Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-09-01
New York
Letter


NEW YORK. 80 Young David
Selznick has come to Broadway
looking for theater outlets for the
Independently produced pictures he
viii make with Lewis Milestone.
the ace director of the moment.
And the old-timers around the
Aston tables chuckle as they recall
his father, Lewis Selznick, n OF
a few persons around whom al
early movie history must be writ
ten. II was the elder Selznick, who
had been running one Of those
bargain jewelry shops, who launch
ed Clara Kimball Young on ner
career, and who Is credited with
giving birth to the star system as
il was later developed by Adolpn
luxor, and others.
At any rate, n OF the Broad
way legends has 1t that when
Seiznick 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, and
that he used to go to his room TO
eat II. Having come as an I'M
migrant from Russia, ne would
also have his tea made in a samo-
a and privately served.
One OF the most refreshing Amer
lean stories Is that OF Selznick!
How much is true and how mucn
legend might be hard 10 prove az
this date, but old-time Broadway
ties swear TO most OF them.
His message TO 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 Seiz-
nick himself had come from RUS
STA TO escape the intolerable state
of affairs. And now a man OF al
fairs and wealth in this new coun-
try. he picked up a paper and read
that the czar had left the throne.
Whereupon he sat down and cabled
a message that went something
like this: "Your police were not
nice TO me when / was a boy IN
Rlev. Now can offer you good
) acting in pictures. Name your
larry"
II was about half a dozen years
ago that the "old man." after years
Of movie pioneering. ran upon the
rocks of over-production and began
10 fade out Of the picture business.
But he had two sons who had been
Graded on movies: in fact II was
an argument about the status OF
Myron that once was reported TO
have broken up his partnership
with Zukor.
Young David. who has made
salaries amounting to a hundred
thousand a year and more as a
supervising director. has cut loose
and 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 small 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 one produceI
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 70 be
spreading.