Hollywood Spectator (1931)

16 Hollywood Spectator against him by a corps of seventeen attorneys representing the Trust. He retaliated wih flamboyant advertisements against “General Flimco” and the Trust. He lambasted them from every angle, fought them tooth and nail, instituted legal proceedings of his own, and through it all continued to manufacture motion pictures. He fled to Cuba in an effort to evade his persecutors, and in that torrid and unkind climate turned out several productions. King Baggot and Mary Pickford were added to the players for IMP. Laemmle inaugurated the star system along with many other innovations. He battled magnificiently for six years, facing ruin and utter destruction at every turn, and in 1915 the Trust was dissolved as a direct result of his efforts. The first picture shot by IMP was Hiawatha, and it should be placed in the Smithsonian Institute to immortalize a struggle which saved an industry. ▼ V The undisputed leader of an industry that was threatening to become the greatest in the world, he turned his peace time efforts toward Universal City. The same success which had attended his other enterprises held with him in the venture, and he dominated Hollywood. He had become a world figure. His collection of photographs and autographs includes the mighty of the earth. By them he is honored, but no less than he is honored by those who are associated with him in his enterprises. Then only a year ago came another crisis at Universal City. Business was bad, and a new policy was decided upon. Uncle Carl changed from a production list of regular features to quality production. All Quiet and The King of Jazz were the first concrete results of that change, and again the daring of Laemmle was vindicated. Those are his achievements, and they are mighty enough. But the manner of man who accomplished them and the honest methods which have been his business religion are matters of more consequence. Throughout the distracting struggle with the Trust Carl Laemmle never once descended to the dirt-throwing proclivities of his companions. His gaudy advertisements were true, and his operation was devoid of spies and thugs. His supremely human consideration for those who were weaker than he and his magnificent defiance of those who were stronger denotes a courage that his small body does not appear to hold. He has been a fierce fighter, but a clean one. ▼ VI like TO think of the Thomas Ince fire which destroyed that producer’s sets, properties and studio, confronting him with immediate ruin in the midst of a picture which boded well to earn a fortune. It was then that Laemmle turned Universal City over to Ince, with orders that he was not to be charged for the convenience. I like to think of Laemmle’s benefactions to his home town in Germany, of the gifts which he made to a convent there, and of the appreciative poem composed in his honor by the sisters. Laemmle, the Jew, was also Laemmle the humanitarian. In the midst of the post-war hatred for Germany which flooded the country, I like to think of Laemmle and his Saturday Evening Post advertisements, urging his customers to unite with him in the aid of a stricken and bleeding Germany. His charities were not the grandiloquent gestures of a Rockefeller or a Morgan. They were personal, intimate and unstinting. As a reviewer for a magazine which is still somewhat smaller than The Post, I feel that I owe a personal debt to Laemmle, for without him there would not have been room for unstifled remarks about pictures. But my debt to him and to his courage is nothing as compared to the obligation he has imposed upon every executive, every star and every writer who now waxes fat upon the product of his gigantic labors. There will come a time — and I hope it will not be long — when the impress of a producing company upon a picture will bear the authority and prestige that accompanies the impress of Harper Brothers, or Harcourt Brace & Company, Lippincott’s or Scribners upon a book. The harumscarum period will soon pass, and from it will arise a proud and honorable industry. When that time comes the name of Laemmle and Universal will be as lustrous as the greatest, and the luster will be deserved. Fairbanks Jr. as a Star ▼ ▼ CHANCES is taken from the novel by A. Hamilton Gibbs, and the adaptation by Waldemar Young is as intelligent as anything I have seen in recent months. The story begins and ends as a motion picture, with background, atmosphere and action predominating over dialogue. One does not think “act one” as the show begins. I suspect that a generous share of this credit also should go to Alan Dwan for his direction, for save in a few spots, the story remains a motion picture throughout its length. I have great hopes for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. His motion picture lineage is simon pure. He is not a transplanted stage star. He has been nurtured on the camera, and by careful devotion to the camera should emerge as the most consummate actor in Hollywood. His features are mobile and expressive, and although the dash of Doug Sr. is strong in his actions, there also is evident a certain high seriousness which is interesting and vastly encouraging. The story deals with the love of two brothers, Fairbanks and Anthony Bushnell, for Rose Hobart. The war interferes and the girl transfers her affection from Bushnell to Fairbanks. That poor devil Bushnell hasn’t had a break for so long that I get a lump in my throat whenever I see him. I always know he is due either for death or disappointment. Rose Hobart is perfectly matched to the star. She lends a suggestion of strength and intelligence to every character she enacts, and in Chances she has found an ideal role. ▼ ▼ Chances is better than anything I have seen from the First National-Warner Brothers lot for a long time, and again it is so because action is a dominant factor in the story development. Travel is suggested by train wheels, bus wheels, cab wheels, motorcycle wheels, and it is suggested effectively. The war scenes, which are brief, are accomplished by a series of quick dissolves which are amazing in their completeness. There is an artillery retreat which thrilled me, and one or two exquisite shots of horse and rider illuminated against an almost pure black background. Ernest Haller is to be credited for such delightful effects. Nevertheless I feel that the great war picture has not yet been filmed. And I feel that it will not be filmed until _ America’s SWost Unique Qafe EXPLANATION OF SERVICE — When seated your choice of meat and drink order is served. You choose the balance of your meal, all you care for, from the constantly revolving table of quality food LARGEST IN THE WORLD HOURS — Lunch II A. M. to 2:30 P. M.; Dinner 4:30 P. M. to 8 P. M. Sunday II A. M. to 8 P. M. HOLLYWOOD ROUND TABLE 5916 Hollywood Blvd. A Complete Meal 50c