Dames (Warner Bros.) (1934)

Mary Pickford Gave ZaSu First Role ZaSu Pitts, the famous comedienne, at present appearing in the Warner Bros. big musical, miames, At the 5... 5... Theatre, was given her first screen chance by Mary Pickford. She had a small role with Mary in “The Little Princess.” Build Complete Village kor Film in Three Days Production Items e Star Bits e Mechanical Oddities As suggested in The Film Daily’s poll of motion picture editors Even Icicles And Fields Of Snow Are Added For Spectacular Scene In “Dames” By BOB HUSSEY 6@f WANT a village built here.’’ On one of the vast sound stages at Warner Bros. Studios, Busby Berkeley, creator and director of the famous ensembles in ‘‘Wonder Bar’’ and other musical successes, stood with a group of technical workers gathered about him. “T want a village built here,” he repeated in terse, concise fashion. “Four or five modest little homes. It is winter. There’s lots of snow. There’s an orchard back of the main house. In the background we can see miles and miles of snow covered fields. It’s rolling landscape. I'll need it—let me see—I’ll need it on Thursday.” He stopped talking and stood in thought. Real Snow Falls In Film At Command of Director New Machine Manufacturers It On Set For Gigantic Musical “Dames” ie ee the snow falling !’’ The order was heard frequently at the Warner Bros. studio when Busb musical scene in ‘‘Dames,’’ whi Theatre on y Berkeley was directing a ch comes to the For all that is needed in Hollywood to bring about snowfall is the director’s command and a snow machine. Hold That Pose! Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell, leading lights of Warner Bros.’ newest musical, “Dames.” Mat No. 8—10ce The machine used in “Dames” is distinctive in that it actually manufactures snow, real snow. The machine is a gigantie ice shaver which scrapes a block of ice into fine erystals and automatically throws these in front of a wind machine. Naturally, it’s impossible to use nothing but this real snow on a winter set, for a hundred such machines couldn’t keep one sound stage snowbound under the tremendous heat generated by the huge lights used on a motion picture set. Salt, powdered gypsum and bleached cornflakes still served for snow banks and roof drifts. The great objection to this artificial snow in the movies is that it doesn’t melt. It looks like snow, but it doesn’t act like snow, and even the snow has to act in the movies. The false snow blown against a player’s face doesn’t turn to water as does real snow. The sequence in which the real snow was used revolves about Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, who sing “When You Were a Smile On Your Mother’s Lips.” “Dames” is a mammoth musical comedy spectacle with a glamorous romance based on the story by Robert Lord and Delmer Daves, and adapted for the screen by Daves. There is an all star cast which includes besides Powell and Miss Keeler, Joan Blondell, ZaSu Pitts, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert, Arthur Vinton, Phil Regan and Leila Bennett. The special numbers were created and directed by Busby Berkeley with music and lyrics by the three famous teams of Warren and Dubin, Fain and Kahal, and Dixon and Wrubel. Ray Enright directed. “But Busby, this is Monday.” said one of the technical workers with thought of the immense work involved. “Yes, Monday,” mused Berkeley. “Thursday will be time enough.” He walked slowly away. Early Thursday morning Berkeley entered the sound stage. It was alive with activity. On it were assembled the crews of workers, property men, musicians, electricians, cameramen, script clerks. Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler were in readiness. The village was built, exactly as Berkeley had ordered it. The rehearsals started. Lights were lit. Cameras began turning and “Dames,” Warner Bros. latest musical spectacle which comes WOU NO piers asnt tina Theatre on Fn ere » was underway. The musical sequence in “Dames” which revolves about the song, “When You Were a Smile on Your Mother’s Lips” was being filmed. A record of studio speed, efficiency, ingenuity, had been established. Finished plans were sent to Berkeley and he made minor changes, improvements, suggestions. Details of Construction The art department, working with the painters, went to work on the set the same moment that the construction crew moved in. The huge backdrop was painted and pulled high into place. Meanwhile the earpenters were erecting the houses with speed and alacrity. High overhead on the narrow catwalks were the electrical workers installing the huge lights. Beside them were men of te wind machines, checking them. It was Wednesday noon when the painters moved in and started painting the rooms in the four houses of the village and as they worked furiously to finish before the deadline, electricians were putting the wires and fixtures in the houses and making the necessary connections to the studio conduits. Paperhangers stroked paste brushes and went about their task while huge loads of artificial snow, composed of bleached cornflakes, ground gypsum and salt were brought on the scene. Late Wednesday afternoon the “seasoning” started. Hollywood “seasoning” is the process by which a movie set is treated to make it represent some particular season of the year. As workers went about coating window panes with studio ice and icicles were installed on eaves of roofs on which heavy snowdrifts had been added, the property men were busily engaged within the houses. There were pictures to hang, rugs to put down, furniture to install. All the equipment that goes to make a house a home were being put in place. Table linens and bed linens were brought in. The men were working furiously against time. As snow covered the landscape and evening came on, more work lights were lit on the stage and new crejs of studio workers made an appearance. A Village Created The electricians, looking with approval on the completed set, stretched out the power lines for the actual filming of the picture. The camera crew had camera stands placed in proper positions, parallel platforms were hauled in, last-minute lighting overhead checked. A camera equipment was put in place. It was late Wednesday evening when the last workers walked off the set and the huge sound stage doors were swung closed, lights extinguished. Bright and early Thursday morning when Berkeley walked on the set, he had his village exactly what he ordered! “Dames,” the mammoth musical spectacle carries an all star cast headed by Joan Blondell and includes besides Miss Keeler and Powell, ZaSu Pitts, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Phil Regan, in addition to three hun the technical department installing the snow machines and the testing them, Stars in “Dames” % H Clean-cut, sweet-singing Dick Powell of “Dames,” Warner Bros.” successor to “42nd St.,”’ coming to the Strand. Mat No. 13—10c dred beautiful chorus girls. The picture is based on the hilarious comedy romance by Robert Lord and Delmer Daves and adapted to the screen by Daves. Berkeley created and directed the specialty numbers, eatchy music and lyrics for which were written by the three noted teams of songsters, Warren and Dubin, Fain and Kahal, and Dixon and Wrubel. Ray Enright directed. Here are (oh, you count the chorus girls), trained to perfection by Busby Berkeley, famed dance maestto, and appearing in Warner Bros.’ latest musical, “Dames, ‘ Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler are a few of the leading lights in the cast. 39 coming to the Strand. Dick Powell, The five song hits and dance spectacles which are featured, elicited the following tribute from Walter Winchell; “Orchids to the most impressive choral maneuvers yet.” Mat No. 29—30ec Page Seven