Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1927)

.1 p ril S, 19 27 1249 TTlic Paramount Exodus III. |)()|)iil.ili()ii 1)1 I lolly wood will lit c-oii>.i(lcriil)ly iiKTciMd witliiii tiif next fortniglit due to the exodus from the Paramount LoufT Isi.ind studio of j)laycr.s, directors, ciincr.uncn, executives ;ind writtTs, wlio ii.ivc been transferred lo the company's West Coast production center. Anioufj; tliose departiuij recently are W'altt'r (loss and Ivy Harris, j>raduates of tlie Paramount Scliool. w iio lierctoforc iiavc appeared onlv in l'"astern-made films, Moua I'alma and .Josepliinc Dunn, also of tin scliooI. .nid IMiilip Strange, a contract |)layer. I.awrenee liitt, art dinilor, left last week, stojjping en roiitiat his home town, Indianapolis, from whence he will proceed to the Coast. His assistant, Van Ne.st Polglase, left Saturday. Raljih Block, editor-in-eliief of the closin<r Long Island studio, started Saturday, stopjiing one day in Kansas City, which formerly was his home. Of tiie writers on tlie scenario start', Kay S. Harris and Sam .Mintz, who have been em])loyed most recently on tlie Kd W'yini ;ind \\ . C. Fields })ictures, left Sinulay. Fred Fleck, casting director, and Julian l*'lemiiig of the art department also entrained on Saturday. Of the camera start", three members are westward bound: .\. I'Mschbeck, who has photogra|)hed "The Sorrows of .S.atan " and "Cabaret"; P'd Cronjager, chief |)liotographer for Richard l)ix productions, and .Vl\ in \\'yi'kort'. .Meighan's einematographcr. Robert (i. N'ignola, director of (>ilda CJray's "Cabaret," left I'riday for Albany, and after three days with his relatives there, continued his journey to California. Another Friday deiiarture was that of I.ynn Shores, assistant director. ,T. M. .Jerauld and \\'illiani H. \\'riglit of the Long Island studio |)ulilieity departnu lit will lta\c for tlie West Coast within the week. T "Abie" Alumni at Roach HRKl-', members of the original east of "Abie's Irish Rose" are appearing in the third of a series of .fewish comedies being produced by Hal Roach for Pathe, Max Davidson, Lillian Elliott and Sidney I'r.inklin. A Ed Wynn Once a Director LTHOUGH it is not generally known, Ed Wynn. who is making his first movie. "Rubber Heels." at the Paramount LongIsland studio, under the direction of ^'ietor Heerman, himself directed one of the gre.'it<'st all-star pictures ever produced. He directed it, moreover, lying on his stomach, which put him far in advance of his time, for the film was made in 1915 at the W^illat's Studio in Fort Lee, long before German caiiiera-angles had been invented. In the east were: W. C. Fields, Ina Claire. Leon Errol. Bert Williams, Annette Kellerman, Ann Pennington, Olive Thomas. Bernard (iranville. Flo Ziegfeld. .Julian Mitchell and Mae Murray — .all making their first ai>i)(aranec before the camera. This expensive aggregation of players, many of whoni. including Wynn himself, have since become legitimate screen stars, were appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies. Gene Buck, the librettist, conceived the idea of having the entire east apj^ear in a brief movie scenario thrown on a screen on the stage, with Wynn standing in the audience making humorous criticisms and giving directions to the shadowy figures. During the making of the picture, Wynn lay on the floor to shout his remarks and directions to the actors, so that their glances down at him would fall at a proper angle when the picture was shown on the stage. HMcCollum Returns West 1(;H McCOLLUM. who for the i)ast year and a half has l)een assistant to Richard A. Rowland, general and production manager of I'irst National Pictures, left last week for the M'est Coast to fill an important |)ost in the com))any's production department. ^^ itii Xed Marin, recently aj)pointed assistant production manager, acting as toastmaster, all of the executives who are now in town and department heads at the home office attended a farewell luncheon at the Hotel Lorraine and j)aid tribute to the popularitv of Mr. McCollum, who has made manv friends duriui; his star in the East. Charles Einfeld, on behalf of Mr. McCollum's associ.ales. presented him with a handsomr traxrling liag. H<arly «xpressioiis of good wislit>, were Noierd by all those who attended the luncheon. .Vmong those present were W. ('. ISoolhby. R.ibert !'( rkins, .\. W. Smith, .\t.. W. ( . Callaway, S. W. H.il«li. ( . I'. Chandler. 11. .\. Bandy. .Ml.in S. {.hrin. LmhI. Dmig. ( . .M. Steel.', V. v.. Cahill. X. L. Barlow. I \l l.orb, Ralph Slitt, William I'. .Mullen and Sol Shernow. s Sam licccixinfi lii.> Due \\\ ll.\l{l)^ . who has done yeoman service in \;irious Bob K.iiie producticms, such as "Bluebeard's .Seven Wi\cs," "Tin (ireat Deception." .and others, has come into his own and is beiuLi co-starred with Lois Wilson in "Broadway Nights," just finished, as he thoroughly deser\cs. While a stage star on Broadwa\ lie .i|)|)<ared with Lenore I'Iric in "Kiki," so he bought a sailboat .111(1 christened it "Kiki." Now he says he's going to h;i\e it painttd black and call it "Lulu Belle."' S Garden ot .Mia Becoming: lilm (Center 1-.\'1'",R.\L prominent film folk recently .irri\t'd in Hollywoorl l;.i\c engaged villas at The Gardiii of .Vila, the new southern Californi.i residential hotel, built on the former honusite of .Ml.i Nazimova. and f.-ist becoming the popular reiide/vous of picture celebrities. Among those registered at present are Mr. and .Mrs. .1. 1). Williams, Ralph Block, of Famous Players-Lasky ; \'iol.i Brothers ."-horc, of .Metro-Cioldwyn-Maycr ; Andres de Scgurola. formerly of the Metropolitan Ojjera Company, but more re<ently seen in " The Love r)f .Sunya. " who will also appear in Douglas I'.iirbanks' next picture, and U'illiam Randolph Hearst. These, added to Mr. .and Mrs. Willi.im .Seiter (Laur.i LaPlante). .Mr. .and .Mrs. .M.iurice Barber (Dorothy I'arnum ) . I'linor P.atterson. who. following her engagement in "The .Mir aele, " succumbed to motion pictures, Beulali Livingstone and Lillian Gale, form a representative group of permanent motion picture guests, whose luncheons, dinners and te;is in Llie atbrinistration building keej) The Garden of .Alia .i continual scene of festivity. BBen Returns J'..\ l.^ON left Hollywood List Tut sda\ on the completion of "The Tender Hour," a George Fitzmaurice production for I'irst National, in which he is co-featured with Billie Dove, and .arrived in New York on Saturday. Mr. Lyon M'ill be featured in Robert Kane's current production to be made at the Cosmopolitan Studios. New York. DA Girl W ho Put It Over OROrilV HOWELL'S story reads like an Horatio Al-er story from the feminine angle. This girl, who is now in New ^'ork on her first visit as assistant production manager of Columbi.i Pictures, with charge of scenarios, left Chicago six years ago as a stenogra])her. She went to California, and became secretary to Irving Thalberg. Two years later, she went with B. P. Sehulberg in a similar ea|)acity. Three years ago she became secretary to Harry Colin at Columbia — and thanks to the knowledge of production gained in association with these executives, she has risen to the post of assistant ))roduction manager — one of the very few women in the industry to hold such a post. In addition, she is a mainstay of the story department. Original screen stories which she has contributed to the Columbia progr.im this past year include: "Remember." "Wandering Ciirls. " "The Wreck," "The Romantic Age." "Birds of Prey" and "Rich Men's Sons." But this is not all. Continuities which have flowed from her facile typewriter include: '.Sweet Rosie O'Grady." "Obey the Law." "The Better Way." "The Price of Honor, " and "Paying the Price." 4 Mr. and Mrs. Zukor to \ acation jfVnOl.PH ZIKOR and Mrs. Zukor sailed Fridav night on the Majestic for .i two months' vacation trip .abroad. They expect to visit P.iris and London and will spend considerable time in .sp.iin and resorts on the Rixier.i. returning .it the end of M.iy.