Evening star., 1929-12-01
YELFORD BEATON l

" " columns on several oc-
caSionS. Not that this
particular West Coast writer de-
served serious attention, but be-
cause he was making a raving
fight against the sound pictures
a loud, lonely and forlorn battle
against an innovation which had
caught the public fancy. Beaton,
the editor of a little movie mag2-
zine in the Los Angeles neighbor-
hood, devoted columns to showing
Just why the new sound pictures
would not become a success. He
claimed they were unnatural, that
they were a vogue of the moment
and that they would fade from the
amusement field within a few
short months.
The writer fought a losing bat
tie. AS the sound pictures have
been perfected they have grown in
popularity. They will continue to
grow. Beaton is tasting the bitter
dust of defeat, standing alone and
still shooting the remaining am
munition from the little West
Coast machine gun. But little at
tention is paid to him. Where, at
one time, he was welcome visitor
in the Hollywood studios, gather
ing movie items and advertise
ments for his weekly journal, he
has now been barred from several
Of the larger studios. His writ
ingS, it was claimed, verged off
into perSonalitieS-which is al
ways bad and rather narrow. And
1t was feared that the noisy movies
might be strain upon his nerves,
so day in and day out Beaton faces
the mo Admittance" sign.
The photoplay producers who
first recognized the possibilities OF
the sound pictures are the ones
who are sitting at the top Of the
movie pile today. They were ad-
venturerS, in way, and they were
willing to take a chance with the
new idea. The pot of gold was
found at the end of the rainbow
The sound pictures are here to
stay. Now and then we shall hear
of silent picture, but these will
be few and far between. So many
OF the stage producers have gone
into the photoplay business that
one is inclined to the view that
these aStute men have discovered
the popularity of the new screen
entertainment. Whether it means
the final downfall of the stage is
something else again, and we VEN
ture to make no prediction along
this particular line. Public opin-
ion is varied. In some quarters
one hears that "Rio Rita" is bet
ter screen production than it was
as a stage musical comedy; in
others we hear a wall over lost
personalities. lost atmosphere and
lost everything. The stage plays
have not turned out as well as the
musical offerings, and it may be
that the future screen successes
will be devoted mostly to music
or, at least, until the sound devices
are pushed forward to great per-
fection. But from almost any
angle it appears that the sound
pictures are here to stay. They
are to be the big entertainment
medium Of the days to come.
y X
WILL H. HAYS, Gear" of the
movies, announces that the
sound pictures, which are NO
longer a novelty, have added ten
million weekly patrons to the
photoplay audience and that they
''have become the SwifteSt and
most complete business success in
the world" He goes on to say:
Already sound pictures have
ceased to be an experiment in any
sense Of the word. The industry
employs 325,000 men and women
and has two and a half billion
dollars invested.
The screen today furnishes an
escape from routine which, Scien-
lists tell US, is indispensable un-
der our modern system of manu-
facture and marketing. In its
continuation forward and upward
the motion picture claims part
nerShip with all businesS-all
business that has vision and ideal
iSm-on much higher ground than
all this material service. We are
performing those duties in un-
precedented ways. We have
thrown many safeguards around
the manufacture of motion pic
lures. The industry today con-
facts with more than so impor-
tant religious, civic and educa-
tional organizations"
4 4 X +
NEW PICTURES: The First Ma
tional organization is leading
the Hollywood units in production
at the present time. Alan CroS-
land is directing the technicolor
effort, Song of the Flame" with
music written by George Gersh-
win. Among those in the cast are
Alice Gentle, Noah Beery, Bernice
Claire and Ivan Linow. Mervyn
lie Roy is directing the new Alice
White picture. "Show Girl i'll
Hollywood" It is from the ]. P.
McEvoy magazine story, and Ford