The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 32

BROOKLYN DATLY EAGLE. NEW YOfJC. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2.1, 19:11 New Pictures on Nearby Screens Offer a Wide Variety of Entertainment 10 RC A Supervisor's Job Is No Sinecure Screen The Man on Every Picture, Nobody Sems to Care hut Nobody Knows and By MARTIN 0.V LOCAL SCREENS All Movie Actors, It Seems, Are Graduates of the Theater Guild or Other Institutions of High Dejrree Mr. Fairbanks as Don Juan gf u.si n. "in Wl.

'Ofif1 j'aiT'iN t-Jl IV i i WW vf i He Is the First and the Last rOLLYWOOD, Sept. 22 The the most mis supervisor is understood and maligned man in the whole Hollywood set-up. He 1 is the butt of half the film col- ony jokes and the victim ol an outstanding public indifference, yet he is the key man in the production of every picture. The supervisor is the only person who follows a picture through from start to finish, from the purchase of the original story to the shipping of the master print. He is the middleman, the buffer between the producer and the production.

He is responsible for everything and he is ridiculed by many. "His day," according to Robert Lord, a kind of super-supervisor at the Warner Brothers studios, "is made up of eight to 12 hours of awful trouble." He is often criticized, seldom praised and almost never given credit for his accomplishments. No his In THIS department recently has had occasion to delve into the biographic records of some of our most famous stars, and it is surprised (yea, astounded to learn how many of Hollywood's celebrated citizens have graduated into the movies from such preparatory training institutions as the Theater Guild and Max Reinhardt. This extraordinary state of affairs, accepted calmly as nothing more than a mild phenomenon, might never have been brought up here if it hadn't been for something we happened to read in Variety a couple of days ago. The Variety yarn seeped through from Hollywood, and it is too good not to pass along to the moviegoer who otherwise might never LW If Brooklyn Strand LL- i i in 'She Lore Me at the.

i ,1 ff jf y-H 1 J- vfiiti if 'it triii i ii- ii urn" I ftft WmMBmzM ff On Nearby 'Down to Their Last 'She. Loves Me Not' and 'Romance in the Rain' Arrive at Downtown Theaters IIIA. m. lilt gi is! "3 PRESENTED for the first time in Greater New York, "Down to Their Last Yacht" is at the RKO Albee this week. It.

is described as a musical extravaganza "replete with shipwrecked socialites, beautiful fern-clad native girls, bronzed beach boys, lilting melodies and exotic settings on a magnificent scale." Mary Boland, Polly Moran, Sidney Fox, Sidney Blackmer, Ned Sparks, DICKSTEIN ences, we believe, will like particularly the concluding episode in which goes back to his only true love, his wife. 'Bulldog DrummoncT Is Feature at Met. LOEWS Metropolitan Theater again offers interesting entertainment on the screen as well as on the stage this week. The screen feature is Ronald Colman in his latest film, "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back." The stage bill is headed by Ed Lowry and his own revue. "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back" finds Colman returned from an African big-game hunting expedition to attend the wedding of his friend, Algy.

Lost in a London fog, he wanders into a deserted house and finds the body of a murdered man. When he returns with police he is baffled to find the sinister Hindu Prince Achmed, apparently spending a quiet evening at home, amazed at the very idea of violence. How the plot unfolds from this point forms the essence of an engrossing theme. Assisting Colman are Loretta Young, Warner Oland, Charles Butterworth and Una Merkel. With Ed Lowry in his revue are George Sidney, popular star of stage and screen, who is especially known for his characterization as "Mr.

Cohen" in "The Cohens and Eleanor Powell, star of many Broadway revues and America's foremost tap dancer; Lillian Dawson. Elaine Arden and a Dan-I ny Dare chorus of 16 girls. Valencia and Gates Cecil B. De Mille's spectacular picture, "Cleopatra," is currently on view at Loew's Valencia Theater. Claudette Colbert, Warren William and Henry Wilcoxon have the leading roles.

De Mille has surrounded the glamour of ancient Egypt and the glory of Rome with many thrills of spectacle. The stage of the Valencia assumes a Continental atmosphere with the first appearance in Jamaica of Charlie Mclson and his Merry Mad Gang. The "Gang" includes the Three Sisters, Florence and Alvarez, the Gaudsmith Brothers, Raymond Baird and Evelyn Oakes. At Loew's Gates is "The House of Rothschild," starring George Ar-liss. "Once to Every Bachelor" is the title of the picture that will be on display at the Gates beginning Tuesday.

Other Loew Theaters Feature films at other Loew houses this week follow: ALPINE. BEDFORD. WILLARD -Todav and Monday. "The House of Tuesday to Thurs-j day. "Once to Every Bachelor" and "Moonstone ray RIDGE Todav and Mon- itav.

"The World Moves On" and "Embarrassing Moments'; iuesaay to Thursday. "Housewife" "Take the stand." CENTURY Today. "Stamooul Quest" and "Friends of Mr. Monday and Tuesday, "I Give My Love" and "Elmer and Wednesday and Thursday, "Strictly Dynamite" and "Take the Stand." CONEY ISLAND. 46TH STREET, KAMEO.

PREMIER. ORIENTAL Entire week. "The House of Rothschild." HILLSIDE Todav. "Housewife" and "Take tlffi Monday and Tuesedav. "Strictly Dynamite" and "Demon for Wednesday and Thursday.

"The Party's Over" an "Elmer and Elsie KINtJS and PITKIN Today and Monday. Tuesday to Thursday. "Sidcstreets" and "Once to Every Bachelor.1' Bine Crosby and Miriam Hopkins Brooklyn I sometimes four pictures at a time. While he is editing one, another is being filmed and still another is being written. He is never through and it is inevitable that he is never satisfied.

Even the best of pictures Is compromise and the supervisor is the one most often compromised." Many Were Writers Lord is a prodigious worker and a prolific writer. Oddly enough, most supervisors come from the ranks of the writers and many ot them keep a hand in that end of the business while supervising, as Lord does. During the past year, for example, he has supervised 15 productions, six of which were pictures made from stories which wrote as originals or which he adapted from various sources. Among the productions which he supervised in the past year are such. box office successes as "Footlight Parade," "The World Changes," "As the Earth Turns," "Wonder Bar," "The Man With Two Faces" and "Dames." His biggest recent job has been "Flirtation Walk," a mu sical romance starring Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and Pat O'Brieru Meanwhile, he has written, as originals or adaptations, which he did not supervise, "Convention City," "Merry Wives of Reno," "Housewife" and "Mary Stevens, M.D." A good supervisor is more than that.

He is a super-writer, a super-adapter, a super-director, a super-cutter and a super-diplomat. He is not necessarily a super-politician, since his is a job that is out of the limelight of studio publicity, generally speaking. Lord has a happy faculty of being able to leave his studio troubles behind once he leaves his office and starts home. He refuses to become involved in Hollywood's social whirl. He refuses to answer his telephone at night, even when a company he is supervising is working and in difficulty.

"They can wait," he reasons, "and if once they get the habit of calling me at night, I would have no time to myself at all." But once Lord is In his office he is within easy reach of a thousand telephones and his two lines are almost constantly busy. Story conferences, script changes, title changes, new endings, these and a hundred other details keep him busy between visits to sets, visits to stars, visits to projection rooms to see rushes, visits to the "front office" whence comes his authority, visits here, there and anywhere it may be necessary for him to go to keep his productions moving. Must See Many Films Besides watching his own pictures, it is his duty to see all other pictures his company makes and as many of the better pictures rival companies make as possible. Directors bring him stories they would like to direct. Players bring him characters they would like to play.

Writers tell him plots they would like to develop. He visits his own sets at least once each hour and he seldom gets away without being presented with some difficult problem of story, star or production which he must solve. The biggest part of his job is to solve them and so keep them away from his Immediate chief, Hal Wal-lis, associate executive, who has troubles enough of his own, and from Jack L. Warner, vice president in charge of production, who has tremendous responsibilities on his shoulders. On the average picture the supervisor works with the writers assigned to do the adaptation, the screen play and the dialogue.

This may require close supervision for six, eight or even twelve weeks, with daily consultations. The actual filming averages four weeks. Few people, even within the motion picture industry, realize what the duties of the supervisor are. It more of them had an Inkling of the work he does, the troubles he has, the problems he solves, he might get more credit. But he is fated to get along on nothing except a good salary and hard knocks.

It is not surprising that Lord and others like him have learned to be resignedly philosophical about it. 'Chu Chin Chow' Is New-Feature at the Roxy The long awaited screen production of "Chu Chin Chow," based on the famous stage spectacle, is the current film attraction at the Roxy Theater. A pretentious new variety revue, headed by Zelda Sant-ley, noted comedienne, supplements this screen spectacle. "Chu Chin Chow," produced in England, is the screen version of one of the most famous stage shows in theater history. As a legitimate production it played for two consecutive years at the Century Theater in New York, one full year In Chicago and established an all-time long-run record In London, where it was shown at His Majesty's Theater for more than five years.

All the pageantry and spectacle of the original production have been retained, as has the original musical score. At the Capitol Comedy, detective mystery and gripping drama mingle with the excitement of the baseball field in "Death on the Diamond," which may be seen at the Capitol Theater this week. The story, based on the book bv Cortland Fitzslmmons, author of "70.000 Witnesses," deals with mysterious happenings to a baseball team during a pennant race. Filmed with the co-operation of the St. Louis Cardinals, who are seen in the picture, many famous baseball players appear, In addition to a cast that includes Robert Young, Madce Evans, C.

Henry Gordon and Ted Healy. Jackie Cooper, the "little champ" of the screen, is appearing In person on the Capitol stage, together with George Jewel and Ed Sulli. van. important reviewer ever writes about him. More often than not name is left off the screen titles.

a publicity-conscious industry he gets no attention, except on those occasions when he publicizes himself with paid advertisements in the trade papers. Good supervisors are a scarce commodity. They are paid well and they earn all they receive. Every studio has from four to eight men employed in such a capacity. Some list them as associate producersbut the job is the same.

Eight men at the Warner Brothers-First National studios are "associate producers." They are Henry Blanke, Robert Lord, James Seymour, Edward Chodorov, Sam Bis-choff, Lou Edelman, Robert Pres-nell and Harry J. Brown. All of them are respected by those who know, for the success of the pictures they have supervised at this and other studios. But Robert Lord, who has been a writer and supervisor for Warners longer than any of the others, is, perhaps, the best qualified to speak for himself and his associates. A Challenge "The job is so difficult," he says, "that it is like a challenge.

You dare yourself to keep doing it. To keep in condition for it I take a regular fighter's work-out every noon. I walk 15 to 20 miles a day between my office and the sets of the picture I am supervising. "The supervisor is the first one dii the picture and the last one off. He starts from the Inception of the idea and is not through until the Him is shipped to New York.

In between he writes added scenes and dialogue, listens to everybody's troubles, appeases directors and salves the wounded feelings of the players. He sees all the rushes, sits with the cutters through the process of editing, and when he ends up everybody hates him. "He works with two, three and New Films on View At Century Houses "Paris Interlude," with Otto Krugcr and Madge Evans, and "The Party's Over" are the dual screen features at the Century Circuit's Patio Theater from today to Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, the Patio will present "Stamboul Quest" and "Embarrassing Moments." At the Albemarle Theater the current attractions are "The Girl From Missouri" and "Return of the Terror." During the last half of the week the Albemarle will present "Paris Interlude" and "Murder in the Private Car." "The Girl From Missouri" may be seen currently at the Marine Theater, where it is being shown in conjunction with "Grand Canary." During the last half of the week the Marine's features will be "One More River" and" She Learned About Sailors." At the Kingsway Theater "The World Moves On" is the principal screen offering from today to Tuesday, Beginning Wednesday, "The Lady Is Willing" and "Blind Date" will be shown at the Kingsway. "Stamboul Quest" and "Embarrassing Moments" may be seen during the first half of the week at the Avalon Theater.

They will be succeeded on Wednesday by "Friends of Mr. Sweeney" and "Girl in Danger." RKO Local Houses "The Lady Is Willing," with Leslie Howard, is the current principal screen feature at the RKO Prospect. Ken more, Madison, Greenpoint. Bushwick, Dyker, Or-pheum and Tilyou Theaters. Bin-nie Barnes, charming English actress, appears opposite the star in this production.

During the last half of the week these RKO neighborhood theaters will present "Blind Date," featuring Ann Sothern, Neil Hamilton and Paul Keny. At the RKO Shore Road Theater today and tomorrow "Paris Inter lude" and "The Personality Kid' are the dual screen attractions. From Tuesday to Thursday the Shore Road will present "Here Comes the Navy" and "Along Came Sally." 'Monte Cristo' Coming Dumas' Immortal tale. "The Count of Monte Cristo," will be t)e next picture on the Rlvoli screen, opening Wednesday morning, and following the currently successful "The Affairs of Cellini." Sterling Holloway and Irene Franklin are featured in this spectacular fantasy, produced for RKO Radio Pictures by Paul Sloan and Lou Brock, who made "Flying Down to Rio." Ann Ronnell, who wrote "Who's Afram of the Bid, Bad Wolf?" collaborated with Will Jason, Val Burton, Max hteiner, Cliff Friend and Sidney Mitcnell on the musical numbers. Siilney Fox anil Sidney Blarkmer in 'Down to Their Last at the Albee.

have encountered it at all. Variety speaking: "If all picture players claiming to have had professional experience under the guidance of Max Reinhardt had attended his production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Hollywood Bowl last Monday evening, the 15,000 capacity outdoor theater would have been filled to overflow. "In tracing histories of film players who have come from the stage, it would seem that the only organizations using actors in this country are the Theater Guild, the Civic Repertory and Katharine Cornell. Few movie actors, in giving information for their biographies, admit that medicine shows, Tom' shows, repertory companies or such exist. It would be losing caste to admit an association with a rattlesnake oU outfit.

Sometimes they will go as far as admitting a Summer' or so in stock, but it usually is just one of those things you know, a nice vacation on the Cape. "The usual information is that Reinhardt (if the player has an accent), Eva Le Gallienne or Miss Cornell caught them at a performance of the college (always a college) dramatic club and invited them to come to New York. After that everything was hunky dory. Max, Eva or Kit Cornell and these particular movie actors were usually 'like that from then A perusal of a typical movie biography discloses talk of former theater days and a deep yearning for the time when the actor can return to his first love, but only for a brief spell. You see, they are all tired of the hustle and bustle of trouping and have found a Utopia in Hollywood and its surrounding communities.

Another curious thing about these studio biographies (and Variety mentions that, too) is the fact that few movie actors have less than a college education. It seems that no one ever quit school after the eighth grade. Verily, the educational advantages in this country are great. They permit practically everybody a liberal higher schooling. "It all looks great in print," concludes the Variety debunker.

"Studios love the class attached to their players; the public goes for it, too. However, now and then some hin-terlander bobs up in Hollywood, remembers the time when this or that star played with a tent show In Grand Island, or recalls an incident when he purchased a bottle of Indian herbs from a medicine peddler who also plunked a bit on a banjo, and strangely the herb seller looks a great deal like a reigning star." It's a good story, and as the old sage used to say, there may be a tot of truth in it. There is much speculation at the present time with regard to the picture which Douglas Fairbanks i Sr.) made during his sojourn in England and which arrived recently for its approaching exhibition in America. Doug's new picture is called "The Private Life of Don Juan." One of our English spies, who saw the film in London, reports that Alexander Korda has directed it on a "monumental scale" but that "he has made the mistake of imagining that star value and spectacular setting will compensate for the essential lack of impetus and zest in the story told." The result, according to our London operative, is a picture which is technically dazzling, but, like Don Juan himself, somewhat on the tired side. However, it is hinted that Director Korda's prestige and that of Douglas Fairbanks himself, together with the many individual beauties and graces or the proauc-i tion.

will insure it strong patronage wherever shown. I We learn that the elder Fair-1 banks' forthcoming picture, adapted by Lajos Biro and Frederick Lonsdale, shows a Don Juan so worn, after 20 years of sevillian balcony-rlimbing. that he has to be massaged from head to toe before he reluctantly undertakes another amatory adventure. Nevertheless, his fame not only endures, but grows. When one of his young impersonators is killed in a duel, the whole of feminine Spain goes into mourning.

And Don himself looks on wonderingly, glad to be thought dead. Later he attempts to make his comeback by dramatically forcing himself on the stage during a performance of a play about himself. But the women in the audience will hive none of him. Very much deflated land can this be he eoes back to his only true love, his wife. "The Private Life of Don Juan" will, we think, be a success in America.

Here Mr. Fairbanks is a unique and perennially popuiar screen personality, like Chaplin and Garbo and Mickey Mouse. Invar- lably, whatever he does before the nmfra Is rlsht. American audi- i Curtains popularity if It should become known that she has a grown daugh ter. Miss Teasdale has the role of the domineering mother, who.

after reluctantly admitting the girl's existence, tries to marry her off to the scion of a snobbish family whom the girl does not love. George Brent portrays the role of a man ot the world, once devoted to the mother, and who now falls in love with the unspoiled daughter. Charles Starrett is the rich socialite who is Intrigued by the charm and beauty of the girl but whose family is shocked by her unconventionally and frankness. Others in the cast include John Hal liday. Joan Wheeler.

Pauline True and Barbara Leonard. At the Paramount Attracting moviegoers to the Brooklyn Paramount Theater this week is the picturization of "She Loves Me Not," featuring Bing Crosby, Miriam Hopkins and Kitty car-lisle. "She Loves Me Not," while adhering to the lines of the play of the same name, is said to give Crosby a splendid opportunity to please his radio following with the introduction of three new songs, "Love in Bloom," "I'm Hummln', I'm Sing- The Albee's stage Is presenting Mai Hallett, New England's mae stro, and his aggregation of entertainers and musicians as the current vaudeville head.liners. Among Hallett's entertainers are "Smiling" Frankie Carle, ace pianist; Miss Teddy Grace, charming dispenser of hot tunes; Vickl Joyce, songstress, and the dance sensations, Arlene and Norman Shelby. Others include Clara Barry and Orval Whit-Inge and Jay Seiler and Frances Wills.

'Desirable' at Strand "Desirable," a screen drama of Broadway's theatrical life and it's contact with New York's social set, Is at the Brooklyn Strand thus week. The cast is headed by Jean Muir, George Brent, Verree Teasdale, John Halliday and Charles Star-rett. The picture, based on the story by Mary McCall is filled with dramatic and emotional situations, with rnpier-like dialogue and a climatic clash between a woman of the world and her unsophisticated daushter. Miss Muir plays the part of a sincere and unspoiled girl who has been hidden away in a finishing school by her mother, a reigning beauty of the Broadway stage, who selfishly fears the loss of her own The New Films ALBEE "Down to Their Last Yacht," musical film, featuring Mary Boland. Polly Moran, Sidney Fox.

Ned Sparks, Sterling Holloway and Sidney Blackmer. BROOKLYN PARAMOUNT "She Loves Me Not," comedy, with Bing Crosby, Miriam Hopkins and Kitty Carlisle. BROOKLYN STRAND "Desirable," drama, with Jean Muir. George Brent and Verree Teasdale. CAPITOL "Death on the Diamond," cuama.

featuring Robert Young. Madge Evans, C. Henry Gordon, Ted Healy, Paul Kelly and Nat Pendleton. FOX "Romance in the Rain," comedy with music, featuring Roger Pryor. Heather Angel and Victor Moore.

LOEW'S METROPOLITAN "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back," mystery melodrama, with Ronald Colman, Loretta Young and Charles Butter-worth. MUSIC HALL "The Richest Girl in the World." romantic drama, starring Miriam Hopkins, with Joel McCrea, Fay Wray. Henry Stephenson and Reginald Denny. PARAMOUNT (Manhattan) "Belle of the Nineties," comedy-drama, starring Mae West, with Roger Pryor and John Mack Brown. RIVOLI "The Count of Monte Cristo," romantic melodrama, with Robert Donat, Elissa Landi, O.

P. Heggie, Louis Calhern and Sidney Blackmer. Opening Wednesday. ROXY 'Chu Chin Chow." musical fantasy, with George Robey. Fritz kortner.

Anna May Wong and John Garrick. Fleming to Direct Victor Fleming has been assigned direction of the new untitled Joan Crawford-William Powell musical film which David O. Selznick is to produce at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Franchot Tone, Ted Healy tnd Nat Pendleton are additions to the cast of this picture. 'THE COUNT OF Robert Donat and Elista Landi in 1 1 rvtrimsf: 4 i MONTE CRISTO' APPROACHES BROADWAY in', I'm Whlstlln" and "Straight From the Shoulder.

Right From the Heart." With a supporting cast that includes Warren Hymer, Lynne Overman, Judith Allen and George Barbier. the picture brings to the screen the fanciful tale of wild escapades at Princeton that has convulsed Broadway for months. Charles Lang, who won the 1933 Motion Picture Academy photography award, directed "She Loves Me Not." Gordon and Revel and Robin and Ralnger composed the music. In keeping with the collegiate atmosphere. Emil Hollander directs the Brooklyn Paramount Orchestra in a novel arrangement called "Collegiate," combining the songs of many colleges.

At the Fox A romantic and tuneful screen comedy Is offered at the Fox Brooklyn Theater this week in "Romance in the Rain." Breezy and amusing, this film was produced by the same people who were responsible for "Moonlight and Pretzels." It was written by the same authors and has the same leading man. Roger Pryor is featured in this film with Heather Angel and Victor Moore, the famous vice president of "Of Thee I Sing." Esther Ralston also is in the cast. The story deals with a modern Cinderella, who wins a contest and loses her heart to the man who gave her the opportunity to win fame and fortune. Zach Freedman. now managing director of the Fox and formerly assistant to LeonidotT at the Radio City Music Hall, offers on the stage a new revue called "Southern Ballyhoo." Betty Barthell.

radio singer of popular numbers, makes her debut before the footlights in this presentation. Cecil Mack and his ensemble of 30; Charles Stein, famous stage and radio orchestra leader, are other features of the progra m. Miriam Hopkins Stars On Music Hall Screen "The Richest Girl in the World," a dashing modern romance starring Miriam Hopkins, is the screen feature at the Radio City Music Hall. The supporting cast includes Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Henry Stephenson, Reginald Denny aiid George Meeker. The plot deals with Miss Hopkins' romantic worries.

Being the richest girl in the world, she is a target for fortune-hunters. She exchanges Identities with her secretary-companion only to find that while her charm attracts thrt young man of her heart, the alleged wealth of her secretary also proves a magnet to him. fvr-- 4 it the pirlnrixnlinn of the Dumas story, uhiili Is due Biroli Theater on ednesdny..