Variety (Feb 1937)

VARIETY PI C ¥ ■ R E S Wednesday, February 17,1937 PoDon Coast, Other Votmg Is V Stuff; By JOHN C' ELINN HoUywbod, Feb. 18.: The great- American game ^f choosing by ballot 4he 'best' Sof everything, from baseball players to light summer fiction, is developed to its highest point in Hollywood's an- nual awards for best pictures,best performances, best.. screen writing, etc.. Under auspic.es of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, selections for 1936 are to - nounced at the annual dinner here March 4. [ Anyone.: who assumes that the in- dustry is fed up . on these annual voting contests, because of the nu- merous polls which are conducted by the trade press and news associa- tions around January 1, is mistaken* Put all previous tabulations are lo- cally considered merely warming up exercises. While honorable mention in critics' polls are-duly noticed arid commented upVm by the studio press departments, the men and women who make the pictures reserve their enthusiastic congratulations until the Academy statuettes are passed but. These little gold figures of ; : 'an anonymous person; who is cast in a pose closely resembling theattitude of 'an exhibitor prayihg for uriset^ tl^d weather on a holiday, are the symbols of screen prestige. A vote of praise from* liQO newspaper critics arid 5,000 theatres , may, have its' points, but an Academy , award is tops -around here. .. Officials of the Academy this year are trying put a flew /method of se- lecting winners for the annual awjjurds. A committee of 50 was ap- pointed, composed of 10 each from the. five divisions of the memberships Ten *best ; pictures' ..of the year; have been selected, but In all ,other clas- sificationsthe nominations are liro-. ited to five. The full Academy mem- bership will vote secretly, by mail, from these.nomination lists,, and the ballots will hot be counted until the evening, the awards are rhade. This process ' heightens the; suspense and gives confidence'to the : participants. Not a. few wagers are. also made around town on the results. . Studio Rivalry Whiile the Academy's choice of the best acting, performance by a man or woman star carries the broadest in- terest in. and outside of Hollywood, the rivalry between the studios for the prize of best production is the keenest of all the contests. Of this year's nominations five were pro- duced :b>MeJtr^ W^erfptid one each ^ lumbia and Uniyersa^ ! The.'* productittn * nominations are 'The Great Ziegfeld/ 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'Libeled Lady/ 'Sari Fran- cisco' and 'A Tale of Two Cities* (Metro); 'Anthony Adverse' arid 'The Story of Louis .Pasteur* (Warners); 'Dodsworth' (Gbldwyn); "Mr. Deeds Goes to. Town* (Colunibia), arid ■Three Smart Girls' (Universal). Every studio production staff has made a careful study, of the commit- tee's selections 'for-'' the 'purpose of analyzing the whys ,and wherefores. Opinion is general/that the. list is a good one, although' several films rated among the season's .jbest are not included because of numerical limitations.. Five of the chosen 10 are original storie's; that is, the plot material was developed by studio screen, writers from suggestions submitted to. the plants by outside writers or staff scribblers. In this category are 'The Great Zieefeld,' •Libeled Lady,' 'San Francisco,' 'Pasteur' and Three Wise Girls.* Adaptations from plays are 'Dodsworth' and 'Romeo arid Juliet' Those derived from novels are 'Ad- verse,* *Mr. Deeds'' and Tale of Two Cities.* '• The history of these pieces of ma- terial differs as to,genesis, or the course followed before reaching the screen. No general rule apparently may be applied to the group as a whole, except that in each instance some One championed the cause of the idea, or story, arid persuaded its production against all resistance. But these productions as a whole are but part of the run of the mill. Nearly 500 other features weremade in Hol- lywood in 1936, and the story ma- terial of rriost was obtained in the same manner as the selected 10. No consideration of box office suc- cess enters Into thV committee's. (Continued ev» page 27) No Thumbing, Either Hollywbyod, Feb. 18. Request has gdne but from the headquarters of the Screen Actors' Guild for each member to leave his auto- at home when going on location. Guild contends that this will provide more work for trans- portation drivers. Paul Muni to Kelt His • Parts After His Ports Of Call on World Tour Hollywood, Feb. 16,. 1 - After.... finishing current. The Woman I JjbVe* at RKO.tPaul Muni returns to Warners for 'Story of Eiriile £ola,. arid pne more to wind up his contact at Burbank. After that star intends to take round-the- world trip, accompanied by Mrs. Muni. He wii) be gone at least six months.. Muni's intimates state that hie. will extend the length of his trip if any particular spot catches.his fancy,; arid' if and when he returns to Holly- wood and pictures,; it will be for no term contract, but only for roles that : he especially wants to do.; BILL GRADY OUT AT M-G; MAY JOIN AGCY. Hollywood, Feb. 16. Bill Grady finished up Feb. 13 as casting cUrector at Metro, after one year on the lot Reported that he is negotiating a deal to join the Myron Selznick agency. Marcella Napp, first aide to Grady, takes over the reins at casting office, with William Koenig, studio man- ager, looking in as temporary ad- visor, Several, other casters being mulled by studio for spot KordaTais OSWALD (Chicago Daily News says: "Now that. Ken Murray hasr brought his comedy show to the Palace stage, Chicago is having its. "first glimpse of Oswald, the perfect stooge. Whose 'Oh Yeah' reverberates through tho country via. radio." Signed for the Campbell radio show 'starring Ken Murray begin- ning March 3ist. over CBS. AXE FALLS AT REP IN WAKE OF LEVINE EXIT Hollywood,. With Nat Levine, prpductibn head of Republic, leaving the studio March 15 after selling his in the studio, the axe has started to fall on soriie of the employes. Manriy Frank, in charge of talent with .the casting office, is lejatvi , and Bill Perry,, head of the electrical de- partment received his notice. So far the producer and supervisor ranks have not been, affected by the change in. administration* WB's InsideSanQuentin Stuff to Be Edited Down London, Feb. 16. • William Kernel! has been sigged by Alexander Korda to write and produce a musical; v Kerriell formerly: was a^songwriter at the 20th-Fox studio in Hollywood. SAILINGS March 13 (New York to London), Slate Bros., Frank Libuse, Diane. Ray, Joan Andrews, Moore and Revel, Dick Rogers, Georgie Lyons, Helene Grant Fay Carroll, Gloria Day (lie de France). March * (New York to Naples), Lynn Farnol (Conte di Savoia). Feb..27 (Los Angeles to.Honolulu), Leon Schlesinger, Eddie Blackburn (Malolo). Feb. 20 (New York to London), Frank Lawton, Evelyn Laye (Aqui- tarii'a). Feb. 19 (West Indies Cruise), Izzy Rappaport (Lafayette), Feb; 19 (New York to Paris), Lela Moore (Bremen). Feb. 17 (London to New York), Zasu Pitts, Raymond Massey, Flor- ence Desmond, Grisha Goduloff, Marcelle CharitaL Thomas Dodds (Queen Mary). Feb. 16 (Los Angeles to Honolulu), J. P. McEvoy (Maru). Feb. 14 (New York to London), Mr. and Mrs. Bernardino Milqnari, A. Matthews, Patrici Desmond (Queen. Mary). Feb. 13 (London to New York), Sally O'Neill (Bremen). Feb. 10 (London to New York), Dwight Deere Wiman (lie de France). FeK 9 (New York to London), Frederick Lonsdale (Europa). San Francisco, Feb. 16. The lure of Holly Wood fastened on Walter Kobbins, mustached driver of the prison car at San Quentin Prison, and led to Warner Bros, getting the inside shots for. the picture 'Sari Quentin,' thereby causing a. recent state investigation at the peniten- tiary. Directors and cameramen were warned by prison officials riot to make any closeups in which any of the prisoners , could be identified. When: the film, execs found that flattery worked wonders with Rob- bins, they got, intimate pictures of the . mess hall, an&;:they almost got shots- of . the lockup bef ore' the trick Was discovered.. Warner Bors. have promised to ••. delete'', objectionable scenes., Borzage's M-G Swing Hollywood, Feb. 16. Although his contract had a year to run, Frank . Borzage, director, has obtained his release, from Warners arid moved over to Metro. .. . Metro deal is an option termer. Fritz Lang Abhors Propaganda fix, Favors Originals, and Tens; for Color Swing Street Pic Hollywood, Feb. 10. K. Y/i riitery belt will form the basis of a new Walter Wanger mue steal,: 4 52nd Street.; Entertainers, on the strip between Fifth and Sixth Avenues will be used in film, to- gether with studio names. Gene Towne and Graham Baker are shaping up yarn from an origi- nal synopsis by Hal Home. Thomson East to Rep Screieii Actors' Guild At N. Y. Labor Parleys Hollywood, Feb. Kenneth Thomson was designated at a meeting Monday (15) of the Screen Actors' Guild as . representa- tive of the craft vat'the producers', set-to with' labor delegates in N, Y. next month; On behalf of the Associated Actors and Artists of America, Thomson arid Frank Gillmore will press demands for producer recognition of the group arid inclusion in the new>studio basic agreement. S^G. ball Feb. 13 netted $4,000, as against last year's $2,500. TALKING A COMEBACK FOR MISS BOW AT 20TH ARRIVALS Lillian Fischer, Maysie Grieg Ames, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Ruth Chat- terton, Jean Sablon, M. Joachimson, Herta Glatz, Mrs. Paul Csonka, Emile Boreo, Nicholas Bros., Paul Bentata, Arnold Meckel, Louis Drey- fus, J. Cheever Cowdi Arthur Topper In Par's TEasy living' , Hollywood, Feb. 16. Jean Arthur will be starred in 'Easy iving* at Paramount Ray Milland gets the romantic lead with AdOlphe Menjou in a featured spot Mitchell Leisen will direct from a yarn by Vera Caspary. Production is slated to start end of next month. The Old SoakY Gal Hollywood, Feb. 16. Lynn Carver was plucked from Metro's studio stock roster to. enact the role of Wallace Beery's daughter in "The Old Soak.' Judith Barrett, ori loan from U, and Robert McWade, Uria Merkel, Eric Linderi, Janet Beecher and Ted Healy also have been cast Hollywood, Feb. 16. Clara Bow; iriay be called out of retirement for the femme lead in 20th-Fox's. She had to eat^ Director Mai St. Clair is'negotiating with the former IT girl and if unsuccessful, will give part to Rbchelle Hudson. Role was vacated by Arline Judge, who takes a six months' leave of ab- sence. Miss Judge may forsake films entirely as her socialite fiance, Dan Topping, is. opposed to her barber. Training a Recruit Hollywood, Feb. . 16. ; Look for one of those famous Hol- lywood fights any day now. Socker is likely to be Bill Haade, ex-steel worker, in his first picture, playing champ in Warner's 'Kid Galahad.' Haade, according to the cameras, is 16 pounds Overweight for a champ, tipping beams currently at 216; It is the job of Joe Cunnihgham and Mushy Callahan to train him down. Pair follow, hi .\ into restaurants arid order his meals for him. Ten days of this and Haade is build- ing a beautiful Kennedy burn. Cun- ningham thinks he's in the clear be- cause of his glasses, but Callahari hasn't anything to protect him but his chin. .'i:?-- ' John Farrow's 'Bandit 9 Hollywood, Feb. 16. John Farrow will direct. 'China Bandit,' from an original by Crane Wilbur; at Warners. Boris Karloff, Ricardo Cortez, Bev- erly Roberts and Vladimir Sokolow are cast toppers. M'CAHEY'S 'DOCTOEV Holly wood, Feb. 'Oh, Doctor' is the next directorial assignment for Ray McCarey at Uni- versal. Studio has sidetracked 'Love iri a Bungalow,' also on McCarey's list L. A, to N. Y. Don Becker. J. Edward Bromberg. Dinty Doyle. Donald Friede. Jack Goetz. Torn Harrington. Richard Krakeur. Arnold VSn Leer. Dick Mooney. ■ Gertrude Niesen., Spyrps Skouras. Mprton Spring. Robert Taplinger. Pinky Tomlin. N. Y. to L. A. Milton Berle. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Steve Hannagan. Lillian Hellman. James L. Saphier. . Lou Smith. Larry Urbach. By CECELIA AGER ♦Did you think/ Fritz Lang asked the interviewer, 'That Tury' . was a propaganda picture?' 'Mriir-no' the interviewer said. 'Ah,' said Mr. Laog, content, for Mr. Lang dqesn't Kke propaganda pictures, doesn't approve of their method. 'If you preach/ .he said, 'nobody likes you. It's riiore import- ant for a picture if the audience finds out for itself what's behind the picture, than if you put the finger on it. A Picture is entertainment, should be entertainment, but entertainment doesn't.mean only a light laugh, it's something that interests you, inter- ests you enough that you remember it afterward. It's like a book you read, arid, want to read again. You get more for your money in a pic- ture if its subject interests you deeply enough to make you want to discuss it after.' What he .means, Mr. Lang sai , is the public's attitude toward the comic strips, for instance. .'Did you see,' people ask each other, 'what happened to Pop Eye today?' But they, don't , go to see pictures with the same feeling: of concern over the characters i them that they've got toward .the comic strips,. For the most .part they see a picture, and forget it straightaway. They wouldn't, if . the / picture had achieved its function of being entertainment i the full sense of the word. When Joe Mankiewicz offered him. 'Fury,' Mr. Lang saw in it the pos- sibilities he seeks in a picture. 'Fury' gave opportunity, for an exposition of mob psychology. .People might talk about it afterward. When •Walter Wariger—a fine and daring producer,' Mr. Lang said—gave him •You Only Live Once,' Mr. Lang felt it too had material for later discus- sion. Women, he hoped, would say, •Well, I certainly wouldn't go through what Sylvia : idney did for a man-rbut I. know a irl Who would.' Entertainment Element . For, Mr. Lang reiterated, a. picture should be an entertainment—made out of hot only laughter but living people. It need not parallel the lives of its audience, but it should dive into them at some point, touch them, have a kinship with them. It should have significance to the daily life of its beholders.- It should teach them, Without being preachy; it should help them by . expounding and clarifying. situatiQri that has. happened to them, or might happen to them: SO Mr. Lang looks for a con- vincing story, tries to make each character in it livirig, complete. He prefers a story written direct for the screen, because 'novels and plays have different rules; a novel goes along on an even keel, a play has three ascending climaxes, hut a -pic- ture should have only one. It should ascend in a smooth, sharp curve. At the top, bang, finish.* He prefers a story written direct for the screen because, 'when you're telling a story pictorially, you choose different scenes to tell it with than you'd use for a novel or a play.' Right now Mr. Lang is not looking for a story that has a mob in it He's interested, though, in a story suitable for color photography'; He's got ideas about color. 'Color should be used as a drarhatic point, as a narrative moment. Don't photograph a thing only because it has color. Make color work. Use it to make a character unsympathetic, use its sug- gestion. Play on audience emotion with Explain to the audience with color, as you do with the'Sfcpre.' One has to understand color to use it so, Mr. Lang grants. Fortunately, he says, he used to be a pai Tie Hudton-Kent Again Holly wood, Feb. 16. Rochelle Hudson and Robert Kent have been teamed romantically for the fourth picture at 20th-Fox. They will go into the next Jane Withers starrer, as yet James Tinling will direct Brbmberg's Yacash Holly wood, Feb. 16. J. Edward Bromberg, actor, getting his first breathing-spell in more than a year that he has been here under contract to 20th-Fox, left for New York Saturday (13). He will spend a month east, around ' old Group Theatre haunts.