Talking Screen (Sep-Oct 1930)

Here we have Enrique Yovar Arvalos, who wags a professional finger at Renee Torres, entreating her to do her best, and then some. Carl Sibbert is another of the leading teachers in Hollywood's voice crusade. Raymond Griffith is one of his pupils. Dr. Mario P. Marafioti, M-G-M's voice specialist, gives some extra special advice to Grace Moore about keeping herself in tune. ropolitan Opera Company. Dr. Marafioti began his career as a physician and surgeon specializing in throat disorders. Caruso became acquainted with him through his professional activities, going to him first as a physician. So great were the results of Dr. Marafioti's treatments that Caruso introduced his fellow singers to. him and finally the Metropolitan Opera Company engaged his services as supervisor of the training of the throats, vocal chords and voices of the opera stars. |R. MARAFIOTI is giving instmaions to several of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer players in singing as well as in general voice placement for the talkies. Among his pupils are Marion Davies, John Gilbert, John Mack Brown, Leila Hyams, Dorothy Jordan, Bessie Love, Robert Montgomery, ^ Anita Page and Grace Moore, whom he instructed during her Metropolitan career. If yeu should ever happen to see Olive Borden racing along the sands at the Pacific oceanside, don't think she's in training for a marathon. It isn't that. She's merely helping her voice along! Such sprints not only strengthen her body but her voice as well, says her teacher, who further insists that a good gasp of salt air keeps the vocal chords and muscles in good working condition. When Olive was first instructed to take voice culture she did not dream that she" was to experience the many things she did. She had always understood that when one went to a teacher of voice all that would be required would be to stand beside a piano and talk and sing to her heart's content. In this, however, she was to have a rude awakening. No sooner was she ushered into the presence of her "instructor. Otto Morando, than she was told, politely but firmly, to go and put her face into the corner of the room and repeat sounds that were made to her. This she did, and continued to do so for a full half hour, before she was allowed to turn around. "I felt hke a bad little school girl who was being punished," explained Olive afterward. THIS was not all. No sooner did Miss Borden regain her composure than the instructor pointed to a large overstuffed chair across the room and told her to climb onto it backward and bury her face deep into the thick cushion and rep' u various words after him. "Imagine my embarrass ment!" exclaimed Olive. This position she was forced to keep for twenty minutes. When she finally emerged she looked as though she had been playing football ! "You may call it a lesson in voice culture if you like," remarked Olive, "but I would call it an afternoon of calisthenics. Even so, I'm actually beginning to like my voice lessons and there is no denying it — Mr. Morando has a way of making your voice behave in its very best manner!" MORANDO also teaches Lupe Velez and Bebe Daniels. And Joan Crawford has been studying both singing and voice development with him for many months. Alexander Gray, the singing leading man of Sally and No, No, Nanette, is another Morando pupil. Gray also studies with Alice Egger, another prominent voice specialist. Alexander, at a recent Hollywood gathering, declared, half-earnestly, that the main thing a player should do in these talkie days is to learn to say "I love you," plainly and easily and look it at the same time. That will get him by more than anything else, laughed Gray, who ought to know. In our previous article concerning voice schools, we told you that there were many excellent schools and teachers as well as those of known unworthiness. That statement was never truer than at the present time. After a careful investigation we have discovered that Hollywood boasts some of the best-known voice specialists in the world. Carl Sibbert is one of the more prominent ones and he is now giving lessons to Nora Lane, who was leading lady in Night of Mystery, Marquis Preferred. One Hysterical Night and featured in Sally, with Marilyn Miller. Miss Lane has developed a beautiful lyric soprano voice under Mr. Sibbert's instruction. Other prominent players now studying at the Sibbert studio are Raymond Griffith, Bobby Vernon, George Duryea, Katherine McGuire, Anita Louise and Grace Stafford. PERHAPS the most popular of voice teacht -s is Felix Hughes, who has just moved his smdio to Hollywood Boulevard. Among his many pupils who are bei o featured in the song work of pictures is Jeanette Loff, wh is under contract to Universal. Another pupil is Allan Pribr, star of \Continiied on page 75} 69 By Gordon R. Silver