Hollywood Filmograph (Jan-Dec 1933)

HOLLYWOOD FILMOGRAPH As Seen and Heard Arthur Fccde ELISSA LANDI GOING UP— but it took another studio to show just what a fine actress Elissa was in the Cecil B. De Mille opus of "The Sign of the Cross" for Paramount P i c tures. "I LOVED YOU WEDNESDAY"—a New York stage play, has been purchased by Fox Films for Miss Landi, and we hear that the brilliant Sammy Lee is creating some new ensembles for this show. ARTHUR FORDE OTHERS ARE CLOSING SHOP — but we realized a few days ago, while talking with some employees at the M-G-M Studios, that this studio in Culver City has not closed for six VERY BUSY NOW— and one of our friends, Reginald Barlow, has just finished his part of Colonel Stragge in "White Sister," and immediately took his make-up box to Warner's. • • • "HE LOVED TO KILL"— sounds like a news head, but it is the title of the latest that the busy Bryan Foy is to make at his own studio and the author was the famous Willard Mack. TWO FAMOUS ONES— Bela Lugosi and Diana St. Clair, have been placed under contract by Bryan for a Columbia release and the clever Benny Stoloff has been assigned as director. • • • DO YOU LIKE BIG WOMEN?— If so, you should have seen the greatest aggregation of all times at the Fox Studios where they are making a yarn of when women rule the world. "WARRIOR'S HUSBAND"— brought all the tall women to the Fox lot, and 1 000 of them were on parade and made a brave showing all in shining armor and many riding horses. • • • IN THE RED — is what everyone seems to be these days, and Fox Studios at Westwood have joined the procession by having most of the sidewalks out of the studios newly painted. LOOK OUT FOR A TICKET — as the police department were quite busy doing a tagging act that should bring many to court for a parking fine a few days ago while we were there. • • • BEVERLY HILLS WINS— another manager of famous players now that Max Shagrin has decided to get a suite of offices in the Beverly Hills Bank of America Building at Santa Monica Boulevard. LITTLE STORIES Will Stanton Serene / fold my hands and wait Nor care for wind or tides nor sea. I rave r.o more 'gainst time nor fate, For lo ! my own shall come to me. — John Burroughs — "Waiting' Some time ago at the Fox Studio projection room we were watching a preview of Raoul Walsh's picture, "Me and My Girl." The picture opened with a characterization of a drunken man that was one of the best we had even seen and the audience of critics were in roars of laughter for a long time. In fact, this was one of the best things in the production. We learned later that it was only an incidental bit that had been injected, but the actor portraying the part, had made such a good job of it that the director had built it up to be one of the highlights of the picture. A short time after this we were having lunch at the Paris Cafe on the Fox lot when a waitress asked us if we objected to having a man at our table who certainly looked like a tramp of the worst period. We invited him to sit down and found that the tramp was none other than the actor who had portrayed the drunk in Raoul Walsh's picture which we had admired so much. In fact. Will informed us that Fox Film Company had awarded him a contract for a long term for his fine work in several of their best productions. Will Stanton came here in 1908 in a stage show from dear old London, and played the part that Charlie Chaplin had originated. After that he entered vaudeville and played for sixty-four weeks in the celebrated Winter Gardens in New York as well as touring the country. Will gave us some startling information by saying that he was the only man who had put Jack Dempsey to sleep. As Will is a small man we wondered, but learned that he did it by telling Jack funny stories and not by the famous knock out punch. Like many others, he thought that motion pictures would be a good bet, so he came to Hollywood. Instead of getting to the top at once, he had the same up-hill pull of so many. It was because Fox Films recognized a real comedian that Will made the great headway he did. Will Stanton played Tom in the stage sequence of "Cavalcade"; the famous drunk in Raoul Walsh's "Me and My Gal"; the latest additions in "Walking Down Broadway," and at last is going to be featured in "Sailor's Luck," a picture that Fox expects lo be one of their best of the season in laugh-making. All this clearly shows, that while the road to fame is stormy in Hollywood, real talent is almost sure to be recognized if you live long enough, and Will Stanton is coming into his own in rapid fashion. MADE WARNER THEATERS FAMOUS— did Max, whom you will remember as the boy that had charge of publicity when the Warner's theater in Hollywood was in the heyday of success, and he knows just what the public wants in the way of talent for their pictures. • • • EIGHT MORE PICTUREShave been given to Charles R. Rogers Productions by Paramount, and most of the credit must be given to Harry Joe Brown who supervises the majority of them. FAVORABLE A U D I E NCE RE-ACTION— prompted the Paramount officials to take over the option of Rogers before the time limit had expired which means that they have made good. • • • TWO AT ONCE— is what faced Richard Wallace on his arrival in New York, as both Universal and RKO decided that Dick would have to work for them and he is in a quandary as to who will win. • o • FOUND ONE AT LAST— says Joseph Ginsberg of Roach studios, who has been on a hunt for new talent for the past few months, and at last has been rewarded by something that looks promising. LILLIAN MOORE THE LUCKY ONE— and her last job was a pupil in the Los Angeles high school, but from her work in a small part in "Fra Diavolo", it looks as if she will build up to greater heights. • • • "FAREWELL TO ARMS AND LEGS" — does that seem funny to you? However, Hal Roach is going to try that title with those funny comics, Ben Blue and Billy Gilbert of Taxi Boys fame. TWO MORE GOOD ONES— have been added to the large cast of the feature that Laurel and Hardy are making in the persons of Matt MacHugh and Arthur Pierson in "Fra Diavolo." • • • JUST FINISHED WITH AL SANTELL — in "Bondage" at Fox Studios, and slap, bang, into another feature is the record of 1 orben Meyer who is considered to be valuable by many directors. "REUNION IN VIENNA"— should be a great spot for Torben as Sidney Franklin is directing and MG-M rarely makes a mistake in casting this director's pictures — "Smilin' Through," for instance. ■ • • MORE ENGLISH ATMOSPHERE— for Monogram Pictures in their latest, "Black Beauty," that is now under way and Trem Carr feels he is on the right road after the success of "Oliver Twist." WILLIAM COWEN MADE A HIT — in the Dickens novel so he gets the yarn that has a background of a famous English coach horse and Trem has placed Esther Ralston under contract for the lead. • • • LONDON STAGE HIT— that is now being produced at the M-G-M Studios under Clarence Brown's direction, has added that sterling actor, Halliwell Hobbes, to the long list of famous names. "MAN ON THE NILE"— is starring Ramon Novarro under Sam Wood's directorial efforts and they have added Blanche Frederici to this one, and if you know her work you will realize she is valuable. • • • "STRANGE RETURN"— the latest novel by Philip Stong, who also wrote "State Fair," a recent Fox hit, will be under production shortly at MG-M Studios. OUT IN SIX WEEKS— comes Philip, to adapt his latest brain child that has a rural background, and if you saw Will Rogers' picture you will surely realize that Philip knows his onions. • • • THEY GAVE HIM A GOOD ONE — with George Cukor directing "Dinner at Eight," as Dave Selznick's first supervisorial assignment at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. • • • "MADE ON BROADWAY"— an original by Courteney Terrett, exactly fits Robert Montgomery and Mae Clarke at M-G-M, and Bob certainly deserves a good one as his fans and admirers have not seen him for some time. "BIG TIME FIXER"— another name for a racketeer, is the basis of this latest yarn, for the studio out Culver City way, and while it is not the usual racketeer story it has thrills galore. • • • ■ RIGHT TO NEW YORK — goes Rufus La Maire to see the shows after Fox awarded him one of the plums of the season as supervisor to their biggest semi-musical of the year. MANY FUTURE STARS— in that bevy of tall girls working in "Warrior's Husband" at Fox, as we talked to quite a few of them and their story was "make a hit eventually or quit." WALTER HUSTON, PRESIDENT "Gabriel Over the While House" is an M-G-M feature now in production and again features Waller Huston as the president of the United States. He once before played the character of President Lincoln. Eugene Thackery, once newspaper correspondent al the While House, will direct technically and also play the role of a correspondent.