Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23

y HEN was told in Hollywood q
couple of months ago that ]
N/ had been selected to lead q
~ Metro Goldwyn Mayer movie
expedition into Africa to make
film version Of Trader Horn" it occurred to
me that the enterprise might some time make
interesting reading. So I decided to keep
lOgbook of our adventures. The making of any
great picture is a romance in itself
But in this instance a new modus operandi
would be employed. We would go to the shores
Trader Horn described, risk with him the
fevers, the animals, the hostile native tribes
In each detail we would endeavor to live again
the life of the old man who traded" up and
down half the rivers of Africa And the fact
that a camera would follow us as we went
seemed to detract nothing from the realism
Of the situation, and to add little to its COM
pIexity.
That, as I say, was two months ago. That
was before I saw as do now the vast prep
aration such an expedition requires In point
of time we were to make almost the longest
Journey possible under modern travelling con.
ditions-12, 900 miles.
Aside from the actual distance we were to
travel there was this matter of equipment
On every hand we were advised that to take
more than q ton of kit into Africa was sheer
foolishneSs. And yet, by our closest figuring,
we were unable to reduce the weight Of our
grim necessities to less than 80 to 90 tons.
Our generator-the machine which would sup
ply us light In the jungle-weighed 10 tons:
the sound apparatus 5 tons; to say nothing
Of the camera paraphernalia, the high-power
lamps, arc lights, laboratory equipment and
the thousand-and-one smaller articles which
were essential to the filming of anything other
than the simplest news reels.
EOR the first time in the history of movies
was to take a studio picture in the
African jungle 1t was my duty virtually, to
naTsk r4,s A.
10000 miles to a spot in the wilds of British
East Africa and there to make a coherent
story, employing American actors for the
principal parts and trusting to the natural
hunger of the animals and natives and a
Winchester .405 to supply the thrills
All I had to do was to restore to life the
experiences of an adventurous fellow who did
nothing better than barter goods with lot
of natives, and proceed to tell the world
about it.
But as he went, let me add in fairness to
myself, he was required to pack no electrical
generator, no sound devices. The fact that the
sun could not penetrate the jungle was to him
a surceaSe from the tropical heat rather than
a condition which must be rectified by use of
ponderous lights and rehectors.
OF course, consistent with the general IN
consistency of the human mind the more I
considered the impossibility Of the expedition,
the more became convinced that would like
to go and prove it possible.
went from Hollywood March H. There
were is of us in all: Harry Carey, who had been
selected to play the part Of the Trader;
Edwina Booth to be Nina T, the White
Goddess; Duncan Renaldo, cast as Little Peru,
three camera men, two electricians, two tech
nical experts, script clerk, carpenter,
white hunter, laboratory man and myself.
(MombGsG, British East Africa, May H.
TONIGHT am sitting in my room at the
t~ Palace Hotel. This morning we were landed
ut Kilindini, the port of Mombasa, few miles
down the road. All day we have been check
ing over our baggage and assisting his majeSty's
custome officers in clearing the tons Of equip
enent being unloaded from the ship.
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