NEWS of the FILMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 21, 25 January 1940, Page 18

NEWS of the FILMS

'A ROMANTIC TEAM.

(Since Joe E. Brown became a popular comedian in the theatrical world he has assembled what is probably the largest collection of honorary police badges in filmdom. More than 75 shields have been presented to the star by police chiefs throughout the world. Though proud of this collection he could find no practical use for them. Eut when he learned that he was to make his first bow as a police officer in the Columbia comedy, tentatively titled "Spook House" he was immensely pleased. The thrill, however, didn't last long. He was informed /that authentic police badges, like currency, are barred from the screen. And perforce he will have to wear the pseudo badges provided by the studio. The picture is under the direction of Edward Sedgwick.

Thirty years ago Guy dv Maurier wrote a play entitled "An Englishman's Home." The. play enjoyed an exceptionally successful run. It dealt with a sudden invasion of-England by an enemy who took advantage of a strike and a fog to descend on Britain from warships anchored along the 'coast. It is interesting to recollect that in Berlin it c was hissed off the stage! The play has-been *made into a film, and the story modernised. A British company, Aldwych Productions, Ltd., has produced "An Englishman's Home," making of-it a film that pictures aspects of/the contemporary scene with start-, ling accuracy, England's leisurely preparations,: and the average Englishman pretty ,/well; convinced that "it can't happen .there." , Meanwhile, the enemy is 'preparing his plans, and getting ready for: "the day." When "the day" arrives, enemy warplanes, co-operating with, a well-organised espionage system, 'drop armed parachutists at selected points whose job it is to hold their ground whilst the main battle squadrons concentrate on London.' The Air Ministry put at the disposal of the producers whole squadrons of Blenheim and . Wellington bombers, Spitfires, Bombay. troop-carriers, and Lysander machines. Albert de Courville direct^ ed this United Artists. release, and the cast is headed by Edmund Gwenn and Mar#! Maguire, with Geoffrey Toone, Paul yon Hernreid, and Richard Ainley in the chief supporting roles.

Motion ■ picture fans were not alone in. wondering what actors Frank Capra ' would choose for "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." All the celebrities making up; Hollywood's fiim colony scanned the newspapers . with unusual interest awaiting his oast announcements. Having won the . Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences award three times for best direction and twice for best picture, Frank Capra rates as the No. 1 director of the movies. To beMh> his company is deemed a great privilege and honour. Scarcely an "actor in the cinema world was, not to be "included in the group he would select for "Mr. SmiffirHxoes to Washington;" Capra weighed his decisions with care. The rottiaihtic co-starring roles were allotted to J^n.:; Arthur arid Ja is Stewart. This pair.had scored a triumph in "You Can'triTake|it;:With You," the Capra pictured v/hichthe Academy deemed the best directed and best film production of the 1938-39 season. Miss Arthur had also appeared,under the director's guidance in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town." Another member of the "You Can't Take it With You" company to be entrusted with an important characterisation in the new work was Edward Arnold: , ! . Capra delved, into past performances when .casting ..Governor Hopper. . He chose'ifor! the former Guy Kibbee, who. had beenVa.member of the "Lady.""or' a Day"-company. Other choice plums fell to the stellar-ranking and widelydxperienced trio of Claude Rains, Beulah Boridi, and Eugene Pallette.

Robert Cummings and Connie Moore will have tho romantic leads in Uni? versal's "Charlie McCarthy, Detective," the Bergen-McCarthy mystery now before the cameras, with Frank Tuttle directing. Others already cast are John Sutton and Samuel S. Hinds. The locale of the picture is New York and. nearby suburbs, with Bergen, McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, and Miss Moore as night club entertainers, Hinds as publisher, Cummings as a columnist;, and John Sutton as a feature writer.

Hollywood's newest Cinderella has broken the ice. With no dramatic training and without ever before facing a motion picture camera, except once for a screen test, she has played her first scene and has been adjudged "sensational." . She is 23-year-old Helen Gilbert, petite blonde who played a •cello in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's recording orchestra before anybody ever looked twice at her. Now she plays the leading feminine role as Mickey Rooneys dramatics teacher in "Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever." The story of Helen Gilbert goes back to a day when W. S. Van Dyke II was directing "Sweethearts." He noticed the pretty blonde musician in the front row of the recording orchestra. "Have you ever had a screen test?" he asked her. She had not, and Van Dyke urgently advised her to get one. He had not even asked her name, and forthwith he forgot her. Six months passed. "Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever" entered production with one difficult casting problem unsettled. In the story, is the character- of Rose Meredith, Andy Hardy s high school dramatics teacher who inspires Andy to write a play and with whom "Andy falls in love. The picture was in production . a week when the "front office" telephoned to Van Dyke en the set. "We've got the girl to play Mickey's dramatic teacher,'-Van Dyke was told. "Who is she?' the director asked. "Helen Gilbert,' he was told. When Miss Gilbert arrived on the stage Van Dyke remembered her as the girl he had advised to get a screen test.

Columbia Pictures has scored a scoop by buying the film rights to a new novel that has neither' been written nor set for publication by A. J. Cronin, famous British author of "The Citadel" and~6ther literary successes. , The novel is tentatively titled "The Doctor of Lennox," and will be produced and directed by Wesley Ruggles during the new season for Columbia. The first two pictures slated for production by Ruggles are "Too Many Husbands," a comedy based on the stage play by Somerset Maugham, starring Jean Arthur, Fred Mac Murray, and Melvyn Douglas, and "Arizona," a spectacular picturisation of Clarence Budington Kelland's popular novel." Negotiations for the forthcoming novel by Cronin weje concluded during the author's visit to the studio recently. Cronin, a recent arrival from England, is making his home in Beverly / Hills, where he will write "The Doctor of Lennox." Among his successes are "The Citadel,". "Hatter's Castle," "Grand Canary," and "Vigil in the Night."

A gratifying instance of a great book being transformed into a great picture is said to be seen in Darryl F. Zanuck's production of "The Rains Came," by' Louis Bromfield, with Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, and George Brent sharing stellar honours.. As a novel this powerful story proved one of the best-sellers of the.last decade. : How successfully and-how faithfully Zanuck has transferred to the screen this fascinating mythical city of Ranchipur, India,* is reflected in a statement made by Bromfield. "This is my story and these are my characters," wrote the author. "As a novelist I am grateful for the privilege of seeing this book \ come completely to life. In my opinion 'The Rains Came' is a great picture. I should like to express my gratitude to Darryl Zanuck and Director Clarence Brown, who recreated it with such astounding fidelity." In the 20th Cen-tury-Fox film, Myrna Loy plays the amorous Lady Esketh, Tyrone Power is the romantic Major Safti, and George ; Brent is the world-weary Tom Ran- i some. !

In .real life almost anyone can get.; successfully drunk without half trying. ■ On the screen, however, intoxication ; is one of the finer arts. Its , practitioners are few and in great . demand, and command a position as ; important in the film colony as that ; of the ordinary sot is commonplace. ' Hollywood is the only town in the '. world where dipsomania is dry, and | pays dividends. Adolphe Menjou is « an authority on the subject, and he has , a fine opportunity to display his tech- : ni.que in "The Housekeeper's Daugh> : ter," -Hal Roach's new United Artists :\ release, in which he is starred with \ Joan Bennetts His role in the picture . is that of a'reporter, and during the \ action of the film progresses through ] .almost every stage of inebriety. ' <

LINDA DARHELL.

"AN ENGLISHMAN'S HOME.'*

BADGE COLLECTOR.

"HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE."

UNWRITTEN NOVEL. : ■_

BEST GROOMED WOMAN.

GRACIE FIELDS RESUMES.

A CAPRA CAST.

ANOTHER CINDERELLLA.

yzHARLiE McCarthy, 0r DETECTIVES'

"FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS."

'A TALE OF GALLANTRY.

"THE RAINS CAME."

WITHOUT A DROP.

POPULARISING PLAYS.

"GULLIVER'S* TRAVELS."

FAREWELL TOUR.

RESEMBLES STRINDBERG

DISTINGUISHED COMPOSER.

The teaming of Robert Taylor and Playing the leading role in "Elsa Hedy Lamarr in "Lady of the Tropics," Maxwell's Hotel for Women" was not the. picture in which the glamorous the only "first" in Linda Darnell's life.

Miss Lamarr makes her first screen It also marked the historic occasion

when she gets her first kiss. This was not discovered until it came to the point of shooting a scene in which James Ellison is to kiss her. Although Linda said nothing about it till afterwards, she was extremely excited. Another thrill for the young girl was to meet the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway, who came to watch her at work on the set. *' ' ——

appearance since her widely-discussed triumph in "Algiers" with Charles Boyer, holds promise of becoming the most sensr.tional team since the memorable Garbo-Gilbert era of the films. Taylor as an adventurous young American in Indo-China has a romantic role comparable to those he played with Greta Garbo in "Camille" and with Margaret Sulavan in "Three Comrades." Miss Lamarr as the most beautiful and fatal Eurasian in Saigon, Indo-China, has been given a part that offers her another brilliant opportunity in an exciting screen career. Joseph Schildkraut heads a supporting cast of major importance in the role of a halfcaste man of wealth and influence who injects tragedy into the lives of the two young lovers. A newcomer to the screen, Gloria Franklin, of the New York stage, was selected for the part of Nina, Miss Lamarr's close friend. Ernest Cossart is seen as the understanding priest who befriends and marries Taylor and Miss Lamarr.

By vote of five of Hollywood's leading designers, Marlene Dietrich has been acclaimed the best-groomed woman of the year. The famous blonde star of Universal's new film, "Destry Rides Again," was disclosed by "Screen-Book" magazine as winner of the d'Orsay gold medal for 1939. Only twice before has the award been made in the United States, once to Gertrude Lawrence and once to Katherine Cornell. Miss Dietrich is the first picture star to be honoured, and she won by vote of a jury composed of Howard Greer, Edward Stevenson, Travis Banton, Gwen Wakeling, and Milo Anderson. They voted as follows:—Marlene Dietrich, 1; Loretta Young, 2; Claudette Colbert, 3; Rosalind Russell, 4; and Norma Shearer, 5.

Alice Faye makes her first Technicolor appearance and . also plays her fii*st dramatic role in Darryl F. Zanuck's production of "Hollywood Cavalcade," which co-stars her with Don Ameche. The romance of Hollywood, from bathing beauties to world premieres, was restaged and photographed in Technicolor, for this 20th Century-Fox picture, a story of the men and women who conquered the entertainment world. The film is directed by Irving Cummings, appropriately it seems, for the veteran director has just celebrated his thirtieth year in Hollywood.

Since the British Government has decided that the Quota,. Act shall remain in force for the present, a big boost has been given to British pictures, and production is proceeding apace. In this connection a pleasing intimation received by air mail is that Gracie Fields is recovering so satisfactorily from the very serious illness which incapacitated her for some time \;hatshe is shortly to start work on her next story, "Molly, Blesc Her," a story which should fit the "Lancashire Lark" like a glove. It will be a Twentieth Century-Fox production, released through G.B.D.

A tale of the. gallantry of three loyal brothers will come to the screen when Paramount releases its new production of "Beau Geste." Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, and Robert Preston are starred in this picturisation of P. C Wren's, novel. The supporting cast is headed by Brian Donlevy, Susan Hayward, J. Carrol Naish, Donald O'Connor, and James Stephenson. Thousands o£ other players round out the cast, serving as legionnaires, and members of wild desert .tribes. With Cooper, Milland, arid Preston cast as the three Geste-brothers, "Beau," "John," and "Digby" respectively, the picture tells how they join the French Foreign Legion to avert having the finger of suspicion pointing at any* of them as guilty of the theft of a valuable sapphire, the "Blue Water," from their guardian. In the legion there is desperate conflict between the brothers and a brutal sergeant, "Markoff," played by Brian Donlevy, who, suspecting that one of the brothers has the gem in his possession, determines to get it <V\ri J-lirvieaif

Roland Culver, the man who set a new high level of deportment for Royal Navy commanders to aspire to, has never been in the Senior Service, although during the war he served with the R.A.F. When you see him arrayed in the glory of gold braid, pacing his quarter-deck in "French Without Tears," you will find this hard to believe. During the run of the stage version, hundreds of naval people went to see Culver play Commander Rogers, and his faultless performance must have impressed them. Many told him that they did not know how he could be such a perfect commander without having had actual naval experience. Culver holds the record of having played "French Without Tears" 1014 times on the stage—the entire Criterion run except for one fortnight when he had a holiday and did nothing but play

Molnar's "Liliom," which had no been seen in London since Komisar jevsky's production ten years ago, wai performed last year by the Babei Repertory Company at the Twentiett Century Theatre, Westbourne Grovo London. This is another companj formed to establish regular audience: for interesting and unusual plays. Johr Val Druten's "Flowers of the Forest 1 was produced there, also Strindberg's "The Bridal Crown."

Everyone knows what little boys and little girls are made of, but, until now. no one has bothered to see what constitutes Lemmuel Gulliver. Always on the' alert for new and interesting things, however, Max and Dave Fleischer have gone into the business of finding out the component parts of Gulliver and have come up with some surprising information. His inner workings, it seems, include 12 tons of paint, 500,000 : celluloids" and backgrounds. 115,200 : cemposite scenes, 16 tons of drawing ; paper, 86,400 separate frames, and 27.' miles of 385 yards of-script. In case you have, not guessed already, the Fleischers, are Paramount's associate ( creators of the feature-length cartoon r "Gulliver's Travels." soon to be seen ( in New Zealand. Some 300 highly- ( qualified artists were put to work to . make "Gulliver's Travels," and a fur- : ther 400 art students, were part-time ( employed. . 'i j

me retirement of Sir John MartinHarvey from London's theatrical life has left a gap that will be hard to fill. Before his retirement he made a farewell tour of the provinces, Scotland and the north, and presented three of his most popular plays—"A Cigarette Maker's Romance," '"The Only Way" (based on "The Tale of Two Cities"), and "The Burgomaster of Stilemonde." Nothing finer has ever been seen on stage or screen than the noted actor's superb performance of Sidney Carton in "The Only Way," as moving a portrayal of a doable role as has ever been witnessed in any part of the world.

Adapted from the Hungarian of Ladislaus Bus-Fekete by Hylton Cleaver, the comedy "A Lady's Gentleman" is concerned with the Conservative Prime Minister's Socialist valet, who, in the first act, gets elected to Parliament, and in the second runs off with his ex-employer's pretty, and married, daughter. It is described as a Viennese version of Strindberg's "Fraulein Julie."

Gregory Stone, the distinguished Russian-American composer, wrote the incidental music for Max Reinhardt's production of Goethe's "Faust," when it was produced in San Francisco last year. Mr. Stone is the composer of "Perpetual Motion" —a symphony' that had a brilliant success at the Hollywood Bowl in 1936, and also wrote the operetta "The Loves of Franz Liszt."