Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1931)

Here Are $5,000 The Prize W inners „. -2 First Prize $1,000 — "Movie Studio" Mr. and Mrs. H. L Franklin 112 Van Dusen Street Newark, New York Second Prize $750 — "Hall of Fame" Robert L. Holmes 221 South Harvey Ave. Oak Park, 111. Third Prize $500 — "Book of Stars" Mrs. V. R. Haney 2326 Highland Ave. Birmingham, Ala. Fourth Prize $300 — "Stars' Dressing Bungalows" Charles Collins 14851 Muirland Detroit, Mich. Fifth Prize $100 — "Framed Portraits" Mrs. Mamie Cardarel 66 South Myrtle St. Vineland, N. J. I ADDITIONAL prize winners on page 106] WITH the appearance of this issue of PHOTOPLAY, seventy persons — winners in the seventh annual Cut Picture Puzzle Contest — will each receive a check. The fortunate seventy are scattered all the way from Massachusetts to California; from Washington to Alabama. Residents of every corner of the Union entered their solutions, and the lucky list will be found to represent over half the states. Canada and Mexico submitted a greater number of entries than ever before, and over-seas nations and colonies seemed 56 eager to surpass the record of these near neighbors. More than one request that the closing date of the Contest be extended, because of distance, had to be regretfully denied. In a general way, 1930's widespread interest was merely a repetition of that of other years, but never before had so many solutions been submitted from abroad. The number oi American entries was also greatly increased. Like motion pictures themselves, this annual Photoplay feature seems to have assumed international importance. SOME of the entrants shaped their ideas with theaters, studios, or other symbols of the motion picture industry, as settings. Others assembled the portraits in constellations and comets against a background of sky. Still others made up books — some plain, some ornate, often with verse or drawings added. Reproductions of plants set forth in the form of gardens, or trellises, or as bouquets, or in pots — the portraits of the stars representing the flowers — gave a touch of another sort to the colorful exhibit. Here an oil well shot up a galaxy of faces, there a merry-goround spun a circle of dolls. Steamboats, automobiles, airplanes, dirigibles, giant butterflies, a vast pink seashell built with infinite pains from thousands of smaller shells, windmills, make-up boxes, jewelry, fans, screens, footballs, monster dice, a pee wee golf course, were a few of the forms the entries took. For the first time in any of these contests, the influence of the talkies began to appear. Small phonographs were submitted, with records that spoke or sang, each record having some bearing on one of the stars represented in the Contest. THE entire display was a remarkable exhibit not only of the art of the motion picture, but of the field of general commerce, industry and science, as well. Sky, sea and land had been scoured to bring into service some novelty or variety of effective presentation of the cut puzzle pictures. A very considerable portion of the entries had no chance at a prize, for, according to the published rules of this, as of all previous Cut Picture Contests, accuracy in assembling and identifying the pictures and neatness in the methods of submitting the entries were of prime importance. A staff experienced in work of this kind made a preliminary examination of every solution submitted, preparatory to arranging and classifying for the later inspection and decision of the judges. This staff was on the lookout for errors. Any picture that was incorrectly assembled or wrongly named automatically barred the entry from further consideration. Many mistakes were discovered in the assembling of the Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Franklin put their heads together and created this novel studio scene, which takes the major prize of the Contest, $1,000