Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
Flashes From the Screen
News and Comment of the Picture World
BY C. E. NELSON

| be done with all of them. Some
stories, obviously, are suited fol
sound pictures, while others
many of the old ones-canno
be forced into the realm of noise
Laemmle points out that his plar
will alleviate the present shortage
of material for talking pictures
Looking at the matter from the
exhibitors standpoint, they might
become the largest beneficiarieS
from such scheme, for they
figure that the successful silent
film must necessarily become a
successful sound picture-the
same big feature with renewed
Strength-and that good screen
material, like good music, is worth
more than one presentation.
But the plan has many pit
falls. 1t must be carefully
handled; there should be no effort
for wholesale turning over of
the old SilentS into sound pro-
auctions. Such plan is doomed
before it is really started.
THE movie finds a new use in
Hollywood, for chorus girls
are being trained for dancing
parts by the use of the cinema.
Larry Ceballos of the First Ma
tional staff has rugged up a pro-
lection room in connection with
the rehearsal studio, and dance
numbers, cloSe-upS of steps, slow
motion analyses of dances and
even moving line sketches illus
trating the dance from a movie
point of view are exhibited 1t is
planned to collect a library of
dance films for this particular
studio, and experimental reels
are taken from some of the new
pictures, Sally" Paris" mo,
No, Nanette," Spring Is Here"
Bright Lights" and "Show Girl
in Hollywood" First Nationals
dancing chorus consists of 127
girls, and it is estimated that an
average of IL new girls are trained
each week.
Observation-Disclosures is
planning something entirely
new in the way of a movie serial,
with sound. A revue, 1.-THE
March of Time" is to take up
three phases of American enter
tainment in history-the past,
present and future. The story
will be covered in three sections,
each an inclusive unit. The first
part, recently completed by Direc-
tor Charles Reisner, includes nine
stars of the past, Weber and
Fields, De Wolf Hopper, Louis
Mann, Marie DreSSler, Fay Tenn
pleton, Barney Pagan and Jo-
Sephine Sabel. Several acts are
presented as originally done at the
famous old Weber & Fields Music
Hall more than Is years ago.
These include the Weber and
Fields pool room episode, Louis
Mann'S telephone scene and Spe-
cial acts by Mann and De Wolf
Hopper. The link between the
present and the future will be
made by two sets of toaStmaSterS,
Bobby Rubin and Buster Collier.
representing the present, and
Dickie Kilby and Baby Gronsky
as the future. The main idea
seems to be the evolution Of the
screen as an entertainment me-
dunn, but with a thought of pay
ing particular attention to many
of the former we'll known stage
attractions.
Short Flashes.
THE First National studios are
busy with four pictures being
filmed at one time. Dorothy
Mackaill is being starred in
Bright Lights" under the direc-
ton of Michael Curtiz. Frank
Fay, Eddie Nugent and Noah
Berry are in the cast. Corinne
Griffith has the lead in Back
Pay" and in her supporting cast
are Grant WitherS and Montague
Love. Monte Blue, Lila Lee, Betty
CompSon and William Boyd all
have parts in His Woman" Bill
lie Dove is being starred in Other
MCh WIVES, anu OluLley Black
mer is her leading man.
Richard BarthelmeSS now goes
into aviation. His next picture
for First National will be adapted
from a story called 1.-The Flight
Commander" by John Monk
Saunders. Howard Hawks will
direct.
Chester Morris has been as
signed by Roland West to play
the leading role in Love in Chi
cago," which will be made for
United Artists.
Fox has purchased a story,
THE Princess and the Plumber"
written by Alice Duer Miller, as a
starring vehicle for Janet Gaynor
and Charles Farrell.