The Film Daily (1931)

THE ii DAILY ^ mm mi Monday, February 16, 1931 A LITTLE from "LOTS >// By RALPH WILK HOLLYWOOD ALFRED T. MANNON, producer '**• of the "Voice of Hollywood" series for Tiffany, prepared a special reel for the recent opening bill of the new Los Angeles, where Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" was the feature attraction. Movieland s most prominent screen celebrities who attended this gala opening will soon appear itn forthcoming issues of this intimate short subject. * * * Two Hamiltons, Neil and Hale, are appearing in support of Norma Shearer in "Strangers May Kiss, M-G-M production. * * * Here and There: Edward G. Robinson chatting with Carl Laemmle, Jr., and Henry Henigson at Universal; Humphrey Pearson and Paul Perez lunching at Radio Pictures; Bobby Agnew motoring to the Metropolitan studios. r * * * Irving Thalberg, M-G-M production chief, is becoming Hollywood's foremost amateur photographer, snapping at least a dozen poses daily of the Thalberg heir at play. * * * Dot Farley, well known comedienne who started her film career with the old Essanay Company and who has been active in pictures for 17 years, plays her fourth Pathe leading role in "Disappearing Enemies," a farce directed by Wallace Fox. * * * Harry Beaumont and Joan Crawford are associated in the making of their fourth picture together in "The Torch Song." Beaumont brought Joan to stardom with "Our Dancing Daughters," later screening "Our Blushing Brides" and her most recent film, "Dance, Fools, Dance." Bess Meredyth adapted "The Torch Song" for the screen. * * * Captain Ted Russell, information chief at the Columbia studios, knows his p's and cues. He was a stage and screen actor for 27 years and sang in light opera for four) years. * * * Holmes C. Walton, for the past 15 years active in the foreign and domestic fields as representative of authors, directors and producers, has opened new offices in the Bank of Hollywood building. He has made semi-annual trips to Europe for several years. Page Diogenes! Charles F. Riesner, M-G-M director, has been comedian and director for 15 years and has directed almost every comedian in films. "And still," he declares, "I claim that neither I nor any other man really knows anything about comedies." Delmer Daves has returned from a flying trip to New York and Washington, where he selected material from the U. S. Navy film library for incorporation in "Shipmates," which is being made by MG-M. "Shipmates" is an origiyial story by Daves and Lou Edelman, ivho are now writing an untitled original, which will star Marie Dressier. * * * Pathe is starting work on two new comedies, "Rough House Rhythm," by Harry Sweet, who also heads the cast with Franklin Pangborn, Florence Lake, Claude Allister and Edgar Kennedy, adapted and directed by George Green, and "Parents Wanted," by Margaret Echard, adapted and directed by Fred Guiol, with Edward McWade, Marian Shockley, Ethel Wales, Al Austin, William Janney and Harold Goodwin. Bella Cohen tvas borroived from M-G-M to work on the dialogue of "Roped In" for Paramount. She wrote the dialogue in collaboration with her husband, Samuel Speivack. * * * Walter Merrill and Al Smith have been assigned roles in Columbia's 'Danger Ahead." the first production in the company's new "Money Getters" series of six features. * * * Our Passing Show: Harry J. Brown driving his new Cadillac; Carl Laemmle, Jr., and Robert Harris chatting at Universal; J. L. Warner, Albert Warner and Fred Beetson lunching at First National. * * * Mae Clarke is keeping busy, to say the least. She had no sooner finished work in "The Front Page" than she was engaged for an important role in "The Public Enemy." which is being made by Warner Brothers. * * * William Dietz is doing the trick photography on "Beyond Victory," for Pathe. * * * Lloyd A. French will make his debut as a director on an untitled comedy short, which will start Rosco Mes, with Lou Brock producing. The story is being written bv French. Mauri Grashin and Harold Schwartz. * * * Conchita Montenegro, described as "the scintillathiq little breath of florid Spain," will have a leading part in the screen version of "Never the Twain Shall Meet." which will be made by M-G-M. Conchita was a dancer before coming to Hollywood and has appeared in Madrid, Paris and other European cities. * * * Jean Reno, a newcomer to Hollywood, is appearing in "The Torch Song." at the El Capitan. She has worked in several pictures, including "Millie," "Ten Cents a Dance" and "A Free Soul." Short Shots from Eastern Studios ,By HARRY N. BLAIR, "pAGLIACCI," the first screen opera, which will have a gala opening at the Central Park (formerly the Jolson) on Friday night, was recently completed at the Audio Cinema studios, here, under the direction of Joe W. Coffman. Ginger Rogers will demonstrate the "Ginger Bob," as created by Ferd Graf, Paramount coiffeur, at the International Convention of Beauty Shop Owners, to be held at the Hotel Pennsylvania, March 10-13. Albert Ray, who has directed for Fox and other large companies on the West Coast, has been signed by Warner Bros, to direct at the Vitaphone studio, here. A two reel short based on "The Shadow," a radio character, has been completed bv Universal, at the Audio Cinema studios, under the direction of George Cochrane. "The Happiness Boys," another radio feature, have also made the first of a series of shorts at the RCA studios. Vitaphone Vitamins: Monty Shaff, assistant to Sam Sax, has a brand new office, decorated in modern style by Frank Namczy, studio art director. . . .Adele Allerhand, wife of Burnet Hershey, staff writer, sailed for Europe, on less than a day's notice, in quest of new material for a series of magazine articles.... Harold Levey, music supervisor is enjoying the tropical breezes in Florida. Actors require little or no exaggeration in their portrayals since the introduction of talking pictures, is the observation of Tommv Madden, physical director at the Paramount studio, who has been a careful observant of motion picture methods for years. Tommv also believes that directors should be more like orchestra conductors in achieving a harmonv of emotions.. Plenty of activity at Paramount' s New York studio, with two big productions in work and another in preparation. "New York Lady," featuring Tallulah Bankhead and Clive Brook, is now nearing completion: Ernst Lubitsch is about to start work on "The Smiling Lieutenant." starring Maurice Chevalier, while the script of Edmund Goirtding's original, "Between Two Worlds," is about completed. "Stolen Heaven." made at the New York studios, with Nancv Carroll and Phillips Holmes, is rated in the knockout class, therebv tnakine another boost for East Coast production. "The Naggers at the Prize-Fight" is the title of the next Vitaphone short featuring Mr. and Mrs. Jack Norworth. This will be based on a script written by A. D. Otvos, staff writer, in collaboration with Jack Norworth. Maurice Chevalier took time off the other morning to talk to a leading Paramount exhibitor in Australia, at which time he extended greetings to all exhibitors in that part of the world. It was 10 A.M. when he talked here which means that it was 6 P.M. in Australia. John Daly Murphy, veteran stage actor, has a supporting role in Vitaphone's "The Handy Guy," featuring Earl Sande, noted jockey. Vitaphone is capitalizing on the comedy element in the trials and tribulations of a pair of newlyweds in a series featuring Billy Wayne and Thelma White. So far, they have appeared in five Vitaphone comedies together, in addition to playing separate roles in other films made at the Warner studio. Paramount Notes: Helen Strauss, of Paramount's short subject department, received a five pound box of candy on Valentine's day from an unknown admirer. . . .Tom Cameron and Dick Willis, in charge of make-up at the Paramount and Warner studios, respectively, get a break in the current "Photoplay" . . .Ed DuPar, chief cameraman for Warner Vitaphone, has about recovered from an attack of appendicitis, after two months on the sick list. Frank Zukor and Charles Harten were in charge of the camera work on a Greek talking feature picture, recently made in the East by Hellenic Pictures Corp. "Out of Nowhere," the latest composition of John Green, who wrote "I'm Yours" and "Body and Soul," the latter in conjunction with Edward Hayman. It has just been released by Famous Music Corp. and promises to be as big a hit as his other songs. Plenty of Cooks "Staff Supervision" is the latest in Hollywood. Not merely one person, but an entire group of experienced studio workers, including a producer, an author, a publicity man, a film editor and a sales exec, constitutes that much mooted studio institution known as the supervisor, a plan which is being inaugurated with the production of "Air Police," Sono Art production featuring Kenneth Harlan, Josephine Dunn and Charles Delaney. 1