Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

February 12, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 497 Owen Moore Is Male Lead For Film, “Becky” Owen Moore has been engaged for the leading male role in “Becky,” a Cosmopolitan Production adapted from the story by Rayner Seelig, which John McCarthy will direct. Moore recently appeared opposite Marion Davies in “The Red Mill.” Sally O’Neil will have the title role in “Becky,” adapted for the screen by Marion Blackton. Production will start shortly at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. — New Directors and Writers on Warner Roster Not only the best entertainment pictures, but a roster of stars, and a directorial and writing staff second to none is the aim of Warner Bros, for next season. Jack Warner announced this week he had signed Bryan Foy, son of Eddie Foy, and a well known scenarist and “gag man” to a long term contract. Foy has just finished working with John Barrymore and also did considerable work with Buster Keaton. He is not a new comer to Warners, having worked on “Oh, What A Nurse”. His first assignment will be with Charles F. Reisner who will direct Syd Chaplin in “The New Boy”, his next Warner picture. “Old Heidelberg” War Wounds, Arthur Loew, vice-president of Metro-Goldwyn Distributing Corporation, and head of the foreign department, predicts that “Old Heidelberg” will prove “great peace-time diplomacy-” Cooley Signed By Paramount Another face new to Paramount pictures will be seen in Raymond Griffith’s next comedy starringvehicle. Hallam Cooley, well known for his work in the “Helen and Warren” comedy series, has been signed for the role of Ray’s chum in the Griffith comedy, which Erie Kenton is directing. St. Polis Signed John St. Polis, character actor, has been cast in “Too Many Crooks,” the Paramount picture which will mark the return of Mildred Davis to the screen. May Assuage Says Arthur Loew THE PRODUCTION of * “Old Heidelberg,” progress on which is now moving forward rapidly at the Metro-GoldwynMayer studio, will not only do much to open up new possibilities in the foreign film market, but will prove a great agent for international good will, in the opinion of Arthur Loew, head of the foreign department of M-GM, who left New York this week on a business trip which will take him to South America, and later, Europe. “Since news reached Europe that ‘Old Heidelberg,’ directed by Ernst Lubitsch, with Ramon Novarro in the lead has gone into production at the M-G-M lot,” declared Mr. Loew recently, “we are being deluged with letters and cables demanding when production will be finished, when sample prints will be forwarded, when regular prints will be shipped, when more news will be available, etc., etc., etc. “Apart from the tremendous entertainment possibilities of this Frank Borzage’s Brother on Job Lew Borzage is assisting liis brother Frank with the direction of “Seventh Heaven,” the film version of the well loved play by Austin Strong, now being made at Fox Films West Coast Studios. This is the third production in which the younger Borzage has acted as assistant to his famous brother. Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, two of the most promising of the younger generation of utars, head the east. Tennis “Champ” in M.-G.-M. Film William T. Tilden, 2d, the world's most famous tennis player, has been signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a part in King Vidor’s new production, as yet untitled, which the director of “The Big Parade” is now making with James Murray and Eleanor Boardman in featured leads. Although Tilden has done some work in pictures and appeared in two Broadway plays, this will be his first serious attempt at screen work. “Big Bill” has announced that, if successful, he will take up motion pictures as a career. “Gamby” Signed S. L. Rothafel announced this week the engagement of Maria Gambarelli as prima ballerina of the new Roxy Theatre, now rapidly approaching completion at 50th-51st Streets and 7th Avenue. “ III Song”? A story by a reformed illustrated singer is one of the chatty stories in the Twentieth Anniversary Issue of Moving Picture World. Out March 26. picture in the international field, as well as the American, it serves a purpose we sometimes lose sight of. This picture will become one of America’s great peace-time diplomats soothing the cruel hurts inflicted by the World War. “This lovely romance of a democratic German prince with a girl from nowhere, made by an American producer, will do far more in each performance toward making the hausfrau in Berlin and the candy-maker in Vienna forget American bayonets than all the frock-coated diplomats on the outer fringe of the lobbies at Washington could do in years.” WALSH HisRtse to Fame dhestoryofa man who conquered He won wealth and fame as a champion, but first he made a far more important conquest — he mastered the weakness of his own character. ,(HIS RISE TO FAME” IS A MASTERPIECE PICTURES CORPORATION SAMUEL ZIERLEA. NEW • V O K. Foreign rights by Simmonds Pictures Corp, Cable “Slmfilmca, N. Y.”