Los Angeles Evening Post-Record from Los Angeles, California • 12

Gloria Swanson Switches Stories Signs Harvey Thew to Write i Extra Is Much in Demand Slight Slump in Production! New Type of Atmosphere Rumor That von Stroheim cinematters Edited by Jimmy Starr section of the Los Angeles Record LOS ANGELES SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 1928 always audacious aileen! -w THIS EDITORIAL WISTING an ancient phrase: Youth will venture where older men fear to tread Much has been said about Carl Laemmle Jr assuming the important responsibilities of a production manager and supervisor in his movie plant the Universal Pictures company Perhaps during next year much more will be reporter about the daring of this youngster who stands his feet and meets his successes and failure Without flinching 15 Some have Said that youth gives l'iin this courage Maybe so but kid" said something the other day that made us wonder It was: am in the motion picture business because I like it I need to work I do not! crave glory I like the A11 of that Is true Junior has plenty of money and he has what is called in social circles so he must be working day and night because he likes the game 1 TTNIVERSAL has not during the past year given the cinema fans anything that would cause them to fall out in the aisles in exclamation That is most unfortunate but now is the time that every good little sudici should come to the front and speak its dialogue pieces Junior has the youthful ambition to beat some of his rivals and it is this enthusiasm that will eventually put Universal back on the cinematic map with the theaters in the line of good film entertainment There is still that handicap of too many yes-men around this plant When they are done completely away with then we will begin to notice a change in the spirit qf he productions Frankness in criticism within the studio gates is something that is Mcking in most plants Universal la almost devoid of the aforementioned virtue with the exception of young Laemmle first part-talking drama was very much over-rated Yet we do not feel that we should be super-critical on account of the initial effort The story was clever and likewise the direction The talking episodes did not aid it in the least It might be classed as a good silent film but only a weak attempfj in the ttplicie field Melody of their first all-talking venture was poor but so were all the others We do not condemn it at all Universal will do better much better we hope Notv it is up to Carl Laemmle Jr to build new lines doing away with some of the characters we mentioned above and assume even a bolder attitude perhaps for success in a business that is more often only a game CINEMATTERS Every Move ifi the Movies Thirty-Second Year PREVIEW ON IT WITH SABLES Frank Capra Bushman and Margaret Livingston From the story hy Frank Capra unl refer Milne Title by Morton Blu-menstock Produced and released by Columbia Pictures Previewed at the la Brea theater ONCE again Frank Capra has hit the cinematic nail on the head with a cleverly directed production It With is not the best title In the world nor does it lend Itself to any unusual theme for constructing a plot However Capra and Milne did a fine job of buildipg a sto'ry which is fool-proof to a certain extent and one which contains a splendid routine of suspense It concerns a rather who has-erred In his younger days and a gold-digger who eventually digs her own grave as far as the racketeer business goes Througjh a second marriage the father puts the past into but only until his spn falls In love with a young The girl is found dead Was she murdered or did she commit suicide? We tell the secret of the plot but this rather trite situation has been made vastly interesting and exciting through Capra's di-rectoral handling and the talents of the actors Francis Bushman remains a favorite with us Tor a portrayal that was most difficult and few actors could have carried the part with as much ease as he did Margaret Livingston is again and she is so good as a bad woman! Arthur Rankin playing the role of the son gives another sterling performance Personally we cannot understand why Arthur a big featured player with his name in lights We never expected to see Helene Chadwick playing a mother part but she does it with a finesse that is quite charming June Nash is the Ingenue and with the exception of a poorly made up mouth She makes a very pleasing appearance for one of so little experience An outstanding characterization was done by an actor who played the talking pictures will remove films from class says lewin rnilE most important thing that the talking picture will do foif the screen -L will be to remove It from the class So asserts Albert Lewin assistant to Irving Thalberg and in charge of play purchases at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios Lewin just returned from New York searching for play material for the talking screen Interviewing famous playwrights and the situation reports himself discouraged as to available plays but vastly encouraged as to the new standing of the films In the realm of dramatic literature material 1 1 search Players Work Steady THE day of the character extra has arrived according to Fred Dalig casting director at the Paramount studios in Hollywood More than two-thirds of the extras used by the various studios during the last month have been nien and women he said The Paramount studios alone used only 10 per cent extras during that length of time Datig stated "There ts less and less demand for what we call people among extras in this Datig declared stories that are true to life are being demanded more and more by the public and there is little room in these as a whole for the extras who have1 only complete wardrobes of good clothed as their assets tlie nine picture now in production here we are using chiefly dltict character tjpe In tlie Wallace Beery -Florence Vidor featuring picture we must have real Chi new and other character who appear on the screen a though taken from life The newspaper reporter and other newqtaper workers appearing In Bebe story must look as though they- were actually newspapermen The Viennese In Case of I -ene must appear to be real natives of Vienna and many of the extras we are using in this picture are natives of Austria "It Is the same on down the line Wse have extras In the new tienrgr Bancroft picture Wolf of Wall who look as though they had just rolled np to their brokerage offices In Rolls-Royces Instead of having filed through the big extra gate We have western miner and trwpper types In W'olt Song who look a though they had never lived outside ot the wilderness 8hopworm we had to tiearch for several hundred men who looked like hard-boiled regular soldier They had to be distinct characters We are now employing many extras who have French characteristics for 'Marquis Adolphe picture extra list for The Four Feathers' Included more than 20U0 African types to appear as the famous Fuzzy -Wuzziea We had to have distinct Indian types for and foreign characteristics for extras on of the find this case true throughout the Industry With a full production schedule we are finding use for a large number of extras at this The following is the authentic account of the extras used during the past week: October" 6 October 13 6704 October 20 6328 October 27 6169 4- PARAMOUNT PREPARING Shall Chas Rogers star Dorothy Arzner director (Mixed types) Untitled story Ruth Taytoi and James Hall co-starred: Clarence Badger director (Mixed types) All diar logue No cast selected Robert Milton director (Comedy types) "Sunset Jack Holt star Otto Brower director (Western types) Innocents of Maui Ice Chevalier featured IVArrast director (French and mixed types) Starting next month PaaPA "The Wheel of Rickard f)lx and Florence Vidor co-stars: no director yet (Mixed types) Starting next month SHOOTING on Ruth Chatterton featured William DeMllle director (Mixed types) All talking film SHOOTING Untitled comedy Bebe Daniels star Edward Sutherland director (Mixed and gangster types) 8HOOTING Shopworn Angel" Nancy Ca-roll and Gary Cooper featured Richard Wallace director (Society and soldier types) SHOOTING Week Bruts" Clara Bow star Clarence Badger director (Tenement and young dress types) SHOOTING "The Canary Murder All-star cast Malcolm St Clair director (Mixed types) Sound version SHOOTING Four All-star castMarlan Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack directors (Mixed typea) SHOOTING Wolf of Wall Georg Bancroft -star Rowland Lee director (Society and mixed typea) SHOOTING Case of Lena Esther Ralston featured with an all-star cast Josef von Sternberg director (Mixed types) 8HOOTING "Tong Wallace Beery and Florence Vidor featured William Wellman director (Chinese and mixed types) PREPARING Elyetyn Brent featured no director yet (South soa natives and mixed typea) Starts In November SHOOTING Cary Cooper featured Victor Flemlrg director (W'esterti and mixed types) I G- Adolphe Menjou star Frank Tuttle director (Mixed types) Emil Jaunirgs star Lewis Milestone director (Immigrant types) Starts In November FIRST NATIONAL 4 4 "Weary Richard Bartlielmess star Frank Lloyd director (Gangster and mixed type) Starting next month "Children of the Rlt-Jack Mulhall aivl Dorothy Mackalll co-stars John Francis Dillon director (So ctety apd mixed types) Starting next month SHOOTING "ThaCs a Bad Colleen Moore star William A Seiter director (Mixed types) Aileen Pringle Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer featured player is always affecting some new plain or fancy and this happens to be her latest idea as far as an evening head-dress is concerned Personally quite Interested In exotic and those lips! Oh well May Not Do Directing AKVEY THEW signed to writ tlie screen story of for Gloria Swanson! The sentence is worthy of su exclamation point because therp 4v4 been so many rumblings throughout the movie eolbny to the effect that the plans for a Swdnson-Erich on Stroheim vehicle might miscarry It seems that William LeBarod who has the Swanson producing fortunes in his especial charge with the of Benjamin Glazer who is to supervise the sound elements is rushing the preparation of another story to hold as an alternative to the script of It was understood that everything was for th production of the Gloria Swanson vehicle for Christmas release but Von Stroheim enjoys the unique di-tinction of never having met a distribution at least as in the year Thew who Is one of the ace scenarists in films though an unexploited scribe and therefore littl heard from already is busily engaged in translating the Lucy Ston Terrill (Mrs Heywood Broun) story into screen form He co-authored for the screen with A Younger having suffered through the vicissitudes of Harry Pollard's illresses and production troubles and the writing of several versions of the piece for the severally planned releases of the special They did many of the Wallie FcVl successes of the past and Reginald Denny with hi series of script!) a well ha subsequent Denny far Universal When fudeed late last night about the rumors of possible laxstponcmnt of the Von Stroheim directorial prot-gram Thew affected surprise at lh gossip and stated that knew nothing of the policy of the that he simply was interested in turning out worthy story for the brilliant Gloria He admitted However that hts instruction er8 to work at top speed Corlnne Griffith star Gregory La Gavg director (Mixed types) Starting next month PRBPARING Man and the Billie Dove star Alexandsr Korda dlrecto (Society and mixed types) PREPARING Bluffers" AMc White star Mervyn be Roy director (Collegiate and mixed types) Starting next month 8HOOTING Footprints Thelma Todd featured Benjamin Christensen director (Mixed types) Starting this month PREPARING "The Cnmedy ef Life Milton Sill star Alexander Korda director (Foreign apd mixed typa Starting late In November SHOOTING Dorothy Mackalll star George Fitsmaorte director (Mixed nd South Sea native typea) A Photophone film METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIO I SHOOTING John Gilbert star William Nigh director (Mixed itypes) PREPARING Green No star yet Rupert Julian director (Mixed types) Starting next month Five Girl Marlon Davies star Al Green director (Mixed types) Starting next month SHOOTING All colored cast King Vidor director (Colored extras) PREPARING Band" No etar yet Jack Conway director (Mixed types) Starting next month "The Duke Steps Out" William Halnea star James Crux director (Mixed and society types) Starting this month No star yet Clarence Brown director (Mixed types) Starting In October PREPARING "Th Pagan Ramon Novarro star: Fred Nlblo director (South Sea Mil's and mixed types) Starting this month SHOOTING Mysterious Island" Lionel Barrvmore featured Lucian Hub-hard director (South Sea native nd mixed typea) SHOOTING "Tlie Bellamy Triad" Leatrire Joy featured: Edmund Gould-Ing director Remsklhg acmes for talking picture (Mixed type) Bridge of nan I nls Charles Brabln director i- star yet (Mixed typea) Starting October "The Hong director ft a of extra list yet Probably th flrlst sound Mini Starting late In November SHOO I NG "BrosMlwny Melody" Anita Page featured Harry Besumort director (Chorus glrla gangster ani mixed types SHOOTING -All at Arthur and Karl Dane co-atarr-dj Alf Gcmldlng director (Gangster and mixed types) "The last ot Mr I Norm Shearer star Robert lonard-director (Society and mixed typea) Storting In November Trial of Mnry No stai or director yet lMIrd types) To ha talking film Starting 1st In November Horn" A Vi I tyke director oo ataur yat (No extras used TATHE STUDIO 4 4 PREPARING "Square Shoulders' Junior Coghlan star no director yet (Mixed types) Starting nftt month SHOOTING William Bovd star: Howard Itlgeln director (Mixed tvpe SHOOTI NU Noisy Eddie Quillgn featured Charles Refsner director (Mixed typg) "The Office Scandal Phyllis Haver star Paul Steth director It With may be classed as a very good entertainment Jimmy Starr Two Cents talking movies by Stanley Houghton is to be a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talking short subject with Lowell Sherman Cyril Chadwick and Betty Francisco featured Sherman will also direct Paramount's first all-talking comedy will be "The by Harvey and Harriet Ford Robert Milton wftl direct from an adaptation by Herman ankle wicz "Shady and two of latest features will have talking sequences It is understood Henry Lehrman is directing a Movietone short subject for Fox with an all-star cast Clark and McCullough have completed a Fox -Movietone comedy under the direction of Norman Taurog Bert Glennon directed the talking prologue to which stars Chester Conklin for FBO Marshall Neilan made the silent version Lionel Barrymore is to direct a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Movietone production Robert Ames Carroll Nye Yvonne Stark and Christine Yves are featured Kenyon Nicholson wrote the act Love first talking film for United Artists has been changed to William Boyd Jetta Goudal and Lupe Velez are featured Carlo De Angelo New 'York stage director will make his first talking picture for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Casino Is the ttlle Kenyon Nichelson wrote the act Creighton Hale Benny Rubin and Raymond Keane are in the cast scheduled to get underway within the next two weeks Green Is to direct Marion Davies in Five and Cruze will handle the megaphone on William Duke Steps I What with the novelty films and short subjects already in action and those going into action Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Is likely to be heralded as the in the film capital madcap marion Little Marion Byron Hal Roach comedienne has the nickname ot but she working any shell game we know Marion is one-half of the new feminine team of Marion Byron and Anita Uarvin What a pair and how! M-G-M Is Busy Studio Dennison Clift to Direct Extras New Films Start ij Series of Pictures in England among the new Broadway plays he admits best plays so far are still the out- ntuff this winter bathing suit! mm Do your winter bathing i Christmas is nearly here and all that sort of present stuff Her is Anita Page tliat 100 per cent modern flapper of Metro-Goldwyn -Mayer studios in her December beach costume standing holdovers from last he says in discussing his quest course when we go to New York to see plays we expect a lot and then get the reaction that our pictures are pretty good after all I saw a really inspiring Arthur Hopkins but don't think that it wohld make a picture main trouble so far has been that the motion picture has been too apologetic we have rather admitted that the spoken stage is a step upward in the field of art But as a matter of fact the pic-ture is better than tpe average play and a visit to New York will prove it I Once in a while there is a really great play and once in a while a really greamrhovie But on the average pictures run along on an average grade that Is better than the grade of the average stage Play if we compare the high peak of play bc with the high peak of picture MccfM we find that films have nothing to apologize for And now that the eyes of the stage playwright are turning to talking pictures this apologetic attitude of the screen will promptly and this is the greatest thing that could ever happen 4 us exception playwrights are tremendously Interested today in tlie sound picture and all eager to take a hand In the new art They recognize opportunity which is the true aim of every As to the form the motion picture ulll take under the Influence of modern stage plays Lewin says that technical matters will more or less govern this a matter of he says "the stage has just learned art art the picture has the art of -the cutting room Take the outstanding hits on the stage on Broadway Front Page and 'The Royal produced by the same man Jed Harris Each is a rapid succession of ideas firtsd at the audience with lightning-like speed Jed Harris in movie parlance is a great cutter He keeps several sub-plots going with parallel action and no drags or waits but rapid cuts from one sub-plot to the other so that audience attention simply get away from it In other words he does what we do when we gauge our footage So nothing new for us to learn there know yet what we can do in terms of tempo with the new talking film as still in the development stage but we do know that we can do many things the stage can do What then? Well a new art as to plays Well get some from Broadway and some written direct for the screen After all an idea is an idea no matter how it John Cromwell who quit the New York cast of of the to start his contract with Paramount arrived in Hollywood this week to become a member of stock company He will go Into training for directorial work Director Otto Brower and Cameraman Roy Clark are now in Winslow Arizona on a scouting expedition for locations to be used in Zan Grey story in which Jack Holt will be featured slow-moving detective Unfortunately we missed his name on the screen Betty Balfour British Star Will Be Featured THAT Dennison Clift young American director and scenarist has taken his place among the leaders in the advancement of the motion picture industry in England is revealed in reports coming from across the sea that Clift has been signed by the British International Film Company to direct a series of pictures with Betty Balfour reigning British film star new contract is the result of his direction of a British International picture which the London critics have hailed as the best picture yet produced on the British Isles Following a trade showing- one of the leading cinema reviewers characterized it by saying last we are getting the-best type of American pictures made in Silver Rosary" starring Betty Balfour will be next assignment and he Is also writing a novel Insurance story at which he is scheduled to direct later Dennison Clift is a Stanford graduate and is well known in Hol-Js'wood for his directorial work at ox and for his numerous screen stories including a ee which was produced by Pathe with signal success Ho is also the author of Gun of one of last best-selling novels Among hi successful plays are Woman which was presented on the New York stage with Lowell Sherman and Ann Harding before It was brought to the screen as a starring vehicle for Norma on the dotted line LOYD CORRIGAN author of a number of screen plays and originals for Clara Bow and Bebe Daniels has signed a new contract as a Paramount staff writer Viola Brothers Shore noted magazine writer has signed a contract under which she will write screen stories for Paramount In the future George Marion Jr one of most famous title writers has renewed hi contract with for Fashionable Mob -Scenes in Two Productions exceptionally well-dressed people ranging from 10 years of age to 60 and 150 beautiful girls the dwarfs and midgets were out of luck in dominating the extra boards at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio this week The 250 well-groomed players furnished the human background of the untitled picture which Sidney Franklin Is directing with Greta Garbo as the star Nils Asther as her leading man and Iewis Stone in support The first scenes of the picture were Monday The 350 beautiful girls were trying out and being Selected for Harry version of Broad- way first 100 per cent sound and talking photoplay Among the 'members of the cast are Bessie Love Anita Page Charles King and Jed Prouty With plans for six directors to begin action within the sext two weeks it looks like a busy season for Van Dyke left today for Honolulu with Ramon Novarro and a huge cast to make next starring vehicle on the islands of the South Seas William Nigh started today with John Gilbert and a big supporting cast at the studio Robert Leonard starts work on Norma new photoplay Monday at the studio The title is Last of Mrs AI Green and James Cruze are in the making £EORGE CHANDLER is starred in Ro- a western story at Universal Walter -Fabian directed while Regina Doyle had the feminine lead Arthur Lake has completed for Universal Doran Cox directed A switch in production dates has caused a change leading men for Bebe Daniels in her current Paramount picture a story of newspaper life The change places Neil Hamilton opposite Daniels instead of Robert Castle MRS will tion of trout ranch Claude Gillingwater Jr makes his bow into the movies as an actor in College which features Marceline day under Christy direction for Cob umbia Rosa Rosanova has a featured role in Younger which stars Jean Hersholt and Lina Basque! te for Columbia pictures Frank Capra is directing 4 4 Bob Steele is starred in at for FBO Wallace Fox directed from a story by Frank Howard Clark 4 Robert DeLacy is directing Tom Mix in "The or FBO Anna Nilsson and Wallace MacDonald are featured In for FBO George Seitz is handling the megaphone WALLACE REID complete the- on Noah the script workers QYLVIA THALBERG and Frank Butler are preparing the adaptation of Five for Marion Davies at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A1 Green will direct George Marion jr is titling Week Clara latest picture and to Charles starring vehicle for Paramount-! Julian Johnson head of the title department at the Paramount studios is writing the" titles for Richard latest Paramount picture which was filming in natural color MAKE-UP SERVICE Complete make-up service has been rendered to the stage and screen profession by Max Factor for over twenty years We maintain the largest and most complete studios in the world Max Factor Make-Up Studios HOLLYWOOD 1666 No Highland Ave 9 Feet Sooth of Hollywood Blvd Hollywood 6191 LOS ANOEIJfiS BRANCH 326 South Hill St Metropolitan 0628.