Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-03-03

I Hollywood has rushed headlong
into something it knows little about.
The result is that many of the pic
lures are mediocre or bad. The pub
| lie recognizes bad color and fails to
respond at the box office. And the
great color splurge flickers feebly for
a moment and then dies as suddenly
as it has been born.
RUT there is still Cooper to be
reckoned with. He realizes from
the start, as color film after color
| film is hurried through its produc-
| ton stages, that such a sudden rush
can work harm. His persistent idea
has boomeranged 1t has caught on
too enthusiastically.
Two years pass. Then three.
Finally. in 1892. DR.. Kalmus, who has
lost none of his enthusiasm. an
nounceS to an unintereSted world
that three-color process has finally
been perfected. For the first time
true color can be reproduced.
But nobody, except Cooper. seems
to care.
Finally Walt Disney. creator of the
Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony
| animated cartoons. sees a sample of
the new three-color process. He likes
it immensely and begins using color
in his Silly Symphonies. The third
or fourth to be produced is short
subject called The Three Little
Pigs" 1t is not only Immediately
successful; it is sensational.
Merriam Cooper, then a producer
for R-K-O, sees one of the Silly
| Symphonies and knows, then, for
the first time, that the day is close
at hand.
At this point John Hay Whitney
re-enters the scene. 1t is agreed
that Pioneer Pictures be organized,
with John Hay Whitney as president
and Merriam c. Cooper, upon the COM
pletion Of his commitments to R-K-O.
as first vice president in charge of
all production. Until then he Is to
act as color adviser for Pioneer,
| Meanwhile, Kenneth Mcgowan is
borrowed from R-K-O to act as active
| producer.
And so. after 10 long years. the
persistent idea is finally taking form.
1t is then Immediately apparent to
Whitney, Cooper and Mcgowan that
the success of color depends upon
synchronizing the music and the
scenes with the color itself.
Here is where Jones enters the
picture. All three men know Jones
and are familiar with his reputation
as a master of light and color. He
is sent for from New York and in CO.
| operation with the technicolor tech
nicianS he conducts dozens of ex-
perimental tests with makeup, with
backgrounds and with changing light
ing effects.
Both Cooper and Jones observe
entire picture is flooded with white
light, just as in black and white
photography. 1t is their plan to
project colored lights on the objects
photographed and thus build addi-
| tional emotional value from color
In other words, for intense crimson
action, crimson colors will be used,
and for quiet, pastoral scenes they
will overlay the picture with delicate
pastel shades.
The first picture to be produced by
Pioneer is La Cucaracha," the pic
ture which today has played to more
business than any black and white
short subject ever made.
The second vehicle, Becky Sharp"
is full-length feature. Miriam Hop
kinS is starred and Reuben Mamoulian
| is directing. Kenneth Mcgowan is
the producer. When completed, it
will mark the first feature to be made
in the new full-color technicolor
process, although at present there are
half dozen others already in prep
aration in various studios around
Hollywood. 1t is estimated that with
in three years-five at the most
black and white photography will be
thing of the past.