COMMENT FROM CULVER

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 56, 28 May 1927, Page 4

COMMENT FROM CULVER

LON CHANEY’S NEW VEHICLE i Culver City, U.S.A., April 21. Monta Bell, who has turned out a steady procession of successful pictures, including “The Torrent," “Lights of Old Broadway,” and “Upstage,” has signed a new long-term ! contract with Metro-Goldwyin-Mayer, and will direct John Gilbert in a story soon to be selected. Metro-GoldWyn-Mayer has started a production on Lon Chaney's new starring vehicle, “The Unknown,” which Tod Browning, who directed Chaney in “The Unholy Three,” “The Road to Mandalay” and othei successes, is directing. Joan Crawford and other well-known players are included in the cast. William Haynes’s first starring role will be in “Spring Fever,” a comedy of golf and love by Vincent Lawrence. The cast to support Haines has not yet been announced, but will include a group of prominent players. Haines has been prominent in featured roles for some time. PROMISED FEATURES

Tully Marshall, Karl Dane, George Cooper and Harry Carey have been cast for important roles in “The Trail of ’98.” Actual filming of this picture is expected to begin very soon under the direction of Clarence Brown and is planned to be one of the most

c , elaborate productions of this year. Conrad Nagel has I the featured male part. Tom O’Brien, whose popular screen portrayals include “Bull” in “The Bi>« Parade,” has been added to the cast of Jackie Coogan’s new starring vehicle for Metro-Goidwyn-Mayer, “The BugleFall. The supporting cast in this film now includes such well known players as Claire Windsor, Herbert Rawlinson, Harry Todd. Mary Jane Irving Nancy Price and Nelson McDowell. Ld ward Sedgwick, responsible foi many successes, will direct. As the result of his successful direction of Tim McCoy’s first two historical outdoor pictures, W. S. Van Dyke has been given a new long-term contract with this company. Van Dvke directed both “War Paint” and “Winners of the Wilderness,” and will begin work soon on a new McCoy picture written for the screen by Peter B. Kyne. Now that Lucy Beaumont, Daniel Tomilson, Del Henderson and Freddie Fredericks have joined the cast of King Vidor’s new, bu>as yet unnamed, picture, the list of players is complete James Murray and Elinor Boardman have the leading roles. Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer have signed Lionel Barrymore and George K. Arthur to contracts whereby their services will be kept exclusively with that company. Barrymore recently completed an important role in John Gilbert’s starring vehicle “The Show,” and will portray one of the featured roles in “ The Branding Iron,” which Reginald Barker will produce. George K. Arthur, English stage and screen actor, has just finished an important role in Marion Davies’s "Tillie the Toiler.” Ralph Forbes and T. Roy Barnes are the two latest additions to the cast of “The Branding Iron.” Kathlyn Newlin Burt’s story of the Swiss Alps, which Reginald Barker will dir€*ct. Forbes is flow playing the romantic lead in Lon Chaney’s “Air. Wu,” and with the completion of this role will immediately start work with Lionel Barrymore and Aileen Pringle in this production. The title of the new picture which Harry Millarde is directing has been changed from “The Grey Hat” to “On Ze Boulevarde.” Lew Cody and Renee Adoree play the leading roles in this production. MAE MURRAY'S GOWN During the making of “Altars of Desire,” Alae Murray, "who is starred, in climbing over the stones and through thickets for scenes in the picture. ruined one of her gowns. As this was necessary for later sequences, a car was sent for cloth that would match the torn garment. With the aid of her maid, a needle and some thread, Miss Murray made a duplicate

frock to finish the remaining “Altars of Desire” includes Con **[ Toarle and other well-known*plaY When Marcus Loew, president.of t--" Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer organipa«¥£ arrived in Los Angeles recently, was met by an assemblage ot » and film executives. Following general hand-shaking. Mr. Loeff a> if Jackie Coogan had come to station. Tfcen to his amazenienj Jackie spoke up. He was Handing ‘ beside the producer all the time, no one recognised him with “ 1= . rg cut and his cap on. This little i hair was cut in “Johnny Get Hair Cut,” a race-track story, ’* marks Jackie Coogan’s transition babyhood to boyhood. , of Henrik Sartor, former physics in the University ol dam, was responsible for tne ‘ graphy in Lillian Gish’s “ T JJ® " Miss Letter.” This expert has Gish's protographer for severa and has been successful in ° many remarkable camera „ ; S photography in “The Scarlet Le tJ g beautiful in the extreme, niLVg* ir i quality of an oil painting, (iish, j the effective close-ups of : who plays the part of Hester the Puritan maid who loved, fied an intolerant world. Lars _ a nd Karl Dane, Henry B. V a * , qiclud**. other well-known players are Ljrefin the cast. Victor Seastrom. tor of many Metro- Goldwyn- - successes, makes this picture artistic achievement.