Evening Star Newspaper, August 10, 1930, Page 44

AMU SEMENTS. Flashes From the Screen By C. E. Nelson. T is always pleasant to com- pliment a screen actor or actress upon his or her work, and it is doubly pleasant to remark u the work of a new* comer to the film world. Joe Cook has long been a favorite with stage audiences, and his new pic- ture, “Rain or Shine,” places him in a class with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd as a screen comedian. In welcaming a new comedian to the movie world, one feels that we are to receive more real enjoyment than in greeting an accomplished actor in heavier roles. The scrgen cannot have too many comedians. We go to the film theaters to be amused. The producers of Joe Cook’s first picture should feel gratified with the reception it has received all over the country. With his one effort, the comedian finds an established place in the scheme of movie affairs, and his pictures of the future should be even better than this “Rain or Shine.” * x * % What is an artist? What makes an artist? And how does an artist be- come an alleged millionaire? All of these Ttestlou: came to my mind as watched Eddie Cantor caper hither and yon on the stage last week. He rolled his pop-eyes, changed his hats, told a few off-color versions of Nea-bitten jokes and sang some songs. Probably it is the vehicle that helps the artist in becom- ing an artist; not so much the artist’s personality and ability, but the writer’s cleverness in producing a satisfactory and appropriate setting for this same personality and ability. I use and wonder about these hings. * ¥ ¥ X DAVID BELASCO, dean of the stage proflucers, on his recent seventy-seventh birthday, pre- dicted the downfall of talking pictures. Naturally, his state- meénts are not in accord with the opinions of a great number of the 122,000,000 persons in the United States, but on account of the fact that they came from Mr. Belasco they are worth recording at this time. The famous pro- ducer says: “If 1 were younger and had ?lenty of money, I would go into he production of silent pictures. That is the right field for the right man today. Good, silent pic- tures would sweep the country today. The great mistake of the motion picture producers was that of launching the talking pictures. The silent picture was one of the most interesting developments in the field of entertainment. It has deteriorated from an art to a nuisance with the introduction of the ‘squawkies.’ The talking pic- ture interested the public in the first place as a novelty and then as a freak. The novelty has worn off, and there are signs every- where that the people are tiring of the talking picture. The diffi- eulty is not o that of the me- ehanical faults of reproduction, but the inferiority of the motion picture product. The producers cannot turn out good king pic- tures on a large scale. A producer |lis] of legitimate drama has to work and struggle with raw material all ear, and he is exceedingly lucky he produces one or two good plays. The talking picture com- panies aim at producing 25 or 30, or more, talking pictures in the course of a year. No wonder the average talking picture is what it is. e talking picture producers can never get playwrights to turn out good work on any such scale.” Mr. Belasco . has overlooked several ints in his argument against the talking picture, which, in all probability, has become an established entertainment fea- ture. The talking pictures are drawing greater audiences than ever before. The general public shows no inclination to abandon themn. 7The motion picture pro- ducing organizations show greater rofits than ever before in the his- of the industry, in spite of a national depression. Also, improving.- One cannot be un- aware of this fact after following the talkies from their origin. There is no getting away from the fact that bad talkies are being ex- hibited, but, as a general rule, they are very good. It is safe to say that the general average of the motion picture producers in much higher than that of the stage pro- | ducers. - Also, it is safe to predict that the silent picture will never re- turn. It has been displaced by a better, more complete and more iInteresting form of entertain- ment. * ok ox o* Regardless of the -fact that Fred Waring, who led his Pennsylvanians at the Palace last week, high-hatted his audience and his orchestra, the theater had one of the biggest weeks of its career. Fred, who wore a hat almost as high as the Washington Monument, reprimanded his audience dur- ing his second show at the theater, but his music is very popular. x o k% 'AMATEL'R writers of motion icture scenarios have prac- tically been eliminated from the scene. First National Pictures announces that fully 80 per cent of the unsolicited manuscripts have been cut from the list since the coming of talking pictures. In the old days, some of the scenario departments of the studios re- turned the unsolicited manu- scripts unopened, because it was found that the percentage of worthwhile ideas was very low. C. Graham Baker, head of First Na- tional’s story department, believes that fewer manuscrlgts are being sent to Hollywood by ambitious but untrained writers because of the present necessity for dialogue. The larger studios employ one erson whose part-time work is E) sort all incoming mail, remove all unsolicited manuscripts and return them by the next mail to their senders. A record is kept of all such packages as a matter of legal protection. 8o, the field of the amateur writer has narrowed down It was possible, in the old days, to sell the idea for a silent picture, but the studios now em- ploy large staffs of writers, many of them well known novelists and authors of short stories. * x kX Now that vaudeville is al- most a thing of the past, the | BEO organization considered, the | technique of the talking picture is | a short time ago, of eliminat- ing the 'word “vaudeville” and changing it to ‘“varieties.™ However, after an office con- Jerence, was decided to make it “vaudeville varieties” and this can mean almost any- thing. Among new pictures: “A Gay i % Caballero,” being made by Warner Brothers, has had its iname changed. When it reaches |the screen it will be known as |“Captain _ Thunder"”...“Outward | Bound,” the Sutton Vane play, | has been comPleu:d by the War- ners, and Leslie Howard, who ap- peared in the stage version, has the leading role in screen produc- tion...It has been decided that Director Herbert Brenon’s next icture will be “Beau Ideal” rom a novel by Percival C. Wren. This story will be the last of a trilogy by the same author, the first having been “Beau Geste” and the second “Beau Sabreur” ...Estelle Taylor has been select- ed for the role of Dixie Lee in “Cimarron.” Richard Dix will glny the stellar role of Yancey ravat, but an actress for the role of the wife, Sabra, has not been found...Lowell Sherman, who di- rected and acted in “Lawful Lar- ceny,” has torn up his perfectly good two-year contract with KO. But there is a reason for such an act. On account of his recent work, Sherman was offered a five-year contract by the pro- ucers, and he accepted...It is the evident intention to keep Warner Baxter in the one type of roles forever. His next picture will carry the title of “Rene- ades,” and Myrna Loy has the eadmghieminme role. ..Zasu Pitts lays the part of a knife-thrower a circus in “Beyond Victory” ...Frank McHugh has played the Fll’t of a drunk in his first six alking g‘l,cturel, Now he has a chance be sober in “College Lovers.” * ok % 1f you should care for such things, don’t miss the wax fig- ures of Doug Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton on the Steel Pier at Atlantic City. In these days of sophisticated entertain- ment, how and why a waz flg- ure group continues to draw customers is one of the marvels % the age. It is estimated that ,000 persons viewed the war figures in a single day. * k% % Short Flashes. THE American producers of “Journey’s End” are remak- ing versions of the picture for foreign lands. An entire French cast will be used for the French version, and it will also be made for the Spanish theaters. El Brendel, the Fox comedian, has been forced to employ a Scandinavian secretary. Not long ago he was halled as a Swede “who made good” in this country. He received so many letters from Denmark and Sweden that the secretary was necessary. Brendel was born in this country, and the on:ly language he speaks is Eng- * k% % Milton Sills has the leading role in “Network,” an original story. David Rollins, one of the zgunger featured Ylayen. has’ en assigned to a role in the Fox | picture “Up the River.” Jack Oakie has started work in a new picture which has not been titled. The story centers about a henvyweight champion of the Atlantic fleet. Others in the cast are Lillian Roth, Jean Del Val, Eugene Pallette, Albert Conti, Ivan Simpson and Tom Ricketts. Clara Bow's new picture, “Her Wedding Night,” was once known as “Little Miss Bluebeard.” Ralph Forbes, Charles Ruggles and sx:&ts Gallagher have featured pal . According to reports this week, Irene Rich has been selected for |{the Amos and Andy picture, | “Check and Double Check,” and | others of the cast are being picked out gradually. Melville Brown will direct the first screen effort of the radio stars. | The RKO unit which went to Alaska to make scenes for “The Silver Horde” returned to Holly- {wood a few days ago, reporting. that it was entirely too hot up |there to do the work. | Henry Ford is to be congratu- |lated on the speech he made for the Movietone News. It is the shortest on record, and it runs as follows: “All I want to say is that there is no such thing as ‘no chance.’” | George Bancroft's new picture, |once known as “Rolling Down to |Rio,” has been changed to “Ty- | phoon BilL.” | Fritz Tidden, a former news- | paper man, makes his debut as a character actor in the new Joan Crawford picture, “The Great ay. Reginald Denny has the lead- ing role in “Those Three French | Girls,” his first Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer picture. “The New Moon,” in which Lawrence Tibbetts and Grace |Moore have the leading roles, |is being made in Hollywood. The musical comedy will include song hits of the original Broad- {way production in addition to special numbers for the two stars. | Chiquita, another Mexican | actress, will have a part with Tom Patricola in a short comedy. Marie Prevost plays a comedy part in “War Nurse.” . First Effort Wins Honor. JAM!S WHALE, the young English- man who directed the Tiffany- Gainsborough talking screen version of R. C. Sherriff’s play, “Journey’s End,” learned, on his arrival from England recently, that he had been named one of the ten best directors of 1930. It is an honor, in his case, that has never been awarded a director _before, for “Journey's End” was the first picture, either silent or talking, Mr. Whale ever directed. Tiffany’s talking screen version of “Journey's End” was shown at the Roxy Theater, New York, Friday for the first time in New York City at pop- ular prices. The picture had its New York premiere at the Gayety Theater April 8 and ran 14 weeks to capacity business. ‘The cast, headed by Colin Clive, who originated the part of Stanhope in the English company, includes Ian Mac- Laren, David Manners, Billy Bevan, Anthony Bushell, Warner Klinger, Rob- ert A'Dair, Thomas Whiteley and Jack THE SUNDAY (Greta in Famous Old Play. pEOFLE who can recall the theater in its palmy days do not need to be reminded of the merits of Edward Sheldon’s famous old play “Romance,” in which Doris Keane was a gem of purest ray serene on both sides of the Atlantic. They will doubtless feel a keen sense of satisfaction in the knowl- edge that the movie magnates have se- cured it and had it adapted for the screen by Bess Meredyth and Edwin Justus Mayer, the author of “The Fire- brand,” as a starring vehicle for Greta Garbo. Miss Garbo's recent sensational development into an emotional actress of dignity, power and exceptional tal- ents gives promise that she will be able to meet the dramatic opportuni- | ties given her adequately and perhaps | brilliantly. “Romance” is the story of an opera prima donna’s frustrated love ambition, and, as the play was presented as far back as 1865, its screen action was {1aid in a_picturesque setting in New York, in the atmosphere of aristocratic Washington Square. Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer, the producers, are said to have spared no expense in reproducing shis setting even more elaborately than was possible on the stage. Indeed, it is claimed they spent a small fortune in doing this, reproducing in complete de- tail an entire area of New York's his- toric square, with its park, costly man- sions and other interesting details, Another outstanding detail that ranks with this in spectacular setting is & replica of New York’s old Academy of Music, where the dramatic climax is reached. The set has been recol structed from floor plans and tural prints of the once ultr able theater and provides seating space for an audience of 1,500 persons, who witness the second act of Flotow's opera “Martha,” just as it was pre- sented 65 years ago. ‘This should be a dramatic picture that ought to rank' with the best the movies have ever preduced. Sihilogs After New TdEas; AN old saying has it that “sailors on leave take a row in the lake, while mail carriers spend theirs hiking.” At any rate, all the big amusement park men are getting ready for_ their Midsummer meeting at Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday of the current week, when members of the National Association of Amusement Parks will frolic In one of America's greatest amusement parks as the guests of the D, 8. Humphrey Co., owners of the resort. Leonard B. Schioss, managing di- rector of Glen Echo Park, who is vice president of N. A, A. P, will be on hand. He also intends to visit several other parks on his trip, and the result probably will be many thrilling new ideas for Glen Echo. MAUREEN O'SULLIVAN, Late of Ireland, who has a featured role in the John McCormack picture, “Song o My Heart.” Her mew picture is a musical romance with the title, “Just Imagine.” Songs in “Let's Go Native." SIX melody numbers, sung by four former stars of *the Broadway musical stage, are featured in “Let’s Go Native,” Paramount’s shipwreck and tropical island romance. “My Mad Moment” and “It Seems to Be Spring” are sung by Jeanette Mac- Donald, golden-haired heroine of “The Love Parade” and “The Vagabond King,” in harmony with James Hall. Jack Oakle and Kay Francis have & snappy duet in “I've Got a Yen for You.” Oakie also teams with Willlam Austin in singing “Let's Go Native” and has another number, “Joe Jazz." “Don't. I Do.,” is sung by Skeets Galiagher. Miss Francis and Austin are making their melody debuts in the picture. The song numbers have dance routines and 75 chorus girls worked throughout the production. George Marion, Jr. coauthor with Percy Heath of the story, wrote the lyrics and Richard A. Whiting com- posed the melodies. Warner News for T'K.irldies." ROY MACK, who has directed a num- ber of Technicolored Vitaphone Va- rities, has made another “kiddie revue,” in black and white photography. It is called “Showin’ Off.” and it will be & group of 23 singing and dancing chil- dren, from 2 t years of age. Spe- clal music for i was composed by Harold Levey. | presented by the Jack Loeb Juveniles, | = Pitcairn. DANCING. T e Regd rih OT8i. | 3038 F st Bw. No TAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, AUGUST 10, 1930—PART FOUR. A SONG OF THE SOUTHLAND AL JOLSON, In & scene from his newest motion be a perfect vehicle for the talent ctul the singer. “Big Boy.” The story is claimed to Photoplay Attractions (Continued From First Page.) car with her new friend. The car struck and killed a pedestrian. Con- cealing the fact that she was in the automobile, the girl asks Powell to de- fend her friend. At the trial it is sud- denly disclosed that the girl was driving with the accused man. From this point the story gathers new force and mounts to a powerful climax. In the cast are Thomas E. Jackson, famous as the detective in “Broadway”; a«':ut: Kolk, James Finlayson and Charles est. The Evening Star-Universal newsreel, with Graham McNamee broadcasting | current events, and Vitaphone Varieties will be added attractions. COLUMBIA—Norma Shearer in “Let Us Be Gay.” 'ORMA SHEARER, aided and abetted by Marie Dressler, is featured at Loew’s Columbia in the Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer production “Let Us Be Gay,” an adaptation of the play by Rachel Cro- ‘The cast includes Rod La Rocque, Gilbert Emery, Hedda Hopper and Ray- mond Hackett. ‘The story revolves about a plain, everyday woman who loves her children and her husband, Bob. One day she discovers him in the arms of another woman, and she immediately secures a divorce. Then she begins. 'aris she completes her education in the art of femininity until all the men she meets are fascinated with her. Mrs. Bou- cieault, an eccentric old lady, sends for her to vamp a man who is paying too much attention to her granddaughter, Diane. Kitty arrives on the scene to find her ex-husband the offending indi- vidual. He is surprised to see the change in his wife and falls in love with her again. She refuses, however, to encour- age Bob, declaring she is through with men. But after a series of humorous episodes the young gra ughter goes back to her former sweetheart, and then—what would you? ‘The Hearst Metrotone News, short subjects and the Columbia Orchestra under Claude Burrows complete the program. R-K-O KEITH'S—Joe Cook in “Rain or Shine.” OE COOK in “Rain og 8hine” is held over this week at R-K-O Keith's. His picture is said to have broken all Summer attendance records at the Fi teenth street playhouse. Stage stars, screen stars, vaudeville stars and circus stars all combine to make “Rain or Shine” a laugh sensation of the season, and all are outshown by Joe Cook him- self, who exhibits some of his best non- sense. He 1§ a comedian with a brand of laugh material exclusively his own. And the picture discloses him as an a robat, a musician, a juggler, a tight- rope walker, a magician, & singer and what not. A circus, complete in every detail, forms the background of the story. This is said to be the first time a stage mu- sical comedy has been brought to the screen without using the music. of the music, Columbia has accentuated the comedy and given the production a colorful circus background, with all the color and glamour of the sawdust ring. ‘The picture shows the efforts of Joe Smiley to keep the Rainey Circus run- ning smoothly and profitably for Mary Rainey, despite the villainous behavior of the ringmaster and the lion tamer and the mean habits of the weather man. One has to see it to really appre- clate it. It is side-splitting. Louise Fazenda, William Collier, jr., ——— Wilson-Greene CONCERTS, 1930-31 CONSTITUTION HALL 21, JOSE ITURBL Sensational Planist Jan, 15, KREUTZBERG and GE World's Greatest Dancers " Feb. 3, BOSTON SYMPHONY ORC Br." Berke. Koussevitsty, Gonducior. Feb. 13, YEHUDI MENUHIN. 7 Phenomenal Boy Vioiiniat Feb. 2. Mme. JERITZA. Leaditie Bopren, Mer CAfter an absence of olitan_Opera. veral years.) ARTISTS’ COURSE, 4:30 Nov. 14, GERALDINE FARRAR. Soprano. Dee. 11, FRITZ KREISLER. Jan, 13, BENIAMINO GIGLIL. Tenor, Met. Opera. (By request. Feb. 10. GRACE MOORE. Leading Soprano, Metro. Opera Co. o 51350, $18.50, 311, $9, 88, oo WILSON-GREENE EVENING COURSE ¢ Maier & Pattiso v, world's sreates riists ‘to be announces Nov. 29. CLARE CLAIBERT. Phenomenal Belgian Soprano. Dec. 13, DON COSSACK RUSSIAN MALE HORUS. “Singing Horsemen of the Steppes.” Jan. 13, JOSEF HOFMANN, Great, Planist Jan. 31, ROLAND HAYES. Gelebrated Colored Tenor, Instead | Joan Peers, Adolph Milar and Alan Roscoe all perform cleverly, and Mr. Cook’s stage assoclates, Tom Howard and Dave Chasen, are not far behind the star, while Louise Fazenda and Tom Howard make one of the greatest comic combinations ever seen on the screen. Frank Capra directed “Rain or Shine” and also “Submarine,” “Flight” and “Ladies of Leisure.” He has the flair for comedy. No doubt of that. Starts New Sea Story. (GEORGE BANCROFT'S new picture for Paramount, as yet untitled, is now in production at the Hollywood studios under the direction of Rowland V. Lee, who directed “Ladies Love Brutes.” It is a vigorous sea tale, in which Bancroft plays the hard-boiled ship's captain. The story is an original by Willlam Slavens McNutt and Grover Jones. | soon by Paramount. iouise William New Vitaphone Varieties. ’I'HE Vitaphone Corporation, which is participating in the Warner Bros. silver anniversary month, makes the “Vitaphone Varieties,” short-reel fea- tures, that add novelty and zest to pro- grams. Vitaphone Varieties, which will be at the service of all Warner theaters in Washington, will include new issues of Robert L. Ripley's “Believe It or Not” novelties, the “Looney Tunes” ani- mated song cartoons, and J. P. Mc- Evoy's “The Potters.” Among the Brocdway stars to be seen are Lew Fields, Henry Hull, Joe Prisco, Otto Kruger, Betty Compton, De ‘Wolf Hopper, Ruth Etting, James Ren- nie, Ona Muhson, Lou Holts, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Alexander., Vivienne Osborne, Eddie Foy, jr.; Barbara New- berry, Sylvia Sidney, Eddie Buzzell, Phoebe Foster, Harry Fox, Ernest Glendenning, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Harry McNaughton, Roger Pryor, Clif- ton Webb, Fred Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Norworth and Doree Leslie. Others, not all of the stage, to be featured include Milton C. Work, inter- national expert on auction and contract bridge: Mark Hellinger, New York Mir- ror's Broadway reporter; Damon Run- yon, sports writer; Norman Broken- shire, radio announcer; Harry Rosen- thal, former orchestra conductor and recently star of “June Moon"; Charles Peterson, billiard champion; James J. Corbett, former heavyweight champion, t.}'x‘: 'i\‘lll:x Schmeling, present holder of LR Monkey- and Myatery. ESTERNS are the order of the day and, whether man descends from monkey or vice-versa, the Tiffany Chimp Family are not to be outdone when it comes to making timely pic- tures. Now that they have completed “The Blimp Mystery,” a satire on the mod- ern craze for detective stories, the Chimps are making “the” great West- ern. 8ig Neufeld is directing the antics of these chimpanzees, and the shorts are being filmed with sound and in dialogue from the pen of Jack Natteford. The Chimps are a famous family and they are uncomfortably like men since they appear in the flims in masculine and! feminine attire, ride in airplanes, use guns, play the piano, make love and, in all, are very human. ‘The Chimp Family is going to make » series of six pictures, two-reelers, and the stories have been written to satirize the popular demand of audiences. The Chimps are clever and their serious miens are said to be funnier than any ple-throwing, slapstick comedy tha ! ever been invented. M.-G.-;’[‘. Gets Man With Record. l | ETRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER has an | nounced the acquisition of C. Gardner Sullivan, one of the best known and most successful production executives in the film industry. to act | as assistant to Irving G. Thalberg, | vice president and production chief of | the Culver City Studios, Sullivan’s training in sereen produc- | tion dates from 1914, when he went to work for Thomas H. Ince as a scenario writer, Before that he had been a newspaper reporter in New York. Later Mille’s producting company, and then held the same ition at United Artists. More recéntly he has been scenario editor at Universal Studios. Although he retired from the stage some time ago, Cyril Maude agreed to | perform his famous “Grumpy” role for the screen. The picture is to be released OUR MAMMOTH NEW COOLING PLAN}' PROVIDES DELIGHTFUL COMFORT / Held Over 2nd.Week JOIN THE GREAT PARADE TO SER THE FUNNIEST SCREEN SHOW EVE@:&"N WASHINGTON .7~ nda- Joan Peers - lier,...- om Howard - he became supervisor for Cecll B. De | A AMUSEMENTS. New Pictures Ahead OTWITHSTANDING managerial superstition that it is bad luck to herald coming attractions until those announced for cur- rent entertainment have had their fling, “the sun do move” in the amusement world, and even those who will delight in the pictures at hand al- ways love to know what's coming after em. Schwab & Man- dell's glorious mu- sical potpourri, “Queen igh,” screenized and soundized as only the film magnates can do it, is an- nounced by Ruggles, Rogers, Stanley S8mith and Frank Morgan with an 1lluminated background of song and dance glories “possible only on the screen.” A Cap- itol Theater revue, which will be its stage accompaniment, will feature Her- man Timberg in “Dizzy Daze.” Norma Shearer in ‘Let Us Be Gay.” which gayly trips into Loew's Columbia this week, is believed to be too gocd & thing to let go after a bare seven days of exhibition, and so, the Rubin bureau- crats say, it has been decreed to hold 1t over for the new week, with the con- fident assurance that even two weeks will be too short for the beautiful Norma and her very merry offering. Briefly, but to the poiut, Manager Corbin Sheild announces t the un- derlined attraction for the R-K-O Keith "Theater is “Dixianna,” a Radio Pic- tures al production, in which are feature Bebe Daniels, Be: and Robert Woolsey—only this and nothing more, but even this sounds mighty good. While the managers, whose new week begins on Friday, are a bit reticent, nevertheless Managerial Director Hardie Meakin of the Fox Theater boldly states, “Onc of the few stage successes which have attained even greater fame on the speaking screen is ‘Common Clay,” and so “Common Clay” will { come to the Fox Priday, with its bril- | liant cast of principals, inciuding Con- stance Bennett of the famous Bennett family of stage stars, in the role im- ortalized by Jane Cowl: Lew Ayres, | Tully Marshall, Matty Kemp, Beryl | Mercer and other notables. Mr. Meakin 150 promises as a companion attraction or_the new week the Fanchon-Marco | “idea” known as “Trees Idea” which he says is heralded as one of the most pretentious yet produced. Although e pardonable typewrito- graphic error unintentionally let the news leak out ahead of time, yet it seems quite certain that Warner Bros.’ Earle Theater will hold over for another week its wonderful militant air spec- tacle, “The Dawn Patrol,” which has Richard Barthelmess as its cloud-flying hero and star. The patronage a: led this brilllant screen spectacle thus far fully justifies the wisdom of contin- uing it on Priday, when the new week dawns upon the Warner picture palaces. No report of the attraction for the new week for Warner's Metropolitan has been furnished for publication. The Warner Bros. silver jubilee s being cel brated at this theater, however, and as: surance has been given that the best pictures will be shown during that period. Stars Still Wanted. HILE the prediction ?as been mak- ing the rounds that the star sys. tem is a thing of the past, Radio Pic- tures is walking into the ranks. of Hollywood players of promise and sign- ing them up for long-term contracts, to build these players up into genulne stars, Only players of outstanding per- formance have been given these con- tracts, the players now under con- tract are Joseph Cawthorne, June Clyde, Irene Dunne, Renee 3 Dorothy Lee, Ralf Harolde, Ivan Lebe- Roberta , Raymond Maurel, Rita La Roy, Eddie Foy, jr.; Crea, Ned Sparks, Hugh Trevor, Leni Stengel, Katya Sorina, Roberta Robin- son, Henry Armetta and Lita Chevret. Among ~ others, now recognized as stars, or within one-picture distance of stardom, and already in the Radi | fold, are Betty Compson, Evelyn Brent. Sue Carol, Arthur Lake, Everett Mar- shall, Bert Wheeler, Lowell Sherman, Jack Mulhall and Robert Wolsey. Amos 'n’ Andy, Bebe Daniels and Richard Dix are, of course, the out- standing stars on the Radio studio grounds, the former now working in their, as yet, untitled picture, under the direction of Melville Brown. Was It a Tryout NEWS item received from head- quarters in New York the early part of last week states, with the managing director of Warner Bros. as authority, that Eddie Cantor was signed by Warner Bros. to make personal ap- pearances at three Warner houses only—the Earle, in Washington, begin- ning August 1; the Mastbaum Theater, in Philadelphia, beginning August 8, and the Stanley Theater, in Pitts- burgh, beginning August 15. ‘ashington, 1t would appear, thus specially honored—or was ascertain if Washington knew a good thing when it saw it? Maybe the Warners, in the face of indisputable evidence to the contrary, have doubts of the New York theater tradition that Wi show town. o- Elusive Charm an Asset. 'DWARD H. GRIFFITH, .director of “Holiday,” which is scoring a tre- mendous hit, believes that elusive charm and character are more vital to success in an actress than beauty. “Certainly perfection of features without depth and feeling in the eyes ‘would not interest me,” he says. “Nor would the fact that a young girl had resorted to make-up to enhance her charms. If her make-up were con- lglcuously different and convinced me she was attempting to create an in- dividuality, however, I should be influ- enced in her favor.” The above may give some idea as to how stars for the screen are chosen. Directors look for personality and the something which grips the attention of the audience—not mere beauty, un- less—oh, well, most folks understand. SCIENTIFICALLY COOLED WARNER BRC ARL ashington is & poor | Movie Troubles. ‘A PECK of nickels was used by the Paramount property department | during the subway sequence of “Queen High,” which is being filmed at Para- mount’s New York studid. Due to the difficulty of getting proper sound and lighting effects at a real subway depot, it was necessary to build an exact reproduction of the Eighty- sixth street station of the Interborough employed to fight their way to the cars witg characteristic New York abandon. partment presided over the coin basket to see that the money was not mislaid, & financial precaution never overlooked. Reduced Rates to CHAPEL * POINT Mon. & Fri. Children, 35¢ Adults, 75¢ 9:00 a.m. Daily (except Tues.) t Dances Every Night at 8:30 p.m. WILSON w e JINE TODAY NOON °'TIL MIDNITE THIS PEOPLES g | | POPULAR E N oonli PLAY PLACE POLITELY PRESENTS | | PARTICULARLY | | PLEASING | | PLEASURES | | FROM MORE | | THAN FIFTY || AMUSEMENTS | IN A 40-ACRE | | AREA OF SCENIC SPLENDOR | | ADMISSION IS ALWAYS e You BY REFRIGER | E i ATED AIR