Hollywood Filmograph (Jan-Jul 1930)

May 17, 1930 A HOLLYWOOD 1 mmooraprb Entered as second-class matter April 13, 1926. at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published weekly by HOLLYWOOD F1LMOGRAPH, Inc., 6425 Hollywood Boulevard (Warner Brothers Theatre Bldg.) (Los Angeles. California. Post Office.) SUBSCRIPTION RATES $5.00 PER YEAR HARRY BURNS, President and Editor Office Phone, HOIIywood 6024 Vol. 10 Saturday, May 17, 1930 No. 18 Bucking the Buck -Passer The procrastinating buck-passer is a pest of the worst kind. He causes more disappointments; more loss of time and more general misery than any of the army of pests infesting the great motion picture studios. With an occasional rare exception, this pest flourishes in the casting office; usually an assistant casting director, very often a casting director; without the moral courage to say "no." Of course the chief victims of these casting officials are actors and extras looking for work; and the very frequently given excuse that a blunt "no" is a bit harsh cannot be accepted as a good reason. A person seeking much-needed work, left in doubt by a vacillating casting office employee; one who turns an otherwise sensible "no" into a vaguely worded hint that "there may be something doing tomorrow," is the victim of thoughtlessness bordering upon cruelty. And the cruelty is found in the fact that, if told bluntly that there is no work, the jobless one will at once look elsewhere, and probably find a job. The tantalizing promise in the vaguely worded "soft answer" does the damage; and the self-supposed soft-hearted one is something quite different from what he imagines himself. Most times he is what the victim calls him after he realizes that he lost a job at another studio because he believed the soothing hint of the kind-hearted one. Another angle shows casting office employees deliberately "stringing" people they know they are going to use; doing all they can to stop them being tied up by another studio when the smart lad wants them. This trick has caused a lot of people to lose work urgently needed to pay pressing debts. The buck-passer handles this trick of putting off the person he is going to use by blaming every one in the studio, from the president of the company down to the janitor. Everybody but himself is holding up the picture. The victim, neatly shunted out of another, and better job, can do nothing but wait — just what the casting office wants him to do. Happily, there is reason to believe that the hoary trickeries of the old silent picture days are destined quickly to follow the silent film to the scrapheap. The birth of the new talking picture introduces mechanical processes calling for experts; trained men whose minds are adapted to system in -work. This new condition sweeps aside the slipshod methods of yesteryear; and its influence is penetrating to executive departments. Preciseness of plan and prompt execution of task cannot be achieved without definite understandings, from the employment of atmosphere players to great stars. The time element, almost ignored during the greater life period of the silent picture, in this new game, becomes a factor of the most vital importance. Factors formerly directed by the whims of high-hat underlings have become part of the orderly production of the exacting talking picture. The convenience of the understrapper lording it over hard-up workers is lost in the new order, and his functions come under close scrutiny, else the routine be gummed up. The inherent kindliness of the average human, under very slight provocation, will go astray. This factor, during the old silent days, had much to do with general studio disorder. Under the new regime, mechanical; highly scientific elements, rigidly prevent this. It is the coldly calculating mechanized genius of man overcoming his natural tendency to procrastinate; to temporize, when he should act with decisive promptness. And this is the new Thing the buck-passers, if they are wise enough, will consider. They are facing a new era; an era introducing to motion pictures the precision and time-saving ideas of the modern American business man, who is pugnaciously intolerant of all things smacking of delay — and is mercilessly intolerant of all employees so placed who cannot understand how to deal with the public, especially job seekers. The attitude that a job seeker is a poor sap, at the mercy of people in position to employ him; to give him work, is not the attitude of the American business man entering pictures. This is a good thing to remember. EDUCATIONAL'S LIST OF MAY RELEASES SUNDAY, MAY 4, 1930— "Radio Kisses," Mack Sennett talking comedy, two reels. Stars: Marjorie Beebe, George Duryea, Rita Carewe. "Hot Turkey," Terry-Toons, one reel. SUNDAY, MAY 11, 1930— "Hail the Princess," Jack White talking comedy, two reels. Stars: May Boley, Monty Collins. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1930— "Peace and Harmony," Mermaid talking comedy, two reels. Stars: Eddie Lambert, Monty Collins, Addie McPhail. "Hawaiian Pineapples," Terry-Toons, one reel. SUNDAY, MAY 25, 1930— "Fat Wives for Thin," Mack Sennett talking comedy, two reels. Stars: Marjorie Beebe, Andy Clyde, George Barraud. Kinograms News Reel issued twice weekly. LEIGH JASON, BENNIE RUBIN, FRANK NEWMAN "Clothes have made men of us;" came from Carlyle's laborious but sturdily legible pen. Here we find this very quiet and unassuming young man, Leigh Jason, has turned the tables; invaded some fair one's wardrobe and proven — "Clothes can make a gorgeous, glorious, glamorous woman of a man." Three guesses as to who this captivating blonde, with the talking eyes may be — should the feathers fall. You've seen those eyes; that smile, broad and tantalizing, trying to make you drop that troubled look and smile back. Why, to be sure, it is none other than our mirth-provoking Bennie Rubin, impersonating, "Little Nell" for her director and producerv in the newest and most original of short shorts: "Humanettes." When we were a kid we loved to see a Punch and Judy show and we thought they were real, for a long time, as most children do. Now we are going to have something far more interesting than little make believe people, we are going to have the real people in their very unusual makeup cut their capers and sing for us. Who was the originator of this miniature review? Bert Levy, the cartoonist. Leigh Jason, the director of this unparalleled series, began his climb, to the unlimited heights of fame now awaiting him in his new field, from the writer's staff on the Universal lot. He found the typewriter too slow in expressing his ideas; he obeyed the "small voice within," took up the old men (silent days, but louder days for the director), made the Bill Cody series for Universal. This venture brought the youthful director in the limelight, but he v/as not ready to claim high honors, in his opinion. He left Hollywood and went back to New York, his native state. His friends here wondering if he intended to throw away a golden opportunity. This young man was doing some deep thinking, using his very brilliant mind to work out his own salvation — get something off the beaten track, and as Tom tells us over the radio, "it just goes to show you" Leigh Jason was not asleep by any means when he went through Columbia University. One readily feels, from the gracious manner and cultural dignity he radiates, they are talking with one of the most interesting personalities in the industry. You just want to make yourself comfortable and wait for the magnet to begin to draw out something of unusual interest, something you haven't thought of. That old saying: "Still water runs deep," is aptly applied to this youthful director who always wears a smile for everyone. 'Tis said one usually tries to vamp their director to be assured the right break. We learned, through a very brief telephone conversation just why "Little Nell" turned to her producer, Frank Newman, with her vamping tactics, her director has a charming wife to which he is "muchly" married to and likely to make that state of existence one long honeymoon. The "Humanettes," to be released by R-K-O, invade not only a new province, but bring something to the amusement world that is going to create the sensation of the day in one reelers. Mr. Jason was very anxious to have us see this wonderful laughfest at the studio, but learned his cutter had almost made hash of "Little Nell," for the time being, and promised to call us later. However, we were let in on some very interesting secrets of -what this little unit has in store for you and we promised we would not let the cat out of the bag until we got our cue. We are allowed to say this much: you will see some of the screen's outstanding personalities do some unusual bits in this series; and you will also hear some very famous Metropolitan Grand Opera Stars. Watch for "Humanettes" is an inside tip from MAIDEE CRAWFORD. ABOUT CHARLEY CHASE From time to time the older comedians have admitted that Charley Chase was a "comer." It may safely be said now that the Roach star has arrived. Climaxing his work in a series of sensational talking pictures in four languages, Chase was yesterday given a new five-year contract by the Hal Roach Studios, Inc., at Culver City. Terms of the contract were not made public, but it is known that Chase is now up in the "big money," along with Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin, Lloyd, et al. Chase was one of the first of the American comics to make a bid in the foreign field. His quick mastry of the Spanish, French and German tongues has been the talk of the industry. In a recent picture Chase sang an entire song in French, in another he sang in Spanish. The new contract was negotiated by Warren Doane and Benjamin Shipman of the Roach managerial staff.