SHORTS THIS WEEK

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22894, 15 December 1939, Page 16

SHORTS THIS WEEK

STATE—“Jerusalem” (a Technicolour Travel Film in the World Window Series); new Fox Australian News Reel. AVON—“Little Pancho Vanilla” (colour cartoon); “Toyland Casino” (musical revue); "Stranger than Fiction” (seeing is believing); “Famous English Taverns” (scenic gem); Avon News Service (world events). MAYFAIR “Two - headed Giant” ' (Terrytoon cartoon): “Isle of Pleasure” (magic carpet); Sports Review; International News; Fox Australian News. LIBERTY—“Second Fiddle” and “Wife, Husband, and Friend.” CRYSTAL PALACE “The Gorilla” and “Chasing Danger.” PLAZA “Code of the Streets” and “Renfrew, on the Great White Trail.”

A FANTASY “The Wizard of Oz,” to be seen in Christchurch soon, presents in technicolour a city of great green bubbles Which serve as houses, a forest of trees which speak and throw ’apples, a horse which changes- colour at a word, and monkeys which fly. “The Wizard of Oz” is a remarkable piece of entertainment. . Based on an Alice-in-Wonderland type of story, it unfolds the adventures of Dorothy, a farm girl, played by Judy Garland, who is blown away by a cyclone and finds fantastic adventure in the land of Oz. There she meets hundreds of strange characters. There is Ray Bolger as the poor Scarecrow who wanted a brain. Jack Haley, as the Tin Woodman who went rusty when he cried, and Bert Lahr as the Lion who had lost his courage. Altogether there are 9200 players in the picture. A brilliant musical score with six hit dimgs accompanies the action of the film. Robert Taylor will star in “Flight Command,” a dramatic story dealing with the co-ordination of the air and fleet units at sea. It will be made by Producer J. Walter Ruben, who ■ made "Thunder Afloat.” *- * * Fred Mac Murray, Robert Preston, and Albert Dekker will be teamed in “Trouble Enough,” an action drama of the West with a Texas background, and dated in the 70’s. « • *

Several thousand ants in Utah were once working for Cecil B. De Mille. They were cleaning-the bones of buffalo skeletons used in Paramount’s “Union Pacific,” starring Joel- McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck. * * * Herbert Marshall always presents a corsage to his guest star on his weekly broadcast programme. Recently he had to present the corsage to Edna Best, his estranged wife, who did a scene with him from “There’s Always Juliet.” These two seem to be the best of friends in spite of the estrangement. Marshall wants to marry Rosalind Russell’s sister. * * » Because of her fine performance in “We Are Not Alone,” which stars Paul Muni, Flora Robson is being considered by Warners for the role of Queen Victoria in “Disraeli,” and for Queen Elizabeth in “The Sea Hawk,” which stars Errol Flynn.

Pete Smith, who has made an international name with his short subjects, and won an Academy Award for hi. 1 , dog picture, “Wanted, A Master,” is about to start work on a new short about a dog. This time it will be the life of a common, garden variety mongrel named Stuffie, showing the trials and tribulations of a dog without a home or master. * * * Bette Davis has won her third strike against Warners, and returns to work in a few weeks in “The Woman Brown.” Bette was on strike against the studio because she considered she was making too many pictures each year. Shfe made four this year and it broke down her health. She will make only three in the next 12 months. ■ »-.’*■ * Ernst Lubitsch has started direction on his M.G.M. production,' “The Shop Around the Corner,” with Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan. and Joseph Schildkraut.