FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 19634, 13 August 1927, Page 18

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By LOITERER.]

Sara Stern, the well-known Jewish comedian, is playing Toni in ‘The Student Prince ’ in Sydney. Gayle Wyer’s revue company will return to Now Zealand for the Fuller circuit shortly. Maurice Moscovitch will open shortly in Sydney in ‘The Ringer,’ a “crook ” play, which had a good run in Melbourne. Andrew Mack, who was in New Zealand some years ago in Irish drarfia, is playing the leading part in ‘Abie’s Irish Hose’ in New i’ork. George Robey, Mario Blanche, and a company of twenty-live artists, including Robert Layton, Labs Farren, and the Hippodrome Eight, are in South Africa with their ‘ Bits and Pieces ’ production.

Included in the repertoire of Miss Irene Vanbrugh and Dion Bouccicault, who are to leave England shortly on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, will be a play by an Australian dramatist, Harrison Owen. It is ‘The Happy Husband,’ and it mot with a good reception when it was played in London.

An important engagement made by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., is that of the Canadian actress, Miss Margaret Bannernian, who will open with her own company early next year in Melbourne. Her plays will include ‘ Our Betters,’ by Somerset Maugham, which ran for two years in London; ‘The Voice from the Minaret,’ by Robert Hichcns; a revival of ‘ Diplomacy,’ by Victorian Sardou;.and ‘The Golden Calf.’ In the last-mentioned play she is to appear in London in September next. Miss Banncrman has achieved success in a long series of dramas and comedies in London, including ‘Decameron Nights,’ ‘ The'Naughty Wife ’ (played in Australia by lienee Kelly), and * Three Wise Fools.’ Maurice Moscovitch has been endcavonng to create a new fashion. It was an accidental discovery (says a Melbourne paper). During the first act of ‘The Ringer’ at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, ho gazed at his feet to find that he had absent-mindedly put on socks of different hue, one grey and one red. In case the audience should have noticed the irregularity, he decided to mention it casually, as it it was intended. “ Aren’t you absentminded, mcister?” is one of the linos addressed to him in the play, and Moscovitch replied: “Yes; 1 must be. Already I have created a new fashion through it.” The audience regarded it as part of the show, and Moscovitch lost his self-consciousness.

A London correspondent writes of Australian artists, who are playing in the Empire metropolis Gladys Moncrieff, who made a hit in ‘ The Blue Mazurka ’; Clarice Hardwickc, who is playing a leading part in the new play at Drury Lane, ‘Desert Song,’ after having played right through tho season of ‘ Rose Marie ’ (Miss Hardwicke, by the way, was married recently to an Englishman); Robert Geddes, who also played in ‘Rose Marie,’ and is now touring the provinces with this play; Madge Elliot, Josie Melville, Cyril Richards,-and John Kirby, all of whom aro playing in ‘ Lady Luck,’ tho piny which has just been put on at the new Carlton Theatre; Fred Collier and Hubert Ennor, who are playing in ‘The Vagabond King’; Mario Ncy, who made a name by her clover acting in ‘ Tlie Constant Nymph ’; _ Lorna Helms, who is touring in ‘ Give and Take,’ witli Harry Green, who recently played in New Zealand; Wilma Berkly, who, as understudy to Josio Collins in ‘ The Greek Slave,’ took the latter's’ place when she fell ill, and played it with tremendous success for a long period; Aunona Wynne, who played second part in the same play; and Vera Pearce, who has established herself as a recognised favorite with tho London theatre-going public over since she made her first important debut in ‘ No, No, Nanette.’ It_ would certainly appear by the foregoing that the invasion of London by Australian theatrical stars is almost complete. The tour of Hoifetz, aptly described as “The Wizard of the Violin,” has been nothing short of a series of sensational successes, and he has been acclaimed as one of tho greatest violinists tho world has over heard or seen. His New Zealand season (under the management of J. and N. Tait), confined as it is to the four centres, is all too short. An endeavor has been made to comply with at least some of the urgent requests made by provincial districts for the appearance of the youthful virtuoso, hut these had to be regretfully declined, as Heifetz is under an immense bond to fulfil world-wide engagements, and tho limited New Zealand season would not permit of any material extension. For his opening recitals, Heifetz has chosen a programme indicate** of his catholicity _ of taste. It includes Charlier’s charming arrangement of Tommaso Vitalis’s ‘Chaconne’; Mendelssohn’s beautiful concerto in E major (op. 61); Tschaikowsky’s haunting ‘Melodie’; Bazzini’s ‘ Ronde des Latins,’ remarkable for its brilliancy and extreme difficulty, which taxes every resource of the violinist’s technique; Schubert’s wonderful ‘ Ave Maria,’ which needs no comment, as it is one of the very rare gems of the world’s musical wealth; Mozart’s attractive and stately ‘ Minuet ’; Chopin’s soulful ‘ Nocturne in D Major,’ with its beautiful theme and its undercurrent of sadness and deep feeling; and Ries’s ‘ Perpetuum Mobile,’ which has a, ceaseless movement, and is not only very brilliant, but technically difficult. New Zealanders will thus see what flowers of sweet fragrance Heifertz has chosen from his musical bouquet, and how he lias selected compositions that will tax his capacity and powers of endurance. Margaret Lawrence commenced her Australian season in Sydney on August G. The opening play was ‘The Road to Rome,’ by Robert Emmet Sherwood. This play is now running with great success in New York, with Jane Cowl and Philip Merivalo in tho leading roles. Other plays announced for the tour are ‘Divorcons,’ by Sardou; ‘Her Cardboard Lovor,’ ‘Grounds for Divorce,’ and ‘Lawful Larceny.’ Though this noted American actress has been on tho stage for seventeen years, she has a youthful appearance. Miss Edith Cole, the actress, died at her home in Holly bank road, Birkenhead, England, as tho result of burns sustained nearly three weeks previously while cleaning a pair of gloves with petrol. Miss Cole, in private life was Mrs W. W. Kelly, her husband being a well-known Liverpool theatre proprietor. She made her first stage appearance at Drury Lane in 1889, when she took the part of the second housemaid in the pantomime ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ Two years later, at an hour’s notice, she player! principal boy in pantomime at Bradford. For more than thirty years she toured with groat success as Josephine in ‘ A Roval Divorce,’ a play which her husband bad bought. She ’•elinquished the part only in 1922. One of her other successes was in ‘ The Worst Woman in London.’ Besides being an actress of distinction Miss Colo was a poet and dramatist, and appeared in her own play, ‘The Fires of Youth.’ Frank Curzon, who just lived long enough to see his colt, Call Boy, win the English Derby, was one of the last of tho old, managers, having been contemporary with John Hare, Chas. Frolunan, George Alexander, Cyril Maude, Beerbohm Tree, George Edwardes, and others, mostly actor-man-agers. They were giants in their way tnd in their age.

Jottings ojrth® people of f&e Stage am! Screen and «a the latest recorded Masic.

The Fuller management has decided to institute its own dramatic company to tour Australia and later New Zealand. Charles M'Callum, a young Aucklander, who is carving his Huge career on the other side, is playing lead with the first company, now in Newcastle.

At the conclusion of the New Zealand tour of tile Renco Kelly Company (now delighting Auckland audiences) it will disband. Already Miss Kelly has had tempting offers to appear in Great Britain and the United States, and has also under consideration an offer to again tour South Africa. Probably Miss Kelly and Mr Hylton Allen will enjoy a well-deserved rest before coming to a final decision on the point. Their six months’ visit to the Antipodes has extended to over two years. With Heifetz conics Isidor Achron, the noted pianist, who acts as accompanist to the famous violinist. Achron is a brother of Joseph Achron, the composer, whoso ‘ First Sonata for Piano and Violin ’ will, it is hoped, be played in New Zealand.

There are some tense moments in The Ghost Train,’ coming to New Zealand under the J. 0, Williamson banner (by special arrangement with E. J. Carroll). Hero is one! The dreary waiting room at the railway station. The light .in the waiting room goes out, hut burns faintly when relit, faint footsteps are hoard outside, and when they open the door the station master, his lamp in his hand, falls into the room, apparently dead. BCREENLAND JOTTINGS ‘Romance,’ Joseph Conrad’s famous novel, is being made into one of the most picturesque screen plays of the year at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where Ramon Novarro is being starred in the new production. Clara Bow, Paramount star, in ‘ Rough House Rosie,’ her newest picture, leads sixty lovely chorus girls in a boxing dance arranged especially tor the picture. In this dance the girls are clad -in white silk trunks and jerseys that are said to sound a new note in'woman’s gymnasium apparel. Eddie Cantor, star Broadway comedian, whoso last great stage and screen success was in ‘ Kid Boots,’ has completed work on his second Paramount comedy, ‘ Special Delivery,’ under direction of William Goodrich. ‘Special Delivery ’ is a- humorous story of the life of a postman who becomes embroiled in a romance on his ‘‘ route.” Cantor is tho postman. A strong cast, including Jobyna Ralston, has been assembled lor this picture. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have lor some time been working on a screen version of Eimene Sue’s famous story, ‘ The Wandering Jew,’ and it will shortly go into production with Lon Chancy in the leading role. It will afford an entirely now type of role for this versatile actor. Tho master of makc-np on the screen is also to appear in ‘ The Hypnotisfcj* *"bused on bnink lackaid’s ‘The Four Stragglers,’ and an adaptation of Gaston Lcroux’s ‘ .ChenBibi ’ storv entitled ‘ Seven Seas.’ ‘ Ritzy,’ "Betty Bronson’s next for Paramount, has now been finally edited and cut, and Richard Rosson, the director, is wearing a broad smile, as tho picture has been warmly approved by studio executives. ‘ Ritzy ’ is an original screen story by Elinor Glyn, and stars Betty Bronson, supported by James Hall, Joan Standing, and William Austin. James Kirkwood, a veteran actoy ot the stage and screen, has tho leading male role in ‘ Butterflies in the Rain,’ a Universal picture. Laura La Plante is seen in a most powerful role, and this pair are ably supported by a strong cast, which includes Miss Grace Gordon, Miss Dorothy Stoke, Robert Ober, Edwards Davis, and Clarence Thompson. The picture was directed by Edward Sloman.

Sir Harry Lauder, the inimitable Scottish comedian, has started work on the film version of John Buchan’s novel, ‘ Huntiugtowor.’ It is a Wclsh-Pearsou British production, and is to be distributed throughout the world by Paramount. It is expected that the film will be completed before the end of the year. Tho .story is based on dramatic incidents woven about a famous Scotch castle, and the picture will be directed by Mr George Pearson. Fifteen portable radio receiving sots were used by Clarence Badger on location at Calabasas in directing the action of 800 bend of cattle and sixty horsemen in filming one of the important scenes in Bcbe Daniels’s next Paramount picture, ‘ Senorita.’ James Hall, William Powell, and Josef Swickard arc in the supporting cant. Abo Roth, one of the best known and liked of Californian boxing referees, is cast for a part in Clara Bow’s new starring picture for Paramount, ‘ Rough House Rosie.’ All of the fight sequences of tho production were taken at tho Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles. The whole of Hollywood turned out to see what is described as the most popular wedding ever solemnised in iilradom, writes tho Now York correspondent of' the ‘Daily Mail.’ The bridegroom, Mr Rod .La Rocque, is one of the few known instances of the son of a rich man becoming a film actor and achieving fame. His bride was Miss Vilma Blanky, the beautiful blonde who camo to Hollywood from Hungary two years ago and acted with Rudolph Valentino in ‘ The Son of a Sheik ’ and attracted wide attention in ‘ The Dark Angel.’ More than 600 “ film folk ” attended the wedding at the Church of Good Shepherd at Beverly Hills, and the crush was so great that a special guard of 100 policemen was forced to close the surrounding streets to general traffic before the ceremony could proceed. The best known film stars acted as ushers and bridesmaids.