The Film Daily (1931)

THE Sunday, March 15, 1931 -%£\ DAILY PRODUCTION IN THE EAST WHO'S WHO AND WHAT'S WHAT IN GREATER NEW YORK STUDIOS EXPANSION UNDER WAY AT VITAPHONE Due to the demand for Vitaphone .short subjects exceeding the capacity of the present studio, Warner Bros, are now in the process of enlarging various departments. With six writers under contract, new quarters have been arranged allowing more space. The art department also has been moved to a larger room on the ground floor, while the studio lunchroom will be increased to double the present size. There is also a strong possibility of Warner Bros, erecting a new stage on space recently acquired adjacent to the present studio building. In this event, it is probable that production will be suspended while the new building is being erected. Short Shots from Eastern Studios , By HARRY N. BLAIR , Feld With Goulding Fritz Feld, who has been associated with Herman Shumlin in the direction of "Grand Hotel," Broadwaystage success, has been engaged as technical director on "Scarlet Hours," which Edmund Goulding starts Monday, at Paramount's New York studicT. Jack Pearl Set Jack Pearl's first Vitaphone short will be "The Meal Ticket," by Bur-net Hershey. Al Ray will direct. 'TED HUSING, sports announcer for the Lo.umD.a Broadcasting system, upon hurrying ort the set a. ihe Warner Vitaphone studio, where his "Sportslants series are uemg made, found himself trying to get an outside connection over a prop telephone! When George Lederer, then a producer for Mutual Film Corp., sent Lew Cody and Dorothy Dalton to the old Thauhauser studio in reipomse to a call for two leads to send co California, they were turned down as not beiny good screen types, ind they could have been signed for the enormous sum of $40 weekly per each! Geard Swope, president, General Electric Co., according to a recent survey made by Visugraphic pictures, producers of industrial films. Edna Story, upon completing the role of a Venetian belie in Martinelli's latest short and a harem beauty in Vitaphone's "Cold Turkey," has been selected to become a Spanish senorita in Martinelli's next picture. The high praise accorded "Stars of Yesterday" and "Evolution," two Vitaphone novelty shorts, has prompted further releases of that nature which are now being compiled and edited by Bert Frank. Ormston's Half Dozen Frank Ormston has signed a contract to write, edit and voice six novelty shorts for distribution by M. J. Kandel. Frank Ziesse Married Francis Ziesse, former business manager of International Photographers' Local 644, was recently married to Mary Dziubanska. Ziesse is expected to shortly announce a new connection with the RKO interests. Vitaphone Favoring Opera "Carnival," just completed for Warner Vitaphone by Giovanni Martinelli, is the thirteenth short made by the Metropolitan Opera tenor for that company. Martinelli has the distinction of appearing in the first Vitaphone short made by Warner Bros., over three years ago. "The Exile," an all-\'egro picture recently completed by Oscar Micheaux at the Metropolitan studios, Fort Lee, N. J., is intended for release in white houses as well as in those catering to Negro patronage. Vitaphone Vitamins: The annual Deer Club beefsteak on St. Patrick's eve will attract 30 Vitaphonites, Geo. Ackerson having instigated the jxtrty, which includes Roy Mack and Phil Quinn, both loyal sons of Erin . . . . J. B. French, studio veteran, explaining sonie of the "magic" he used to do as assistant to Hermann The Great at the old Forbes theater in Washington. . . .Ed Hennessey and Charlie Smith having their usual argument over a poker game, durn g lunch hour. T MOVING BACK TO NEW YORK It is definitely understood that the Publix organization, which has been housed in an annex adjoining the Paramount New York studio, will shortly be moved back to New York. At the time Publix enlered the production picture, there was an idea under way to film presentation acts to supplant the present system of flesh-and-blood units. A. J. Balaban, assisted by Frank Cambria. Jack Partington and several other unit directors were in charge of the few pictures made under the plan, which really never got under way. With the withdrawal of Balaban from, the Paramount organization, the whole thing was definitely dropped. Since then, the annex has been used as a rehearsal room for Publix unit acts but this has been found unsatisfactory and, in view of the fact that more storage space is needed to keep pace with extra film production, the Publix people are slatei' to soon return to New York. Billy Wayne and Thelma White, Vitaphone comedy team, are preparing to start "Fast and Furious.," which Albert Ray will direct. At the, same time, they are doubling in vaudeville. Venice in the heart of Flatbush as the setting for Martinelli's latest Vitaphone short is but one of the modern marvels accomplished by Frank Namczv, art director, and his staff of experts at the Warner Vitaphone studio. Among the business leaders who use and indorse film advertising may be included R. R. Deupree, president of Proctor & Gamble; J. M. Tuttle, president International Printing Ink Co.,; S. L. Willson, President of International Writing Paper Co.; Karl A. Bickel, president, United Press Publications, and "Scarlet Hours'' Cast Set Phoebe Foster and Estelle Winwood are the latest additions to the cast of "Scarlet Hours," Edmund Goulding's Paramount production starring Nancy Carroll, with Fredric March opposite. Alan Hale and Allison Skipworth are also in the cast. 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