Hollywood Filmograph (Jan-Jul 1930)

HOLLYWOOD FILMO GRAPH 25 "Excelatone" Hat in Ring -No Royalty Offer Winfield Sheehan Has Tough Job In Industry * Which Makes Them Competitors of RCA and Western Electric If you are seated in your favorite motion picture theatre and hear a voice apparently at your side, do not leap from your seat or otherwise disturb the performance. You merely will be listening to voices from the screen play, but coming to you this time through another new recording process, which has outstrided its predecessors, just as color and photography have left behind the efforts of yesterday. It has taken screen plays twenty years to make a slow advance, but the new infant, sound, has done a transformation almost every month of its brief existence. How They Started At first the words of screen characters came to us from a barrel, apparently. Sometimes its gutteral mutterings rolled from under tne stage, or gargled down from the rafters. Recently screen speech has shown great improvement, although it still persists in echoing, while actors with high pitched voices have been surprised to discover themselves firstclass bassos. With pictures themselves claiming final par excellence, the race of inventive ' geniuses to bring sound to its own natural playground, has been feverish and intensive. Now a microphone and recording devises with patents held by the General Recording Corporation, Limited, has leaped to the fore, and brings audiences "right into the room" with the voices. Demonstrations given i n Hollywood proved impressive, for "Excelatone," trade-mark of this latest process, proved a veritable juggler of sound. However, the value of the great film industry lies, of course in the clarity of tone and the natural speaking of screen figures. During the demonstration one feels that they are actually with the actors, a slightly uncanny feeling at first. The Voice At Your Side In the matter of cost reductions, always a major problem among producers, the "Excelatone" is a combination of recorder and camera, and can be attached to studio cameras, according to H. M. Horkheimer, who is now handling the "voice-by-yourside" process. Mr. Horkheimer, together with his brother, were among leading picture producers from the earlier days. In addition to supervising the activities of the "Excelatone" they also will produce "on their own," using the new recording device in their new series of features. Competitors To Big Companies With the ownership of "Excelatone" the General Recording Corporation, Limited, will not only be able to produce their own talkies on film, but they will be able to lease out "Excelatone" apparatus to stu RKO LOSES ONE OF ITS MOST POPULAR MEN Another Hollywood institution h "Dad ' Spare, a familiar figure dios, died Thursday at 2 p. m. "DAD" SPARE in the hearts of all who knew and as passed ! in the reception room of RKO Stu He was considered the dean of Filmland's gatemen, having served at the one post for more than eight years — longer than any other Hollywood gateman. He was 84 years old. Nine years ago, when Robertson-Cole organized a film company at Gower Street and Melrose Avenue, they sent for "Dad" Spare, whose real name was Frank J. Then came the Robert Brunton, P. A. Powers and FBO organizations, which •were succeeded by RKO Productions in 1928. Each company found the services of "Dad" Spare indispensable. Before casting his lot with the film industry, "Dad" had been a mining engineer. He spent more than thirty years in Mexico, South America, South Africa and other countries following his profession. The deceased lived for many years at 506 North Orange Drive, Hollywood. His death was attributed to complications caused by advanced age. A wife and daughter survive him. (Editor's Note: It has been our extreme pleasure to know and love this man for his lovable nature, his willingness to prove himself a great aid tr the organization that he represented, and his place will never be filled loved him.) dios and producers on a "no royalty basis," which will be putting the General Recording Corporation, Ltd., in the superlative position so far as competition is concerned with Western Electric and RCA Phototone. H. M. Horkheimer believes that the price for the use of sound apparatus are way too high and that the cost of producing pictures has been so in•creased that there is no such thing any more as the independent producer. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever why they should pay royalty when they can rent a sound device like "Excelatone," which has the reproducing qualities as good as any on the market. The General Recording Corporation, Ltd., will practically sell their equipment outright, but on a lease contract to protect all the purchasers from jumping each other's territories, but there will be no royalty. 111 James Marcus is playing one of the character roles in "Billy the Kid" at M-G-G, directed by King Vidor. DON DONAHUE Exposition 2707 OTTO THE TAILOR Announces the Opening of a New Store 6741 Hollywood Blvd. Tailored Suits as Low as $55.00 Will Have to Watch Both Ends of Business of Fox Films Now When Winfield Sheehan won out in his battle of the century with William Fox the spoils of his victory gave him the toughest job in filmland, for he will not only have to watch the west coast activity of the Fox Films but will be held responsible to the board of directors for what happens in the business offices back in New York as to the future of Fox Films. Filmland will sit back and watch with great interest and expect Mr. Sheehan to be the miracle man of the ages, for in the past Winfield Sheehan was the lord and master of the west coast activity of the Fox organization while William Fox ruled the eastern business and finance matters and left this end absolutely alone and in the hands of Mr. Sheehan and Sol M. Wurtzel. Fox Film plans for this year are enough to break the backs of an army of men instead of a lone individual like Winfield Sheehan to carry the burden. However, New York and Hollywood will have its house cleaning and there will be many new faces on the payroll and those who will serve the Sheehan interests best will have their path strewn with roses. So we will see what we will see, and William Fox, too, will !be an interested onlooker from the side lines. 1 1 1 REPORTERS IN STUDIOS Sam Spewack, former New York World star reporter, is among the new Paramount contract writers. He will work on originals and adaptations. Oliver H. P. Garrett, another ex-reporter, has just signed a new writer contract with Paramount. BOB ROPER Fidelity Investment Insurance Agency Says A Bank Pays What YOU SAVE We Pay What You INTEND TO SAVE GLadstone 8653 PARISIAN FLORIST Our Biggest Specialty Is Catering to Film Folk 7523 Sunset Blvd. GL. 6034 Hollywood School of the Dance 5653% Hollywood Boulevard PHONE HO. 9998 Private and Class Lessons in All Lines of Dancing Tap, Eccentric, Toe, Ballet, Russian, Italian, Spanish and Acrobatic School Open Daily From 9 A. M. Till 10 P. M. Now Forming Several Picture Presentations for Movies