The Film Daily (1930)

THE u'day, August 26, 1930 Imely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion —€)— ng Language Taboo ie Talkies X'K of the many odd things about the movie business is t whereas you can have films itled '•Hell's Angels," "Hell's roes," "Hell Harbor" or ell's Island" you cannot per a character on the screen use the word "hell." In the nmunities where censorship ■s exist the prohibitions .inst profanity in all its forms strict and definite and the luloid merchants are bound respect them. This has ised all sorts of embarrassnts to those producers who 'e essayed to make pictures ich reproduce the talk of diers, sailors, marines and ler varieties of red-blooded, se-tongued he-men. The diaue of such rough fellows to realistic requires at least a inkling of salt. "All Quiet the Western Front" is genUy conceded to be the most lently outspoken of all screen imas. It presents the stark, ced truth. And yet, even in moments of greatest stress, most unbearable horror, none its characters can burst out h any of the words and rases that provide the meat every soldier's vocabulary, nilarlv. "The Big House," ich deals with jailbirds, conns an amazing demonstration understatement. We see rderers, forgers and assorted irs running wild, but we • er hear one mildly ugly rd escape their lips. They i throw gas bombs at each er, but they mustn't say nun." How different it is on uncensored stage, where the st brutal and unprintable thets have become as usual I therefore as innocuous as h. stuff and nonsense!" or ou old silly, you!" Robert E. Sherwood The box-office revenue for 30 will run to about $650, ; 0,000. i -cStl DAILV Along The Rialto with Phil M. Daly RICHARD WALLACE, di.ector, has returned from a tour of the Orient with a new and interesting slant on Hollywood talkies after visiting China, Japan, Siam, India and Egypt, he finds the natives more rabid fans than our own American variety he sez that talkies have made these furriners eager to learn the English language so that they can better enjoy the pix they accept each new American film as an additional lesson in the English language so why bother making fillums in foreign languages? * * * * r~Y W. GRIFFITH along with "Abraham Lincoln" were joint hosts to one of the most distinguished audiences yet gathered at a Broadway premiere at the opening at the Central last night, these notables were spotted: Adolph Zukor, Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Spyros Skouras, Walter Camp, Lee Shubert, Sid Graunian besides a raft of government officials such as General Robert Lee Bullard and G. W. Wickersham a real tribute to the Dean of Directors Roy Del Ruth, another ace director, notes the passing of the e.a of "faking" in motion pictures whether it's a scene in society life, the South Sea Islands, or racketeers at work, sez Roy, the fans insist on the real thing — or rather, a perfect screen imitation of it *f* "F T~ T* ^HOSE WARNER BOYS busted into society at Southampton when the social registerites threw a party for Mrs. Harrison Tweed (Michael Strang?) and appeared costumed as characters in "Moby Dick," her one-time husband's play so the title role was assumed by Mrs. A. Stewart Walker as a whale and wouldja believe it, Mrs. Gardner Haie and Mrs. T. Markoe Robertson appeared as fish nets appropriately enough, a lot of Wall Street brokers were dressed as pirates ho hum, these society fo.ks must have their little joke * * * * TEANETTE MACDONALD and Jack Buchanan, doing their J stuff in "Monte Carlo," will be given the critical once-over by their fellow stars on Wednesday eve at the premiere of the picture at the Rivoli on the word of Ralph Stitt, one of the most conservative of press agents, tickets have actually been BOUGHT by Mary and Florence Nash, Harriet Hoctor, Katharine Cornell, Mary Brian, Ina Claire, Nancy Carroll, Fredric March, Kcl Wynn, and a slew of others now if Ralph had sent us a photograph of these folks buying tickets oh, well Irvin Shapiro of the Eighth Street 1 May house is all excited about the American premiere of "Rasputin, the Holy Devil," at his house this week we'll have to go down and look over Raspy, who was a great little guy in Russia as long as he lasted * * * * JOE WEIL has sent us a cute safety pin as an insurance policy against any little accident when viewing "Little Accident," Joe goes alliterative, and calls the show a "roaring, riotous, rib-tickling romance"... if it's half as funny as the stage play, one safety pin won't be enough Raoul Walsh will next direct for Fox an epic titled "Women of All Nations" he probably got the idea trying to figure out what made "The Cock-Eyed World" that way And still the trek from stage to screen continues, with Betty Alden signed to support Will Rogers in "Lightnin' " Luther Reed, directing "Babes In Toyland." will soring a surprise with six unpublished melodies which Victor Herbert introduced * * * * T-TIRAM S, BROWN, prexy of Arlcayo theaters, stales that three $1,000,000 talkies will l,c i„ work in 30 days — "Cimarron," "Babes In Toyland" and "Check and Double Check" who said that this was an off season on pro duction? \<\<\ New Records: Em Westmore, Radio's makeup expert, "made up" Irene Dunne as an old woman, and her own pel dog barked ;>1 her when -lie came on the set M Jolson is coaching Doug Fairbanks in several son^s for "Reaching for the Moon" now ii Doug will coach AI in acrobatics, he can sing "Mammy" in the air instead oi on his knees EXPLOITETTES A Clearing House for Tabloid Exploitation Ideas e Run Novel "Errorgram" Contest A NOVEL advertising .stunt has been successfully tried ■ by Randolph Mailer, manager oi the Broadway theater, Lawrence, Mass. By a tie-up with the Lawrence "Tribune," a socalled errorgram contest was started in the paper. These errorgrams are based on the idea of drawings which are published daily, each of the drawings containing a certain number of mistakes which readers are invited to discover. The first five persons submitting correct answers to the paper received each a pair of free passes. The advertising value of the entire idea may be gauged by the fact that in the errorgram announcement each day, the current picture and star at the theater are mentioned by name. — First National * * * Sold South Pole Film Through Dog Contest CEEKING to interest the children in the Byrd South Pole pictuie, Earle M. Golden, of the Publix Fairfax, Miami, hit on a dog contest. The newspapers published pictures of Igloo, Admiral Byrd's pet, and the children were told that ten tickets would be awarded the owners ot the dogs which were adjudged to be the most like Igloo. The judging was done just before the opening matinee, getting plenty of a crowd and not a few laughs, for the youngsters brought almost everything but daschunds. — Epes W. Sargent 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: August 26 Richard Wallace Jerry Drew Katherine Webb