Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1927 - Feb 1928)

Hollywood High Lights 67 with the recent musical version of the famous German play. We understand it was the musical version that M.-G.-M. bought — so it's all the same in the long run. Jannings Starts Style. Emil Jannings is setting quite a precedent for actors since "The Way of All Flesh" showed in Los Angeles. We hear much these davs about the "Jannings quality," and it seems to mean that the player who possesses it can wring tears readily from the eyes of his audience. We hear it predicted that James Murray, in "The Crowd," has this quality, so be sure to take an extra handkerchief when 3-ou go to see him. Films inducing .\\eepiness are in very high esteem since "Seventh Heaven," and every producer is in quest of a girl with pathetic eyes like Janet Gaynor's. Hollywood Comfort. Gilda Gray probably won't be responsible for any deep shafts of poignancy on the screen, but the plans, for the furthering of her career are none the less elaborate. Samuel Goldwj-n is to present her in "The Devil Dancer," which will be laid in the unusual locale of Thibet. Gilda's arrival was much press agented. She hardly had arrived in town before a luncheon was given the newspaper folk, and she was made mayoress of Castellamare, the new seaside colony, where many film stars are building their summer homes. Gilda, who is a great friend of Will Rogers, brightly remarked that the next thing for her to do after becoming a mayor, was to have an operation performed. Gilda has a clever mind, and she is very keen for her picture venture. It enables her to enjoy a vacation of a sort, for the first time in several years. When she starred in her other films in the East she was often required to do a great deal of night work. In California she will at least have a chance to take a morning dip in the ocean, and spend some of her evenings with her many friends in Hollywood. Her husband, Gil Boag, leased a veritable palace for her prior to her arrival, at a cost of several thousand dollars a month, and here she is ensconced with a small arm}" of servants, an expensive foreign car, plus a domestic one for ordinary duty, not to speak of various other appurtenances of a commodious life in studio land. Foreign Progress. The last time we saw Lya de Putti she looked very pensive, and we suspect that she is not altogether happy over her progress in this country. Lya has rare determination and she told us that she is going to fight her way to the front and will never go back to Europe until she has triumphed, and done the sort of pictures she reallv wants to do. Richard Dix is ivilling to sacrifice for his art, but it is a little bit too much to expect him to read Chinese — even for publicity purposes — just because his latest picture happens to b e "Shanghai Bound. " Conrad Veidt has at last just about completed his first picture for Universal, called "A Man's Past," and will follow this with "The Man Who Laughs." "A Man's Past" is based on a Hungarian stage drama, called "Diploma," and tells of a doctor who is sent to prison for giving a man suffering with a fatal disease, an overdose of drugs. This is merely the premise on which the plot is based, the picture 'itself portraying his experiences after his escape from jail. The story embraces some unusually powerful situations, which should mean much for Veidt's first and much-delayed appearance under his present contract. "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari," in which Veidt made his debut in this country, is having a revival at the present time. Miss de la Fonte Weds. Renee de la Fonte is the real name of Renee Adoree, in case you don't happen to have heard it before. This was brought out when she secured a license" to wed William" Sherman Gill, a Los Angeles business man, with a genial Scotch-Irish countenance. Miss Adoree and Mr. Gill chose as the setting for their marriage the austere simplicity of the courthouse. Thomas Meighan was one of the witnesses, and somebody facetiously remarked that this was the first time in 3-ears that Aleighan was an extra instead of a star in any public performance. Renee's previous matrimonial adventure was as the wife of Tom Moore. The final divorce decree became effective about a year and a half ago. Other recent weddings were those of Jane Winton to Charles Ken3"on, erstwhile playwright and now scenarist; Lloyd Hamilton and Irene Dalton, both in comedies ; and Lee Moran and Miss Bernice Beatrice Sibeck. Miss Winton and i\Ir. Kenyon have been devoted to each other for several years, and although twentyfour years separates their ages, according to the license, their union gives promise of being an exceedingly happy one.