The Film Daily (1931)

THE A Little from "Lots" By RALPH WILK HOLLYWOOD YV7ILLIAM POST, newly signed W juvenile lead, has arrived at the Radio Pictures studios to fulfill his contract. Post is said to be young and good looking. He was in stock in Denver, went to New York recently, took tests and won his contract. * * * Edgar Allen Woolf, famous playwright, is aiding in dialogue on the M-G-M lot in William Haines' "The Imposter". The two clown together incessantly. Whenever it's time to film a scene Haines yells: "Tie the Woolf outside so production can go on!" * * * Frank Lloyd has been borrowed by Howard Hughes from First National to direct Billie Dove in an original. * * * Two men who started in life as newsboys share the featured male roles in First National's forthcoming screen version of the mystery play, "The Gorilla." Both Joe Frisco, the vaudeville headliner, who enacts the part of a dumb detective, and his fellow detector of crime, Harry Gribbon, earned their first money selling newspapers. * * * RKO has signed Lew Cody, Nance O'Neill, C. Henry Gordon. John Loder, Alfred Hickman and Edward Earle for "The Registered Woman." * * * Humphrey Pearson's original story, "Traveling Husbands," will go into rehearsal Feb. 18 at RKO. Evelyn Brent, Hugh Herbert, Frank McHugh, James Gleason and Stanley Fields have been cast under direction of Paul Sloane. * * * William Humphrey and Lillianne Leighton, have been added to the cast of "Subway Express," Columbia's adaptation of the stage play. TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY IN IHNI-WMUW Of HUM DOM Producers agree to cut obscenity from future productions. * * * Eastman Kodak seeking 30 per cent tariff tax on foreign raw stock. * * * Censorship problem in New England acute. -JZW DAILY Friday, February 13, 1931 • • • NOW IT can be told the secret of what is in back of that Columbia's outfit's phenomenal success if s nothing but Personality represented in Joe Brandt, Jack and Harry Cohn they have been psychoanalyzed by Ed Chodorov with the following amazing results Joe Brandt many men in one a human kaleidoscope acres of highly pob'shed, glittering, precise machinery, smoothly, silently working beneath a velvet cover Harry Cohn a blue flame streaking over the ground can kiss and kill you in successive moments Jack Cohn behind his glasses a pair of deceptive X-ray eyes .surprising ability to pick the one disadvantage out of a proposition with a thousand good points but shucks, not to detract from Jack's rep, most wives are doing that with their husbands all the time but this psychoanalysis is very illuminating and interesting by scrambling 'em together we get a composite picture of the Personality in back of Columbia that makes it tick to wit acres of glittering machinery beneath a velvet cover streaking over the ground like a blue flame as it kisses and kills you with a glance behind a pair of deceptive X-ray eyes now how in 'ell can you stop such a combination? * * * * • • • HOLLYWOOD TRICK SHOTS Adolpb* Menjou strolling around the Emgeem lot all dolled up in gulf knickers, a tuxedo coat and straw hat Wallace Beery was waiting to see Irving Thalberg after waiting the best part of the day, Wallace finally asked Irving's sec: "Tell me, is there really a Thalberg, or is he a Myth?".^ 800 ciggies were smoked in one day during the club scene for Norma Shearer's "Strangers May Kiss" and nobody had to take a Blindfold Test, for everybody knew Old Gold supplied 'em Charlie Dorian, assistant director on Ramon Novarro's "Daybreak," was seen tearing his hair and going through funny motions as he read a scene in the script finallv the guv started babbling unintelligible things and they thought he had gone nertz they picked up the script and read the scene it called for Charlie to supply a horse that would trot backwards down the street and then pause to look back to see what was going on inside the cab.... * * * * • • • RUSSELL MACK, director of Pathe's "Lonely Wives," sez his first maxim is: "Give the audience a great picture." great ! let's try it and won't the audience be surprised ! and Johnny Farrell in his Pathe golf picture uses the putter with which he won the championship from Bobby Jones at Olympia Field at Chi in 1928 looks like a dirty dig at Warner's golf series with Bobby Jones While they are passing around the confetti to the boys who helped make "Trader Horn" what it is, don't let's overlook the cameramen, Clyde De Vinna and his associates, Bob Roberts and George Nogle, working under unbearable conditions in the African wilds, states Hal Hall in the "American Cinematog rapher," these men have stamped themselves as real artists no argument — if you've seen their work * * * * * • • • W. H. JANSEN, head of Industrial and Educational Films, Shanghai, is a pioneer who has done things...' when he arrived there eight years ago the city boasted three movie houses and only one production concern functioning in the whole of China today his company has one of the most modern of studios, and his example has resulted in 48 Chinese film companies being formed resulting in Eastman Kodak Co. at Rochester shipping 2,000,000 feet of film per month to China which ain't so bad for Eastman Ernest Schoedsack, whose "Rango" will be let out of the cage at the Rivoli next week, and A. P. Waxman, the Warner theater advertising specialist, are spending some of their spare moments these days reminiscing over their war experiences they were in the same outfit, the photogra-group of the A.E.F Wesley Ruggles and other present-day film celebs also were in it « « « » » » NEWS of the DAY Buffalo — The Hollywood, smallel local first run and formerly knowj as the Little, has closed temporaril; Frederic Ullman, Jr., manager an lessee, has resigned. . I ' Kansas City — G. I. Hunter, for-1 merly manager of the Gladstone, hai been made chief at the Warwick by Foxt West Coast Theaters. R. if Hunter stepped into the vacancy at the Gladstone and he was replaced at the Boone by E. Knoblauch. Columbus — Papers have been filed| with the secretary of state chartering the Garden Amusement Co., thel Grandview Theater, Inc., and thel Salem Theater, Inc. The incorpo-| rators are Mrs. Ethel Chesbrough W. C. Chesbrough and W. S. Cowan.J who have been operating these theaters for some time as a partner-l ship. The Salem is located in Day-J ton and the others in Columbus. San Francisco — Under Fox controll the St. Francis will drop its policy] of foreign pictures and feature second runs. Denver— J. R. Keitz, of the Sheffield Film Exchange Denver salesl force, has been made sales manager! of the Portland branch and J. W.f Allender has been added to the Seattle office as salesman. J. T. Sheffield just returned from the North-| west, made arrangements for thj opening in the near future of the Butte branch. Jesup, Ga.— F. F. and J. C. Osborne, convicted of working a theaa ter ticket swindle here and in TiftonJ have been fined $75 apiece or three| months on the chain-gang. Portland, Ore. — Early morningl safe-crackers took about $2,000 froml the Bagdad, according to Manager! Clinton Mansfield. St. Croix Falls, Wis. — A tempo-l rary order restraining R. O. Peppeil from showing Sunday movies hail been dissolved by Judge Carl MI Lynn. 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 : February 13 John Wray Howard Bretherton George Fitzmaurice Kate Price