Hollywood Topics (Oct 1926-Feb 1927)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

HOLLYWOOD TOPICS a Lets Be Good,” Says Will Hays To Attend Samuel Goldwyn Carl Laemmle Banquet Samuel Goldwyn, producer, declares that the day of sensational picture making is over, and that the industry no longer is interested in exploiting notorious men and women. “The chief reason for the new condition,” Goldwyn said, “is that there is no money in pictures starring such persons. The theaters no longer will take the pictures and the public will not go to see them.” It is easier to break into the movies with a character reference from a home-town minister than with a dozen recommendations from stage producers. Scientific murderers and notorious Magdalenes no longer storm the gates of the screen citadel, and the reason is that vice no longer has a market value in filmland. Instead of being greeted with open arms and fabulous salaries, the men and women who seek to capitalize on unsavory pasts are given what is professionally known as the “gate,” and several weeks later they may be seen working in restaurants. The result of this complete neglect and scorn of persons with notorious pasts has attracted to the screen capital a new type of player that brings testimonials and recommendations from their ministers back home. The motion picture industry is more in need of student actors with Sunday school experience than actors brimming over with stage technique, says no less an authority than Cecil B. DeMille, noted producer-director. The reason for all this, DeMille declares, is that the picture industry is rapidly establishing itself on the same sane foundation as other great businesses where character is considered of as much importance as mere ability. “There was a time,” DeMille asserted, “when the industry sought out notorious men and women because of the widespread publicity they had received as the result of scandals or scandals or violent incidents in their lives. “It was commonly believed that the public would pay dearly for the privilege of seeing these persons on the screen. But quite the opposite was the case. The pictures were financial failures and the players developed out of this system were forced to retire to private life because of the barrage of public indignation that poured upon them.” “Because character has become such a vital factor to success in the movies, I repeat that the boy and girl who brings a sincere letter from the minister back home and has the courage to show it freely is already on the first rung of the hard ladder to success.” “We try not to bother with what people have been in the social scale,” Cecil B. DeMille, noted director-producer declared. “Our main idea in the industry is to develop the latent abilities and potentialities of all newcomers. We will forget their pasts of small errors and we will even forgive their mistakes of the present, but we can not, contrary to popular opinion, countenance among us persons trading salacious and violent incidents in their lives for money. “There may have been a time as late as several years ago, when it was quite possible for slayers, international demi-mondaines and others to achieve further fame and notoriety by instant elevation to picture stardom. “Their vices then had a very definite market value,” DeMille said, “but the public protested against this exploitation of sin so vigorously that producers felt the necessity for protecting themselves by inserting “morality clauses” in their contracts with the players. They also assured themselves, for the first time, that the records of their stars were unimpeachable.” “THREE WEEKS” HEROINE SIGNS NEW CONTRACT Aileen Pringle, heroine of “Three Weeks,” “His Hour,” “Soul Mates,” and other Metro-GoldwynMayer productions, has been given a new contract with that organization, it was announced late yesterday by Irving G. Thalberg, associate studio executive. The selection of Miss Pringle, nearly four years ago, to play the royal heroine of “Three Weeks” was one of the film sensations of the year and it was her interpretation of this role that firmly established her as a featured player. Will Hays, president, Motion Picture Producers’ Association, will attend the banquet being given on Carl Laemmle’s Sixtieth Birthday. A telegram was received from Hays in New York stating that he would be in California January 17, to attend the dinner which is being given Mr. Laemmle by the Alumni of his big Universal City film plant. Mary Pickford will be honor hostess and will be accompanied by Douglas Fairbanks. GIRLS HAVE TO SWIM HOME FROM GONDOLA RIDES, SAYS CONSTANCE When American girls go automobile riding in Hollywood with strangers, they take along their roller skates so they won’t have to walk home. But what precaution does a modern Venetian girl take? Water-wings, so she can swim, according to Constance Talmadge, who suggests the procedure as a result of her experiences in her comedy drama, “Venus of Venice,” the action of which is laid in the famous Italian canal city. “A girl never walks home from a gondola ride; she swims,” declares Constance. “At least, if we are to believe Marshall Neilan, my director, and the authors, Hans Kraly and Wallace Smith.” Joseph M. Schenck is producing the hilarious Venetian romance for First National. Alex Francis will play the title role in “The Grand Army Man,” another David Warfield success, for William Fox. This banquet will be one of the largest and most exclusive gatherings of filmdom ever attempted. The entire ball room at the Biltmore Hotel has been engaged for the evening. A stage is being erected there and plans for elaborate entertainment are being drawn up. Among the features on the program will be the showing of an old Mary Pickford film made by Mr. Laemmle when he was at the head of the old IMP company fifteen years ago. Universal Loans Geo. Seigmann to F-P-L. There is still plenty of work in the offing for George Seigmann, Universal featured player who has been more in demand than any other 1 heavy” in the business during the past year, according to reports emanating from Universal City. Seigmann will portray the role of Jonathan Wilkes in “Too Many Crooks” at the Lasky lot, production of which is scheduled to start soon after the first of the year. Upon finishing he will return to Universal to appear in a picture now being prepared for him. New Collegian Finished at “V” “Crimson Colors,” the eleventh of “The Collegians,” the Universal Junior-jewels, written by Carl Laemmle, Jr., has been completed and the cast of featured players will enjoy a brief vacation before starting the next feature, according to word received from Universal City. “Crimson Colors” was directed by Nat Ross under the supervision of the author. George Lewis is the star and the supporting cast includes Dorothy Gulliver Churchill Ross, Hayden Stevenson, Eddie Phillips and others. WHAT PRICE SCENARIO FOR BIG “U” J. T. O’Donahue, screen scenario writer, who firmly established himself as one of the aces of the industry with his adaptation of “What Price Glory,” is at present busily engaged in doing the continuity for Max Marcin’s stage play, “Cheating Cheaters,” which is to be one of the Universal Jewel productions for 1927, says a bulletin from Edward J. Montagne’s office at Universal City. Edward Laemmle, whose latest celluloid effort, “Held by the Law,” is soon to be released, will direct “Cheating Cheaters,” and he and O’Donahue are collaborating on the treatment of the story. Production is scheduled to start soon after the first of the year. Edwin Carew, producer-director and Count Ilya Tolstoy, renowned author, discussing plans for the motion picture book version of Leo Tolstoy’s “Resurrection.”