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Show BRITISH FILM STUDIOS FEEL SLUMP IN WAIT FOR NF.W QUOTA LA By 8BEILAH GRAHAM (Copyright, 1937. for The Telegram) HOLLYWOOD, July 19 The situation in the British film itudioi is that there is practically no situation at all. All that happens is talk. talk. talk. Presumably to tide over the period of waiting until the new quota laws are fixed. ' The only studios in which active work la progressing are thoaa at Pinewood and DenhanCXverythlng else is sleeping the sleep of the slump. Even the English offshoots of American film companies, which, earlier In the year, emitted a aalvo of eeneational pronouncementa concerning con-cerning the number and expense of forthcoming productions, are mildly mild-ly pained when the subject of output is mentioned. Louis B. Mayer, sharp-faced boae of Metro-Goldwyn'Mayer, and his company of high-priced stars, headed head-ed by Clark Gable, Robert Taylor and Lulse Reiner, have been expected ex-pected dally for the last three months, but to date have failed to appear. Kerda BUme4 . dosa of swimming pools, tennis courts and 'gentlemen.' Scrap the lot and they might get somewhere." money for picture making. With 110,000.000 supplied by an optimistic 'gentleman-railed Arthur Rankrthe actor-producer has scheduled six films for production at the Pine-wood Pine-wood studios, including a John Glel-gud Glel-gud starrer, and a eofeaturing vehicle ve-hicle for himself and Adele Aa-talre Aa-talre (Lady Charlea Cavendish). Glaumont-Britieh haa been the hardest hit of all the once prosperous prosper-ous London studios. It formerly released It picturee a year in America. Amer-ica. When the few remaining scheduled sched-uled films are completed, the company com-pany la expected to concentrate on its successful chain of theaters. If and when thie happens. Star Jeeeie Mathews will be free to accept ac-cept the fortune awaiting her In Hollywood. Hitchcock Happier Director Alfred Hitchcock struck a semioptlmlattc note on the British picture situation. "Weare on the upgrade,1 he stated.-"because we'ean't go any lower." His explanation for English Eng-lish film failure had a reminiscent ring: "The bankers Interferred." The same breed of gentlemen were held responsible for the Hollywood slump of the early IMOa. Directora Frank Capra and Mark Sandrich, two of Hollywood's best, havs recently returned from a look-see look-see at the English studios. Saye Sandrich: "All the highly paid Hollywood importations I met in London told me they were up against the same snag tradition. 'We don't do things like that,' they were Informed pompously in reply to all suggestions." And according to Capra: "British studios are suffering with an over- Everyone, of course, has an explanation ex-planation for the British collapse. Some go so far as to blame Alexander Alex-ander Korda, the man who first msdo America sit up - and take notice with his "Private Life of Henry VIII." "Korda's been living on the reputation repu-tation of that picture ever since." I waa told. "His lavish expendlturee on leaa successful subsequent films impressed other producers Into following fol-lowing suit. And now they are all ia the financial eoup." According to Korda, whom I Interviewed In-terviewed in London ahortly after his return from the United States, "Hollywood Is the moat economical economi-cal place In the world. Nothing there ia wasted." Which is the res-son, res-son, perhaps, why he added, "I'll work there only when I'm starving." Meanwhile the former Hungarian reporter, confident that hie new half-controlling intereet In United Artists opens the door to 9S distributing dis-tributing centers In the United States, is planning to apend $10,-000,000 $10,-000,000 on his British productions before the end of Hit among them "Red Shoes." starring Merle Oberon, "The Four Feathers," with asthmatic asthma-tic Robert Don at, and "Playboy" with Patricia Ellis and Jack Hul-bert. Hul-bert. Stars Lacking "My greatest difficulty Is lack of stare," saya Korda. "We have everything elee we want character actors, technicians, cameramen but practically no tars." Instead of drawing on the Hollywood name list, Korda ia starting a nationwide search for promising players and will develop them into top-ranking material in hia Denham studios. Former Hoofer Jack Buchanan Is one of the few producers in England untroubled by the current lack of |
