The motion picture almanac (1931)

1931 The MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC PRODUCTION AND STUDIO EXECUTIVES 105 ,eA?H.R\W,LLIAM FISHER: b. Oil Citv. Pa.. July JS. lost'; h. 0 feet 2 inches; grey hair and blue eyesw. 20o pounds; p. Clara Ellsworth and Charles Edwin Adler. non-professionals; e. Maywood. 111. high school and the Lewis Institute of Technology; m." Jane Abbev non-professional; hy. porcelain collecting, spceializiri' in Oriental china. Twenty-six years in the motion picture business. Became vice-president and chief engineer for Colorart Synehrotone Corp.. Ltd. ALGIER, SIDNEY H.: Production manager and director; b. Shamokin. Pa.. December 5. 1889; h. 5 feet bife inches; brown hair and eyes; w ICO pounds p Elise and Allan Algier. non-professionals; e. Brook'line high school; m. Wava Roberts, professional; hv. golf and all outdoor sports. Stage experience covered a period of about 10 years during which time he appeared in light opera: -The Princess Chic." in 1904: two seasons with -' Babes in Toyland"; in the musical comfSi The Tourists." in 1906; from 1907 to 1908 in The Alaskan'; in 1909 "A Night for a Dav"; in burlesque from 1910 to 1911 and in vaudeville 1911-14 ^',ere^„ "IT Kreswin, 1913 an<1 plav,d s«-o"d comedv parts to Rube Miller in short reel subjects, writing them himself, editing and cutting same Later he became assistant director and then production manager which vocation he has been following to date Also has co-directed and directed 17 productions. With Liberty Productions. ASHCRAFT, JAMES M. : Theatre manager b St Georges Del.. July 22. 1879: h. 5 feet 10 inches;' gray hair and eyes: w. 170 pounds; p Marv Louisa Ashcraft; e. Philadelphia. Advance agent and companv manager for various dramatic and musical shows at various tunes publicity representative for D. W Griffith inc.. Inited Artists Corporation. Warner Bros • for two if,?r<!PlQS.maL re«"«™««ive of D. W. Griffith; on July 8 1929. he was appointed director of publicitv for delphVa roductlons; now a theatre manager in Phila BACHMAN. J. G. : Producer: b. Russia. May 1 1891married and has three children. Lawrence. Dorothy and Lucille: e. New York City. Was formerly a ce'rtifltd public accountant. Entered picture business in 1916 produced or supervised for Paramount: "The Last Command " "Easy Come. Easy Go." "Sporting Goods " Sawdust Paradise." "Warming Up." "Moran of the .Marines. ■ Docks of New York." "Interference." ■ Sins of the Fathers." "Redskin" and others. Forming own company to produce pictures with Maude Adams. BAILEY, B. BEX: CutlDJ director. RKO Radio Iictures; b. Baileyton. Tenn.. December 7. 1901 p the late W. It Bailey and Cora A. Bailey; e. high school at Greeneville. Tenn.. and three years at Tus< ulum College at Greeneville; m. Fay Evans; no children. Started in motion pictures as an extra. Obtained a position ES, ( *'ntral Casting Corporation in 1926. Went to 11KO as assistant casting director in September l'i'K l!?os WaS promo,ed 10 casting director in February.' BAKER. C. GRAHAM: b. Evans-.ille. Ind. ; h 5 reet 6 inches; reddish-brown hair and blue eyes w 150 pounds; e. Boys high school. Brooklyn; m nonprofessional; hy. tennis. Screen experience as ' writer and director. Did scenarios for "The Little Minister" in 1835; "Broken Hearts of Hollywood." "Mv Official Wife," "Millionaires" and "Just Suppose" "in 10°G"Finger Prints." "White Flannels." "Irish Hearts " "Girl from Chicago." "Slightly Used." ' Husbands for Rent." "Third Degree." "Mat nee Ladies" and "Heart of Maryland" in 1927: and "The Singing Fool " "Conquest." "Alimony Annie." "She Knew Men." "Fancy Baggage" and "The Air Circus" in 1928. "Sonny Bov." "Glad Rag Doll" and "Honky Tonk." Became co-executive in charge of production at First National studios. BARAVALLE. VICTOR: Music director; b. Italv; came to America when lie was 7 years old and at the age of 9 was requested to give a concert at the Academy of Music; this appearance was followed by a period of instruction in the Damrosch Conservatory.' At 10 he was concert maestro for the Shuberts. and later became conductor. Mas been conductor and musical director for Charles B. Dillingham, the Shuberts and Ziegfeld on such productions as "Sally." "Whoopee." "Rio Rita." Ziegfeld's "Follies." and "Mnvtime." "Rio Rita." "Hit the Deck." "Street Girl." "The Selected to head the entire musical deirartment for Radio Pictures and personally has directed and conducted all musical numbers for "Rio Rita." "Hit the Deck." "Street Girl." "The Cuckoos." "Dixiana." BERMAN. PANORO S.: Vice president in charge of productions. RKO Radio Pictures. Hollywood: b. Pittsburgh. Pa.. March 28. 1905: h. 5 feet 7 inches: brown hair and eves: w. 145 pounds; p. Julie and the late Harry M. Herman, general manager of Universal and FBO: e. DeWitt Clinton high school and elsewhere in New York: m. Viola V. Newman, non-professional; hy. golf and tennis. Spent five years with FBO as assistant director for Tod Browning. Ralph Ince. Al Santell and Mai St. Clair: also film editor for FBO film and title editor at Columbia Studios. Chief film editor of RKO Productions, and at present assistant to William Le Baron. BERN. PAUL: Producer. Metro-Goldwyn-Maver Pictures Corporation. Culver City. Cal. : b. Germanv. December 3. 1889: e. New York City public schools and Academy of Dramatic Arts: not married. Was stage manager and director of theatrical productions from 1911 to 1915. Wrote "The Marriage Circle," "The Christian." "Name the Man." "The Beloved Rogue." "The Dove." and others. Directed "Open All Night." "Tin Dressmaker from Paris." "The Flower of Night." Is now a producer with MOM and has made "The Rogue Song." "The Divorcee." "Let Fs Be Gav." "It's a Wise Child" and "The Southerner." BISCHOFF. SAMUEL: Production supervisor. Columbia Pictures Corporation. Hollvwood: b. Hartford. Conn.. August 11. 1890: h. 5 feet 7H inches: black bair and brown eves: w. 155 pounds: p. Morris Bischoff. non-professional: e. Hartford high. Hartford. Conn., and Boston Cniversity. Boston. Mass. ; m. Harriet Wisgel. non-professional: hy. golf. Produced 36 comedies in 1923-24 for Grand Asher. 36 comedies in 1924-25 for Bischoff. Inc.. six features in 1926 for Bischoff Productions, four features in 1927 for Gotham Productions, four features in 1927 for Bischoff Productions Has been in the capacity of production supervisor since 1928 for Columbia Pictures. Production supervisor Universal Pictures. BLOCK. RALPH: Associate producer. Fox Film Corporation. Hollywood: b. Cherokee. Iowa. June 21 1889; p. Dons Chraplewski and Siegfried Block, nonprofessionals; e. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Mich. ; m. Mary Grcenacre. non-professional. Stage experience on advisory board. New York Theatre Guild 1921 to 1923. inclusive. He was production editor for I aramount in 1923. managing editor in 1924-5-6. and supervising editor in 1927. Then became associate producer for Pathe in 1928 and 1929. and now is with Fox Film Corporation. BOASBERG. AL: Producer, with RCA Photophone and Louis Brock, of the series of 12 two-reel Radiant Pictures for 1929. Became associate producer of RKO Radio Pictures in 1930. BOYCE-SMITH. JOHN: Vice president and treasurer of Tec-Art Studios, Hollvwood; b. New York City. August 15. 1881: h. 5 feet 8 inches; brown hair arid blue eyes; w. 135 pounds; p. Mary Fisher Kilpatrick and John Boyce-Smith. nonprofessionals; e. Collegiate school. New York City, Columbia University, college and law; m. Harriit Mather Illsley. non-professional; hy. golf, tennis and riding. Vice president and treasurer of Inspiration Pictures. Inc.. and one of the organizers of the company in 1920. Produced "Tol'able David." "Fury." "Classmates." "White Sister " "Ramona." "Resurrection." and "Hell Harbor." Since 1927 has been vice president and treasurer of Tec-Art studios. Director and treasurer of the Breakfast Club of Los Angeles, and treasurer of Theta Delta Chi Club of New York City. BRISKIN. SAMUEL J.: Assistant general manager, Columbia Pictures Corporation. Los Angeles. Cal ; b Russia. February 8. 1896; e. grade and high schools. New York City. College of the C.ty of New York; m. Sarah Myers: has two sons. Gerald and Bamett. Five years with C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation, two years with Banner Productions, Inc., five years with Columbia Pictures Corporation. BROUGHTON. CLIFF: West Coast representative of George W. Weeks of Sono Art-World Wide Pictures: b. Walnut. Iowa. July 20. 1897; h. 5 feet 1H4 inches; brown hair and blue eyes; w. 168 pounds: p. Jennie Packard and Thomas Henry Broughton. non-professionals: e. Walnut high school: m. Lena Mae. nonprofessional: hy. hunting and tennis. Manager for Mrs. Wallace Reid Productions from 1923 to 1928 and produced the following: "The Red Kimono." "The Earth Woman." "The Satin Woman." and "Linda." and in 1928 produced "The Road to Ruin." also supervised the Ruth Roland picture. "Love and the Law." In September. 1929. he became associated with Mrs. Wallace Reid in the production of one of the first 100 per cent talking pictures produced at Metropolitan Studio. "The Dude Wrangler." using Western Electric system. November 10th he was named vice president in charge of production of United Sound Producers. Inc. In 1930 he produced "The Rogue of the Rio Grande" at Mitropolitan Studio for Sono Art-World Wide Pictures. Inc. Joined Sono Art as associate producer. In 1931 was appointed West Coast representative of George W. Weeks, executive vice president and general manager of Sono Art-World Wide. BURR. C. C. : Independent producer. Hollywood; b. Brooklyn. N. Y.. January 30. 1891: h. 5 feet 8% inches; black hair and gray eyes; w. 185 pounds: p. Anna Louise and Richard Ogden Burr, non-professionals: e. Hackensack high. Bethlehem Prep. Nazareth Hall. University of Pennsylvania: m. Clemence Amy Burr, nonprofessional: has four sons; hy. polo and pictures. Entered the University of Pennsylvania (class of 1911) after attending several preparatory schools, then became a newspaper reporter and worked on publicity for the New York Times. Later went to New York Edison Companv and MeCall Company, and then returned to the Times. Paramount Pictures was just starting and Zukor was making feature films. Zukor and Hodkinson paired and brought in Jesse Lasky and Cecil DcMille. and later took in Bosworth Film Company. Burr became a member of the company in the latter part of 1913. and after Ave years became assistant general manager, holding that post for two years, when he left and started making his own pictures, having had the id-a to make the Sewell Ford's Torchy stories. He saw Johnny Hines and used him as actor for the role. His first film was sold to the Strand theatre in N. Y.. and it opened there February 3. 1920. A contract was arranged with E. W. Hammons. who was about to start a distributing company for short subjects later to he known as Educational. Burr waited six months for Hammons to get started rather than release through existing companies. The Torchy comedies continued for three years until the star was placed in long features. Key of Abbreviations b. born div. divorce e. educated h. height hy. hobby m. married p. parents r. n. real name w. weight Burr then produced all star comedies featuring Charlie Murray and Raymond McKee. Hodkinson-Pathe release. Also made four features yearly in addition to the Hines features. "Restless Wives," 'Youth for Sale." and "I Am the Law" were Burr's outstanding money-makers. He selected many girls for the Torchy comedies who became celebrated stars. The leading women in the first Torchies. in the order named, were Billie Dove, Jacqueline Logan, Dorothy Mackaill. Jobvna Ralston. Norma Shearer. Dolores Costello. Clara Bow and others. He took Johnny Hines, then an obscure young comedian, built him via the two-reel route to stardom with First National and kept him there three years. 1925 to 192S. C. C. Burr is one of the leading independent producers still established and operating after ten years of independent production. CAMPBELL, FREDERICK S.: Camera department head, Pathe Studios, Culver City, Cal. ; b. Charlottetown. Canada, in 1896; p. Alexander Sutherland Campbell and Annie Elizabeth Pickard Campbell; e. public schools, business college and preparatory school; not married. Has been a camera enthusiast from early boyhood, but was obliged to take up other occupations at an early age due to the death of his father. Served in an executive capacity in a large wholesale metal house in Boston for more than nine years, and likewise a large Boston publishing institution for six years before going to California to enter the motion picture industry. Entered Pathe's camera department in 1927 (then De Mille) and has remained there since. CARDONA. RENE: Vice president and in charge of production of Hispania Talking Films Corporation. Ltd , of Hollywood; b. Havana. Cuba. October 8. 1906; h. 6 feet: brown hair and dark blue eyes: w. 165 pounds; p. Hermin,a Andre de Cardona and Miguel Cardona. non-professionals: not married: hy. hunting, auto racing and tennis. Stage experience with Compania de Santa Cruz, and appeared in "The Iron Ring." as juvenile lead. Screen experience as follows: "Our Dancing Daughters." for Metro-GoldwynMayer, talking "Shady Lady." for Pathe as technical d.rector and second lead. "The Dead Line." for Paramount as juvenile. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." for Paramount as the Prince of Wales, "The Wife of the Toreador." one of the first talking pictures made by Fox with Haquel Meller. the juvenile lead. Appeared as the star in "Havana Shadows," at Tec Art Studios, made in two versions, English and Spanish. CARR. TREM: President of Trem Carr Pictures and vice president of Syndicate Pictures Corporation: b. Trenton. 111.. November 6. 1891; p. W. T. Carr: e. University of Illinois; ni. Margaret Carr: has one daughter. Carmen. Producing for Tiffany Productions, Inc., and for Syndicate Pictures Corporation. CEBALLOS. LARRY: Producer; r. n. Hilarion Ceballos; b. lquique. Chile. South America, October 21, 1887; h. 5 feet 4 inches; black hair and brown eyes; w. 140 pounds; p. Sarah Fergus Ceballos and Teodulo R. Ceballos. professional; m. Dorothy Smith, professional; by. golfing, tennis, fishing, yachting and hunting. Made his first public appearance at the age of 2 years in Kiralfy's spectacle "Nero." with the Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Olympia in London. England, in 1889. Appeared with his father's show as a full-fledged actor in 1895. in Caracas, Venezuela. South America, together with his sister Rosalie, doing a tightrope act. Returned to North America in 1897. In 1900 appeared with his family with Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hamburg. Germany, and toured Europe with that organization until 1902. In 1904 appeared in Klaw Erlanger's Drury Lane pantomime. "Humpty Dumpty" at the New Amsterdam theatre. New York, remaining until 1906. From 1907 to 1910 was in Ned Wayburn's "Phantastic Phantoms"; 1910. Lew Field's "Midnight Sons": 1911. Lew Field's "Hen Pecks"; 1912. "Passing Show of 1912": 1913. Jesse L. Lasky's "Clownland" ; 1914. Lasky's "Peaches": 1915. Albert De Corral's "Shell Out." Comedy theatre. London: 1910. Cochran's "Half Past Eight." Comedy theatre. London: 1917. John Cort's "Masked Model" ; 1918. in conjunction with John Murray Anderson and Morris Green, directed floor shows at Palais Royale and Rector's cafes in New S'ork City: 1919. directed dances for Andre Chariot's "Bran Pie." "Buzz Buzz." "Wild Geesee" and "Just Fancy." London. England. "The Red Mill." at the Empire theatre. London: "The Little Whopper." for Grossmith and Lorrillard. also in London: 1920. returned to America and produced for Jones & Green "Jim Jam Jems" : entered into a partnership with Lew Cantor and produced big vaudeville acts until 1923 : then directed dances for John Murray Anderson's "Jack and Jill." Globe theatre. New York: Jones & Green's "Hitchie Koo." with Raymond Hitchcock: "Greenwich Village Follies." Winter Garden. New York, and "Sitting Pretty" with the Dolly Sisters: 1924. Al Jolson in "Big Boy." Winter Garden: "Greenwich Village Follies," Winter Garden: "Moonlight" at Longacre theatre, directing dances: "Vogues" for the Shuberts. Broadhurst theatre: 1925, "Mercenary Mary." for Clayton & Waller. London Hippodrome. London; "Greenwich Village Follies" at the Shannon theatre. New York; "Sweetheart Time" for Rufus LeMaire. Imperial theatre. New York: 1926. "The Merry World." for the Shuberts. Imperial theatre. New York; .T. P. McEvoy's "Americana" for Richard Herndon. Belmont theatre. New York; Carter De Haven's "Music Box Revile." Music Box theatre. Hollywood: 1927. "Oh Kav." with Elsie .Tanis. Mayan theatre. Los Angeles: "The Girl from Cook's." for J. L. Sacks. Gayetv theatre. London. Produced ideas for Fanchon and Marco for three months in 1928. On April 1 signed a three y-ar contract with Warner Bros, to produce the Larry Ceballos Revues at Warner Bros Hollywood theatre. Produced revues for one year, then produced ensemble numbers for Warner Bros, and First National Vitaphone Pictures, with the exception of three months in 1929. when he produced dances for "Fifty Million Frenchmen" at Lvric theatre. New York City. Screen experience: Produced the dances for the following pictures for Warner Bros. -First National Vitaphone productions: "On With the Show." "Gold Diggers of Broadway." "Show of Shows." "Sally." "Hold Everything." "No. No. Nanette." "Bright Lights " and many others. Most recen* was "Man in the Sky." by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach. CHADWICK. I. E. : Producer; b. London, February