Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10

0uOOAy, IldfC ORC1lb COAIS1QC1 dDl
time in panning the photoplay
This has been a source Of mirtl
and mental exercise, and regard
less of the value of pictures a.
such, they have prodded many
minds into unusual activity ana
rare producing interesting discus.
sionS pro and con here and there
fover the Nation. AS a rule, the
men, or women, who do most OF
the panning are unfamiliar with
the development of the motion
: picture. It is evident that they
witnessed the first "fiickers" of sc
years ago, and then they sat back
and decided to take a fall out OF
the movies"
One of the most outspoken in
this regard is the novelist, Theo-
dore Dresser, and his latest blast
was issued from New York few
days ago. The novelist, to those
who were listening in and who
were acquainted with the photo
play situation, spoke on a subject
which he knew very little about;
he showed, In fact, a distressing
lack of preparedness and his
knowledge of the cinema dates
pack to the Shadowy views of the
American soldiers blowing through
the surf when they landed in Cuba
to help rout the Spaniard.
There is no getting away from
the fact that the photoplay is open
to criticism, but this same criti-
ciSm should come from those who
are thoroughly familiar with the
present situation. Constructive
criticism will aid the industry; the
other sort will have little atten-
ton paid to it. The photoplay of
today is better than ever before.
1t is improving by leaps and
bounds; the problems of the fu-
ture may loom large, but they will
he Surmounted, regardless OF
I"blaStS" from Dresser and others
who "juSt don't like the movies"
X X X
TN this column last week mention
= was made of the advance of the
Fox organization and its great
.power in moviedom. Since that
time the Fox interests have &C
CURED Loew's, Inc, which controls
the big producing company Metro
Goldwyn-Mayer The stock OF the
S108, 100000 concern was pur-
chased from the family of the late
Marcus Loew and from a group
intimately associated with the
management of Loew'S." BY this
newest move Is made a business
unit financially comparable to
2 m oun : Famous Players
Lasky; and with his additional
dominance Of the Fox Film Cor
poration, Mr.. Fox now heads by
far the greatest interests in the
motion picture industry. The
principal New York theaters now
under the Fox control are the
Roxy, Capitol, Embassy and Aston.
Among the players in the Fox
fold are Mary AStor, June Collyer,
Louise Dresser, Mary Duncan,
Charles Farrell, Lois Moran,
Charles Morton, Barry Norton and
George O'Brien. Metro oldwyn-
Mayors players include Renee
Adoree, Lionel Barrymore, Lon
CLANCY, Marion Davies, Greta
Carlo, John Gilbert, Raymond
Hatton, Buster Keaton, Charles
King, Conrad Nagel, Aileen
Pringle, Ernest Terrence and
Lewis Stone. Among Fox directors
are Allen Dwan, F. w. Murnau,
Raoul Walsh and Eugene Walter.
Metro Goldwyn Mayer directors
include Cecil B. de Mile, William
G. de Mile, James Cruze and King
Vidor.
HOLLYWOOD is talking about a
: little actress who has, after
many years, arrived" This partic-
ular actress is not unknown where
The studio lights burn brightly, and
she has long been a familiar
shadow figure to movie fans. But,
some how or other, she failed to
scatch on" until her last picture.
And now she can have about any,
thing she desires.
The actress is Bessie Love, whose
last work in Broadway Melody"
has been hailed by critics and
audiences as far and away above
the average. Little Bessie is now
five feet of triumphant femininity
and standing securely at the top
of the movie ladder, but she ex-
perienced considerable trouble be-
fore she arrived at the top. She
has taken more hard knocks and
gone through more discourage
mentS than most aspiring movie
actresses. When David Wark Crit
fifth was making Intolerance" he
gave Bessie a small part, and later.
on one or two occasions, she burst
into prominence. But the work
in these pictures proved to be
flashes in the pan," and the little
actress decided to leave Hollywood
for a time. She appeared with
Pacific Coast stage company in
fBurleSque," and then she tried a
season Of vaudeville.
Then came the talking pictures,
and the stars who could not sing
and dance found themselves wait
ing outside studio doors. Bessie
had been singing and dancing for
years, and casting directors were
searching for girls who could play
heavy emotional roles, with sing
ing and dancing. broadway
Melody" was about to be made,
and Bessie Love, fitting back to
Hollywood every once in a while,
was given the principal role.
/. Hollywood has been called "the
Monte Carlo of human emotions"
and there are producers and di-
rectors who are wondering how
they ever missed Bessie Love
how they ever allowed her to get
away from them for such a long
time. And Bessie, after years Of