Flashes Of The Camera

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 286, 3 December 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

Flashes Of The Camera

""LMDELITY," which was all set for Joan Crawford's next picture, has been temporarily postponed —censorship trouble. And writing is now being rushed on "The Shining Hour." which will probably suiversede "Fidelity." ♦'+ ♦ ♦ ~V"ELSOX EDDY and Liloma Massev will l>e starred in ''Balalaika. ' the musical comedy with a Russian background, recently staged in Xew Zealand. \\7HKX Joan Bennett refused the leading feminine role in 'Mother Carey R.K.O. retaliated by erasing her name from "Giinga Din," the studio's biggest production of the year. Another Joan was substituted—Joan Fontaine, who appears as the love interest opposite Carv Grant. Jflck Oakie and Victor McLaglen are also in the cast. + + + + "\7TCTOR SAVILLE'S latest production, "South Riding." is the screen version of Winifred Holtbv's famous book. The leading players in the film are Edna Bes*„ who plays the part of Sarah Btirtom, the headmistress at a Yorkshire school for girls, and Ralph Richardson who plays Robert Carne. squire of Maythorpe Hall. A leading child part is played, by Joan Elltim. a Yorkshire girl, who has had no previous film experience but for whom Mr. Saville predicts a great future. The other important child ]>art is played by Glynis Johns, daughter of Mervvn .Tohns. the actor. Interesting names in the cast are Ann Todd, who plays Carne's wife; Edmund fJwenn. who plays Huggins; John Clements, who gave a brilliant |»erformaneo as the Soviet commissar in "Knight Without Armour," plays Socialist Councillor Astell.

"\yHAT the Public Want*" is the optimistic title for the next Eddie Cantor film. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ rpHR "Dead Knd" kids are the Hollywood picture fashion of the moment. Billy Ha lop. the ringleader in "Dead Knd" and "The Crime School." will he starred all on his own with Humphrey Bogart in "Chalked Out." Warden Lewis K. Lawes* crime story. All the kids will he reunited in "Something to Live For." based on Playwright Sidney Kingslev's discovery of them for the stage play "Dead End" and their subsequent acting fame. Humphrey Bogart impersonates the playwright. This will be preceded by yet another Bogart plus "Dead End kids" opus, "Hell's Kitchen," with Claire Trevor. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ HOPKIXS, whose picture popularity has declined within recent months, gets a grand opportunity for a comeback in "We Are Not Alone." co-starring with Paul Muni. The last picture this couple made together. "The Woman 1 Love," was a grade A "flop"— but they had a terrible story. "We Are Xot Alone" is a .lame* Hilton bestseller. The part Miss Hopkins plays —a Herman ddiioer stranded in a provincial English town—was. originally scheduled for Bette Davis, but since Bette already has the leading role with Muni in "The Phantom Crown," the Warner brothers thought it better to discharge their onepicture debt to Miss Hopkins with this excellent role. Both Miriam and Muni are executed in thj final fade-yut. accused of poisoning Paul's wife.

Dionne Quints, of whom a few people seem to have heard, are scheduled to make a new film, titled (of course!) "Five of a Kind." By the way, they have now been given their own special stand-in. She is Mila Samrich. aged three and a half. You may or may not remember her (she wa« there anyway) as the infant Aline Shirley of "Stella Dallas." ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ MAHOGAXY desk that belonged to Sir .Tames Barbie is used as a "prop" in a scene of Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." now being filmed at Pinewood. The desk, at which Barrie wrote some of his most famous pl»ys, is used in the scene by Leslie Howard, who takes the role of Professor Higgins. phonetic expert. It was borrowed from a London antique dealer. An umbrella stand belonging to Bernard Shaw also figures in a scene of "Pygmalion," and here is the reason: When Mr. Shawrefused to watch his film 'being mad'e, Producer Gabriel Pascal suggested to him that the presence in the studio of "something personal" from the G.B.S. household might serve as a gentle and constant reminder of the author. Xext day the umbrella stand arrived.