M.-G.-M. CONTRACT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 88, 15 April 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

M.-G.-M. CONTRACT.

NEW ZEALAND' RELEASE.

"GRAND HOTEL" COMING.

The announcement is made that the long-deferred eale of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films for 1933 has been made, a contract having been concluded between the New Zealand agents of M-G-M and the combined interests of Sir Benjamin and Mr. John Fuller, and the FullerHayward circuit, with a total of 08 theatres throughout the Dominion. The St. James' and Majestic, the latter of which comes under Fuller-Hayward Theatre Corporation control for the first time, are the chief Auckland theatres concerned. The first film released under the terms of the new contract is "Pack Up Your Troubles," now showing at the St. James' Theatre. This will be followed at one or other of the two houses by such promised successes aft "Grand Hotel," "Smilin' Through," "Strange Interlude," "The Man on the Nile" (Ramon Novarro), "Rasputin and the Empress" (John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore), "The White Sister" (Helen Hayes), "Prosperity" (Marie Dressier) and "SonDaughter" (Ramon Novarro and Helen Hayes). This series of films, all close ahead, will be followed by several other promising pictures, some of them now actually in production. These include "The Merry Widow," "The Student Prince," "Rose Marie," "To-day We Live" (Joan Crawford and Gary Cooper), "Tugboat Annie" (Marie Dressier and Wallace Beery), "Peg o' My Heart" (Marion Davies) and "Flesh" (Wallace Beery). The contract also includes all the "shorts" and featurettes formerly known to M-G-M picturegoers, with several new

ones. The list embraces Laurel and Hardy comedies, Charlie Chafie comedies, Zasu Pitts-Thelma Todd comedies, Fitzpatrick travelogues, Pete Smith sports features, several technicolour musical revues and a new line of comedy films, "The Taxi Boys." Both St. James' and the Majestic Theatres will be conducted in combination from Fuller-Hayward headquarters.