FIRST RELEASES IN AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 171, 21 July 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

FIRST RELEASES IN AUCKLAND.

Feature. '"The Rawhide Kid." ] "The Big Noise." < "Man, Woman and Son." . "The Smart Set." "Something Always Happens." ] "Branded Sombrero." ] <&+!>-•?<&<& Kurl Dane arid George I\. Arthur, the two famous comedians of "Rookies" and "Jlaliy Mine," will shortly be secu in *'Detfcti\cs" and "Circus Rookies." Tliis being Olympic year, Universal contributes to the international contest Fred \Y. Tiatli's story, "The Olympic Hero." Wesley Ruggles will direct it. Following the triumphant showing of '"Uncle 'l oin's Cabin," in Barcelona, the King of Spain has commanded a private ■crceding atthe royal palace. Edward Laemmlo's big picture for 19ii8 -9 will be "Man, Woman and Wife," by Charles A. Logue. It features Norman Kerry, Pauline Starke, Kenneth Harlan and Marian Nixon. Norma Talmadge has added to the cast of her second United Artists picture, "The Woman Disputed," Arnold Kent and William Orlamond. Henry King is directing, and Gilbert Roland is leading man. Ruth Lee Taylor, the beautiful blonde recently seen in Paramount's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," is to 'be co-featured with James Hall in a Paramount picture entitled "Just Married." The story is by Anne Nichols, author of the iarnous "Abie's Irish Rose." Alfred E. Green has just started his seventh Fox Films production, "Making the Grade," with Edmund Lowe and Lois Moran in the leading roles. This picture ie a film version of George Ade's latest •tory of the same name, which ran in the "Cosmopolitan" in March. •* For the palace scenes at St. Petersburg in the big Universal production, "The Prince of Adventurers," including the dinner of the four hundred, and the ball scenes, 700 people were employed, for over three months. A greater percentage of these crowds included ex-Russian aristocrats who in happier days had actually dined at St. Petersburg as the guests of the late Czar. "Hot News" is the title just announced by Paramount, for Bebe Daniels' new starring picture. This picture was originally announced under the tentative title of "The News-Reel Girl." Miss Daniels recently completed "The FiftyFifty Girl." Clarence Badger, who directed the latter, will also direct "Hot News." Chester Conklin will be featured in the production. Mary Carr, who is renowned for her portrayal of "mother roles" in motion pictures, has to add the prefix "grand" to the type of part she is now playing. In "On Your Toes," the Universal production, starring Reginald Denny, Miss Carr plays the part of Denny's grandmother. Barbara Worth has the leading role. Others in the supporting cast ure Hayden Stevenson, Frank Hagney, Gertrude Howard, and George West.

Madge Bellamy comes shortly to Auckland in another scintillating film. "Soft Living." . It is based on an original ttory, on the question of love versus alimony, and more than gives Miss Bellamy a chance to prove her genius as a comedienne. It is the story of a young secretary, who marries a handRome young man for his money, but who tfnds to her amazement that It is much easier and more pleasing to herself to win his love than his pocketbook Johnny Mack Brown, a comparative newcomer to the screen, has the leading male role. Alexis Ikonnikoff, one of the colony of Russians in Hollywood, has a dramatic story to tell, the sequel to a tragedy of the Russian revolution. Some weeks ago he received through the Hollywood police a letter addressed to him from Sofia, Bulgaria. On opening it he found that it was from his mother, whom he thought Jong dead. In the early days of the war Alexis Ikonnikoff was a colonel in the Imperial bodyguard. At the time of the Russian revolution, he received word that his family—mother, two sisters and three brothers— had been murdered when the Reds sacked Kiev. After a vain search, he left Russia and eventually found work as an extra in Hollywood. His mother saw him in a picture,, wrote to Hollywood, and so made known the good news that she and his sisters were still alive. By a strange twist of fortune, Ikonnikoff now takes the part of a colonel in the Imperial bodyguard in Lrnil Junning's latest Paramount picture "The Patriot." There can be few film fane who will not remember Wallace Rei.l. and it will bo interesting to most people to know tiiat his widow (known as Dorothy Davenport) is t<w»ppear in the feminine lead of a pictunyjentative'y titled '"Hell Ship Hronson," with N'oah Beery providing the depp-dved villainy f>>r which he is famous, as her husband, t!f: captain ot the vessel. Reed Howes plays her son, who. in the story, has been poisoned against her and taught to believe that she is a wicked woman, by the jealous father who has raised him. The story deals with the return of the mother after 15 years' absence and Her efforts to win her son back from the wickedness and bitterness in which he has grown up. Through the boy's sweetheart (a girl who stows away on the hell ship to escape arrest for a crime which she has not committed, and whom the- mother rescues from the father and son in turn) the theme reaches a pleasing climax. Mrs. Reid succeeds in producing tome teiif-e but restrained drama in the scenes with the father and son. "Hell Ship Bronson" is Mrs. Reid's third picture in two years. She is making it for Gotham Productions.

WEEK COMMENCING JULY 25. Star - Make. Hoot Gibson. Universal. Chester Conklin. First National. £!}* G 'lbert. Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer. iT-Jlo , nM - Metro " G <»l«iwyn . Mayer. Esther Ralston. Paramount. Buck Jones. Fox.

hile Henry Henijrson, general maanger of Universal City, who hae been in conference with Universal officials in New "i ork for three weeks, is returning to Universal City, Sigmund Moos sind Julius Bernheim, supervisors, are just starting from there oil a European trip. Another picture upon which camera work will be completed soon is "Fallen Angels," Edward Laemmle's production of the Arthur Somers Roche "Red Book" magazine story. It has the most pretentious cast of any Edward Laemmle picture, including Norman Kerry, Pauline Stark, Crauford Kent, Marian Nixon, Kenneth Harlan and Jack Raymond. Hermann J. Mankiewicz, former New York dramatic critic, is to title George Bancroft s new starring picture for Paramount, "The Dragnet," according to word from the Paramount studios in Hollywood. "The Dragnet," which was directed by Josef von Sternberg, is a drama of the law's constant battle against crimc in a big city. It was von Sternberg who directed "Underworld," the Paramount picture through which Bancroft became famous.

Frank Borzage has dusted off his megaphone, which has been idle since early this year, when he completed "Street Angel," and is about to start "The River," a film version of Tristram Tupper's novel. Charles Farrell, Ivan Linow and Mary Duncan hare the outstanding roles. "Glorious Betsy," the Warner picture, will shortly be released. Dolores Costello never looked or acted better, it is claimed, and Conrad Nagel's Jerome Bonaparte is a performance of merit. The fact that the story is based on an authentic romance, into which Jias been woven action and humour, makes it the more pleasing.

"Willow Walk," Sinclair Lewis' famous story of mystery, dual identity and regeneration, is to be one of Lon Chaney's starring pictures for the coming season. In the picture Chaney will play two parts. Details as to cast and director have not been decided as yet. . In "Steamboat Bill. Junior," the new United Artists comedy, in which Buster Keaton and Ernest Torrenee are costarred, the old-order and the new are strongly contracted in two river boats which are "democratised" by a ?yclone wholly lacking in discrimination. Marion Byron, a 17-year-old newcomer to the screen, has the leading feminine role

Distributors. Universal. First National. Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer. Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer. Paramount. Fox.

"Silks and Saddles" is the title under which Universal will release its next year's picture heretofore called "Thoroughbreds." "Silks and Saddles" features Marion Nixon and Richard Walling, aud was directed by Kobert F. HilL A passport mix-up kept Lya de Putti from taking a dancing tour to Norway. She was forced into the stage in Berlin and was "discovered" by a foreign director. Now she is playing in .Universal films, her latest being "Midnight Rose," with Kenneth Harlan. Malcolm St. Clair has just been selected by Paramount to direct the projected einema version of "The Canary Murder Case," the famous mystery story of S. f?. Van Dine, solved by the fiction detective Philo Vance. William Powell will play the role of the detective in the case. With the addition of Conrad Nagel the cast of "War in the Dark," Greta Garbo'a new starring picture, has been completed. Mr. Nagel will play the leading male role opposite Miss Garbo. "War in the Dark" is a story of European intrigue and is being directed by Mr. Fred Niblo, who made "Ben Hur."

The title of Charlie Chaplin's next picture will be "City Lights." The famous comedian expects to begin work on this shortly. He is now making te6ts and assembling his cast. Beatrice Van lias thrown her bonnet in the ring with a companionate marriage story. Its title is "Sex Appeal," and Miss Van wrote it for Ernest Laemmle to produce following his latest Universal picture, "Phyllis of the Follies." Mae Busch has been assigned the leading feminine role in "While the City Sleeps," Lon Chaney's starring production now being made. Miss Busch previously played opposite Mr. Chauey in "The Unholy Three." The supporting cast includes Anita Page, Polly Moran, Lydia Yeamans Titus, Richard Carle.. Eddie Kane and Carroll Nye. Mr. John W. Hicks, junior, managingdirector of Paramount, has announced tdiat an enlarged coloured photograph of Kingsford Smith has been added to the collection of similar photoe of the world's famous aces. The photos will accompany "Wings," Paramount's epic of the air, to every theatre throughout New Zealand and Australia where this motion picture will be shown. A good virile Western story which should hold its own with more lurid melodrama, in its freshness and vitality. Ken Maynard's latest First National production, "The Upland Rider," has many attractive attributes which lift it far above the merely commonplace. Maynard's riding and driving would do this, in any case. He packs the exciting sequences with thrills that are spectacular and breath-taking. Maynard, with his handsome, likeable personality, has a large following who should not be disappointed with "The Upland Rider." "The Bush Cinderella," now practically completed, will soon be showing in the picture theatres. The youthful simplicity of the star part played by Dale Austen will be seen in relief uguinst a background of experienced players. The name of Walter Gray, long associated with the Carl Rosa Company as leading tenor, heads the list. lie is remembered in London and New York as a singer with a dramatic sense. Mellowed by long experience of the stage and the international touch and sympathies thus obtained, the former opera star now takes up picture acting. His quaint and abounding humour will be a little in abeyance in his part of the dour Scotsman. not so his dramatic power. It enables him to efface himself in a part small and dark and hard as the axle of a wheel. The play revolves round the part. When we first meet him in the story the rich old uncle, the embodimen of rectitude, be has lived affluently, tin comfortably, and nastily and uncompromisingly for considerable years. Wt meet him later and he repents a little the sternness of his dealings in the past. He then adds a codicil to his will and makes a quite common exit in an un.com mon way. His acting will stamp the picture with the finesse written simply "£nish."

In Fox Films' '"Don't Marry," the part of Lois Moran's aunt is played by the well-known actress, Claire McDowell. Constance Talmadge'a first United Artists picture will be "Fast of the Setting Sun," an adaptation from the George Barr MeCutcheon story. Richard Aden plays the role of a tramp in "Beggars of Life," Para neurit's screen version of the popular story by Jim Tully. William Wellman has been selected as the director for the picture. "Grease Paint,' which Universal recently purchased from Svend Gade, will be put into proper form for a stirring picture for Conrad Veidt. Paul Konner, who will supervise, has Mary Nolan in mind for the girl; "Annie Laurie," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer s screen version of the immortal story, based on the song, is scheduled for early release throughout New Zealand. Lillian Gish plays the title role and Norman Kerry, Hobart Bosworth and Creight'on Hale appear in this picture. Two new series of Paramount-Christie Comedies, "The Confessions of a Chorus Girl," and "Sandy McDuff," will be released next year. The former stars Frances Lee, the latter Jack Duffy. In addition to these, further series will be produced starring Bobby Vernon and Billy Doolev. Universal is planning to duplicate f-.-r a picture on next season's schedule every element which made "The Cat and the Canary" such a big success. The mystery story selected is "The Last Warning." Laura La Plante will be the star, Paul Leni the director, and Alfred A. Cobn has written the adaption and continuity. With the selection of "The Cat's Paw," by Charles W. Taylor, the list of pictures for Willy Wyler's contribution to next year's Universal programme amounts to three. The other two are "Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" with Tom Moore and Bessie Love, and "The Shake-Down," by Charlep A. Logue. This Paramount Week ■will be held from September 2 to 8 inclusive. The public demands a high standard of picture entertainment, and with this fact in mind Paramount's executives are constantly raising the standard of production. It is during Paramount Week that the pictures released are selected to demonstrate the great advance made by the motion picture industry. "Wings," Paramount's epic of the air, will be released in Melbourne at the Capitol Theatre, shortly. The spectacular aviation picture will be presented with the synchronised effects recently imported by Paramount. The complete mechanism for producing the sound effects will accompany "Wings" to every theatre in New Zealand and Australia where this picture is shown. Victor McLaglen is well suited to the role of "Spike Madden." the adventure- ! loving sailor in Fox Films, "A Girl in Every Port," by reason of his own adventures around and about the world [since the tender age of fourteen. Mr. McLaglen is extremely enthusiastic over the role, which promises to become as well liked a characterisation as was his Captain Flagg in "What Price Glory." There are 110 fewer than eight leading ladies in the production, the | most featured being Louise Brooks and Marie Casajuana. .

During the filming of "Speedy," Harold Lloyd's next Paramount feature, a horse was required to draw an obsolete street car. Had it been in Hollywood the task would have been comparatively easy, but since the scenes were taken in New York, the property njan had a difficult task to handle. After a long search he located an old cab horse, apparently the only remaining one in the city. The horse looked jaded enough for the purpose of the picture, but he doubtejl if it would be capable of drawing the heavy load. He decided to try it out, however, so jumping in they set off for a short trip through the back streets of the city. Satisfied that it would suit his purposes, the property man hired the horse on the spot, and drove off with it to the studio. "Speedy" will be released shortly in New Zealand. Victor McLaglen, who first gained fame, as Captain Flagg in the screen version of "What Price Glory," has turned toreador.. Cast as Kseamillo in "Loves of- Carmen," directed by Raoul Walsh, McLaglen devoted considerable time to the study of the art of bullfighting. Mr. Walsh has made this new production of "Loves of Carmen" a very spectacular and realistic affair. The gipsy girl. "Carmen," will be shown as she was, and not the tinselled personality of opera. Delores Del Rio, who gave C'liarmaine such reality in "What Price Glory" will play the title role. Others in the cast are Ben Bard and Don Alvarado. Nearly all the wardrobe and equipment for the new film was imported from Spain, where an agent for the company had been gathering it for months. According to records kept by the gate men at the various "lots," no fewer than 2000 tourists and sightseers are turned away every week day from the gates of motion picture studios in Hollywood. Estimates computed by experts "at the Para mount studios show that each visitor costs the company approximately £20. Y isitors distract actors from their work, interrupt the intricate and highly complicated organisation of the studios, and occupy the attention of people who are receiving large salaries to produce pictures. During the production of Emil -Tannings' "Ihe Last Command" at the Paramount studios, the director used more than a thousand extras on a huse nijrht set. A large crowd, drawn bv the excitement and the brilliant lays of the sun arcs, waited a whole night in the vain hope that they would be able to see some of the inner workings of a large studio. High walls cut out all but the brilliant glow in the sky. Disappointed, the crowd sat round, discussed motion pictures, and then went home.