The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-18

from
Indiana
ERNIE PYLE

EDITORS NoTE-This rowing reporter
for The Times goes where he pleasex.
when he pleases. in search of odd stories
about this and that.
MEXICO CITY. April ID have
1v1 spent one day here getting all
the low-down on the Mexican
movie-making industry. There isn't
much Of an industry yet. But there
will be.
Mexico has about 5000 movie
theaters. About 5000 show pictures
every day; the rest once or twice q
week. Almost all have sound equip
ment. They show mostly American
and European pictures. The talk is
in English, but there is a caption
now and then in Spanish.
Five years ago they started max
ing movies in Mexico, using Mex
lean actors who spoke Spanish. But
it has been helter-skelter movie
making. A company would make
maybe one picture, and then fold
up. NThe pictures weren't very
good.
But now real movie concern has
been formed. Mexico City business
men put up the money. It's called
Cinematografica Latino Americana,
S. A. They call it "Clasa" for short.
They have built a fine studio nine
miles south of Mexico City. Even
Hollywood would be proud of it.
TINE main studio is about the
Il size of a blimp hangar. 1t is
surrounded by dozen one and
two-story buildings. like a village.
Inside the big studio, workmen
were tearing out set. They had
shot all the scenes needed, and
were making room for new sets.
They've been working three weeks
on this movie, and it's the second
one they've made. The first was
"Pancho Villa" They started it
last July, and it's just about ready
for release now. When they were
photographing some battle scenes
between bandits and Federal troops
out along the highway people
thought it was real revolution and
were almost scared to death.
A T night I went to a park in
L n Mexico City, where they were
shooting a drunk" scene in their
new picture. I met and chatted
with the star, between shots. His
name is Alfredo Deldiestro, and he
has been one of MeXico's leading
actors for a long time.
The scene showed him coming
home drunk and trying to unlock
the big iron gates to his patio. He
couldn't find the keyhole. He al
most fell down. He gurgled in
drunken Spanish. They did it over
and over again, under the flood
lights.
The director, Fernando de Flu
entes, in brown pants and blue
skin-tight upper shirt and cap, sat
in desk chair in front of the
camera, right in the street, and told
the star how to do it.
About 200 people who lived in the
neighborhod gathered to watch.
Whenever a scene was ready for the
camera, one of the movie men would
shout "silencio," and the crowd
would become as quiet as the grave.
MOST of the new company's
1v1 technical personnel have served
in Hollywood. Typical is j. Noriega,
who has the important job of film
cutter He is Mexican, but looks and
talks like Eddie Rickenbacker. He
was with RKO for 10 years
The Photographic staff of three
are Americans from Hollywood.
All the rest are Mexicans. They
seem to know their business, too.
Within a year, when all the equip
ment is in, they expect to turn out
about IL full-length pictures, and so
shorts, a year.
They've spent about million
pesos already, building the studio
and producing the first picture.
Mexican stars don't get the SAL
aries ours do-at least not yet. The
leading man gets 200 pesos a. week
(about $3.50 when he's not working,
and 500 (about $14O when he is
working.
II It
A ND here's the Strangest part Of
IN all-they can't find any leading
ladies! They're almost frantic.
1t seems the upper crust won't let
their daughters go into the movies.
So they have to choose from the
lower classes. They've tried hun
dreds of girls and haven't found one
yet.
When they get a beautiful one,
she's dumb. Or a smart one, and
she's ugly. Or her voice won't do, or
she can't act, or something.
saw modernized Yucatan IN
dian girl in a restaurant the other
night who might fill the bill. But
1 don't know where to find her now.
And, anyway, she was SO beautiful
that 1 suppose she was dumb.