SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 22631, 24 April 1937, Page 6

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Walter Connolly, featured in dozens of stage and screen hits, makes his latest appearance on the screen in the leading role of Paramount’s release, ‘ Soak the Rich,’ the new Ben HechtCharles MacArthur comedy which opens on Friday at the Octagon. Connolly heads a cast, which includes John Howard and Mary Taylor, as well as Alice Duer Miller, famed magazine writer, who makes her debut as an actress in this picture. ‘ Soalk the Rich' is the latest of a series of films written, directed, and produced by the Hecht-MacArthur combination. It is Connolly’s first role since So Red the Rose,’ in which he appeared as the m|ster of a Mississippi plantation in •the days of the war between the States. In ‘ Soak the Rich ’ he is cast as a i wealthy financier who has endowed a large university. His troubles begin when students at the school revolt in protest against the suspension of a popular professor, accused of radical views. But the crowning blow is the discovery that his own daughter, a student at the school, is chief assistant to the leader of the revolt. Pampered and coddled all ; her life, she’has “ fallen ” for the student leader because he is the first person who has ever treated her as anything but a minor deity. The remainder of the story is a succession of comedy incidents, developing into more and more humorous complications as the plot reaches its climax. John Howard, recently featured in ‘ Annapolis Farewell ’ and ‘ Millions in the Air,’ is cast as the leader of the students. Miss Taylor is known as highest-paid society model in New York and a, veteran of summer theatres.

‘ Come Out of the Pantry/ now at the Mayfair, is rich comedy, with Jack Buchanan in the role of a penniless peer, who, finding himself stranded in New York, is obliged to take a job as a footman in a Fifth Avenue household. There he falls in love with his employer’s pretty niece (Fay Wray), and after sundry adventures persuades her to share his title. A Glaswegian, Jack Buchanan was born in 1891, and at the age of 20 made his stage debut in Glasgow and his first London appearance in 1917 at the Apollo Theatre. He made his American debut in 1934, with Gertrude Lawrence, and played in several Broadway productions. In London and America he produced ‘ The Battling Butler,’ and played ■ the title role. Another stage success was ‘That’s a Good Girl,’ which ran for 16 months in London. In 1928 he went to Hollywood under contract to Warners,; and appeared in several productions, including ‘Paris.’ He was featured in Paramount’s production, ‘ Monte Carlo,’ with Jeanette MacDonald. In 1931 he appeared in ‘ Man of Mayfair,’ and in 1932-33 in ‘ Yes, Mr Brown.’ (B. and D.), ‘ That’s a Good Girl,’ ’and a year later in ‘Sons of Guns ’ (B. and.D.). In 1935 he starred in ‘ Brewster’s Millions ’ (B. and D.). Jack Buchanan also manages Leicester Square Theatre, London, running pre-releases for United Artists.

As gay and merry a comedy as you could wish to see comes -on Friday to the Octagon in Paramount’s ‘Let’s Make a Million,’ a story of one man’s bonus and how it grew, with Edward Everett Horton ,as .the vet. and charming Charlotte Wynters as the girl he intended to marry—without reckoning with the “pixilated” sisters. To Horton, a typical small-town business man in a typical American small towri, the bonus is nothing short of a godsend. One of the things .he wants to do is to make Miss Wynters his wife. But his. maiden aunts, played by Margaret Seddon and Margaret M‘Wade, the famous “ pixilated ” pair, have other plans for his money. They want him to use it to buy a monument to honour his grandfather, the founder of the town, and when _he balks they resort to convenient faints and the other tricks which made them famous. But everything works out very nicely, you may be sure, after Horton loses not only all of his own money in a stock swindle, but the money of most of his pals who wanted to make millions with their bonus money. But Horton not only gets his mo.ney back in an entirely unsuspected way, but becomes a rich man. lie film ends with him and Miss Wynters bound for Niagara Halls after a series of hilarious circumstances which kept last night’s audience in one continuous gale or laughter. _ Porter Hall, one of the finest villains ever created by films, is bn hand again with new villainy in this film. His confederate is played by Purnell Pratt. J. M. Kerrigan, famous Irish character player, is also in the cast.

‘ Tlx© Charge of the Light Brigade ’ is coming shortly to the Empire. A gripping interest and accuracy' have been secured even in the smallest details of the uniforms' of the 15,000 extras who take part in the final battle scene. The scene opens on the Northwest Frontier of India, and the efforts of the British troops and sepoys to maintain order in the face of the scheming of Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon), who murders part of the garrison and the women and-• children of the 27th Lancers. Olivia de Havilland, daughter of the garrison commander, is betrothed to a captain of the Lancers (Errol Flynn), but while he is away on the frontier she falls in love with his younger brother (Patrick Knowles). She cannot subdue this love, and when war • breaks out with Russia and_ the two brothers are transferred to Crimea she confesses her affection. The elder brother pledges himself to do all he can to keep his younger brother from danger. Surat Khafi. finds the frontier too hot for him after the massacre which he instigated and flees to Russia and the Crimea. Here the elder brother deliberately changes an order for retreat into one of attack, and sends his brother back with the message to headquarters. _ The film is very capably directed by Michael Curtis.

One of the most uproarious laugh riots of the year comes to the Empire screen shortly with the release of the Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer , production, ‘ Piccadilly Jim.’ starring Robert Montgomery. Of all the hilarious comedies written by the brilliant British humorist, P. 6. Wodehouse, ‘ Piccadilly Jim ’ has been proclaimed his funniest. The.picture brings together for the first time in three years the romantic team of Montgomery and Madge Evans. They were last seen together in ‘ Lovers Courageous.’ Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who made ‘ The Great Ziegfeld,’ the new picture gives Montgomery and Miss Evans a stellar supporting cast that includes a new comedy team, Frank Morgan and Billie Burke, in addition to Eric Blore, Robert Benchlcy, Ralph Forbes, Cora Witherspoon, Grant Mitchell, Aileen Pringle, and Billy Bevan. As Montgomery’s stepmother, Billie Burke makes her first screen appearance under the terms of her new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract. Too, the new picture brings Montgomery and Morgan together for the second time. Their last appearance together was in

‘ Trouble for Two.’ In 1 Piccadilly Jim ’ Morgan plays ' Montgomery’s father, a has-been Shakespearean actor. ‘ Piccadilly Jim ’ is the story of a young American caricaturist in London who plunges into romantic difficulties by unknowingly burlesquing in a comic strip the family of the girl with whom he is in love. The settings of London and New York and the transatlantic steamer backgrounds are described as among the most beautiful ever designed by Cedric Gibbons. Harry Rapf was the producer.