Hollywood Filmograph (Jan-Dec 1932)

DEC. 17, 1932 Richard Thorpe Talks Things Over I With.... The above picture represents some of the Oriental characters that Invincible Pictures have gathered together in their latest picture, "Yellow Cargo," which promises to be one of the best that this Independent company have produced this season. Richard Thorpe, who has directed all the pictures for this company, is shown explaining to the members of his Chinese cast, one of the difficult scenes of the production. President Maury Cohen has gathered together a notable cast of well known names for Director Thorpe, and when we were on the set at Universal Studios a few days ago, where Inv ncible are producing, we noticed Lois Wilson, Grant Withers, Robert Warwick, Dorothy Revier and the funny Eddie Boland. Melville (Buddy) Shyer assistant, M. A. Anderson, cinematographer. While Invincible Pictures have always considered that a good story is most important, they also realize that competent players must be given the director to enact the parts assigned them. One particular point we would like to stress in the production of this company and that is the perfect harmony that reigns between the director and the members of his company, from the leading player to the prop boy. SUZANNE WOOD PROVES HER VERSATILITY AS CINEMA FAVORITE Having for many years established herself as one of the better known character women in Hollywood, Miss Suzanne Wood has gained quite a reputation among cinema directors for the deft manner in which she executes her various dialogue parts. Not satisfied to merely speak the lines, as called for in the script, Miss Wood adds extra charm to her portrayals by inserting fitting dialogue to further enhance the effect. Between pictures Suzanne Wood spends a great deal of her time writing novels and short stories. Several eastern publishers have been negotiating for her writings and at present a Boston publisher is in possession of one of her most recent stories, it is learned. What has given her such a marvelous outlook on life and which is shown from the manner in which she wins success through her various portrayals is that Miss Wood has lead a varied life. She SUZANNE wood has seen the society side of life as well as the less fortunate side. And it is only through this broad view point that she is able to portray the various types before the eagle eye of the camera. NAT LEVINE SIGNS WINIFRED DREW It was Nat Levine who put George Brent and Victor Jory across and it was the self same Mr. Levine who signed Winifred Drew the other day for his present serial, "Wild Heart, to play one of the important parts. Miss Drew will be remembered for her sensational performance in "Appearance," the stage play, and has been in demand in pictures ever since her debut on the stage in Los Angeles. Although she has had a wide range of experience on stage and screen. Mail Us Your Yule title Copy . . . TODAY ... M. P. Relief Fund Is Doing Great Work For Filmland's Needy By LOU JACOBS Organized charities as a whole are heartless places where those in need are humiliated and made to grovel in self-abasement before given the relief they seek and in order to ascerta n just how the Motion Picture Relief Fund was operated, the writer accompanied a needy applicant, whom he directed there. The reception room was filled with people, men and women, many whom we knew in better times, some whom we were surprised to learn were in bitter circumstances, but all of a superior order of intelligence and breeding. Our applicant was received by a young lady with an engaging smile. He was ushered into a room where he was questioned in a most sympathetic manner with the necessary intimate queries put with the utmost of tact and understanding. His standing and length of employment in the studios — being the qualifying requirement — easily established, his immediate need was set up according to a scientific schedule supplied by the Red Cross, and a half week's supply of food immediately afforded pending such time as a more complete investigation of the case could be made and permanent relief arranged. No fuss, no red tape, an emergency case of dire distress met in a spirit of friendlines and interest as though an appeal to a relative had been made and granted. There wasn't a thing commercial nor business-like about the whole procedure, no admission of failure nor embarassment ; a needy brother asks assistance and gets it without str ngs, forthwith. That was our observation of how the Motion Picture Relief Fund is taking care of those of the profession who are hit by the times. Food first, clothing next, then medical atltntion, gas, light and telephone not to mention auto upkeep within reason and HELP IN FINDING A JOB. All the essentials to put a fellow on his feet. Dur ng the summer, we ascertained that 400 families were thus taken care of and last winter there were double that number with the distress of the current season bidding fair to go way in excess of a 1000 needy families. The information gained has made this scribe Motion Picture Relief Fund conscious. We would like to awaken everybody in our industry to a realization of the great work this organization is doing, and what they can do to help. All of the employees of the Fund with the exception of bookkeepers and stenographers a e volunteers. The "Fund" is operating on an irreducible minimum of overhead. Their chief income s from those eligible to its benefits who give one-half of one per cent of their salaries of $50 or over. This voluntary contribution is taken from the salaries by the studios and sent to the Fund in a lump sum monthly. Not only actors and actresses but directors, writers, cameramen, technicians, in fact, everybody not members of unions with other relief fund provisos, are eligible, but more is the pity, not all of the elig.bles who can do contribute. The average sum the "Fund" receives is $10,000 monthly with the demand for help far in excess of that. The Electric Pageant, held yearly is their greatest outside source of money but the M. P. Relief Fund's share of that amounted to but $10,000 this year, the balance going to other worthy causes. The immediate requirement of the "Fund" is for food, clothing and toys. It is the desire of the estimable committee who are administering to the needs to provide 500 Xmas baskets and perhaps a sweater and a toy for every child. Investigations are being made to ascertain the cases which are not otherwise provided for and are genuinely in need and the call is out to the entire profession to come to the bat insofar as they are able, with any of these requirements. No contribution, no matter how small, but will be gratefully received. The demand is not so much for money at the moment as it is for foodstuffs and clothing. When you provide for your own larder, why not buy a few more things and send them down to the M. P. Relief, and look over your wardrobe to see what you can spare. The address is 5481 Santa Monica boulevard, Mrs. Abraham Lehr, executive in charge. Giving the "Krazy Kats" the Once-Over Right on the Spot Where They Make 'Em We saw a cartoon comedy the other evening that made such a hit that it occured to us that we would like to know how the thing was made. It was a "Scrappy" in which caricatures of the live stars are made to act like "Krazy Kats" and things. It was something dec dedly an innovation and so we called down to get acquainted with Charles B. Mintz the directing genius of the feature. He took us upon a personally conducted tour of his studio and opened our eyes to some very interesting facts. It requires a force of 90 people, artists, photographers, writers and musicians to turn out a cartoon comedy and it takes them about four months to accomplish a subject of 550 feet or about seven minutes in time length which takes from 3 to 6 hours to record. There are from 12,000 (yes thousand) to 15,000 separate drawings to a film, each one photographed individually upon a frame of the negative. To the average musical setting in fourfourth time, it takes about 10 pictures of the action to a single beat of music or 40 to the bar, this varies with the tempo. Perhaps a half dozen artists work upon a picture, the sequence for which they are best adapted being assigned to them. Some have a facility for faces, others for action, still another for perspective and several on backgrounds. The co-ordination of these make the product, but not finished. All these pictures must be transferred to celluloid from which they are photographed against their respective backgrounds. It is a mass of confusing detail to the novitiate, but the Charles Mintz studio turns out a subject for Columbia release every two weeks alternating between "Krazy Kat," which is conceived and written by Ben Harrison and Manny Gould, and "Scrappys," the product of Sid Marcus and Dick Huemor. Joe DeNat has charge of the music. D D D PRESENTS The Last Week, 12th Edition of B.B.B. ^Boys Will Be Girls" Coming Dec. 19th, Fred Monro, and an All Siar Specialty Show AT THE CELLAR CAFE 1653 COSMO STREET HOLLYWOOD