Screen Stars and Films

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 148, 23 June 1923, Page 23

Screen Stars and Films

NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK.

THEATRE. PRODUCTION. BRAND. STAR. NATIONAL "The Power of a Lie" Universal All Star STRAND "Squib Wins the Calcutta Sweep" WeUh-Pearson Betty Balfour HIPPODROME Lights of New York" Fox Marc MacDermott PRINCESS Dr Jack" Pathe Harold v d TIVOLI Nobody's Money" Paramount Jack Holt EVERYBODY'S "A Woman of No Importance" Ideal Fay Compton

A couple of good British films just released arc "Tin" Lilac Siinlionnet" founded on S. It. Irock.-U's novel, and "A Will and a Way." which is Hie first I of a series of adaptations .if some of W. j -yf. Jacob's delightful >unie*. \ Among the April :■,•!.■;!■=<■< in England . was "Lord Arthur SaviloV (.'rime," a film TBrsion of the well-known story by Oscar Wilde, which is being exploited in the country by tho \V. and F. Film Service, f'o"i! Iliiiinerimj plays Lord Arthur Savile. Andrr No-c. who will be leen as Podger.*. t!io palmist, is one of the finest European intors. "Buffalo Bill." the pii-turc-quc scout and Indian tighter, whose adventures and personal appearances thrilled the youngster of a generation ago, will ; dash by on Ilia favourite horse, his long j locks billowed on the breeze, and his celebrated rifle "Lucretia Borgia," spitting deatli to buffalo and reman. | The story of this famous eharacted will be re-told in a series of films which Trill be shown at the Hippodrome at tie Saturday sessions only, commencing June 30. -Edward Phillips, who lias an import»nt role in "Just Around the Corner," ■ a Cosmopolitan Paramount picturisation of a story by Fannie Hurst, once had en interesting experience when lie; played with Mary Fickford. Miss Pick-1 : lord wa3 looking for Italian types only, but Mr. Phillips was determined to get a job in her picture. He therefore made ] •-•upas"an Italian, carried, an Italian | newspaper in his pocket, adopted an' ' /Italian accent, and applied for the job. ,So well did he carry the impersonation r'Sff- that the casting director was com■;pletely deceived, and Eddie was engaged. '..Not until he came to work in the prof*;<iuction did he reveal the fact that he wSjras an American, born and bred in '.:-*-Piiladelphia.

Buddy Messinger, with his fat face and rfmple proportions, is a living embodiment of the "Fat Boy" of Pickwick, aud wUI play the leading role in a special series of Century Comedies. He made bis first hit with the public as "Mistah Bad Boy" with Lou Chaiiey in "Shadows." The Paramount Revival Series will include Maurice Tourneur's film version of " Barbary Sheep," Robert Ilichens' novel, with Elsie Ferguson as the star, and '" The Career of Kathcrine Bush," a picturisation of Elinor Glyn's novel, i with Catherine Culvert in the stellar role. Ideal Films, Ltd., is among the few British producers who display real enterprise They recently brought 400 cinema proprietors to London from nil parts of the country at a cost of £4000, in order that they should see their films ■Through Fire and Water." "Greensea Island," and several other picture plays, "f course this expenditure of £4000 on entertaining customers is money well laid out. "Not only am I fully and finally divorced from Count Domska, but he is so well aware of the fact that shortly before I came to America I was told of his engagement to Countess Allen field, daughter of the Danish Ambassador of Warsaw, Poland." That is the answer of Pola Xegri, screen star, to the report that her former husband was alleging they never had been divorced, and that the actress, therefore, was not free to become the wife of Charlie Chaplin. Count Domska, according to the report, was anxious to obtain redress from Chaplin for so-called "offended honour." and the more ambitious had it that he was ready to sail for America from Europe to attend a little party on the field of honour. 'The whole matter is absolutely ridiculous," Miss Xegri declared recently. "I received my decree of divorce in January, 1921. I haven't seen the Count since."

There is always a sigh of relief in a motion picture studio when the first Kene of a new picture is completed. A feelins of tension somewhat akin to 'that buck stage ou the first Bight of a play pervades the Ht just before the camera, begins to grind on the first scene. Every precaution is taken to see that nothing goes wrong with the first action in a picture, for it is a belief, perhaps rather superstitious, that as the first scene goes bo will the picture go. Directors ÜBnally plan some easy action for the firat scene.

JS 5

JACKIE COOGAN, who will be seen at the Strand shortly in "Oliver Twist."

Mac Buvcli lias been made a Goldwyn *tar, with a contract which calls for her esdnsivo eorvicca over a period of five yoarp. AVliPu Jtfuo completed "The Christian," Urn Goldwyn organisation faa not sure whether or not she was star toaterial. Hut the glowing praise of the «ritiee which followed its release convinced them. Her lirst vehicle, though lo definite decision lias lx-en made, will Probably be "Tlip Merry Widow. 7 ' Mac *m<l U little bad luck", however, along with the good. Shn «■;,« crossing HollyJooi Boulevard trhnn'ahe hoard a news**y "vmt: the. death of Wallace Reid. c tartled, .Mac stopped in the path of an oncoming automobile, which struck her J*a dragged her 20 feet along the paver* 0 *" A bruised and torn knee kept *•* SB crutches lax a week.

- "Paddy-tlie-next-best-thing," the Graliam Wileox film, which has been universally acclaimed as the finest yet produced liy any British Company was to have been released in England Tor general exhibition on April 1C last. Mac ■Marsh, G. K. Arthur, Xina Boucicault, and a host of other film and stage stars are in the cast, and it will have an undonbtgd appeal to every patron of the screen. Some day the gramophone or some | other principle will utilise in conveying to the audience the spoken work of the actors and aetres&es on the screen. But here in the type of film, such as "The Lily of the Alley," is another branch of development—that of motion photography in the purest sense of the word. Incidentally it might be said that the Uepworth production was well received when shown to the trade. An American syndicate nas arranged to build and control a circuit of 2,000 cinema theatres throughout China. The enterprise is certain to be an enormous success. "Of course there will be the usual outcry presently by certain Britishers about 'unfair competition,'" says the "Australasian Trade .Journal." "But whose fault is it? Can we blame Americans if they avail themselves of the opportunities wo neglect?" A recent production of interest is the Hepworth film called. '"The Lily of the Alley." A noteworthy feature of this photo-play is that its story is told with--1 out the 'aid of titling. The "Monthly I Bulletin " of the department of Overseas I Trade however, are in error when they I say " The Lily of the Alley " is the first ' long picture which has been dealt with without the explanatory written word. " The Old Swimming Hole,' , a Charles Ray production which was shown in I Auckland some time ago, told a very I entertaining story solely per medium of actions. Kathorine Macl>'.iald teas made her last appearance before the motion picture camera. She says so, and everyI body seems to believe her. Her contract -,-itii B. P. Shulbcrg was completed recently and Miss Mac Donald announced that she had definitely, finally and for I ever retired from public life. It is j understood that Miss Mac Donald. whose social ambitions have always been well known, is to be married to a prominent Chicago club man. By the way, tae fortune which she has earned in picture* is a large one.

A proprietor of a cinema theatre in Vienna has been fined for cheating the public by introducing an actor made up and dressed like Charlie Chaplin. Vienna for several weeks has had a I craze for those films in which Charlie I Chaplin plays the leading role. The trick by the cinema owner was such a draw that all the other cinemas in the neighbourhood were practically empty. It was the proprietors of these cinemas who reported the matter to the police. Thomas IT. Ince. lias mado a new screen "find." Lucille Riekson, a four-teen-year-old beauty, who plays an interesting character "bit" in Mrs. Wallace Reid's anti-narcotic film, "Human Wreckage," has signed a three-year contract with Ince. Her first appearance under the Ince banner probably will be in "Country Limes and City Pavements," the big ''special" featuring Madge Bellamy, which will be directed by luce in ■ person. The arrangements for an "All-British Film Week" to be held under the auspices of the British National Film League in the autumn of this year arc progressing, says the "Monthly Bulletin' , of the Department of Overseas Trade, and as the members of the Cinemato- | graph Exhibitors' Association have declared themselves in favour of the project there is every hope that the week ■will be widely kept to the benefit of British films. " The production of British films proceeds steadily, and the improve- , menfc ill quality which has been noted from time to time is maintained. C. X. and A. M. Williamson's novels have an enormous following in the United Kingdom, especially those which have a. mystery as the foundation of the plot. Perhaps the most popular of i all their mystery stories is "'The Lion's Mouse," which has just been filmed by Oranger-Binger. Wyndham Standing and Marguerite Marsh came speriklly across the Atlantic to piny in this pro- ' duction, which was filmed in Holland. | In addition, British stars appear, including Mary Odette and Rex Davis. The 1 trade screening took place at the Xcw Gallery Kinema, London, recently. "Photo-play." writing on the subject of extras, says:—"They get somewhere between five and seven dollars a day when they work; a good part of which goes to some agent. And they arc so hopeful. You know that every extra comprising that huge mob hopes some day to attract the attention of tlie director and, as in a fairy tale, win fame and wealth as a Valentino: or, in the case of the many older men, a Theodore Roberts. So it goes. Once in a while, as in the instance of Valentino himself, one of them does step out from the ranks. And that isolated instance feeds the hopes in the thousands of starved breasts. Extras seem ti "s symbolic of the human race—so hopeful, so brave in their individual ways, so utterly futile generally, so pregnant with dreams of the Day Wli-n Their Opportunity Will Come. JTc] eternal Whenever we watch a crowd of extras, we "are convinced that we are neither very hard nor very worldly old. We think of other foreign things hard so we won't cry." A lynx-eyed policeman in| England suffered a severe blow to his dignity one morning recently when, after he had carefully and cleverly arrested a man whom he thought to be a street-corner bookie, he learned that his prisoners were only humble film actors earning their daily bread. Mr. Walter West set out with a small company of artistes j to film a book-making scene in a i Mews, the resort of the poor man's • Turf accountant. One of the actors i who was playing the part of the bookie , had just received a betting slip from i the hands of a ''punter." when suddenly • the arm of the law intruded and spoilt ! the scene. The actors explained who they were, but Robert was not thus to be cajoled. Then Mr. West descended from his hiding-place in a third storey \ room in a house near by, and he exJ plained that he was filming a scene for i "Beautiful Kitty." This seemed to ' make matters worse, for the policeman f mistook him for the wealthy "head of . the gang." It was not until the policeman had been trotted off to see the ' camera and operator that he believed 1 Mr, West's explanation.