Inside facts of stage and screen (January 25, 1930)

PAGE SIX INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, JAN. 25, 1930 Published Every Saturday One Year ... $4.00 Foreign - $5.00 Advertising Rates on Application As a bi-monthly publication: Entered as Second Class Matter, No- vember 17, 1924, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. As a weekly publication: Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published by Inside Facts Publishing Company, Inc. 800-801 Warner Bros. Downtown Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. Telephone TUcker 7832 JACK JOSEPHS ------ President and Editor ARTHUR WM. GREEN - - - - Vice Pres, and Counsel WILLIAM C. OWENS - Secretary and General Manager Vol. XI Saturday, January 25, 1930 No. 4 What’s wrong with Hollywood? Where are the good old days of wild parties, Babylonian orgies, murders, suicides, scandals and the like? Gone, all gone like the snows of yes- terday. Hollywood is now chemically pure and the industry has settled down to the humdrum existence of the steel mill or fabric center of New England. Where once wild revelry rang out on the midnight air and the hills, dales and canyons to the north of the boulevard, all is now serene and a late patrol of the former haunts of the untrammeled roisterers shows lights out and silence supreme. The cause is accredited to the fact that the motion pic- ture industry has become a business just like that of any other factory. The talkies have brought about a change, as the midnight oil must be burned in the study of lines and the midnight work at the studios has prevented the holding of parties. Then again, just like any frontier, wildness is always associated with the early days of its existence before the coming of law and order. The. pioneer days of Hollywood are over and the whole colony has settled down to work in the same manner. Then, too, there is the influence of the church. No district in Los Angeles has the number of churches that Hollywood has and perhaps no town of equal size can show the same religious attendance. That and the fact that per- haps the coming of a foreign element of eruditeness and a passing of the wild western types has something to do with it. Whatever it may be, there is no gainsaying the fact that Hollywood has been tamed. For many years the term “kike” has been used in refer- ring to certain Jews, who have resented it as an insult, con- sidering it an aspersion to be so referred to. But no such aspersion is in the word, as its origin shows. The whole word “kikel” is Yiddish, meaning “circle.” Many years ago it was customary for Jewish immigrants on landing to be signed up for certain kinds of labor at the steel works. The demand for this labor was great and as the Jews, mostly from Russia, arrived, they were asked to sign their names to the company’s register. But few of them could write their names and were asked to make their mark against their names on the book. This is usually done by making an “X.” The Jews, being largely orthodox, refused to place a cross against their name for a presumed religious reason and, instead, described a circle or “kikel” as they called it. On one occasion, an immigration officer was asked by a clerk, “How many ‘kikes’ have you?” merely contracting the word “kikel.” The word stuck and there you have it. U. HAS AMBITIOUS LIST OF SHORTS LTniversal is to start the new season in their shorts’ division by making 98 silents and 63 in dia- logue. A total of 265 short sub- jects for the entire year is the program with the plans for the balance of the schedule not as yet announced. The schedule includes 40 all- 13. B.B. Says: Plenty of laughs all week— Big crowds down and the wise-crracking brethren turned loose a flock of new ones. EDDIE LAMBERT back from a F. and M. tour. • • •• P. S. — The CELLAR is at Cosmo Street and Hollywood Boulevard ... between Vine and Cahuenga . . . the phone numbers are GRanite 3 3 8 2 and HOIlywood 9 15 9 . . . parking is free at the lot across from the CELLAR . . . the CHRYSLER and SAM- SONS are there. Thank You. talking two-reel comedies, 26 one reelers in sound, 26 silent one reelers, 52 silent two relers, 12 two reelers in the “Sporting Youth” series and five serials in sound. Of the itwo-reel comedies, 10 have all-star casts, and 10 star Sunny Jim. The silent group com- prises 10 Sid Saylor and 10 Ar- thur Lake shorts. Of the 52 one reelers, 26 are Oswald Cartoons in sound. The rest are comedy reissues, silent only. Stars are Bert Roach, Slim Summerville and Neely Edwards. In the 52 silent westerns Joe Bonomo, Ted Carson, Josie Sedg- wick, Bobbie Nelson, Billy Sulli- van and Edmund Cobb will ap- pear. The 12 two reelers of the “Sporting Youth” Series have a featured cast which includes Ann Christy, Tom Carr, Sumner Get- chell, John McAvoy and Robert Foster. The five serials are “Tarzan the Tiger,” “The Jade Box,” “The Lightning Express,” “Terry of the Times” and another not yet an- nounced. The last three named will be in 10 episodes, while “Tarzan /the Tiger” is a 15-episode serial. There also will be 104 issues of the Universal Newspaper News- reel. Bert Roach has been assigned to the important singing role of “Gus,” in Warner Brothers’ “Vien- nese Nights.” Bert has an excel- lent singing voice. TEL-APHONEY bj) JAMES MADISON Hello, Mack Sennett. FILM ROW By GRACE MEREDITH J. H. McIntyre, former Minne- apolis exchange manager at Pathe, is expected here this week to be western division manager at the local office. He replaces Les Weir, who died about four weeks ago. * * * Les S. Dolliver of the Western Theatrical Supply Company, was here from San Francisco for a few days on a business trip. * * * Arthur Riddle of Prescott, Ari- zona, is building a new audi- torium for dancing and talking pictures in his vicinity. Auditorium is being equipped by the National Theatre Supply Company here. * * * Thomas Cleary, auditor for the Pacific Coast exchanges for Fox Film Company, was here this week at the local exchange. Cleary makes his headquarters in New York. * * * Fox pictures which will be shown at Loew’s State include “The Cockeyed World,’’ to be shown the week of February 6; “Sky Hawk,” February 20, and “Men Without Women,” tenta- tively set for March 20. * * H= Two new theatres supply and accessory local offices will open here on the row very soon. Con- tinental Accessories, Inc., will open in the M-G-M Exchange building when they move into their new building about the first of Feb- ruary. William Glick will be here from New York to be in charge. B. F. Shearer will also open a local office here within about six weeks with Frank Harris and A. Larsen in charge. NEW SOUND EQUIPMENT IS OFF TO GOOD START New York introduction to the market of the new type G model sound reproducing equipment, re- cently put out by RCA Photo- phone for theatres having small seating capacity, resulted in dis- tribution to 42 theatres located in various sections of the country in the first 10 days. Among the theatres in which the new model is being installed are the New Star at Amityville, Long Island; the Pilot Theatre, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; the Stratford The- atre, Stratford, Conn.; the Con- cord, Springdale, Ark.; Rialto, Ft. Smith, Ark.; Kinema, Escondido, Calif.; Isis, Lamar, Calif.; Palace, Atlanta, Ga.; DeKalb, Decateur, Ga.; Orpheum, Eldorado, 111.; Grant, Cicero, 111.; Luna, Battle Creek, la.; Dickerson, Macon, Mo.; Rickerson, Odessa, Mo.; Mary Lou, Marshall. Mo.; Melvin, St. Louis, M/o.; Roosevelt, St. Louis, Mo.; Red Wing, St. Louis, Mo.; Veterans’ Memorial, St. Louis, Mo.; Hall, Stratford, Ne'b.; Grandview, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Ma- jestic, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Paradise, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Harlem King, New York, N. Y- Cameo, Sche- nectady, N. Y.; Capitol, Schenec- tady, N. Y.; Strand, Watertown, N. Y.; Little Carnegie, New York, N. Y.; Luxor, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Palace, Saratoga Springs, N. Y.; Palace. Roxboro, N. C.; Alham- bra, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Rex, Altos, Okla.; Mecca, Enid, Okla.; University, Norman, Okla.; Audi- torium, Manheim, Pa.; Brockway, Brockway, Pa.; Alvarado, Alva- rado, Texas; Rex, Borger, Texas; Idle Hour, Petersburg, Va.; Fair- lawn, Anaoostia, D. C.; Broad- way, Palmyra, N. J.; Princess, Sausalito, Calif. LETTERS There are letters at the Los Angeles office of INSIDE FACTS for the following: ALLEN and Louise ALLY. Narcisse BASSETT, Alice BIDMEAD Bros. BUCK, Guy CARLTON, Will COLLINS. Harry DOWNING. Harry C. EDWARDS, Chas. H. EMANUEL GILLETTE, Bobby GOODWIN, Babe LOCKHART. TRUE G. MacDONALD, E. Jeanne MAHRA The Great MASON, Marvel PARSONS. Ruth QUAKER CITY Quartette SAVLEY. J. SINGAPORE Troubadours TAYLOR, Slade (Mike) TIFFANY, Owen Hello, James Madison. What do you tell a hokum comedian who is unsuited for the part cast for? You are not the tripe. ★ * * Hello, Henry L. Mencken. Hello, James Madison. What is the sacred animal of Hollywood? The sheep. * * * Hello, Lucille La Verne. Hello, James Madison. A little simile, please. “As old as a magazine in a dentist’s office.” =!==(=* Hello, James Gleason. Hello, James Madison. Give me a good name for an eating place that caters to colored folk. “The Black Spot.” * * * Hello, Woman’s Organiza- tion for Prohibition Reform. Hello, James Madison. Why are you opposed to the present dry administration in California? Because the Wright law is the wrong law. * * Hello, Norma Talmadge. KINGSTON JOINS STAFF OF EDWARDS’ OFFICE Gus Edwards, whose contract as a director at M-G-M expires soon, has opened offices in the Holly- wood Bank Building, under the name of Gus Edwards Enterprises, Ltd. A1 Kingston, formerly press rep- resentative and trade paper man, has associated himself with the Ed- wards’ staff. The office is planning to handle all phases of . theatrical enterprise, including personal representation for artists, writers and directors, and with a possibility that later Gus Edwards will produce musical comedies. Among other things Edwards plans to open a theatrical school. Edwards will still be identified with the profession as a song writer, director and producer. Kingston is general manager of the Enterprises, and will actively negotiate and superintend the workings of the office in Holly- wood. A similar office will be opened in New York. Due to the initial business com- ing into the offices, it is probable that they will be moved shortly to larger quarters. MINSTREL PICTURE “The Grand Parade,” a minstrel story picture, is due for early re- lease by Pathe. A minstrel show is part of the film. Fred Scott and Helen Twelvetrees have the leading roles. Hello, James Madison. How would you typify a make-up salon? As an academy of applied art. * H= * Hello, Congresswoman Flor- ence Kahn. Hello, James Madison. Prohibition is ten years old. Well, you see what happens when they let a ten-year-old child have a gun. * * * Hello, A1 Smith. Hello, James Madison. Why do you consider your- self a lucky guy? Just suppose the stock crash had occurred during my presidential administration. * * * Hello, Joe E. Brown. Hello, James Madison. Why were the Pullman peo- ple in such a huddle last week? Because somebody suggested that they name one of their sleeping cars Kotek. * * * Hello, William Randolph Hearst. Hello, James Madison. Do the Coast Guard follow the dictates of fashion? FIRST raw TO STURT IT PATHE The first in Pathe’s series of two-reel viesterns is on the sched- ule to start this week. Wallace Fox, who will supervise the entire series of six, is to di- rect the first one from an original story by him. It is entitled “Flame of the West,” and will be the new style talkie western, to-wit, with cowboy songs, plenteous com- edy, etc. While casting was not completed the middle of the week, it was planned to use Mona Rica as the feminine lead, it was re- ported. The other five of the series are in preparation now, and it is likely they will be shot at the rate of one a week. LATHAM AT RKO Frederick G. Latham, long-time director of musical comedies and operettas, has been added to the RKO executive staff. Among the important musical comedies and operettas he directed were “Mile. Modiste,” “The Red Mill,” “The Slim Princess,” and “The Madcap Duchess.” “Bull Dog Drum- mond,” “Three Wise Fools” and “The Lullaby” are among the dra- matic productions Latham di- rected. WILBUR CUSHMAN’S OWN REVUE STRAND THEATRE, LONG BEACH, CALIF. WANTS—Chorus Girls (Mediums) with Specialties— Real Dancing Character Woman—Ingenue with Voice— Dancing Soubret—Real Versatile Dance Team and Musi- cal and Novelty Acts. See WILBUR CUSHMAN At Above Theatre, Jan. 23 to 25 at 10 A. M. Yes, indeed; they are dressed to kill.