HUGE STAGE SET.

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 21

HUGE STAGE SET.

LIVINGSTONE'S FILM. Spencer Tracy doesn't want to play any saints. He won out recently in a long struggle to characterise Henry M. Stanley, the famous African explorer, in all his shortcomings as well as his virtues. Ever since Tracy was cast for "Stanley and Livingstone," the epic story about Stanley's search in 1870 for Dr. David Livingstone, he has insisted on making Stanley the reckless, braggadocio fellow that he was at one stage of his life. Twentieth Cen-tury-Fox executives were hesitant about such an interpretation because they feared that type of character would not fit in with the public's conception of a British empire builder. The studio yielded, though, to Tracy's entreaties and sent the script back to the writing stage. "THE HOUSE OF FEAR." Universal has engaged Peter Milne, the scenarist, to adapt "The House of Fear," a popular novel by Wadsworth Camp, which is set for filming in the near future. A mystery melodrama, it will be made under the supervision of Edmund Grainger, associate producer. Cast and director will be announced soon.

A BATHING SUIT DEBUT. For the first time in her film career Constance Bennett is wearing a bathing suit on the screen. To most actresses bathing suits are as much a part of their wardrobe as shoes. But not to Connie. She hates them. The dislike had not been any fault of the bathing suits. The fault is Miss Bennett's. She quite honestly admits she is not constructed to show one off to advantage and no movie producer ever before induced her to appear in one But for "Topper Takes a Trip," in which she co-stars with Roland Young, the script places Miss Bennett on the French Riviera, an the beach and in swimming, and to rewrite the scripi meant eliminating sequences which could not very well be eliminated. Producer Milton Bren put the problerr right up to the actress and she agreed to break her rule of many years. "I've never looked right to myself in c bathing suit," she says. ."But if I must do it, I guess I must." FOREIGN LEGION FACTS. Attacking many false impressions of the famous French Foreign Legion, made popular through fiction, Albert Pollett, former French soldier and technical director of Columbia's "Adventure in Sahara," explained to Paul Kelly, Lorna Gray, and C. Henry Gordon, featured in the picture, many of the true regulations of this branch of , the service. Despite the popular conception of the Foreign Legion, no man, no matter how wealthy, can ever buy his way out of the service until he has served his full five years, Pollett said. Anyone from any nation can join the service—even deserters from other armies. If the deserter signs, his uniform is cleaned and repaired, and mailed back to the army post from which he deserted. When a recruit applies to join the legion, the recruiting office paints the .legion in its darkest colours for him. He is told of the exacting duties, the strict discipline, and the hardships of the service. He is never ; signed the first day, but is sent home to."think it over." A PROPERTY SHIP ROLLS. One of the most realistic sets built at Denham is now in use for. "The Spy in Black," being produced by Irving Asher for Columbia Pictures. The film deals with spying activities at Scapa Flow about 1917, and a small coastal steamer, the St. Olga, figures in many of the scenes. Before starting the film, , the director, Michael Powell, spent a week at Stromness, in the Orkneys, on ; research work, and one of the results is an exact replica of the St. Olga, called the St. Magnus for the film. Five days were spent in building the ship at Denham. The St. Magnus is 135 ft long and 22ft wide, and weighs 22 tons. In the film, the ship has to roll, and this, was the most difficult problem for the construction department. To get the rolling effect, the boat was built on a rounded steel girder, which ran down the entire length of the structure, and rested in a steel channel. Twenty 15ft wooden arms projected from the side and 35 men were needed to roll the entire ship. "PACIFIC LINER." Those who see "Pacific Liner" will aot forget it in a hurry. Apart from the fact that it is an unusually powecJul show, produced by Robert Sisk, vhose surprising "A Man To Remember" is now popular, it has several unusual things not easily forgotten. Alan Hale provides the first with his simply marvellous baiting of "Crusher McKay," the iron-handed Victor McLaglen. while McLaglen provides another through his manipulation of a shovel. There is the beginning of a mutiny in the stokehold of the Pacific liner, but the mutiny is erased when McLaglen, remarking that "a shovel is a marvellous instrument," swings it suddenly and shears into two neat pieces a cigarette dangling from the lip of Tony Ward —a would-be mutineer. Whether McLaglen did the snipping himself or had it done for him—it will bring you ©ut of your seat.

PRODUCER GOES ABROAD. Producer William Sistrom is on his y way to England to make "The Saint in •J London," third in the series of RKO- ' Radio films based on the pqpular mys•T tery novels by Leslie Charteris. The £ picture will be the first ever made by the studio in England. George San- \ ders, signed recently to play the title , role in "The Saint Strikes Back," now 3 ready for release, will follow Sistrorn t ■ FIELDS, McCAKTHX FILM. t. c r Keeping the ten-week schedule set - up by Producer Lester Cowan, to the '. day, Director George Marshall has s completed the final scenes of Univer--0 sal's "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man," which stars W. C. Fields, with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Marshall pushed his cast to the limit during the last two weeks of shooting in order to finish on schedule. Supporting Fields, Bergen and McCar- ;, thy in this comedy, one of Universal^ f biggest offerings on its 1938-39 1 schedule, are Mortimer Snerd, Con c stance Moore, Mary Forbes, Thursi, ton Hall, Princess Baba, John Arledge l Arthur Hohl, Blacaman, Eddie An- - derson (better known as radio's "Roch- - ester"), Grady Sutton, Ferris Taylor James Bush, and Ivan Lebedeff.

KENTUCKY DERBY. No sporting event in the history of America has so captured the heart ofall sport-loving people as the Kentucky Derby, which this year reached its Sxty-fifth anniversary—an occasion which 20th Century-Fox has celebrated with the magnificent Technicolour production, "Kentucky." With the glorious tradition of the blue grass country as its background, and a love all fire and pride as its theme, "Kentucky" has been widely acclaimed as the most outstanding example of colour photography the industry has yet produced —particularly in its handling of the Kentucky Derby itself, which brings the picture to a thrilling and spectacular climax. But even more important perhaps, the picture has captured the romantic drama of the people ; whose love of racing has endowed the Kentucky Derby with such great tradition. David Butler, who directed the ■ film, spent many weeks on location in the heart of Kentucky, filming the actual beauty of this land where thoroughbreds roam the meadows, and every detail of the landscape is seen ih glowing colour. Loretta Young. , Richard Greene, and Walter Brennan ; are featured in the film which was ! adapted from the story. "The Look of Eagles," by John Taintor Foote. ; PREPARING FOR "BEAU GESTE." j A Paramount construction crew 'of ' 95 men is working on the "Beau Geste" : location site in .the California desert, 1 nineteen miles north-west of Yuma, i Arizona. Under supervision of E. E. i Davis, head of the Paramount construe- i tion department, the carpenters are ] building a plank road, using 200,000 i feet of lumber, from the main highway ; into the site on which a city of more ] than a hundred tents will rise. Mean- | while, two huge bulldozers powered by ■ big tractors are levelling off a number , of-sand dunes to make room for the , erection of Fort Zinderneuf, in and j around which much of the action involving Gary Cooper and the impressive cast will take place. BROKE HER RULE. Constance Bennett broke a precedent c of many years standing to accept her i role in "Tail Spin," the 20th Century- ( Fox production. A free-lance player | who can pick and choose her own , stories and roles, she has been in the habit for years of making only three : pictures each year. However, she liked 1 the part of Gerry Lister in "Tail Spin" « so well, that she decided to do it at - Director Del Ruth's request though she £ had completed her quota of three films f for the year. She left almost immediate- \ ly after the picture was ended for c Paris. f

Completely filling Hollywood's largest sound stage, the biggest set ever constructed for a Deanna Durbin picture is now being photographed for sequences for "Three Smart Girls Grow Up," at Universal studios. Consisting of a long hallway, a grand stairway, a foyer, draw-ing-room, living-room, diningroom, library, conservatory, balcony, and garden, the set crowds the capacity of stage 12, where "Mad About Music," "That Certain Age," and "100 Men and a Girl" were filmed. Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, Helen Parrish, Charles Winninger, Nella Walker, Robert Cummings, William Lundigan, and Ernest Cossart, with 300 "guests," are in the huge drawing-room of the set. Three camera cranes are being employed to photograph the scenes. "IF I WERE KING." .? Nowhere, it has been said, is this , truism, "Talent knows no nationality," " more apparent than in Hollywood, c where, during the movies' climb to ~ supremacy in the amusement world, . the studios have set up a great melte ing pot for creative brains from all v countries. So it is not unusual to find ! a productor-director from Scotland, actors from the United States, England, and South Africa, a cameraman from Germany, and a musical composer from Holland combining their talents in the filming of one of the year's most t ambitious screen offerings. The picture c is "If I Were King," which is set for s early release by Paramount. Producer- - director Frank Lloyd was born in Glasi gow, Scotland, yet is a veteran of the p American film LfcJustry, this year celebrating his twenty-fifth anniversary as ' a maker of motion pictures. Ronald ' Colman, of English birth, who stars • in the role of Francis Villon, a poet of the slums, who rises to heights of I magnificence for a week as grand con- " stable of France under Louis XI, is another long-time headliner of the ,' Hollywood scene. Basil Rathbone, ; whose Louis XI gives promise as being as distinctive a characterisation as Charles Laughton's "Henry VIII," is another English player, though born at Johannesburg, South Africa. Beautiful Frances Dee, who plays the feminine lead as Katherine De Vaucelles, lady in waiting to the queen, is an American. More than that, she is a native daughter of . California. Another American is Ellen Drew, who portrays Huguette, habitue of the Paris slums and Villon's heart interest. < ANCIENT BATHING SUITS. : ] Two hundred feminine bathing suits ] of vintage 1911 had to be made to < order for a beach scene in "The j Castles," in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers portray the famous j couple Irene and Vernon Castle who j set the feet of the world i moving to the racy rhythms of the 1 modern dance. A canvass of Holly- ] wood and nearby beaches failed to un- ' earth even one bathing suit with knee- £ length bloomers and full overskirts, 1 such as was the height of fashion in J that era. In addition, 200 pairs of (. stockings had to be ordered direct from } a stocking factory for wear with the 1 old-fashioned bathing costumes. t t "THE TREE OF LIBERTY." t t c Outbidding every other company in a the field, Columbia Pictures has purchased Elizabeth Page's panoramic historical novel, "The Tree of Liberty," which is heralded as one of the most important books of the year. Before publication the novel had already be- . come the selection of both the Literary f, Guild and the Discoverers. Columbia :. . Pictures is scheduling "The Tree of j Liberty" as one of its most important s ' productions,, with a roster of prominent „ stars soon to be announced. Miss Page a worked for five years on the research j, and writing of this 1024 page novel, q which is said to equal "Gone With the 0 Wind," and "Anthony Adverse," in c power, scope, and appeal. The story t: is a sweeping dramatisation of the his- c toric birth struggle of the American h nation, with a romance involving an a adventurous liberty-loving frontiers- n man and a girl whose background is a that of the Virginia 'aristocracy. The s time covered by the'novel runs from c 1754 to 1808, and the names of many a men famous in early American history ii are included in its roster of .characters, ti This is to be directed by Frank Lloyd, a who directed "If I Were King" and r "Cavalcade." P HUMAN ALARM-CLOCKS. Pr r o Samuel Goldwyn, always original, b has solved the problem of waking his s actors and getting them to work on time. His latest production "Wuthering Heights" is on location 50 miles out of Hollywood, and the principal players and director must get there ready to shoot at dawn's early lights—6 a.m. To trust a film player.to get up in Hollywood at 4 o'clock in the morning is sometimes dangerous, so the resourceful Mr. Goldwyn called in a telegraph messenger service to help him out. The messenger boys visit the homes of director William Wyler, Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, and Flora Robson, ring the door bells and stay around until their victims get up. 5 Half an hour later a taxi-cab stops at $ the house, picks up the actor, actress, , and director and flies back to the studio, where a bus, its motor warmed and going, is all set for a fast run to the location. GEORGE BANCROFT RETURNS. George Bancroft, once popular "tough" hero, has been assigned one of the most important roles in the new < Walter Wanger production "Stage Coach." Bancroft, star of more than 50 films, has not been seen on the screen very much during the past five years, but according to studio reports his part in "Stage Coach" presents him with an excellent comeback opportunity. Claire Trevor, Andy Devin, John Carradine, and Donald Meek are other prominent members of the cast of "Stage Coach," which is being directed by John Ford, director of "The Hurricane," "The Informer," and many other big successes.

Ronald Colman as the poet Franco France at the whim of a king, and ] in the film version of "If I Were Theatre. Basil Rathbone, Ellen Dre^ "GOLD DIGGERS" COMING. As its Easter attraction the De Luxe Theatre will screen the long-awaited comedy, "Gold Diggers in Paris." The latest and most elaborate of the Warner Bros, musicals, which promises a new high in entertainment, brings back to the screen, after a three-year absence, the one and only Rudy Vallee. That is an event in itself but Rudy thinks the most important feature of the new "Gold Diggers" film is the motion picture debut of Freddie Fish2r's "Schnickelfritz Band," a sensational crew of mad musicians. Sharing the romantic and singing spotlight with Rudy is the luscious Rosemary Lane; 3oing the heavy dramatics is the briliant Gloria Dickson, and contributing lilarious amusement is a group of star comedians which includes Hugh HerDert, Allen Jenkins, Mabel Todd, Melville Cooper, Ed Brophy, Curt Bois, md Fritz Feld. And, giving the whole 3roduction its avowed reason for havng been made is an aggregation of ovely Gold Diggers, who charm the beholder with their dancing talents in ;he ensemble numbers devised and itaged by Busby Berkeley. The whole slot revolves about the adventures of i troupe of dancers and of the owner )f the night club where they are workng at the start of the picture. That s Vallee's role. Though the girls are of he rhythm school of dancing, they are, is a result of an amusing error perperated by Hugh Herbert, taken to Paris 0 represent America in an internaional ballet contest. Everything turns >ut comically when the girls go on nd give them some real swing. CHIMES ACROSS THE SEA. The chimes of the Sacre Coeur, the istoric Montmarte Cathedral, arrived a Hollywood to play their part in Fools For Scandal," Mervyn Leßoy's atest production at Warner Bros. The ound of the Sacre Coeur chimes plays prominent part in the story, serving s it does as the signal for Carole Lomard's first rendezvous with Fernard Sravet. Producer-Director Leßoy rdered sound tracks made of the himes instead of using regular stock racks of chime tones. The famous athedral's chimes are among the most idividual in Europe, and he felt that substitution would be especially oted in France, where Gravet's films re exceedingly popular. A French ound crew recorded the Sacre Coeur himes at noon, the time Miss Lombard nd Gravet appoint for their meeting 1 the story. Difficulties were encounsred immediately because the chimes re particularly deep and not easily ecorded. A new microphone developlent made possible the faithful recordrig of the Sacre Coeur chimes, which re now being "dubbed in" in the proer place in "Fools for Scandal." The inging of the chimes for other hours f the day was also recorded and has ecome a part of the Warner studio ound library.

;ois Villon, raised to be chief power in Frances Dee as the lady of his dreams, •c King," which comes to the Regent ;w, and Henry Wilcoxon are in the cast. TECHNICAL DIRECTORS. c "Spring Madness," the comedj « £ omance of colle £c life, featurini f Maureen O'Sullivan and Lew Ayres - is one Hollywood production that hac « a plethora of technical directors and k oddly enough, they didn't cost the '- studio one cent. There were no fewei v an eight volunteer technicians or £ the set, and all of them were members of the production crew or the cast. Al' college men and women, these volun- ;_ teer advisers enjoyed a collegiate fielc ■ day during the making of the picture g arguing pro and con every detail oj ~ college life as it appeared in the ■>_ script. The "technical crew" and theii alma maters were Edward Chodorov. £ producer, Brown, University; S. Sylvan Simon, director,' University oi _ Michigan and Columbia University; . Burgess Meredith, Amherst College; '' Ruth Hussey, Pembroke College and . University of Michigan; Joyce Comp- * ton. Tulsa University; and Truman a Bradley, Springfield State Teachers1 * College. "Spring Madness" has the 3 unusual distinction of being a college s story without a football, baseball, crew, f or even a ping-pong hero. It is built r strictly for romjance and comedy. j LAUGHTON AND BUSKER. " Charles Laughton, who takes the role of a London, busker, or theatre queue " entertainer, in his latest Pommer- : Laughton "Mayflower" production, "St. Martin's Lane," to be released by Action Pictures, paused outside a Shaftesburyl Avenue theatre to watch one of the buskers at work in the hope of picking! up some local colour. The busker was nearing the end of his i repertoire;, he had recited, had given I the queue a bit of "Hamlet," and was i just about to commence on his piece 3 de resistance—"Ladies and gentlemen," ; he announced, "I will now give you an 3 impersonation of that world-famous ; stage and screen actor, Charles Laugh- . ton, in 'The Barretts of Wimpole 1 Street' and "Mutiny on the Bounty.'" t Then he glanced round, saw Laughton ; watching with interest, gave a horri- : fled gasp, and dashed down a side s street. r ANNABELLA. \ Annabella, beautiful French film I star, will make two motion pictures ; for 20th Century-Fox in Hollywood be--5 fore returning to England to fulfil her screen contract there. The blonde r young star was recalled from her vaca- . tion in France by the studio to confer .on story material after exhibitors i throughout the world wrote in prais- . ing Annabella's performance in "Suez." « Under the star's film contract she is j scheduled to return to England to make ; pictures there for 20th Century-Fox > after completing two more movies in Hollywood.

NEWSREEL NEWS Paramount (Overseas) News, at St. James Theatre, Tomorrow: Thrilling air races in America . . . Prominent Democrats pay. 100 dollars a plate at banquet in Washington . . . Cordell Hull returns from Pan-American Conference . . . Coast Guard rescues crew of shipwrecked steamer from ice rocks of Alaska . . .Rescuers save 20 men entombed in blazing coal mine . ...French forces prepare for defence of Tunisia . . Tom Mooney freed after long prison term . . . Sixty-six N.S. Navy planes take off on great mass flight . . . Electric eels generate power . . . Runaway freighter crashes into bridge . . . Bing Crosby and Bob Hope S open golf tournament. >; Paramount (Overseas) News, at Paramount Theatre, Tomorrow: Death of Pope Pius XI ... U.S. Cardinals sail for Papal Election . . . Thirty feet of snow on American main highway . . . Thirty-seven men rescued from blazing tanker . . . American secret bomber crashes at end of record flight from California . . . Worst floods in fifty years in England . . Winter sports in America .. . Huge diorama for New York World's Fair . . . Canine bluebloods at New York's Dog Show . . . Roman Catholics throughout the world mourn death of Pope . . . Ex-Kaiser celebrates another birthday in Holland .. . 184-mile yacht race . .Seabiscuit pulls up lame as he is beaten by 2\ lengths in 100,000-dollar handicap. Paramount (British) News, at Regent Tkeatre, Today: King and Queen inspect new training centre . . , General Franco reviews fleet after triumphal entry into Barcelona ... Coast Guards rescue of tanker . . . U.S. secret war plane crashes in front of cameras Distribution of A.R.P. shelters begins in London . . . Intimate pictures ■ of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard on holiday with their daughter, Princess Beatrix . . . Duke and Duchess of Gloucester inspect H.M.S. Gloucester . . . M.P.s witness display of Army's latest weapons at Aldershot. Metrotone News, at Majestic Theatre, Tomorrow: California swept by worst storm in twelve years . . . 3300 patients saved by heroic Sisters as huge Quebec hospital burns . . . Thousands witness last rites of Pope Pius XI ... Cv\rtain rises on World's Fair at San Francisco . . . Machine with a human voice . . . Their Majesties visit Newcastle . . . Launching of H.M.S. King George V. Pathe News, at St. James Theatre. Tomorrow: Boy boxers at Albert Hall . . . King and Queen visit Birmingham and British Industries Fair . . . Cardinal Pacelli elected Pope . . . Volunteer fire fighters . . . San Francisco flying pair . . . Mobile station at Southport . . . Shelters in Paris. Cinesouna News, at Majestic Theatre, Tomorrow: Surf carnival thrills at Manly . . . New pilot steamer makes debut by piloting Dominion Monarch . . . Australian defence programme moves ahead . . . Exciting speed-boat racing . . . Champion racehorse Ajax travels to Sydney. Fox (Australian) News, at Plaza and King's Theatres, Tomorrow: Dominion Monarch arrives in Melbourne after record-breaking maiden voyage . . . Spectacular cavalry parade before Governor-General of Victoria . . . The roving cameraman photographs singer, Lotte Lehmann, boy violinist, Grisha Goluboff, musician, Jan Rubini, and biggame'fisherman, Michael Lerner . . . Christchurch's famous beauty spot, the Poplar Grove, is condemned after fatal accident . . . Speed-boats skim the water at breathless speed in championship at Sans Souci . . . Big seas at Manlr during surf championships. Gaumont British News, at Plaza Theatre, Tomorrow: London Auxiliary Fire Service parade . . . Oxford crew practise at Putney . . - Wedding of the Queen's niece . . . Royal Family at Lady Astor's party . . . National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham won by Litigant Badminton championship . . . Women's hockey match . . . The Royal Princess at the Pony Show . . . Arabs visit Northcott Aerodrome . . . Launching of new flying-boat at Rochester.