SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 22228, 4 January 1936, Page 5

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

With a most entertaining selection of shorts and a murder mystery played m i the vein of humour —a type which has become very popular of late —the programme to open a at the St. . 'James on Friday is certain to meet ■with general approval. The combination of mystery and humour has been successfully used in ‘The Thin Man and ‘ Star of Midnight.’ In ‘ One New York Night ’ there comes another in which the two are equally skilfully : ' thlended.' The atmosphere of the_ film , is similar to that of * Grand Hotel ’ in | that the whole action takes place j within the walls of a metropolitan hotel. Here dozens of people of van-, ous walks of life become involved in the murder mystery, . and none with more complications than a young ranch owner from Wyoming. Franchot Tone, whoso, performance in the ‘ Bengal Lancers ’ film will he recalled, plays the part of tho intensely serious young man from the ranches who comes to New ’ York in search of a wife, who must be a brunette. He ' becomes entangled ; with a ■ blonde, Una Merkel, the- telephone. operator in the hotel, aiid the ; pair become unwittingly drawn into’ the murder mystery. The young rancher, discovering the murder in the . room next to his at the hotel, sets tout to probe . its secret, when the body suddenly disappears., Later he offer? his assistance to the blonde_ in_ her search of a bracelet, which' if discovered in the room of the dead man will incriminate another. His interest in the affair is wholly gallant, hut Una Merkel’s wholly feminine. She desires to marry. There are manv amusing developments as she entangles him in her net. and eventually the cowman takes a blonde and not a brunette hack to Wyoming. The simplicity of the cowman is admirably offset by the designing young operator, and both roles are admirably played. Conrad Nagel and a big cast arc in support. ,

There is a wonderful ballet in ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ called ‘ The Nocturnal.’ In this Nina Theilade is the principal dancer, and Bronislava Nrjinska is responsible for the arrangement of the ballet. The ballets were difficult to film as_ there are so many “trick” effects in them; but even harder was the making of the masks that are worn by many players. They have been designed _ by Anton Grdt, and are a combination of sculpture with the art of make-up. Several, hundreds are used, and each one reproduces a specific human face. Plaster casts were made on' the faces for which the masks were intended, and on these casts the final -masks were built. In this- way the grotesque or. comio.masks are made to match the real features of the girl or man who wears them. Hundreds of properties had to be provided, all of them far away from those used in ah ordinary film. Men scouted round the country for weeks looking for the right type of props.. for the fantastic settings of the film. Other props, had to be manufactured, such as tbo nonexistent instruments used for the playing of the fairy symphony. There was one tragedy in connection with the making of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ and that befell little Mickey Rooney, the child chosen to play Puck. It was his great chance, and he was so happy. One week-end, not long after the film started, he went to Big Bear for some winter sports. He was coming down a steep run on a bobsleigh when the thing turned over and his leg was broken. But Max Reinhardt was not going to lose Mickey. So" it was arranged . that for the six weeks Mickey had to lie up they shot all the parts of the film in which he did not play. The close-ups, however, were shot with Mickey lying on a couch with his leg in a splint. It is expected that ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Dream ’ will be released early in the New Year by Warner Brothers. ~,

* Bonnie Scotland,’ a full-length feature starring Laurel and Hardy, will be among the first of the season’s films by . M.G.M. to be screened in DOnedin. In a new setting and with many adventures to meet on the way, these priceless comedians act in a manner that will entertain and delight all types of audiences. *.* * • * Romeo and Juliet,’ the M.G.M. 'adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal work, will star Norma Shearer. ‘ The Perfect Gentleman ’ (also by the same company) will bring Cicely Courtneidge in her first Hollywood film.. Frank Morgan, Heather Angel, Henry Stephenson, and Herbert Mundin are also in the cast.

Elaine Barrie, the recent object of John Barrymore’s affections, is preparing to go into vaudeville. She is also writing the history of their romance for newspaper serialisation.

‘ Sequoia ’ has been judged by the Rumanian censors to be of such educational, value and artistic merit that they have exempted it from the national film tax.

Never before in the history .of the company has Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had such a formidable list of stars and features as for the year 1936. Thirtysix star productions and special featurettes have been announced, and the bulk of these are to be shown at the St. James during the year. Previous years have established Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and to-day the films issued will challenge comparison with the product of any other company. The new year’s line-up will serve the purpose of even more - securely cementing the understanding between the company and the vast army of. theatregoers. Such favourites as Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Franchot Tone, Ronald Colman, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Lewis Stone, Johnny Weissmuller, William Powell, Laurel and Hardy, Joel : M'Crea, Cicely Courtneidge,, Spencer Tracy, Edmund Gv.Vmri, Norman Foster, Chester Morris, Jeanette MacDonald, and Nelson Eddy (of imperishable fame in ‘ Naughty Marietta ’), Norma Shearer, Adrienne Ames, Lionel Barrymore, Freddie Bartholomew, Luiso Rainer (the sensational, Continental star), Myrna Loy, Brian Aherne, June Knight, and Una Merkel are but a few of the stars who will appeav in M.G.M films. , , * * * * Charlie Chaplin will- reappear in Dunedin soon in.‘Modern Times.’ This is confidently expected to be Chaplin’s greatest comedy. Chaplin has achieved imperishable fame, and it is expected that his latest comedy will establish new box office records for theatres in the Dominion. Samuel Goldwyn, who is -a symbol of all that is finest in motion picture production, will release through United Artists ‘ The Dark Angel,’ starring Fredric March, Merle Oberon, and Herbert Marshall. Eddie Cantor in ‘ Shoot the Chutes ’ and Miriam Hopkins in ‘ Barbary Coast,’ ‘ Splendour,’ and ‘ Navy Born,’ are also from the Goldwyn studios., Alexander Korda, the British producer for London Films, who almost singlehanded raised the British film industry from the shadows of mediocrity to a foremost place in the world market, will release six pictures through United Artists. ‘The Man Who Could Work Miracles ’ and 1 Things to Come ’.-have been specially adapted by H. G. / Wells to the screen. ‘ Things to Come ’ is the most expensive picture ever made in England. Its_ cost already exceeds a quarter of a million pounds, m • • • Another libel suit based on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s ‘ Rasputin ’ is being brought by a Russian prince, who alleges that his name was used in the film. *■* * » A Miss Etta Sax is suing Universal for £300,000, alleging that an original story of hers was stolen and used as the basis for ‘King of Jazz.’

Miriam Hopkins is adding a ‘ Barbary Coast ’ room to her Santa Monica house. It will be decorated with old pieces collected by Samuel Goldwyn as'“ props.” for his production, ‘Barbary Coast,’ which brings Miriam Hopkins, Edward G. Robinson, and Joel M'Crae together. Among the items purchased from the studio by the charming blonde star were an old oil lamp used in tbe original Homestead mine; four oil paintings that hung in an old Barbary Coast saloon; part of an old bar from a mining town tap room; a service of old Spanish silver brought from Spain around- the Cape in the ’so’s; and a pair of gold-weigh-ing scales originally used in a grocery in San Francisco when gold'dust was the standard of exchange. ‘ Barbary Coast ’ is released by United Artists. » » * * Margaret Callahan, RKO Radio “ find,” who plays her first feminine lead opposite Gene Raymond in ‘ Seven Keys to Baldpate,’ has one of the most unique hobbies in the film colony. With delicate watchmaker’s tools _ she spends many of her evenings repairing jewel-lery-—a pastime that dates back to her boarding school days and a broken clasp on a brooch. . »- ».• - * The acting of Harry _ Baur, the famous Continental star, in the London Film production, ‘ Moscow Nights,’ is the topic of conversation in London to-day. He was engaged by Alexander Korda to play the role of Brioukow in the film. For years Baur has- been the idol of French picture lovers, and now the English-speaking world can share him too. fle played the same role in the French version, ‘ Les Nuits Moscovites,’ which is enormously popular on the . Continent. The premiere screening of this film recently at the Leicester Square Theatre was one of tho social events of the year. A distinguished audience included the Duke and Duchess of Kent. United Artists will release ‘ Moscow Nights.’ i«• • • ‘The Old Nest,’ a silent success of 15 years ago, is to be remade by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ,

Alfred Hitchcock, who made ‘ The Man Who Knew Too Much,’ has again made real entertainment out of a “ thrill ” plot. The original in this case is one of the most popular novels written by John Buchan, how Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor - General of Canada. The director has taken very extended liberties with the book, ‘ The 39 Steps,’ but he has the justification that his variations have taken it out of the class of war thrillers and. added a love interest and an excellent atmosphere of mour. The’ picture off|rs a series of high-speed pursuit episodes, with the hero making a spectacular train descent from the famous Forth Bridge, a good, humorous interlude, when he is handcuffed to the girl who gave him up, and an effective last scene when the spy gang is rounded up in a London variety hall. The cast is a strong one, Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll heading it ‘ The 39 Steps ’ hull be screened at the State Theatre on Friday next. * * * * Ginger Rogers, golden-haired dancing partner of Fred Astaire, has reached film stardom on her ownl Promoted to the brightest electric lights strictly on her growing merits and on , her astonishing popularity all over the world, Ginger bows prettily to her huge public in the leading role of a romantic comedy with a few songs ‘ In' Person.’ « • • • Announcement that he has perfected a practical third dimension process for screen cartoons as a resut of experiments extending over a period of years was made by Max Fleischer, producer for the Paramount studios of ‘ Popeye the Sailor, ‘ Betty Boop,’ and other film caricatures. “I have just completed a series of experiments with some new attachments to ■ our equipment which will not only increase depth effects in our pictures by 75 per cent., hut will have the effect of our characters operating well within the scene instead of in the foreground as before,” Fleischer reported. “ A preliminary test has proved the new development to bo practical, and I am rushing our machinists to the utmost to apply the new departure to ‘ Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor.’ the two-reel colour picture now in preparation at the Paramount studios.”

Leaping to the aid of a player paralysed by current from a short-circuited.' electric cable on a Paramount sound stage, Carl Brisson recently saved a man from deatli by electrocution. Both the star’s hands were painfully burned in the rescue. The accident occurred during the production of Brisson’s picture, ‘Ship Cafe.’ Brisson and a group of players were supposed to be stokers aboard an ocean liner, and were shovelling coal into the furnaces. Suddenly. Harry Woods, the actor, next to Brisson, stiffened and shrieked. Bine sparks shot from an iron pinch bar he was using to shake down the fire. Realising that a wire from one of the powerful arc lights used to illuminate the set must have become short-cir-cuited with the metal furnace o , and that the heavy voltage was flowing through Woods’s body, Brisson leaped at him, and knocked the bar from his grasp.

‘ The Crusades,’ produced by Cecil B. De Mille for Paramount Pictures, which has iust commenced its release throughout New Zealand, can be counted among the greatest historical romances ever to be brought to the screen. It takes its place alongside such memorable pictured as ‘ The Ten Commandments,’ ‘ The King of Kings,’ and ‘ The Sign of the Cross.’ ‘ The Crusades ’ tells t! ie story of supercharged conflicts in history arising at times of great crisis in the human race. The picture is set in the twefth century, . when all Christendom went on the inspired mission of rescuing the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre, from the power of Islam. ' The daring venture aroused millions to a pitch of eestacy and excitement which communicates itself powerfully to audiences watching the vast armies of knights in armour, the tremendous war machines, the war galleys, the Siege of Acre, the cavalry battle under the walls of Jerusalem. and allrthe pomp and splendour of the holy war against the infidels. Into the splendid pageantry of ‘The Crusades,’ De Mille has skilfully woven a moving love, story among the most memorable of screen romances. It tells of the love between Richard the Lion Heart, played by Henry Wilcoxon. and Berengaria, Princess of Navarre, played by Loretta Young. In strongly emotional roles the two stars perform thrillingly, making ‘ The Crusades ’ as alive and glowing as the most modern love story. • * * * Carl Brisson’s latest picture, ‘ The Bouncer,’ has had its title changed to 1 Ship Cafe.’ • * » * Paramount have engaged Herbert Marshall for two pictures in 1936. The first will probably be ‘ Reunion,’ a war spy story. * * » * Gregory Ratoff has signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, under which he will act, write, and direct.

“Good, honest fun” is how, the critic of ‘ The British Film Weekly ’ described the Gainsborough production ‘Boys Will Be Boys,' starring Will Hay, which will begin at the Regent Theatre on Friday next. That is true, but putting it very mildly; for this is without doubt one of the most hilarious films ever made in England. Taken from the gamous Narkover stories by “ Beachcomber,” the plot deals with the misadventures which befall D( Alec Smart (Will Hay) as the bewildered bead master of a public school where all the pupils are potential criminals. It is all to the advantage of the entertainment that the star is on the screen almost the whole time, working off his gags in a way ithat cannot fail to provoke roars of merriment—his disapproval' of, and final oonvetsion to gambling; his embarrassment at meeting a pupil.who knows much more about the lesson than himself: his cross-purposes argument with a boy who says ‘ How Hi is a Chinaman”: and, funniest of all, his antics on the football field. This last sequence ends the film on a note of frienzied hilarity. Gordon Harker, Claude Dampier, Davy Burnaby, and Jimmy Hanley are the supporting artists entrusted with the task of extracting laughs from the farcical story, and their team work, aided by resourceful direction, is marvellous. ••• • 1 Barbara Stanwyck and her husband, Frank Fay, have decided to separate. • • t» • A worthy successor to ‘ The Lives of a Bengal Lancer,’ Paramount’s ‘ The Last Outpost,’ the story of which pays similar tribute to the courage- and loyalty of British war officers, has commenced its New Zealand release on a very sound footing, opening at the Regent Theatre, Wellington, on Christmas Day. The picture was rewarded by a packed house, and the audience reaction augurs Well for its continued success right throughout. New Zealand, Claude Rains, in one of the leading roles in this courageous drama set in the fascinating Sudan country, delivers a vivid, outstanding performance as a British secret service agent. A notable portrayal as his brother officer and rival for the affections of the same woman whose love for one breaks up their friendship only to reunite them in a stronger spirit of comradeship is given by Cary Grant. Gertrude Michael, as the woman both men love, is laudable and appealing in her part,

Margot Grahame and Walter Abel are to co-star in ‘ Two O’Clock Courage ’ for Radio. • * * • Twentieth Century-Fox have bought the screen rights to Jack Loudon’s story, ‘ White Fang.’ .. % • 1 ' The picture which George Raft and Joan Bennett have made together for Columbia has had four titles so far: * Rich Man’s Daughter,’ ‘She Couldn’t Take It,’ ‘ Rich Girl’s Folly,’ and now back again to ‘ She Couldn’t Take It.’ * « * * Mac West, now appearing in ‘ Klondike Lou ’ for Paramount, gets more “fan mail” weekly than any other top-ranking screen star. •*■ * » The celebrated Spivakovsky-Kurtz trio of instrumentalists is to make another concert tour of New Zealand under the direction of Mr D. D. O’Connor. Two recitals are to be given in Dunedin, probably bn January 30 and 31, in the Concert Chamber. Entirely new programmes will be presented, including trios by Ravel, Beethoven, and' Mendelssohn. . Tossy Spivakovsky’s violin solos will include the Bach ‘Chaconne,’ Corelli’s ‘La Folia,’ and smaller numbers by Szymanowsky, Ravel, Debussy, and Mouret. Edmund Kurtz will play ’cello sonatas _by Haydn, Locatelli, Debussy, . and Richard Strauss, and Jascha Spivakovsky’s pianoforte items will include Schumann’s ‘Carnival’ and the Beethoven 'Les Adieux ’ sonata. • . • 1 ♦ • ’ The problems of a private secretary are briskly dealt ryith in Claudette Colbert’s new Columbia, picture,' ‘ She Married Her Boss,’ which opens at tho Empire Theatre on Friday. Produced by the same company that gave you Miss Colbert in ‘lt ' Happened pne Night,’ the new film has the same buoyance and freshness that made its predecessor a five-way prize-winner. Miss Colbert herself is delightful; her inherent charm and vivacity have never been shown to better advantage. An a very efficient secretary, who carelessly falls in love with her boss, she sees to it that ho takes time off one day to buy her a wedding ring. That proves a costly mistake, for the marriage turns out to bo one of the maddest things one can imagine. The fun continues 1 fast and furious, and Miss Colbert as the, storm centre. Melvyn Douglas does a fine job as the frantic boss, and Michael Bartlett, last seen in Graco Moore’s ‘Love Me is thoroughly engaging as a devil-may-care chap who tries to manage the secretary’s .affairs for‘her.

LOOK OUT! IT BURNS! WARNING TO BATHERS, AND A LITTLE ADVICE. Sunburn is a burn. Just as painful and harmful as any other kind of burn. Therefore, treat it as a burn. Use Q-Tol Skin Emollient. , , ' Q-Tol stops the cruel pain in 30 seconds. Soothes and softens dry, scorched skin. Prevents blistering. Greaseless, too—so will not stain dainty clothes. Avoid useless, harmful pastes and .dyes that clog the pores. Bathers, tennis players—everyone! Be sure you have Q-Tol. Take a bottle home for the veek-end.—[Advt.l