The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-19
Cold Noses
Obstacle in
Color Films
Tendency to Become Red
Halls Production While
Powder Is Applied.
MARCH 10, 1896
Tim snecinl

Times Special
NEW YORK, March Bred
noses are one of the obstacles in
the path Of perfecting technic3ior
pictures. according to Natalie Kali
mus, technical adviser in the film
inS of THE Trail of the Lonesome
Pine" opening at the Indiana to-
morrow.
During the shooting of picture
I'D in the San Bernardino noun
tains a few weeks ago, we had to
stop the cameras every once in a
while to powder the players noses.
Their noses became cold and took
on cherry hue" Mrs. Kalmus said
in an interview on the color picture
art which her husband, DR.. Herbert
7. Kalmus, invented.
She was his first leading lady,
back there a dozen or so years ago
in Boston when colored pictures
we're just a dizzy theory, until one
day the little experimental camera
caught the exact honey shade of her
hair. After that the camera be-
came corporation and she one of
its guiding lights.
Aids In Every Color Film
Since then every color picture
produced in America has had Ma
talie Kalmus standing just back
and little to the left of the camera.
Having studied art in Boston and
Switzerland before her marriage,
she knew some things about color
to start with. But she's picked up
lot more.
They are; That velvet, for exam
pie, absorbs the light and so photo
graphs darker than it is. That
satin reflects light and shows up
q shade or so brighter.
Put pink next TO red" she said,
"and the red will gobble up the pink.
Unless you use blue pink. Red can't
stomach that"
She was up on Big Bear Noun
tam In California when they filmed
THE Trail of the Lonesome Pine"
1T was our first outdoor. all-col-
or picture she said. Before we
had only been able to split the
spectrum into two parts, and we
missed some of the shades at the
ends. But now we have it split into
three parts and catch every nuance
OF color in the landscape"
An important part of Mrs. Kali
mus job is to see that too much
color doesn't get into the picture.
Our objects" she said, lis real
ism. That means toning the COL
ors down. Producers used to say.
We're paying for a color picture,
so give us lots of color AS a result.
color pictures for a long time were
hardly more than a novelty.
Too Much Confined Color
THE thing is that when you kalk
out on the street you see a lot of
color, but you're used to it. You're
not used to seeing it all confined to
the square of a moving picture
screen. So We have to give you less
than you would see to make it look
zeal
Sylvia Sidney, who plays the girl
lead in The Pine, wasn't allowed to
wear anything but low colors.
Il kept her in soft blues" Mrs.
Kalmus explained. Because that's
her type. Bright colors would de-
tract from her personality. Red
would kill her-photographically."
Carlo Best in Black
Greta Carlo, said Mrs. Kalmus,
can't wear bright colors, either.
She looks swell in black"
Ann Harding is best in pastel
shades, which match her hair and
eyes.
Clark Gable should always wear
grey.
I'D hate to see him in brown"
She thinks women ought to have
themselves studied for colors, Just
as they do for lipstick and perfume
The colors girl wears can
point her personality or blur it," she
said. I'm recent picture there
we're two sisters. 1 made the one
vivacious by dressing her in orange,
red and pink. The other was sedete
in cool grays and blues.