The Film Daily (1931)

5 z&fij , DAILY Tuesday, February 17, 1931 © LATEST HOLLYWOOD HAPPENINGS f) = Coast Wire Service = Seven New Contracts Signed by Paramount Paramount in the last few days signed or renewed seven important contracts with players and others. Among them was Lilyan Tashman, engaged as a featured player: Regis Toomey, player; Sam Jaffe, production manager; E. Lloyd Sheldon, associate producer; Paul H. Fox, scenarist; Edward Goodman, director, and Travis Banton, stylist. "Salvation Nell" Near Completion James Cruze is directing the final scenes for "Salvation Nell," his next special for Tiffany release. The cast is headed by Ralph Graves, Helen Chandler, Sally O'Neill, Jason Robards, Matthew Betz, Charlotte Walker and De Witt Jennings. Fox Signs Sistrom William Sistrom, formerly of Pathe, has been signed as an associate producer by Fox. Added to "Board and Room" Cast Phillips Smalley, Alan Roscoe, John Elliot, Sherry Hall and the Heindl String Quartette have been added to Radio's "Board and Room." Thompson To Direct Harlan Thompson, will direct "All Women Are Hungry" as his first directorial effort. Victor McLaglen and Jeanette MacDonald will appear in the Fox adaptation of "Good Gracious, Annabelle." Laurel-Hardy in Two Versions Laurel and Hardy are making the Spanish and French versions of "True Blue" at the same time. Spanish and French versions of "The Chiselers" will be added to the picture to make a feature. English versions will be released as two shorts. Columbia Buys "Let's Get Famous" Columbia has bought the screen rights to "Let's Get Famous.'' by Warren B. Duff. Story will be produced for the coming program. "Spider' for Lowe Edmund Lowe will appear in "The Spider," following "Women of All Nations." Allan Dwan will direct the picture for Fox. Daily Dozen RKO is giving special attention to the physical welfare of its personnel. Carl Freemanson, former member of the Swedish Olympic team in Stockholm and now in charge of the physical training at the Radio studio, has engaged an assistant to aid him in keeping the company's stars, executives and others in good form. A LITTLE from "LOTS ►// By RALPH WILK J OHN BARRYMORE, George Arliss, William Powell and Dolores Costello will all be working on adjoining stages within a few days in Warner Bros. Hollywood studios. Barrymore will be busy with 'The Genius," in which Marian Marsh will have an important role; Arliss in "Alexander Hamilton," with Doris Kenyon playing opposite; William Powell in "Heat Wave," and Miss Costello in "The Passionate Sonata." * * * Our Passing Show: George Ar chainbaud, Grant Mitchell, Neil Hamilton, Paul Fejos, Henry Kolker, Barbara Kent, William Slavens McNutt, Gerald L. G. Samson. Ralf Harolde, Margaret Ettinger, Alfred Newman, Scott Littleton, Thornton Freeland, Emile Chautard, Frank Butler, Dorothy Herzog at "Berkely Square"; Richard Boleslavsky, Ivan Lebedeff, Gerrit Lloyd and John Miles chatting at Radio Pictures. * * * Wilhelm Dieterle, German director, who has been directing foreign versions for Warner Bros, and First National, will direct Richard Bar thelmess in "Spent Bullets." * * * John Francis Dillon rvill direct "The Reckless Hour," Dorothy Mackaill's next vehicle for First National. Dillon directed' "Kismet," "The Girl of the Golden West," "Millie" and is now completing '"The Finger Points." * * * Howard Higgin became a director because that was about the only job left in the studio for him to do. Starting as a property boy, then an interior decorator, a technical and art director,, assistant director, codirector and a writer of originals for the screen, it was just a natural law of progress that he direct not only his own stories, but the work oi other writers as well. * * * William Beaudine, Jr., son of the director, appears in a sequence of "Father's Son," which Beaudine directed for First National. * * * Buster Keaton and Cliff Edwards are big phonograph men now. They got together and made a series of comic records that are much in demand in the screen colony. Of course, they're privately circulated and not on the market. Buster plays the ukelele and Edwards sings in them. * * * Jerry Drew, former star and director of Educational comedies, makes his debut in Pathe two-reelers in "Bare Knees," Daphne Pol lard's current comedy. The comedian recently played in "The Painted Desert," Bill Boyd's latest Pathe special. * * * More Passing Show: Heywood Broun visiting points of interest at First National, with Norman Krasna as his guide; Al Mannon, Elmer Clifton and Louis Lewyn in a huddle at Tec-Art; Hugh Bennett and George Amy conferring at First National. * * * Lloyd Ingraham, who plays the role of a secret service man in "The Lady Who Dared," the First National picture featuring Billie Dove, has spent 40 years in the show business. Seventeen years of this time were spent as a motion picture director. His first film experience was with Bronco Billy Anderson in 1912, as an actor. Later he served as a director with several of the pioneer film companies, including Essanay, Universal and Griffith. * * * No sooner had Martha Mattox completed the role of an English nurse in Constance Bennett's new Pathe picture, than she started work in a Pathe comedy entitled, "Disappearing Enemies," in which she is seen as the cold and domineering wife of Arthur Hoyt. This is Miss Mattox's second Pathe short. * * * Byron Morgan, for several years with M-G-M, is now writing the adaptation and dialogue for "Upper Underworld," which Rowland V. Lee will direct for First National. Morgan first attracted much attention in film circles by the original stories he wrote for Wallace Reid. * * * Adele Buffington, former story supervisor at Tiffany, is busy at Columbia, where she is w r i t i n g "Through the Flames," an original story. Ray Coffin wonders what George O'Brien is doing on that tramp freighter en route to the Orient, ivithout his customary daily workout at squash. Ray believes George has the sailors playing basketball on the mizzenmast. * * * Mae Clarke will not have any idle days for several weeks. Following her work in "The Public Enemy," at First National, she will play the feminine leading role in "Traveling Husbands," a Radio Picture. Later, she will return to First National, where she will support Edward G. Robinson in "Smart Monev." Fannie Hurst Novel Bought by Universal "Back Street," novel by Fannie Hurst, has been bought by Carl Laemmle, Jr., as one of the Univers-| al specials for early next season. Thq story originally ran as a serial in "Cosmopolitan" and now is one of the best-sellers in book form. John T. Murray Signed John T. Murray has been added to the cast of Fox'g "Cure For The Blues". Frank Borzage is directing with Will Rogers starred. Mirande Writing Original Yves Mirande has started work on an original for M-G-M. He recently returned from Paris. Stone in "Always Goodbye" Lewis Stone has been added to "Always Goodbye," Elissa Landi's second for Fox. Kenneth MacKen ' na and William C. Menzies will codirect from Lynn Starling's adaptation of Kate McLaurin's storv. Rogers Signs Lew Cody Lew Cody has been signed by Charles Rogers for a part in "The Registered Woman" to be released by Radio. Nance O'Neil, C. Henry Gordon, John Loder, Alfred Hickman and Edward Earle have also been added to the cast. Working On Next Chase Story Charley Chase, James Parrott and Carl Harbaugh are working on the story for the next M-G-M short, to go into production soon. Charles Rogers' Next Set Charles Rogers will appear next in a story tentatively called "The Lawyer's Secret," which Max Marcin will direct. Clive Brook, Richard Arlen and Jean Arthur are also in the cast. Story is based on an original by James Hilary Finn. Louis Wolheim Under Knife Louis Wolheim, who was obliged to withdraw from Howard Hughes' production of "The Front Page" because of illness, is to undergo an operation probably today to determine the nature of his malady. Doctors say they do not believe it to be appendicitis, although the trouble is in the region of the appendix. A Cinch George Akerson, former sec of President Hoover and now a Paramount exec, admits he has "everything to learn" about the film biz. And won't he be surprised at some of the lessons!