Evening star., 1933-04-17
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
HOLLYWOOD, Calf, April II N.A.
NA).-George Arliss. always stickler
for fidelity to detail, has given Warner
Bros. many q headache during the
preparation of "Voltaire"
The story, which must be reproduced
in the extravagant manner Of the time
Of Louis XIV, calls for q reconstruction
Of one wing and an inner court Of the
Palace OF Versailles. Easy enough to
get pictures of the Versailles Of today.
But to find accurate records Of the Yer
sailles Of 1865 Is another thing A
dozen times the studio staff found what
they thought was ideal, and as many
times the inscrutable Arliss turned it
down as absolutely incorrect" The
studio staff retired with their sentiments
amounting pretty much to, If you're so
smart find it yourself"-perhaps not
publicly expressed.
Arliss found what he wanted eventu-
ally A quaint old etching showed a
theatrical performance before the King
and his court played upon an upper
level of an inner terrace against the
facade of the palace proper as it looked
160 years ago.
"Voltaire" has proved the atmosphere
players paradise in these trying days.
Five hundred supernumeraries went to
work few days ago in those palace
scenes. And If you could see their
happy faces!
Another picture, THE Power and the
Glory" is giving a chance to hundreds
of pathetic souls who live like prairie
dogs on the vast fiat stretches Of land
near the railroad yards in Los Angeles.
The $3a-day wage these men earned
for working from early morning until
late at night was such a godsend that
the air was rent with their cheers when
they were paid.
1T was one of the most pathetic
sights I've ever SEEN" said Spencer
Tracy, who told me about it. 1T made
fellow ashamed to go home in a COM
Portable car to a comfortable home and
good food. I drove some of those poor
guys to the novels the company allows
them to live in free of rent until things
pick up. 1t was terrible
The company gives them a dollars
free gas when it rains and they can't
cook their poor food outdoors any
longer. The city gives them five dol
lars worth Of groceries a month
They've forgotten what tobacco or
whole shoes or entertainment are like
it's so long since they've had anything
of the sort"
And they were able to cheer when
they were paid for a strenuous days
work! Director Howard became worried
when a series Of mechanical difficulties
lp 10 hod
He called the foreman and said:
For heavens sake tell these fellows
I'm not trying to wiring the last drop
of effort out of them. but things are
going wrong for me and I've got to
get this scene tonight
The foreman grinned Let 'em alone
boss, they're happy. Say. they haven't
thought about food like those box
lunches for a long time now. And
you're givin' EN- coffee and sandwiches
amt you? This is picnic and
chance to work . and don't We love
it,"
Strange depression etching lit by the
klieg lights of Hollywood!
Something about Dorothea Weick.
star of "Maedchen in Uniform" who
will arrive in Hollywood any moment
now. She pronounces her name Weak"
and she brings to her work the best
continental footl:ght experience. She
is sort of brunette Lillian Gish. Her
first performance, at the age of l6, was
in the Joseph Staedter Theater in
Vienna under the aegis of Max Rein
hart This girl comes from five genera
tionS of actors and actresses. She is
a direct descendant OF the composer
Schumann and of Clara Schumann-
Weick, one Of Europe's greatest women
rianists.
When Marion Gering ordered 10 kegs
CT near beer for the beer-garden scene
of Jennie Gerhardt" he found to his
dismay that there was no such thing
to be had No near beer has been
manufactured during the last month
and the brewery stocks OF this COM
modify were exhausted
So Paramount players will do the
scene with the real article-which
should give it a whoosh hitherto lack
ing in some of our near-beer pictures.
The battle of the movie moguls goes
on flercely behind closed doors. How
to best direct the limping industry
through the coming months is their
problem-and how to get general accord
en- a set program is their impasse at
this moment.
Talk of a complete shutdown for
two to three months times-such shut
down to be general-has been IN the
WARNER BROS. THEATRES -
.sza