The Washington times., 1937-04-06

/ Berger, who held an option on the
picture rights.
A script which will be submitted
to the M. P. P. D. A. for approval,
Berger said, is now in preparation.
The troubles of a small town ex-
hibitor as reported in Motion Pic
ture Herald.
April Romance" Richard Tau
ber-"Dang nigh ruined me, or
rather should say the trailer did
the dirty work. We only ran the
trailer one night and I was sorry
didn't screen it beforehand, as it
certainly ran off all the business
I might have coaxed in under the
title. This Tauber can sing, but
they should put hood over his
face, as it's terrible. Small towns
will do well to lay off this one as
we had one lone customer the Sec
ond night, and I didn't want to in
flict the picture on both him and
myself, so we didn't run the Sec
ond night. I have always held
the highest regard for M-G-M's
productions, but they certainly fell
flat on this one. Running time,
50 minutes. Played March 14-15.
B. A. Mcconnell, Emerson The
ater, Hartford, Ark. Small town
patronage.
NEW SHIRLEY TEMPLE
A little bundle of animated
blond charm from Washington is
the central figure in Hollywood's
latest discovery" story. Joan
Carol Felt, aged five, is the actress
for whom great things cinematic
are being forecast at the Twen-
tieth Century-Fox lot, where she
is now playing a featured role in
"One Mile from Heaven" ranking
next to Claire Trevor, who heads
the cast.
Until early last year, the Felt
family resided in Washington,
where the child's father, Wright
L. Felt, was an engineer in the
power division of the Works
Progress Administration. At that
time, he was transferred to the
post of regional director Of the
Works Progress Administration
for Nevada.
Nevada is not so far from Holly
wood, and when Marjorie Gate
son, actress friend Of the Felt fam
lily, suggested that Joan Carol
might do well in pictures, Mrs.
Felt took the child to Hollywood
for a screen test. Director Lewis
Seller was selecting children for a
Twentieth Century-FoX picture,
"The First Baby" and was so i'm
pressed by Joan Carol that he had
the script rewritten in order to
provide a small role for her.
After her appearance in 'The
First Baby" Joan Carol was given
a shortterm contract with the
Jesse LaSky-Mary Pickford unit at
United Artists. However, as some
times happens, no picture came
along with a role suitable for her,
and the contract expired without
another screen appearance.
Thereupon Joan Carol was given
another Short-term contract with
Producer B. P. Schulberg. Again,
she spent her contract period with
out appearing before the cameras.
It looked pretty gloomy for her
screen future when a few weeks
went by without another screen
offer.
Then zone Mile From Heaven"
was scheduled for production at
Twentieth Century-Fox studios,
based upon a real.life courtroom
drama written by Judge Ben Lind
Sey. In it was a role for a little
girl, and James Ryan, casting di-
rector, who remembered Joan
Carol for her work in "The First
Baby" sent for her.
It was a big role, and complete
set of new screen tests were run
on Joan Carol. She came through
like veteran, winning a film part
which Director Allan Dwan be-
lieves will lead to stardom.
Joan Carols part in "One Mile
from Heaven" runs the entire
length of the picture, in whose
original story she is the central
figure. Too young to go to school
she learns her lines by reciting
them after her mother, who will
reside in Hollywood for such times
as Joan Carol will be there on
picture work. The child repeated
ly has mastered all the lines for a
complete sequence after repeating
them but once for her mother.
"CALL IT A DAY"
Dodie Smith, author Of the
famous stage hit, Call It a Day."
is one Of the leading members of
the modern British school of
dramatiSts. Like so many play
wrights of today, she reaped her
knowledge of the theater from
practical backstage experience.
Educated in the st. Paul's school
for girls in England, she studied
at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art, and was on the stage for
several years. She gave up the
theater to go into business in Lon
don, but continued to be deeply
interested in the theater. During
her leisure moments she wrote in
1880 a comedy Of fall in the
Tyrol, called Autumn Crocus, 4"
which was produced at the Lyric
Theater, London, in 1881.
It scored a big success. This
play was also done on this side
and served to introduce the
Czechoslovakian actor, Francis