The Washington times., 1929-12-04
PROPERTY MAN
HAS STUDIO
PROBLEM
By DOROTHY HERZOG

~ SAN
copyright, 1929, Premier syndicate)
HOLLYWOOD, Calf, Dec. H.
Ell C"Sunny Side Up") Brendel
has a brother who several years
ago drove a butcher wagon in
New York. CHANGING to drop by
his room one noon, the brother
found q cable telling him his
father had passed away and
left him money. To come home
. and attend to the estate. He
hurried out and proceeded to
give away all the meat in his
wagon, the wagon, and the
horse. That East Side butcher
is still wondering into what
kind Of thin air Brendel, the
meat, the wagon and the horse
disappeared!
GU Smarty!
In writing the script for Cor.
inne Griffith's new talky, Back
Pay" John Paragon described
q scene CnuS:
I'VE see Hester miss Grit
fifth, entering Aunt Aggie's
house. Camera faces the door
revealing the squalid splendor
Of a reception halr-a Victor
ian throwback, should have
plush curtains, mission table,
old-faShioned umbrella stand,
upholstered horSehair chair,
ETC."
The script was given to the
property department who
"broke it up" into scenes. Each
scene was furnished according
to the description. That is,
the props were assembled, ready
to be moved into the scene
when said scene was set up for
action.
The one just described, how
ever, threw the property de-
partment into confusion and
annoyance. The head tele-
phoned Paragon:
1--WE got those plush cur
tains," he said, 1.-THE mission
table, the old fashioned UNI
brella stand, the upholstered
chair and all, but I be a So-and
so If we can find the Victorian
throwback!"
Which reminds me of vivid
piece Of advice I happened to
glimpse in the script for Evelyn
Brent'S new outloud, Slightly
Scarlet" She was described in
one scene as being dressed like
a countess.
There's a young chap here
aboutS who has his name on a
liz studio on Santa Monica
Boolvard. Said name being
Larry Darmour. Larry makes
twO-reel funSters. He's been in
the racket many a long year and
he's made his without pulling
the usual back-bending exek
nonsense. A cameraman at his
studio summed it up with: I'VE
fight like every other lot, but
the difference between them
and us Is we make up"
One Of the series now being
produced by Darmour is the
Mickey" MCGUIRE kid come
dies. Mr.. (Cortoonist) Fox has
made MCGUIRE and his crew
famous via the syndicatednews-
paper route. All the, Ids are
known on the lot by their pic
ture names. Even their mothers,
who bring them to work, are
known by these names. Mrs.
"Hambone" Johnson, for in
stance is a cultured gal from
Texas. She reckons as how her
little ink spot makes more
money in one day than she
ulster make in a week pickin'
cotton. Then there's "Stinky"
Davis, the seven-year-old heavy.
Stinky'S daddy, G. A. Duffy,
also works for Mr.. Darmoar,
Stinky started out by being a
big player in the series. Then
he got promoted. But he wor-
ries, once in a while, and needs
must tell his family that though
he's Stinky to the public that
isn't him" atall.
When the kids work, a teacher
is also at the studio, the teacher
being sent by the board Of edu-
cation. The youngsters play a
scene or two, then they go> to
school for Is minutes. These
studio school teachers receive
50 a day from the producers.