D. W. Griffith's Hollywood Program #8: The Run to the Rescue Date: Jan 29 1933

WJZ D. W. GRIFFITH'S HOLLYWOOD No 8
(10.00 — 10.15 PM) JANUARY 29 1933 SUNDAY

CAST:
ANNOUNCER
D. W. GRIFFITH
LIONEL BARRYMORE, actor
ARTHUR JOHNSON, actor
PROPS, the prop boy
CAMERA, the cameraman
CHILD, a girl
MRS, the child's mother
WIFE, actor
MAN, a business man

ORCH: SIGNATURE ANNOUNCER: Once again the makers of Hind's Honey and Almond Cream present D. W. Griffith, famous director, in another episode of his thrilling stories of motion pictures. But before Mr. Griffith begins, let me ask you this: Have you ever noticed the beautiful hands of _________________? Why is it that so many of the movie stars have lovely hands? Well, frankly, they ought to have. Sunny Hollywood's climate is easy on hands. Movie stars don't have to subject their hands to beauty robbing tasks...but there is a way to have lovely hands no matter how cold the weather, or matter how much housework you do. You simply rub Hinds Honey and Almond Cream into your hands after exposure, after hands have been in the water, and always before going to bed at night. Do this for only three days and then see how soft, white and lovely your hands are. Then continue to use Hinds regularly to keep hands lovely. And now..may we present Mr. D. W. Griffith...Mr. Griffith. GRIFFITH: Thank you, Mr. Keech. Ladies and gentlemen! People often ask me where we got the first stories for motion pictures. Well, most of the time we just made the stories up as we went along. I remember one of the first pictures I ever made....it was a thriller...all about the child of a young married couple being stolen by Gypsies. We found the location for the picture on a little river up near Greenwich, Connecticut. We had borrowed a farm house for the exterior scenes..and we had our large company consisting of five $5- a day actors, on location by the river. Arthur Johnson was playing the handsome young father, and Lionel Barrymore, as I remember was the Gypsy kidnapper. We were only allowed one day to make a complete picture, so there was no time for rehearsal..just tell the actors what to do and trust to the Lord. (PAUSE) All right, Lionel..were ready for the abduction scene. BARRYMORE: What am I supposed to do, Mr. Griffith? GRIFFITH: You and the other Gypsy are coming down the road in the wagon, and you see the little girl in front of the house in the sun. Now you look at the big rich looking house and the thought occurs to you that you might steal the child and get a reward. You stop the wagon under a tree. BARRY: How did the baby get out in the sun? GRIFF: Don't ask foolish questions! I don't know how it got out in the sun. It's there, isn't it? BARRY: No, it isn't. GRIFF: Oh the devil! Where'd that baby go? (yells) Where's the baby? JOHN: (approaching) Her Mother's got her over there in the shade. Do you want her? GRIFF: Hello, Arthur. No..I don't want her just now. Wait until I get Lionel straightened out here. He wants to know how the baby got out in the sun! JOHN: That's easy. GRIFF: Well now, Arthur..don't tell me you've got an idea! JOHN: Indeed yes..and a most excellent idea..Couldn't the lady who plays my wife..and I..have brought the baby out and have left it there? GRIFF: Great. Where do you go after you leave it there? JOHN: Why do you have to bring that up? GRIFF: Well..it's a pretty good idea at that. We'll put in another scene. You and your wife.. you'll both come down the steps with the baby, leaving it in the sun. Then the wife can run around the side of the house to the back and give some orders to the cook... JOHN: We haven't got a cook. GRIFF: Well..we can get one..(calls) Hey, Props... PROPS: (APPROACHING) Yes, Mr. Griffith... GRIFF: See if you can't get somebody around here to stand still and listen..and we'll use her as a cook..and hurry up! PROPS: (RECEDING) Yes sir. GRIFF: Well..that gets rid of your wife. JOHN: Yes..but I'm still standing out in front! GRIFF: That's so. JOHN: I tell you..I might suddenly be struck blind and not see the Gypsies when they come up! GRIFF: Listen..we haven't got time to be funny...the audience will take it seriously. JOHN: We hope! GRIFF: I know! Arthur, when your wife goes off around the house one way...you go around the other. JOHN: What do I do when I get around there? GRIFF: Just go off the scene to the back of the house, and dont argue so much! We'll figure what you're to do afterwards. CAMERA: (APPROACHING) Mr. Griffith.. GRIFF: You get your camera set up and don't bother me. CAMERA: Well, I can't get a picture of the baby and the gypsies in the wagon out on the road at the same time! GRIFF: Oh Good Lord! I never knew it was so much trouble to steal a baby! (MUSIC .. IN .. FADES DOWN UNDER) GRIFF: Right there I decided to try an idea that I'd been figuring on for some weeks. Up to that time in motion pictures all scenes were played as they are on the stage. This naturally made the acting seem very slow. My idea was to try what is called parallel action..that is...switching the camera from one character in one scene to another character in another scene and back again, thus showing the audience two trains of events happening simultaneously. At that time this was a pretty revolutionary idea, although today you won't find a single picture made without parallel action. Well, first we photographed the scene of the mother and father bringing the little girl out on the lawn. (LOUDLY) Now, Arthur..now wife...wife! Leave the child..go walk around the side of the house..That's right..Now Arthur you go towards the side of the barn. JOHN: I don't see any barn GRIFF: Well. . go off to the left and look like you were going some place. JOHN: All right..I'm going. GRIFF: Now, gypsies - where in thunder is that gypsy wagon? BARRY: (APPROACHING) Coming right up. (HORSES HOOFS APPROACHING) (WAGON WHEELS) GRIFF: That's right! All right, Barrymore..you see the child. That's good. Now stop your wagon. (HORSE AND WAGON STOP) CHILD: Go on, Lionel..get out! Sneak over towards the child... Sneak! Sneak, I said! Good Lord! Can't you sneak? That's better. All right..grab the child. . now run back to the wagon...That does it..cut! Now move the camera around and we'll show the gypsy getting into the wagon with the baby. BARRY: (APPROACHING) Mr. Griffith..its going to look pretty funny..people seeing two gypsies carrying a white baby around. It wouldn't fool anybody. GRIFF: Oh I got that fixed..when you get to the wagon you look around as if you were afraid someone might have seen you.. then stick the baby into that barrel there and put the top on it. CHILD: WAAAAAAAAA! GRIFF: Now what's the matter? CHILD: I don't wanna go into the barrel! GRIFF: That's all right..you won't be in there long. We'll take you right out again as soon as the wagon drives off. CHILD: I don wanna! GRIFF: (CALLS) Mrs. Peters! MRS: (COMING UP) Yes, Mr. Griffith. GRIFF: Will you please explain to your child that nobody is going to hurt her .. we just want to put her into this barrel for a minute until we get this scene taken. MRS: It's all right, Janette, Mr. Griffith isn't going to hurt you. You do as he says. GRIFF: All right..start the camera. (SOUND OF CAMERA) Look furtive, Lionel..put the baby in the barrel. Be careful now..be careful! BARRY: I'm being furtive! I can only do one thing at a time. GRIFF: That's right..now put the lid on the barrel. (SOUND OF WOODEN LID ON BARREL) All right..whip up the horse..fast as you can go..down the road... (HORSE AND WAGON WHEELS RAPIDLY RECEDING) OK. Cut. (SOUND OF CAMERA STOPS) All right...turn your camera around now to the spot where the baby was stolen. CAMERA: OK - got it! GRIFF: Start the camera.. (SOUND OF CAMERA STARTS) GRIFF: (YELLS) Young wife..come on..find the baby gone! WIFE: (AWAY) My heavens! The baby! Someone's taken the baby! GRIFF: Arthur...where are you? JOHN: (AWAY) Looking for the barn! GRIFF: Come on..the baby's been stolen JOHNSON: Lord..a thing like that couldn't happen. WIFE: Couldn't it? It did, didn't it? Come we must look...Maybe someone has stolen it. JOHNSON: What on earth would they want to steal a baby for? WIFE: Ransom money..don't you know they do that? JOHN: I've heard it..but I've never believed it..Come quickly..we must run after them down the road! GRIFF: (YELLS) Cut! Cut! (MUSIC) GRIFF: The next scene in our picture showed the distracted husband and wife meeting a stranger on the road. The stranger explains, in a subtitle, that he saw two gypsies drive away from the house and heard a baby squalling .. And then we came to the big thrill scene. The audience sees the wagon going up a steep hill beside a swiftly flowing stream. As the wagon goes up the hill, the barrel rolls out of the wagon...down the hill..and into the river. Our prop boy - whose brightness and artistic sense of reality were far ahead of his $2.50 a week job, had suggested that the barrel wouldn't float down the river right if it didn't have some weight in it to take the place of the child...and did a skillful job with some old clothes wrapped around a rock. We were arranging a set with the camera some thirty feet away from where Props was working..and right behind us was the real child with her mother. The moment this baby saw what looked like a real baby being put in the barrel she let out a squawk that would have been heard back in New York City CHILD: Mama..mama...the bad man put a little girl in the barrel and he's goin't to drown her MRS: Hush dear...that's not a real baby--that's just a dummy CHILD: Mama..I saw it..dont let him..Don't let him. (CONTINUES CRYING UNDER FOLLOWING DIALOGUE) PROPS: (APPROACHING) Does it look enough like a baby, Mr. Griffith? GRIFF: (SHOUTING OVER CHILD) Yes..too much like one. All right Lionel..go on..get that barrel on the wagon. That's right..That's right..all right. Now start your horse. BARRY: (away) It wont start GRIFF: I thought you said you were a good driver? BARRY: I am..but this horse doesnt know me GRIFF: Well..introduce yourself to him and get going CHILD: Oh mama - Mama! Stop them. MRS: Hush dear GRIFF: Start the camera. (CAMERA SOUND) (SOUND OF HORSES HOOFS) (SOUND OF WAGON WHEELS) GRIFF: All right Lionel - keep on up the bank..when you get half way up roll the barrel out..and if it doesn't start..get a stick and push it out. (MUSIC) GRIFF: The barrel rolled out, all right..and into the roaring stream..to the real little girl's immense horror. Then we shot the barrel going swiftly down the river. Then with our new device of parallel action..we show the father and mother on one side of the stream rushing madly along the river bank..on the other side of the stream a couple of strangers also pursuing the barrel. After them gallop myself, the camera man, and the mother of the child. By a quick sprint across country, we managed to get ahead of the barrel and set up the camera at the top of the falls, where the rescuers were to haul the barrel out of the river. (SOUND OF FAST FLOWING WATER UNDER GRIFF: All right -- camera man...catch the barrel as it comes down towards us. Arthur - are you all ready to rescue it? JOHN: Let it come CHILD: Mama -- they're going to drown that little girl..stop them..Stop them! GRIFF: Now darling, now sweetheart, now honey..there isn't any child in the barrel..just a rock and some old clothes..Now baby, please be quiet.. I can't hear myself think CHILD: You go away from me..let me go..you bad man..you drowned the little girl..go away from me you bad man! GRIFF: Start your camera..here comes the barrel (SOUND OF CAMERA STARTS) CHILD: Bad man...bad man! CAMERA: (SHOUTS) I cant hear what you're saying GRIFF: Just follow the barrel..I can't hear anything either CAMERA: Here's the barrel GRIFF: Arthur - can you hear me? JOHN: (away) Is now the time? GRIFF: Yes! Now rush out on the footpath..reach out with the limb and catch the barrel JOHN: Haven't got a limb. GRIFF: Find one! JOHN: Where? GRIFF: Lord! I don't know..there's one in front of you.. hurry up. The barrel will be over the falls..we've only got one barrel! JOHN: Here goes.... GRIFF: Run forward..reach out..you can get it..Drag it ashore! JOHN: I can't catch it. GRIFF: Catch it! If we lose it we wont have any picture! JOHN: I got it! I got it! GRIFF: Well..drag it to the shore. (MUSIC) GRIFF: Well, after much bribing and coaxing we finally got our real child into the barrel again, as we had to photograph her being saved. You could see from her expression that she was perfectly satisfied that we were going to throw her into the river..so we had to shoot this scene with only one end of the barrel showing..The mother was in the other end and the child was holding on to her for dear life. And let me tell you ladies and gentlemen..the scenes I have just showed you are no exaggeration. This marvelous picture, which we took in one day..ran exactly six minutes when completed, which I suspect now is about six minutes too long. As far as I can see it had only one merit..it did start two different things in the making of motion pictures.."Parallel Action"..and "The Run to the Rescue". Our budget for making the picture was just Fifty Dollars, but owing to my having to put in three extra people and other things we hadn't counted on - it's total cost ran up to sixty-five dollars. The day after I'd finished it, the business man from the office appeared. MAN: Say, Griffith - you were told to spend fifty dollars for that picture. GRIFF: Yes sir MAN: Well, I understand you spent sixty five. GRIFF: I couldn't help it..several things came up MAN: Well, I dont know where you got the extra fifteen..but that's your business..it comes out of your pocket. GRIFF: Well - as I only get five dollars a day - I'm out ten dollars. ORCHESTRA: (SIGNATURE FADES DOWN UNDER) ANNOUNCER: Well, things have certainly changed in the motion picture business. And now I have a message for the women of America. Do you know what a hand lotion must do to really heal chapping..to soften and whiten hands so they stay soft and white? It must penetrate down through the skin layers, healing from the bottom up. It does no good to use one of those heavy, gummy lotions that just go over the top of the skin. You get a temporary improvement, but look at your hands 2 hours after using...you'll find them harsher and drier than ever. For permanent results you must have a fine delicate, ultra-penetrating lotion. A lotion that can go down through the layers of skin. And that - ladies - is what Hinds Honey and Almond Cream is. That's why you get such quick sure results with Hinds. Why not buy some tomorrow and make the 3 day test we told you about? And by the way - inquire about the 4 new beauty products made by Hinds. They are: Hinds Cleansing Cream, a delicate, liquifying cream; Hinds Texture Cream, a remarkable greaseless skin softener; and Hinds Toning Cleanser, a liquid cleanser which refines the pores. The Hinds Honey and Almond program....featuring D. W. Griffith comes to you every Sunday and Wednesday at 10 P M (SIGNATURE UP TO FINISH) ANNOUNCER: In tonight's program..Lionel Barrymore was impersonated by ___________________ and Arthur Johnson by ___________________ This is the National Broadcasting Company