Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-10-21 | Page 15 | Screen Life in Hollywood

jfe cree BU B I U r Hol fl I IBy By WADE WERNER I HOLLYWOOD Cal Now Cal Now that it has become customary for tor producers producers producers pro pro- to make malte all their talking pictures in secret one of the best ways to discover what Is happenIng happening happening happen happen- ing in a studio is to motor in tho the opposite direction The other night the trail of If a rumor led eastward and southward to a theatre fifty miles away and there sure enough the first feature feature fea tea ture length talking war picture which incidentally meant the tho first talking picture appearance of Charlie Chaplins Chaplin's first wife was being previewed d by an audience of ot orange growers and townspeople Apparently the producer of Melody Melody Melody Mel ody of ot ve had hit upon a 1 popular popular lar theme theme- for screen sound for every war time song the doughboys from K IC sang was applauded Katy to Mademoiselle from Ar- Ar The rolling of ot th the dice in the numerous crap shooting scenes also won approbation in fact tact the hit of the show appeared to be bo Tommy Dugan the ap ap self pointed shooting crap-shooting instructor of ot the A. A A. A E. E F. F As As' Lofty Lefty Left the heros hero's pal In peace and war Dugan shook shoo the dice everywhere even even during a 3 heavy bombardment SOUNDS OF WAR WARThe WARThe The scene where a a. hard boiled sergeant tries to drill a squad of recruits done clone hundreds of ot times Umes in silent film seemed to hit the audience audience audience audi audi- ence from a new angle when the rookies and their taskmaster could be heard Anyway the fans laughed heartily at the dialog There woes were reminiscent chuckles too at the sou sound d of ot soldiers soldiers' feet Ing down a a. muddy French road and the quacking of ducks in a village square STORY OF SONGS It was not necessary to drag songs into into- the action for the picture picture picture pic pic- pic- pic ture itself is about a writing song pianist played by Walter Pidgeon who is jilted by his fiancee when ho lIe comes imes back from France with a crippled hand band One Ono of ot the most ef effective effective of- of BC scenes nes is where Pidgeon just out of the tho hospital trite tries to play and sing Oft in the Stilly Night and breaks down amid th the bungling discords of his war-lamed war fingers In th the end his skill and confidence return under the inspiration tion of his Mi love for Madelon Midred Mildred Mildred Mil Mil- dred Harris Chaplin the cafe caCe singer who met him In France and followed him to New York after th the armistice A A. B. B Heath l-I l at directed the pC picture picture- f All the efforts of European countries countries coun coun- tries to build up motion picture Industries in industrIes industries in- in capable of ot competing with Hollywood are foredoomed to failure failure failure fail fail- ure until such time as foreign producers producers pro pro- feel prosperous enough an and enthusiastic enough to encourage talented beginners with term long contracts Paul Stein former UFA director has come to that conclusIon conclusion condo condo- sion aba after years of picture-making picture In Berlin and Hollywood The American custom of putting promising youngsters on the payroll payroll payroll pay pay- roll and giving gI them at least a few months to demonstrate their fitness for important roles Is a spur to ambition ambition ambition am am- and keeps Hollywood crowded crowd crowd- ed with star material says Stein Most rost of those who get contracts fall fail t to become stars but the fact that producers are willing to give contracts to beginners keeps th the tho people w who o should be encouraged to try again from becoming discourAged discouraged discouraged aged and drifting into other lines JInes of ot work STARS MUST EAT In Europe Europa a talented beginner may do well in one picture and then go without work for months Only the stars are given contracts as assuring assuring as- as suring them steady incomes s. s As a result girls who might develop into stars become stenographers or dressmakers dressmakers' and arid stop trying to make mak a living JIvIng in films Naturally so long as European producers producers- continue to discourage the people who might become rivals of ot Clara Bow Bow and and Join John Gilbert and other American stars they are not to build up stars whom the picture goers of ot Europe will accept accepts as s substitutes for their American favorites In Berlin it is even hard to get enough extras so discouraging discouraging discouraging aging Is the outlook for tor those who think of ot going into pictures THE LONG CHANCE The Tho of ot the so called lon long term contracts cited by Stein as one explanation of the American producers producer's success in building up stars of r rul l international popularity popular popular- ity Js is often ov over emphasized when a a. n new W unknown gets her hr first recognition in Hollywood A five Y ear ar contract for example is good for far six months If It at tho the end of that time the tho producer still thinks his hrs judgment was good he ho has the right to keep the player on his payroll pay pay- roll oil at a salary previously Sated latec If not the player is at liberty lib erty to look for tor work elsewhere The fact that occasionally such a a. contract contract con COOl tract means the beginning of ot real stardom is of oC course what makes make It a a. tremendous tremendouS' encouragement to th the beginner r. r w