The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

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.210 MOVING PICTURE WORLD Xovemljer 27, 1926 Stories Fresh From The Studios Denny Shows At His Greatest in Newest Picture She's Shocked Hollywood Answers Great Britain On Film Problem (Continued from page 207) "The Cheerful Fraud." This time, of course, does not include the six weeks which Director Seiter spent with three gag men whipping the story by K. R. C. Browne into .shape before a single movement in actual production work was registered. The 6,700 feet of this DennyUniversal Special which we saw should prove to audiences of all types and fancies to be a wow of laughs, appeal and thrills right from the very start. The story, from the standpoint of screen artistry, suspense and climax is nearly perfect. At no time is the theme sacrificed for a gag. Neither is undue footage used to portray any particular sequence. London On Studio The opening shot of a London street scene during a heavy downpour with people scurrying from the rain and omnibuses and other vehicles crawling along was made in Universal City. Seller had to get his company up one morning with the milkman in order to evade the California sun. The scene was too large to be worked on an indoor set so one of the Laemmle acres was selected. Umbrellas in Action It was during this scene that Denny as Sir Michael Fairlee bumps into Gertrude Olmstead as Ann Kent. Their umbrellas clash and upon that incident hinges the entire story. What follows causes these two and four other people to go through more action and experience more complications than could ever be expected in a screen story dependent upon a cast of six people. A series of misrepresentations all based upon Fairlee hiding his identity and posing as a secretary, with the result that a famous crook masquerades in every house where Fairlee is employed as Sir Fairlee, should key any audience up to the highest pitch. In order to keep his company attuned to the farce Seiter Raymond Hitchcock and Marjorie Daw in Tiffany's "Redheads Preferred." worked onlj when every one on the set was alive to the funny side of "The Cheerful Fraud." Dennj', who played the role of the happy deceptor, was indisposed for several days at one time during the production. His illness necessarily delayed the production since Denny appears in virtually every foot of this comedy. Despite these conditions, however, the production was completed on record time and provided very little work for the cutting man. The cast as a whole should register as excellently as the picture. Otis Harlan esconces' the role of Mr. Bytheway whose big difficulty is keeping tale-bearing chorus girls away from his dominating and socially aspiring wife, played by Emily Fitzroy. Charles Gerrard appears as "Steve," the high class crook and Gertrude Astor as "Rosie," Bytheway's nemesis. Denny Hil« Hay A lot in Universal City still retains a huge mound of hav which Denny and Gerrard drove through. The next "shot" showing Denny being doused in another storm with straw still sticking from his ears and water flooding his shoes makes "The Cheerful Fraud" not only one of Denny's funniest but one which necessitated the longest clothesline Carl Laemmle has ever previewed in Universal Citv. Good Pictures In Demand Everywhere, Regardless of Where They Are Produced, Leaders Tell British Investigator GOOD pictures, regardless of what country they are made in, are in demand at box offices all over the world. This in substance was Hollywood's message to a film emissary from England, who admitted that relations between the picture people of the two countries are at the present time somewhat strained. A frank discussion of the in tcrnational film situation was entered into by Louis B. Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Joseph M. Schenck of United Artists as the chief spokesmen for a brilliant assemblage of representatives of the American film industry who gathered at the Ambassador Hotel to impress their views upon and listen to the retaliation of Ernest W. Fredman, editor of a British trade paper. Executives of large and small ."American producing units sat at a long table acquired for the occasion by I. E. Chadwick, President of Independent Motion Picture Association. Make Better Films If England would take the firm stand of the American industry and constantly apply to itself the interrogation of "how can we make better and finer picture entertainment?" there would be little necessity to question the merit of British product. This statement by Louis B. Mayer was the first indication manifested at this luncheon of Hollywood's regard for English product. Mr. Mayer observed that the English film industry is progressing. He urged that this continue since its continuance should mean an advancement of the art which will reflect itself in the public eye to the betterment of filmdom internationally. "Audiences do not care who makes the pictures — what they want is quality'' said Mr. Mayer. If England can take the lead ir. picture making, America will most certainly respect and admire the conqueror." Mayet qualified this, however, by stating emphatically that whatever improvement over production policies and pictures England realized, America would yet improve upon. "You cannot corner brains ! No country can corner brains. I urge you to take back the message to England that America is open and ready, as soon as F'ngland produces pictures as good as American pictures, to give such product the same prestige and prominence on the .\merican screens as the American product is receiving there today." Declaring that he believed he was echoing the sentiment of American producers in this respect, Joseph M. Schenck said that America was so willing to assist Great Britain that it would lend American stars to English producers for English productions made in England. Have No Boundary Once the fact is established that picture making is an international art and should know no nationalism, all pictures possessing any merit should be welcomed on this basis all over the world. Schenck added that he sympathized with England, although he conceded that its viewpoint regarding the American picture industry was narrow. England's first solution to the problem is to make better pictures, he stated. He also conceded that the American film industry had gained a tremendous impetus during the War which at the same time had retarded English film efforts. As to the American viewpoint regarding foreign product, Schenck declared "there is not a producer in this country who would not welcome into Ameri(Continued on page 212) Hollywood's Message to Great Britain