SCREEN NEWS AND NOTES

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12305, 20 April 1937, Page 4

SCREEN NEWS AND NOTES

I'TLDI FAlili I’Olt THE AVEEK REGENT Tuesday, AA’ednesday.—“The Last cf The Mohicans,” Randolf Scott, Binnie Barnes. Thursday, Friday.—“Dishonoui 'Bright,” Tom AValls, Betty Stockfeld. Saturday, Monday.—“ Fury,” Spencer Tracy, Sylvia Sydney. “Sing Me a Love Song.” James Melton, Papricia Ellis. TOAVX HALL Tonight, AA’ednesday.—“Public Enemy's AVife,” Margaret Lindsay, Pat O’Brien. “Crash Donovan,” Jack Holt, Nan Gray. Saturday, Monday.—“ The Big Game,” Philip Houston, Andy Devine. “Legion of Terror,” Bruce Cabot, Marguerite Churchill. .MARGARET BIX OS AY Margaret Lindsay, who has the leading feminine role in the f AA r arner Brothers picture “Public Enemy’s AAHfe,” which comes to the Town Hall to-night has seriously taken up writing, having forsaken Hollywood's night life almost entirely to sit at her portable typewriter. Her Initial effort is a magazine article giving the inside facts of her famous “English hoax” by which she, a Doubuque, lowa girl, convinced Hollywood that she was English, and won a coveted part in “Cavalcade,” She is outlining a plot tor a short story. It will not have a Hollywood background, but will be laid primarily in lowa and New York. Few actresses have done as much along creative artistic lines as Miss Lindsay. She has also done sculpturing and painting. “Public Enemy’s AVife” is a thrillingly dramatic story of a beautiful girl’s attempt to free herself from a tragic martial mistake. Besides Miss Lindsay, the cast includes Pat O’Brien, Robert Armstrong. Caesar Romero, Dick Foran, Joseph King, Richard Purcell and Addison Richards. DIANA CHUKCHI IJAVcmhlcy preens itself to-day as being the site for the annual Cup Pinal and the possessor of the famous Empire Swimming Pool. In a very few years its major boast may well be that it is (lie birthplace of Diana Churchill —Britain’s new film star. Diana was horn there on the 21st August, IDI M. Fair-haired, petite, and with a month inclined to quiver at a secret joke, Diana incorporates in her small self HI the necessary answers to the criticism I Hat Britain larks (i'm stars with glamour and personality, Slie liar, both in gemvous guanlily, and. besides them, acting talent capable cf soaring p> any heights. After a nr st mc'.coric stage career in which she scored successes in “Autumn Crocus’’-—“The Country AVife" “The Rivals’' —“Tobias and the An gel," etc., the cinema began to claim her attention, and in lit fit! she made her screen debut in “Service for Ladies,” followed immediately by “Sally Bishop.” Thou Tom AValls gave her her first real break in “Foreign Affairs,” and it is with Tom that she appears in her latest picture, “Dishonour Bright,” specially written for AValls by that prince of rich, risque screen comedies, with Betty Stockfeld and Eugene Pallette in other prominent roles. j “Dishonour Bright,” a delightfully ! delicious matrimonial farce, with AA r alls at his daring best, will be presented at the Regent on Thursday and Friday. “THE BIG GAME” Starring in “The Big Game’’ opening at the Town Hall on Saturday arc Phil Huston and June Travis. Their biographies are interesting.

TAKING CHANCES If anybody ever writes a book about “How to Stay Healthy Although an Adventure Film Star,” the author will be Jack Holt, who is starring in Universal’s “Crash Donovan" at the Regent to-night and AVednesday. During the course of the production Jack had to trail hit-and-run drivers, gunmen and joyriders. He drove his motorcycle through rings of fire, collided with speeding cars, hurled his cycle down a steep incline and crashed through a locked door. To insure his coming out of all these thrilling ventures with hones intact, Holt had to have some special contraptions built on his twowheeled chariot. I The gas tank was protected with an additional casing that contained an inner shell of asbestos. This prevented the gasoline from catching fire when he went, through the circle of flame. For his crash through the door, Jack had steel reinforcements attached to the handlebars. Another precaution for his crash leap was fitting a special helmet on liis head to prevent a fractured skull. To avoid splinters he wore a leather sheathing around his arms and legs under his outer clothing. Holt’s many experiences in thrill pictures have taught him that an actor cannot he too careful when preparing himself for a movie stunt. He j lias seen too many others hurt when I attempting a daring feat to take any chances himself, Specialists in Holly- | wood have a scale of arices i for performing stunts which may ; cast a sidelight on ho>v risky ' they consider the various chances | they take. The average pay for a skid and a cycle crash is 75 dollars; j for a head on collision, 150 dollars; | for a turnover, 200 dollars; for falling down a cliff or for a mid-air change in airplanes, 500 loßars- ->nd i for a plane crash, from 500 to 1000 dollars. j Jack Holt, being the star of the production, just had to take His chances, without getting extra pay ' for providing the thrills. He’s an ex- ; pert on how to stay healthy under trying circumstances. I A BIKE’S AMBITION | Allen Jenkins, who has a leading role in the Cosmopolitan production, “Sing Me a Love Song,” the Saturday —Monday attraction at the Regent, I doesn’t know just how to explain it, j but lie claims he does his best work in roles which involve transportation. "May 1)0 it all g n es hark to child- , hood,” hazards Alien. “All the tilings j I v,-luted to dj as a boy revolved, around wheels or movement of some 1 sort. I wanted to be a truck d'ivcv, i fireman, (he one at the wheel; a cliaffenr, a, street car motormau or aa elevator operator. “I had satisfied each of those ambitions on the screen, except being .in "leva;!; 1 operator. And now I’.'e satisfied my long-wanted up-and-down role. I ran a big department store elevator in ‘Sing Me a love Song,” land did I, have fun!” This New A’ork horn ' comedian feels that satisfying suppressed do- ; sires, even though they be just boyhood imaginings, is one of the best things about acting. “Sing Me a Love Song” is a musical comedy romance with production numbers staged and directed by Bobby Connolly. Music and lyrics are by Harry AVarren and A 1 Dubin, JUNE TRAVIS June Travis’ real name is June Dorothea Grabiner, and she is the daughter of Harry Grabiner, former AHcc-president of the Chicago White Sox baseball team. That she should forsake the sport upon which her father’s fame was built appeared like treason to her jesting friends. It was during one of Harry Grabiner’s visits to the Coast that June first came to Hollywood and enrolled for a time at the University of California at Los Angeles. She met a film executive, and believing that her elfin beauty would appear to advantage on the screen, he persuaded her to take a screen, test. .Tune’s very Trst roles was in “Stranded,” and she acquitted Herself so admirably that the director, Frank Borzage, insisted the studio award her major roles. Her subsequent work in such pictures as “Ceiling Zero,” “The Gentleman from Big Bond,” “Earthworm Tractors,” “Bengal Lancer” and “The Case of the Caretaker’s Daughter” will he remembered by many fans. June has a strange magnetic charm a mysterious exotic “something” suggestive of an elfin.

j " rt - "DISHONOUR BRIGHT” ‘ Tlie great comedy team Tom i AVails and lion Travers is together .again in “Dishonour Bright,” at the Regent theatre an Thursday and Fri- | day—Mr Walls in the joint capacity of star and director of the picture, and Mr Travers as the author of the screen-play and the dialogue. Comedy . of the bright and breezy type beloved : of all is synonymous with the names i of these two great entertainment personalities, and in this Capitol-Cecil picture they provide it in ample mea- ! sure. While in this picture Tom AValls is seen as the gay philanderer, which he portrays so excellently, the story has a novel twist, for, in the course of it, he decided to give up adventuring aTid settle down, to a humdrum married life. He actually carries this intention into effect, hut a honeymoon in Switzerland, prior to the start of the “settling down’’ process provides adventure for all and mang intriguing developments in the story —not the least of which is a realisation on the part of the philanderer of just how really attractive is his wife.

1 PHIL HUSTON : Phil Huston was a prominent member of his preparatory school team, and later played semi-pro football Cor a season hefoto {joins on the stage. He saw (linger lingers playing on Broadway in "Girl Crazy" and soon after met her. It was his association with Miss Rogers that made him take up a stage career. . Prom vaudeville Huston wont into stock and toured the United States and Canada. Then he played opposite such famous stars as Alice Brady, Ethel Barrymore and Glenda Farrell. ■Ho achieved wide recognition for his performance opposite Eugenie Leontoriclt in “Uomance." Before becoming interested in a a histrionic career, Huston worked at various jobs and ; voyaged around tlre world as a sea- ' man. Then he worked as a reporter, i a Wall Street clerk, life guard, a | member of a road gang and played | professional baseball. In “The Big ! Game," Huston portrays an ex-coal ’ miner, whose prowess on the football ! field leads a gambler to got him on a college team. "The Big Game,” is Huston's first motion picture, and big things are expected of him.