Talking Screen (Sep-Oct 1930)

The Talkie Murder Mystery FISHBEIN, Kearney and two detectives from the Los Angeles Headquarters went into conference in Fishbein's private office. "I don't know what anyone in the world could have against me," said Kearney. "I never gave anyone a raw deal." 'Against 'you, you fool!" screamed Fishbein. "It's "against me! They want to break me up in business. They want the Cosmic Studios to go into bankruptcy!" "It doesn't seem to be against either of you," said one of the detectives, 'but only against the directors of the picture. What could anyone have on both Denis and Kearney.''" Fishbein's eyes lit up. "Oh, wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "That damned young nuisance Kenny Dow! I'll bet he knows something about it." "Don't be foolish, " said Jerome Kearney. "Kenny's a good kid. He wouldn t kill anybody." "No, no, I don t say he killed Denis, but after Denis was shot he saw a chance to pull a good joke. He"s crazy to direct this picture, you know. And he thinks that if he can scare you off, I might hire him."" "Call him in,"' said one of the detectives. Kenny came in with a bright, happy sn;ile. He thought he was going to get the directing job. Fishbein soon put him to rights. "Now, " he said, "what do you mean by monkeying with my recording equipment?" Kenny's face fell. '""What makes you think I touched your machines?"" he asked. When Fishbein explained, Kenny broke into a good laugh, then grew angry. " What nonsense!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to become Hollywood's best little director on my ability, not on some cheap trick. Anyway, I can't even manage to change a fuse when the lights go out, let alone work the talkie apparatus !" It s all beyond me, " sighed Fishbein. "Anyway, we got to go on working. It s costing me $1100 a day right now, and we re getting nowhere. Such luck I never had before!" JEROME KEARNEY shot the next scene and the dialogue was recorded. The whole process took only four days, for it was a group of simple shots in which Joyce sprains her ankle and is helped into a cab by a young cop who later turns out to be the hero. When the finished strip was flashed in the projection room, every one had a presentiment of trouble. And sure enough it came. Right in the middle of the scene, where the cop is carrying Joyce to the cab, the familiar rough voice broke the silence. "Kearney,'" it said, "if you direct one more scene of this picture, you re a dead man !"" Kea'-ney jumped to his feet and shouted, "I'm through with this damned outfit! I'm not going to get shot for any contract'" And he stormed out of the studio. The man who was interjecting his voice into the talking picture very obviously had access to the recording equipment. Then it must have been one of the electricians. {^Continued from page 27] They were called in before the detectives and questioned closely. Every one of the four men were old Cosmic Studio hands, with flawless records. They were known as honest and reliable workmen, and it was inconceivable that one of them should be playing this trick. "Where is your equipment kept?" one of the detectives asked Harrel, chief electrician. " In the store room, sir," replied Harrel. "You keep it locked at night?" "Certainly." " How many keys are there to the room?"' "Three. I have one, Mr. Fishbein has one and the night watchman has one in case of fire." "You have yours on you?"' " Yes, sir. " ""Give it to me."" He took the key. "What about the night-watchman?'" "He still has his,'" replied Harrel. "He let me in the room this morning. " "How about you, Mr. Fishbein?" " Mine is in the office."' ""Please get it for me." Five minutes later Mr. Fishbein came running back, red in the face. "It s gone!" he cried. "I thought so!"' said the detective. "Now tell me, Harrel, can any experienced electrician work this recording apparatus?" "No, sir. not to get the right effect." '"I don't give a damn about the right effect. Could he work it well enough to record that man's voice?" "Well, yes," said Harrel, "providing he knew where to attach the special connections we have in the storeroom." " The recording apparatus can be worked in there?"" "Yes, for a short time. That's where we set up the machines and test them when they come in from the factory." THE detective turned to Fishbein. "The man whose voice you have just heard stole the key to the electrical storeroom from your office. That gives him access to the equipment. All he needs to do is turn on the receiving juice and the record that has been used for taking, the screen voices. When he gets through he turns off the juice and his words have been superimposed upon the scene you took on the set." " One man couldn"t have done all that, sir, " said Harrel. " The electrician is not the same person whose voice you hear. He would have to stay by the equipment." " Two men on the inside,"" said the detective, " and undoubtedly one on the outside to keep watch "' "Yes, yes," cried Fishbein, "this is all very interesting, but what am I going to do? It"s costing me $1100 a day and we re . . ." "Go on with your work, " interrupted the detective. "I ll watch this storeroom myself to-night!"' THAT night Fishbein went to Jerome Kearney's home and persuaded him that all of Hollywood wovild be calling him a coward if he walked out on a picture for such a silly reason, and that he would have trouble in getting work in the future. Kearney was convinced and returned to the lot. Police guarded the studio by day, and detectives by night. Kearney shot the second scene over again, for the interjecting of the rough voice had spoiled the recording. It took only two dsys, however, for the cast was well rehearsed in its dialogue. The following morning the sequence was shot in the projection room. The two detectives were present, and so was ever)'one else on the lot. The place was so crowded the people could hardly move or breath. Feverish excitement ran high. Newspaper reporters stood outside the door, ready to catch the story and run for the nearest telephone. The scene was flashed on the tiny screen and everything went smoothly. Then they came to the spot where the cop picks up Joyce to carry her to the cab. Somebody in the audience whistled. Someone else shouted "Shut up!" There was a moment of painful, strangling silence, and then came the identical voice from the screen. " Kearney, this is your final warning! If you return to the lot tomorrow, bring your last will and testament!" People laughed and shouted. Some one broke out of the rear door and flung the story to the reporters. Fishbein wrung his hands in despair. Kearney fumbled feebly for a cigarette and slumped half-heartedly in his seat. Joyce and Kenny, out of sheer excitement, hugged each other in the dark. Fishbein summoned the two detectives into his office. " I thought you were going to guard that storeroom !"' he shouted. "We have!" said the first detective. "The night before last we never left it for one second, not one!" "And last night, you ninnies?"" "Last night I watched it myself. Jonas, here, had to cover another case." "And you didn't leave the front door of the storeroom from the time Harrell left until he came in this morning?" "No, sir."' "Not even once?"' " Well, I did leave once. But that was only for a minute. " "What time was that?"" demanded Fishbein coldly. "About three in the morning. I went across the street to get a cup of coffee and a sinker. You can't expect a man to stand guard all night on an empty stomach!" " How long were you gone?" "Not more than five minutes." Fishbein made a wry face. " Well," he said, " while you were gurgling your coffee our little playmates dropped in and doctored the lecording!"" The Los Angeles Herald, the afternoon paper, refused to take the matter seri ously. They called it cheap .novie publicity, and abused Fishbein for u.sing Harlin Denis s death for advertising purposes. The Times followed their lead in the inorning and asked if the talkies really had to gc {Continued on page 89]