SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 20996, 9 January 1932, Page 6

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

. ' Love Me To-night,’ Alfred Savoir’e story of a romantic but poor troubadour who falls in love with an heiress, will serve as Maurice Chevalier’s second Paramount picture for 1932. * • • * " Fred Niblo and Claude Allister recently left Hollywood for England. Niblo will direct and Allister will star in three Quota pictures which Eric Hakim will make for Metro. The first will be ‘Two White Arms,’ in which Margaret Bannerman will be featured. * • * * Dorothy Bouchier and Joseph Schildkraut are hailed as the screen’s most. romantic couple. They appear together in the lavish drama, * Carnival,’ and the romantic operetta, ‘The Blue Danube,’ written around the famous Strauss waltz. These special attractions will be released by British Dominions Finis. • * .* Ramon Novarro again turns aviator in his role with Greta Garbo in ‘ Mata Hari,’ which George Fitzmaurice is to direct for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Novarro scored one of his greatest hits in ‘The Flying Fleet’ as a navy air pilot. In the new feature he returns

to the clouds as a secret air messenger for the. Russian Government during the World War. ,• S ft. * Constance Bennett, screenland’s most highly paid star, will next be seen in the Warner Bros, and Vitaphone production, ‘ Bought,’ in which picture she plays the part of a modern working girl who goes through most sensational adventures on the road to high society and back again. Featured in ‘ Bought are Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett (father of the star), and many others. * .• .« .* R.K.O. stockbrokers have approved of a refinancing plan, thereby accomplishing the biggest merger yet achieved of American motion picture interests, including R.K.O. Radio and Pathe Pictures. This deal necessitated the raising of 11,600,000d0l of new funds. The whole of this amount has been underwritten. Unification of Radio and Pathe pictures brings together a great array of stars in the industry, including Constance Bennett, Richard Dix, Ann Harding, Wheeler and Woolsey, Helen Twelvetrees, Ina Claire, Irene Dunne, Pola Negri, and others. « • • • Encouraged by the success of its first full programme of talking picture releases, and by the official encouragement promised in the direction of censorship from scenarios, Efftee Film Productions (Melbourne) is now preparing to extend its activities considerably. A big programme of short features is now in the making along novel lines, originated by the managing director, Mr F. W. Thrmg. _ These will introduce a number of artists in one film, presented in the form of tenminute tabloid revues. They will be given attractive production in atmospheric settings, and will constitute something quite new in screen entertainment. Many well-known artiste will appear in these shorts, the first revue including Lou Vernon, the wellknown musical comedy artist, in ■ comedy character studies;. Kathleen Goodall in songs at the piano ; Keith Desmond in monologues, including his original feature, ‘The Death of helson ’; Hermie Barton and her ten girl violinists; and the Sundowners Quartette. The second of the_ series of sound films of Australian cities will cover scenes taken last week at Ballarat under the direction of Mr Arthur Higgins, Efftee Films’ camera expert. The next of the feature produotions to be released will be ‘ The Sentimental Bloke,’ which is now practically completed. Only one more scene remains to be made, namely that in a theatre during a performance of ‘ Romeo and Juliet,’ Special arrangements are being made for the filming of this scene during the first night at a Melbourne theatre. • • ’ » Keith Desmond, who gives a notable character study of an old swaggie in ‘The Haunted Barn,’ the latest Australian all-talking release from Efftee Films Studio, Melbourne, is one of the most experienced actors on the Australian stage. His theatrical career dates back to the early Australian and New Zealand tours of Alfred Woods and Maud Williamson. Later he went to England and gained further experience in “ stock ” drama at Liverpool, and later at Belfast. In those days they played twice nightly with a new play every week, and the admission charges were threepence and sixpence, Keith Desmond _ is also well known on the vaudeville stage both in Australia and abroad./