DRA MATIC AND MUSICAL

Free Lance, Volume XVIII, Issue 984, 14 May 1919, Page 5

DRA MATIC AND MUSICAL

By Footlight.

MR Geoffrey Nye, formerly manager of New Zealand Pictures Supplies, Ltd., writes to me from Raffles' Hotel, Singapore ,under date 2nd March, as follows : —• Dbab FootljlGEct,—l wrote you from the States re buying Chaplin and Mickey rights for Far Jilast together with the Goldwyu rights for -Japan, ■China and Philippines. "I left 'Frisco on December 2ist per Siberu Maru -and had a, great trip to , Yokohama, .J'ajjan. Both. Christmas Day and New Year's day were celebrated on the high seas. The Japs did us well (not our pockets),' plenty of dancing on •deck and two movie shows per week besides Japanese drama and comedy -stunts, also wrestling. So the time (three weeks) soon passed away. I went through a number of Jap towns on the way to Nagasaki. Very hardworking people amongst the lower dass; shrewd and crafty amongst the Narrow ..streets crammed with people and all sorts of wares, some dirty, some clean. Tokio is particularly interesting and moreover a fine city. ■ ■• •' From Nagasaki I went to Manila, which I found as hot as <juite distinctive from Japan. There .you have the Americanised Filipino, a curious blend of style, and cunning With an inborn hatred for the white man. At .the same time he does not .show it. Plenty of money here, as'the cocoanut oil industry is booming. JTrom Manila I passed on to Shanghai, the naughty city of the East. Being under international control, one sees all .sorts of people, also all sorjs of soldiers nd police. I kinder smiled when I arrived at the wharf:, as the first to catch my eye was a London ■" 'copper' 1 ' in the same old London uniform, big helmet, etc. The place is booming in export and export trade. Here too, one. sees hundreds •of Russian refugees, who must show that tney have a certain amount of money*, before' they are allowed to stay ihere. The - rouble is now down to about 10 cents in value as against 54 cents pre-war. I .' was in Shanghai when the authorities started deporting -the Germans. All Germans must now leave China willy nilly. All sorts And conditions of the Hun were therefore stacked into various boats and sent Fatherlandward. The Germans were theroughly well disliked in China, and a little indication of this popular feeling towards them is shown %y the state of the various German buildings, not a whole window or piece of furniture left. This happened, some time back, but the traces of it are left as evidence of public opinion here of Germans.. I also went inland to several towns ' and found them dirty, but interesting. Thence .1 mad©" my way to Hongkong and Singapore. Hongkong is a fine place and, being a British colony, ,it is more up-to-date and' considerably-v. cleaner than other Chinese towns, but very conservative. It has the prettiest surroundings and is far and away the nicest place of all so far as my opinion goes. Singapore is decidedly mixed in all respects. Plenty of all sorts of life, good, bad and indifferent. Money is abundant and the white man just a little tin god (so he thinks). There is plenty of service, but not attractive. I am pleased to sta.te business has been very good; in fact, excellent. •# * » ' * A novelty in the shape of a new French drama, "The Balcony of Death," will be next Saturday's special attraction at the Empress. The star is Mile. Rachel Devirys, a beautiful young actress of the Palais Royal, Paris. The story is of a beautiful young girl, whose mother is possessed of a pencjiant for cards and racehorses, and consequently is unable to provide a dowry for her daughter, with the result that her young man, having an eye to the main chance turns her down. The mother, however, finds a wealthy count, who marries her daughter. Then the former re-appears on the scene and things become very awkward. Some splendid scenes of Monte Carlo are shown and the dresses are real Parisian. * # * * The feature attraction at Everybody's commencing next Saturday will be "Milestones," a picture production of Arnold Bennett's famous play. Three generations are covered , and through the three the love stories of the. principals are woven. The story is symbolical of the progress of the times

and shows nothing can stay progress. Particular interest is provided in the appearance of the earliest types of mo-tor-cars, bicycles, telephones, typewriters, and the fashions of the different periods will be recognised as perfect productions by all whose memory carries them back to 1860 and thereafter.

"The Better 'Ole," made'world-fam-ous by the Bairnsfather cartoons, will _be the piece de resistance at the King's startufg Saturday next. This picture is reported to have had a run of conspicuous success wherever screened. Old Bill, Alf and Bert are shown in their element. The story, while being woven into the romance of Old Bill, is plentifully besprinkled with those wonderfully lifelike incidents of adversity which Bairnsfather so humourously depicted. While "The Better 5 01e" brings the tears of sympathy unshamed to the eyes, it also charms them away immediately with flashes of scintillating wit, like glistening dew- : drops in the early sun-rays. * * * * The Fisk Jubilee Singers must have done exceedingly well during their recent New Zealand tour. A Melbourne exchange states that their tour, which « it was originally planned should occupy six months, was prolonged into thirteen months. During that time the company visited 175 towns and 'gave over 300 performances and "the cash annexed" was £6000. Presumably "cash annexed" means the net profits—the sum lifted out of these prosperous iisles. If so, it was some "bag." * » * » Harry Houdini, the prince of modern magicians, has been engaged by the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation to appear in motion pictures. * * * * A honeymoon beneath the sea is a novel climax to romance. This is but one of the many unusual situations to be found in the laughable Paramount photoplay "On the Quiet." John Barrymore, who is the source of the main activities of the pictured story, is as full .of energy and humour as it is possible even for such a rollicking personality as himself to possess. The farce-comedy is said to be a scream. The way in which Barrymore and his sweetheart checkmate the opposition of the girl's harsh brother is funny . as well as romantic. * * * * As an example of the success that has been achieved by Paramount in producing screen versions of famous plays, that splendid panorama "Sporting Life" may be mentioned. The massive and absorbing scenes in this pictured drama are described as magnificent in their photography, and thrilling in their human interest. These include a gipsy camp, a prize ring contest at the National Sporting Club in London, a racing stable, a battle on a dismantled ferry boat, the rescue of a stolen horse from the cellar of a„ tenement and London Bridge at night. ■ A striking and beautiful picture of a typical London fog is given and also a view of the Derby at Epsom Downs, showing the King's box. * * * « On a recent trip to France, President Wilson was entertained with Art-craft-Paramount pictures. During the voyage on "the steamship George Washington, Douglas Fairbanks received a telegram from Lieut. Fleming, formerly chief camera man, as follows: "Your picture 'He Comes up Smiling' was shown last night. Mr President asked to see more of your films. I consider this a tremendous compliment." No wonder the photoplay is said to he as full of laughs and thrills as a Christmas pudding is full of plums. / * * # «■ Fatty Arbuckle has just signed a contract for another .three years to appear in Paramount Pictures. * * * . # Mack Sennett will produce his famous comedy for the coming year under the Paramount banner. * * * a John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore will appear in a screen version of Du Maurier's famous book and play, "Peter Ibbetson." It will be a |*aramount production. " w * * « » Captain Robert Warwick, who has returned to America from active service in France, will appear shortly in his Paramount picture, a special production, entitled "Secret Service." **»■■» "London Stage" made a bad break the other day when' it reported of a comedy show that Jimmy Russell was prominent as the saucy boy, and Cyril Cook was extremely funny as the Smell.