Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
FLASHES


Wv meaning of the term
nearly all screen pro
auctions come before the cenSors
Several States and municipalitie
have their censorship boards. AM
they pass upon all screen play
before they are exhibited in thu
theaterS. This brings up an un
usual situation in regard to TIT
new. sound pictures.
Judge Martin of the Common
Pleas Court No. 2 of Philadel
pl1ia made a ruling last weel
whereby the spoken words of tbs
sound picture cannot be used IL
Pennsylvania in conjunction with
motion pictures unless the words
as we'll as the films. are approved
by the State Board of Censors
The ruling was made in denying
an appeal by Vitagraph. Inc, from
a decision of the cenSorS. The
production company refused &c
submit to the board q record OF
spoken words to be reproduced
during the showing of the filla
contending that the powerS.of the
censors applied only to pictures
and did not cover the sound part
of the picture. Thereupon, the
Board of CenSorS refused to allow
the showing of the picture.
In Pennsylvania. at least. this
puts all pictures, the silent ano
the noisy, up to the Board of Cen
sors It is a situation which NAV
cause all sorts of trouble in the
manufacture of photoplays. as
sound records viii probably have
to be re-made in the event OF
Examinations from the records.
X X *
THE synchronized picture is
i attracting more attention
than any other feature Of the
film industry of the past few
wears, but the situation, as 1t eX-
lists today. is not a simple one,
There are nine different sound
pictures on the market. and the
exhibitor hardly knows which
wav to turn. But he does not
have to worry about the produc-
ton end.
The players. the directors. the
PRODUCERS. the distributors and
the exhibitors are all up in the
air over the whole matter. The
only chap who looks on without
worry is the customer. He is SIM
ply waiting to see what is going
TO happen in the days to come.
Heads of the various production
units are giving out their ideas,
every exhibitor has something to
saw on the subject and the man
in the street may have his own
opinions, but he does not care
which way the cat jumps. THIS
FAN promises to be a lively one
for the movie.
NTEw YORK'S first "all-talking
~ picture" The Lights of New
YORK" attracted thousands at its
opening. The picture is a Vita
phone product, on which was CEN
tered the entire studio and tech
nical experience OF the warner
Brothers organization.
The general impression seems
to be that the picture foreshad-
ows what one is to expect from
photoplays Of the future. rather
than q consideration Of it as a
test of talking movies. Other pic
lures in New York-The Lion
and the Mouse" The REQ
Dance" Fail" and ''The King
of Kings''--are being exhibited
with synchronized scores, all the
music coming from the machines.
DEING a movie star does not
ID mean that one can finish the
DAYS work in the studio and then
90 home and rest during the eve
ming. According to Photopiay
Magazine, Clara Bow, the little
redhead, must go home and start
answering her fan mail. Clara Is
the champion of all Hollywood In
most ONCE popularity, for her let
fers average 400 a day. Three
secretaries are required TO handle
the correspondence.
Billie Dove receives 3l,l28 let
tiers a month; Charles Rogers
1853. Colleen Moore. $4,000;
Mary Pickford, $4,000; Dolores
Costello. $4,000: Richard Dix
10000. May McAvoy, $4,000; VII
liam Boyd, 1900; Mary Brian
1000: Bebe Daniels, 10000:
Charles Farrell, 10000, and Janet
Gaynor, 10000.
such established stars as Emil
Iannings. Lon CLANCY, Wallace
Beery. Gloria Swanson ana Lle
TaImadpe sisters are low on the
fan mail list. Women write aoou,
rs Der cent Of the fan mall. ano
a large part Of the other 70 PEI
cent is written by high school, ano
college BOYS. New stars, as RUE
incite the greatest interest amona
4he letter writer's, which explains
ul1v the Youngsters head the list
instead of the Pickfords, tne
Swansons and the Chaplins. It L
explained that such artists q:
Janniugs, CLANCY and Beery oraN
their appreciation from mature
Evidences. but, lacking rornantls
aupeal. fan TO arouse the letter
writing class. The letters tneA
receive are chiefly criticisms o.
aunreciations of their work.
The case of Mary Brian Is par,
ticuiarly interesting. paramount
considered her as only a mIIlol
comedy player until 1t was Ioun.
that she was receiving as mar.
letters as Bebe Daniels. The re-
suit was a promotion TO Ied'
tured players status, with star
dom lust over the horizon.
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Short Flashes.