Variety (Aug 1928)

Wednesday, August 8. 1998 PICTURES VARIETY 15 Chatter in New York Talking Accessories Dolores Del Rio, just airiyod froni, Hollywood, was kidded in che dailies for bringing a chaperon, seven ser- vants and 38 wardrobe trunks. Katherine Zinimermann, of the "Telegram," has gone to England to risit the family. Robert Lisman, European talent ■3COl.^ for Paramount, has landed, bringing Fred Sand, formerly Lily Damita's leading man. Joel Swenson, of Fox, is vaca- tioning among the Minnesota Scan- dinavians. Lorena Hickock, by-line sobbie on the "Mirror," is going to the A.S8cciated Press. Helen Nolan, swimming champ »nd newspaper woman, breaks the arst femme sport-syndicate Sept. 1. ■ Ship news photographers are cold tto John Lioder, Lasky find, who ar- Bived on the "Berengaria." The Ikoys say Loder hadn't been tipped tjo the cabin routine. pated. Frank Carson oC OIiUmh-*, ex- pected to join Hbwey, has t;<>ne to 'The News" instead. Mariathon Exposes Racketeers jumping on the rage epidemic of dance marathons are finding the corn couples hard ■ to handle. Staying awake foi two weeks, the boys and girls have done some thinking. They ai-e. ask- ing for dpughi food and trainers. $140 a "week is the current price quoted by couples who haven't es tablished a name. The champions want as high as'$1,000. The Coney • marathon, which has been going three weeks, has been running into plenty trouble from squawkers. Sore couples are trading with papers around town with lurid exploses of the whole i-acket. The exposes draw customers, but involve heavy legal expense for the promoters. Fan Saleis Fall Off -Fan magazines have felt an un usual sunrimei: slump this year.' Nowsstand men have expressed the opinion the fans' attention has been distracted from star chatter by the ; talkers. Howey on Job Walter Howey went back as man Aging editor of the "Daily Mirror," .^hich- hei started, on the first. Changes in the sheet are antici Eaton Off "Plain Talk" . G. D. Eaton has resigned i'rom the Qditorship of ' Plain Talk."" The tnagazlne had been ruunirig a. year and was definitely over. As Eaton and the publishers, have been in accord on editorial policy, he. either is dissatisfied with measures to piro- mole the magazine or has accepted, another position. . . ' KiddiriB Chatterers /The local chatterers are having a tough time covering stories they rap two months ago. A picture director, on from the coast then, gave out phoney interviews on his relation with a pet. star. The chatter writers ran column after column, all quot- ing the director on. what a great fel- low, the star's husband was. He insisted that his relation with his star was purely artistic and in- sisted oh stuffing the.ga-ga sister- hood with reams about his dear, dear pal, the husband. As most of the wxiters fell, they now are.in the predicament of re- porting that the star and director are in town together and only wait ing for a final , decree before they marry. . Softening 'Em . A Broadway hostess,, caught In the recent Vconsipracy" jam, has gone panicy and gotten "advice;" She has broken out. with the mo.st elaborate "refinement^" aimed at the newspapei* edltbrs. . Genteel letters on scrupulously genteel stationery have gone out to the editbrs, explaining her position and imploring them to call off biased news and editorial attacks The stunt has been noticeably ef fective! ' —. Vic Watson's Marriage The local newspapers were thrown into a feyer on" Saturday by the sudden, marriage of "Victor Wat son, Hearst'editor, arid Peggy No Ian de Sano, divorced wife of Mar eel de Sano, Hollywood director Not one paper accepted the an- Dii.ve LiadiT, accossory 3ak») m:in;it,'(n- . fur Universal, is starting to annoy himself over ilie i>ossibil.Li'y of synchronized accessories. if photos, must talk and posters sing while the heralds are chanting and banners croon songs, Mr. Bader be- lieves it .will mark a revolution in his nt-rve system and de- partment. noiincement without verification from Mr. Watson himself, who had sailed for Bermuda immediately af- ter the ceremony. Becaiise the bride was from Hol- lywood and the editor had been a well-known bachelor on Broadway, the city desks frankly stated their fear the story was a plant. The papers waited for the early edition of the "Journal" for reassurance on the authenticity of the announce-, ment. • Watson will return from ' nis honeymoon by Sept. 1, when he is slated ' for the managing editor's desk at . the "American." Explanatory One o£ the biggest Sunday dailies In town is planning to go put after the talker.s. Resenting the ;uml)le of trade ninries and recording sys- tems, \and the unneces.sary fog throSvn around technical informa- tion,- the paper has lined up a se- ries of articles telling the slim tecli^ nical difference between the various devices. The. dope is slated foi September publication. Using Honrte Stuff Grabbihg.^it the. public:ty on color home motion pictures, local depart^ ment stores handling cameras . and projectors have been staging elab- orate exhibits this week. They have been running cute baby pic- tures, honeymoon stuff, etc., with heavy sentimental appeal to dra\y "ahs" from the women shoppers. A clerk in a cutaway igives a spiel about staying home to get your entertainment and why vorry about getting somebody .to stay with the young when you want to go to he movies. More Operators and $15 Tilt, Wash. Demands Washington, Au.sr. 7.- Talking- plrturos have made the local opoi-a tors;"' union interested With a new contract shortly to. bo worked out the uniou'ii5. asking for a jump of JIS wookly ami n\ore men in the booth. Union ties the de- manded increase on to the talkers. A. Julian' nrylau'S.ki. as president of ■ the''.tho^atro- owners; association, is sot to try to stop it. Dupe Fight Pictures bup*» fight pictui-es of the Tunney and Heeney scrap in Madison Square Garden are cropping up in buhohes. So far^at least four dif- ferent fight "specials" have been offered to filni house buyers within the past week. . .The Gold Haw:k Corp., which claimed .he exclusive rights, paid $20,000 for the ring privilege.s of shooting the fight. What bobbed up as a booking solfiT plexus was the lobby and newspaper. advertising that many of the houses did last week playin.:? the neighborhoods and circuits playing up their "shorts'; as "ofTicial fight picture.s." The Gold Hawk interests believe they have a cliance for their big- gest pick up on their ringside "spe- cial" in Europe. To steal a march on the dupes .expected , to wing their way across the briny. Charles' Ja^ witz, of the Gold Hawk exec, staff, took a boat t& England last webk. Pictui'e Club's Opening The Motion Picture Club will officially open its' headquarters In the : Bond building during the Week of Aug. 2S. . Paul Bern Going m as Pathe's Production Head M-G-M Buys"P"erfecto" Los Angeles, Aug. 7. M-G-M has bought , "Perfecto," by Gbuverneur Morris, story of American screen atmosphere and South Americian revolution. Th • first hvijor i h.vntj** .Vt. t.bo Patiio studio fpllo\vin>; tlie d«>i.-ision oC Ci^iMl r., Df-' Mil!«' >«v £;>) witlt M-G'-M occurs Aus?. l."^, whi'-n P.X'il. Bei'n becomes producer in charge of onlire Pathe produotion. BurTi leayo.f M-G-M. whero for two years ho lias beon'story chief, and aid to . Irvine; Thalbor.ir. . During th'^ ^"^l:" tor's recent long .absoi\ce BtM-n su- liorvisfil produotion of . several M- l) -M pictures. With thv ai)l)ointn-it^nt of Pern it. i.s bolievo'd that William LeBaron, now in' charge of production at F, D. O. will be promoted to dirertor- general of F. K. O. and Pathe stu- dios. In this event Le Baron's pres- ent duties at F. B. O. studios will be handled by Louis A. Serecky, hi.s assistant- to Le Bai-on. . This will leave the studios under Kennedy's control, with an active production chief, while Lo Bax'on's job will be to- direct tlie polioy of. each and give the. last, word on approving stories and completed production.i. Le Baron is U-aving for New York this vveek. The assignment of Bern as pro- duction chief of Pathe productii)n.'i may elirninate Hector Turnbull as an iissociate producer of that or- ganization; Turnbull's contract . is .said to have expired July 3 last with no intention of- pathe renewing it. Ii» the svcnt iMrnbull is eliminated Pathe's iModuction will be guided by Paul Bern, Ralph Block and William Sistrom. The new Pathe chief was born In Germany 39 years ago. He was edu- cated iri public .schools in this coun- try and attended the Amet-lca'n Acadexhy of Di-amatic Arts in 1911- 12. Until 1915 he was stage ma.n- agor and director of theatrical pro- ductions. In .1015 Bern became interested in screen writing, his first work hav- ing been" with Samuel Goldwyn. £rt Hollywood besides writing many sceriarids, he directed three pi'oduc- tions for Paramount—"Open All Night," "The Dressmaker from Paris." and "The Flower of Night." MR. TALKING PICTURE PRODUCER: What would it mean to you if at this time you could secure the services of a caiwible» energetic, successful AUTHOR-DIRECTOR-PRODUCER Who has for years created, written, directed, supervised and produced COMEDY SHOWS With originality, dash, zip. pep and speed. Free from vulgarity. In addition, a discoverer of embryo talent, for whom he would vrrite material that developed their talents, stardom being attained Is the object of this ballyhoo, and he is known from coast to coast as the outstanding prbducer in burlesque. His shows were a model for . the others to imitate. Most successful of his many shows was For which he wrote and produced annual editions for 18 successive seasons MR GERARD'S EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF COMEDY M AKE HIM A 100 TO 1 SHOT FOR ANY PRODUCER OF TALKING PICTURES For further particulars, address H. CLAY MINER, 116 W. 39th St., New York Or BARNEY GERARD, 47 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N. Y. Tel. 2548 White Plains