The Film Daily (1929)

THE© DAILY Friday, December 13, 1929 Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion — © — Sees Nuance and Pause for Effect Impossible in Talkers TTNTIL talking pictures can *^ actually reproduce a voice with all its nuances I do not believe that they can replace the spoken stage. Even then there is one vital difference. On the stage the greatest asset an actor has, the thing that distinguishes an actor, is pause: the ability to know when to wait, to emphasize by a pause, to hold a scene. This is almost an impossibility in a picture where things are run off at a certain speed, and when something must happen all the time. There can be no pausing. Then too, voices in spoken pictures must be amplified therefore a tiny person has a voice as loud as a huge actor. There is no shading, nor can there be any, as yet, through amplification. Wilton Lackaye, Actor Appeals to British Bankers to Back Industry in Britain FEW businesses have more solidity than the cinema industry— inasmuch as nine-tenths of its capital is invested in bricks and mortar — freeholds and long leaseholds. Bankers' results of advances to exhibitors have been as equally sound, safe and successful as their advances on any other class of property. I would earnestly ask bankers to help themselves and the country by giving us a little more of their confidence. Then I ask them to give more earnest consideration to the cinematography industry and to realize that it is a rapidly growing and powerful factor in the daily lives of the peoples of every country in the world. "The Cinema" (London) THEIR FIRST J O RS CARL LAEMMLE errand boy in Ichenhausen, Germany Along The Rialto with PhilM. Daly, Jr. LATEST collegiate excitement comes from the University of N. Y., where 18,000 students have voted Esther Ralston "America's Blonde Film Co-Ed." In other words Esther typifies the blonde American co-ed President-Elect Pascual Ortiz Rubio of Mexico has added his autograph to the Roxy guest books which contains the name of many an international celeb. He dropped in at the Roxy on the first day of his current visit to our great big town * * * * * Donald Henderson Clarke, better known as "Don," will soon be getting screen credit for "Louis Beretti," his latest novel, as Fox is going to talkerize it with Paul Muni starred. Don also aided book-sellers through his "The Reign of Rothstein" . It looked like a Fox convention the other night when "The Sky Hawk" flew into perspective at the Gaiety. Grainger, Franklin, Smith, etc., were busy handshaking ***** The "New York American" Christmas and Relief Fund is happy over a check for $100 from Mrs. William Fox Harold B. Franklin, on a handshaking tour of the Main Stem, paid a visit to his former boss, Joseph M. Schenck, to wish him bon voyage United Artists headquarters still receives a surprising amount of fan mail for Rudolph Valentino, and requests for photographs of the late star also continue to come in ***** Irving Berlin, lately devoting his musical dexterity to the talkers, has been in the Big Town for a sojourn and returns West on Sunday to complete his picture work. Then he will do the music and lyrics for a stage revue to be produced by Sam H. Harris next fall, entitled "Talkie, Talkie," which may or may not have been influenced by Berlin's experiences on the Coast ***** Helen Strauss, the Paramount L. I. studio, gave Mathieu Bloch, occupation unknown, a break to the tune of letting him become her "ball and chain" a la engagement Step to it Helen We've already had, Hell's Angeles, and Hell's Harbor and Hell's Heroes, who gonna give us Hell's Bells? ***** Fannie Brice, in U. A.'s "The Champ," so the P. A. tells us, got her start at Keeney's, Brooklyn in amateur theatricals, and winning a prize in her first appearance and Marie Dressier was a star circus performer 40 years ago M-G-M's "The Mysterious Island" is goaling them at six Chicago houses, yes, its in Technicolor and dialogue now ***** Friends of Sid Weill of Morgan Lithograph Co. threw a party at him at the Manger grill t'other noon in the form of a luncheon. The occasion was his birthday Arthur Hous man is expertly handling p. a. stuff on the Strands, Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the new Beacon DECEMBER 13-MANY HAPPY RETURNS Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who today are celebrating their birthday: William R. Fraser George Ovey $9 / Richard Schayer Lillian Roth — AND THAT'S THAT By PHIL U DALY Things I Never Knew Till Now (ff'iY/i a Bow to Walt Winchell for Pinchit His Heading) That Henry King has discovered an entirely new locale for a picture in his "Hell's Harbor." That poison hootch can't kill yoi if you don't take the cork out. * * * That some Motion Picture Club members are helping Wall Street brokers to buy nice Xmas presents. That Charles Ross, executive vice president of RCA Photophone, does the work of six executives without making any noise about it. That censors and reformers "get that way" because they haven't the brains to go out and earn a respect1 able living. * * * That Hy Daab, advertising administrator of Radio Pictures, is an authority on layouts and color as well as a crackerjack copy writer. That Yellow is classed as a "warm" color in film ad layouts, but it's a frost in a human being. That when producers make factory pictures they forget that the public goes to the theater to forget the factory. * * * That a lotta regular fellows who have kicked into The Film Daily Relief Fund can say* "Merry Xmas" with a clear conscience. TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY IN Refinancing plan under way by stockholders of United Pictures. Al Kaufman reported out of Fimous Players. * * * :ur. Southern Enterprises, Inc., sec control of three San Antonio houses. * * * Fox plans 4,500 seat house at Tremont Ave., Bronx, N. Y.