Paramount Uses 2,000,000 Feet of Lumber in L930

Romance and the in motion pictures.

eight-penny nail have a perpetual union

the building of scienic habiliments for seemed romantic to the lay public, it Francisco by B. P. Schulberg, manag-

Romance, because pictures has always was declared in San ing dire,ctor of west coast production for Paramount, at the company's annual convention held at the Palace Hotel, San Francisco, April 22 to 25.

The eight-penny nail, because utility decrees its popularity.

At the Paramount Hollywood studios, Van Nest Polglase first designs the sets. He has read the script and can picture the backgrounds of the players. From the blueprints, the studios' planing mill under foremanship of Charles Cook, of Harry Strite's construction staff, prepares the sets in units for such a picture as Clara Bow's first straight dramatic vehicle, "Kick In." In the mill and the adjoining "prop shop" are an average of fifty-five men, with more than an acre of floor space, dotted with machinery. There are two stickers, four cutoff saws, six ripsaws, four joiners, four bandsa\,vs, one boring machine, one mortising machine, two table model variety saws, one planer, one re-saw machine, one jigsaw, two lathes, one drill press and a general machine shop.

Figures from the files of Maurice Alexander, chief storekeeper, show that over 2,000,000 feet of lumber were used in Paramount's set-building enterprises during 1930! This is

BILL WRIGHT VISITS S. F. BAY DISTRICT

Bill Wright, of the Wright Lumber Co., Stockton, and Wright & Prestley, Sacramento, was a recent business visitor to the San Francisco Bay district.

Mr. Wright has a large acquaintance among the lumber fraternity in the Bay district and all over Northern California, and he comes by this naturally, as his experience in the business dates back 30 years. Of this period he spent 14 years in the service of Pope & Talbot, San Fran,cisco, five years with the Sunset Lunrber Company, Oakland, and five years with A. S. Carmen at Benicia.

divided into approximately 600,000 feet of redwood, 800,000 feet of Douglas fir, and 600,000 feet of white and sugar pine.

In addition, the following materials were used: Prestwood board, 350,000 square feet; Insulite, 166,000 square feet; Celotex board, 202,WO square feet; studio layout board, 110,000 square feet; roughing paper, 500 rolls; oatmeal wallpaper, 11,000 rolls; muslin sheeting, 6,000 yards; Iron wire, 2,5@ pounds; poultry netting, 100 rolls; nails, 1,250 kegs; tacks, 600 pounds; rope, 6,00O pounds; hardrvall plaster, 1,500 sacks; casting plaster, 3,750 sacks, cement, 1,100 sacks; plaster sand, 300 tons; wet paste (for wallpaper), 15,000 pounds ; denatured alcohol, 3,800 gallons; shellac, 1,500 gallons; dry black, 4,500 pounds; dry sienna, 7,000 pounds; whiting, 47,500 pounds; secinic white paint, 3,250 gallons; paint thinner, 3,200 gallons; miscellaneous brushes, 1,20O.

T'he units built in the mill and painted are handled on an overhead monorail system that circumnavigates the entire 27-acre studio property. On the assembling stage they are handled by overhead hoists, and the completed set.on the shooting stage may be altered at will because the units are "jockey walls," easily lifted out of place for an unexpected camera angrle.

From the designs to the lighted set the greatest efficiency prevails in all processes, belying the studio. tradition ol "waste."

Harold Plummer Visits Los Angeles

Harold Plummer, San Francisco, sales manager of the Union Lumber Company, was a visitor at the cor.npany's Los Angeles office during the past month where he spent a few days conferring with E. A. Goodrich, manager of the company's Southern California operations.

Transferred To Sales Office

Stuart Smith, who has been ,covering the Coast Counties territory for the Coos Bay Lumber Co., has been transferred to the sales office at Bay Point.