibitors Herald World (Jan-Mar 1929)

March 9, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 39 THE STUDIO Way Make Delay of Sales Season Is Felt V?°. ! In Production; Only Two Begun 34 in Work ; Sound Stages to Be Built by Tec Art Studios for Use of Independent Field ; Former Norma Talmadge Story Given to Fitzmaurice at U. A. (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, March 5. — The announced postponement of the sales campaign has shown its influence on the production center. Only two pictures were started this week and only three were finished. A De Mille picture, "Dynamite," a Dorothy Arzner picture and an Irving Cummings picture were completed, giving M G M, Paramount and Fox an even break. The delay may be caused by the sales organizations or it may be caused by the production departments ; it's like the chicken and the egg — it's hard telling which came first. Audi ens i English Tongue, (Special to the Herald-World) WASHINGTON, March 5.— English may become the universal language of the world through widespread distribution of talking pictures in foreign countries declared Louis B. Mayer, vice president and general manager of the Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios, in an address March 2, before members of the National Press Club. In a comprehensive survey of the motion picture and the revolutionizing influence of sound, delivered at the invitation of the famous newspapermen's organization, the producer said he did not agree with those who feel that the talking picture will eliminate the American product from foreign markets. "Just as the silent American pictures have popularized American habits, customs, goods and ideals abroad, so will the American talking picture popularize the English language in foreign countries," said Mayer. "For the immediate future I believe that foreign rights to American motion pictures will be sold much as are the rights to the spoken play. In other words, the American producer will make a picture with English dialogue. The rights to produce this picture in a foreign language will then be sold to the foreign producers who will make the picture with their own players and organization specifically for their own home market." Harry Beall Named Wampas President By Unanimous Vote (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, March 5.— Harry Hammond Beall was elected president of the Wampas Monday night by a unanimous vote. He succeeds Barrett Kiesling who has held the office a part of one term. The honor to Beall comes after several years of loyal work for the organization which he helped to found. Other officers are Joseph Sherman and Pat Dowling, first and second vice presidents, Hank Arnold, secretary, Ed Perkins, treasurer and George Brown, sergeant-atarms. Board of Directors are Sam Cohn, George Landy, Arch Rewe, Pete Smith, Ivan St. Johns, Charles West and Harry Wilson. Mervyn LeRoy Gets New 5-Year Contract with F N (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, March 5.— Mervyn LeRoy has been given a new five-year contract with First National Pictures. His first assignment under the new arrangement will be "Little Johnny Jones." But with all the handicaps of a treacherous market and of mental hazards out here it is surprising to note that there are actually 34 feature pictures in production. A few of them are merely rehearsing ; but with them all the casts have convened and the director is megaphoning his instructions. The red head, Clara Bow, is in the Dorothy Arzner picture,. "The Wild Party" which has just been completed. Tec-Art to Build Sound Stages To provide facilities for the independent producer, Alfred T. Mannon, president of the Tec-Art studios, announced today plans for the immediate construction of two sound stages. Under the supervision of H. Kirk Kellog, the engineer responsible for the sound units at United Artists and at R K O, work on the stages will be started early next week. Two projection rooms, a scoring room and three unit recording rooms will be built in conjunction with the stages. Both sound on film and the disc method of recording will be available. It is understood, however, that several of the most popular systems of recording will be made available to all producers. The tremendous overhead now involved in the making of sound pictures will be reduced Catholic Guild Will Be Six Years Old March 21 (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, March 5. — The Catholic Motion Picture Guild, which numbers in its membership the leading Catholics of the executive, professional and business branches of motion picturedom in Hollywood, will celebrate the sixth anniversary of its formation on March 21. Censorship of motion pictures is not the object of the Guild. Instead, it serves as an advisor to give producers and directors all necessary information pertaining to the Catholic church. as the cost will be distributed over a number of producing companies instead of being shouldered by one unit. Kellog expects to complete his plans by the end of the week and construction will start at once. The stages will be made available to many of the biggest independents in the movie field including : The Edwin Carewe Productions, Inspiration Pictures, Inc., Technicolor Motion Picture Corp., Gotham Productions , Burr-Hines Enterprises, Qualitone Corp., Chesterfield Pictures, Quality Productions, Smitty Comedies and many others. Pollock Story to Fitz After United Artists had purchased Channing Pollock's stage success, "The Sign on the Door," for Norma Talmadge as her first all talking picture, and Miss Talmadge later felt that she should make a different type of story as her initial dialogue feature, filmdom speculated over what would become of the Pollock opus. Now comes definite announcement by John W. Considine, Jr., that George Fitzmaurice will direct the Pollock story without the star, while Norma will appear in another story in all-dialogue form. "The Locked Door" is to be the new title of the screen version of Pollock's play, and Fitzmaurice is busy preparing. Credit for the adaptation of "The Locked Door" goes to C. Gardner Sullivan, while the dialogue is in the hands of George Scarborough, well-known New York playwright. According to Considine, a notable cast of players will be assembled for the Fitzmaurice production, among these a woman stage star of national reputation. Many of the players will be brought to Hollywood from New York, it is announced. Production on the picture should start within a few weeks and those in the studio predict for "The Locked Door" one of the best all-talking pictures on the United Artists schedule for the coming season. Just what Miss Talmadge will make as her first all-talking offering has not as yet been determined, according to Considine, but several stories are being considered and a deci(Continued on next page)