UNUSUAL SCENES IN PICCADILLY

Evening Star, Issue 21081, 19 April 1932, Page 10

UNUSUAL SCENES IN PICCADILLY

MAKING ‘ 77 PARK LANE - Stragglers in Piccadilly during the early hours of one moring recently were deeply interested and not a little startled to see an immaculately .dressed, rather sinister man quickly cross the road to the taxi rank outside the Green Park, furtively followed a moment 'later by an obviously agitated, goodlooking girl. Clasping her long, billowy chiffon evening gown round her knees, she almost knelt on the muddy road behind the taxi rank, to peer out with frightened eyes at her quarry’s movements, and listening intently to hear the address this man she followed gave the driver of the cab ho had engaged. And then, hastily jumping into another cab, she whispered tensely to its driver: “Follow that cab in front—whatever you do, don’t lose it for a second.” Then two other pairs, similarly attired, appeared and went through ihe same mysterious action—one in French and one in Spanish. The players in this little drama were Malcolm Keen, Betty Stockfeld, their Spanish-and-French-version counterparts, and an assorted mixture of genuine Cockney taxi drivers—and the scene was one of the final “ exteriors ’’ for ‘ 77 Park Lane,’ the thrilling British talkie which is coming to the Regent on Friday. It was cold and damp and depressing out of doors, but the taxiraen, used to climatic eccentricities, kept the unit well amused. As dawn broke the ‘77 Park Lane ’- company, with their coat collars turned up to keep out the drizzle, might have been seen entertaining at Hyde Park coffee stall. The guest of honour was “ Bluebeard,” a veteran taximan. His white whiskers trailed down over a greasy coat collar —his cap was set at a rakish angle—his blue eyes twinkled—a grubby, thin hand clasping a “ hot dogwaved towards the rain clouds above—the language concerning the English climate was utterly unprintable. A little later, a strikingly cosmopolitan breakfast party was Held at the Park Lane Hotel for the English, French, and Spanish casts of ‘ 77 Park Lane,’ who had been up all night on the Piccadilly ■“ location.”