Inside facts of stage and screen (March 22, 1930)

PAGE SIX INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 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, March 22, 1930 No. 12 “Oh, well, after all, it’s only one man’s opinion.” In thus wise does the actor, producer or publicity man seek to console himself when he reads an unfavorable review of a production. Singularly, an exploitation man who dismisses as without value an unfavorable criticism, will seize avidly upon a favor- able phrase and plaster newspaper ads and 24 -sheet board- ings with something that is, “after all, only one man’s opin- ion,” but Avhich in this case he considers a tremendous asset. In the case of an interpretation of law, or the diagnosis of physical disorder, the actor, producer or publicity man will generally accept “one man’s opinion” with confidence, al- though much nmy depend upon the opinion. The responsible critic is no less a skilled specialist than physician or lawyer. Through training, experience, observa- tion and practice he develops ability to diagnose dramatic values, and through ability as a writer he is able to express his diagnosis clearly. His opinion is not “one man’s opinion” in the layman sense. It is a very valuable professional ap- praisal, value of which to actor and producer is inestimable. Charles L. Wagner was in town last week making arrangements for the Biltmore Theatre to house his production of “The Perfect Alibi,” featuring Madge Kennedy. The show is scheduled to open March 24. Company comes here from San Francisco, where a big business is reported, with sell-outs at $5 top. Production is to be ballyhooed as a home-coming for Madge Kennedy, who is an alumnus of L. A. High. Wagner is the man credited with the success of Mc- Cormack, Galli Curci and many other topnotchers. READYING “TOP SPEED” Jack Whiting, musical comedy juvenile of New York, has ar- rived from the East to play the romantic lead in “Top Speed” at First National. Joe E. Brown as “Elmer,” Bernice Claire as the heroine, Laura Lee as the com- edienne, Frank McHugh, Edmund Breese and Wade Boteler are other members of the cast. Mervyn LeRoy will direct. OPPOSITE ALICE Paul Page has been signed to play opposite Alice White in “Man Crazy,” the star’s next First National vehicle. Eddie Cline will direct. Cast includes Robert Ag- new, Myrna Loy, Douglas Gil- more and George Irving. GEORGE MORAN ILL George Moran, of Moran and Mack, has been taken to Angelus Hospital, Los Angeles, for a major operation. He was ill at home for two weeks previously. JACK NOONAN’S TRIAL Jack Noonan is to go to trial March 28 on the charge of looting the apartment of Ted Lewis. Noonan is brother of Sally O’Neil, screen actress. LANGDON AT W. B. Harry Langdon is to make his feature length talking film debut in Warner Brothers’ “Come Easy.” BACK IN VAUDE Hal Skelly and Gus Edwards are back in vaude, on RKO time. NOLAN, U IN CLASH A clash was reported between Mary Nolan and Universal last week, resulting in the actress in- structing her attorney to file suit to break her contract and get damages. She charges she was removed from the cast of a pic T ture in production and another actress substituted, although she was on the lot ready for work. Carl Laemmle, Jr., claims her con- tract permits them to remove her from a cast at any time and at- tributes the trouble to Miss No- lan’s temperament. HEINK SEEKS FREEDOM Ferdinand Schumann-Heink is endeavoring to get a suspension of the six months jail sentence im- posed on him in San Diego this week on a grand theft charge in connection with his defunct bond business. He claims he has a $20,000 a year job waiting for him in Los Angeles and can repay losses totalling $66,000. HORSE TO STAR William Scully, director, recent- ly signed by Fox, will bring to the screen an audible version of Max Brand’s story, “Alcatraz.” The central figure in the story is a horse. For the past week Scul- ly has been busily engaged in tak- ing tests of horses. U. RE-SIGNS ROBERTSON John S. Robertson has signed a new contract to return to Univer- sal for one picture when the studio goes into production with its new program in May. PREDICT STOCK RISE Inside sources were this week predicting a rise in RKO stock to 100. The stock has been mak- ing steady advances well above the 30-mark, doing consistent gains of 2 to 2j4 points in the early part of the week, and the tip-offers say 100 is the goal. Believe it or not. DOROTHY’S NEXT Dorothy Mackaill is to have the title role in First National’s “Girl of the Golden West.” John Francis Dillon will direct. James Rennie, husband of Dorothy Gish, will play the bandit. TURPIN GOING ABROAD Ben Turpin, who has been tim- ing in vaudeville, will sail for Germany this week to fill dates there. §9 JAMES MADISON WH YORK EDITOR SEES POLITIC! MOVE US WORTHY The plan, started locally, to form an amusement-world political organization, continues to receive endorsements from, all parts of the country. The news of the move, which has. been carried exclusively in Inside Facts, has met only with approval, and it seems certain that when an active start is made to- ward realization of the plan, it will have practically unqualified support. The only objects has been that its scope was not wide enough as originally announced. First northern coast cities con- tributed letters urging that the organization be enlarged to in- clude the coast, and now letters from the East are urging that it be made a national organization. Among the latest endorsers of the plan is Arthur James, editor and publisher of the New York motion picture trade paper, “Ex- hibitors’ Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today.” In his editorial columns James says, in part: “We read that our old friend, Charlie Miller, is organizing a po- litical unit in Hollywood to in- clude all, in whatever capacity, connected with the enterprise of motion pictures.* “The reason set forth is the fact that local politicians in lower California—as elsewhere—have fig- ured pictures as a political foot- ball and picture people as of no value in the vote at election time. “There are, of course, at least two sides to this question but as a purely local matter in Hollywood we believe the organizing experi- ment to be of value. Prohibition was put. over by the financially backed minority upon a supine majority. That’s exact history, no matter what your views. “It is also true that, organized for it, the screen could elect or defeat candidates for office high and humble, and with the Brook- harts and the Hudsons in the po- litical arena the temptation to ac- tion to resist abuse and ignorance in high places is very great. The industry may some day be forced by these wild men into it. But up to now there has been a mani- fest desire on the part of the business as a whole to keep out of politics and operate a business for the purveying of amusement to the world. “We rather incline to a full in- dorsement of Charlie Miller’s pro- gram to test out the strength of our industry in this local way. There is nothing about the pic- ture enterprise that is political or that seeks entry into politics but since industrial groups, labor and others, have found it necessary to protect themselves against the po- litical raider, the reformers and the dervishers of public life, it may be wise to convince them of the power which is inherent in the screen. “It might even be that the pic- ture folk, well organized and con- scious of their responsibilities, might take the sewer politics of Southern California in hand and make it respectable, decent and fit for the sight of God fearing mend’ * This is error. Miller’s plan called for an organization to include all people connected with any kind of show busi- ness in Southern California. “SPINDRIFT” OPENING “Spindrift,” Martin Flavin’s lat- est play, will have its premiere at the Pasadena Community Play- house next Thursday evening, March 27, with Gilmor Brown and Gypsy O’Brien heading the cast. “Spindrift” is a psychological drama dealing with an art colony in California in the midst of an earthquake and an emotional up- heaval. It is scheduled to play until April 5. LETTERS There are letters at the Los Angeles office of INSIDE FACTS for the following: ATES, Roscoe BIDMEAD Bros. DOWNING, Harry GILLETTE, Bobby SHARLAND, Fred C. Hello, Irving Thalberg. Hello, James Madison. What is your definition of a tatooed lady? One that is zoned for busi- ness. Hello, Bill Woolfenden. Hello, James Madison. How did the rumor get round that you were going to manage Singer’s Midgets? Because out at Pathe, I have charge of the “shorts.” Hello, Robert L. Ripley. Hello, James Madison. I enjoy your “Believe It or Not” column. In Sweden it’s called “I think so or ain’t it?” Hello, Madge Kennedy. Plello, James Madison. The times seem to be im- proving. Yes; nearly all the married women have jobs. Hello, Governor Young. Hello, James Madison. What is your definition of a reprieve? A new lease of life, with a cancellation clause. Hello, John Ford. Legitimate (Continued from Page 4) quired the full use of these tal- ents, which he used unsparingly. His weakling roommate and con- federate was delineated by Dwight Frye, who was called upon to dis- play frequent hysteria, a difficult part to maintain for three acts without a let-down, and he could not be blamed for resorting to a little excess mugging and some- what careless make-up. His emo- tion was not quite deep enough to be always convincing. A bit part as 'a French waiter by Alfred Jenkin was poorly done. He spoke half his lines before he seemed to suddenly remember he should speak with a French dia- lect. Peter Shaw and Brenda Forbes, cast as a couple of young bloods, supplied the romantic by- play for whatever value there was in it. Vesey O’Davoren acted as an old English knight, father of the victim, in a sufficiently capable manner, if without much inspira- tion, and Suzanne Leach, appeared in a bit that merely required that she look dumb. The single set, an interior, was attractively done by C. Worden Bethel; a panatrope furnished lob- by music between acts, and coffee was served in the lounge. Busi- ness was very light. Yeales. EDDIE KAY Extemporaneous Master of Ceremonies The Tavern Salt Lake City, Utah Au revoir, my dear friends— and my pleasant engagement of fourteen weeks at Coffee Dan’s. Don’t forget to see me at The Tavern, Salt Lake City, Utah. Hello, James Madison. What’s the difference be- tween our national song and a nation-wide prohibition refer- endum? One is “How dry I am,” and the other “How dry am I?” Hello, Joe E. Brown. Hello, James Madison. Henry Ford states he will stop making flivvers unless prohibition continues. Score another point in favor of the “wets.” Hello, Henry Mencken. Hello, James Madison. Why do some anti-vice so- cieties deliberately entice their victims to break the law? Their motto is, “One good crime deserves another.” Hello, Harry Richman. Hello, Janies Madison. What is Doheny trying to prove at his present trial? That he was not the “Fall” guy. Hello, Winnie Lightner. Hello, James Madison. Some men go around with- out hats to strengthen their hair. It’s a lucky thing their legs aren’t weak. NUMBER STOPS SHOW Lon Murray, New York and L. A dance director, and Billy Sulli- van, who was featured in “The Leather Pushers” series, wrote the words and music to a new number called “Go Into Your Dance,” re- cently staged at the Masquers’ Revel. A few of the celebrities who took part in the song and dance number staged by Lon, were Neely Edwards, Benny Rubin, Lon Murray, George Stone and Billy Sullivan. The number literally “tied the show” up, as it is the first time in the history of the Actors’ Club that an all-hoofers act was featured in the program. NEW DANCE CLASSES New classes in musical comedy dancing for business girls will be started at the Wills-Cunningham Studio of Stage Dancing, Holly- wood, next Tuesday. The classes will -be held twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday evenings at 6 o’clock. New classes are also being organized for children. NEXT REP PLAY The next play of the Civic Rep- ertory at the Hollywood Music Box is to be “The Hero” and the production will be supervised by Gilbert Emery, the author, Paul Irving director. It is to open March 31. “Children of the Moon” was scheduled but casting difficul- ties made it necessary to set it back. B.B.B. Says: Scott Sanders in town. A1 Trahan and Terk Murdock on the way. “Wide Open” at Warner Bros. Hollywood The- atre. Yours Truly in the cast. • • •• P. S.— The CELLAR is at Cosmo Street and Hollywood Boulevard . . . between Vine and Cahuenga . . . the phone numbers are ORanite 8 3 8 2 and HOllywood 9 15 9 . . . parking is free at the lot across from the CELLAR . . . the CHRYSLER and SAM- SONS are there. Thank You.