Evening star., 1928-10-28
FLASHES

~ has Qecl0eQ CndG ne Wiil
a not have word to say in
4 a his new picture, Doug Fair
banks will do some talking IN
"The Iron Mask" And, accord
ing to word from Hollywood, the
star will employ novel method,
that of the direct monologue or
soliloouy, rather than that OF
dialogue with other characters.
Motives and intents of the char
acters will be revealed by them
directly to the audience. This
method, suggestive of the classic
poetic dramas prologue and
chorus, capitaliZeS on the pSy-
GEOLOGICAL effect created by the
actor speaking directly to the
audience. In speech at the be-
ginning of his new picture, Doug
will voice the spirit Of the play.
It is explained that on account
of the broad sweep of the roman
tic drama in THE Iron Mask
the narrow confines of the simple
dialogue between characters have
been found too binding. In his
combination of the forms of stage
and silent drama, Fairbanks con-
siderS that he has found a
method that will not only retain
all the pageantry and tempo OF
the film, but that it will augment
the picture with new force and
dramatic intensity.
Almost all of the players of
United Artists will have talking
parts in their new pictures.
Among those who will be heard
as well as seen are Mary Pick
ford, Gloria Swanson, Ronald
Colman, Lily Damita, Lupe Velez,
Walter Byron and Harry Rich
mond. The Wilma Banky starring
vehicle, THE Awakening" pre-
sents an Irving Berlin song,
Marie" sung by members of the
cast. Mary Pickford'S "Coquette" J"
will be an all-talkie. The stars
voice was last heard on the stage
when she had a role in the David
Belasco play. "The Good Little
Devil" The Gloria Swanson pic
ture, Queen Kelly" will be a
part-talkie, the star singing a
song and talking in dialogue
sequences. Walter Byron, the
English actor, plays opposite Miss
Swanson, and Erich Won Stro-
helm, who wrote the story, is also
directing. Ronald Colman and
Lily Damita will have consider
able to say in 1.-The Rescue" the
picture taken from one of the
Joseph Conrad novels. Colman
has had stage experience, for he
signed his first movie contract
while playing opposite Ruth
Chatterton in LA TendreSSe. "
Lupe Velez sings an Irving Berlin
song, Where Is the Song of
Songs For Me?" in the D. w.
Grifith picture, "The Love Song.
Harry Richmond will sing eight
Irving Berlin songs in the picture,
"Say It With Music"
So, there will be plenty of noise
In the Winters new pictures.
Hollywood singing schools and
elocution studios are working
overtime to prepare players for
the seasons output.
y Il x
WILLIAM J. LOCKE, we'll known
w English novelist, is in Holly
wood to study picture making,
preparatory to writing his first
original story for United Artists
star. Locke wrote the novels, "The
Coming of Amos" Stella MariS, !"
"Simon the Jester" 1.-The Morals
of Marcus Ordeyne" and THE Be
loved Vagabond," all of which
have been made into picture plays
yet he had never seen a motion
picture studio until his present
visit on the Pacific Coast.
ONE of the biggest turn-overs
- in the amusement world
comes from the alliance of the
speaking stage and the movies
High cost of production, to-
gether with travelling expense,
has resulted in few road shows
Stage plays are produced on
Broadway, and many of them get
no travelling experience. II the
plays are New York successes
that is, if they draw pretty well
at the box office-they are care
fully watched and arrangements
are made to turn them into
photoplays, either talkieS or silent
New York stage producers are
keenly watching the sound angle
of the movies, and several of them
are confident that in this par
ticular amusement field lies their
big chance.
In the case of one Broadway
stage production of the past few
weeks, the play, a ,hough a fail
ure from the box Office stand
point, was held at the theater for
a run of several weeks. This was
done to influence the photoplay
producers and in order that the
play might be sold for a goodly
sum. The amounts being paid
for photoplay rights to stage
plays run up into big figures; il
a stage play is failure, the pro-
ducerS have chance to get their
money back by selling the play
to the movie people. Another
play was kept on Broadway fol
several weeks on account of the
movie angle in a contract with
the playwright. In the event o1
the play going flop" on the stage
after the first week or so, the
writer was to have the privilege
of selling it to movie producers
In the event of the play running
on Broadway for several weeks
the stage producers were to have
at least half of the movie sale
rights. The producers kept it or
the boards, losing money, in order
that they might retain half ..
the money realized from the sale
to the Hollywood magnateS. The
sale was made and the writer re-
ceived a half share.
y X