FINDING "MA” FOR ‘OVER THE HILL.

Evening Star, Issue 21099, 11 May 1932, Page 5

FINDING "MA” FOR ‘OVER THE HILL.

CASYING OFFICE'S. DIFFICULTY A picture that has caused more casting troubles than any other film produced since the advent of the talkies is ‘ Over tho Hill,’ which will be screened here at the St. James Theatre on Friday. ‘ The key character of the story is “ Ma ” Shelby, mother of the family around which the plot revolves. Calling for an actress to enact both a woman in her prime and an old lady in her declining years, it required one who was a mistress of her art. Realising the difficulty of the task of finding such a person, Winfield Sheehan, Fox vice-president and general manager in charge of production, took it upon himself to find this artiste. But he soon reached the point of despair when test after test availed him nothing. It was then that Sheehan happened to recall an artist who had retired from the screen some twelve yeais ago, a star who has abandoned a brilliant screen career for the more important career of motherhood. But he also recalled that she has refused many flattering offers to again face the camera. However, where others failed Sheehau succeeded, and Mae Marsh, favourite of the silent days and star of such memorable successes as ‘ Tho Birth of a Nation ’ and ‘ Intolerance,’ was induced to leave her own children and mother the film children in ‘ Over the Hill.’ ‘ Over the Hill ’ brings together again those two superb young . stars who have been making motion picture history in the past two months—James Dunn and Sally Filers—tor the most stirring performances of their young careers.