The Film Daily (1932)

THE Sunday, April 24, 1932 -Jggg^ DAILV EXPLOITETTES A Clearing House for Tabloid Exploitation Ideas €) "Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde" Breaks on First Page jyf ANAGER W. H. Hall of the Paramount theater, Texarkana, Tex., tied up with the local newspaper and got a 2-col. X 7-inch box on the front page as well as inside stories to publicize "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Through the columns of the paper the picture received lots of publicity by telling how one man and one woman might win $2.50 each. At a special midnight showing just prior to picture's opening the next day, a man was to sit one one side of the theater auditorium and a woman on the other; doors locked; lights out and then see the picture from beginning to end. The two finally selected had to stand a physical examination by a doctor and sign a waiver releasing the theater from all responsibility. — Paramount, Texarkana, Tex. Newsreel Short Helped "Trapped in a Submarine" ATANAGER Thomas F. Wall of the Modern theater, Boston, played up his feature, "Trapped in a Submarine," by using a newsreel shot of the M-2, recently sunken British submarine during its final maneuvers, in conjunction with the showing of the trailer. For a week in advance, the picture was advertised with the special trailer, and after the first few titles, the newsreel shot of the M-2 was inserted, later continuing with regular trailer. This proved quite novel and received many favorable comments. Wall also issued invitations to the Commander of the Charlestown Navy Yard and enlisted men to view "Trapped in a Submarine" on the opening night of picture. Extra publicity was gained at no extra cost to the theater. — Modern, Boston, Mass. Short Shots From Eastern Studios iiii^^^^^^i^iiiiiii^ By "C. A." ' FILM AND DISC RECORDING Latest Modern Lighting EquipmentLarge Stage For Motion Picture Woric Re-Recording on Disc and Film Guaranteed Quality and Service STANDARDSOUND RECORDING CORP Offices & Studio — 216-220 East 38th St. Phone: MUrray Hill 2-1155-6-7 PRODUCTION at the Brooklyn Vitaphone studio came to a halt last Saturday for a period of seven weeks, during which time the equipment will be given a complete going-over and improvements made in the studios. The plant will open again June 13. The Vitaphone studio staff held a lobster party on the set, Saturday, as a last get-together. Among the Vitaphone celebrities who attended were John Hamilton, the S. S. Van Dine mystery solver; Jane Winton, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Norworth of the Naggers' ,series fame, and many other leading Vitaphone players. • An Italian talking feature being made for the Aurora Film Corp., was put into production last week at the Standard Sound Recording Studio. • Simultaneously with the completion of his third consecutive season with Vitaphone Studios. Burnet Hershey has turned out the dialogue ayid adaptation for the "Crane Poison Mystery," eleventh of the S. S. Van Dine Detective mysteries. He is now at work on the next and final story in the Van Dine series. • "The Crane Poison Mystery," eleventh of the 12 two-reel S. S. Van Dine mystery stories being released this season by Vitaphone, was completed Thursday under the direction of Joseph Henabei-y Jane Winton makes her second screen appearance since her marriage in this film. Fifty-three players, headed by Donald Meek and John Hamilton, are in the cast. Others of prominence on the legitimate stage who play in the film include Lucille Sears, Walter Wilson and Douglas Gilmore. • G. G. Popovici, formerly with Paramount at the Astoria studio has joined the sound department staff at the Eastern Service Studio, N. Y. • With his wife on the road to recovery from an appendicitis operation, Ray Foster, Vitaphone cameraman, is planning a trip to Havana where he and his wife are to spend four weeks. The call of the southern climes is also being answered by Phil Quinn, assistant director, who is going to Miami next week. • Filmack Trailer Co., with studios in Chicago, have added sound and announce that henceforth all Filmack trailers will be made with synchronized music. • When Sam Sax, Vitaphone Eastern Studio chief, left for the coast last Monday he took with him several scripts from which he is to make Technicolor musical shorts. These are planned to be the most prententious short subjects yet produced by Vitaphone. Four more scripts are being completed and are to be sent on to Mr. Sax in Hollywood. • Frank Namczy, art director of the Vitaphone Eastern studios, spends his leisure time in fishing and sailing. He is going to launch his new .^.'j-foot cruiser this week-end at ^lamaroneck off Long Island Sound. • One of the most unusual short subjects to be produced at the Brooklyn Vitaphone studio was filmed at tnat plant Thursday. The cast consisted of six of the most popular radio entertainers of the day. They are Kate Smith, Arthur Tracy, better known to radio fans as "The Street Singer," Colonel Stoopnagle and Budd, The Boswell Sisters, Abe Lyman and Sylvia Froos. Jerrj Wald, radio editor of the New York "Evening Graphic," introduces the stars, showing them at home and in a series of informal scenes. The iilm will be known as "Jerry Wald's Radio Newsreel." "The Black King" is the title of the first of a series of three features starring an all negro cast by the Southland Pictures Corp. and now in production at the Metropolitan studio. Fort Lee. Bud Pollard is directing, with Dal Clawson and Lester Lang at the cameras and Marc Asch in charge of sound. • Dick Willis, Vitaphone's ace makeup man, has been engaged by the Masonic Temple to take charge of the wigs and costumes for the George Washington Bi-Centennial Affair to be held at the Hotel Astor during the first week of the studio layoft'. This makes the third affair of its kind that Dick has handled for the Masons this year. • A series of one-reelers featuring Eddie Miller, under the general title of "One Man Quartet," is being planned. Harry Miller, brother of Eddie, Lou Lehr and Johnnie Walker are interested, it is learned, and production will be made at a New York Studio. • Joe Henabery, Vitaphone director, is going to be kept quite busy at the Eastern Studios, for the next few weeks. Henabery is going to supervise the cutting of several of his recent shorts including "Contact," in which Captain Frank M. Hawks is starred, "The Campus Mystery," and his latest, "The Crane Poison Mystery." • Wilfred Lytell, who has a featured role in "Stage Struck," Ruth Etting's new two-reel "story in song" for Vitaphone, is planning to produce a play this fall in which his brother, Bert Lytell, will be starred. TIMELY TOPICS A Digest of Current Opinions f) How Hollywood Was Discovered '"THE discovery of Hollywood occurred only twenty years ago, although before that several movie companies had attempted to utilize the California sunshine for what has since proven to be its God-given purpose. In 1910 D. W. Grifiith had ventured across the continent with his Biograph Company, consisting principally of Henry D. Walthall, Mary Pickford and Owen Moore, but returned to New York because there was an insufficiency of actors in Los Angeles. (Today there are about 100,000 actors too many in that popular region). It was in 1912 that Jesse L. Lasky, a discouraged vaudeville magnate, joined forces with his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish, a glove salesman, and decided to make a picture of the play "The Squaw Man." They engaged Cecil B. DeMille as director and Dustin Farnum as star, and for no good reason selected Flagstaff, Arizona, as the scene of production. Thither DeMille and Farnum traveled, but one look at Flagstaff convinced them that a mistake had been made, so they continued on westward. A chance acquaintance on the train informed them that they could probably rent space cheaply in Hollywood, a .sleepy suburb of Los Angeles. When DeMille and Farnum approached that destination, however, the denizens of Hollywood must have seen them coming and, moreover, must have forseen the golden era of which they were the heralds, for the exorbitant rental of $200 a week was charged for the barn on Vine Street in which "The Squaw Man," Hollywood's first feature picture, was photographed. Following that, Griffifth returned to make "The Birth of a Nation," Mary Pickford to make "Tess of the Storm Country," and the cockney comic, Charlie Chaplin, quit the music halls to play a part in a Keystone one-reeler entitled "Kid's Auto Races." Robert E. Sherwood, in McCall's. ST. CHARLES Occupying Entire Block ON THE BOARDWALK ATLANTIC CITY A Smart Hotel in America's Smartest Resort Ideal Convention Facilities ATTRACTIVE RATES