Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1925 - Feb 1926)

Hollywood High Lights 73 of the richest and loveliest in the colony. She purchased the place from Priscilla Dean last year. One of its most attractive outdoor features is an extra-spacious swimming' pool. Here Pola may be seen every morning and at sunset doing her latest fancy diving, Australian strokes, and other aquatic graces which fast are making her one of the best swimmers in Hollywood. Rudy will Comedy. Even Valentino has succumbed to the goddess Thalia. Which means, of course, that he plans to venture into comedv. His new picture, temporarily named "The Black Eagle," has been so devised, according to all advance reports, that it will give him an opportunity to be unexpectedly humorous. Rudy's troubles seem never to abate, and he had the utmost difficulty getting just the right story for his new picture. Three different scenario writers worked on the script, and the final draft was made by Hans Kraely, who has long done the Lubitsch scenarios. Something quite spicy for Rudy may therefore be anticipated. Harold's Problem. Harold Lloyd, long immune to such folly, is now considering making an adaptation of a book or a stage play as one of his forthcoming features. Comedies of the Lloyd type are about the only sort of films that have not been dependent thus far on such outside inspiration. The success of ''Charley's Aunt" has a good deal to do probably with altering the general viewpoint. In Lloyd's case it is also due to the very perplexing problem incident to procuring comedy ideas. Several of Harold's pictures have been repetitions of others that have gone before, and he doesn't want to run into any similar snags in the future. We still hope, though, that he may win out in keeping up his splendid tradition of making movies that are really movies. Mildred Davis has meanwhile been very busy making tests for "Alice in Wonderland," and it is almost certain now that she will be seen in this potentially marvelous fantastic production. W e have long wanted to see such a story done in pictures. If effectively produced, it should cause the magical side of screen technique to advance far beyond its present confines. What is more, there is a lot of good comedv in the Lewis Carroll classic. The Newest Plutocrats. "Pity the poor gag man !" as a stock slogan around the studios has been rendered null, void, and obsolete by the developments in pictures this season. The reason is that the chap who has a set of comedy tricks up his sleeve is enjoying his heyday of glory, and is on the way to becoming the newest plutocrat of Hollywood. A gag man used to be paid about $100 to $125 a week for thinking up new ways to toss custard pies about in short-reel comedies. His services were considered on a par with those of any other small-time technical assistant. He enjoyed absolutely no recognition at all in any of the bigger studios. With the recent advance of comedies into the feature class, his prestige gained appreciably. Harold Lloyd and a few other of the major comedians gave him an increasing prominence both in the matter of financial remuneration and screen credit as well. Now the very largest studios consider his services an asset if not an actual necessity. The reason is the demand for laughs "in all types of productions during the current season. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer keeps one man consistently employed in this capacity. He works with the scenarists, and also frequently goes out on the sets with the directors. When a situation seems to lag for want of humor, he has to get busy and provide the necessary "bit of business" to liven up the action. Hardly any script is considered perfect until it has had his inspection for its comedy values. Famous Players also has two gag men working on the Raymond Griffith features. They do not actually refer to them by this term, but their official business is to help in building up every scene for its full share of amusing ness. Colleen Moore, too, ha;s a regular gag man, who has worked with her on features like "Sally" and "We Moderns." Most interesting of all perhaps, is to record that their salaries have advanced in some instances two, three, and even four hundred per cent. The cause of this, outside of their increased importance, is that there are only a comparatively few who have really evolved the "gag" game into a fine art, or what corresponds to that in the movies. Doug and John Barrymore get together for a visit in Hollywood. Who But Barrymore? We cannot imagine anything more exciting" than the news that John Barrymore is to appear in a screen version of the Lord Byron poem, "Don Juan." This will mean romance wtih a capital R for John, and as the don was a very versatile chap in his flirtations, and demanded a great deal of feminine variety, the film will have a regular ensemble of heroines. Which should make more hearts beat happily than usual even in Hollywood. Maybe, little Priscilla Bonner will have her chance to be one of the "Don Juan" ladies. It is to be hoped she will, because she had the misfortune to miss out on the feminine lead in "The Sea Beasts," Barrymore's first picture. The reason assigned by the studio was that the story had been changed, and that a different type was needed. Dolores Costello, the daughter of Maurice Costello, who recently signed with the company, was given the role, instead. Miss Bonner was deeply hurt, and even brought suit against the organization, demanding of them an explanation that would remove any prejudice against her talent. Mr. Barrymore very greatly regretted the effect of the change on her, because he not only sent her a very sympathetic letter, but also his personal check for $1,000. It seems that he felt personally responsible because he had originally asked for her assignment to the part, having seen her excellent work in "Drusilla with a Million," and one or two other recent productions, in which she appeared to advantage.