CAMERA FLASHES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 5 (Supplement)

CAMERA FLASHES.

NEWS IN PARAGRAPHS.

If Jeanette Mac Donald has her" way, she will sing during the wedding ceremony uniting her to Gene Raymond on June 17.

Bobby Breen is to star in "Master Skylight," the story of a boy troubadour and Shakespeare. The picture will be made by Sol Lessor in Stratford-on-Avon, England.

Norman Krasna, ex-officeboy-writer-playwright and now producer, will star Luke Rainer in "Merry Christmas," his first writer-producer assignment for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Xorman Hope-Bell, 22, one of the Scottish Hopetoun family whose head is the Viceroy of India, the Marquess of Linlithgow, has just been signed up to produce 12 British films at a cost of at least £600,000 in the next three years. This follows a success with his first picture. His next, "Rose of Tralee," will have Kathleen O'Regan, Sydney Fairbrother, Fred Conyngham, Denier Warren and Pat Ludlow in tha company and English and American broadcasting, studios and a big London hotel ballroom among its settings. Young Hope-Bell, who has had seven years' studio experience, proposes to employ Britteh technicians only. Moshe Menuhin, father of the famous violinist, has postponed plans for the appearance of Yehudi and his sister Hephzibah in what would have been a unique film. What Mr. Menhuin proposed was a full-length film, to run for about 90 minutes, which would in effect , have been a straightforward screening |of a conventional concert. The conductors whose names were sugsested were To"cs»nini, Georsre* Enesco. Serge Koussevitskv. Yehudi Menuhin has had a lnn-r spell from the concert platform. His next tour will beain next October with 35 concerts in the United States and Canada. Tn February. 1938. he will arrive in Ensland to give a series of concerts. He will revisit Australia in |1939 or 1940.

Robert Montgomery will 6tar in a Sabatini story, "Gates of Doom."

Gloria Holden,' the lady who bobbed her nose recently, will be Madame Zola in Paul Muni's next picture. * This will be quite a change from enacting Dracula's daughter.

There is talk of teaming screen lovers No. 1 and 2, Clark Gable and Robert Taylor, in the recently purchased "Spurs of Pride." by P. C. Wren, author of "Beau Geete."

Don Ameche appears as a Scotland Yard detective in "Love Under Fire," and will chase Loretta Young, who he suspects is a member of a gang of jewel thieves, all over Europe.

Douglas Fairbanks, jun., will not return to his adopted city, London, for a long time. After acting in "The Prisoner of Zenda," young Doug, appears as the Earl of Chicago in the film of that name.

The English comedienne, Beatrice Lillie (Lady Peel) has heen given another chance to make good in pictures by Emanuel Cohen, who has signed her to a contract. Miss Lillie will go to Hollywood in July.

Katharine Hepburn will make three pictures—"Stage Door," "High Bridge in the Sky," and "Violette"—before presenting herself and the play, "Jane Eyre," to Broadway. Katharine is feeling much happier about her film prospects as a result of her last picture, "Quality Street," which, despite the cool reception received at a Sahta Barbara "sneak" preview, is excellent film fare and the best Hepburn offering since "A Bill of Divorcement.''

Merle Oberon and Gary Cooper are to be co-starred in a film, "Kiss in the Sun," to be written for the screen by Frederick Lonsdale. David Xiven, who Hollywood thought would become Miss Oberon's husband last year, will have a part as "the other man." Before that film is made, however, Gary Cooper has to star in the Samuel Goldwyn-Douglas Fairbanks production, "The Adventures of Marco Polo," and he will have as his heroine, Sigrid Gurie. a Norwegian actress, who has been in Hollywood for several months undergoing a grooming process before making her screen debut. She is to be given a new name for the screen.

Considerable interest has been aroused by the visit to England of Mr. Charles H. Cooper, formerly judge of Montana Supreme Court, and father of Gary Cooper. In a Press interview Mr. Cooper revealed the fact that he travelled halfway round the world to revisit his birthplace, Houghton Regis, in Bedfordshire, for the first time for 52 years. He declares he did not expect to find much trace of his father's old flour mill, or anyone who remembers him when he left the Village for Montana in 1884. He hoped, however, to find some who remember his son, Gary, when, as a boy of nine, he went to Dunstable Grammar School. A young "leading man" has been found for Shirley Temple. In her next film, which is based on the Kipling tale, "Wee Willie Winkie," 11-year-old Douglas Scott will be officially "opposite" the star. Scott was born in Seattle. His mother was from London, his father from Canada. He does not go to school, but is taught at home to prevent his losing his English accent by association with young Americans. He is the grandson of Dr. Isaac Scott, a brain specialist. His first success in pjictures was as the young Joey Marriott in "Cavalcade," and he is now being praised in America for his part of the young Horatio Nelson in "Lloyd's of London." Elizabeth Allan has achieved her dearest ambition. She has, after two years of negotiation, obtained release from her Hollywood contract and will now be able to live in London most of the year. She has been separated for long intervals from her husband, W. J. CBryen, whose business compels him to stay in London's theatre and filmland. Mr. CBryen has just returned from a visit to Hollywood, where he and Elizabeth have brought off their plan at last. Elizabeth is going to free-lance in future, the only condition being that she shall do two films a year for the next three years for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Tt was a seven years' contract she sianrd with the company four years ago. That sort of i contract is rather out of date in these ■ days.

Lynne Overman gets a new lease of screen life in a series of Philo Vance stories.

When Jean Harlow returns from her vacation, she will begin work as a star newspaper reporter in "Loser's End."

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has decided to team again Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, stars of "Libelled Lady," in "Baby Mine," another comedy of the same type.

"Secret of Stamboul," Frank Vosper'a last film before his untimely death on the French Atlantic liner Paris, from which he was mysteriously lost overboard when the ship was en route from New York to Southampton, will shortly be publicly released in New Zealand.

The Knights of Columbus are investigating alleged radical activities of Errol Flynn. Their action is based on an interview at Barcelona when he was reported to have said that he, Fredric March and James Cagney had raised 1,500,000 dollars in Hollywood for the Spanish Loyalists. Flynn has since denied this.

"The Man With the Iron Mask," a title, not a story, has been registered at the Producers' Association by Selznick International as a possible starring vehicle for Douglas Fairbanks, jun. David Selznick is pleased with young Doug's work in "The Prisoner of Zenda" and wants him to stay in America for the rest of his acting life.

Samuel Goldwyn is so pleased with Miriam Hopkins' performance in "Woman Chases Man" that he has decided that she must play comedy roles only in future. Sam has purchased for her "Honeymoon in Reno," a comedy in the current crazy manner, by Virginia Kellogg, formerly secretary to Director Fred. Xiblo.

Charlie Chaplin has shelved all work on "Regency," and is refusing to discuss plans for another picture. Paulette Goddard is exceedingly ambitious and impatient to attain the position she deserves in picture work. Charlie promised to do all he could to help her by making her the star of all his productions. But the comedian is a slow worker. His maximum output is one picture every three years, and to date Paulette has appeared in "Modern Times" only. She was recently approached by David Selznick to play an important role in "Gone With the Wind." Her tests were excellent, and Selznick wished to sign her there and then. But there was the matter of "Regency" to be considered.

In view of Paul Muni's personal success in "The Good Earth," it is interesting to recall that soon after the story was put into production, Muni begged the late Irving Thalberg to release him from the film. "I'm going crazy," Muni told the producer. "One day the director makes me a gay Chinese, and the next a sad one. I must know what kind of a man I am." Fortunately, Muni was persuaded to continue with the role. And now that the picture is released, everyone is happy except Muni, who still is displeased over his portrayal of Wang. But, Muni is never satisfied. After having appeared in the stage success, "Counsellor-at-Law," for eighteen months, he asked permission to resign on the score that he was miscast.