Evening star., 1928-06-03
FLASHES


and better" than eve
before, wholesale production ha
certainly had an effect upon tht
class of stories being selected TO
film purposes. Libraries have
been ranSacked for available ma
terial, high-priced writer's hav,
been shipped to Hollywood, anC
yet there remains a dearth o
flrst-claSS manuscripts for thu
directors. The newest call ha.
been made upon the legitimate
stage, many successful plays o.
the past few years being turned
into celluloid drama. These latter
have turned out somewhat better
than was to be suspected, but ir
few instances have they beer
approximations" as the big
photoplay features are sometimes
called.
With all the problems of the
producing end of the industry
the manuscript division probably
has the most difficult job And
with the talking movies coming
along, mountainous. difficulties
are viSioned. The whole future
Of the photoplay industry may
depend upon a system whereby
original manuscripts can be OBJ
tanned for the directors. 1t viii be
well for the producers to focus
their attention upon this partic-
ular point. If the story is poor
one, all the advertising in the
world, all the ballyhoo and all the
stars cannot make it a big box
Office attraction. In the past few
years great strides have been
made in production-in photog-
graphy and direction-and yet
little has been done toward a
solution of the story problem.
With his appearance in Under
world" George Bancroft was
hailed as one of the big stars OF
the future. While he only had
featured" position in this par
ticular picture, Bancroft walked
away with top honorS. His work
was liked so well by the millions
Of photoplay fans that it was i'm
possible for the producers to
ignore him. Bancroft was ele-
waited to stardom, and it was an
nounced that his first starring
vehicle would be another crook
drama, The Showdown"
We take look at Showdown. I"
and we are rather disappointed.
Bancroft is a good actor. But a
good actor founders here, there
and everywhere in a poor story
and The Showdown" is not much
Of a story. It certainly is not a
fitting vehicle for Mr. Bancroft
10 make his first starring appear
ance. But We shall hear much
more Of the star-if his director
locates good plot.
NORMA TALMADGE'S press
agent, writing from the Jo-
Sepn NJ Schenck Studio, out
Hollywood way, announces that
the star, while she has been
called one of the most exclusive
stars in Hollywood, is one Of the
most charming hosteSSeS." And
five typewriter pages are taken
up with describing Eorma's
simple Spanish hacienda, where
the star shows her sophisticated
touch as an interior decorator. 7"
Handsome Chinese rugs are
StreTn about the little home, the
n1antelpieceg are nuted and fan
shaped, and the bedrooms are OF
the Spanish convent style, simple
and with great distinction" And
"tEle French farm kitchen is done
IN black, red and white, with
gingl1am curtains at the win
dows." Then Norma is described;
Like every artist, she is exceS-
Eive. She loves or hateS-works
with a fury Of emotion, or doesn't
work at all. There must be q
Latin strain somewhere in the
blood Of this American girl-the
eyes, dark and brooding are
forelgn-emotiOnaI eyes that re-
veal more than the flexible mouth
"a touch Of melancholy. on the
screen, she is sympathetic. what
the French call sensitive" but
in no sense a good MIXER. She rs
reserved, but frank. Here Is an
actress with enough intelligence
not 10 have lost her sense Of pro-
portion about life, despite her
success. Although she Is high
strung. she seldom loses her
temper. She has amazed her di-
rectors By being able TO stand by
and eat q sandwich one minute
and walk On the set the next and
hare Mysteries before the camera.
As q child she was like Tessa in
The Constant Nynptf1.' There lis
something in her character Of
w4stfuaness and power and an
avid desire for the things that
E;ae wanted. When she is work
ing I'm a picture, she is apt TO be
moody and detached and COM
paeEely absorbed by the work At
hand. Her family, understanding
this, Leave her alone. It iS rs
though size acts her real self and
lives her shadow one"
The hookuIn flows Eastward
from Hollywood In q steady, even
stream. There Is never q food
or special high tide: the banks do
not overflow at any particular
season of the year.
S&E
IN regard 10 the talking movies
and how the captions may be
missed by 6eafened perSonE, the
writer received the following letter
during the past week:
Il was much interested IL the
letter printed Ia The Star Of last
sunday. The writer o4 that letter
hopes that the several million
ceafened people viii not be dr.
pr1yed of the movies by the eIiml-
nation u captions from the