Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14
Flashes From the Screen
By c. e. Nelson.

TN most branches of business,
or art, as the case may be,
there can be furry OF ex-
n element over certain mat
ter, and then everything settles
down again in the groove OF pros
perity, or seeming prosperity. BUT
this Is not so with the photoplay
industry. The last year or Two
have been hectic years Tor the
producers, the exhibitors ana,
lastly, the picture patrons. The
first real thrill of the game came
with the production of what were
known as superpictureS; pictures
that advertised great expense,
great effort and wonderful casts.
The success OF these pictures re-
suited in the manufacturers try
ing to Guido each other. So many
millions were spent on this pro-
duction, so many more millions
were spent on that-until 1t
seemed that there was really no
limit to the amount of money in
the pockets of the producers.
Then, there was flop or two
among the superpictures. A mil
lion or two, or three, was marked
up on the red side of the office
ledger-and the fad for Superpic-
lures gradually faded Now and
then we have a "Noah'S Ark" or
a Big Parade" but these pictures
are few and far between. Erich
Won Stroheim's Wedding March"
resulted in the outlay of several
million dollars before the we'd
ding took place, and then those
who had financed the nuptialS
failed to realize upon their
scheme. Such failures as this one
made the producers a little weary
when a director started talk OF a
Superpicture.
In the past few months-juSt to
keep things Stirring-along came
the talkieS. And all the talking
was not done before microphone,
either. The sound pictures turned
the entire industry inside out. The
silent studios became useless; mil
lions were again called for in the
equipment of sound studios and
the employment of actors and act
resSes who could talk"
All this happened a few months
ago. Matters were becoming set
tied; the great sound studies were
built and equipped, and hundreds
of stage players went out to Holly
wood. Everything seemed to be
going along at a great rate, with
the noisy pictures as the whole
show. Then something else came
along-the colored pictures-and
one big producer announces that
all his pictures for the next year
will contain color. This is prob
ably the greatest step forward in
the industry, even greater than
the advent of sound. The pioneer
picture, "On With the Show"
while it contains some little de-
fectS, does not really appear as a
pioneer effort; it is a splendid
work, showing what one may ex-
pect in the future. Being first
all-color picture, one would have
expected a crude effort, but such
is not the case. The picture is
everything that a good picture
should be-and a little added.
So now the producers are up in
the air again. What will. be
next?" they ask, land when are
we going to settle down to the
quiet life? And, will our new
sound studios be discarded, as our
silent ones were, so that we can
all produce color phctoplays? Oh,
la, la, where do we go from here?"
***
THE biggest thing for the sound
- movies is to have some one
criticize them. That is, have a
big-wig or two break into print
with a statement that the sound
movies ARE terrible" In the
meanwhile, these same movies
jam the theaterS; they have
broken all records for popularity;
they constitute a new medium of
entertainment, keeping the box
Office girls busy from early morn
until only taxicabS are rambling
along the village streets. All the
knocks just add a little to the
popularity of the sound pictures.
Alexander Russell, director of
music at Princeton University, in
the current number of Theater
Magazine, says word or two:
1.-THE sound movie came upon
us with the suddenness of a cy-
clone, and the whole effect of