Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-09-01
Men, 1%,1N.ss'*

NEW YORK. - Young David
Selznick has come to Broadway
looking for theater outlets for the
Independently produced pictures ne
viii make with Lewis Milestone.
the ace director of the moment.
And the old-timers around the
Astor tables chuckle as they recall
his father, Lewis Selznick, one OF
q few persons around whom all
early movie history must be writ
ten. It was the elder Selznick, who
had been running n Of those
bargain jewelry shops, who launch
ed Clara Kimball Young on her
career. and who is credited with
giving birth to the star system a.
Il was later developed BY Adolpn
luxor, and others.
At any rate, one OF the Broad
way legends has 1t that when
Selznick began to make big money
in this amazing new amusement
industry, he got a bit swanky and
appeared at the Aston with a jap
anese valet. But certain East Side
gastronomic delights could not De
traded by him for Astor food-or
any other swank hotel food, for that
matter.
1t was Whispered that he had
taught the valet to pickle herring
in the traditional fashion.
that he used TO 20 to his room TO
eat it, Having come as an I'M
migrant from Russia. he would
also have his tea made in a samo-
var and privately served.
One of the most refreshing Amer
lean stories Is that OF Selznicki
How much is true and how much
legend might be hard TO prove at
this date. but old-time broadway
ties swear to most OF them.
His message 10 the Car OF Rus
sia upon the occasion Of the cars
abdication has become a classic IN
cinema circles. Selznick's family
had felt the heel OF the little
fathers" military attaches SELF
nick himself had come from RUS
sia 10 escape the intolerable state
Of affairs. And now a man OF az
fairs and wealth in this new coun-
try. he picked up a paper and e
that the car had left the throne.
Whereupon he sat down and cabled
A message that went something
like this: your police we're not
nice to me when I was a boy IN
Kiev. Now can offer you good
job acting in pictures. Name your
salary
II was about half a dozen years
ago that the "old man. after years
OF movie pioneering. ran upon p
rocks Of over-production and began
10 fade out " the picture business
But he had two sons who had been
Graded on movies: in fact IL was
an argument about the status OF
Myron that once was reported 70
have broken up his partnership
with Zukor.
Young David. who has made
salaries amounting 10 a hundred
thousand a year and more as a
supervising director. has cut loose
ard gone independent because
he believes that talking pictures
and old mass production methods
will not get along together
Like his father, he intends TO
start with sinai, production units.
And he will make only a few pic
lures.
This idea seems 10 be spreading.
Only a short time ago Cecil De
Mile. headed on a trip 10 Russia.
tol me that talking pictures would
be turned out as stage dramas are
turned out: that n producer
would have but a few each year
and give them time and special at
tention. De Mile believed that the
mass product was on its way out.
David Wark Griffith. another
pioneer. now produces independ-
emily in a small New York studio.
And the notion seems to be
spreading.