STAGE AND SCREEN

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 103, 4 May 1933, Page 16

STAGE AND SCREEN

Peter Dawson Next Month. Peter Dawson: and a solo pianist new to Australasia,' Tapia'Caballerb, have ar lived in Australia and are to come tc New Zealand next month, opening in Wellington under the aegis of Messrs. J. and N. Tait on June 1. Mr. Dawson, needs no introduction to New Zealand music lovers. ' On the occasion of his previous tour hi was associated with Mark Hambourg, the famous pianist, the two attaining a popularity seldom rivalled by visiting concert artists.- Tta"Bemal-bavi. tone .is reported to be .singing better thai ever; he is again happy in the choice ol ■m associate for Tapia Caballero » a youthful-pianist of the Spanish school fiom South America. ,He has done a great dear of broadcasting from the London studio, and is looked upon as one ot tho risng Pianists of "the day. He possesses a very strong and forceful, personahty, and wfflW doubt create in tile New Zealand centres the same sensation he has a ■ ready made in Perth, where the Austi.v ian season opened. Hubert G. Greenslad" is with the party as accompanist to Mr. Dawson. . ... "The Man On the Nile." . , "The-Man. On the Nile" has gone iirto production at the M.GM. studios under the direction of Sam Wood. ■ -The, -rtoc• written■ especially for Ramon jS.o\aiio, Concerns a clever, albeit unscrupulous, guide-to the.glories of the Nile, escorting impressionable and wealthy ladies, hither, and yon, until he » brought up short by Myrna Loy, the feminine lead. Miss Loy'arrives'in Egypt as the fiancee of Reginald Denny, hut an Egyptian moan, and Sovarro singing "Moon on the Nile bring-about changes in her emotions. C. "übrey Smith i> cast as Miss Loy s uncle. The number, "Moon on the Nile,' was wrftteHy Nacio Herb Brown,. who was for Novarro's ~°"S»d hit "The Pagan Love Song, and who has written "Doll Dance," "Smgin m the Rain," and numerous other outstanding numbers. "Ann Vickers." Sinclair Lewis, Nobel Prize winner and author of best-sellers for many years, will be represented on the screen again.An, option has been; purchased by RKO Radio s production head, on Lewis' new book, "Ann Vickers." It is the story of* carefree girl, who wanders from one aftair Sfthe heart to another, always seeking "The Man," and seeking sublimation of the vainness of her search by serving as a welfare worker in prisons and penitentiaries. It is one of the most powerful character Btudie9 of a woman offered for the motion pictures, and probably will be SeVfor" bni of the RKO Radio Pictures women stars. Lewis wrote "Arrowsmith, "Babbitt," and "Mam Street. Dante, Magician. 'Mr. Harry Stringer, New Zealand representative for Messrs. J. C Williamion, advises that the New Zealand tour of Dante, the magician, commences at Auckland on May 24. Dante has been in Australia for some months now, puzzling audiences with a feast " of magic, amusing them with a brand new form of humorous patter, and entertaining them with an ar-i-av of vaudeville turns, in which a full company takes part. He is bringing with him the full paraphernalia that has helped to mystify audiences in all parti of the world; he is a much-travelled man, and in the East, the home of magic, has been hailed as the "wonder man, an achievement for a European. Known formerly as Jansen the great Dan c comes at the height of a career that has taken him round the world three times. Wellington will be visited in' due course; Dante ig no, ordinary magician relying on stale tricks. His acts are new, and it any old ones are included, they are adapted to modern demands and prove, thoroughly enjoyable. Stack. ■ "Stuck"—not for "gags," not yet "up" in' ternia of the popular superiority phrase, but literally with good old fashioned glue has been the situation in which Leslie Fuller, the popular comedian now starring in 8.1.P.'s "Hawleys of High Street,B and Hal Gordon; Of the' jolly laugh, found themselves for several days. Some of the many hilarious scenes in this new comedy will show Leslie as a fretwork fiend whose enthusiasm for his hobby is frowned on by his wife. It is when he tries hastily to complete his cliefd'beuvre, a grandfather clock case, before she returns from a visit that the fretworker conies to grief. Ken Maynard. Before beginning tile first of a series of six Universal features, Ken Maynard, popular star of the saddle, is inspecting the ancient Mayan ruins in .Yucatai, .Central America, from the air as well as on foot. Maynard, one of the most experienced of Hollywood aviators, left Holly■wood in his Travelair aeroplane for El Paso, and then proceeded to Vera Cruz, Mexico City, and Yucatan. After visiting the ancient Indian settlements MayBard will fly to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, and the Panama Canal, returning to California along the Pacific Coast route.

Clarkson Rose in Australia. Mr. J. N. Tait, while staying at Shank- ■ lin, Isle of Wight last year,' saw Mr. i Ciarkson Rose, and his company of revue • artists playing there, and. was so impressed with their performances that he began i negotiations for. engaging them for a season in Australia aud New Zealand. The company Las opened in Australia, and has made an instantaneous success. The style of the performance is after that of the Go-optimists, a band of artists prominent in the seaside resorts of England. Mr. Rose and his colleagues have a big following at the seaside and are also popular with wireless listeners. Recently he concluded a season as star of the Leeds Grand Theatre pantomime "Cinderella," and also has played at the Victoria Palace Theatre, and Coliseum, London. Olive Fox, Ernest Arney, Hastings Mann, May Thomas, Bernardi, Betty Keut, Geoffrey James, and others are in the company. The Sydney debut was highly successful, each and every artist proving a first-class entertainer. A ballet of striking girls is in support and critics gave full marks to them for their faultless performance on the opening night. They are reported to be exceptionally clever and are billed as the Clarkson Rosebuds. Musical. They are going to make two different types of musicals at the RKO Kadio Studios. One will be a musical romance, "Nights Are Made for Love," with Francis Lederer, Continental singing star, as the leading man, when he arrives in Holly-i wood after his current Broadway success in "Autumn Crocus.' The-other .will be a full-length musical comedy, to be made by Louis Brock, associate producer of comedies. Decision to make this followed the sensation caused by the success of Brock's recently completed three-reel musical comedy-operetta for RKO, "So This is Harris," starring Phil Harris, of the Cocoanut Grove orchestra. Mark Sandrich, who directed Harris, will also make the new film, and will write the story, with the assistance of Ben Holmes. The tentative title for this show is "Maiden Voyage." British Plays Popular. ■ A play he bought in London entitled "The Day After" was staged in New York by Harry Bannister, ex-husband of Ann Harding, to mark his debut as a producer. Mr. Bannister chose a British cast, including Ursula Jeans, and proved his right to be recognised as a first-rate producer of a certain type of play. Mr. Bannister was with Judith Anderson (the Australian girl who was not well received in "Cobra" on her return to her own country) in the Eugene O'Neill play, "Strange Interlude," when it was produced three • years ago in California. Dorothy Gish, a former screen star, replaced Patricia Collinga in the New York version of "Autumn Crocus," when Miss Collinga withdrew from the cast, Francs Lederer, called the "bouncing Czech" by American critics, played the part of the innkeeper allotted to Theo Shall in the Australian production of the same piece. Beverley Nichols's "Evensong" was purchased in London by Arch. Selwyn for Amorican production, and Edith Evans was' engaged to cross the Atlantic to play Irela. Selwyn also engaged Gertrude Lawrence for his American presentation of "Words and Music" (Noel Coward). He also bought "Never Come Back," a Lonsdale comedy very popular in London, and is also to make Oscar Strauss s new operetta, "The Love Child," for the. States. Al Jolson. The selection of songs in his productions is very important to Al Jolson, wno is starring in "Hallelujah, I'm a -Tramp. "Songs are easier to pick than jokes, declares the comedian. "Your sense ot melody and rhythm can tell you the value of a song, though occasionally you select one that meets with a little response in the audience. I try to pick songs that have a swing to them, so that I can get ■ the people tapping their feet, swaying their heads, or humming the tune, i-.long , with me. When they do that. I know they are enjoying themselves. The words have to be simple and easy to pronounce, ; the idea of the song clear and the melody, of course, must tickle the ear. If the song is intended to be funny the words t are all important, whereas the melody is n£ scarcely any value." The songs for Jolson's new picture, "You are Too Beau- i tiful," "I'd Do It Again," and "Hallelu- < jah, I'm a Tramp," were all written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, com- J posers of such hits as were in Maurice 1 Chevalier's recent picture "Love Me To- ; night." "Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp is a i United Artists picture, directed by Lewis i Milestone from the story by. Ben Hecht, < with dialogue by S. N. Behrman. J Slim Summervllle. Slim Summerville ■ feature comedies i for Universal, in which he co-stars with ( Zasu Pitts, have proved so popular that i Carl Laemmle, jun., gave the comedian, a new contract with options. "Tjaden" of t "All Quiet on the Western Front" re- < cently scored a hit in "They Just Had to 1 Get Married," and with Miss Pitts has i just completed "Out All Night." The < next Summerville-Pitts comedy will prob- i ably be "Chicken Kancho." i

"Service." Reproducing the rooftops' of London, with St: Paul's Cathedral in tb.a distance, : was a unique job of engineering accomplished at the Metrq-Goldwyn-Mayer studios for the filming of "Service," a 'drama of modern commerce and world economics. The set represented the office of Lewis Stone, playing the merchant prince, high in a building overlooking innumerable rooftops. An area of land was kid out and on it the tops actually constructed to size and scale, matching films brought from London's metropolitan area. The office was built on a platform to overlook the roofs. Contracts. No' author writing for a motion picture studio shquld be under a contract which assures him of a regular salary regardless of quantity or quality of the work he turns out, according ■to B. P. Schulberg, himself formerly a writer and now one of the best-known executives i:i the film field. "The writer, is not the type of person who can do his best if driven to it," Schulberg asserts: "He works hardest and best when his ambition and his dreams spur his efforts. This especially is true of the original story writer and the adaptor. When I first started in. pictures, it was as a writer of original stories. I received fifty dollars for a one-reel yarn and turned out two or three acceptable ones each week. Then one of the studios signed me to a contract at a weekly salary,. My output dropped to one a week."

"A Bit of a Test." Ben Travers's latest farce coucerniug an English Test team in Australia has been given a successful try-out at the King's Theatre, Souths6a. Cricket is just the background of the play, and some exciting happenings occur in the pavilion and in a shack .in the bush. Ralph Lynn is the nipuocled hero, and figures as "the batsman," and Robertson Hare is the English captain—said to be one of the funniest creations he has ever done. Others in the cast include Mary Brough, Reenee Gadd, and Maidie Hope. "A Bit of a Test" is certain to be made into a film, following its stage success. Roland Young. Roland Young was born in London, and was educated at Sherborne School and University College. He made his first appearance on the stage in London in 1908, and subsequently went to New York, where he played in a variety of stage productions. His first film appearance was in "Sherlock Holmes," in which he played the part of "Dr. Watson." A Strauss Story. In the Williamson spectacle, "Waltzes from Vienna," now in Sydney, a notable cast from London interprets a delightful romance of the Strauss era. Shirley Dale, Miriam Sabbage, John Moore, Henry Wenman, and Aubrey Mallalieu ire all from England; they are sound performers, and what is more, sound vocalists. The cast also includes Sydney Burchall and Cecil Kelleway, while Ivy Kirby as solo dancer, is a celebrity in a ;ompany of artists. The lighting effects ire a feature of the production, while the mounting and dressing, with the grouping af players in the famous ballroom scene, combine to make of "Waltzes from Vienna," a musical play that will be remembered when other plays and musical comedies have been forgotten. The haunting sweetness of "The Blue Danube" and other Strauss melodies runs through the story, which concerns the Strauss family and has a complete plot, irrespective of the musical interpolations.

"Grand Hotel." i), One of the best pictures of the year c, is "Grand Hotel" the Metro-Goldwyn-ii- Mayer film which is to be screened at ;r the De Luxe Theatre shortly. This proa duction, which was privately shown in d Wellington this week, contains the biggest ;e array of stars that Metro has assembled it in its career. Greta Garbo, Joan Crawi- ford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, is and \Vallace Beery appear in this pici- cmisation of Vicki Bavin's novel, which is was one of the sensations of the year n when it appeared, and which was followed n by a dramatic version that ran for long periods in all the principal countries of the world. Arid in the film the director has obtained the rush, variety, and vivid- . c ness of life in a great Berlin hotel where [^ a big business man, a poor clerk under ig sentence of death, a dancer whose career c is nearing its end, and a noble thief play T out their drama amongst the moving shrongs of transients. "Grand Hotel" n reveals Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford ,£ at their best, and the smallest role is 0 played by a star. It is a gripping and ;t unusual picture, and one to see. s Adele Crane in "Cavalcade." * Adele Crane, the blonde singer with the J. C. Williamson company that played j "Student Prince" and "Madame Ppmpan dour" in Wellington (she was the princess c contracting an official alliance with the prince in the first-named production), has ]. been doing well in America. She was » engaged for operetta in New York and figures in the film version of Noel Coward's great stage play, "Cavalcade." Winter Hall, a former resident of Christchurch, was also in the cast, and Herbert Mundin, who was last here in the Williamson musical comedy, "Desert Song." Irene Browne, an English star who was in New Zealand some years ago in musical comedy (she is a sister of Herbert Browne, another Williamson favourite), was also iv "Cavalcade," and several prominent English actors and actresses from London and Hollywood were featured, notably Clive Brook, Ursula Jeans, Beryl Mercer, Diana Wynyard, Merle Tottenham, Una O'Connor, John Warburton, Frank Lawton, Mary Forbes, Billy Bevan. "Rome Express." One of the most glittering and colourful premieres ever conducted in London, a city that well knows what pretentious openings mean, is that which greeted Gaumont-British super-talkie^ Rome_ Express," at the New Victoria Theatre, London. Royal patronage was given the show by the presence of Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught, while an audience of the most distinguished men and women was also present. As a climax to the showing of the film, a screen ball was held on the stage. "Rome Express easily takes the lead as being the most colourful and entertaining production to emanate from English studios. With an all-star cast composed of famous stage and screen names that include Esther Ralston, Harold Huth, Joan Barry, and Gordon Harker it is one of the most engrossing stories over adapted to the talkie screen. Confused. Similarity of names in a film studio is not a rarity, but on occasions it can com- , plicate tilings considerably for a dnec- \ tor Harry Hughes has been bewildered . recently by the presence in his cast of Nancy Burne, Nancy Brown, and Nancy 1 Neale, and as all thre<* are in scenes simnl- , I taneously confusion has been rife. At tlie * mention of "Nancy" all three dash for- ' ward and have to be sorted out again. " and a delay is the consequence. Owing to I the additional likeness of Burne to Brown, surnames are of no assistance, and ' 1 so Hughes has been obliged to number. ] 3 them like soldiers, Nancy one, two, and ] 1 three. - * "Adorable." ( With "Adorable" ready for production, ] the two stars who are to appear m the , I picture sped towards Hollywood for he-, ( I hearsal. Janet Gaynor, the feminine lead, * sailed from Hawaii. Henry Garat, Fox s , newest star, arrived in the film centre s , ready for work. The production will get 1 ! under way immediately preliminary re- s i hearsals are completed. Herbert Mundin ] ! and C. Aubrey Smith are the other play- i ers east for the film, which will be diected j by William Dieterle. 1 Cohens and Kellys. ' 1 Universal has featured Charles Murray ' and George Sidney in another comedy, en- t ' titled "The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble." ] Charles Murray as the captain of a de- j crepit tugboat, and George Sidney as the j millionaire Cohen, who steals away for f ' a month to visit his friend, Captain Kelly, s provide many laughable situations. Pretty g ' Maureen O'Sullivan as Kelly's daughter, ] and Frank Albertson, as the dashing young t revenue officer, add the love interest to t this comedy. ( Wynne Gibson. " Wynne Gibson has been awarded the | leading feminine role in Paramount's l "The Crime of the Century," based on I the startling European mystery play. Miss * Gibson recently completed roles in Para- * mount's "Night After Night" and "The ' Devil is Driving," and will appear with Jj Stuart Erwin and David Landau in the " new production. William Beaudine will <3 direct. 1

Pantomime in Auckland. There have been several changes in the personnel of the Frank Neil-J. C. Williamson revue-cum-vaudeville company, headed by Mr. George Wallace and Ella Shields." Miss Shields has said good-bye to New Zealand and leaves for Sydney to-morrow, en' route for England. Before leaving for Home, she may make a■tour of the East with Edward Cahill, the Queensland pianist. Auckland gave the gracioijs lady a warm-hearted farewell; her charming personality off and on the stage has endeared her to audiences and personal friends alike. Next Saturday the company is to stage for a brief season in Auckland the pantomime Cinderella," with George Wallace in the role of Buttons; Miss Josie Melville, who was the dancing star of "Sally" some years ago, is to play in "Cinderella," and Syd. Bull has been engaged' for the Dame part. Dorothy Dewar is to play Dandini. The fairy coach to be used in the production was originally made for George Musgrove's production thirty years ago in Melbourne, 'when Nellie Stewart was Cinderella. It was also used in the Drury Lane production, in which Miss Stewart also played, and when the whole of the London production was purchased by Mr. Frank Neil—wardrobe, scenery, and etfects —the coach was included in the purchase. The company now includes the Cleveres,- a troupe of acrobats; the London Savoy Band of eight instrumentalists; and the Big Four (harmony singers). "Nora." Clark Gable and Jean Barlow will be co-starred in "Nora," according to an announcement from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Sam Wood has been assigned the direction of the picture, which was written especially for the screen by Anita Loos and John : Emerson. Miss Harlow and Gable were seen together in "Red Dust." Gable's latest film is "The White Sister," in which he is co-starred with Helen Hayes. To the Grindstone. Al Jolson, working day and night for weeks on hie United Artists' comedy with music, "Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp," looked forward to a vacation trip to Europe with his wife! Ruby Keeler, of New York stage fame.. Everything was set. But at the last minute Warner Bros, signed her to a picture contract, and by the time Jolson was ready for a rest she was busy starting a screen career. Musgrove Memories. i Miss Rose Musgrove, a versatile leading lady of some thirty years ago, has been revisiting Australia. She is nonMrs. Garriok', the wife of the Hon. Douglas Garrick, of Ceylon. Miss, Musgrove retired from *the stage on her marriage, a little ' before : the war, and is paying her first visit to her native, country since. Her son David, now 21, is studying science at an English university. She made her first appearance on the stage in Australia in "Lelamine," an amateur performance in which the Earl of Shaftesbury was prominent. This was a musical play composed by Alfred Moultort, with whom Miss Musgrove was studying singing. She was seen at the Princess, Melbourne, by the late J. C. Williamson, who, realising her promise, gave her a part in a play with Lily Titheradge. She is the daughter of the late George Musgrove, who brought many stage successes to Australia and New Zealand, notably those of the Musgrove Grand Opera Company and plays in which Nellie Stewart was starred, including "Sweet Nell of Old Drury." "Bluebeard." Universal have definitely scheduled "Bluebeard" as the first vehicle for Karloff on his return .to Universal City from England. Karl Freund, who directed the star's recent picture, "The Mummy," will again be associated with Karloff, as director. Freund has just photographed "The Kiss before the Mirror" for Universal, with James Whale directing. "Mademoiselle." ■ , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announces, acquisition of motion picture rights to the William A. -Brady stage play, "Mademoiselle." The : play recently concluded a Broadway run. Jacques Duval is the author of "Mademoiselle," which was adapted from the original French version by Grace George. "King's Cup." The most interesting film to be released this year by British Dominions Films, Ltd., should be "The King's Cup," which is the first one to be made dealing with the activities of: British flying clubs. The film took twelve months to make and cost about £40,000. The film is based on a story by Sir Alan Cobham, himself a King's Cup winner, and carries a guarantee of complete authenticity in its attempts to present a record of civil aviation to Great Britain. In order to present authentic scenes of the King's Cup "Air Derby," British and Dominions Corporation actually filmed the race when it took place. In addition, two aeroplanes which figure in the picture were entered for the event. One, a Puss Moth, was entered by its owner, Lieut.-Commander Geof. Rodd, who flew it. The other, a Hawker TomTit, was entered by Herbert Wilcox, director of productions for British and Dominions.

Neil Williamson Revue Additions. i The Frank Neil-J. C. Williamson Revue - Company now on its return tour of New , Zealand; playing at Auckland at the mo--1 ment, is having another great success. 2 The company has been enlarged, and one 1 of the new features is "Grand Opera Up b to Date" in which the whole company takes '' part in an act purporting to represent 2 grand opera as it would be if written under b modern jazz influences. Another success- ; ful series is the "Whirl of the World" act, . 3 in which a complete story is unfolded. Ella < 1 Shields has several new songs; George ' Wallace is as funny as ever; and Maurice • Diamond's Ballet provides several; en-1 " trancing ballets. The newcomers, the LonE don Savoy Band (all London artists.who 3 can perform individually or in concerted ; 9 items), and the Cleveres acrobatic marvel i • have delighted Aucklanders,: and their • success should be repeated when the con c 3 paiiy continues its tour. The Big Foil p, V popular harnionisers and humorists, ha »c ' also joined the company. . Cliff, O'Kee fe, 1 the bis basso, is still' the leader. Fi .»jd • Webber, whose pianoforte arid cornet w oik f will be remembered, is with them." 2 Etiquette. . . ~,;. An expert on kingly etiquette rind } on " the inner workings■ of a .Royal- house hold " was employed by,the Warner Bros! First a National Studios to assist in prep $ring • the script for' "The King's Vaca' iion," ' George Arliss's latest starring y< ihicle, and to advise John Adolfi in dii lecting the palace scenes. Hilda Grenier once a trusted emloyee in. the service of the . British Eoyal Family,: now a _te chuical , director for Eoyal sequences in < Holly- ' wood, was the person employed, j i "Lives of a Bengal Lancer." . j ij Sir Guy Standing, London and fi Broatl- < way stage actor,- who just am yed in Hollywood from New York, has been given as his first screen assignment o je of the leading roles in "The Lives of /a Bengal Lancer," which features Cliv c Brook, Fredric March, Gary Cooper, ai.jjd Richard r Arlen. ■ > ■'.; ,' j "Rivets." . .. j ■ i . John Gilbert and Mac Clark a have been : selected for the leading parts in "Rivets," ; a' forthcoming Metro-Goldwyr fMayer proi duction based on! an unprodi iced play by i John W. McDermott. Oilbe rt's - last - pic- • tine was "Downstairs," and I lisa Clarke's films include "Waterloo E a idge," "The Front Page," and "Frankf/betein.'' . Disney. ■/■ 1 Through vastly improve' t facilities and ' more painstaking efforts, :("Walt Disney's ' Mickey Mouse and Silly . Symphony films ' now have the advantage fcf animation as ■ perfect as that of the b aman players of ; the screen.^ In: other w prds, the animation is as perfect as hu fiian ingenuity ia 1 able to achieve. The rf «.son, to strip the 1 matter of its technical ,-verbiage, is this: • Heretofore, Disney am' { other producers ■of animated pictures j contented themselves with' one draw: eg to every four frames, which meant t jfat there were four drawings to each foot of film. This gave ian approximation of ( perfect animation, but mqre often than not a discerning eye could detect sketchy } and jumpy action. Now Disney has a di jawing to each frame, making 16 drawing? j to a foot of film instead of four, the iesult being the most perfect animation c irer attained in a socalled cartoon subjc If Mickey Mouse now stands in frr (it; of a camera and raises his right an p slowly, he does it in the very same m inner as does Douglas Fairbanks or any < Jther human star. Thrills. ' . : Never has a m ere effective melange of thrills, chills, lav i^lis, and air of mystery been offered to the entertainment-loving public as is to h «c found in "The Mystery of the • Wax M fiseum," a Warner Bros. First National Picture, shortly to be released. Openii jg with a swift but sensational prologue /in London, where a Russian sculptor I'jas,begun to attract the attention of art connoisseur through his extraordinary ; skill in the modelling of wax figures, t' jfce story jumps to New York of a later dv #c. A geriea of. mysterious crimes and still more mysterious disappearance o j well-known people has begun to arouse trie. police and the newspapers. Fay Wray, Allen Vincent, Gavin Gordon, Arthur Ed; mind C'arewe, Edwin Maxwell, and numei x>us other players contribute able suppr fft to Lionel Atwell and the dramatic \ mlues of the story. Klein Er k George Cohan >looks-upon the new type- of '(lights used in motion pictures with a \*gh of relief. He came to Hollywood w fth a fear of again contracting the Dnce-dr. jaded kleig eyes, but has learned that tl iere will be no danger of this in his ta! iing film debut as the star of Faram bunt's "The Phantom President." With the elimination of the noisy and dust-r a-oducing carbon lights in favour of incan descents went the threat of "kleig eyes.' * Cohan's concern lies in the ■ fact that jhe was a victim of the disease when he r aade his three silent pictures in 1916. He had starred in adaptations of "Broadway • Jones" and "Seven Keys to Baldpat c," his own plays, when he caught the eye /trouble while finishing his third, "Hit th c Trail Holiday."