Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26
Flashes From the Screen
News and Comment Of the Photcplay
|. IHILE they are probably
most anrreciated of all
By c. E. Nelson.

Wv the studio efforts, screen
comedies are rather diff
S1cult for producers and public.
OF, course, the producers troubles
start when he begins to make a
funny picture, and they continue,
out of all keeping with his sub
ject until final Judgment is rem
dered. Comedy manufacture is
about the most difficult OF all
studio work, for the creators and
players never know just how a
picture will strike the public.
This holds true with the multi
reel productions, and not with
the short subjects, many of which
are thrown together. and then
thrown at the cash customers.
Real comedy is the life blood OF
the motion picture industry; 1t
requires careful preparation and
skill in manufacture.
From the standpoint Of the
public, there is a comedy difficult
ty which probably never will be
overcome. This has to do with
the Iaugh points" Of a produc-
ton. VIII Rogers, who is scream
ingly funny in 'The Connecticut
Yankee" loses a considerable
pOTb1OIl Va ILLS Nld1OSuC Wy tALC
audience laughs. That is, after
he has launched one of his side
splitting quips there is, naturally,
the audience laughs, the show
goes on, and the thread of the
dialogue is lost for the time be-
ing or until another laugh
point"
All this hardly can be rene
died, although it is one of the big |
difficulties of the screen comedy.
And it Is one place where the |
over the screen. On the stage,
for instance, the laugh point" is
marked by a pause in the dia- |
logue, the pause frightening or |
shortening with the amount of |
applause or the number of laughs. |
In the manufacture Of a picture |
the director has no idea where the
public may laugh. If he filled his |
picture with pauSeS to accommo- |
date the laughs, he might make |
serious mistakes; the laughs |
might not arrive, at the Sched-
uled points. Therefore, he can
do nothing in the matter. The
play simply goes on and the dia-
1ogue is lost. A picture filled |
with pauseS for expected laughs |
which did not materialize would |
most certainly be an awkward |
production, to say the least. But |
what can we do about it?
$3.50
There tuGS day tn Holly
iDood a0he1t Rtn-Ttn-Tin, edn-
Gated dog, ranked NTH the
screens leading stars. He UGs
the pet OF the film colony; his
pictures caused lines at the boz
Offices and his oUner'S contract
called for a large cash figure
each year. Now, because Rim
Tfn-Tin did not like the talk
ing pictures, he is In eclipse, |
and his place has been taken
by another animal. This time
it Is Mickey Mouse, t0lto, during
the. past fe,O days, 1Oined
United Artists ana sDiI be
starred NTH such screen per-
SonGItties as Mary Ptcktord,
Doug Fairbanks, Gloria StUGn-
son and Others. Mickey has the
advantage oUer Rtn-Tfn-Ttn,
for he can talk. and cut all
SV6o VI CVpcISs
TOGETHER with the announce
ment that the organization is |
celebrating its twentieth BIRTH |
day, comes word that Paramount |
its utilizing its three studios, in |
Hollywood, New York. and Paris,
in the preparation of a remark |
able picture-making schedule for |
the coming year. The company |
will transfer to- the screen the |
works Of Mark Twain, Theodore |
Dresser, Louis Bromfield, Rupert |
Hughes, John Cotton, Phillip |
Barry, Charles Bracket, Robert |
e. Sherwood, Arthur Stringer, Sax |
Rohmer, Percy Crosby, Dashiell |
Hanamett, Max MARGIN and others. |
And the star list includes Harold |
Lloyd, Marlene DIETRICH, Maurice |
Cheyalier, George Bancroft, Nancy |
Carroll, Clara Bow, Ruth Chatter
ton,: Tallulah Bankhead, Jack |
Oakie, Frederic Marsh, Gary |
Cooper, Charles Rogers, Richard |.
Arlen, Give Brook, Claudette |
Colbert, Charlie RuggleS, Phillips |
Holmes, Paul LukaS, Jackie Coo
gan, Carole Lombard, Miriam |
Hopkins, Kay Francis, Warner |
GLAND, Norman Foster, Regis |
Toomey, Mitzi Green, Jackie |
Cooper and others. The company |
also announces that 1t Is adding |
Anna May Wong, Dolores Del Rio, |
Eleanor Boardman, Lilyan Tash- |
man and Carman Barnes to the |
list for certain productions. The
little Oriental actress has an i'm
portant part with Warner GLAND |
In "On the Spot"
Entire casts of children will be |
used in the production Of "Huckle- |
berry Finn" tom Sawyer, Detec-
tive@ and "Sooky." Harold Lloyd, |
it Is announced, is working on a !
new type" of talking picture.
Motion pictures are coming
fresh from the press these days.
Ir5the event OF gang murder,
the studio tOTtters get busy and
fr up q nlovie story on some
of the facts, a0edvtno in their
heart interest! II a giant dirt
gtbIe makes an unusual trip, you
get q romantic story on the
same idea on the screen. NoD
zoe are to hare a picture called
"She Wanted q millionaire"
based on the recent killing of
an American theGter 7tGgndte
by his 1Dife. 1t Is all current,
bxt UeTy> highly coLored. 1t is
said that the true story of the
1Ddr nf,iHf0T'S 1DidO1D 1DhO mar