Evening star., 1937-08-27

The two Of them constituted qui
tho studio, the impression was that
Of landing back In the late nineteenth
century Just at the moment when
school had "let out" in q Mississippi
River town. The place fairly swarmed
with children, with Taurog standing
In the middle Of the swarm looking
like . great blue whale. (He wears
one of these blue jumper work out
dts which 20 many affect out here
and he is about the size Of the north
wing Of the Post once Department
Building)
Except for the presence of the blue
whale, the whole affair so obviously
was Tom Sawyer that no explanation
of the situation was necessary
The picture, Taurog says. is being
made without names" except for the
names Of Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer
and Selznick, which are three pretty
food ones for any customers IS cents.
Young Tommy Kelly, q freckled-faced,
lo-year-old of whom you never heard
maybe in spite Of the publicity de-
partment, is playing the part Of Tom
Biggest name in the cast is that of
May Robson, who somehow or other
manages to look remarkably energetic
for grandmother, especially in view
OF the fact that she is swathed in
erandmotherly garb of the last CEN
tury and has to sit endleSsly under
the very hot lights used in making
technicolor pictures. (The tempera-
ture Is terrific under those arcs)
The presence Of 80 many young
eters naturally turns the chat with
Taurog into a discussion OF directing
them In pictures It's one of the
easiest things In the world, he says.
Those with whom he Is working now
are approximate noyices before the
camera but they are giving startling
performances because of their COM
plete naturalism.
X X
THEY have no preconceived ideas, :"
Taurog tells you, with the re-
cult that they do what you tell them.
And they concentrate much more on
the Job than you might think"
He said 1t all with an emphasis
which keeps US believing it even
though in the scene we saw shot one
Of the children did not do what he
uas told and did not concentrate on
the Job. Taurog laughed harder than
any one on the set when it happened.
The scene is that in the living room
when the family gathers around to
mourn the supposed drowning of Tom
(vho at the moment is forgetting he
Il An actor and Is marching around on
the rafters which support the roof Of
the sound stage. The boy playing
Sidney Is sitting on table next to the
round-bellied stove. At the order to
60 to bed from the grandmother, he
hops down from the table and puts
his hand on the stove for support.
What do you want to do, burn
your hand off?" Taurog asks with .
laugh. Even then, in the wave Of
nirth which ratified of the stage
walls, the youngster did not realize
he had touched the stove which is
made up in the scene to look hotter
than any stove ever looked before.
Next time" says Taurog, "remem-
Der the stove Is supposed to have fire
In it."
The boy promises, the laughter dies,
the lights come on and the scene L.
shot all over again.
Almost As interesting to the first
time visitor TO Selznick as the shoot
Ing Of Tom Sawyer" Is the publicity
department bungalow. 1t is the first
one ever built on a studio lot and
WAS the company's gift to Gloria
Swanson when she was in her heydey.
It still has that famous black bath
room, including the tub, which once
was the talk Of the town and made
every other star insist upon equally