Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26

VIII LUCK, q OOLCI1 O11op4A41S. All
elm releases several million seeds,
and maybe two or three become
trees. When the bankers and the
efficiency men and the pet GER
titled accountants of Wall Street
learn to teach efficiency to the
Goldfish and the elm, they will also
be able to tell the motion picture
industry how to make motion
pictures"
Putting the picture producer in
a class with the loWly Goldfish and
slippery elm never known for its
intelligence) is carrying the mat
ter a little too far. While some of
the modern talking pictures do
not give the impression that their
producers were burdened with a
large amount of gray matter, they
are, at least, far and away above
anything that might be turned out
by a production studio headed by
a Goldfish or an elm. I feel that
it is my duty to speak up for the
producer in this matter.
WASHINGTON has two distinct
w types of theater audiences
OOWIlIO"I1 dllQ CQOO4 DdI4s IL JO0
do not believe this to be a fact,
you should have seen the two
versions of strangers May Kiss"
In a downtown theater, the heavy
hand of the censor had not fallen;
in a large suburban theater, only
few blocks from downtown, you
never knew that one Of the lead
ing characters had a wife and
family living in Paris. Instead, a
type subtitle was inserted, a large
slice of the film eliminated.
What is meat for the down.
townerS must be poison for the
neighborhood theatergoer. And
vice versa, etc.
"METHoD1sT Immoral Movie
Crusade Is Halted by the
Heat" According to last weeks
statement of the Methodist Board
of Temperance, Prohibition and
Public Morals, it's battle against
immoral shows in the District of
Columbia will be postponed until
the arrival of Fall and cooler
weather. During the hot Summer
days, however, Washington movies
can be just as immoral as they
please. Reformer Deets Pickett
recently made a complaint against
a local vaudeville bill, claiming
there were several off-color spots
in the production. The city's
women police, however, after
viewing the show, said it was en-
tirely within the law.
The greatest advance OF the
movie industry has been made IN
the short subjects-tWo-reelers
dealing with educational and
humorous features. These have
improved fully 100 per cent dur
ing the past couple Of years. The
producers of such reels are leading
the way for the feature picture
directors.
CONSIDERABLE trouble is being
experienced in the production
and exhibition of foreign versions
of American pictures. When the
sound films came into being, oi-
rectorS rushed out with the idea
of Spanish, German and French
versions for the foreign markets.
These, according to financial
statements, have not clicked"
with the movie-goerS over the
seas. The time has about arrived
to term the experiment a failure,
and the producers will have to
take up some other idea if they
expect to obtain a share of the
foreign business.
One picture expert maintains
that silent versions of the Amer
lean talkieS are the best for for
eign productions. These, of course,
would carry the SubtitleS in sew
eral languages. I saw such pic
lures carrying the titles in three
different languages in Antwerp
English, Dutch and French-and
they seemed entirely satisfactory
with the audiences. Also, there
are many American films which
are not suitable for foreign exhi-
bition. No attempt should be
made to have these screened in
other lands.
No less an authority than Doug
Fairbanks claims that the 100 per
cent dialogue picture does not
permit the action of the silent
screen. He announces that he will
make no pictures based upon f1c-
ton, plays or novels, but will con-
fine his efforts to travelogueS. He
is now putting together the travel
material taken on his recent trip
to the Far East, with, of course,
Mr.. Fairbanks appearing through
out the picture. If this film makes
hit, he says, he will continue to
produce such films.
SHORT FLASHES: While Clara
Bow has no movie contract at
the present time, several COM
panieS are reported to have MADE
offers for her services. Also, Zieg-
field and other New York stage
producers have approached her
with contracts.
Marilyn Miller may go abroad
to make certain scenes of Her
Majesty, love" The story = q
German affair. "Our Social
Whirl," reported as the next
M Mari ygostn Miller production has
Edward G. Robinson, Basil
Rathbone, Bessie Love, Fiji
D'Orsay and Lupe Valez are TAX
ing short whirlS in vaudeville.
Is the movie cycle turning back
to "cave man Stuff?" This query
comes from the rough treatment
of feminine players in Smart
Money" and Might Nurse" Ed
ward G.. Robinson used his boot;
Clark Gable, his fist.
Dorothy Mackaill and James
Cagney will be co-Starred u "The
RIi1d SyAof fnr First Natx6T%aI