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for November 1929
77
The talkies bring Jimmy Gleason and Bob Armstrong together again, in a talking comedy called "Oh, Yeah?" Is zat so!
9^EAH? A H
Robert Armstrong Speaks his Mind about Talking Pictures
!
T
"s^HE introduction of talk
ing pictures was just about the nicest thing that could have happened for the stage
actor who liked Hollywood and films but who felt that the technique of silent pictures discounted his ability about 50 percent."
Robert Armstrong made this statement in answer to the query put to him on his opinion of talking pictures. The young actor was working on "Oh, Yeah?" the talking comedy in which he and James Gleason will be teamed together.
"What I mean," continued Armstrong, "is that the stage actor feels that 50 percent of his power lies in his voice. Eliminate that, as was necessary in the old days of picture making, and you will see that the finest actors suffer a tremendous handicap.
"Despite the discrepancies that everyone is howling about, talking pictures — even at their present stage — are very much more interesting than silent films at the peak of their progress. Of course, I feel that Fm just a novice in the new development and really have no authority to announce my views. But who in Hollywood doesn't air himself on this subject!"
By Joseph Howard
Armstrong declared that he very rarely sees a talking picture which does not interest him in some detail, even though the entire production does not appeal to him. He contrasted this reaction to that he felt for silent pictures.
"Either I liked a silent picture or I didn't like it. If I liked it, I kept my eyes open. Otherwise I was likely to fall asleep. Now it's entirely different with talking pictures. I invariably find some little characterisation or some clever innuendo of voice that holds my interest even though the production as a whole does not come up to expectations. I find this feeling general among a lot of people with whom I have discussed the question."
Armstrong said he believed the great danger imperilling talking pictures is their tendency to be too mechanical. The man who controls the sound apparatus is not an artist with his eye on the picture as an artistic whole. He is interested only in seeing that each sound has as nearly perfect recording as is possible.
"I can explain this best by telling of an incident that happened to me during the shooting of 'Big News.' I played the role of a typical newspaper reporter. Now it would have been ridiculous for (Continued on page 102)