Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1930)

120 Photoplay Magazine for April, 1930 haps Mr. Hughes is responsible because he and his forty planes and all the entourage were there for over four months. Mr. Hughes spent his mornings searching the horizon for clouds which were frequently absent, and his afternoons paying the expenses of his aerial army, which were plenty. En route to Oakland the second casualty occurred. Clement Phillips, a pilot who had flown in many hazardous scenes, crashed and was killed on a forced landing. His Hat Always Spotless EVERY WOMAN admires a well-dressed man. The hat of the well-dressed man is always spotless. No trouble at all to keep hats clean with Energine — takes but a minute or two. First, brush hat to remove loose dirt. Next, remove all spots with a clean cloth moistened with Energine. Then, lightly wipe entire surface of hat with an Energine-moistened cloth. Energine dries instantly — leaves no odor. ^t au You soon become an expert Druggists in removing spots with Energine by following the simple directions on every label. Energine cleans a world of1 things. And a little goes a long way. Large can 35c. Give Energine a trial — and, like millions of others, you'll never be without it. World's Largest LEAVES NO ODOR ENERGINE THE PERFECT CLEANING FLUID Why Look Old? My new book "Beauty and Health" tells you how to erase wrinkles, crows feet, drooping muscles, heavy chins, coarsened skin and restore the bloom of youth to your own face at home — simply and cheaply. It explains methods used by thousands of women who refuse to grow old. The book is FREE! Write for your copy today. Clara Stanton," 316P 14th St., Denver, Colo. FINALLY the proper sort of clouds appeared and the 40 planes climbed into them and staged a thrilling "dog-fight" that is said to be worth every dollar the trip cost. If that is true, as I am reliably informed it is, it must be a great dog-fight. The trip cost scores of thousands of dollars. Another digression, if you don't mind. Luring all this time "Hell's Angels" was not Mr. Hughes' only activity. He found time to buy Thomas Meighan's contract from Paramount at a very tidy figure and make two pictures with this star, one of which, "The Racket," was excellent. It is said he was also realizing a handsome profit from renting out the services of Louis Wolheim and Lewis Milestone, both of whom he held under contract — a profit that was probably offset by a loss of more than $75,000 which he paid Raymond Griffith whom he had placed under contract and then found he couldn't use. .After the Oakland delay the company came home to really finish the picture. The last important thing to be done was crash the bomber. This spectacular scene entailed spinning the huge plane down several thousand feet and then pulling it out, the actual crash to be made by other means. Here Mr. Hughes struck another snag. Captain Turner, who had flown the thing under the most hazardous conditions, begged to be excused. He not only begged, he insisted. The bomber, he said, might be spun, but not with his body aboard. He was convinced that if it was ever put into a tail spin it would never come out until it crashed. A lot of other fliers agreed. Mr. Hughes was undaunted. He wanted the bomber to spin, therefore it was going to spin. "Daredevil Al" Wilson, who had done much spectacular flying in "Hell's Angels," volunteered for the job— for a cash bonus. When he left the ground with a mechanic named Phil Jones inside the fuselage where he was to work smoke pots that would give the effect of a falling burning plane, Mr. Hughes had no idea his thirst for realism would be so thoroughly assuaged. Wilson climbed to 5,000 feet, kicked the bomber into a spin and promptly bailed out with his parachute. Jones, inside the body of the craft and apparently unaware that Wilson was no longer at the controls, stayed until it was too late and was instantly killed in the crash. Refuse Substitutes Sold al all Drug Stores Used the world over for generations E. S.WELLS. Chemist JERSEY CITY N.J. j XH Are You Always Excited? Fatigued? Worried ^S Gloomy? Pessimistic? Constipation, indigestion, cold ^^ ^^ sweats diny spells and baslirutness are caused by NERVE EXHAUSTION. Orups. tomes and . medteinea cannot ^lp weak tick narvcet Learn how to regain Vigor. Calmness and belt Confidence. Send 25c lor this amazing book. RICHARD BLACHSTONE. N-224 FLATIRON BUILDING , N. Y. C. OFFICIAL investigations followed. Wilson was officially absolved from blame, but the Department of Commerce revoked his pilot's license for a period and the Professional Pilot's Association, of which he was a member, requested his resignation, which show's how they felt about it. Anyway, Mr. Hughes got his spin and his crash and it's a good one. Wilson figured in another sensational accident while working in the picture. He was flying a German Fokker which was not, as subsequent events proved, mechanically in the pink. Just above a heavy blanket of fog that covered Hollywood, the propeller decided to part company with the engine, and did. Whereupon Wilson parted company with the plane, taking his parachute with him. The Fokker landed in the back yards of the Hollywood Boulevard homes of Frank Spearman, the author, and Joseph Schenck, the producer, ruining a great deal of shrubbery. Wilson landed on a house roof three blocks away, fell off and injured his arm. Which proves a roof is no place for an aviator. "Hell's Angels" may or may not have been responsible for the death of Burton Skeene, an expert cameraman who photographed many of the aerial scenes. Skeene, it is said, suffered from a bad heart and high blood pressure. A tempting salary kept him on the job while friends were advising him to quit, and a severe stroke finished him. There were several intentional crashes. With the bomber crashed, the picture was finished, except for some minor details. That was in March, 1929. Mr. Hughes had only spent somewhere around $3,000,000 in his year and a half on the job. "Hell's Angels" was cut, edited and previewed in a suburban theater. Lo and behold, something was radically wroni! It was silent. None of the actors uttered a syllable. WITH talkies the rage, Mr. Hughes decided that little shortcoming must be rectified. He would throw away the entire original dramatic sequences, made at a cos of nearly $400,000, and do it all over with sound. Dialogue was required. Mr. Hughes engaged Joseph March, authorof "The WildParty,"forthat job. Someone wrote a new continuity. James Hall, Ben Lyon and other members of the original cast were reassembled, at considerably higher salaries. A new and unknown leading lady, Jean Harlow, was engaged. James Whale, who staged "Journey's End," the London and New York stage success, was imported to stage the talking version. A word about Jean. One day Ben Lyon brought a girl friend to the lot, and got her a test. She was from Chicago, her name was Jean Harlow, and she was just nineteen. She clicked at once. As Harry Lang says, she was "lusciously sexquisite and utterly inexperienced in pictures." It was this untried girl that Hughes entrusted with the leading feminine role in his mad, wonderful adventure. And there you are. The picture is now finished. Oh yes, there are a few details yet to be done. And, of course, Mr. Hughes might decide to do the whole thing over with the new wide-focus film that is combing into vogue — or in German, Norwegian or Esperanto. But that seems doubtful. Hard as it may be to believe, "Hell's Angels" is, barring unforeseen eventualities, just about "in the can," which is Hollywood for completed. Whether or not it is the greatest epic of the air will be decided by the public when the picture is released. Advance reports differ. Unquestionably it has some magnificent moments. Those who have seen it say the aerial scenes are simply overwhelming in their sweep, their magnitude and their spectacular daring. They say these portions of "Hell's Angels" are undoubtedly the finest ever filmed. Almost no one has yet seen the new talking dramatic story. The old one was not supposed to be so hot. Certainly everyone will want to see "Hell's Angels," if for no other reason than to find out what four million dollars' worth of motion picture looks like. THAT young Mr. Hughes will ever get his money back is virtually impossible. All of which I daresay is worrying me a great deal more than it is Mr. Hughes, who is probably entirely pleased with the whole affair. Look at all the fun he has had, all the talk he has stirred up, all the joy he has brought to the hearts of thousands of good, and a few bad. citizens of Hollywood. After all, when a man spends four million dollars an awful lot of people are bound to cut in on it. Among other things, Mr. Hughes has the picture business guessing. No one who knows him will venture to say whether he is an exceedingly smart young man or the exact opposite. As a matter of fact, he is probably both. At least he can't be accused of being afraid to take a chance. Anyone who will venture four million dollars of his own money in just one motion picture is no coward. Every advertisement in PHOTOPLAY MAGAZLXE is .maranteed.