Inside facts of stage and screen (August 2, 1930)

SATURDAY, AUG. 2, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE THREE AL GREEN TOPS DIRECTOR LIST Gene Swift’s Ruminations TECHNICAL DESPOTS STUNNED VISITOR BUSY SWEEPER SQUEAKY SHOES “AT NINE SHARP” Our motion picture studios are ridden by a technical des- potism. The ancient bugaboo of mysticism rides high over the heads of talkieland. . All the paraphernalia, dis- traction, hokum of “abraca- dabra” of the vaudeville magician are used to clothe the activities of the technicians with awesome majesty and mystery. In many ways this technical rule works blessings in providing additional employment for the thespian army that has invaded and occupied Hollywood, as well as for the equally numerous army of technicians that has 'been nur- tured at the breasts of the pio- neers who started it. In turn, this greatly increased expense roll has contributed to the income and to the numbers of grocers, tailors, dressmakers, mil- liners, auto dealers, real estate agents, hotel and apartment own- ers, beauty parlors and bootleggers in Hollywood and the neighboring suburb of Los Angeles. But the fact remains that talkie production costs have been pyra- mided tremendously by the racket- eering of this technical hierarchy. The present severe depression in picture house box office earnings is due chiefly to the prices charged. The picture business was founded and built up upon the principle of low price. When the talkies came the tariff was boosted, and for a time the newness and novelty of talking shadows overcame the ex- tra cost. But that is over. For the aver- age family man on the present average income, a picture show is a luxury. If the industry wishes to preserve its leadership it should reorganize to make its product an easily attainable necessity of the ordinary worker. The colossal inefficiency of pic- ture production stuns the new- comer to the studio lots. There never was an industry with such a percentage of paid idlers, and at the same time so many who worked hard trying to do some- thing that others worked equally hard to keep them from doing. The scene resembles nothing so much as one I saw some time ago in Ireland, where a bunch of dogs, whose tails had been freshly ampu- tated, were busily chasing the tails that weren’t there. This scene is typical: Into the maw of a sound stage at 9 o’clock some morning pours a company of 200 extras, a dozen featured players and a star, a line of 32 dancing girls, 20 show girls, 24 dancing boys, an orchestra of 22 pieces, a director, two assistant directors, a producer, a script clerk and an indefinite number of supervisors, three cameramen, three assistant cameramen, a chief elec- trician and six juicers, various and sundry carpenters and painters two make-up men, a test-girl for the star, half a dozen laborers, a watchman for the door, and some others who appear to : be on the payroll but whose duties are not quite clear. By 10:30 the extras have been made up and are draping them- selves over available seats. All about is confusion and noise. Car- penters are banging hammers, the electrician is yelling hoarsely to his juicers who are up aloft tinkering with the big inkies. Cameramen are having the la- borers haul their ungainly booths into position. On the stage is a brightly gilded set. One of the camera boys an- nounces that the gilt is too bright to photograph, so a painter be- gins to go over it with a liquid that dulls its luster. By 11 o’clock another cameraman discovers it is still too bright, and once more the set is dulled. Every few min- utes a laborer with a broom sweeps the floor. An assistant director begins to sort out the extras and plant them where he wants them. The direc- tor takes a look and criticizes the arrangement, so they are shuffled (Continued on Page 5) Four Legit Shows Running Here INA CLAIRE IN ‘REBOUND’HAS EXCELLENT BIZ Two openings last week doubled the legit stage offerings in Los Angeles and Hollywood, and the four shows were reported doing a very fair business. Nine houses continue dark. First week of “Oh, Judge,” the new Strong and Wilson musical farce at the Vine Street, grossed $6500, a healthy figure. The house declares an optimistic outlook for a run, although nervous ones re- peat bearish reports of an early close. Ina Claire in “Rebound” at the Belasco pulled in a near capacity business for the first week. ‘It’s a Wise Child” will be the follow- in show. Second week of “Fata Morgana” at the Hollywood Playhouse, with Elsie Ferguson, brought in a gross of $6000, a fine figure. This show is scheduled to close Au- gust 9 and move to San Francisco. Nothing definite is set to follow immediately. Glenn Hunter’s second week in “To the Ladies” at the El Capi- tan, under the Henry Duffy ban- ner, grossed a satisfactory $5500. This show closes August 2, and will be followed next by “Tea for Three.” Houses dark are: Mayan, Pres- ident, Majestic, Biltmore, Mason, Figueroa Playhouse, Egan, Orange Grove and Hollywood Music Box. MISS MACKAYE HERE FOR PLAY Dorothy Mackaye arrived in Los Angeles last Monday to begin rehearsals on Lynn Stalling’s new play, “A Cup of Sugar.” Miss Mackaye says she has read over a hundred scripts in the past few months, and thinks she has a winner in the Stalling vehicle. She looks in the pink of condition. William Trumbell will produce the show, with George Sherwood directing, and rehearsals begin Wednesday in the Hollywood Playhouse building. Casting of support roles has not as yet been, completed. The plan is to open in Santa Barbara about August 29 and then take it to San Francisco for sea- soning before bringing it back to Los Angeles. Nothing- definite has yet been decided about a house here. Stalling authored “Meet the Wife,” “In His Arms” and “Weak Sister,” and is now on the Fox lot, writing scenarios. LEE PARVIN IS NOW AVAILABLE Lee Parvin, widely known the- atrrical manager and publicity man, is seeking a new connection due to the closing of the Macloon- Albertson attractions. Parvin managed “The Desert S-ong,” “Hit the Deck,” “The New Moon” and “The Student Prince” during the past three years, as well as acting as manager and press representa- tive of the Majestic Theatre, prev- ious to which he was for seven years manager of the Egan The- atre. He has ait various times han- dled the attractions of A. H. Woods, _ John Cort, Selwyn and Co., Oliver Morosco, Joseph M. Gaites and other New York pro- ducers. SIGN CLARA BLANDICK Clara Blandick, former stage actress, will play the role of the aunt in Paramount’s production of “Tom Sawyer.” It’s the most im- portant grown-up part in this juve- nile picture which finds Jackie Coogan returning to the screen as Tom Sawyer. Mitzi Green will be Becky Thatcher and Junior Dur- kin former child stage actor, is Huckleberry Finn. Helene Francis, dainty comedienne, featured with Fanchon and Marco “Modes” Idea at Loew’s State, Los Angeles, this week, comes direct from New York where she was a feature with her own act for three seasons, playing for the RK0, Loew and Pantages circuits. Helene has been in the show business just four years and is receiving a very favorable reception at the State this week. LOCAL LEGIT PLANS AT LOW EBB; SIEGE GETS MAJESTIC Prospects for new legit shows are the slimmest in years. Prodctcers are lying low, waiting for the cooler season and for the “good times coming” to cheer them up. The El Capitan continues along its steady way, with “Tea for Three” opening there August 3. The three co-stars in this Henry Duffy production will be Gladys George, Tom Moore and Ernest Glendinning. Edwin H. Curtis is directing. “It’s a Wise Child” will come to the Belasco from San Francisco. The only new produc- tion for the immediate future is the Trumbell-Sherwood “A Cup of Sugar,” in which Dorothy Mac- kaye is to be featured, and which is scheduled for an opening at Santa Barbara about August 29, going thence to San Francisco. The Majestic has just been turned over to S. D. Siegel, San Diego magnate, on a five-year lease, who will operate the house on a talkie-vaude policy. With the President across the street go- ing to newsreels it will leave the newer Broadway district without a legitimate house. There is also gossip to the effect that the Vine Street will go talkie, but this is without confirmation. “Subway Express” closes in San Francisco August 2. _ John Hill hints darkly at sensa- tional plans for autumn, but re- fuses to divulge their nature. SIGN WAMPAS STAR Caryl Lincoln, one of the last crop of Wampas Baby Stars, has been signed for the feminine lead in the Trem Carr production, “The Land of Missing Men” which Tiff- any will release. IN COMEDY ROLE Lloyd Hamilton will play a com- edy relief role in “New Moon,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s version of the stage hit, co-starring Law- rence Tibbett and Grace M-oore CLOSES THEATRE Fred Miller has closed his Cali- fornia Theatre, Main street, which he refurnished and reopened a few weeks ago. He will open up again in the fall in a tie-up with West Coast Theatres, and play to a policy of foreign language ver- sions of American pictures. Keeps Busy Schedule Here’s Mrs. Josephine Worth’s daily program for her daughter, Loma Worth, who will be at the RKO ' Theatre, Los Angeles, the week of August 7: 6:00 a.m.—Horseback riding. 7:00 a. m.—Tennis. 8:00 a.m.—Skating or skiing (if in cold climate). 9:00a.m.—Swimming and high diving. 10:00 a.m.—Driving her auto to airport. 10:30 a.m.—Piloting her air- plane. 1:00p.m.—Theatre, four shows daily, playing 18 musical instruments. 11:00 p.m.—Bridge playing or ballroom dancing. (Note from Loma)—“After that they call the ambulance.” COMPLETE LIST IN FILM DAILY POLL REVEALED .Alfred E. Green who directed “Disraeli” and “The Green God- dess” both starring George Arliss, and “The Man From Blankley’s,” starring John Barrymore, has been selected as the outstanding direc- tor of 1929-30 by more than 300 newspaper, fan magazine and trade publication critics, embracing every section of the country, in the fifth annual poll conducted by . Film Daily to determine the ten best directors of the season. Complete list of the ten best di- rectors in the present poll, and the number of votes received by each, follows: David Butler, John Cromwell, Harry Beaumont, Luther Reed, Ludwig Berger, Raoul Walsh, John Ford, Frank Tuttle, Dorothy Arz- ner, Edmund Goulding, Frank Capra, Hobart Henley, Wesley Ruggles, F. Richard Jones, Alan Crosland, Victor Fleming, Cecil B. De Mille_, Frank Borzage, Henry King, Richard Wallace, Michael Curtiz, Bayard Veiller, Robert Z. Leonard, Millard Webb, Alfred Santell and Sam Taylor. Directors honored last year were: ErnstL ubitsch, George Fitzmau- rice, Frank Borzage, F. W. Mur- nau, William Wellman, Clarence Brown, Raoul Walsh, Lloyd Ba- con and Frank Lloyd. “SQUAW MAN’S” TALKER VERSION Cecil B. DeM'ille is completing the editing of “Madam Satan,” and starting writers to work on his next production, a talkie ver- sion of “The Squaw-Man,” by Ed- win Milton Boyle. “The Squaw-Man” has been placed in the hands of Josephine Lovett for story, and Gladys Un- er for dialogue. Miss Lovett is new to the DeMille organization, but Miss Unger wrote dialogue for both “Dynamite” and “Madam Sa- tan.” No members of the cast have been set for the film which will start, in the fall. A great deal of it will be taken on location, and a large number of Indians and cowboys will be employed. De- Mille has made “The Squaw-Man” twice before. He did it originally with Dustin Farnum, and later with Elliott Dexter. MURRAY PUPILS BUSY ~ In addition to the unit of “Bud Murray Californa Sunbeams,” now playing at Loew’s State, Nelson and Thatcher, Bud Murray pro- teges, who took their first dancing lesson from Bud Murray, are play- ing at the Egyptian Theatre with Max Fisher’s Band, doing Mur- ray routines; while Mae LeRue, the cow-girl appearing in the “Wild and Wooly” Idea, doing a Lafe Page rhythm dance, and Evelyn Hayes is playing a lead- ing role in “Oh, Judge.” Sylvia Shore, singing and dancing com- edienne, opens this week in Pasa- dena with a Fanchon and Marco Idea. NEW CLASSES FORM In addition to the large enroll- ments for adults in the new sum- mer classes at the Wills Studio of Stage Dancing in Hollywood, there are classes now forming for children in all departments, ac- cording to Walter S. Wills, execu- tive head of the school. Working with Wills as his chief instructors during the summer term are Wil- liam Ritchey and Buddy Eson.