The Film Daily (1931)

J^ ^=;gBg^ DAILY Thursday, Nov. 5, 1931 A LITTLE from "LOTS // nBy RALPH WILK . HOLLYWOOD pjARRY CAREY has completed "Cavalier of the West," first of eight specials that he will make for Weiss Brothers Artclass Pictures. J. P. McCarthy, author of the story, directed the production. Cast includes Carmen LaRoux, Kane Richmond, Paul Panzer, Theodore Adams, George F. Hayes, Maston Williams, Ben Corbett and Christina Montt. "Roped," the second of the Carey series, will go into production shortly at the Tec Art Studios. Columbia's next Tim McCoy western, which carried the working title, "Alias the Sheriff," has been permanently named "The Fighting Marshall." Rose Lederman is directing. Dorothy Gulliver, Mary Carr, Pat O'Malley and Mathew Betz appear promiently in the cast. Wallace Smith did such a good job in writing the screen version and dialogue for "Circumstances" that William Sistrom who is to produce this opus for Fox, with William Menzies directing, has requested Radio Pictures for permission to retain Smith for another assignment. Harold Hecht, new dance mentor at RKORadio studios, is a choosy individual. He interviewed 200 girls and 150 men in order to select a dozen girls and a half dozen chorus men for Lily Damita's current starring vehicle, "Chi Chi and Her Papas." * * * Roy Del Ruth, having completed the direction of "Taxi," his latest Warner Bros, assignment, is reading several novels and stage plays from which he is to select his next directorial effort. Mrs. Richard Wallace, wife of the Paramount director, has returned from New York with recommendations for the purchase of two stories which she discovered during her sojourn in the Eastern metropolis. * * * George Archainbaud and his troupe for the past fortnight have been working on the RKO ranch filming scenes for "Exposed," which he is directing. Robert Lord, Warner scenarist and supervisor, is a graduate of Harvard. During his college career Lord achieved prominence for his contributions to such national magazines as "Life," "Judge" and other humorous publications. Al Christie has placed in production a new Educational-Vanity comedy, tentatively titled "For the Love of Fanny." Doug and Mary Fans Indicative of public interest in Mary Pickford and Doug Fairbanks is the fact that approximately 200 telephone calls were received by George Gerhard. United Artists p. a., yesterday morning from people who wanted to get in touch with the stars upon their arrival in New York. Numerous calls were from fans who wanted to crash into the presence of the celebs. P. S— He Didn't Get the Job Victor Schertzinger, director for Radio Pictures, received a letter from an exconvict seeking employment as a technical advisor on pictures dealing with safe blowing, confidence games and hi-jacking in all of which he professes to have had extended experience. Schertzinger has filed the communication for future use. Hal Roach has signed Billy Gilbert to a long-term contract. . .Charley Chaoe has started work in "The Krisko Kid", with Frances Lee as feminine lead and James Horne directing. * :!: * Lester New is the latest Broadway actor to invade Hollywood. He appeared in the stage versions of "Holiday", "Let Us Be Gay", "Tommy", "The Command to Love", "The Royal Family" and others. Otto Brower was recently recalled from Fort Miller Ranch, Friant. Calif., where he has been resting, in order to sign three directorial • contracts. He will start shooting his first story, "The Law of the Sea,"' on Nov. 4, for Monogram, with a cast including W.Uiam Farnum, Ralph Ince, Cornelius Keete. Sally Biaine and Eve Southern. Brower is also to direct Hoot Gibson for Allied Prods., and will follow this assignment with another directorial job at Monogram. George Stevens, who has directed eight "Boy Friends" comedies at the Hal Roach studios, will soon start work on his ninth "Boy Friends" subject. His last comedy, "The Kick-OfT", was enthusiastically received at a preview. * * * Randolph Scott, Virginia youth, who received his theatrical training at the Pasadena Community Playhouse, has been signed by Paramount. Born near Orange, Virgmia, Scott attended Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia, where he was active in athletics. He quit college for a tour of Europe and spent two years with his father in administrative engineering before coming to Hollywood. Max Stoiner, director of music at RKO-Pathe studios, in one day, translated "Chi Chi and Her Papas", current Lily Damita vehicle, from German into English. RKO Pathe has engaged Astrid Allwyn for "Lady With a Past", starring Constance Bennett. . .Isabel Withers, Addie McPhail, Charlotte Minnow, Bud Jamieson, Jerry Mandy and Roderick O'Farrell are additions to "Pete Burke, Reporter", one of the Frank McHugh newspaperman comedies being directed by Harry Sweet. * * * First National has bought the new novel by Harry Harrison Kroll, entitled "The Cabin in the Cotton", for Richard Barthelmess. It will follow "Alias the Doctor." Catalhia Bacena, famous Spanish star, who starred in Fox's Spanish version of "Mama," is en route to Europe. She came here for a pleasure trip, but her work as stage interpreter of the dram.as of Gregerio Martinez Sierra was well known and she 7vas given the Fox assignment. Short Shots from Eastern Studios By HARRY .V. BLAIR H^ AVING completed her role in "The Cheat," Tallulah Bankhead leaves for Hollywood on Monday. Paramount has selected "Song of Songs," based on a famous stage play, as her next vehicle. This will be the first time that Miss Bankhead has worked on the West Coast, her previous pictures having been made at Paramount's New York studio. Olive Shea has been selected by Larry Kent to play opposite Johnny Burke in his second two-reel comedy for Paramount. Eddie Cline is directing. Miss Shea has appeared in both Paramount features and shorts and also in Warner Vitaphone comedies, as well as on Broadway, her most recerit stage appearance having been in "Blind Mice." This accomplished girl is also a radio performer having been selected as the "Radio Queen of 1930." Eight girl students of Erasmus High School in Brooklyn which was attended by such famous personalities as Helen Twelvetrees and Clara Bow, will get the thrill of their lives this week when they appear at the Vitaphone studio in the shoi-t featuring Hal LeRoy, The name of the picture is "The High School Hoofer" and Sam Sax thought it a good idea to select actual high school students for atmosphere. George K. Arthur, who recently completed a comedy series with Karl Dane at the Paramount New York studio, has sold a short story to the Cosmopolitan magazine. Jack Haley is getting ready to make two more two-reel comedies for Warner Vitaphone to be released as part of the "Big Star Comedy" series. Haley's first Vitaphone appearance was in the recently released "Success" which was all that the title implies. Margaret Diimont, the dignified society lady who appeared in several of the Marx Br'>s. pictures, has a similar role in Johnny Burke's second Paramount short. Guy Bates Post, noted stage personality, makes his talker debut in RKO Pathe's "Prestige". With "Juvenile Court" out of the way, Bennie F. Zeidman is already formidttting plans for his second picture, "Bachelor Mother," an original by Al Boasberg, ivith adaptation by Luther Reed and screen play by Paul Gangelin. Vivienne Osborne, who recently completed the leading feminine role in "Husband's Holiday", is spending a week vacationing at Palm Springs. Mervyn LeRoy, director of "Five Star Final." was once a newsboy in San Francisco. His newsy days were spent in the vicinity of the Alcazar theater and most of his patrons were theater people. It was through this contact that he became interested in the stage and that he becama connected first with the theater and then with motion pictures. Helen Mann is playing the lead opposite Glenn Tryon in "For the Love of Fanny", a Christie comedy. .■> * * Lai Chand Mehra of Amritsar, India, who has acted as technical director on several pictures and who is also a noted lecturer, is giving a series of three lectures on Mahatma Gandhi and India at the First Unitarian church, Los Angeles. The dates of his lectures are Nov. 1, 8 and 15. * * * Leonard Spigelass, Fox writer, was about to rent an apartment, when he asked the landlord whether he objected to dogs. The landlord was very emphatic in declaring that he was, and although Leonard does not own any dogs and does not plan to buy any, he walked out. Wallace Ford is another screen newcomer, who is losing no time between pictures. He is under contract to M-G-M, but was borrowed by Tiffany, and his work in "X Marks the Spot" was so satisfactory to Sam Bischoff that Sam also borrowed him for "Hotel Continental." Ford attracted much attention by his work in the stage version of "Bad Girl." Gregorio Martinez Sierra, who wrote "The Cradle Song" and other dramas, and who has been supervising Spanish pictures at M-G-M, is en route to France, where he will write at the Paramount Joinville studio. While here, he wrote "Mama," the first original Spanish drama accepted by an American studio. While on the coast, he was given the degree of Doctor of Letters by the Pomona University. 300 Exfras in Short Three hundred extras are a lot of people for a two-reel comedy, biif William Goodrich, director-ln-chlcf at the Educational Studios. Is using that number for the cabaret scenes in a new Mermaid Comedy In which lack Shaw and Addle McPhall play the leads.