SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 21636, 3 February 1934, Page 6

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

The final scenes for Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s film, ‘ The Old Bus,’ which Mr Jack Percival is directing for Universal, are being photographed in connection with the present visit of the aeroplane to New Zealand. The film will present a review of Australian flying, showing the world what Australia and Australians have done for the development of aviation. ,«* . • • • Scenarists of the Radio studio have been instructed to write a film story about Joan of Arc for Katharine Hepburn. * * * * Anna Q. Nilsson is to make her talkie debut with Paul Muni in Warners’ ‘ The World Changes.’ .She has also been tested by M.-G.-M. for an imEortant part in ‘lt Happened One lay.’ Although well known in silent films, Miss Nilsson has not appeared on the screen since 1828, when she was injured severely in a riding accident. * * * * Harpo Marx ruined a scene in Paramount’s ‘ Duck Soup ’ when he was supposed to he blown up by a bomb. After being elevated to the_ rafters he shouted to his brother Marxists: “You must come up sometime.”

lA film of Charles Kingsley’s ‘WaterBabies ’ is contemplated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. * * * * Hollywood’s film cowboys have formed a trade union with the object of preventing amateur riders from obtaining work in Western pictures. * * * # Jean Harlow’s salary has been stopped by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer because she failed to keep an appointment to try on dresses for ‘ Living In a Big Way,’ her picture with Marie Dressier. She is demanding a bigger salary—a request which has not yet been granted. • • • • ‘Gay Divorce,’ the West End play in which Fred Astaire is now _ appearing, is _to be filmed by Radio with Mr Astaire in his stage part. The author, Dwight Taylor, is a Radio scenarist. * * * * Lee Tracy having been dismissed from the cast of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s ‘ Viva Villa,’ Charles Butterworth, Stuart Erwin, Waljace Ford, and Lynn Overman are being tested for his part. It will be remembered that Tracy’s conduct offended the Mexican authorities. • • • • Samuel Goldwyn, discussing the Goldwyn girls who appear with Eddie Cantor in the successive Eddie Cantor screen frolics, describes this year’s beauties in ‘ Roman Scandals ’ thus: “Too exquisite to be alive, too good to be true, too beautiful for the naked eye.” United Artists will release ‘ Roman Scandals.’ ♦ * * * Mona Barrie, the Australian girl who went to New York and obtained a Hollywood contract, and Rosemary Ames, the pretty Chicagoan who went to London to attract the attention of Hollywood, are together in ‘ Disillusion,’ a Fox Film on which production has just begun and in which John Boles and Victor Jory will also star. Miss Barrie was well-known on the,Australian and New Zealand stage as Mona Barlee. * * ♦ * For the first time in amusement history half a continent is being spanned weekly so that an entertainer can fill two engagements simultaneously. The entertainer in question is Charles “ Buddy ” Rogers, whose orchestra is ? laying at the College Inn at Chicago, logers also is playing a leading role-in the film musical ‘ Take a Chance,’ which Laurence Schwab, in association with Rowland and Brice, is producing for Paramount release at the Eastern Service Studios in Long Island. Rogers works the week in the studio, flies to Chicago Friday night in order that he may direct his orchestra in person over the week-end, and returns to New York by air on Monday morning in time for film work. « • * « British Empire Films Ltd, announce that the next attraction being made at the Eeling Studios, London, at the cost of £65,000, and starring that world-renowned artist, Miss Gracie Fields, is in the last stages of production. The title for this picture, in which Miss Fields plays the lead, is ‘ Love, Life, and Laughter.’ Gracie Field’s earlier successes in ‘ Sally In Our Alley,’ ‘ This Year of Grace,’ and ‘ Looking on the Bright Side,’ assure that ‘ Love, Life, and Laughter ’ will be one of the biggest attractions of the year.

Julius Hagen’s spectacular production, ‘ The Wandering Jew,’ has gained a world record for the Twickenham Studio. This great production was sold to the principal film markets of the world before it had been trade shown. Large deposits were paid on sales in Australia, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Austria, China, Manchuria, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, and throughout Latin America before the picture had over been screened. These huge deals are significant in demonstrating that the world buying market has at last fully gained confidence in British productions. The export agent for Twickenham Filni Studios Ltd. states that never within his long experience has this achievement been approached by a British film company.

Richard Tauber is to sing some of his own inusical compositions in his first .British picture, based on the life of Schubert, and to be made at Elstree. Meanwhile Tauber is doing his best to avoid taking cold, as one cold alone has been known to cost the' famous singer as much as £5,000.

Another famous Broadway musical stage show, George AVhite’s ‘ Scandals/ will soon make its screen appearance under the Fox banner. Twentyfour of the original ‘ Scandal ’ beauties will appear in the production, which will bo directed by its author.

Tom Walls, already a racehorse rider and owner of a Derby winner, has been gaining a new experience in riding—a steer. Clad in full cowboy regalia Tom mounted his strange new steed in the interests of ‘ Turkey Time,’ his most recent picture, and did so well that he was thrown in the studio corral! only once.

Leslie Henson, who can always be depended upon for excellent fooling, makes the most of a first-rate chance in ‘ It’s a Boy,’ the new GaumontBritish farcical comedy picture, which is now at the Grand. It also carries a good part for Edward Everett Horton, and gives Wendy Barrie, one of the youngest of Gaumont stars, her first chance in a featured role. The chain of absurdities begins with a bachelor, with a past, about to marry, and ends with the nuptial knot still to be tied. The obstacles strewn in the path of true love, and the methods of surmounting them, are highly satisfying farce-comedy fare. Among the cleverest features of much clever clowning is Henson’s _ handling of events in scenes in which, disguised as a woman, he is taken very much into the confidence of the feminine portion of the family of the bride-to-be.

“ My feet literally never touched the ground.” Betty Blythe, star of ‘Queen of Sheba ’ and other silent screen spectacles, was speaking. Back at the Fox Film studio, scene of her world-sweep-ing triumphs of a decade ago, Miss Blythe is playing the role of Mary Brian’s mother in ‘ Heir To The Hoorah ’ and dividing honours with George O’Brien, Herbert Mundin, and Miss Brian. “ When I was here before,” she laughed, “my fet almost never touched the ground. They had a limousine at the stage door to take me to my dressing-room bungalow, and when I was ready to go hack on the set a car was waiting to take me there, although it often was only a few steps.”

While he is interested in Russian affairs only so far as they represent to him a most daring experiment, Charles Bickford, the red-headed giant from Hollywood, who is now playing tbo star role in the British International Picture film ‘The Red Wagon,’ may accept an offer to direct a film for the Soviet. His only stipulation would b© that the story had merits as entertainment and was not merely a propaganda effort. The Sovkino, official film organisation of the Russian Government, is reported to he planning films on such lines, after having found by experience that Alms with no motive save political propaganda are not universally popular. The artistic achievements of Russian film producers have been widely recognised, and Mr Bickford feels interested in the prospect of directing a film where he could have complete freedom to render the story as he pleased.

The phenomenal popularity that Leslie Howard possesses was instanced by the season of the Dorchester production, ‘The Lady is Willing,’ in London, the Australian and New Zealand distributing rights of the film having been secured by Greater Australasian Filins Ltd. This is a production that is totally British in cast, while that famous director, Gilbert Miller, has been responsible for the production. Among tna artists which the film stars besides the celebrated Leslie Howard, are Binnie Barnes, Cedric Hardwicke, Claude Allister, Sir Nigel Playfair, and Nigel Bruce. ‘The Lady is Willing ’ is clue in New Zealand shortly.

Edward Sutherland, director in America of ‘ Sky Devils ’ and ‘ Secrets of the French Police,’ has been engaged by 8.1. P. to direct at Elstree. Sutherland was born in London in 1895, and in the old silent days was a Keystone comedian until Charlie Chaplin gave him a job on the directing staff and set his foot on the ladder of success.

Jean Harlow, in what she admits to be the most unusual rule of her career, is seen as a glamorous screen star whose life is made miserable by the antics of her Press agent, Lee Tracy; her liquor-loving father, Frank Morgan; her false lover, Franchot Tone; her director, Pat O’Brien; her secretary, Una Merkel; her brother, Ted Healv, and a score or more of other wellknown personalities who constitute what is practically an all-star cast. Directed by Victor Fleming, ‘ Blonde Bombshell,’ a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production, tells the story of the rise to fame of Lola Burns, characterised by Miss Harlow, her numerous love affairs, her family woes, her troubles with her producers, her atemtps to adopt a baby,, her eventual flight from the glare of publicity, and finally . her conquest of true love.

* Cavalcade’ was awarded the distinction of being the best film of 1933 in a picturegocrs’ ballot, recently conducted by the Christchurch ‘Sun.’ Over one-third of the total votes cast were in favour of ‘ Cavalcade,’ after which came ‘ Smilin’ Through,’ ‘ The Masquerader,’ ‘ State Fair,’ ‘ Tell Mo To-night,’ and ‘ The White Sister,’ in that order. The award for the best film (silent or talkie) ever seen was won by ‘ Disraeli,’ which polled twice as heavily as ‘ Ben Hur,’ the 1932 winner. ‘ Cavalcade ’ on this occasion was just as popular as ‘ Ben Hur,’ and then came ‘Sign of the Cross,’ ‘ Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,’ and ‘ Viennese Nights.’ With two and a-half times as many votes as Greta Garbo,

Janet Gaynor was voted the most popular actress. Next in order of favouritism were Norma Shearer, Elissa Landi, and Marie Dressier. Marlene Dietrich polled fairly well, and so did Irene Dunne and Gracio Fields. George Arliss and Ronald Colman tied for the honour of the favourite male star. Frederic March was next in popularity, followed fairly closely by Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, Warner Baxter, Clive Brook, Leslie Howard, and John Boles. By only one vote, Diana Wynyard’s performance in ‘ Cavalcade ’ took preference over Ronald Colman’s role in ‘ The Masquerader ’ as the best single acting performance of 1933. Then there was a big gap to George Arliss in ‘ The Working Man,’ and a further big gap to Marie Dressier in ‘Tugboat Annie,’ Walter Huston in ‘ Gabriel Over the White

House,’ Norma Shearer in ‘ Smilin’ Through,’ Charles Laughton in ‘ Sign of the Cross,’ and Lionel Barrymore in ‘Rasputin.’ Norma Shearer was acclaimed the most beautiful actress on the screen to-day. Two votes behind, tieing for second place in this section, came Elissa Landi and Marlene Dietrich. Next came Diana Wynyard, Janet Gaynor, Kay Francis, Lilian Harvey, Greta Garbo, Jotn Crawford, Claudette Colbert, Anne Grey, Irene Dunne, and Ann Harding. The most popular type of picture among Canterbury people proved to be comedydrama. Then came drama, musical comedy, comedy, travel, aid last of all

farce. The last two (and particularly farce) were well behind. Nobody, in fact, placed farce first in order of preference, only one put it second, and only one gave it third choice. * « • • Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn, Britaiu’s prize film fools endeavour to lay a ghost by the heels, but have to resort to “spiritual” assistance in ‘ Thark,’ Ben Traver’s new mystery farce, which comeif to the St. James Theatre after the ‘ Rome ’ Express ’ season. Those who see ‘ Thark ’ will be struck by the spontaneity of its humour, and will_ readily agree that it is the most hilarious Walls-Lynn comedy to date. Nowhere is this more marked than in the remarkably _ funny climax, when Ralph and Tom, in bed together in a “haunted” room, reach such a pitch of nervous tension that every noise and every movement is translated by them into evidence of a ghost. The last straw is added when the branch of a tree blows in through the window at the side of the bed with an awful clatter, bringing plaster down with it and sweeping its leaves across the feet of the dozing sleepers. The two heroes, who have hitherto saved their faces and dissembled their fear by various pretexts, start up convulsively in bed, Ralph shouting, “Police! fire I murder!” and Tom making choking noises at the top of his voice. Then, in awkward haste, Ralph dives out of bed his side for the electric light switch, while Tom leaps out his side for the monstrous “fowling piece” with which'he has prepared to meet the spectre. Mary Brough and Robertson Hare, two other prominent members of the Aldwych team, who have made their mark in movie favour, also occupy prominent roles. •#. 9 9

George O’Brien undoubtedly the most popular of the Western stars, will be seen again shortly at the

Strand Theatre, in a Zane Grey production, ‘ The Last Trail.’ The story concerns itself with a group ofracketeers ” from a big city, who try to. break in on a new “racket.” They have abandoned beer-running for cattle rustling, and make an attempt to transplant their forceful methods from the metropolis to the canyons of the primitive West. They encounter a new type of opposition in this territory, the. opposition of men more dangerous and daring than they ever dreamed, of being themselves. ‘ The Last Trail ’ is said to be a film that combines the sophistication of the large cities with the simple openness of the West. It depicts a new and different kind of winning _of the West. With the attempt to introduce new methods of doing “ business ” among the cattle raisers, the story combines adventure, comedy and romance.

Claire Trevor, the young stag© star who will be remembered for her recent screen debut opposite George O’Brien in ‘ Life in the Raw,’ has the leading feminine role again in this one. Her rise among the newer players in the Fox Studios has been a rapid one, and she holds great promise for a brilliant future as a leading lady of the screen. The comedy of ‘ The Last Trail ’ is in the hands of El Brendel, Matt M‘Hugh, and Lucille La Verne. Others in the cast are J. Carrol Naish, George Reed. Ruth Warren, and Luis Alberni.