The Film Daily (1930)

THE "uesday, July 1, 1930 -Z£k DAILV Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion c Mechanical Progress •j the Recent Past W/"HATEVER one may say of the library value of the present day screen output, there can be no question but that mechanically the audible pictures of today are far and away ahead of anything that was shown on the silver sheet two years ago. Furthermore, better things are coming. In an industry so notable for its exaggerations one fears to add even one more superlative to the list. Yet I believe it cannot be successfully contradicted that the progress — the mechanical progress, mind you — in the past 24 months has been greater than in the 24 years before 1928. Except for an occasional exception in which the producer seems suddenly smitten with the idea "to go artistic" and to inject Rembrandt effects in the lighting, the pictures are notably clearer and easier on the eyes. So well is that realized that reviewers seldom make mention of that fact, taking it as a matter of course. That is especially true of American pictures. It is not true of many of the foreign films, especially the British, it seems to me, where the producers apparently have difficulty not only with the lighting but with the sound effects as well. It would seem as if mechanical progress could go no further, but those who are closely acquainted with the developments in the laboratories and studios tell me that the next few years will see an amazing development. The picture of the future will have sound, width and color, with perhaps an illusion of depth — the so-called tridimensional picture. — William O. Trapp in N. Y. "Evening World" During 1929, Czechoslovakian i theaters increased seating by 22,000 seats. Along The Rialto with Phil M.Daly URIENDS, CITIZENS, your country calls you Vice President Charles Curtis has asked that "the entire amusement field be mobilized to prolong Fourth of July to a full week of patriotic thanksgiving" and what, we rise to ask, are we gonna give thanks with and for the Forefathers may have had lots to be joyful about when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, but what kinda independence have the fathers of today got to cheer about? nowadays you can't even get a drink without a headache or cross the street without waitin' for traffic signals or go abroad without showing income tax receipts for the past six years if you serve on a jury they lock you up overnight if you get rich on graft the lawyers take it away from you and if you stay poor and honest there's no place to go but home and who'n'ell wants to go home and listen to seven neighbors plugging in on seven different radio programs hurrah for Independence Day it only comes once a year, thankgawd CERGE EISENSTEIN, the Russian director, has started the unrest in Babbletown he is trying to develop a new talkie technique employing sound effects and supplanting spoken lines with "mass" conversation It's tough enough to understand some of these talkies as it is, without having 'em all talk at once Edward Clark out in H'lywood has opened an academy for stage and screen technique and will present a stage play every month so the studio officials can see what the pupils can do In connection with Mark Hellinger's appearance as an actor on the State bill last week, an "admirer" sent him a nice Swift ham, with a note: "Put this to work in your act, and you can stay home and write your column" a Swiftie, we calls it * * * * J-[OWARD HUGHES, producer of "Hell's Angels," has purchased the Multicolor process and will erect a $500,000 lab to produce all-color pictures just another little Hughes investment And Jean Harlow, who has stirred up a lotta comment as the femme lead in the Hughes fortune-film, looks as if she has clicked There are no deserving poor in Hollywood those who remain poor, with so many suckers about, are not deserving Arthur Lewis, well-known actor who died the other day, held a chemist's license and was the inventor of grease-paint QNE OF those golf duffers who played in the recent Film Tournament visited Glen Oaks where the fracas was staged the other day, and as the caddie started out with him, the kid •sez: "You won't recognize the fairway, mister, it's almost healed up" Emil Harris of Cameramen's Local 644 is all set to stumble down some church aisle with Tillie Schopp, sister of Herman Schopp, West Coast camerachurner The cast of Pathe's "Holiday" proves that screen favorites are not all born into acting families Ann Harding is the daughter of a general in the Army Creighton Hale is the son of an English barrister Mary Astor is the daughter of a collitch professor Hedda Hopper comes from Quaker parents. . . . . . . .Robert Ames' dad is a business man r^HARLEY MacARTHUR, the Mad Monk of Siberia now writing for the talkies, sez George Spelvin, asked a studio exec for 20 grand for a script but compromised on 500 berries .... ...."Why," sez the exec, "didja ask such a ridiculous amount?" and Charley sez: "That's the biggest amount I could think of off-hand" Definitions: Columnist — A glorified gabby gent saying which, we apply our own chloroform for the nonce, and you should be happy A LOTTA romances start as good matches but wind up as punk automatic lighters — phfft! EXPL0ITETTES A Clearing House for Tabloid Exploitation Ideas €) Stage Musical Revue With Local Talent TN an effort to bring patronage at the Rialto theater, Danville, Va., out of a hot weather lull, aggravated by the closing of Main Street for repairs, the management put on a three-nights' fashion and beauty extravaganza, under the direction of a New York organization. The event was in the form of a musical revue with a runway leading out into the audience where the beauties paraded. All of the local models were selected by a feminine representative of the producing company and their "choosing" offered excellent opportunity for publicity. — "National Exhibitor" * * * Money Display Attracts Patrons A/fONEY is the bone of contention in "Caught Short." In F. P. Larsen's campaign, when the feature played the Fox Egyptian,. Boise, Idaho, more money was lavishly used than the ordinary theater uses in a lifetime of ballyhoo. Making a tie-up with the Boise CapitalNews, a pile of money, or exactly $39,749.19 was displayed in the main window of the paper's office. Naturally, it was well guarded. The only chance the caught short Idahoans had at it was to guess the amount. — "Now" MANY HAPPY RETURNS Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthdays: July 1 Don Eddy Harmon F. Weight William Wyler Irving Kahal