Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-03
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
HOLLYWOOD, Calf, February 3
A.)-One of the most interest
ing chapters in local film history is
being finished on a Culver City lot
these days. william Van Dyke, the
tall, lean, determined director, who has
brought a picture out of Africa follow
ing l2-month stay in that sun-baked
country, is shooting the few studio
close-ups and retakes that must be
done before the final cutting.
And the process is being held up at
the present time because Edwina Booth,
the blonde extra girl chosen for the
lead in the story when a star backed
out because of the danger involved, is
lying sick of tropical fever which is
souvenir of the African jaunt.
Animal pictures galore have been
made, but seldom by studios with
regular STATS. Explorers have done this,
or big game hunters. Hollywood direc-
tors have been prone to make pictures
of the jungle on a studio lot with a
ground and q couple Of linen palm
cloth backdrop of sky.
A year ago "a people went into the
heart of Africa to make a story which
had caught the world by the heart
Trader Horn"-the whiSmical ram
blings of an old brain enjoying Q fare.
up of the flame of youth before the
darkness Of eternity claimed 1t.
Most Expensive Venture.
This venture was the most expensive
one that the studios have ever made
John McCormack's half-million- dollar
fee for a picture-Lawrence Tibbett's
new contract, diEzying as it is--the high
altitude Of the Marilyn Miller and Irene
Bordoni pay checks-all fade into in
significance beside the cost Of this jun
gle epic.
The man who made it is the chap
who finished the White Shadows in
the South Seas" when the director who
took it out made botch of it. Because
of his success ata this tropical assign
ment, wherein Monte Blues acting
ability and the story came second in in
terest to the gorgeous shots of crystal
clear water, melting vistas of tropiC
jungle and radiance of golden moon
light on moving waters, he was sent out
into the African bush
Most interesting is his reaction tc
that year in the dark country. IT don't
know how great my story Is. won't
know until the Anal cutting is accom-
plished, the last edition done on the
thousands of feet which I have amassed
here. But this / do know II have
caught Africa in every mood. I have
pictorial Africa-beauty that few real
lie that country has. Stark barren
ness that makes your soul creep. Mel
low stretches of growth lit by bounding
waters. It's Africa-every inch of it
Why, Cairo to the cape is nothing
We've gone from one corner of the
country to the other. We've fine-
combed the dark continent and there
isn't an inch of it that has interest OF
beauty that we haven't caught.
We've gone into places where the
animals were tame. They'd never been
hunted. Where lions sat about Ike
great cats unafraid. I shot a picture
of leopard tearing at a kill I had
placed within range of my cameras
across small lake one day. And ali
the while we were working there bic
lions, like tawny tabby cats, watched
the proceedings from the nearby bush
with much interest.
Trio CIubbed Lion OF.
''They made no attempt to come near
my people. They never do unless driven
by hunger. Why, We made one shot OF
Edwina Booth and a couple of men
beating a lion of with a club, and no.
BODY in the world will believe It's real
OF course, at such times we have the
animals covered by expert marksmen
One never runs unnecessary chances
with human life."
Now that he is home In Hollywood
VxTif h0 IaA 4.
him all accounted for. Van Dyke has
another fight to wage. 1t is the same
battle that has characterized his entire
picture career when he wanted to try
something else. He went into Westerns
Van Dykes top-notch on a Western
but he can't direct anything else" was
again the verdict when he wanted to
progress. Came serial pictures, and they
provided the director with an oppor-
tunity for the change and progression
which he craved. Once again he was
kept in the rut of serial pictures. He
had to wage a bitter fight to get out
of those
The chance failure of a big director
gave this man his opportunity to direct
Ramon Noyarro in the Pagan" That
rutted him in the distant location phase
of picture making, and as good as
bought his ticket into the heart OF
Africa.
Sees Primitive in Society.
Now William Van Dyke wants to d.
rect comedy-drama of modern society
| life. He finds far more exciting and
marvellous things occurring about him
every day in Hollywood than one en-
counters in years time on the African
veldt. Humans In drawing room are
more primitive at times than leopards
in the wild tearing at the carcass Of
fresh kill.
But Van Dyke knows that once again
they're probably SeNdying steamer routes
| and tapping their pencils on maps oil
| far places. The fight to remain In Hol-
lywood and word under the are lights Of
the studios lies ahead. It may not be