Evening star., 1928-12-30

w YE have reached the open
NAI season for the pickers
Wv of the 10 best of the
Nnarv The Film Daily

year" The Film Daily,
a periodical, makes its selections
through the newspaper men OF
the country and it takes the
yearly lead in bringing out its
"Ten Best" This writer has been
asked to contribute his annual
stem"
From the Washington view
point, it would seem that the
selections narrow down to about
IS pictures, but of this number
the writer has selected The
Circus" -Four Sons, Street
Angel" "The Patriot" Our Dane
ing Daughters" Sunrise" "Sor-
rel and Son, THE King of Kings
Laugh. Clown. Laugh" and Sadie
Thompson" If the list included
Is instead of 10 pictures, such
films as Mother Knows Best"
Chicago" The Man Who
Laughs" and a couple of others
might be appropriately added.
The list of 10 selected gives the
Fox Co. of producers quite a show
ing for the year. Three of the
pictures-"Su Sunrise" -Four Sons"
and Street AngeP'-came from
the Fox studios. "Sorrel and Son"
was made by United Artists, the
same company producing the
Chaplin picture, The Circus,
Laugh, Clown, Laugh and our
Dancing Daughters" were pro-
duced by Metro -GoldWyn-M Mayer.
1.-THE Patriot" the Emil JannlngS
picture, was made by Paramount.
The First National Co. produced
Lilac Time" and Pathe brought
out Chicago" Mother Knows
Best" is a work from the Fox
studios. All the titles submitted
to the newspaper judges by Film
Daily are actual releases by dis
tributorS from the period Of De-
cember l, 1927, to December L,
1923.
When the votes are counted
within short time, Film Daily
will announce the Ten Best"
IN making a selection of the best
pictures of the year-Whether
this writer makes the selection,
or you do the work yourSelf-you
will probably notice the absence
of many of the "big movie names"
connected with the pictures Sc
lected. Mary Pickford and Doug
Fairbanks are not represented.
John Barrymore is among the
missing, and there are many
others who receive little atten-
tion. In a way, this reveals the
fact that the big stars do not
make the big pictures. Janet
Gaynor, practically newcomer to
the photoplay a year ago, is an
outstanding actress in a list OF
the best for the past year. OF
course, Charlie Chaplin deserves
credit for his work in "The
Circus" Emil Jannings is well
represented in "The Patriot" and
Gloria Swanson was the star Of
sadie Thompson" Lon CLANCY
almost reached the peak of his
movie career in Laugh, Clown,
Laugh"
THERE is a trade wide, if not
a Nation wide, interest in the
new name for the ''talkieS." The
Exhibitors Herald and Motion Pic
ture World started the ball rolling
for a new name, claiming the
word "talkies" did not have the
dignity it should possess for a new
art. The name "audien" was sug-
gested, and this is meeting with
considerable favor among the fans
and producers. The public has
steadfastly held to the name
movies" although the term has
never been accepted by the pro-
ducers; so it may be that no
matter what name is selected for
the sound pictures, "talkieS' will
remain with us.
Among the names mentioned
are "cinelog," "dramaphone," pic
tovox," "photophone," "stefnflm,"
"cineoral," "phonieS," ''cino-
phone" "audifilm' and "voca-
film" It is said that "the new
name must be fair and honorable,
meaningful, trim and neat, and
at the same time as comfortable
as slang"
THE screen work of Theodore
Roberts, "the grand old man
of the photoplay," will live after
him. The star passed away in
Hollywood a few days ago, the
entire motion picture colony join
ing in tribute at his grave.
Roberts won high place on. the
American stage before he joined
the photoplay world about IS
years ago as character actor
Cecil de Mile called him zone of
the six masters of screen tech
nique," and he had life contract
with the Paramount organization.
The names of the screen plays
in which Roberts appeared are
legion, but among his outStand-
ing successes were "Old Wives for
New" Male and Female" every
Woman" ''The Affairs of Ana
tole," Miss Lulu Bett," 1.-The Old
Homestead" and THE Ten Com
mandments." He had just COM
pleted a role in ''Noisy Neighbors"
for the Pathe when he was
stricken with influenza. Roberts
was one of the best known mem
bers of the West Coast film colony,
and he was one of the most
Sought-after character actors.
ANOTHER musical comedy, a big
- Broadway success, is going
into the movies. This time it is
Rio Rita" the screen rights of
which have been purchased from
Florenz Ziegfeld by Joseph I.
Schnitzer, newly elected presi-
dent Of F. B. o., an organization
which is affiliated with Radio
Keith -Orpheum The musical
comedy will be transferred to the
screen with its songs and dialogue
T1on EDin pifaC