WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1930.
*
MUSIC DRAMA
•
FILMS
wear ROUND THE CINEMAS
FILM STARS WHOM ive wardrobes and can
clothes, with more or less distinc- tion. NOBODY KNOWS,
World's Most Successful **Extra.”
HOLLYWOOD SECRET.
The most widely experienced of all actors and actresses on the films is a girl you have never even heard of.
1
She has been in most of the pic tures you have seen in the last two years, yet in all probability your eyes have not rested for a total of five seconds on her face, writes Jerome Besity in the Daily Ex-
press,
She has been employed by near- ly every studio in Hollywood. She has worked with, scores of stars. A hundred directors have told Her where to stand and what to do. Yet she is a stranger even to those "movie" addicts who know the ages, vomplexions, past perfornf ances and marital histories of a thousand cinema personages.
If you go to a picture theatre the chances are that she will the show, but you will be in not notice her; for she is just an "extra" girl and part of the back- ground, like a palm tree or a ple- ture on the wall..
She is Jane Arden-real name Jane Slease, age twenty-four, if you must know-and she is the most successful "extra" in Holly
wood..
They realise that, in their case, élothes make the man and gowns bring the cheques. There is nothing farther for them. So they make the best of it. There's a day or two each week for rest or golf! or swimming or motoring; and as for work-you would hardly call it work, except on those days when they keep you until midnight, with extra pay, of course, for overtime. You are in a land of magicians, with famous personagea. to the right and left, borrowing matches from you, sometimes giving you lift to town in their limousines, You're being photographed, your image is before millions of per sons daily. Even though they do not know it, you do, which is no small satisfaction.
To-morrow-
The Unsuccessful Ones. To-day you're in Egypt with Colman, yesterday you Ronald were at the Ritz in London with Norma Talmadge. what surprise does to-morrow hold? Perhaps at sea with Charles Chaplin or at a country club with. Nancy Carroll, or perhaps a call that will take you for two weeks to a mountain lake location with Clive Brook.
"How do the unsuccessful ones live ?" I asked. "Here are 'thou sandwho don't make even ten dollars a week."
I asked Jane Arden. I asked the general manager of the Central Casting Corporation.. I asked a dozen "extra" people.
"That's what I've always won dered," was the burden of their re.
ply.
DUNCAN SISTERS SING AND DANCE.
"IT'S A GREAT LIFE”
THE CHINA
MAIL.
Victor Baravalle and his orohes- tra furnish the music with a coun- ter melody played by the Pacific Ocean.
"Radio did aibilities of movies, more in a few years to teach the public appreciation of good muste than any force in history," he said, "and now comes the talking ple "JOURNEY'S END."
ture, teaching the public the value of co-ordination of drama and I feel certain that "Journey's End, the war play good music. that played around the world be eventually it will mean the transi fore it was a year old, and that tion of opera to the ecreen." raised an obscure author to fame, Tibbett sings a group of songs, defies the biggest dramatic con in the new production which range. vention by not having a woman from operatic arias to simple love They were written by "It's Great Life," the Metro. in it or a love and yet its ballads. Goldwyn-Mayer picture starring crammed with a vital love Interest. Herbert Stothart with lyrics by; In the Tiffany all-dialogue pro Clifford Grey and interpolations by duction of this R. C. Sherriff' Franz Lehar. the Queen's Theatre, the Duncan Sisters, which will open is an all-talking, singing and danc- masterpiece, coming soon. to the "The talking. picture will finish Central Theatre. a key of romance the work which radio started," the ing film directed by Sam Wood and filmed with technicolour sequences. is struck when. Lieut, Osborne, young baritone continued.
so many years ago, how many The story might, well be a biogra- gray-haired and three years in war phy of the dancers dealing with a service, tells Lieut. Raleigh, young people knew Licbestraum," for sister aut in vaudeville which finds and just arrived in the front line instance, or Schubert's 'Serenade"?
trench, to "think of it all as In a few years audiences itself in difficulties when a quarrel
know the great operas, will love separates the pair, who find them romantic-it helps."
The first love interest shows in them, and will see the drama and selves "Flopa" as singles.
the hero worship of the schoolboy music combined, with all the Raleigh for his idol, Stanhope. flourish that the screen has to He comes into the trenches and offer." finds his idol wearing clay feet, but he understands why and how he came a drunkard and still sees him as his hero..
to-day at
The new film incorporates a num- ber of skilfully executed dance rou- tines handled by Sammy Lee, who has received no little distinction as a result of his work in several Broadway musical comedy
cesses.
ན.k
+
Buc.
The Duncan Sisters, as usual, score with their songs.
The music was composed by Dave Dreyer, responsible for "Me and My Shadow," "Rainbow Round My Shoulder," and other bits. Ballard Macdonald Lyrics.. some
the wrote the Lone- "Trail of Pine" started him
oll
C one of the most successful careers in the field of popular
music.
A very capable supporting cast is headed by Lawrence Gray and Includes Bebby Rubin, Jed Prouty, Dudley Chambers, Oscar Apfel, George Davis, and George Periolat.
TANNED LEGS.'
Second is the love of Stanhope! for Raleigh's sister. She is never seen-not even her photo is shown to us, but If she were there before poignant love story than is told you you could not have a more
you with her absent.
*ད
"Not
will
Clifford Grey wrote the lyric, and Interpolations were contribut- ed by Franz Lebar. Besides Tib- bett's song, there is one with a chorus sung by Elsa women's Alsen, Wagnerian soprano, and one with Wallace Macdonald and a male "bandit chorus."
"The grand pÅRADE”- -
Different in many respects from Third is the love for home and
the cut-and-dried picture romance, the nice things of life to which The Grand Parade,” a Pathe dia- every man has a right-that all logue production featuring Helen these men had before the hysteria Twelvetress and Fred Scott, is a story so popular of nations sent them to war-be-of black-face minstrelsy fore they were herded in dark, forty or more years ago. It is dis- tinctly a new type of entertainment damp, rat-infested, vile-smelling on the screen, for, in addition to its holes underground-and then sent vital, forceful drama, it presents a out to be blown to destruction in complete minstrel show such as our the name of love of country grandparents delighted to see when they were young. Wanderful music, patriotism!
catchy songs, spley jokes, and the James Whale.directed "Journoy's glittering pageantry of negro enter End," a story that he knows pro-tainment supplement the drama of But the great majority struggle long, under-nourished, sleeping
Tanned Leg." a sparkling must-bably even better than its author, this remarkable achievement in the
for he has directed many of its field of audible films. bed-rooms, atruggling esi comedy of vivid youth
The two featured players, Helen tiny hoping.
Like prospectora after-duced by Radio Pictures, opens at
stage productions. Georga Pear Twelvetress and Fred Scott, are play- Miss Twelve- Hon supervised and RCA Photo-ers of signal ability. gold, they would rather starve the Central Theatre to-day.
Colin Clive, by trees is a Broadway stage favourite, is famous a than give up.
It is one of the first tuneful phone recorded.
special permission of Maurice while Mr. Scott
is shows to be written directly for the
concert vinger.
૪૦. tenor Vaice screen, with five superb, original Browne, Ltd., plays the role of looking and his fine
beautifully. The sup- plays young Raleigh, Ian Maclaren porting cust Includes Richard Carle, song numbers and a chorus of 40 Capt. Stanhope, David Manners registers Hollywood beautics..
is Osborne and others are Billy famous musical comedy star, Marie Adtaire, Tom Malone and Jimmy Bevan, Anthony Bushell, Jack Aubrey. Every player in the cast is Pitcairn, Thomas Whiteley, ideally cast, the result being excep- Charles Gerrard
Warner tionally fine character portrayals."
Over a period of two years she worked more days and earned more money than any other of the 17,541 "extras" registered at the Central Casting Corporation, which is the organisation employing the "ex-in
In 1928 tras" for all the studios. and 1929 she worked 464 days, an average of four days a week, and earned an average of just £10 a weck!
Jane Arden may work it four or five different stadios in a week. She plays parts that are never in the Cast of Characters, though sometimes she is put down for a the role that. stands out from crowd. For instance:
Girl to stand in front of drug Girl, evening dress, on couch in
store.
smart "hotel.
There are girls who are asham ed to go back home. I heard of a case like that.
"Everybody said I was sure to make good in the movies," this gir! told a casing director, after he had advised her, as kindly as possible, that she ought to give up her am bition. For a year she had sought work unsuccessfully. In that time her total earnings as an extra girl had been the equivalent of £35.
"My father gave me a thousand
pro-
"The outstanding cast of film celebrities is headed by a little
new-comer named June Clyde. She two had been in pictures but months when RKO officials chose Klinger. roles of the season. Her pert per- her for one of the most coveted Bonality, lovely voice, and the fact that she has the prize pair of limbs
selection.
and
Girl to sit with boy in dickey dollars-nearly all the money he in filmdom are responsible for herly known Metropolitan Opera Com-a man of him. There is tremendous
Heat of car.
Girl in bathing suit, under beach umbrella.
Girl at end of roulette table. "Girl to enter cafe with man.
Girl in deck chair.
At other times she is only part of the ensemble, included in such
calls as:
1.
Twenty girls for university jodying house.
Seven waitresses. Fourteen mermaids.
Seventeen girls to follow watch (Rainstorm scene. prepared to get wet.")
had. When I left, the Rotary Club and the Kiwanis came down to the
Ann Pennington, famous Zieg- train with a band. They carried feld star owner of the $100,000 big banners reading 'Good luck, knees, will be seen in several ape- Mary,' and 'Here She Comes,cialty dances with Allen Kearns, Hollywood Treat Her Right." Ali
also a Broadway favourite. my school friends were there, too, and any father and mother. They
bought nearly all the flowers in town for me.
"I told them I'd make them
I thought proud of me. would,"
And
golf She's still in Hollywood, work-
"Come ing as a
л tearoom. waitress in And at bomé her mother and Wherever she is called, it is ex-her father and her friends tremely likely that on the same
wonder
call why they never "set" with the Champion Extra
find her in any of the pictures that will be the Runner-Up, who is a
come to their town.. man of thirty-three years, named Babe Green. He leads all the men, having worked 446 days in 1928 and 1929 and earned an average of $0 a week!..
O.K. Dress and Good Figure. Jane Arden is very blonde--and always has beer, by the way-and her record in the Casting Bureau, transcribed by Miss Marion Mel, who is in charge of the registrn- tion of women and who rates the with a cold and efficient eye, says she is "O.K. dress and good figure."
Further, the record shows her height to be five feet three inches, her weight.one hundred and six- teen pounds. She drives a čar, swims, dives, and dances. Her wardrobe ie "very complete." Other information states that she can act and that she has long hair. Her eyes are dark blue.
16
G.B.S."
CONSENT TO PLAY BEING A TALKIE.
Mr. George Bernard Shaw has at last consented that one of his plays shall appear on the screen. In mafi week he signed a contract with Pictures for British International the production of the play "How he lied to her husband" to be filmed as a talkie at the Elstree Studios of British International Pictures.
This is a great event in more senses than one. Apart from the fact that "G. B. S." is the foremost British author and playwright, this contract marks the final breakdown of his well known opposition to the film. To use his own words "I have stood out against the alient film, it is true, because that is no good to me, but I certainly have made no stand against the talkie film, which is a different proposition altogether."
Myron C: Green-professional name Babe Green, according to the record is thirty-three years old, five feet eleven inches tall, and weighs twelve stone. His eyes are blue and his hair le grey and brown. He has been in pictures The picture will be directed by eight years, and rides,, swims, Mr. Cecil Lowis, formerly an an- dances, golfe, drives, and plays nouncer with the British Broad- tennis. He does not dive. His casting Company and will be of wardrobe includes lounge, suits, feature length the original play evening clothes, sports clothes, is only of one act. It is expected riding
military habite, and
to compléte the picture within uniforms, M
ten weeks. Details of the east "Extra" people must use motor- are not yet available. -cars-to-get to and from work, for usually they dress at home: Even in Hollywood you cannot make without embarrassment, a long trip at eight o'clock in the morning, on a tramcar or on omnibus, while woaring an evening gown or a dress, sult.
There le just a frugal living in it for the best of them.
Seventeen thousand odd people are struggling pitifully to reach the place occupied by the two hundred who, perhaps, makea living out of their chosen profes- Bion.
And the two hundred have all the fun. They have reached the top because they are "O.K dress,” which means that they have exten
YESTERDAY'S. SOLUTION
Albert Gran, the beloved old taxi driver of "Seventh Heaven," portrays the fast-stepping poppa, finally brought to his senses by his youthful daughter, "Tanned Legs" Reynolds (June Clyde).
The super-sound spectacle is re- plete with laughs, thrills, and melodies that promise to keep feet tapping during every performance next week.
The story dents with Aminstrel singer who wins success, but through the influence of an evil woman, sinks "THE ROGUE SONG."
to the dregst a drunken sot. He is salvaged by A boarding-house Lawrence' Tibbett, international-"slavey," and she snecends in making dramin the development of the pany star, who recently returned theme and the climax is one of un- from Hollywood following comple-surpassed interest. tion of
"The Grand Parade" will have its his work in Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer's all-talking musi-final showings today at the Majestle
Theatre, Kowloon, cal production, "The Rogue Song," which will open at the Queen's Sunday, la of the Theatre on opinion that the sound advance- the screen is the ment made on greatest thing that could have happened both for pictures and
music,
When interviewed on his arrival In New York, where he returned present for the opening of the opera season, Tibbett expressed enthusiasm for the musical
DAILY CROSS-WORD PUZZLE.
(This cross-word puzzle has been made by an expert but ar readers are warned to look out for occasional phonetic spellings, such as harbor, plow, and altha.)
12
13.
T
13.
$17
125
28
141
145
48
HORIZONTAL 1-Famous Grook
5
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HORIZONTAL (Cont.) 41-la in possession of 43-A: number **** 6-A New England olty 44-Pootic, form of india 11-Combining form
postoas
topmost
_12_Greek_lotior_I
13-Born
*14-Skyblue...
16-To Incline 17-Till sale (abbr.}) 18-A dessert - 12-Half"ema 21-Propart 22-Provided with
envy
ballest 25-Plural of scutum
25-For
45-A North Central
state of U. S. [47-Girl's name [18-Yellowish-brown
49-An attending male
servant
19
VERTICAL (Cont) 14-A treo of China and
Japan 10-To-divert 10-Light, caressing
stroke:
120-A Japanese doin
22-Larpost-province-of
E.. British-India 23One of the
Riigrim Fathers 24-Considerslo kada 25-A eriginator or
Sorentoring, f 20-Pusesolve pronoun 2-Pinying card" (pl.) "31-Unit jalgh,
VERTICAL
1-A city, 8no Paulo
state, Brazil
3-Prefix-Before 32-The day of rest
4-A river of Italy *}44–9irst President of B-European blackbird, Germany, ma
27-Opposed to zenithe-Waariss
26-To allow to anter7-Seventh muelcki
20-Large volumesWM
**25-Citizene of Athens
85-Toward
38-Prefix-undere
89-To paen away
40-Indefinite article
8-Small child.
An American
patriot 10-Household finen. collectively
87-An-liland of the
DÃOJE, USURMAH); A
40-A queen of England. 42-Bhort for dietor.
[44-Writing fuld
40-A bone (Latin)
47-Profix form of ad.
(The solution of the above gross word puzzle will appe to-morrow's issus, along with a new crossword puzzle.)
pos-
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