TALKIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 35, 12 July 1939, Page 3

TALKIES

News, Views and Hv Forthcoming Events

fame at eighty-seven When filmgoers see Tom Walls' new film "Second Best Bed'' they will get a glimpse of a dear little old lady„ who at eighty_scvcn, may well cls-im to be England's oldest film actress. In this film they wanted a shot of an old lady at a. railway tear, fully waving goodbye to somebody on the train. One of the assistant directors found Mrs Cook. Mrs Cook is a native of Sheppcrton, where the film was made, and she Is one of the village's oldest inhabitants. She played her small role with a poignant simplicity and sincerity which make her brief moments in the film quite* memorable. Mrs Cook has made one glin before—but so long ago she can't remember what it was called or what it was about; all she remembers is she had to walk down a road singing "Onward Christian, Soldiers'' J DO YOU KNOW—That Tom Walls, like a good many oi' us wanted to be an engine driver? When he left school he was apprenticed to a locomotive works and achieved his aim! That Jane Baxter's car key_rin.g bears the initials FEO? Her real name is Feodora Forde and her sister christened her Jane Baxter after a character in a Booth Tarkington novel who was always eating. So was little Feodora! That Veronica Rose, when she was with the Northampton Repertory Company, used to act with a young man. who was so bad that she tried to persuade him to take up another career. His name was Erroll Flynn! That the title "Second Best Bed'* was inspired by William Shake, speare? It has been taken from a clause in the bard's will, which reads *! —and I give unto my wife my second best bed" !

MARY BOLAND IN BOUT WITH TUFFS Mary Boland one of Hollywood's leading comedy players, proves she has an amazing sense of humour in Universale new laughmaker, with Mischa Auer, Edward Everett Horton and the Little Tough Guys .''ln Society.'' Miss Boland is cast a,s the flighty mother of Jackie Searl, a spoil ed youngster. Miss Boland s delineation of the frailties of her sex is proof enough that she knows how f o laugh at herself and her sisters. The actress went on the stage when was fifteen. She had a natural bent for comedy anu soon was a top_lin,cr in her chosen field. SEEK SPINACH Six members of Universal,s rollick, ing band of young kid actors went on a vegetarian diet upon completion of their roles in Little Tough Guys "In Society," comedy drama with Mischa Auer, Mary Boland and !rJward Everett Ilorton. Final scene-: in the picture 'showed the boys rait!ing the butler's pantry and staging a midnight feast on roast turkey in their bedroom. B-fore the . sequence, had been filmed to the satisfaction of Director Erie Kenton gang, had m°de way with 12. gond sized . \ve'.s going to bo vegetarians.''..f.h. | boys an no:'! need.

RONNIE SINCLAIR IN ''BOOTS AND SADDLES" NEW ZEALAND'S OWN STAR Ronnie Sinclair, the sensational new boy star from New Zealand, has an important part in ''Boots and Saddles.' 1 He takes the role of Spud, the orphaned son of a British Lord, who comes to America to settle his father's cattle interests. A novel sit. uation results from the youth's desire to sell the ranch to Neale, an unscrupulous in order to settle the father's estate. Neale wants to use the ranch to train horses for the army. Autry, meanwhile, has taken a kindly interest in the boy, and he proposes that Spud do the same thing, securing a government contract and raising the horses on hir* own account, thus holding the and at the same time earning money to pay off its indebtedness. Neale, naturally, furious when he learns his plans are to be'thwartecl, resorts to foul means to prevent Spud from getting the contract. When the sealed bids are in, the army colonel decrees that Gene's bid on behalf of Spud ? and NeSle's are so nearly identical, that a horse race will have to decide the winner of the contract. Neale, thereupon, attempts to burn down Gene's stables so that he will have no hor.se capable of winning the race, but Gene comes through, as he has scores of times to the delight of his myriads of admirers and the thrilling finale is a fitting climax to this action-packed production. Judith Allen has the leading feminine role in this new production, ami the supporting cast includes Smilev Burnette, Guy Usher, Gordon, Elliott John Ward and Frankie Marvin.

A BRILLIANT NEW BERGNER STAR'S GREATEST PART IN "STOLEN LIFE' Elisabeth Bergner has the greatest part—or parts, for she appears in a dual role—of her career in ''Stolen Life,'' which her husband, Dr. Paul Czinncr has produced and directed. Margaret Kennedy, who adapted the story from the prize-winning novel by K. J. Benes, contrasts Miss Berg, ner's Avork in this with "Escape Me Never." According to Miss Kennedy, '"Stolen Life'' affords the star fresh scope; and those Avho have already seen the picture are particularly loud in their praise of her performance, Avhich is stated to* be the finest thing she has ever done. The dual role ol_ for, her opportunities for drama and comedy, and although played by the same r.ctress the two characterisations are of an entirely different nature a,s you will see when the picture is presented. 'ALL WATER" The sea may doubtless seem a puzzling phenomenon to sonic who view it for the first time and to at least one of the children from Tarawera '* ' O • ' :i •••! Napier recently it was '• i. TV 1 -eMH t urn.2d \ !,, ; j i-,.,- an .i "And te i t: oil •water?" .