SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 20510, 14 June 1930, Page 22

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Two aeroplanes were wrecked in spectacular crashes for ‘ Young Eagles,’ Paramount’s all-talking picture of aerial warfare, starring Charles Rogers, Jean Arthur plays the feminine lead, and Stuart Erwin, Paul Lucas, and Gordon de Main are in the cast. William Wellman, the maker of ‘ Wings,’ directed tho new production. ‘ Captain ,of the Guard,’ Universal’s super production, starring John Boles and Laura La Plante, scored a big bit at its second opening. This was held at the .Auditorium Theatre, Baltimore. The picture’s premiere occurred at tho Roxy, New York, where it played two weeks to tremendous business. Fred C. Shanberger, jun., of the Auditorium, wires Universal as follows: — “ ‘ Captain of the Guard ’ scores tremendous opening Auditorium here tonight. Reserved seat premiere and run. Boles reaches now heights of singing success. . La Plante’s work outstanding. Audience enthusiastic. Marvellous turnout. Comments very favourable.”

Tho well-known Australian comedian, Clyde Cook, has been assigned the role of master of ceremonies for the oldtimers’ section of tho new Metro-Gold-wyn-Mayer revue, ‘ The March of Time.’ In the character of one of those pests who always loses his programme and has to ask questions, Cook prepares tho way for the introduction of the characters.

In announcing plans for the early filming of ‘ Monsieur Lo Fox ’ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer discloses another radical producing innovation. This picture will be made simultaneously in five languages English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian. Gilbert Roland will play the male dead, and will have this role in at least two versions, English and Spanish. One of tho most distinguished pictures of the year is ‘ General Crack,’ in which John Barrymore makes his debut in talking pictures. Apart from the story, which is colourful, suspenseful, and entertaining, Barrymore’s performance is restrained and admirable in every respect. In the role of General Crack he portrays in no uncertain manner the military strategist, the stern commanding officer, the romantic and gay soldier of fortune, and tho man whose faith has been crushed by the faithless young gipsy to whom ho has given his love. Marian Nixon and Arnuda give vivid portrayals, and there is a brilliant supporting cast in this Warner Bros.’ and Vitaphono production.

‘ King of Jazz,’ tho Universal alltechnicolour super-production, starring Paul Whiteman and his band, wbHi lias been completed at Universal City, is by far the biggest musical spectacle yot attempted on either stage or screen. The picture has been in the

making for the past six months. Eight huge musical numbers, each a monumental production in itself, have been shot, together with the innumerable specialties and comedy sketches which run between them, ‘ Tho Bridal Veil,’ ‘ A Bench in the Park,’ ‘ Happy Foot,’ ‘ Tho Song of tho Dawn,’ ‘ My Ragamuffin Romeo,’ ‘ Tho Rhapsody in Blue,’ ‘ It Happened in Monterey,’ and tho Pot ’ are the lavish numbers, all of which were created and directed, as was the rest of the picture, by John Murray Anderson. The complete cast of Norma Talmadge’s next United Artists picture, ‘ Flame of the Flesh,’ includes Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Hobart Boswortn, Allison Skipworth, Edgar Norton, Edwin Maxwell, and a host of other stage and screen celebrities. Interest is created in tho announcement that William Farnum, for years one of the great stars in silent films _ and on the stage, will make his talking picture debut in ‘ Flame of the Flesh/

‘ The Unholy Three,’ one of Lon Chaney’s most successful silent films, will be the character star’s first talking picture under his new five-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Jack Conway 'will direct, and Lila Lee has been given tho chief feminine role. Harry Earles, who had the part of the sideshow midget in the earlier version of ‘The‘Unholy Three,’ will be given the same role in • the talking play. Other additions to the cast include Elliott Nugent, Richard Carlo, and Ivan Linow.

The talkies have succeeded where the legitimate stage has failed for the very simple reason that the talking screen caters for tho masses, while the stage does not. That statement comes from Zoe Akins, noted playwright and screen writer, who recently adapted the story of ‘ Sarah and Son,’ Paramount’s all-talking dramatic sensation, starring Ruth Chatterton, for the screen. “ The more I think of the present stage,” Miss Akins says, “ the more I realise what infinite possibilities there are in the talkies. The theatre is constantly striving to be more and more highbrow. The stage plays that are successes are often too eccentric and unusual to appeal to more than a small percentage of the paying public. The talkies, on tho other hand, cater for the great masses and diversify their entertainment to such a degree that they appeal to all.”