STAGE AND SCREEN

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 127, 31 May 1934, Page 16

STAGE AND SCREEN

"Glamour." 'Man piopotes, but «omau dibpooecs." Well, uot alwajs, iv bpite ot the pobitno tone of the old proverb. Sometimes the woman does both. Often the womaii makea all the decisions and carnes them into effect, leaving the man little to do except agiee— or pusmbly, to disagiee. Paiil Lukas. Jeains this \eiy dehnitely m "Orlamom," Edna ieiber'e stoiy which sheds new light on the eternal triangle, and which bimcis.al has dramatized on the screen. .Constance' Cummings is cootaired with Lukat. in this glitteung stoiy of tile rise to fame of a great actress in the eailier sequences ot the pictme Miss Ctimnungs is a choius gnl and Lukas, ' the composer of the songs for the musical coined} in winch she is to appear, < until her sublime assuiance • causes her I to be peremptory "hied" It la then < that the staits to woik on Lukas, and < leveala heiaelt ab 6ucli an accomplished ' piomoter that within a shoit tuna the t song vvwter is devoting all his talents to I hei advancement to staidom on the stage ' Imd eventually, at her suggestion, makea * her his vwfe "Glamour" has all the fa h - s unntion of stage life; its temptations, its { tailuies and successes, and nclily diama- ! tic material uith winch the succcess : of eveiy big 6 tar is composed, "Clamo'ir will b e/ seen in Wellington m the i near future. J \ "Nana" Launches Anna Sten. j A new face and a talent that is fresh i to the screen is the promise ot Anna Sten i in 'A ana, shortly to 'be seen in this 1 countiy. Miss Sten is a young actress i wbo came out of Moscow a few years ago i .he first giaduate of a school of training' r that,was exclusively in Sonet State stage t and seieen institutions She made sev- t eral pictuies m Berlin, of which "The v mothers Karamazov" won her world ac- t claim. Then Samuel Goldwyn brought ( her to Hollywood and put her through t eighteen months of training and tests \ while he prepared story and production € for her American film debut. ".Nana" 6 is the story. Willard Mack made a free t adaptation of the Emile Zola novel. Gold- \ wjn has given Miss Sten the company of a group of distinguished players Among I them are Richard Bennett. Lionel Atvvill, Mac Clarke, Phillips Holmes, and Muriel Kirkland. Dorothy Aizner directed the J picture. ! ' •■ Dorothea Wieck. . . t Dorothea Wieck, for the fust time m \ her Continental and American screen caieer, plays a role which allows hqr to give ,* full rein to her acting ability. In "Maed- { chen in Uniform" audiences saw an act- \ resa whose emotions weie played fiom the , 'inside" Ihey were gnpped by the cvi- £ dent terrific control excited by the beautiful player whose distmbmg peisonahty ' swept through the filni-world. And in her £ first American success, Paramount's { ' Cradle Song," Miss Wieck again expressed J the breaking heart m modulated tones, ; with slight gesture, with a glance The i world found before its eyes a new type of , emotional portrayal, a smooth, deep, con- i vmcing technique. But people wondered \ if that was the only thing Dorothea Wieck i could do. The answer is "Miss Fane's i laby is_ Stolen," her second Ameucan picture. It calls for the grief, thp tenor, ( the bereavement, the anger of a Hollywood motion picture star who has had torn rom her by kidnappers her adored son— J Baby Le Roy. ■ s "Spitfire." ,; < Katherine Hepburn's latest RKO-Radio ■' picture, "Spitfire," presents the star in a role that is said to be unique in the annals of the screen "Spitfire" is an adaptation of Lula Vbllmer's celebrated stage play, "Trigger," 'and in it.Miss Hepburn enacts < the role of a half-savage poor white who lives in a cabin in, the Carolina mountains. Her character is one of most amazing contradictions; _a .praying, zealot by. practice, ' she is a wildcat by nature, and although ' fighting against romance, she falls an easy prey to her first lover. The explosive, fighting, loving, headstrong, independent, hoydenish girl of^the mountain settlement is said to be more typical of the traditional ' > Hepburn flair than almost any part that , could have been selected for her The large supporting cast in "Spitfire" includes Ralph Bellamy, Robert Young, Martha ' Sleej>er, "Louis Mason, Sara Haden, and John Beck. Cats. Boiis^Karloff and Bela Lugosi were reI cently judges at a black, cat show held at "Universal City, to choose a cat for the film entitled "The Black Cat." All pedigreed.;,cats were . barred- from this show. Every Tom or Tabby there was a guaranteed alley fighter Jiggs was the winner, a huge black Persian, with Popeye and Peggy irunners-up. "Michael and Mary" in Auckland. Miss Winifred Crosher is to play the part of Mary to the Michael of Mr. Joe Molloy in the Auckland Garrick Dramatic Society's production of "Michael and Maiy." Miss Raie Robinson, the producer,, has assembled a large cast, and there will be spectacular changes of costume, dating from 1905 to 1934. The cast includes Misses Nancy Warren, Leslie Napier, Ruth Kirkbride, Kathleen Stenson, and Messrs. Norman Tibbutt, Leslie Ryan, J. A. Shatpe, Alan^ Warren, and Bruce Hutton. Misai Crosher is a prominent amateur actress of Auckland, and has played in movies as well. She and Mr. Molloy are described as bearing distinct resemblances to Edna Best and Herbert Marshall, the original interpreters of the London production. I Charlie Chan. Warner Oland, who brought Earl Derr Bigger's famous fiction Oriental detective Charlie Chan to life on ;the screen,,will immediately start his sixth Chan picture, "Charlie Chan's Courage," with George Hadden directing. -In the leading feminine role will be Drue Leyton, beautiful blonde Theatre Guild product, who is now finishing her initial motion picture "Now I'll Tell," by Mrs. Arnold Rothstein Charlie. Chan is- the only real rival Sherlock Holmes ever had for popularity with theatregoers, and, as enacted by Oland, a native of Sweden, has mounted steadily in screen favour. "Charlie Chan'a Courage" is romantic as well as dramatic with its action taking place in San Francisco and Hollywood. The screen play was written by Seton I. Miller from an Earl Deir Bigger's novel. "I Give My Love." Vicki Baum's. "I Give My Love'? went into production recently at Uniieisal City. In this picture Wynne Gibson shares co-starring honours for the first time," being teamed with Paul ■' Lukas. Ever since Carl Laemmle, jun., saw her Work in "The Crosby Case" he has intended to give her a starring part; "I Give My Love" fulfills that intention. Bl F. Zeidman, who is the producer of "I Give My,..' Love," engaged three players recently for the supporting . cast. They were Sam Hardy, veteran character actor. Tad Alexander, juvenile star, and Dorothy Applbyj young stage actress. Karl Freund, who: has just recently completed work on "Uncertain Lady," is directing "I-Give My Love." ' Herbert Marshall. ' Herbert Marshall-has been assigned the,' male lead opposite Constance Bennett in Metro-Goldwyh-Mayer's forthcoming picturisation of Michael Arlen's "The Gr.een Hat.", Marshall's latest role is in support of Norma Shearer in "Riptide." Robert Z. Leonard will direct the new film with Irving Thalberg,producing. -, .... New J.C'.W. Theatre. ' .;: ' The.very latest seating will be a feature of the new . His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, which is now rapidly nearing completion. ■ In addition to being roomier, the seats will be more widely spaced, and in order to provide for this the capacity of the theatre will be reduced from 2200 to 1800.. Each .section: of the theatre, including the upper circle, will have its own foyer, that for the dress circle and reserved stalls ; being 76ft long and 31ft wide. Some' indication of the spaciousness .of the theatre is given: in the fact that: the ceiling of the main auditorium is over 70ft from .the floor level. The opening of the new theatre will be the-occasion of a brilliant gala night, the production being "White Horse Inn." '. "Jew Suss." Fox stars, featured players and featured support the Gaumont-British production of "Jew Suss," has the, largest and most powerful' cast "ever . assembled for one British picture,' Fifty names appear on the cast list, exclusive of special extras and ensemble people. Heading the cast are Conrad<Veidt, Frank Vosper, Sir CedTic Hardwicke, Benita Hume, Paul Graetz. Mary Clare, and Sir Gerald de Maurier. Many .-others also familiar to. Australian audiences include .Eva Moore, Frank Celtier, Dennis Hoey, Helen Ferrers, Percy Walshe, and a host more. "Jew Suss" is the most important film ever made in a British, etudio.

"Aunt 'Gaily." Lilting music, catchy songs, and clever dancing, pi evented in a lavishly spectaculai betting, and the whole charming enteitamment crowned by tke inimitable comedy of Cicely Couitneidge in a role that langes iiom builesque to knockabout givjng her abundant scope to exercise her genius foi chaiacteiibation.. That is Aunt Sally, the most ambitious musical extiavagaiiJ-a evei lecoidcd by British studio camex as The picture, which is jeleased by Gaumont-Biitish and distributed by lox F,l mb , JS iull of special features and among the aitisti, engaged are the world-known Oulisle Cousins; Reilly and Oomfort, a duo that is the rage of London cabaiet lite; the Three Admirals whose fame eanies from Dublin to Petrogjad; and the equally famous Leslie Holmes Theie are six exceptional song numbers in ,"Aunt Sally," one of which \r rT Had aP°le°n's Hat," sung by Miss Courtneidge in her inimitable manAenAH B "|il b?| tW o,n tUree «rand PianosAnother is Phyllis Clare's "I Want a Fair and Square Man." The climax of the picture (which opens at the State Theatre tomorrow); is a scene of gay abandon, in winch the dancers at the night club move tlirougli a kaleidoscopic scene, the effect of which is enhanced by the release of thousands of balloons The director, Tim Whelan, jiat, surpassed himself in this gay entrancing musical, and has abundantly ' succeeded in giving the screen that "something different" for which it has Ion" been waiting Fan Dance. A fan dance to suipass all fan dances— that was the theoiy on which Bubby ifeikeley woiked in directing the musical and dance numbeis of "Games of 1034," UVn st • is' ational comedy romance, with William Powell in the stellar role Two hundred guls take part, in the fan dance number, which icjuvenates the fad for ostuch fcitheis Pour hundred fans, each containing fifteen plumes, aie used for the dance Careful rehearsing, to avoid any question of censoiship, was necessary m pieparing the dance, over eight weeks being used for reheaisals alone In addition to the fan dance, a mammoth stjle show with latest creations of the modiste's art will be seen in the picture, which is, however, primarily a comedy romance and not a musical. Bette Davis heads the supporting cast, which contains such talented players as Frank McHugh, Verree Tensdale, Reginald Su?,"' Hcmy O'Neill, Hugh Heibcrt, Phillip Reed, Gordon Westcott, and Dorothy Burgess. Coincidence. It is not generally known that Tamara JJesni is the daughter of the famous Continental actress, Xenia Desni By a strange coincidence Anthony Kimmins, during his career with the Navy, assisted Tamara and her mother to escape fiom a Russian port at the time of the revolution. Kimmins is now directing "A Friend Like You" at Sound City, and Tamara'is the heroine. Sings. Gordon Harker has earned the reputation of being one of England's foremost screen.comedians. In his latest picture he actually sings grand opera. "Cleopatra.V Consternation, reigned recently, on Cecil B. De Mille's set at Paramount when the director suddenly decided to ornament the lav ish litter on which Claudette Colbert as "Cleopatra" rode with/an apparently ferocious leopard. \ The twenty negio litter bearers tried to look unconcerned as they bore the queen • through the streets of Rome, and ,all would have gone well had not the leopard decided to yawn light in the middle of a take.

"It Happened One Nisht."

Motion pieturegbers who have been awaiting the initial local showing of Col- ' umbia-'s "It Happened One Night," the ' widely-advertised romantic screen comedy 1 co-starring Clark Gable and Claudette Col- ' bert, together on the screen for the first ' time in their distinguished careers, will ] be pleased with the news that the film ' opens at the Regent Theatre tomorrow. Gable is undoubtedly the most popular ! masculine figure on the screen. He scored ' a meteoric rise to film prominence with ' outstanding .portrayals in "The Easiest ' Way, .'-Strange Interlude," "Hell ' Divers," "The Secret Six," and others, ! X^i ,? performance in "It Happened One , .Night is said to top them all for artistry and effectiveness—a fact for which he is ; deeply indebted to Director Frank Capra . and Robert Riskin, who adapted the • \ screen version from Samuel Hopkins , Adams's novelette, "Night Bus," which • appeared recently in "Cosriiopolitan Maga- j zinc." Miss Colbert enjoys nearly as | great a following as Gable's, for her work , in recent pictures has boomed her immense-, ly. Everyone will remember her ■ ster-., ling performances in "The Phantom Pie- ■ sident," "Sign of the Cross," "Torch Singer," "Tonight Is Ours," and "The Smil- , ing Lieutenant." Frank Capra, whose re- ! cent pictures, including his recOrd-break-ing "Lady For a Day," stamp him as one,; of Hollywood's finest directors, was assigned to direct the picture. . . , Mac West. "I'm going to be a bad girl with a good i heart!" And with that tag on the characterisation that will bring her to the screen '! in her third starring Paramount picture Mac West started work in "It's No Sin" at ;the Hollywood Studios. Mac. is return- j ing to the period which first skyrocketed .i her to fame—the gay nineties; She will' i stride through an adventurous love-action ] story which has as its background two of i the most colourful cities of that period— | New Orleans'and St. Louis. . With the i Mississippi River coming in for its share i of "local colour," Mac's new screen offer- | ing will revolve around the strident days i when men" gambled with hearts, paid, off • on'aces, and fought for fun. . : "The.Dover Road." ',''.,- . ; "The, Dover Road," now in production at, the RKO-Radio studios, will co-star Clive Brook, and Diana Wynyard, and will ■'■ be the first vehicle since "Cavalcade" that has had Miss Wynyard and Mr. Brook in itsrnairi roles. Other members of the supporting cast; under the direction of J. Walter Ruben, will be Billie Burke, Gilbert Emery,-; Alan . Mowbray, Reginald Owen, Phyllis Barry, and Robin Adair: ■' "Uncertain. Lady." .' -Edward Everett Horton is. the hero of "Uncertain Lady," which also features Genevieve. Tobin. Instead of being a hne,, upright, hero he immediately falls' in with a plan to leave his wife and go off with another woman provided he can get his wife another husband. Genevieve Tobin plays the part of the wife, and Renee Gadd that of the "other woman." The cast also includes Paul . Lavanagh, ■ Mary Nash, George Meeker, Donald Reed, and Arthur Hoyt. . Harry Segall wrote the play on which the picture is based. ' :,- - , : Pasteur. ■ '■ .';■. Sheehan, vice-president in. charge of production for Fox Film, announced recently that plans are being made to produce an elaborately-conceived photo drama ; * Humanity First," based on the i life of the eminent French scientist, Louis Pasteur. With Warner Baxter in the leading role of a story that will deal with both the scientific and romantic personal .sides of Pasteur's life,' t 1 " cast will include Helen Twelvetrees, • Mona Barrie, Hugh Williams, and Drue Leyton. The script has been completed by Reginald Berkeley, who wrote the adaptation of "Cavalcade," and. will be placed in production as soon as the players hare completed their obligations in other films and a director found. - Natural Rhythm. ' • .When Carole Lombard waJ3 assigned an exacting dancing part opposite George Raft in. Paramount's "Bolero," she had never performed an intricate exhibition step in her. life. That • was when L'e' Roy Prinz, war ace and ace dance director at the Paramount Studios, stepped in and took her in hand. "Carole Lombard has rhythm that enables her to learn the routines very quickly," Prinz said in explaining .Miss: Lombard's remarkable work in . dance .sequences :of the picture. "Dancing is from the hips up—and the head plays the most essential-part." , . "Dangerous to Women." ' Universal has changed the title of its first Max Marcin feature to "Dangerous to Women." This production,.featuring Nils Asther and Gloria. Stuart, was recently completed at Universal, City'under the title of "The Devil's Pay Day." It was placed into .production, however, under the original title of the play, "The Humbug."; "Dangerous to Women": is the story of a doctor who was a hypnotist and got himself into so much trouble ' with his women patients that something radical had to be done about it. The supporting cast includes Paul Kelly, Alan Dinehart, Renee Gadd, Russ Brown, Virginia Kami, John Wray, and Ellalee Ruby. Repertory Next Month. • That there is no lack of enthusiasm in the Repertory Theatre movement in Wellington is evidenced by the fact that the Wellington Repertory Society's next production "The Show," which is to-be presented in the Concert Chamber for. four evening performances commencing; on June 13 contains no less,than thirty-two characr ters. Of the four .outstanding, dramatists of our time—George Bernard S, haw, J. M. Synge, Sir James Barrie, and John Galsworthy—the last-named"^ is . perhaps the most popular. Mr. John Galsworthy was educated at Harrow arid Oxford, and then —like a number of English writers, 'he studied the law'and was called, to the bar in 1890. But he found his profession very distasteful, and probably it is more from temperament than-from legal training that his work derives the restrained impartiality, the care in stating both sides of a case for whichfmost of his• plays are known, ■ particularly "Justice," "Strife,"' and "The Show." His "Forsyte Saga," a series of novels dealing with the fortunes of an English • family is one of the /notable achievements of contemporary fiction. Included in the cast of "The Show" will be Mrs. John Hastings as Anne Morecombe; Mr. W. J. Mouutjoy as the Scotland Yard detective; Mr. Vivian Rhind as Colonel Roland; Miss Ailsa Newton as Lady Morecombe; Mr. T. V. Anson as the newspaper editor; Miss Freeman as Daisy Odiham; and Mr. H. A. Painter as her father—a ; rattling fine comedy character. Others include Misses Hilda Miles, F. Penny, P. Pilgrim, and Mr. E. R. Pope. Mr.- Leo dv Chateau will produce "The Show." Charles Lauqhton's Next. "The Prince of Darkness." an original story by Harry Harvey, will be Charles Laughtori's "homecoming" picture when he returns to the Paramount studios from his stage engagement in London. The story treats of a hero bandit who, Robin Hoodlike, extorts money from the rich to aid the oppressed. VelmaWayno. . One of the .'most colourful sequences in "Embarrassing Moments" is the glittering cabaret scene, where the popular rage, the rumba, is danced by Velma Wayne, a well-known solo dancer. Miss Wayne came direct from New York to Universal City to give her interpretation of this exotic, fast rhythm dance in the Chester Morris production. •starredBetty Astell, the beautiful English screen ■•md radio star, will be seen in a number if- British pictures this year. Still Nets Royalty. Cecil B. De Mille is still wearing a smile, •lespite his difficulties in the filming of 'Cleopatra," occasioned by the illness of Claudette Colbert. The director recently was handed a cheque for royalties on "The King of Kings," which, although it wiis filmed six years ago, is still being exhibited and producing royalties. It has already grossed more than 3,000,000 dollars.

"Footlight Parade.". , . . . . '. Great secrecy surrounded the making of one of.the-big musical numbers featured- '?• "Footl'Sbt Parade," Warner Bros.' third in their 'succession of the big musi-' cale pictures.' After a preliminary announcement from- Busby Berkeley,' creator of the musical numbers of ."42nd street and -"Gold. Diggers of 1933" to. the effect that he had planned a "water' number for the new picture .that would outdo any previous screen effect he had originated, the sound stage where he worked was closed to the public and to' ail studio employees except those actually employed . there. Guards, stationed at the doors day and night, were instructed to allow no visitors, awl the eighty swim--ming girls selected by Berkeley' for parts1 in the mystery number were warned to^ avoid all mention of theirwork to anyone; off the set.' , This was done to keep the scene as a complete, surprise to the public and to keep the idea from being pirated or imitated. Workmen in three eight-hour shifts converted the huge. interior of the sound stage into' the setting demanded by' Berkeley. This number is one of the spectacles in a - musical comedy, replete; with unique, ensembles] •In addition, ' there is' a fascinating. romance, in the drama of back-stage, life' enacted iby an all:star cast, including James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler; Dick Powell,; Frank MeHugh, Guy Kibbee, Ruth Donnelly, and. Claire Dodd. The picture was; directed by Lloyd ;Bacon.'.; The -five song; hits were written by the teams of Harry Warren and Al Dubin and Irving Kahal. and Sammy Fain: :. ' , . Bushman. . • V. .■/ .".' ■.'■■■■. ■■_':■■■■■ [ Another popular star of the. silent screen , has appeared in talkies., Francis X.; Bush-: man, for many years the idol, of serial fans, ; is cast as President Odoff in, Sound City's Droduction, ' "Watch Beverley." • The part of a. highly excitable kidnapped foreigner, trying to prove his identity, at I Scotland Yard calls for a skilful display '• of hysterics which could easily be over- < done. Bushman's portrayal eclipses his , greatest-efforts of silent days.and should < ■pave the way of continued appearances "on i the screen.- '■'■' V; - r.i;. ■'■•>■] Pouishnoff and Stevens. , : , , 1 Mr. Hugo Larsen claims that only, a section of the music-loving public can get the ' maximum pleasure from hearing one artist perform the;whole evening. ' In arranging i a tour of M. Pouishnoff and Mr. Horace Stevens, he has kept in mind the public who ask; for variety in their entertainment, ■ and in Messrs. Pouishnoff - and Horace - : Stevens he has the artists who are eminently qualified to supply this want. Pouishnoff —"one .of the most brilliant pianists : London has ever heard"—according to; the "Daily 'London; will -.< appease those who seek : authoritative interpretar tions of. the classical masters,: particularly ,of Chopin and; Liszt,-and Horace Stevens, whose sensational success at Govent Garden in recent, years has established him, as one of, the most notable singers of the present day,.will supply the touch of his,distinguished singing, which is not unlike that of Chaliapin. Of Pouishnoff's Chopin playing the "London Daily Telegraph" writes: "He plays as,one enjoys hearing it —in soft passages one feels that- he but breathe 3 upon the keys.' He feels .the mood,, then paints the picture," The two distinguished artists will be appearing in Wellington at the Town Hall'on June. 21. >.-,. ■.''.:: ; "Buster". Crabbe.' ; ~ ■ .; ■•' ;-■=.; Larry . "Buster" Crabbe, .\vho lost his ■ amateur athletic standing as a result of his : billing, in ' Paramount's "King of1 the Jungle," has applied to the American Athletic Union for reinstatement. Crabbe, who; ,has held thirty-five world champion swim-; ming records,' wishes to play- water- polo"' with the Hollywood Athletic Club team/ and is looking forward competinginthe Olympic Games in 1936. : • Crabbe lost; his ; amateur status not, because he appeared in films, i but because ;his "King .of -the ' Jungle" billing carried the line, "Olympic Swimming Champion," which, according to the American: Athletic Union, constitutes using . his; amateur reputation for ..monetary gain. . : ■ ■'■■'. "Treasure Islapd." r , , -. . Four- more have been added to the cast'of ''Treasure Island" at the Metro: ■ Goldwyn-Mayer studios. They, ■ are Lewis Stone, Edmund, Breese," Nigel; Bruce,' and Cora SuefCollin's, the little girl, wlio played Garbo: as a child , in, "Queen • Christina." Victor .Fleming ,'is directing this ; film versionof Robert' Louis Stevenson's classic with Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Otto Kriiger, Dorothy Peterson, and William V. Mong in important roles. : : „; . ■ - .; ■

By "Kwa"