Lucky Lindy, The Jazz Singer and Oscar

This Week
Let's Go to the Movies
Wyatt Earp Testimony at Spicer hearing
Writers Notebook: A word from Stephen King

Hollywood Silent 1914-1929 (Part 13)

The Year was 1927
Charles Lindbergh flew his spirit of St Louis from New York to Paris nonstop making aviation history.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences was formed in Hollywood.
Warner Brothers produced the Jazz Singer, which became a big hit when Al Jolson broke into song belting out Mammy, then as he finished the last note he turned to the audience and said, 'You ain't heard nothin' yet, folks.'
That last line said it all – audience's cried, cheered and made the picture a run away success.
At that point even the most stubborn silent film stars and their producers had to admit defeat and accept the fact that talkies were the way of the future.
But that wasn't all that happened in Hollywood that year. The 'It Girl' Clara Bow replaced 'The Vamp' Theda Bara as Hollywood's female icon.
The star system was taking hold and films were becoming more sophisticated. That isn't to say that slap-stick comedy was being tossed aside, it wasn't, it was just that drama was replacing melodrama as the storytelling staple.
These trends in movies were reflected in the pages of the show business paper 'Daily Variety' including its review section.

John Gilbert had been around since 1915 when he showed up at Inceville in Santa Monica and started work as an extra. Gilbert eventually worked some as an actor, but he also wrote stories and sold them to the production company.
His climb up the ladder to stardom got a good boost when he played opposite Mary Pickford in 'Heart of the Hills' in 1919. He later got good press from the picture 'He Who Gets Slapped' when he got co star billing along with Lon Chaney and Norma Shearer.
'The Big Parade' was a war picture done on a grand scale and in Variety's review they said, '...John Gilbert's performance is a superb thing...'
Gilbert's leading man and star status were secured when he was co starred with Greta Garbo in 'Flesh and the Devil.' That was followed by 'Love,' an MGM picture directed by Edmund Goulding from a Tolstoy novel, screenplay by Frances Marion, and starring John Gilbert and Greta Garbo.
Ernst Lubitsch was just beginning his Hollywood career that would eventually lead him to be known as a director's director. His 1927 film was the Student Prince at MGM starring Raymond Navarro and Norma Shearer.
Janet Gaynor did Sunrise for Fox where she got good press coverage and name recognition in her rise to stardom.
Wings was a Paramount film directed by William Wellman with Clara Bow, Charles (Buddy) Rogers and Richard Arlen with Gary Cooper playing a small role.
Wings was an aviation film about World War I, and Wellman used a photographic style that even holds up today. Wings was the first film to receive the coveted Oscar presented by the Academy of Motion Pictures for best film of 1927.
(To be continued)

'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone'

Excerpt from Spicer hearing: Wyatt Earp continues his testimony.

As the court settled in for the afternoon session, Doc looked at the prosecution side and smiled at what he saw. The cocky arrogance that had been present on the day Spicer opened the hearings seemed to be missing.
Wyatt continued his testimony. "I got up next day, October 26th, afore noon. Ned Boyle came and told me that he had met Ike Clanton on Allen Street near the telegraph office and that Ike was "on it" and he said, 'As soon as those damned Earps make their appearance on the street today, the ball will open. We are here to make a fight and we are looking for the sons-a-bitches.’
Wyatt said that by the time he got dressed and went down town, Virgil and Morgan had arrested Ike Clanton and taken him to Judge Wallace's court. He followed on to the courtroom and sat down.
"Ike Clanton looked over at me and said, 'I will get even with all of you for this, if I had a six-shooter now I would make a fight with all of you. Morgan Earp then said to him, 'If you want to make a fight right bad, I'll give you this,' at the same time offering Ike Clanton his own, Ike's six-shooter. Ike Clanton started up to take it and Campbell, the deputy sheriff pushed him back in his seat, said he would not allow any fuss.
Virgil Earp was not in the courtroom any of this time. Virgil came there later and told me he had been out looking for Judge Wallace. I was tired of being threatened by Ike Clanton and his gang. I believed from what they had said to me and others and from their movements, that they intended to assassinate me the first chance they had and I thought that if I had to fight for my life with them I had better make them face me in an open fight.
So I said to Ike Clanton who was then sitting about eight feet from me, you damned dirty cow thief, you have been threatening our lives and I know it and I think I would be justified in shooting you down in any place I would meet you. But if you are anxious to fight, I will go anywhere on earth to fight you. He replied, 'All right, I will see you after I get through here, I only want four feet of ground to fight."'
Wyatt looked disgustedly toward Ike before he continued.
"I walked out and then just outside of the courtroom and near the justice's office I met Tom McLowry. He came up to me and said to me, 'If you want to fight, I will fight with you anywhere.' I supposed at the time that he had heard what had just happened between Ike Clanton and myself. I knew he had threatened me and I felt just as I did about Ike Clanton. That if the fight had to come I had better have it come when I had an-even show to defend myself. So I said to him, all right make your stand right here and at the same time slapped him on the face with my left hand and drew my pistol with my right. He had a pistol in plain sight on his right hip, in his pants, but made no move to draw it. I said to him, jerk your gun and use it. He made no reply. I hit him on the head with my six-shooter and walked away down to Haffords Corner. I went into Haffords and got a cigar and came out and stood by the door."
Wyatt took a deep breath and said deliberately. "Pretty soon after, I saw Tom and Frank McLowry and William Clanton.
They passed me and went down Fourth Street to the gunsmith shop. I followed down to the shop. When I got there, Frank McLowry’s horse was standing on the sidewalk with his head in the door of the gunsmith shop. I took the horse by the bit, as I was Deputy City Marshall and commenced to back him off the sidewalk. Tom and Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton came to the door; Billy laid his hand on his six-shooter,
Frank McLowry took a hold of the horses bridle. I said you will have to get this horse off the sidewalk. Frank McLowry backed him off on the street. Ike Clanton came up about that time and they all walked into the gunsmith shop. I saw them loading cartridges into their belts. They came out of the shop and walked along Fourth Street to the corner of Allen. I followed them and then they went down Allen to Dunbar's corral."
Doc followed every step and paid close attention as Wyatt narrated a full account of the lawmen’s assembly at the corner of Fourth and Allen. Wyatt related the posses march up to the post office and then west on Fremont Street. There was a brief encounter with Sheriff Behan near Bauer's Butcher Shop and then the short walk to confront the cowboys at the vacant lot.”
(To be continued)


Writers Notebook:
Inside the front flap of my writer’s notebook are several notes; among them is one that always makes me stop and think.
‘What is the single most important piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about writing?’
I’m not quite sure, but this note contained in that same flap is high on the list. Stephen King once said, ‘I write about four hours a day – first draft – just write. Let it all hang out – don’t stop for misspelled words – punctuation – nothing. Let the passion and heat of the moment take charge. And don’t rewrite that same day. Write in am and rewrite in pm – no, no, no. Leave it alone, at least overnight.’

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com