NEXT WEEK'S ATTRACTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 22252, 1 February 1936, Page 5

NEXT WEEK'S ATTRACTIONS

‘ Photoplay ’ gives three A’s to ‘ Shipmates Forever, the latest Warner Bros.’ production, which will commence its Dunedin season at the Regent Theatre following ‘ Legion of Valour.’ Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler are teamed together again in this vehicle, and they are responsible for some very elegant entertainment. With three excellent song hits and a first-class story woven round life in the United States navy, ‘ Shipmates Forever ’ ran justifiably be classed as one of the brightest shows of the year. This new Warner Bros.’ cosmopolitan production depicts

in colourful way the life led by midshipmen. Dramatic to a degree that 's exciting, the film also has its lighter side, when the audience is swept into a New York night club with its song and dance. Admiral Richard John Melville, commander-in-chief of the navy, a role played with admirable distinction by Lewis Stone, has a son, Richard John HI. (Dick Powell), who is very popular in tbe New York music hall, ami does not wish to follow the illustrious steps of the Melvilles in the navy. Finally, goaded by his father’s scorn, he takes the Annapolis examination and enrolls, intending to refuse his commission upon graduation. Despised as a snob, he heroically saves the life of liis room mate, and suddenly acquires an appreciation of the academy’s traditions. The story offers a host of good laughs and a few tense, dramatic situations. More important by far, it provides Dick and Ruby with ideal opportunities to sing and dance And they make the most of them.

‘ The Goose and the Gander,’ a comedy-drama involving a unique love tangle, will open at the St. James Theatre next Friday, with Kay Francis and George Brent in the featured roles. The plot involves both the theft of hearts and of jewels, is set in the gayest of atmospheres and carries most exciting situations. The story evolves about the plot of a divorced wife to get even with the pretty blonde who stole her husband’s heart. She manoeuvres

the second wife and her escort, with whom she is planning a trip to the mountains while her husband is away on business, into her lodge, where they are compelled to spend the night. At the same time she invites the ex-hus-band to visit her. With all under one roof, and a robber and his wife, who have run out of gas, thrown in for good measure, there ensure many lively, exciting, and embarrassing _ situations which culminate in a surprising climax. Kay Francis and George Brent spent a whole week in gaol during the production of ‘ The Goose and the Gander.’ The gaol selected was a modern bastille in Barbank, California, where the two were incarcerated on ’suspicion of burglary. They were given the freedom of the place between, shots, and

'spent their time hobnobbing with the prisoners. They left their autographs with the bona fide inmates.’ “ Not such a bad place at that,” remarked Miss Francis. “ No,” said Brent, “ not if you get. out when you want to.”

Ho was the big boss of everything, except his own emotions! Jack Holt, starring in the Columbia drama, ‘ Awakening of Jim Burke,’ which opens at the Strand next Friday, answers to the above description. He’s seen in the picture as a hard-boiled, two-fisted construction boss on an engineering project. Ak the local storekeeper’s attractive daughter, Florence Rice, taunts Holt into realising his paternal responsibilities toward his twelve-year-old son, played by Jimmy Butler. Kathleen Burke, as Holt’s designing girl friend, attempts to estrange the boy from his father, hoping to further her own ends. Wryley Birch, Robert Middlemass, Ralph Reinley, and George M'Kay are also to be seen in ‘ Awakening of Jim Burke.l A unique story, cleverly turned, excellently acted, beautifully staged—that is ‘Behold My Wife,’ Sylvia Sidney’s new starring picture, which will be the supporting feature.

Paul Robeson, who is at present singing over the radio in New York,, after a concert tour in England and France, will go to Hollywood shortly;, to appear in ‘ Show Boat ’ for Universal Pictures.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are now looking for a singing Romeo to play in tha Nelson Eddy-Jeanette 'Macdonald picture, ‘ Rose Marie.’ The prologue to the film includes excerpts from Gounod’s opera.

The comedian Hugh Herbert will star in ‘ Ho Flies Through the Air,’ a new; version of ‘ The Hottentot,’ which Warner Bros, intend to produce. ‘ Tha Hottentot ’ was last made as a talkia in 1929. Edward Everett Horton played the lead. '

Now that her marriage to John Barrymore has broken up, Dolores Costello is returning to the screen. Her; part will be that of “ Dearest ” in tha United Artists’ film ‘ Little Lord Fauntleroy.’ Freddie Bartholomew will play Lord Fauntleroy, Dolores Costello made her first screen appearance when she was six years old. Her father was Maurice Costello, stage and screen idol of 20 years back. He took her to tha Vitagraph studios, and she got a part a 3 a small boy. She married John Barrymore after they had appeared in ‘ Thai Sea Beast.’

Elstree is in the throes of making its greatest mystery picture. It is ‘As You Like It,’ starring Elizabeth Bergner. Visitors are strictly barred from the set. Stalwart commissionaires stand on guard outside the entrance doors to the sound stage. It is more than their jobs are worth for them to allow anybody even to peep on to the sacred set. A publicity announcement states: “Under the direction of Miss Bergner’s husband, Paul Czinner, tbaf first British sound film of a Shakespearean play is taking the form of a> springtime romance,” but that is almost all the information available! about the film. The only ,other details are about the cast, which includes Laurence Olivier as Orlando, Sophie Stewart as Celia, Mackenzie Ward as Touchstone, Henry Ainley as the banished duke, and Leon Quartermaine as Jacques. Hal Rosson is the photographer. It is by no means unusual for visitors to be banned from the set; when a star is working in a scene. If the star is at all nervous of strangers this is perfectly reasonable. But ■ in! such cases the star will almost always speak to interviewers between scenes,, and will be accessible when she is not working. \ * '

Seventy-six people in every 100 whcf attend cinemas see a picture once a’ week or more often, the business audi clerical classes provide most film fans,, and rather less than 1 per cent, of them are unemployed. These conchw sions may be drawn from an analysis of the first 10,000 replies received by; London Film Productions to their na* tional questionnaire. In actual fact* however, few r people wholly disinterested in films would take the trouble to fill in a form. It may be deduced, there* fore, that the proportion of filmgoera to the total population is not so highl as the figures suggest. Analysis of the replies reveals that people attend in) this fashion: Daily, 153; four times ai week, 113; three times a Week, 819;| twice a week, 2,760; once a week* 3,792; once every 10 days, 260; oncei a fortnight, 814; once a month, 416; occasionally, 824 It will be seen than these figures total only 9,951. The reason is that 349 voters did not reply; to the question. Equally interesting are the other answers. Here are the filmgoers’ ages analysed: Under 15, 139;j 15-21. 1,733; 22-45, 5,989 ; 46-60, 1,461;1 over 61, 403. It wull be observed that the cinema is pre-eminently the amuse* ment of the young and early middle* aged.