THE ANSWER CORNER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 122, 25 May 1935, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE ANSWER CORNER.

REPLIES TO INQUIRIES,

ANTMN (Blrkdnle).— Richard Tauber is engaged to Diana Napier, of the English screen. K.D.B, (Parnell).—Thanks greatly for list. You chaps help to make a him editor s , life well worth living! TL'KIOUS (Symonds Street).—Addresses vou want are: John Boles, Universal City, Hollywood, U.S.A. : "Ginger Rogers, c/o Kadio Pictures, 780, Gower Street, Hollywood; Janet Gaynor, Pat Paterson and Warner Baxter, c/o Fox Film Corporation, Movietone City, Hollywood. No nuisance at all! SUSAN (Epsom).—A correspondent gives the following list of Jack Mulhnll's leading ladies: "The Off Shore Pirate" and ••The Fourteenth Lover," Viola Dana, "All-of-a-Sudden Peggy," Marguerite Clark; "The Hope," Marguerite do la Mattes "Orchids and Ermine," Colleen Moore; "Miss Hobbs," Wanda Hawley '•A Favour to a Friend," Emmy Wehlen ; "Classified," Corinne Griffith; Inc Litfie Clown," Mary Mile, Mlnter ; "Subway Sadie," "Waterfront" , -Two T\ eeks Off" "Just Another Blonde," 'Oh. Lad}, he Good," and "Man Crazy," Dorothy Mackaill. JAN KIEPUKA FAN (Manurewa).—(a) Your hero's next picture Is to be "My Heart is Calling." (b) His leading lady in 'J. ell Me To night" was Magda Schneider (c) He became engaged only recently to } rlii Kggert, who is his leading lady in the new film. She now appears to spell her name Marthe Eggerth. She is Hungarian, he Polish. (d) I doubt whether you could secure a photograph wthout writing to the star, c/o Gaumont-Br.tlsh Picture Corporation, Shepherd s Bush, Lme Grove, London, W. (e) Aileen Marion was soon In Auckland in Gertrude Lawrences "No Funny Business, pr or to "My Song for You." She was also in "Passing Shadows," hut this picture has not been released in Auckland. ELDEKLY KONALD ADMIKEK (Tauranga). Your letter is long, space is short, but here goes. (1) Heard nothing about Cilman-Lorotta Young engagement tq date (U) Nobody knows Colman's plans for the future— perhaps not even Column (3) Heard nothing about rehlming of "Beau Geste." These things are often contemplated, published in up-to-the-minute" magazines in the States, then dropped. (4) "A Tale of Two Cities isi to be filmed by M.G.M. I cannot tell you the cast, but Hugh Walpole and i.enore Coffee are co-scenarists (o) Future plans of Clive Brook not known after "The Dictator" ; ditto Nils Aether and Ann Harding (after "Biography of a Bachelor Girl"). C. Aubrey Smith has excellent roles in "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" and "Clive of India." Otto Kruger lias been cast for lead in the Philo Vance film, "The Casino Murder Case." Norma Shearer has temporarily retired before playing in "Marie Antoinette " waiting for Charles Laughton to be free (G) C. Aubrey Smith was born in London on July 31, 1803. (7) With the new opera vogue on the screen there is every likelihood that Gilbert and Sullivan will be filmed, hut no announcements of such intention have yet been ma< from Elstree or Hollywood. 8) Gloria Kwanson, who is to appear in a new film with Clark Gable, is divorced from her fourth husband, Michael I'nrmcr, but Herbert Marshall is still Edna Best s husband. They had a baby glrT last year That Swanson-Marshall romance "of yours never took place. (0) Irene Dunne was born in Louisville, Kentucky on July 14, 1004. Her next him ( i "Kobertn." Hobbies not known. (10) Tom Walls' plans after "Me and Marlnorough" not known, ditto Ralph Lynn. "Clive of India" is to be released In Auckland within a week or two.

Mrs. Alan Mowbray is the mother of an eight-pound baby, born in Hollywood. Mowbray is at present working opposite Miriam * Hopkins in the oil-colour '"Becky Sharp.' ,

The famous Barton family of Broadway is now 100 per cent Hollywood. James Barton's pretty wife, Katharine, has been given a small role in hie first starring picture, "Captain Hurricane," a salty tale of Cape Cod and its people.

"The Private Life of Henry VIII." was taken to the Moscow Film Festival recently, and wae accorded high praise by Russian film circles. It is the first British talking picture to be shown in Russia. Work on the H. G. Welle film, "Whither Mankind?" which has been in progress for three mouths, has produced some of thevnost unusual ''sets" and models ever seen. These have been designed and built by a team of Hollywood experts, and the picture, which deals with life in 100 years' time, will present many technical innovations.

The latest London film to go into production at Teddington is "Young Nowhercs," I. A. R. Wylie's popular novel. This story was specially bought for Esmond Knight, who made personal successes in "The Bermondscy Kid" and

"The Blue Squadron/' Supporting Knight are Margaret .Lockwood, Henry Mollison, whose last'film this will be before leaving for Hollywood, Ivor Barnard, and Sunday Wilshin. The story is a very human double Cinderella romance of a lift boy. Esmond Knight, in a block of up-to-date flats and a little housemaid, Margaret Lockwood.

With Fredric March and Charles Laugbton facing each other as fugitive and. pursuer in the most celebrated of all fictional man-bunts, Richard Bole-

slavski has now begun on the first scenes of "Lee Miserables." The producer, Darryl F. Zanuck, has given final approval to the screen adaptation which W. P. Lipscomb has made from the Victor Hugo novel. Among the additions to the cast are Frances Drake and Ferdinand Gottschulk. Previously announced were Rochelle Hudson, Jessie Ralph, Eily Malvon and Florence Eldridge. Miss Eldridge in private life is Mrs. Frederic March, and in "Les Miserables" is appearing with her husband in a screen production for the first time.

Battle scenes are common enough on the screen nowadays, but in "Les Mieerables," which was recently completed in Hollywood, we arc to have glimpses of a street battle in the French Revolution of 1848. In order to achieve a high decree of realism in this scene, the director, Richard Boleslawski, provided many of the crowd of 1000 "extras with clubs whittled out of yucca boughs, telling them to use their strange weapons as forcibly as they liked upon the heade of their adversaries, the police and the military. But when this instruction got to the cars of those impersonating the- forces of law and order there was something like consternation, and not unnaturally, questions were asked. Boleslawski, however, quickly calmed the fears of those about to be clubbed, blandly explaining that yucca wae a very soft wood and that the clubs could be used freely without dancer to anyone. During the subsequent "shooting" it was found that in spite of reputed lightness of yucca wood the clube inflicted just sufficient pain upon the clubbed to make the latter retaliate with astonishing realism, which was exactly what the director required.

Realising that the streamline, Dieselpowered train may soon revolutionise transportation and solve rail traffic's meet urgent problem Hollywood saw the drama that was inherent in this industrial innovation, and decided to picturise it. "The Silver Streak" is the film in which the swift, new streamline tnSn makes its screen debut. When production of the picture was started, the train, then known as the Zephyr, was on public exhibition at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, which also became the locale of Mine of the important episodes of the him. The president of the Burlington Railway not only gave the film men exclusive rights to use the train, which holds the world's record non-stop run for speed and distance, but changed its name to Silver Streak" in honour of the picture, which name it still carries since being placed in passenger service. Sally Blane Charles Starrett, Hardie Albright and William Farnum have the leading rolee in a story which concerns the light ot youth and modern inventions against age and accepted ideas. Other points of -rrent interest in the him include the Boulder Dam, a gigantic undertaking that dams the Colorado River; and the Drinker Respirator, perhaps better known as the "iron lung." Australian newspapers have recently given much prominence to copy on this Drinker Respirator, and in "The Silver Streak for the first' time, the New Zealand public will have an opportunity of seeing this remarkable invention.

Maurice Chevalier's next starring picture will be ''The Cardboard Lover." Irving Berlin's big number for "Top Hat," the newest Astaire-Rogers musical, will bo called "Cheek to Cheek," and will take the public's mind off the "Continental." When Henry Wileoxon leaves the hospital, where lie is lying with a poisoned foot, and completes Cecil B. de Mille's "The Crusades," lie will immediately start work on his third American film. This i<s an elaborate outdoor picture,, entitled "Wild Glory,' , and has been especially written for the screen by Vance Hoyt, the author of "Malibu" or 'Sequoia." Claudette Colbert has discovered what she believes is the perfect exercise for i woman—solo dancing. The star recently began a series of dancing lessons under the instruction of Le Roy Prinz, the noted dancing master, in preparation for her role in her forthcoming picture, "The Gilded Lily," which will shortly be released in New Zealand. She tripped and whirled and tapped for almost three hours, and kept up the instruction for two weeks. It ie announced from Hollywood thai Horace Hodges, the well-known Englisl character actor, is to play the title role in a film of "Old Roses." This ie a story of a lovable old character living, in a peaceful Devonshire village. He is fondly called "Old Rosea" by the villagers. His joy in life is centred about his cottage rose garden and his china miniatures. Romance and drama cross his secluded existence, but he brings joy to youth and justice to age in the delightful climax of the film. Full details of the story of "The Bride of Frankenstein" are being kept secret until the picture is shown in this country, but it can be revealed that the tremendous fire at the end of "Frankenstein" did not prove fatal to the monster, who re-emerges in "The Bride of Frankenstein" in or guise made etill more fearsome bv the searing marks of the fire, through which he has passed. The fade-out of the picture in which the monster reaches the height of his ambition by acquiring a mate is said to be one of the most thrilling that has yet been seen on the screen.

Robert Donnt, the young star of stage and screen, who made a successful debut in American motion pictures in the title role of "The Count of Monte Cristo," is returning; to the United States to appear in his second Hollywood production. He will star in a . elaborate film version of "Robin Hood" for the producers of "Monte Cristo." Actual production of "Robin Hood" is being scheduled to coincide with Donat's arrival from England. He will leave for Hollywood immediately on completion of his present engagement, a screen version of "The Thirty-Nine Steps." After "Robin Hood," Donat is to star at Hollywood in "Captain Blood" and "Peter Ibbetson." ,

From time to time an odd word or two concerning the progress of his latest picture reaches the outer world from Chaplin's studio-fortress in Hollywood; but little is known about the picture itself. Every possible precaution is taken by Chaplin to prevent leakages of this kind, and for a very good reason. The little comedian never hurries over his productions, and it would bo a simple matter for another studio, if it had the opportunity and inclination, to "lift some of the best gags, rush through a picture and have it on the market long before ho could possibly finish "Production Number 5," as it ift still called. The risk of such an occurrence, may not, perhaps, bo very great, but caution is Chaplin's second name, and he is taking no chances.