Evening star., 1938-06-05

lOLAI1NG the recent rule OF
the screen under which it ha.
" become an established policy
to adhere to a single theme
ie.. romance, humor, melodrama, on
whatnot, k-International has
reverted to the fundamentals of photo
play making in The Young in Heart
and is loading the story with every
element that can be recorded on cell
luloid. Adapted from l. A. r. Wylie's
THE Gay Banditti," the film embraces
Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks, jr.;
Billie Burke, Roland Young, Paulette
Goddard, Richard Carlson and Minnie
Dupree which is a neat achievement
In itself; added to this are such in
gradients as love. adventure, comedy
mystery and good old-fashioned melo-
drama.
There has been a tendency OF late
to expand stories originally intended
as two-reelers into feature length
dramas. Even when stories have been
written for seven reels they have been
pretty thin, depending on incidents
and slight plot complications to fill out
the footage. Selznick is cramming In
eeverything, including the well-known
kitchen stove.
Three physical appurtenances should
attract the attention of the customers.
Dan Grosbeik has painted several mur-
sls to provide comedy sequence which
h funny in the telling. at least. The
originals are of normal size and these
were photographed and enlarged to
cover wall space 80 by Is feet. They
are starkly and energetically industrial.
revealing brutal looking titans in a
r machine shop welding sledges and
pneumatic drills. Young Fairbanks,
who abhors work, in looking for a job
finds himself In a room which they
decorate. When he looks at them he
collapses.
A rather vivid train wreck will
brighten the proceedings for few
moments. Railroads, as with other
industrial enterprises, are sensitive
about how they are partrayed. The
cars involved In the filmed crash are
labelled the property OF the Unknown
Railroad Co., but the Selznick lads,
ever resourceful, have written 1t in
French-Inconnu Chemin de Fer-and
they hope none of the audience will
know what 1t means. The real touch
OF the picture, however. is the Flying
Wombat, sort of Mae West among
automobiles. To allay suspicion that
the car is but property mans dream,
1t should be stated that it belongs to a
Pasadena millionaire. Besides being
OF monumental proportions 1t Is thor
oughly air-conditioned, its doors open
at the press Of button, the front
seat accommodates four people, the
dashboard has 13 gauges and indica-
tors, including compass and an alti.
meter. 1T has bar, two or three radios,
roof that lifts when the doors open,
9 hood that lifts at the press of but
ton and innumerable other gadeets
that defy description.
A PPARENTLY the soundest busi.
ness project in the world Is
Hollywood contract While the agree
menS held by unknowns and person.
alties OF mild Importance are worth
virtually nothing because of the op-
uon provisions which allow the pro-
oucers to terminate the contract at
almost any point in its life those citi-
1ens OF influential worth who have
attained position under which they
can dictate the terms of their en-
ployment have but to sit tight and
II the studios desire to part with them
badly enough they gladly pay anything
Tor the privilege. 1t is but a phase
OF Hollywood,s fantastic conception of
money, and even in these DAYS of de-
preston few hundred thousand
dollars one way or another means
nothing
The other day one studio decided to
change production chiefs, and as the
relgnlng executive had a contract for
$4,000 week which had three wears
to run 1t was decided to let him 20
and pay the $4,000. On anothe-
lot an executive who is in disgrace
has had all his titles removed, but
he will draw sl,750 every Friday until
the agreement expires in another
year. One producer of whom an or
ganization was desirous of ridding it.
self was paid approximately $1,000, 900
to leave the lot. In one studio a pro-
ducer whose contract will run until
September has declined for months
to turn his hand, but his secretary
picks up his check each Wednesday.
One of the most famous incidents
OF this type involved the late John
Gilbert, whose voice was unsuited to
sound but whose agreement forbade
cancellation. His studio was COM
pelled to carry him fof several years
although he was not adapted to the
medium. The new contract between
Metro and Joan Crawford which has
five years to run is reported to be
without cancellation clause.
CINCE Sonia Henie made America
ice-conscious all studios are cast
ing q covetous eye on the financial re-
turns accruing to Twentieth Century
Fox. None has been able to offer a
competitor. but 1t now appears that
Fox will no longer have q corner on
frozen entertainment. Under Edward
Smalls new af1liation with Uniteo
Artists he will make "The Duke of
West Point" which will star Miss
Henie's former partner, Jack Dunn.
Principal Pictures has launched
Breaking the Ice with Bobby Breen
and 5-yesr-old Irene Dare, and upon
completion the two will be teamed In
Hans Brinker, or the Silver skates u
Bobby, being no Sonia Henie. has
had novel role created for him in
Breaking the Ice" He Is the lad who
scrapes the rink and keeps 1t clean
for the skaters. Besides giving him
something to do, 1t provides him with
brush to lean on, although this
failed to save him when filming start
ed and he fell just what he is to do
In, Hans Brinker'' is still question,
although it is probable that the story
mill t<a v,axto -, &r1