Talking Screen (Sep-Oct 1930)

'ARRY LANGDON, screen comedian, was acquitted on charges of being a love thief, when a Los Angeles court ruled against Thomas J. O'Brien, ex-husband of Langdon's bride of a year. O'Brien had sued to force payment on two notes given him by Langdon in addition to $15,000 cash to halt a threatened $250,000 alienation action. "The judge ruled that O'Brien killed his wife's love before she divprced him. With 300 miniature golf courses already established in Los Angeles and Hollywood, the Fox 'West Coast theatres have set aside $500,000 to establish more of these as close as possible to their theatres. Some of the present individually owned courses are netting as high as $500 a day, and cutting deeply into theatre patronage. The Fox idea is that the golfers will see the show first, then play golf. While Harold Lloyd sat in court defending his own corporation against charges that he had stolen the story from which he filmed The Freshman, MetroGoldwyn Mayer were made defendants in An action alleging they pirated The Florodora Ghi. H. C. Witwer's widow is demanding $1,000,000 from Lloyd. Executors of the estate of Leslie Stuart demanded $350,000 damages for Florodora. And while all this was taking place, Beatrice Lillie, the British star who made one picture for Fox, sued Warner Brothers for $100,000 charging breach of contract for her services, and she's not kidding, either. Few knew that Will Rogers was a collector of antiques, but the news leaked out when he presented an old time Western stage-coach to the United States Museum of Natural History at Washington. Milton Sills, starring, and Nat Pendleton, a featured player, in Fox's production of Sea W-^olf, narrowly escaped with their lives while filming scenes 300 miles out in the Pacific. They had left the schooner in a small boat and were some distance away when a whale came to the surface beneath their craft and upset it, tossing them into the ocean. The Fox Film Corporation will expend $5,000,000 before January 1, 1930, to enlarge Fox Movietone Cirj' at Wcstwood. As soon as the additions are completed the company will vacate its original studio on Western Avenue in the center of Hollywood. The land is now too valuable for studio purposes, and will be converted into hotel, apartment and theatre sites. Vivian Duncan, of the famous Duncan sisters, had Rex Lease, the Tiffany star, arrested on charges of assault and battery following a Sunday night party in the Charlie Farrell Malibu beach home. Lease was released on bail to await trial, which it is said will be held shortly. Vivian alleged that Lease punched her nose and kicked her shins when she refused him a kiss on the route home from Charlie's. She was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries. Hollywood will shed another tear when Nancy Welford begins her starring role in Mickey, which is to be refilmed by the old Triangle Company, long inactive. The character was Mabel Normand's greatest screen success of the silent days. Wallace Beery will play opposite Marie Dressier in Dark Star, which will be produced by M-G-M. Polly Moran went to Mount Clemens, Michigan, for an operation for sinus trouble. When Harold Lloyd, with his wife and Barbara Kent, leading lady, recently arrived in Honolulu to make scenes for Feet First, he was given a rousing welcome by members of the Aloha Lodge of Shriners. Mary Pickford has resumed work on Forever Yours, which was practically completed when she decided to put it on the shelf. Sam Taylor replaced Mickey Neilan as director, but Kenneth McKenna was recalled to play opposite the star. The story has been entirely rewritten. The deadlock between Janet Gaynor and the Fox company continues. The little star has not been on the lot smce February. Rumor has it that Janet and Winnie Sheehan, her boss, ai' trying to outwait one another. She is holding out for Winnie to send for her, and Winnie simply isn't bothermg. The trouble began in a dispute over stories and salary. Lila Lee has been ordered to take a six-months' vacation by her physician after having set a Hollywood record by playing the feminine lead in seventeen talking pictures within a year. Her health broke under the strain. Anders Randolph, noted film cha^'ter actor, is df^d at the atje of fifty-four. Many will -^oum his passing. 4