JOB IN HOLLYWOOD

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 272, 29 August 1946, Page 5

JOB IN HOLLYWOOD

FORMER MEMBER OF MAORI BATTALION

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 28. Mr G. R. Bennett, a nephew of the Bishop of Aotearoa, has been selected to act as a technical adviser during the filming of “Green Dolphin Street” by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, w,hich will be based on the book by Elizabeth Gouge, is mainly concerned , with life in New Zealand about the middle of last century. A.former captain of the Maori Battalion who was also a prisoner of war in Germany, Mr Bennett had preliminary discussions on the story with the producer, Carey Wilson, while he was in the United States in April. He is to return to Hollywood as soon as accommodation is available on a Pan-American Airways plane. ■ Published under the title “Green Dolphin Country” the-book won a special competition arranged by M.G.M. for novels suitable for adaptation to the screen. It is the first win- . ner of the competition which was inaugurated in 1944. An award of 125,000 dollars goes to the author, with a possible addition of 50,000 dollars according to returns from the film. According to a radio telephone conversation which Mr IC W. Hounslow, New Zealand head representative of Metro-Goldwyli-Mayer had with the producer to-day, the company plans to spend 4,000,000 dollars on the film. Mr Hounslow said he considered that Mr Bennett had special qualifications to be a technical adviser, especially in regard to the sequences dealing with the Maoris. New Zealand’s first suveyor-general, Mr Robert Park, was a relative of Mr Bennett as was Dr. J. Bennett, the first registrar-general, fn addition to offering technical advice, Mr Bennett would play a role in the film.