The Film Daily (1930)

OAiwr Sunday, August 3, 1930 Production in East WHO'S WHO AND WHAT'S WHAT IN GREATER NEW YORK STUDIOS NO LETUP CONTEMPLATED AT There is no let-up in production at Paramount's eastern studios and, according to its present schedule, none is in sight for some time. The production unit making "Laughter finished last Thursday. Nancy Carroll is starred with Fredric March, Frank Morgan supporting her. Harry D'Arrast directed. "Best People" has just gone into work with an all-star cast including Miriam Hopkins, Charles Starrett, Carol Lombard, Ilka Chase, Frank Morgan, David Hutchinson, Harry Mestayer, Henry Wadsworth and Winifred Harris. Fred Newmeyer is in charge of direction of the Avery Hopwood play. The production is expected to be completed in three weeks. Ed Wynn's "Manhattan Mary" has gone into rehearsal with Ginger Rogers, Stanley Smith and Lou Holtz. Norman Taurog will most likely start actual direction the latter part of next week. Ina Claire will begin work the last week in August in "The Royal Family" with Fredric March and Frank Morgan in her support. George Cukor and Cyril Gardner will co-direct. Burns, Maisel Plan Stage Play Jimmie Burns and Lewis Irving Maisel, independents who are producing some operatic shorts at the Sight and Sound Studios, plan to offer a legitimate stage production, which later may be made into a talker. 375 Varieties Completed Marking a record in production of shorts, Warner Bros, has completed its 375th Varieties in the east since reopening of the studios in December 1928. The short to which this number was assigned is titled "For Art's Sake," which was produced under the supervision of Murray Roth. Skelly Finishes "The Gob" Having finished his first Varieties at the Warner Bros. Brooklyn studios last week, Hal Skelly is now considering another script which he may do for the same company. His first short, "The Gob," in which he was supported by Olive Shea, Madge Evans and Peggy Shannon, was made entirely on location. The "U. S. Colorado" in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Central Park and Riverside Drive were the backgrounds of the short. Roy Mack directed the Paul Gerard Smith story. COMEDIES ONLY IN WORK THIS WEEK AT WARNERS Activity at the Brooklyn Warner Bros, studios for the next week will be centered about the production of comedies. Plans are under way for starting work on either four or five comedies without a single drama, melodrama or any other type of short scheduled. Names of the Varieties to go in work will be made known the early part of next week. Four Vitaphone Shorts Corrnaleted Last Week Four Vitaphone Varieties were completed :<t the Brooklyn studios last week with Roy Mack, Arthur Hurley and Htrold Beaudine taking "part in the dirctornl banner line-up. De Wolfe Hopper appeared in a sketch called "For Two Cents." for which Harold Beaudine handled the megaphone. Rov Mack directed the Hal Skellv nautical number, "The Gob," Arthur Hurley completed his directorial assignment on Georgie Tessel's two-reel Varieties titled "Politics." and "Curses," a melodrama with E. O'Brien Moore, who played in "Street Scene," was also directed by Arthur Hurley. Abrahams on Vacation Sandy Abrahams, publicity director of the Brooklvn Warner Bros, studios, is enioying a vacation in the Catskills after a busy winter. He is stopping at Ellenville and will be back on the job the week after next. Vita. Pub'icist to Vacation L. H. Mitchell, who handles the Varieties publicity under A. Waxman, leaves on a two week's vacation today. He plans to drive through Quebec along the St. Lawrence River and into the French quarter of the Dominion. Finishes "Showin' Off" Production work on "Showin' Off," Kiddie Revue, has been completed at the Vitaphone eastern studios. The short is entirely in Technicolor and presents the Jack Loeb juveniles ranging from two to eleven years of age. Harold Levey wrote special music for this revue. Vitaphone Scenarist Marries Burnet Hershey, scenarist on the Vitaphone Brooklyn studios' staff, last week gave the boys a surprise by becoming a benedict. Adele Allerhand, known as "The Colgate Girl" is the lucky girl. Parker Rehearsing Cast Albert Parker is now rehearsing "Manhattan Mary" at the Paramount New York studio. He had been abroad for some time prior to joining Paramount. O Presentations f) By JACK HARROWER COLONIAL DIVERTISSEMENT PLEASES CAPITOL PATRONS Chester Hale devised a very beautiful and artistic presentation for the current Capitol stage show with his "Invitation to the Dance" It harks hack to Colonial days, with the ladies in gorgeous hoop skirts and the men in powdered wigs. The various numbers make an eye-filling spectacle on color and general beauty, both for costumes and settings. The lighting effects are also skillfully manipulated. It is a light summer offering, consisting mostly of dance numbers, and the incidental music is way above the average. A thread of a story runs through the idea. Pierrot is in love with the ballerina, and presses his suit rather hopelessly till the end. The Cavalier seems to have the edge on him. But near the close Pierrot and Ballerina are left alone, and engage in a neat love dance. At the curtain, the girl rushes back to the prostrate Pierrot who has been carted away by the Chevalier, and presses a rose in his hand. Only one vocal number is featured, sung very well by a baritone with exceptional voice. An artistic production done with class and idea for light summer entertainment. Featured are Joyce Coles, danseuse; Ivan Triesault, as Pierrot: and Carlo Ferretti, the singer. Capitol patrons responded favorably to the production. JUST AN AVERACE SHOW The stage show at the Paramount is a Jack Partington creation styled "High Speed." It goes very light on production values, and it doesn't look as if they sunk the bank roll in staging this one. The talent also rates very so-so. Eddie Stanley acts as master of ceremonies and wise cracks his way through the various numbers, but his lines are nothing to get excited about. Looks like one of those things that was dashed off when all hands were tired but they had to get a show readv somehow. Opens with the Dave Gould Girls doing a Marathon Dance, with the m.c. calling the different cities they are supposed to be dancing through on their way from coast to coast. Tust fair. The Three Blue Steppers were good, doing some fast acrobatic work which was about the only thing that held up the bill, with the exception of a short hit bv Wilbur Hall. He did his trick harmonizing on various musical instruments, his work with the violin being excep HOLDS FORTH AT ROXY S. L. Rothafel again shows him self a master of de luxe stage etj tertainment in the program he ha devised for the current bill at th Roxy. It is one of the niftiest an^ most enjoyable concoctions that ever graced the Roxy stage, and that's saying a lot. The show starts with "A Summer Idyll," in which the girls appear as colorful farmerettes against a fanciful load-of-hay sea ting. After a little pleasant singing and dancing in this atmosphere, th scene changes to a fancy peacoc drop in front of which the plume Patricia Bowman does one of he exquisite dances while Beatrice Belkin vocalizes. Then comes a gor| geous setting, with the girls co. turned as fantastic flowers, and som more delightful singing is provide by Dorothy Miller and Williar. Robyn, climaxed by the entrance o 32 Roxyettes, divided into foui flowery sets, in some of the swellest routine drilling and precision dancing that Russell E. Markert has produced in a long while. Equally outstanding is "La Tickera," a hilarious travesty dealing with the stock mar ket and presented in operatic styl against a gigantic sphinx setting with the performers dressed up al Egyptians. Irving Caesar is credl ited with this laughable burlesque, which ought to give stock markel addicts especially a big kick. Cael sar leads the doings from the pill and among the principal performl ers on the stage are John Gurneyl Eddie Miller, Bryant Williams, Belli Flower, James B. Carson, M. Vodl noy, Robert Rhodes, James Phillips! John Kennedy, Michael" Bataeffl Walter Andronoff, Stephen SlapJ schkin, Henry Segal and Leonid! Troitzky. tionally good. But it takes moi than two good acts to make a stagl show — and this is about all thil week's Par offering has. AMALGAMATED VAUDEVILLE AGENCY Attractions for Picture Theatres Standard Vaudeville Acts 1600 Broadway, New York City Phone Penn. 3580