FLASHES FROM STUDIOS

Harold Lloyd in “Movie Crazy,” His First in Two Years

New York, May 1, 1932

Harold Lloyd’s first picture in nearly two years is nearing the end of its production grind in what, for Mr. Lloyd, is jig time. “Movie Crazy” has been shooting at the United Artists studio for eight weeks, and the spectacled one, who is producer as well as star, expects to be able to start assembling and cutting his comedy this week.

It is not unusual for him to take as long as six months to shoot one of his films. He explains his present celerity on the ground that he is working for the first time from a script that outlined each day’s work.

“Movie Crazy” shows what can happen to a timorous laddie between the time he breaks into the picture industry and the time he finally comes out on top of the pack. It may be another month before Mr. Lloyd gets a first preview of his film, but he is in no special hurry, as he does not plan to release “Movie Crazy” until September.




The latest of the New York young women to adopt the screen is Irene Ware, who leaves for the Coast this week with a Fox contract under her arm. Miss Ware is strictly a local product. She left Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx in 1929 for a part in the “Sketch Book” and then went on to a place in the “Vanities,” When the Carroll show closed she took a talking-picture test with Fox and the contract resulted.




Leslie Banks, the Broadway player who has been drawing laughter on behalf of “Springtime for Henry,” consigned his destiny to films last week by signing a contract with RKO Radio Pictures. If his plans have not changed since Tuesday, he will be leaving New York today for Hollywood.

A native of Liverpool, Mr. Banks was a passably familiar sight to road-show audiences in Canada and the United States before he ever appeared on the London stage. New York had its first look at the young Englishman in 1924 as Captain Hook in “Peter Pan.” Mr. Banks is equally at home in light comedy and the more ominous roles of the drama. Last season he played on Broadway in “The Man in Possession” and, before “Springtime for Henry,” he was in “Lean Harvest.”




Genevieve Tobin, last seen in “One Hour With You,” has been engaged by Columbia for the feminine lead in its “Hollywood Speaks,” the behind-the-scenes narrative which will shortly go into production. Eddy Buzzell will direct the film, from the story by Norman Krasna and Jo Swerling.




When First National puts “Life Begins” into production, Herbert Mundin will be on hand to take a part in the film. Mr. Mundin is the British comedian who made his American debut in the first of the imported “Charlot’s Revues.”

Loretta Young and Eric Linden are to have the featured roles in this production, which is scheduled for early shooting.

On the same lot Edward G. Robinson’s new venture, “Tiger Shark,” is ready to begin work after a short delay.




A burst of cooperative speed has resulted in the completion of “The Jewel Robbery” at the Warner plant some ten days ahead of schedule. Kay Francis, who is featured in the picture with William Powell, is off for a brief vacation before turning her attention to “S. S. Atlantic,” which will be her next endeavor. James Ashmore Creelman and Robert Lord collaborated in this latter story.




Edmund Goulding, director of “Grand Hotel,” will next take charge of Marion Davies and cast in “Good Time Girl.” Frances Marion wrote the scenario for this one, and Anita Loos, the “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” author, has penned additional dialogue.




Back from a lengthy vacation of bearding African big game with gun and camera, Gary Cooper left Manhattan for Hollywood last week. His first role will be with Tallulah Bankhead in a romantic adventure called “The Devil and the Deep,” which has a submarine disaster for a background. Benn W. Levy, who writes plays between scenarios and scenarios between plays, is at work with Harry Hervey on the script.





PICTURES AND PLAYERS

Douglas Fairbanks and his South Seas expedition are on the bounding blue Pacific at this minute, one day out from the shores of California. The picture they have been making around Tahiti has been appropriately christened “Robinson Crusoe of the South Seas,” and is all finished except for the tie-in shots which must be made in Hollywood.




An unusually healthy demand for tickets to the opening of “State’s Attorney” at the Mayfair this Thursday evening will be for the benefit of the Emergency Unemployment Relief Committee, has made it advisable to hold twin premieres for the John Barrymore RKO picture.

The benefit showing, at 9:30, will be followed by an 11 o’clock performance, when the theater will be opened to the general public. The relief committee reports an encouraging advance sale of seats for its showing. Mrs. Kermit Roosevelt, chairman, has arranged for distribution of tickets in Washington under the supervision of Mrs. Ogden L. Mills and Congresswoman Ruth Pratt, and a goodly delegation from the capital will be on hand.




While James Cagney and his employers continue to stand adamantly on their respective sides of the salary question, Mr. Cagney’s latest picture, “Winner Takes All,” is awaiting a New York showing, probably at the Winter Garden. The ex-public enemy is a professional fighter in the new film. Marian Nixon, Dickie Moore, Guy Kibbee and Alan Mowbray are in the cast of “Winner Takes All.”




The title for the new Jackie Cooper-Chic Sale film which began as “Limpy,” and was converted last week into “When a Feller Needs a Friend,” has undergone a second operation. Now it is “Limpy Makes Good.” This will probably be the final, as the picture is just around the corner from the Capitol and likely to set up shop in that theater very shortly.




Sally Eilers is back in California after a two weeks’ vacation in this fair city. Her next picture will get under way at once, with James Dunn once more teamed with Miss Eilers.

Among other things, the young woman returned with some early-morning snapshots of the local skyline photographed from her hotel windows and a fresh picture of the theatrical district which she obtained first hand by the simple process of walking up and down Broadway. This incidentally was combining business with pleasure, as her new film will be intimately related to the Broadway scene.




“New York Town,” Ward Morehouse’s unproduced play, has been completed in film form at the Warner studios. Joan Blondell is the star, with Eric Linden, Inez Courtney, Evalyn Knapp and Guy Kibbee in the supporting cast. Mr. Morehouse was on hand during the production to take care of the Manhattan atmosphere. Mervyn LeRoy, the director, will sail shortly for his first look at Europe after a busy season on the Warner sets.




“Brief Moment” is preparing to make its introduction to motion pictures without the assistance of Alexander Woollcott, who was in its New York stage engagement. This is the S. N. Behrman comedy about a night club queen who loses her heart to an idealistic young Manhattanite of conservative pedigree. The script is being mapped out at the moment, while Columbia executives are searching for a suitable cast.




Edmund Lowe and Constance Cummings are ready to lead a production before the Columbia cameras. The name of the film is “Attorney for the Defense,” formerly identified as “Criminal Court.”