THE ANSWER CORNER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 229, 27 September 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE ANSWER CORNER.

replies to inquiries. pj_-Ken Maynard was "born in Texas, " July 21, 1595. He is married to Mary Leeper. —Betty C'ompson played opposite ' Thomas Meiglian in "The Miracle Man." Greta Garbo is sft Gin high. g^T.—Marian Nixon's nickname is " Jlicksey. Bill Cody and Sally Blane lad the leads in "Wolves of the City." Ijjj.—Lillian Roth was playing in the " same show with 'Maurice Chevalier in ' Ziegfeld's. That is when a motionpicturo director first saw her act and gave her a contract. jjj—Lupe Velcz was horn in Mexico, " July 18, 1909. She was a Baby Wampas star of 1928; received her education in San Antonio, Texas. Her first picture was "The Gaucho," starring Douglas Fairbanks.' —David Rollins was horn in Kansas " City, Monday, September 2, 190 S. He is sft 10in, weighs 1351b, has hrown hair and blue eyes. His first picture was "The High School Hero." Charles Rodgers has a brother. •JlT.—Virginia, Lee Corbin played the rolo of Claire in ".Footlights and jools." Janet Gaynor was horn October 6, 1907; has auburn hair and brown eyes. Dennis King was born in Warwickshire, England. Ho was in dramatic pieces until about four years ago, when he commenccd a ; musical career. . lew Cody, instead of lan Keith, will have the role of Victor in Gloria Swanson's "What A Widow!" Alexander Gray and Bernice Claire, who made such a hit in "No,-No, Nanette," are again starred in "Spring is Here," a musical production. Jack White, who won his histrionic spurs as a'comedian with George White Scandals and numerous musical comedy productions, i 6 making hie screen debut as a fight impressario in "The Leather Pushers" series, featuring Kane Richmond. Pretty Jeanette L-ff declares that she ■will-not soon forget the Fourth of July of this year, inasmuch as it brought her release from the hospital, where she had been confined for the three weeks on account of an operation for appendicitis.

- A thrilling story of the West of the fovered wagon days, with a glorious outdoor background in natural colours, is •"Song of the West," a Vitaphone operetta. This picture marks a new era in film production, for all through the gay singing and dancing, and the magnificent outdoor scenes, which glow in all their natural colours, there runs a strain of interne drama. John Boles, as a dauntless adventurer, gives affi ne P e3 [" formance, and his splendid baritone is heard to great advantage all through the picture. "Covered wagons Sis far as tho eye can feec!"l That's the order given by Wesley Ruggleg, who will direct "Cimarron, Edna Ferber's epic of that Indian, lerritory' and Oklahoma land "rush. As a result, Lou Shapiro, studio representative, and Gordon Jones and Hank Potts, ex-cowboys and horsemen, have left for the interior of Mexico to acquire 2500 horses and mules to add to the 500 already obtained in California. Tins means that more than 100 _ vehicles, including covered wagons, buggies, buckbords, surreys and freighters, will ® needed; also, 1000 trained teamsters, 50 saddles, chickens and coops, goats, pans, and other paraphernalia of tne "mover." < "One Romantic Night," in which Lillian Gish makes her audible screen debut, was previewed recently. Tho Lillian Gish is as modern, humorous, a "very much alive lady -wo impulsively kisses Conrad Nagel in e sustained manner of Gilbert-Garbo tradition, who impulsively downs a glass o wine, who is swept into the' crushing embrace of Rod La Rocque, and. hy him resoundingly kissed, th® place • of the lady _w 0 Wept and suffered in bleak winters, howling winds and revolutionary climes in silent films of the past, is a surefooted actress who jests with Mari© Dressier and 0. P. Heggie, and doesnt Spy a canary bird or shed a tear m or nine «v>cle.

Joan Marsh is getting a tremendous thrill from her fan letters. They are beginning to arrive in increasing volume and Joan is finding answering them a difficult but pleasurable task. "Two Blue Eyes," a new ballad from the pen of Dietrich, is to be sung by Donald Novis in "Eyes of the World," the Henry King directed dramatisation of the Harold Bell Wright novel. Rose Hobart, is In the midst of fittings for one of the most elaborate wardrobes ever created. Eighteen different gowns are to be worn by Mies Hobart in her first talking picture, "The Lady Surrenders." Lupe .Vclez is busy 'buying canaries. At present she has forty pairs of birds, some of which are the famous Belgian warblers. Her aviary is only one of the many interesting, things about her Beverly Hills home. Charles R. Rogers has signed a contract to make four talkers a year for RKO. Under terms of the agreement, which is unique, his product will. play RKO class "A" houses on a guarantee basis, and afterwards will be released throughout the world. The villain's role in the extraordinary picture, "The White Hell of Pitz Palu," is played by a mountain! This tense drama, filmed in the high Alps of Switzerland by Dr. Arnold Fanck, noted director and mountain climber, depicts man's struggle with the forces of Nature. The towering peak of Pitz Palu is the menace in the story, which is enacted, with an astonishing series of thrills, by a cast of famous European players, including Leni Riefenstahl, Gustav Diesel, Ernst Petersen, and the noted German flyer, Ernst Edet. Millions' of people are familiar with the Lincoln of history, the great emancipator of the negroes, yet few have heard or read of his eccentricities. This real Lincoln, the mystic and visionary, is the character D. W. Griffith has recreated, in his epic dialogue picture, "Abraham Lincoln." No significant phase of the emancipator's life is left out of the Griffith film. The picture boasts a cast of 95 major character actors, headed by. Walter Huston as Lincoln, Kay Hammond as Mary Todd, Una Morkel as Ann Rutledge, Jason Robards as Horndon and lan Keith as John Wilkies Booth. Evelyn Laye, foremost English comedy star and the star of "Bitter" Sweet" in America, will make her American film debut in a Samuel Goldwyn production for which Louis Bromfield and Sidney Howard, Pulitzer prizewinners, are writing an original story. The music for the film, is being composed by Bruno Granichsteeden, Viennese composer of "The Rose Maid" and "Der Orlow." The tentative, title for the film is* "Her Glorious Affair." In, England Miss Laye had the chief roles in "The New Moon," "Princess Charming" and "Madame Pompadour." Blonde, slender and beautiful, she has already made screen and voice tests that have caused executives to predict success for her.

The latest monthly bulletin of the Department of Overseas Trade, forwarded by H.M. Trade Commissioner *n Australia, referring to the outlook for British films, says there are factors in the present situation which seem to indicate that better times may be approaching for producers of British films. For one thing, the popularity of British films in Europe has shown a definite increase in the last few months, and this of course has resulted in better business, being done. There seems little doubt that there is a reaction in many territories against the average American film as the dialect, whether in spech or song, and whether understood or not by the hearers seems to be proving unduly harsh for non-American audiences. There_ is undoubtedly a tendency towards making talking pictures with speech with an English rather than an American accent, and it is hoped that this tendency may lead ultimately to increased production in the United Kingdom. It is quite clear, at any rate, that foreign audiences will ultimately demand talking films'in lauguages which they can widerstand, and it seems likely that Hollywood, on the west coast of the United States, will not prove so satisfactory a centre for producing multi-lingual films oa either London or some continental centre. The United Kingdom is taking a, leading part in themakingoftakiiig films in languages other than English.

Sam Shipman, responsible for the brilliant stage success, "East Is West," lost eight Panama hats in the first two weeks he worked on the script. Losing hats is one of his weaknesses —he never remembers where he puts his hat. The hit songs of the future will be written to fit the personality of the singer. Hollywood is now the popular song capital of the world and melodycreation has become a specialised business in which writers work toward a definite goal. Mary Nolan, starring in "Outside the Law," has formed a strong friendship for three-year-old' Delmar Watson, who plays a bit in the picture. Delmar and Miss Nolan disappear from the studio set every once in a while and play children's games. "Du Barry, Woman of Passion" is the title of Norma Talmadge's next all-talk-ing picture. Hitherto identified as "Flame of the Flesh," the film has in its cast Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Ullrich Haupt, Hobart Bosworth, Allison Skipworth, Blanche Friderici, and Cissy Fitzgerald. Filming a scene by the light of magnesium torches in the crevasse of a glacier three hundred feet deep was the remarkable achievement of the company which made "The White Hell of Pitz Palu," produced in the high Alps of Switzerland by H. lv. Sokal, and directed by Dr. Arnold Fanck from his own story. Betty Balfour, England's most popular film star, will next be seen and heard in "The Brat." The film was recently released in England, and drew the following criticism from tho "Daily Telegraph": —"Broa'l humour masking sterling worth, and a lively exchange of witticisms, form the keynote of 'The Brat.' Miss Balfour acts, sings and talks with all her accustomed verve, and seems the very incarnation of that lovable spirit which knows what it wants and detects and resents imposture of every kind. The recording is perfect, and the picture, in fact, may claim to be the best specimen of its kind yet produced in this country."

In the north woods of Canada, hundreds of miles from white civilisation, is a great army of former motion picture players that Hollywood cannot match. The sincerity of their acting and the realism with which they instilled their parte overshadows the efforts of the film centre's stars, because these players were enacting their life roles. This array of screen talent comprises both human and animal players that appeared in ' The Silent Enemy," an epic of Indian life filmed by Douglas Burden, young explorer and adventurer, during a year's sojourn in the country of the north tribes. More than 100- Indians comprise the human cast for tho production. The animal actors included all the creatures which inhabit the forests of Northern Canada and roam within the rim of the Arctic Circle. Among them were black bears, mountain lions, timber wolves, beaver, wolverine, deer and caribou. Wild geese, the savage horned owl and partridge were among the feathered performers.

Charlie Chaplin is going to London as soon as he finishes "City Lights," and he told the Hollywood correspondent of the London "Daily News and Chronicle" that he may raise ,a full beard in order 'to disguise himself so that he can travel incognito among the scenes of his childhood. He added that he will be in New York for the premiere of "City Lights," and ho will go .to England immediately after the opening, accompanied only by his secretary and valet. In England he intends to look up Sir James Barrie, H. G. Wells, Sir Philip Sassoon and Thomas Burke, all of them old friends. He may go to France and Spain after leaving London, and in France he intends _ to visit some French psycho-therapists. One of the things he means to do in London is to visit the Duke of York's theatre, where, in 1905, when he was a lad, he played the part of a page boy in the stage production of "Sherlock Holmes." Speaking of beards, it has been said that Charlie Chaplin was responsible for Alister Mac Donald, son of the British Premier, shaving off his' "Imperial" while tho statesman's son was in the film capital. The "Daily News and Chronicle" published a picture of Chaplin as he would look with a beard.