The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-08-31
Tay Garrett Will
Film New Picture
Hollywood Director Works
on "Trade Winds"
BY FREDERICK c. OTHMAN
United Press Hollywood
CarreSnondent

Correspondent
HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 81. CUP
Tay Garrett, who shot a. whole
feature picture without a, ,single
actor in it, opened Hellwood's
magic box Sunday and started
peopinG the film with such per-
formers as Frederick March, Joan
Bennett. Ralph Bellamy, and Ann
SOtheTn.
When he finishes the job he will
have such a movie as nobody ever
made before. Every single scene
will have been made inside sound
stage here. But all the oriental
scenery will be genuine.
Even when March takes a drink
in a Saigon saloon, he will be do
ing his elbow bending at United
Artists studios while the slant
eyed folks walking past the win
dow will be real. Garrett photo
graphed them two years ago,
though they never knew his cam
eTaS were grinding.
The picture is called "Trade
Winds" It's manufacture is a de-
velOpment Of a movie stunt which
has been in use for many years.
"The idea Of sending camera
crews to the jungles or the deserts
or whatever for background shots
is old stuff" Director-Producer
Garnett reported. 81 was direct
inc a picture not many years ago
which called for a far eastern
background. So the studio sent a
camera crew to get background
shots in China. The crew came
back with thousands of feet OF
handsome landscape, which didn't
fit into the film at all. A second
crew went all the way to the
orient with no better luck. A
third crew did little better. We
finally used seven Chinese back
grounds. which cost several hun
dred thousand dollars. All our
other background was false"
Garnett decided that the only
way a director could get the kind
Of scenery he needed was to have
his story written beforehand, go
to the scene, himself, and record
it with due regard for the actors
later to be inserted.
So he wrote his own story.
Then he and a crew of IA board
ed his yacht, Athene, and sailed
around 1he world, taking pictures
as they went. =,
The merging of the original
scenes with the actions Of stars
March and Bennett is a fasclnat-
ING one to watch. Only Garnett
wouldn't let US peek unless we
promised not to discuss his meth
DDS. He said he thought too much
revelation of technical secrets
ruined the show for the fans.
Maybe so. Anyway, We promised
and so spent the morning watch
ing March and Bellamy ride down
a crowded Shanghai street in rick
shaws. =,
What we couldn't understand
was the fact that the shop keep
ers, pedestrians, the horses, the
truck drivers, and even the traf-
fic cops paid no attention to the
camera.
That's because they didn't
know they were being photo
graphed," Garrett said.
we got ourselves a moving
van. filling with Chinese furnl~
ture. and rode wherever we want
ed-with the camera lens point
ing out from under the dining,
room table in the rear. 1t worked
perfectly"
Even when March and Bellamy
90 into the modern part of Shang
hal. the scene shows such things
as gasoline trucks, with Chinese
lettering, oriental beer trucks
drawn by understood horses. and
actual Chinese businessmen, most
w in overcoats with fur collars
HOLLYWOOD, despite all its re
sources, never could have achieved
such reality at home.
1T really is a new kind OF PIC
ture," Garrett said. by that l
mean | never have heard OF an
other film with all its backgrounds
real"