The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1929-03-30
MOVIE NAVY'S
UPKEEP IS
HEAVY

Most pictures start breaking
records-if they're big-after they
reach the box office. '"The Di.
vine Lady," the featured screen
picture at the Metropolitan this
week, starring Corinne Griffith,
IL not only breaking box.office
records but before it was half
Filmed it had shattered more rec
ords, before reaching the public,
than average special production
breaks in its entire existence
That statistical data shows what
. giantic task Frank Lloyd and
his staff accomplished.
Three ships, remodeled at a
cost of about $3.50, O0O-considered
very low in light of modern pro-
duction costs-represented Lord
Nelson's battlefield. These were
the Centennial, which became the
Vanguard; the Santa Clara re.
christened the Victory and the
Irene turned into the Seraphone.
Some idea of their staunchness
lies in their combined record of
having aggregated about 100000
miles during their combined lives
Of about 80 years. Their logs
speak eloquently of gales wealth.
cred, mutinies encountered, and
passengers carried during such
hectic days as the Alaska Gold
Rush, the migration to the Solo,
mon Islands and the exodus to
the Kimberly mines.
Their combined sails would COW
t..
York. making it possible to hold
outdoor boxing bouts any rainy
night Of the summer.
There were 1864 people in the
cast, Of whom 200 were regular
sailors of the three ships, and
many more were able seamen.
More than 1900 British and 1,43O
French uniforms were used, show.
ing that many an able seaman
became a bo'swain by a mere
change Of uniform.
The firing Of 4,218 rounds from
81 cannons was heard on the
Pacific for q distance of IS miles
which is going some, considering
that the fleet, on location, had to
travel at least q miles from the
nearest channel Of commerce to
avoid having strange looking
masts and smokestacks appear on
the horizon Of the Battle Of ira.
falgar.
Corinne Griffith, the star, her-
self establishes a record with 48
changes of costume, and Victor
Varconi, as Lord Nelson, used Il
different naval uniforms.
The cost Of maintaining this
fleet at sea was $4,000 4 day.
Miscellaneous expenses that went
to make up this amount we're the
salaries Of six doctors and ten
nurses, whose services. fortu-
nately, proved to be a mere for
malityy and the nav of five teach
ers, brought along because of the
under 1S-year-old powder monkeys,
in conformity with the California
law. -...-
A "gruesome" detail was the
use Of 230 gallons Of artificial
blood for make up.
A record in reverse-shows that
only $4,000 feet of film were shot
on the sea scenes, believed to be
the lowest on record for a pic
NoA0 VI lLIlS HdSAAIuOS anu q
tribute to Frank Lloyd's efficiency.
The height Of British marines
in THE Divine Lady" established
another high mark. The tallest,
Eric Nelson. measured feet,
z inches. The shortest, v. B.
Jones, was over feet. French
marines couldn't compare with
this!
In one respect the modern Bat
tie Of Trafalgar benefited by mod
ern science. Thirty.nine radio ex-
perts kept communication be-
tween the ships for the purpose
Of camera action, not battle
action.
And even with such modern ap.
planes, war was not without its
dangers in the movies, for two
Of the ships caught fire at least
seven times from the blank
bombarding, or from the use of
dynamite which helped intensity
the effects Of the cannonading.