Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

m 27 193* ©CIB 119618 MOTION PICTURE HERALD Vol. 103, No. 13 June 27. 1931 iiii: Gallant Words from Mr. Arliss WHEN iMr. George Arliss went on the air the other night on the initial program of Warners' "The Radio Newsreel of Hollywood" it was with brave ringing words in behalf of the creative community of the motion picture and the art with which he is now so effectively identified. "It is useless to argue that the brains are in Wall Street," observes Mr. Arliss. "It is the box office results that influence Wall Street and for these results the pictures alone are responsible. These pictures are made, and for the most part selected, in Hollywood. My contention is that if the business were in the hands of ignoramuses moving pictures would have ceased to exist long ago." And touching on certain aspects of motion picture publicity and some elements of scandal, he observed, "To keep out of print, you not only have to be respectable, but lucky." Sound, clear expression from such actors as the distinguished Mr. Arliss can carry weight and conviction. His words will travel far and get wide quotation. Fan audiences and circulations being what they are, such utterances in behalf of the motion picture from artists of substance come far too seldom. Much Ado About Nothing ALL and sundry are advised to be in nowise alarmed on receipt of a blue circular or possibly related telegrams from Major Frank Pease, who styles himself "National Commander of American Defenders" and "President — Hollywood Technical Directors Institute," and who is quite a professional viewerwith-alarm. The Major is just now excited about social and political aspects of the motion picture, charging a lot of things but especially that "Hollywood is now beginning to do extensive team-work with Moscow." He says, "Our next campaign is to secure complete exclusion of all Soviet propaganda films, such as have been coming uninterruptedly into our country for years through Amkino." The Major states, one assumes with pride: "Recently we succeeded in getting 'Eisenstein,' Soviet Russia's chief cinema propagandist, deported." Now it is rather widely known that Mr. Serge Eisenstein, despite his admitted skill of the cinema, came to the parting of the ways with Hollywood, for the time at least, because he could not be made to fit the requirements in the production of what Paramount wanted in "An American Tragedy." Further one is unable to discover the remotest coloration of foundation for the statement that Mr. Eisenstein has been deported. He is now in Mexico shooting a picture and doubtless will presently return to the United States to prepare it for distribution. Major Pease's extraordinary statistics, his extraordinary statements and his general excitement, are not in the least important save that they get some circulation through his habit of wiring governors, legislators and other agitators, thereby contributing to the already large pool of misrepresentations and slanders addressed at this industry. AAA When Good Sellers Get Together SPECIAL interest and merit attaches to the series of articles on advertising and exploitation now being presented in THE Herald's "Managers' Round Table" department. A full dozen of the abler publicity men of important independent and circuit theatres are contributing to the array of discussions which Mr. Charles E. Lewis, the club chairman and editor, has assembled. Here are selling ideas from the men who have to make good every day out on the firing line of experience. AAA A Full Field THE lure of the motion picture world as a region of light, merry work and high salaries just now seems to be extending itself out among the sellers of correspondence school instruction in the operation of the projection machine. In view of the decided abundance of trained men, evidenced incidentally by an ERPI checkup in Philadelphia territory where there is one job to each ten available projectionists, this does not appear to be as promising a field just now as some of the rosy advertisements indicate. There are some correspondence schools of admitted merit, but the many young aspirants who write Motion Picture Herald are advised to exercise caution. Mr. Nathan Forecasts Again SAILING for London where he will be the guest critic of the Daily Express for six weeks, Mr. George Jean Nathan took the opportunity to remark to a reporter for the New York Times that five years ago he predicted that silent pictures were doomed. Now he says, another five years "talkies" will be as much an anachronism as silent pictures are today and the stage will be everything. The only thing of importance about Mr. Nathan's observations is that they are often quoted and in some quarters accepted with authority. Like Mr. Shaw, and a number of other professional expressers, Mr. Nathan very often says things because it is his business to say things — and for no other known reason or provocation. There are few persons of equal intelligence as thoroughly and extensively misinformed about the motion picture. A less brilliant mind could never be so far wrong, so often. AAA Science Triumphs OUR snappy young contemporary, "The Hollywood Herald," announces that the Paramount studios have after much travail authentically recorded a kitten's purr. We assume that the cat's pyjamas present no problem. MOTION PICTURE HERALD MARTIN QUIGLEY, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Incorporating Exhibitor's Herald, founded 1915; Motion Pictuke News, founded 1913; Moving Picture World, founded 1907; Motography, founded 1909; The Film Index, founded 1906. Published every Friday by Quigley Publishing Company, 1790 Broadway, New York City. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Martin Quiglty Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Colvin W. Brown, Vice-President and General Manager; Terry Ramsaye, Editor; Chicago office, 407 South Dearborn street, Edwin S. Clifford, manager; Hollywood office. Pacific States Life Building, William A. Johnston, manager; London office, Faraday House, 8-10 Charing Cross Road, London, W.C.2. W. H. Mooring, representative. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. All contents copyrighted 1931 by Quigley Publishing Company. All editorial and business correspondence should be addressed to the New York office. Better Theatres (with which The Showman is incorporated), devoted to the construction, equipment and operation of theatres is published every fourth week as section 2 of Motion Picture Herald. Other Quigley Publications; Motion Picture Daily, The Hollywood Herald, The Motion Picture Almanac, published annually, and The Chicagoan.