Variety (Sep 1928)

VARIETY PICTURES Wednesday, September 26, 1928 Kane Organizing Talker Films For FBO~In Met Studios T^^^ As president of Sound SIucH^j.^t, Inc., the FBO sound picture produc- tion unit, Bob Kane has evolved a new Idea for talker "shooting" at the old'. Mfinhattan studios at 134th street and Park avenue, New York., when they take possession the end of this. week. : , Bert Harrison, former, stage di- rector for Gilbert Miller, and Burt Glonnoh,- cinematic megaphone wiolder, tutored under Krnst Lu- bitsch, will Jointly co-direct all sound pictures for purposes of bal- ancing; statue and screen values to Ijes.t advantngej , In about six weeks FBO, with its Pathe-DoMiile alliahce, will reclaim the Gaiety, New York, for the De- Mllle initial sound production, "The Godless Girl." Willinm Fox, when his sub-Ioa.se exjiired Aug. 30, con- tinued on a two weeks' notice ba.sis. After "Thi; Air Cii-ciis" he brings in "Four Devils" fur a linjited' engage- ment. ■ ■' Cecil ij. ncMillo i.s ]>f^rsonally cut- ting "Godley.s Girl" down from its 12 reels, the reason. for the picture not being quite ready, as well as the first faulty synchroni:S(iti(ui. Under the RCA Photophone process, "God- leas Girl" is being synchroniised. .Tt will be followed by FBCs .second talker, "Stepping High," an original by Gene.Markey. A« the same time Pathe's hew sound news reel will be introduced, as will a program of ■short subjects. • Short and Prolog in One FBO is now engaged in a unique Idea of aliooting shorts as atmos'- pheric prologs to c'^rt;iin feature.% but also ■ capable of playing sepa- rately' by themsf'lve.V in a wired house as an act. Thus,- if a. vaude house plays :fi FRO fealure with- out sound, tlie t;i]l<in.g shorts prolog can be played across ilm .street in a wired house without eonllictlon. • For this purpose George ' T^e Maire's old "Taxi 13" sketch from "Fads and Fancies" (revue) is being canned as a talker (0 be honked up with FBO's "The .Toy Hide" feature. Kdgar- Allen Woolf.s "The Scooli." one-act playlet about newspaper activity, will tje lii^d i:p as a prolog to "Gang War," an FBO ci-ook mcl- ler, not to-be confused with VVillard Mack's stage play of the same name'. FBO had the title for Its Original long before the Mack play. . Fi'ahcis (JBunny) Weldon is stag- ing a- 24-girl revue with femitie jazz band as a talker to precede "An- napolis," including a sperial An- napolis dance routine paralleiing • the AVe.st Point- da lire drJil in Zieg- feld's "Rosalie ' i)roViu<:tion. Josiah Zuro Is reading an oper- atic prolog \yith a personnel from the San Carlo Opera Co. to be a ..talking sliort play« d in bouses that are \vired for "Capt. Swagger," also an FBO feature. Keith Preference Kane is personally buying talent for the short subject productions by FBO, with tlie choice of Keith va- riety ta-h-nt to pick from and given preference through th<^ l''H.O-Keith fiffillation via Joseph 1'. Fvennedy. . From his survey of the Photo- • phone field, K.'ine' ha.s decided-on a V combination of three elements in : .synchronized I'lhn prod.uctions: dialog, effects and music. Kane, is : opposed to 100 per cent talkers and Is planning his productions along tho.se lines. When, in the.offices of :RCA. Pho- tophone, Inc,;, Kane wVis installed by Kenned.v to survey the situation. Kane . ultimately stepped out to commeuee active prixluction for FBO. Young Uichanl Currier, tiow with Photophone who is Inking uj) Kane's duties, is in primarily for the purpose of learning the. picture buslnos.Si He Is the son of Guy W. Cux-rier, attorney, for the Photo- phone's downtown interests (Gen- eral JiJIectrio and bankers). F. N. Silehce First National publicists have been, instructed not to make any mention of any deal with Warners Jn the copy which thiey send but. People In the home office have been giveii to understand, at the same time, it is report- ed; that no matter what "hap- pens" . First National will re- tain Its individuality.: THE'OUT'FOR FILMS BANNED BY HAYS'EDICT 25 Days Extra to Get Tex in Double Version Los Angeles, Sept. 25. Warner Brothers are making a silent as well as a sound version of Texas Guinan's "Queen of the Night Clubs." It Is Bald production will take 25 days longer, than estimated, due to the double method of shooting. BEBE IS CHMF JINX ACTRESS OF FILM BIZ Los Angeles, Sept. 23. Case of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "Woman, of Affairs," which is a per- fumed version of. "The Green. Hat," reveals the "Out" of producers when; the Hays office forbids use of a spicy title or of material hjeld to be objectionable. ■ Recourse is had to Article 5 in the pact between the Authors' Lejigtie and prantatists' Guild and the M. P, P. & D, of A'., which provides as follows: "After' a story- has .been re- jected the author may prepare a new story with the unsuitable material removed and with a new title, and which title does* not in any way suggest the old title, but using such. dramatic incidents and interest as niay bo' used and making certain' the ' elimination of. the unsuitable material. Then the author may submit., such story to producing companies for picturizatlon, as in the original instance with the distinct, understanding th.at it shall not be publicized n<n" advertised in any way that will . connect the hew story with the .. Old and that it .sludl not be pre- sented in any way that would mislead theatregoers." Explanation of O. K. on ' Woman of Affairs" is that it has been made in compliance with thi.s Comp.'ict. Miss DanieU Has Series of Accidents While Making Pictures 2 Del. Film Concerns Sellinfi[ Stock in N. Y. Albany, N. Y., Sept. 2.'). Two picture companies^ rire offer- ing issues of. their stock to the pub- ' lie of New York State according to notices filed with Secretary of State Robert Moses. Roseland Pictvires Gorporijition, Delaware concern with metropolitan oinces at 1C50 Broadway, has been licensed to act as broker in the, dis- posal of an issue of common stock of the company. ?t7nited Film Industries, Inc., Del- aware corporation with oiTices at 535 Fifth Avenue, has been licen.se;! to sell .'in issue of its preferred and comrnon stocks. Notices . filed with; S.ecreta.ry_ .of State in accordance with provisions of General Business Law desi.gned to protect Investors in the sale of .securities. Weather Forecast ' VA^isrrirrg'tT)n7-"SpptT--2r)i--= Variety's request to the \Veather Bureau brought the following out- look : For country <vjst of the Missis- sippi beglnnin.g tomorrow, generally fair weather ^ext Uiree or four days. Some chance of showers about fia'turday ("0) nl-rht or Sunday. . Continued cool Wednesdaj' and Thur.' ilay, i'olknved by .slowly rl.sing tenipei-ature thereafter. British Writer From Hollywood to London Los Angeles, Sept. 25. Gai'net West on is On hla way to Ijondon to write continuities- for llritish International Pictures. As t\ Briti.'?h subject, be qualifies under the stipulation of the quota law th.-tt. scenarios must bo written by BritLshers to qualify as native prod\ict. The engagement was negotiated hy Holmes Walton- of New York, wlio came here to secure seveial writers for B. T. Los A.ngeles, Sept.. 25. Bebe Daniels has returned from a vacation ti'ip to New York,: fully re- covered from the attack of irites-. tinal flu which interrupted her Iftst picture, but wondering what will happen to her. in her next produc- tion. Mi.ss Daniels is. clOse to being the champion jinx actress of the film biz for per.sonal mishaps. She has pi:obably spent more time in ihc hospital or in bed as a result Of accidents In making pictures than any other person- on the, screen. Beginning with her appearance in "One Wild Week," made seveiiil years ago, she has averaged one accident each, which Interrupted her work in about three of every five pictures.made. In "One Wild Week," Bebe jumped from, a 12-foot, wall with- out observing that the mattresses which were to break her fall had been moved. Out for two weeks. She suffered minor .accidents in, a number of pictures thcreU,f.ter, but began her real career of mis- haps with "Miss Brewster's Mil- lions," made early in 1926. In that slic had a fall which fractured her .skull and held up the production for many weeks. In "The Campus Flirt," made the same year, Bebe sprained her foot in a race scene. During '"Stranded in I'aris," next, she injured her side. In her following picture, "A Kiss in a Taxi," she fell on a cobble- stone street set and. was unable to walk for two. days. Next came. "Senorita" in which, while Bebe was fencing^ her rapier bounced back from the weapon of a heavy male oppon f.nt and the haft struck her head just above the right eye. This kept her off the set for ix week. . Miss Daniels passed through ''Swim, Girl, Swim" succe.s.sfully, but in "She's a Sheik" again suf- fered severe bruises in a fall. "Feel My Pulse" pas.sed without an acci- dent, but in "The Flfty-Fifty Girl," which followed, both she and her leading man, .Tames Hall, were seri- biTsI jT^ih j ui^d^ h eii .'am set on which they were playing was knocked over by an overhanging tree. Hall's arm was broken and Miss Daniels was so severely injured she was in the hospital for over a month. In "Hot News," .which Bebe was called upon to i)erform more dar- ingly than usual, she escpaed all Injury, but in "Take Me Home," the action reqtiired her to walk about In her ^stocking feet the first two days of the shooting. To this i.s attributed the cold which result- ed in an attack of Intestinal flu. After out for a week, she returned to her work, although far from re- covered and flnshed the picture. Then Miss Daniels was granted the vacation which took her to New York .and from which she has just returned. Fox Says Gag Hen Shall Not Stick Mlrdupe-42,0(I0 Per Film Saved Chatterers' Club Los Angeles, Sept. 25.. Several of the young women who Write for fain magazines and syndicate newspapers are going to form an organlzatJonj temporarily called Hacks. The purpose will be for pro- tective and mutual interest and to keep out alleged . grafters among \vrlters. ; They are now working, on a code of ethics. It's first para- graph is reported to be that no member shall accept gifts of any sort from motion picture stars or executives. AUCE WHITE GOES RITZ IN 1ST F. N. STAR FILM Los Angeles, Sept. 25. Alice WhltO, wlio in three years jumped from the position of typist in an agent's ofllce to First National star, gets all of the courtesies and perquisites that stars of long stand- ing demaind. When starting on "Ritzy Rozy,'' her first starring picture for F. N,, Alice lived up to the title by ask- ing for and receiving a special .stage di es.slng rooni at the studio. When the coriipany was on exterior locia.- tions Alice sjvw to it that she had a tent for resting purposes at Santa Monica, \yhere beach shots were being made. KingWfay A\%ddiiirDar;-^M "Movie Expose" for 25c In B'way Store Show The alleged "Movie Expose" on Broadway, near 54th street, reveals nothing that the average picture theatre goer ■ doesn't know. How- ever, it's getting the ciuef sucker play on Broadway. It is probably the most inexpen- sive store show in New York. Mechanical affair calling for only one salary. Run by ii woman who is working for somebody else. Only nut discernable is the rent,. elec- tricity and the one salary. Window is filled with cork guns and mallets, plaster bottles, bounce- able bricks and wooden rivets, all- painted and placed so as to reveal what a fake it is to get hit over the head with a gat or bottle. Boo! Fake! Signs over all Instruments, most of them reading .something like this:, "Did you . ever .see Harold Lloyd hit by a brick? .Here's the bx-ick." All of that Is free. WMndow on tlie .street and pl.ays to continuous Liovvds. Inside different. .Seven disi)lays, all miniature sets, six in mechanical action. They are: Building on fire, storm at sea, waterfall scene, magic carpet. in motion, auto race, snow scene, busi- nf'ss section and traffic scene;-and the Interior of a rocking boat. All studio work. It is explained by posters, also brief inform.ttiori as to how cameras arc angled before the miniatures to comply with n.atural shots from which they are copied, , It ^vas noticed that when no rub- berneckers were rubbernecking in- side, the woman switched off the juice. Admlsh is twO bits; Woman takes coin .and rings bell. No one inside to receive the okay chime, but she rings it anyway. Makes one think a third degree is awaiting on the inside. Al.so no tickets, another saving. The proprietor, inquiry rCvcaled, is G. Alex. Ijinib.ach', dcijigner of miniature exhibit.s, notably the air- plane gimmick at the Lindbergh (iinncT in New York, His address is given as 141 West 51st street. Los Arifreles, Sept. 25. Pox studio has Issued an order whereby gaer men no longer will accompany a troupe from the taking of the first scene to the last. The point is made by the coniipany that a good director will sense a spot where comedy may be Injected and supply It. . Directors are concerned oyer the working out of a rule that In a w.ay Is revolutionary and which for a number of years has been closely adhered to by all the larger studios. The order Is in the Interests of preparedness. In doing all the In- corporating and rejecting regaj-dlng the story before the camera is first turned,..especially with talking pic- tures. Those who take the gag men's side say while the director may have goofl comedy ideas, his mind when on the set is concentrated on his script, angles and characters and detall.s of story. They add that 60 per cent of. comedy slants originate after the picture is started. Other studios will watch the working, out of the Fox experiment. In. the case of the aver.age picture the cost Of gag. men oh the set will a-SKregate close to |2,000 at the least. Skake-Up in Photophone Execs Is Looked for A .sh;ike-up in the executive per- sonnel of UCA's Photophone com-, pany would seem imminent, with the jobs of several talker overseers likely going to men with a knowl- edge of the show business. The comparatively little material progress made by Photophone in the way of contracts and the swarming of big film producers toward a closely rebated but nevertheless, rival contemponary, resulted in a conference this week which is ex- pected to bear fruit shortly. Persons close to a powerful Wall street factor, known for his man- ipulation of stock pools, are cog- nizant of a meeting in which David Sarnoff, RGA president, is s.aid to have been asked for an explanation regarding the progress oif his com- pany's talker interests. This conference. It is reported, resulted In .admissions that ^several of the .salaried directing heads .of the sound department were who'liy ignorant of entertainment angle!5,. other than that gathered from pre- vious experience In the radio sales department. Associated with the conference and coming from the same sources is also offered one of the bits of lowdowh for the Photophone depart- ment not jumping at the whip cracked by Western . Electric when Its Vita phone and Movietone offer- ings were first being grabbed by big companies. Contrary to the official statement for publication, made by K. E. Bucher, vice-president of the I'hoto- phone, th.at thei company would not start until it was set, these reports are that Pliotophone liad Icnr Tts" ear to an executive now well known throughout the industry. The film man they continue, had so sold him- self . that the Photophone talker nien had consented to remain tight-lipped and wait for him to deliver each and every one of the. worthwhile film companies. It was this failure to turn over, coupled with other details, that , so far ha.*? ihtcrferred with am\)ltlon3 to step up product, the reports go. David Sarnoff could not be reached; His secretary , said she would ?iavc to know in advance all questions intended to bo asked thei RCA he.ad, and even then could not make any appointment within two wet'ks. / Los .tNnt^eles, Sei)t. 25. Bradley King, scenarist, and .John Griffith. Wray, director, have de- cided fh.at Oct. 7 will be their wed- ding day. The nuptials will take place at the Mission Inn, lUverside, with the touple going on a 10-day honeymoon from there. Wray got his final decree of di- vorce from his first wife last .Tune. Monday Uio board of directors of the Motion Picture Club presented Mayor Jimmy Walker with a unique document, a life membership cer- tificate. • At the last board meeting of (he club it was unanimoii.sly decided to j present the Mayor with the gold I certificate Chaplin on "City Lights" Los Angeles, Sept. 25. Gliarles Chaplin has. st.'irted pro- duction on "City Lights." The picture will be made within the five acres of the studio. No leading woman chosen as yet. Merna Kennedy, to have played the part, will be loaned to another pro- ducer. Julius Singer on Sound Juliu.s_Singer, Laemmb- relative and U exectrtivlD~who"se 'fitre^liti"s"a^ ways been a secret, has been i;alled out of his confessional listening to rriisccllan'-ous inventors, to si-c what he can do with the Collegiaii scries as sound sliorts, Julius has had the job only a, few days, but already his stenog- rapher has been overworked. He b.awls hi'r nut every time ^hi> uses "sincerely" instead of "soundly yours." ^