Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

31 vacups Fanny the Fan tells of the influx of new favorites and . film revivals, of Hollywood's biggest party, and a blow to studio visitors. it 'Male and Female.' Now it is to be called 'Conquest,' and Richard Dix and Florence Vidor are going to play the leading roles. "But going back to Dorothy Mackaill, there"s an auld-lang-syne touch about this production that shouldn't be overlooked. Rod La Rocque is her leading man, and while that may mean nothing to you, it brings back a lot of memories to them. Dorothy and Rod knew each other years ago. She was a chorus girl — in 'Good Morning, Judge,' I think it was — and she had been forbidden to work in pictures, because the company manager didn't like his chorines showing up at the theater all tired out from a day's work.' Nevertheless, Dorothy went right on working in pictures. Just try to keep her from doing anything she wants to. One day they worked way down on Long Island, and didn't get through until late, and Dorothy was panicky for fear she couldn't get to the theater on time. Rod noticed how worried she was and grandly summoned a taxi. Taxi fare in those days was more of an extravagance for him than the upkeep of a fleet of RollsRoyces is now, but Rod was never one for penny pinching when a friend was in need. He rushed her over to the theater — even stopped to blow her to a hot dog on the way — and got her there in plenty of time. Dorothy will always be grateful to him. "Of course, it may not have been worth the sacrifice of all his spare cash to save Dorothy's job for her, because she left the show a few days later, anyway. She was making good in pictures, and wanted to devote all her time to them. .Incidentally, when she left the show, her place was taken by Josephine Dunn, who is also in pictures now and doing very well. She has Photo by Hommel To Evelyn Brent falls the honor of playing the lead in Somerset Maugham's "The Letter." just finished 'The Singing Fool,' with Al Jolson, and 'Excess Baggage,' with William Haines. She is to play opposite Tim McCoy next." It seemed to me something of a record that Fanny could talk that long without once mentioning sound pictures. I was just wondering how to keep her off the subject — it is such a relief to hear some one talk about something else — when she launched forth excitedly. "Have you heard that Harold Lloyd is having the theater in his house wired for sound pictures? He's the very first to do it. It must have taken a lot of influence, because the electric companies that are wiring theaters have orders so far ahead that they can't promise installations in less than two years." One feature of sound pictures that hasn't apparently occurred to any one, including Fanny, is that they have brought about a millennium in their own little way. At last directors are making pictures for the few, instead of for the many. But don't be too encouraged, it doesn't mean that they have gone artistic. It merely means that they are concentrating on making pictures for the thousand theaters that will be wired by next January, instead of the sixteen thousand that will still be silent-screened. Of course, there will be silent versions of the same pictures for the old-fashioned houses, but calling these pictures hybrids is flattery of the highest order. AU the enthusiasm and experimenting goes into developing the new medium. "What I mind most about the sound pictures," Fanny rambled on, "is the epidemic of feeble jokes that they have Laura La inspired. Of course, it was inevitable that the Plante is deep taikies would be called the 'squawkies,' particularly t i o'ns6 P Yo r ^ Vitaphone process is the only one you have "Show Boat." heard. Then there is the one about the supervisor