The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1934-02-05
GOOD MOVIE les; STORES T'ij r; les; PLENTIFUL
AMONG CLASSICS OF FICTION
All This Talk About Shortage Is Mere Excuse For Directors
By DAN THOMAS


NEA Service Sta6 Correspondent.
Hollywood about a shortage OF
story material is just a lot of
camouf1age.
II it has any significance at all,
II indicates only that film execu-
tives aren't so successful when 1t
comes to finding excuses for their
poor pictures. Some excuse must
be given, so they dismiss the mat
ter with the favorite remark, I'VE
couldn't find a ogod story"
Literally hundreds of fine screen
stories can be found in novels writ
ten during the last century, but for
some reason they have been over
looked in the search for screen
stories.
Possibly that situation may be
changed during 1884. The sensa-
tional success of Little Women"
started something. And now NJ
GIN has announced plans for film
| ing kim" and Captains Courag-
| eous," two of Rudyard Kiplings
best known novels.
Both should make splendid pic
lures and If they do, we probably
shall see more novels of yesterday
brought to the screen.
At least six or eight of the Gene
Stratton Porter novels are perfect
screen material. Then there are
the works Of Charles Dickens,
James Oliver Curwood, Oliver
Goldsmith and Jack London, to
mention only few:
| Denounccs Contests
Beauty contests, which dangle
ostensible movie opportunities be-
fore the eyes of thousands of
girls, should be abolished. This
| opinion was advanced to me the
other day by Irene Colman, the
Miss Chicago" Of 1881.
1t was in the hope of getting a
lchance in the movies that Miss Col
man entered the contest. She won
and gave up good job to get that
chance. Now, nearly three years
later, she still is working as Choir
us girI-when there's any work
available.
'It's unfair to all girls to take
them from steady jobs into such
a life as this" declares the pretty
brunei.
A New "Gang"
For the first time since it's incep-
ton, nearly Ia years ago, Hal
Roach's "Our Gang" has new d.
rector. Bob MCGOWAN, who Or
ganized the original "Gang" and
has directed all of the kid come
dies since, has turned the direction
Of the youngsters over to Gus
Mems, feeling that he has served
his time.
Mems now is faced with the
problem of recruiting almost a
whole new gang for this years
pictures. "Spanky" Mcfarland
and "Stymie" Beard are the only
ones left, all of the others having
outgrown their screen characters.
He Used Pressure
| Credit Vincent Lawrence with
devising the perfect scheme for OBJ
tanning permission to do his screen
writing at home. AS soon as Cecil
3. DeMille signed him to write inc
screen play of Cleopatra, ne
said, 'I'll get you an office so you
can start work right away, Mr. Law
renee"
| "No," shrieked Lawrence. mo
| office. L can WofK Will io ci0I,i0"
on, Do you want me running
around here naked? 2"
Lawrence now is doing his writ
ing at home.
Gary Goes Over .
For years Gary Coopers chief
hobby has been sketching with
crayons. Now he's receiving the
benefit of his labors. He has been
invited to exhibit five of his draw
inGs at a gallery display in the st
Paul public library.
| Lyle Talbot, whose real name
has been highly publicized as Lyle
Hollywood, really is Lssle Hender-