The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-03-20
HOLLYWOOD
LOT
Bv TED TAYLOR

1t has been the pract1ce mere 10 ga,
l'Let there be lights!p and leave thu
lrest to Otto X. Olesen.
You've seen postcards of Hollywood
during film premiere, the sky lit W
by criss-crossing beams like grea
Scotch shawl. Olesen has always
been the electrical contractor. Bui
now the army has taken over.
The military aurora borealis switch
| ed on by the coast artillery boys In
the dark morning hours Of February
25 definitely outshone the most spec
tacular sky lighting the film city had
ever seen. That air raid alarm on
the Los Angeles coast at last con-
WINGED the lax-minded they were in
war, and in a war zone.
| After that word from the army
was sufficient to transform the plans
for super-glamour premiere for G.
B. DeMille's latest gigantic March 10
into virtually military secret.
1t is really too bad The opening
of c. BIS Reap the Wild Wind" also
marked the conversion of Hollywood's
biggest legit theater, Ell Captain, into
a permanent Paramount picture house.
In addition it conceded roughly with
DeMille's arrival in California and the
first movie shooting in Hollywood 80
years ago.
To celebrate all those events Holly
wood was to have been one great
premiere. The Chamber of Com
merce was lined up to dedicate land
marks. Lights plus throngs were to
out-dazzle and out-joggle the Santa
Claus parade and Hollywood dollar
day combined.
In designating Los Angeles as Mill
tary Area AL the Western Defense
Command was considerate, however.
There is no ban on premieres. Just
be sure the glamour is hooked up to
blackout switch, that's all.
Lights are OK-but no swinging
the maround in the sky. Stars are
OK - but no double parking while
they descend from their limousines
Crowds are OK-up to 5000. But
keep them out of the street, and no
dashing about for autographs.
That limitation on crowds is really
the tough part. 1t has the publicity
boys on the ticklish assignment to
put on a big show without getting
the public too interested.
Army regulations permit night
shooting by the picture companies If
they use flood lights only, hooked up
for instant blackout. Every location
troupe must have a portable radio
tuned to a key station to
catch alerts.
Fire scenes are out for the duration.
columbia had 2story building ready
to burn down for "Three's a Crowd
at its ranch in the airport area, and
was told to build another set with
alphabetically charred timbers and use
before-and-afte shots.)
Troupes going into the army's des
ignated theaters of war or the coast
al zones of the 18th naval district
must provide citizenship guarantees
for every individual. Non-citizens
even of allied nationality are barred |
Naturally this makes the drive for |
fingerprinting, mug |
ging every worker in the picture in |
lustry irresistible. Labor leaders |
are cooperating for the es-
of citizenship status and |
Identification, but they oppose the
tendency to set up little company
FBPs on some lots.
Their position is that fingerprints
should be for the protection of the
Individual, be under the control of
ederal authorities only, and should
lot go into private or industrial files.
Warmers is reported already to have
obtained complete fingerprint records
If 600 employees, to have mugged them
against a height index and assigned
Identification numbers, and to have
81 from each to defray costs.
The dollar is said to be returnable
An unexpected move in the demo-
ratio direction was a meeting of rep
esentatives of 35 unions and guilds
allied by the Assn. of Motion Picture
Producers March 4 to discuss a stand
I'D simplified citizenship question
laire. A committee of five with only
ne out-and-out producer representa-
i've is drafting an acceptable form.