The Film Daily (1931)

Sunday, January 4, 1931 Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion € How Charlie Farrell Reacts to Janet Gaynor WHY do I like to play oppoposite Janet Gaynor? Because she understands me. She seems to know at times exactly what I am thinking about, and has a reply ready almost before I put a question in words. In playing opposite Janet there is always a responsive note. It is the "give-and-take" of acting. Keeping us both on mental tiptoe. Alert. Working together for the best possible effects before the cameras and the microphone. Janet and I are friends — real friends. As such, we work as a team. One does not try to "steal" a scene from the other. We work in accord to put it over. Why shouldn't I like to work opposite her? When we play together we rehearse our scenes over and over again. We do not always agree — Janet and 1 — in our study and our work, but one of her priceless qualities is her ability to see the other fellow's point of view. She grants her fellow player the privilege of having his own opinion. So you can see it is a real pleasure to work with her! One of the biggest tactors in her success is her perseverance. When one is working with Janet she unconsciously stimulates one to greater endeavor. Janet always aims at the highest attainment. A person cannot be in her company and not catch some of that spirit of keeping everlastingly at it. And she does it so quietly— so easily. But all the time you know she is reaching out for greater development and before you know it you are right in step with her, eager to put over your best efforts, too. — Charles Farrell Out of approximately 10,000 unwired theaters still remaining in the U. S.. at least 5,000 will install sound, while about 3,000 more are expected to replace unsatisfactory apparatus with standard devices, says Charles J. Ross of RCA Photophone. • • • THE MONTH of January has been set aside in all RKO theaters for the observance of the second anniversary of the newly constituted organization it is but fitting that they should celebrate with a lot of heigh-ho and cheerio and it would be entirely fitting if the entire amusement industry celebrated with them for there are few organizations which have contributed so fully to the development of the Arts of Amusement in the last two years with their resources, artists and varied knowledge and experience of show business, they have been a potent factor in the New Era into which the amusement world was swept by the advent of the talkie it meant a tremendous upset and form reversal for the major vaudeville organization vaude was on the skids as the young giant of the motion picture kept sapping its vitality then came sound and the picture producers corraled vaude headliners right and left it looked like the demise of the chief exponents of the outworn vaudeville form of entertainment and it probably would have died, but for the calibre of the men at the helm they quickly adapted themselves to the new order Radio Pictures was formed and started from scratch without sound stages or equipm--.;' with practically no organization or personnel yet in two short years Arkayo has established Radio Pictures in the foremost rank of producing organizations an outstanding factor to be reckoned with every minute of the film year Arkayo has done yeoman service in supplying vaudeville talent to the talkies at that critical period when the vaude artist was the only one who could successfully meet the demands of the talkie, calling for an unusual combination of oral and pantomimic ability so to these men who so magnificently have met one of the greatest crises that the ent're amusement industry has ever been called upon to face, we salute you Hiram Brown, Benjamin Kahane, Joseph I. Schnitzer, Lee Marcus, William Le Baron, Hy Daab, Joe Plunkett, Major L. E. Thompson, Nate Blumberg, Mark Luescher and to this Honor Roll many more limited space only forbids mention they have done big things in a Big Way and may this second anniversary be but the forerunner of many more as equally successful with a clientele of 60,000,000 patrons and hundreds of theaters in every principal city, they have something to be jubilant about • • • JEANETTE LOFF, appearing in Tiffany's "Fighting Thru," is in town and will appear as guest artist for Nick Kenny's "Daily Mirror" program over WOR on Sunday eve Paramount Publix executive staff will welcome a distinguished addition shortly in the person of George Akerson, former newspaperman and for several years secittary to President Hoover • • • THE EMPEY Salesmen's New Year ball at the Plaza almost passed without a proper observance of the fatal hour everybody forgot it was midnight so busy trying to sell the other fellow or dame something in the usual manner of film salesmen until Phil Meyer tried to sell Herman Timberg a watch then everybody noted it wa; just 12 o'clock the emcey mistook a salesman's wife for Ruth Roy, and tried to get her to sing but Ruth rushed down from the end of the hall in time to save the day or night then came the Main Event the lights went out a spot was thrown on the main entrance in trooped a file of waiters each bearing aloft a large piece of ice frozen into the form of an ice bucket with little Japanese ice-cream men with tiny parasols sitting in conference atop the ice at a flurry of trumpets, the parade of waiters started down the hall then Frank Drum thought he saw a dime on the floor h" dashed out, upsetting three wa'te-s and scattering three doren Japanese figures all over the floor a lotta Merry Confusion just what you'd expect at a film salesmen's party « « « » » » EXPLOITETTES A Clearing House for Tabloid Exploitation Ideas e Local Clubs Help Children's Matinee TN AN effort to build up good will and to overcome local opposition of a prejudicial nature, Manager Joe Klein of the Strand Theater, Shenandoah, Penn. has enlisted the co-operation and support of the local Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs on a special children's matinee at which the admission price will be a toy, broken or otherwise. These toys, through the aid of Boy Scouts, will be repaired and distributed to the poor children of Shenandoah by the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs. —Publix * * * Juvenile Editions Of Covered Wagons ]y[ANAGER J. F. Thames, Jr., staged a unique parade that gave "The Big Trail" at the l'ublix-Saenger, Vicksburg, Miss., lots of publicity. The waggns used ranged from two-wheel carts of various descriptions to four-wheel . wagons of the toj variety. Every entry had his or her wagon to resemble the covered wagons of the early days. Each wagon was pulled by the entrant— girls and toys under the age of 12. — Fox MANY HAPPY RETURNS Best wishes and congratulations arc extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthdays: January 3-4 Marion Davies Eddie Gribbon Anna May Wong Dorothy Arzner Herbert Brenon Paul Benjamin Sam Dembow George B. Seitz Isaac Blumenthal