Evening star., 1928-12-16
SCREEN

adapt novels or plays. He creates
, directly in terms of motion pic
lures"
AS mentioned last week in these
"a columns, Miss Ina Claire has
cast her lot with the cinema, sign
ing a contract a few days ago with
the Pathe organization. Miss
Claire's latest stage engagement
was in New York early this year,
when she starred in Our BetterS,"
play by w. Somerset Vaughan.
It was recently announced that
she would star in Children of the
Darkness" which Jed Harris
opens in New York during the
week of January 7. Notable among
Miss Claire's stage triumphs was
Polly With a Past" under man
agement of David Belasco. After
New York run, she toured with
this play for two years. She also
appeared in "The Gold DiggerS,"
with a long New York run and
two-year tour. Other starring
vehicles were "Bluebeard's Eighth
Wife," THE Awful Truth"
Grounds For Divorce" and "The
Last of Mrs. Cheney"
Naturally, the .Pathe organiza-
tion is preparing to use the talent
of Miss Claire in all-dialogue pic
lures.
A SPECIAL delivery letter from
= the Mary Pickford and Doug
las Fairbanks Studio, Hollywood,
Calf, announces that the cast for
the new Pickford picture, Co
quette," is now complete-if you
are at all interested in the matter.
Johnny Mack Brown, who was
once a college foot ball star, is to
play opposite Mary, and others
in the cast are John SainpoliS,
John Gales, George Irving, Will
liam .Janey and Louise Beavers.
The. letter also announces that
every member of the cast was re-
quired to learn important scenes
and then make test film for both
voice and photography. The re-
suit is said to be a remarkably
we'll balanced and capable COM
pany of actors, who, with the eX-
ception of Johnny Mack Brown,
have a background of wide eX-
perience on the speaking stage"
A NEW and revolutionary de-
velopment in tiTe use of sound
is about to reach the motion pic
ture screen by way of the Douglas
Fairbanks picture, "The Iron
Mask" The story will make use
of the "talkies," but there will be
no dialogue and the voices of the
leading players will be heard, but
not in conventional conversation.
The new plan is akin to the chorus
of the ancient Greek drama. It
will be used in the direct form of
speech, explaining action and mo-
tives, addressed directly to the au-
dience, similar in personal appeal
to the utteranceS of the mummers
of the Euripidean tragedies.
Fairbanks reasoned that dia-
logue between characters of his
tory would be groteSque. The illu-
sion of other worlds and other
times had to be maintained. To
speak in a modern language would
remove them from the realm of
their romantic world. But, by
means of direct speech, the heroes
could maintain their dignity and
the color of the story while in
cluding the audience in the Sc
cretS of their lives. Thus one of
the oldest forms of dramatic ex-
preston will be welded into the
newest of the arts.
Fairbanks, as D'Artagnan, will
open his story by stepping from
a tapestry. He invites the audi
ence to journey with the
muSketeerS. AS the story unfoldS,
Richelieu SoliloquizeS, De Roche
fort addresses the audience and
perSonifleS the menacing motif
of destruction which operates
through the story.
Short Flashes.
IT UNIVERSAL has completed the
- second. stage erected for
sound productions. Work is being
rushed on the third and largest
unit, which is being constructed
especially for the production of
Broadway" Otis Harlan is the
latest addition to the cast of the
latter picture.
Huntley Gordon has been added
to the cast of "The Haunted
Lady" which is Laura La Plante'S
next starring picture. John BoleS
plays the lead, opposite Miss La
Plante.
George Medford is directing
''The Charlatan," and among
those scheduled for parts are
Monte Montague, Holmes Herbert,
Margaret Livingston, Rockcliffe
Fellows, Phila Mccullough, Anita
Garvin, Bud Marshall and Rose
Tapley.
Carol Lombard, blonde graduate
of the Mack Sennett school, is the
second player selected for the
cast of Cecil B. DeMille's 'Dyna-
mite" which will shortly go into
production at the Metro Gold
wyn- Mayer studio. Conrad Nagel
is the other member Of the cast
selected.
Charles Kings work in Broad
way Melody" has resulted in his
selection for the male lead op-
posite Marion Davies in '"The Five
| O'Clock Girl" which will be an
all-talking and singing picture.
Others in the cast are Aileen
Pringle, George K. Arthur, Car
melita Geraghty and Polly Moran.
1.-The Bridge of San Luis Rey,'
Thornton Wilder'S Pulitzer prize
novel, is going into the movies by
way of the Metro Goldwyn- Mayer
studio. Don Alvarado and Dun
can Rinaldo are to play the parts
of the twin brothers, Manuel and
Estaban, and other principals in