The Film Daily (1931)

DAILY Tuesday, March 17, 1931 Short Shots from New York Studios By HARRY N. BLAIR 13ETTY LAWFORD, who worked -D in a number of pictures at the Paramount New York studio, is backon the stage temporarily. She's under contract to Warner Bros. D. A. Doran, Jr., Paramount' s hustling scenario editor, is show8a t>i rated. Meaning he's keeping at a tremendous pace in order to learn what's going on on the Broadway stage. Vitaphone has signed Victor Moore, musical comedy star, to appear in a short to be entitled "Baby Face," a burlesque on gangster films. Johnny Walker has just finished for Vitaphone "Speaking Out of Turn," a short subject burlesquing talking pictures. Prominent players in Walker's support are Dudley Clements, Carroll Ashburn and Frances McHugh. Eight different nationalities are represented in the making of "The Smiling Lieutenant" at Paramount's New York studio. Ernst Lubitsch, director, and Hans Drier, art director, are both German: Chevalier and Claudette Colbert, French; George Folsey, cameraman, Irish; Ernest Zatorsky, sound man, Polish; Miriam Hopkins, actress, and Sam Raphaelson, adaptor, American; Oscar Strauss, composer, Austrian; Clifford Gray, lyric writer, English, and Ernst Vajda, writer. Hungarian. Paramount Notes: Clive Brook and his inevitable umbrella . . . George Cukor now a confirmed Coca Cola addict due to the insidio7<s influence of Tallulah Bankhead, hopeless slave of the drink . . . Mrs. Locke. Tallulah's companion, likes New York but would give the Woolworth building for a sight of her family in dear old London. Miriam Hopkins has been chosen to aDoear opposite Phillips Holmes in "The Man I Killed," Ernst Lubitsch's next picture for Paramount, scheduled to start June 1, with Emil Jannings starred. Miss Hopkins is at present appearing in "The Smiling Lieutenant." TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY IN SINE mNnsnufb Of nUMfO.M Educational signs contract to handle 20 Mermaid comedies yearly. * * * Double convention of exchangemen and exhibitors for Rochester in April. * * * Stoll cuts sales force. Will distribute through Pathe. • • • A LITTLE matter of a 10,000-mile race around the world to scoop the field is nothing to these Paramount newsreel fellers we have it on the word of Earl Wingart and Wallace West that their organizashe scored a two days' beat on the first pictures of the late New Zealand earthquake a few hours after the tragedy occurred at the city of Napier, S. H. Craig, manager of Paramount's New Zealand office, had the pictures aboard the steamer Aorangi, leaving for Victoria the 10,000-mile race to Broadway was on when the Aorangi steamed into Honolulu, it was still anybody's race, as another newsreel had their films on the same steamer but at the Hawaiian capital the wide-awake Paramount boys pulled a fast one there was a chance of catching a boat sailing for San Francisco a few minutes before the Aorangi was due to dock this boat would reach San Francisco two full days ahead of their steamer so special emergency authorization was secured from the Treasury Dep't at Washington, permitting the film to be transferred from one boat to another at sea a launch met the Aorangi as it steamed into the harbor three minutes later the transfer had been made to the outward bound Asama Maru two days later, when the Asama Maru reached 'Frisco harbor, a seaplane pulled up alongside, carrying Joe Rucker of the Newsreel's staff the gent who made himself famous on the Byrd Expedition the film was tossed over the side to him, and cleared by a customs inspector who accompanied him as the airmail was not leaving for New York for a few hours, the negative was rushed to a local lab, developed, duped and some prints made thus when the plane reached New York the films were all ready for theater distribution a two-day scoop in a 10,000-mile race to show a coupla minutes of newsreel that's probably why they still call it Paramount * * * * • • • EDWARD STRAUSS, manager of the recording dep't of Brunswick Radio Corp^, when recording on film for a producer, extends himself to the limit on painstaking care and courtesy and this goes for his entire dep't, from studio hands to engineer Charles Stuart Edwards, veteran stage and screen actor, proved his versatility by jumping from a screen part of an aged emotional character to portraying a light comedv role in "Doctor X" at the Hudson theater If we call the druggist "doctor," does that make the soda clerk a fizzician? all replies will be treated in strictest confidence * * * * • • • DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS' intimates are saying that he will never make another pix, figuring that it's about time to settle down and enjoy his huge fortune Pathe News is building up an editorial staff just like a big newspaper first it was an aviation editor, and now it's a yachting editor ...... .Joe Rivkjn has worked out a nifty li'l novelty throwaway for "Hell Bound," with a card showing a newsboy under his arm is a miniature newspaper with the name of the pix splashed across it in heavy black type * * * * • • • THE BENEFIT for the Permanent Film Industry Relief Fund scheduled for the Astor hotel on March 28 will have Maurice Chevalier, Belle Baker, Watson Sisters and Willie and Eugene Howard in the entertainment lineup Agnes Smith, frau of Frederick James Smith, the empey crit and editor is columnmg jn the N. Y. "American" under the headline, "The Last Word" title suggested by hubby, who ought to know Now, children, don't take life too seriously if you must bump somebody off, do it with a Smile « « « » » » A Little from a Lots By RALPH IVILK HOLLYWOOD 'JTM McCOY has been signed by Stanley Bergerman for the lead in the first of next year's Universal series, entitled "Battling With BuffaloBill." Universal is to make four sound pictures in its complete serial program. * * * John M. Stahl is reported preparing to march to the altar in May or June with Roxana McGowan Ray, former Sennett beauty and leading woman. * * * "The Age for Love," Ernest Pascal novel, has been selected by Howard Hughes as Billie Dove's first starring picture for United Artists. Frank Lloyd will direct, in addition to collaborating with Pascal on the film treatment. * * * RKO has bought the talker rights to "Drusilla With a Million," produced eight years ago as a silent. * * * Mary Kornman, who recently completed her contract with Hal Roach, was immediately engaged for another picture. She will appear in the first of a new series co-starring Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts. * * * Robert Milton will direct "I Like Your Nerve," in which Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., will star for First National. * * * Jack Warner was one of the first to greet Mayor Jimmy Walker on his arrival here. * * * George Arliss will start work in "Alexander Hamilton" on April 6. Alan Mowbray and Doris Kenyon ivill have roles in the Warner production. * * * Ross Lederman has been signed to direct Buck Jones in another western for Columbia. * * * Richard Barthelmess in "The Finger Points" will be seen on Broadway next month. A print of the picture has been sent east. MANY HAPPY RETURNS Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating thdr birthdays : March 1 7 Edward Golden Sid Grauman Harry Reichenbach H. D. Goldberg John McCarthy