The Nome daily nugget., 1937-08-07

James. "They're not glass; they're made of candy"
 Some such trick candy costs $80 a pound. In the form of pills, 1t ia used in shooting wintry scenes. Tho actor holds this pill in his mouth like a cough drop; as 1t melts, 1t gives off a vapor that Is visible. like breath on cold day.
 Icicles of plaster, oatmeal for snow, and gales made by wind ma chimes, all join to simulate winter. To make 1t rain over three-acre field in Little Women," RKO en. glneers built scaffolding high above the lot which carried a mile of per forated pipe. By this vast sprinkling system 1t could shower" whenever directors yelled, "Start the rain!"
 In another scene, horses hauled a sleigh across "snow field" made of half-baked cOrnflakes. Being vel low. they photographed white. At the same time a battery of 20 huge motor propellers at one side of the field blew the air thick with corn. flakes, making a blizzard" Dur. ing a pause in the work one horse got at a big bag of extra corn. flakes. overate, was foundered, and a movie veterinarian had to give first aid. Just then an actor, bun. Tod kO hn sunstrOke!
 Realism of "Berlin."
 "Berlin" was only about 150 feet from Mexico" on the Universal lot. "Rain" poured down in a Berlin street where actors In Little Man. What Now?" walked along in rain. coats, carrying umbrellas; cab horses paved the water, and boys pedaled along on glistening-wet cycles. From out in the dry al. rector called his orders.
 For versimilitude an exact mod. el of a Berlin street car, all paint. ed with bona-fide names and num- bers, clattered along under Its own power. About a kiosk, or news stand, draped with illustrated Ger man weeklies, a group of old Ger. man types recruited from Los An geles lodging houses talked in Ger man about German politics.
 Barely stones throw away, on another "set," cowboy actor, the idol of small boys the world over. was struggling through Mexican border brush few jumps ahead of Texas sheriff.
 Any kind of scenery desired, from Alpine to Sahara, can be found or easily manufactured somewhere in southern California.
 To film an Australian drama, some rolling plains were wanted like the terrain near Melbourne, where the principal action of the story took place. They were found in Los Angeles county.
 Sometimes, however, nature plays joke. Once rain interrupted the shooting of some scenes where were used big leafless gum trees. Two weeks later, when the actors went back to complete the scene, the trees had leafed out. In or der to match the old setting, the trees had to be picked like chick ems, which made a two days job for 20 men.
 From snow scenes in mountains back of Hollywood to seaside set ups Is only a three hours drive. Covered Wagon" was filmed on a ranch near Burbank, now seldom used because two air lines fly over 1t and the roar of planes spells sound effects.
 Near Santa Monica Is an almost perfect bit of Cuba.
 About Oxnard is a made-to-Order Sahara. The Alps" are in San Bernardino county, and the fisher mems village on the Los Angeles harbor has often been pictured as Southern Italy,"
 Orders for the Property Man.
 One company has it's own hand made jungle in which wild animal scenes are filmed. Under the jungle trees life nets are used in case of accidental falls by "wild men" and others who leap from tree to tree.
 An odd order for one picture called for "5,OOO moths and POD cockroaches."
 In "Stingaree," a tale of Aus tralia in 1870, the background in. cluded bull carts, dlngoes, and even a kookaburra bird, or Laughing jackass," all brought from Aus l tralia.
 i The bird enacted his own comedy :ole by sitting in a tree and Insult. ing the players with his raucoa9 raspberry" cry.