Bright Lights (Warner Bros.) (1930)

WRITTEN BY HUMPHREY PEARSON, AUTHOR OF _ “GOLD DIGGERS OF BROADWAY” AND OTHERS aaa SSA SS CII S < é ‘a : ws ON N WS Bee: Gh = we OS N \ MBS g N N 8 2 Sree A OWN “ i" N N HE dances her way from the low dives of Africa to the highest of New York’s social set. But in her mad flight for fame, she forgets about love! with DoroTHy MACKAILL FRANK Fay NoaH BEERY / a y i \ d John J. ‘a FY Uy . WN writers and composers, TECHNICOLOR NOT NEW TO THIS CAST | of pictures, horizontal angles were (Current Reader—Silent) Practically all the company of “Bright Lights,” First National's the screen life of leading players.” all-color exciting drama at the .... Theatre, had won their technicolor stripes of experience before ee aeeoe working in this picture. Dorothy Mackaill and Frank McHugh were the only prominent persons in the group who had not| qganceg and sings for the first time| musical melodrama at the worked with the hued cameras before. The picture was the third color venture for Fay, Noah Beery, It was the second for Daphne Pollard, Inez and Eddie Nugent of the cast. It was also the second for Humphrey and Director Michael Curtiz. James Murray, Tom Dugan, Courtney, Edmund Breese, Pearson, the author. ; It was the fourth _photographe by Lee Garmes and Charles Schoen baum, the cameramen. Technicolor n is a comparatively new screen ve ture, not being used to any exten until last year. “Bright Lights” hula dancer, portrayed by Mackaill. is a story of “Bright Lights” . Sets New Film Er the film producers | Other players, Whenever make a real “original,” written e Miss ture.’ LONGER “SCREEN LIFE” FOR STARS SINCE ADVENT OF COLOR Director of “Bright Lights”—AlIl Color Film—Makes Unusual Claim (Feature) S pitiongh they increase greatly the difficulty of work4s poe eons, color pictures will prove a boon to film ee y g otuemng many years, their so-called “screen s nee ing to Michael Curtiz, First National director. Sa a ent lighting and better registering of colors has SS the bug-a-boo of shadows from the faces of He a was these dark spaces appearing on the negative hat gave the appearance of age, Curtiz explained. Sometime they really were present on the@——H-—__——_+>_______ player, but more often than not the actor or actress was unjustly treated Boe Ohl it tartan ase y the illusive ca : 11. | er oe: Pe ioe ie ae ee will make this shot seem sufficiently cee hiddon Sactis sae eee whereas before it would have ; | , eft i i Curl, who reenty completed dt |yct yr eit heaea a nk n of “Bright Lights,’ First F F ‘ National’s all-technicolor and Vitaras es sot ou phone musical melodrama, coming] yo pictorial 5 Sei paar ae cat to the “Color makes objects obvious to the eye, instead of dim and elusive.” In “Bright Lights” technicolor is said by the engineers to have reached its highest development. It was the third color picture to be directed by Michael Curtiz, and most of the cast and technical crew had already won their color stripes in previous productions. The red-headed Frank Fay of “The Show of Shows” and “Under a Texas Moon” is co-featured with Miss Mackaill. A long and brilliant cast plays the diversified characters demanded by this unusual story. It includes Noah Berry, Daphne Pollard, James Murray, Tom Dugan, Theatre. “Lines caused by shadows were always a source of worry to a cameraman. Even child players sometimes had them. That trouble is over. Now it is how to get enough character into the faces of players with the youthful appearance given them by technicolor cameras. and technicolor make-up. “Many leading players had to give up the screen or go in for character parts because these shadows could not ‘be blotted out in the black and white days. But now that so many coler pictures are being made these players can go on_ indefinitely. Boe 68. gt gO RO 6S eo Where before a star’s screen life averaged about five years, it can now be increased to ten, unless other matters enter into the count. But their screen appearance can be year period. Color make-up and the added lighting needed in color pictures prevent shadows almost entirely. : : “Sometimes we must shadows on to get the effect of cer Inez Courtney, Frank McHugh, Edmund Breese, Eddie Nugent, and Philip Strange. “Bright Lights” is an original for avnuuc UT un W shows Miss Mackaill as Louanne, a hula dancer, in the various steps of her career during her rise from a low class African cafe to stardom on ‘paint’ Broadway. Some of the largest stage settings ever witnessed will tain character types. We also get be seen. There are many popular character by shooting up or down song hits, including “Y’'m Crazy for on ‘a player’s face instead of in a | Cannibal Love” and “Every Little horizontal line. In the early days Girl He Sees.” STAGE SOUSE the only ones used. “The added opportunity to portray a romantic character through dialogue has aided color in doubling Soe ee Eee (Current Reader—Vitaphone) “Bright Lights” is the most ambi appeared in for First National Studios. It is an unusual drama of ‘backstage life with the actress appearing as a famed hula dancer. is her initial hued picture and she | playin ble breaking into talkies. vacation in talkies. “Color has unquestionably brought greater naturalness into pictures,” : continued Curtiz. “The fact that National. we can now shoot a scene from almost any angle and make it interesting is one proof of this. Colors give a scene ‘life.’ “Black and White photography q|needed action or the appeal of beauty to get over because such scenes were after all only ‘pictures’ of things instead of the things them;| selves. Color has also brought the effect of depth and makes an aua | dience forget it is looking at a ‘picIt brings the appearance of real life.” Lee Garmes, cameraman on many 2 of Miss Mackaill’s pictures, who was Mackaill and Frank Fay. chief photographer on “Bright a Lights,” has found many new angles | African Water on the blonde actress, and on the by taking advantage x-|of this real life appearance. Unusual lighting effects were created. drunken reporter in “Show Girl.” friend, Robert Montgomery, test by Michael Curtiz. Curtiz directed. term contract. to the screen by Humphrey Pearson, | rth the Show.” It] PICKED FOR FILM Frank McHugh was one of the tious vehicle Dorothy Mackaill has|few stage actors who had no trouOn a in Hollywood, McHugh It | within. a week after arriving was g in “Bright Lights,” all-color Theatre, and had affixed his name to a long term contract with First The actor recently portrayed a Ziegfeld’ Visiting his actor McHugh was asked to take a screen He was immediately cast as a drunken reporter in “Bright Lights,” ‘which Later when his acting. was noted in the “rushes,” McHugh was placed under long The second half of his round trip ticket was returned to the railroad. “Bright Lights” features Dorothy Front Realistic One of the most picturesque Drama With Music sic “KNEE INSPECTOR” IS NEW MOVIE TRADE “Bright Lights,” current all-Technicolor picture at the ............ Theatre, brings together in one story the most sensational ele(Advance Reader) ments of story telling. Love, adOne of the trickiest masculine ocventure, underworld, man to manj|cupations in the world belongs to battles, newspapers and the stage| Otto Lederer, wh i i were woven together by Humphrey aes hie Pearson, aushur of the stot, “Dorspecialist for movie chorus girls. He othy Mackaill and Frank Fay are|8@Ve up playing character roles to featured in this First National mu-|assume this task—but who wouldsical film. n’t? : Lederer was employed by First National Studio to make up bare BROADWAY DIRECTOR CO-PRODUCER knees oe the 200 chorines who played in “Bright Lights,’’ Dorothy Robert North, formerly a director MachaHTs neue teas melodrama of big Broadway musical shows,| filmed all in technicolor which acted as co-producer on the filming | opens ........ at fer ia Sars The of “Bright Lights,” First National’s | atre. Hea Ps at Suregrtage and |sprayed with non-poisonous paint Thssiss aes Thasnon e ae by means of an air brush, but their : ee phone production | knees needed special re-touching to as some of the most spectacular |remove shadows caused by “hard” stage sequences ever filmed. Dorlights af sf othy Mackaill and Frank Fay are tadovar who was well know otis and Michael Curtiz di-|a4 character actor, and is Soe es cted. make-up man, has the pleasant job of inspecting the pulchritudinous leg joints every time there’is a cos FILM STAR DANCED ; ; ume rehearsal ee 0 | i FROM CHILDHOOD business to pate "ieur ebods oe a attractive to the cameras as they Doroty Mackaill learned how to] appear to the eye. dance when a child in Hull, Eng-| “Bright Lights” is Miss Macland, by participating in produc| kaill’s initial musical film, and the tions given-to entertain soldiers on | blonde star sings, and dances the leave from the war. The blonde hula. Frank Fay appears opposite star is now portraying her first|her. In the cast are Noah Beery, screen sing and dancing role in|Daphne Pollard, James Murray, First National’s “Bright Lights,” |Tom Dugan, Inez Courtney, Frank all-Technicolor and Vitaphone mu-|McHugh, Edmund Breese, and Edsical melodrama at the die Nugent. Theatre. Michael Curtiz directed. ASTBAUM Bodies of the dancers were cece sees < \\ pes oN a! s Story b. + Humphrey Prson with Dorothy MACKAILL FRANK FAY NOAH BEER Y Eddie Nugent pe Inez Cour tney See Dorothy Mackaill dancing a hula for the denizens Directed by Michae! -Curtiz pressly for the screen, it seems ce a ae : “click.” That is the case with “Miss ackal as no ‘bad|groups of extras ever used are “Bright Lights,” now showing at angles,” said Garmes. “We can|seen in the scenes representing a Daphne Pollard Ce P the see Theatre. First|photograph her from any part of| South African water front dive in Tom Du of the tropics. See her as the the set and she registers cliearly|“Bright Lights,” First National's gan pet of New York’s smart set. National had Humphrey Pearson write it, and the young play wrigh turned in such a fine script for Dorothy Mackaill, Frank Fay, Noah | a close Beery and others in the all-star cast that the studio made a lavis highly dramatic and pictorial color “special” of it. Page Ten musical melodrama at the Theatre. They appear t|and without blurring of features. In black and white we rarely took h, | her, face. It was either front, quar ter turn, or profile. all“Now we shoot from the back, | duction. @ -up of her from the pack| the flotsam and jetsam from. the and showing only a small part of| four corners of the world. Dorothy Mackaill and Frank Fay are featured in the all-Technicolor pro See what happens when the man she teased in the tropics comes to claim his gal on Broadway. oi James Murray Jean Barry Cut No. §. 40¢, Mat 10c. ry