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March, ipjO
The National Guide to Motion Pictures
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HEN Ruth Waterbury spent a day in the research lab
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ose
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ong
oratories of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company gathering material for the splendid article that appears in this issue under her name, she returned to the editorial offices of Photoplat, apparently a very sad girl.
"What's the matter, Ruth?" I asked.
"How would you like to have a specialist tell you a good friend of yours had been stricken dumb and would never be able to talk again?" she asked me.
"I wouldn't like it at all," I said. "Who is your friend and who is the specialist?"
"It is John Gilbert," she answered. "I asked those scientific fellows the direct question: 'Is there anything that can possibly be done to adapt John's voice to the talking picture?' and they gave me a very definite 'No.' "
THAT is just one of the weird little tricks of fate the talking pictures have played the Hollywood world. The camera was very kind to Jack. The microphone played him false.
Jack's natural voice is extremely pleasant. To the ear it is well pitched and as fascinating as a Rudy Vallee song. But it just will not reproduce in its natural quality.
NO one yet knows what happened in that week when Chaplin went into a secret session with the microphone and the sound experts in his studio. But his next picture, " City Lights," will be silent. The outstanding figure of the motion picture has probably also been rejected by the sound reproducers.
Chaplin is getting tired, anyhow. It is quite probable that the picture he has had in production for over a year will be his last.
But fifty years from now they will still be running
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Shots
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James R. Quirk
Chaplin pictures, and millions of people still unborn will rock in their seats with laughter and bless the little fellow for the enjoyment he contrived for them away back in the days before the talkies came.
BUT wouldn't it be a good joke on those scientific sound research chaps if, in a few months, they stumbled onto a way to do justice to the voices of Chaplin and Gilbert, just as they stumbled onto a lot of the other developments?
Columbus discovered America while searching for Asia. The talking motion picture of today is the direct result of a search for ways to improve the telephone.
PROFESSOR FRANCIS POWELL, of the Department of Spoken English of Smith College, has a peeve against talking pictures. He says that he and his National Association of Teachers of Speech are sore because the producers do not realize their responsibilities to the public, and demands that they train their actors in good English.
How about Professor Powell taking John Gilbert's job? And I have no doubt that among the lady teachers we could find a good supply of Corinne Griffiths, Clara Bows and Greta Garbos.
Few things annoy my ear more than the vocal affectations of the average professional teaching voice. But then, I never did like school anyhow.
ART ACORD, once a cowboy hero of the screen, says all his friends have deserted him since he fell upon bad times, and lost his job. He was pinched with two pints of liquor in his pockets and told the judge he might not be able to pay the fine and might have to go to the hoosegow.
" When I was making lots of money everybody was my friend. Now I don't seem to have any friends any more," he said.
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