SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 22975, 4 June 1938, Page 6

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

CITY RELEASES CURRENT AND COMING ATTRACTIONS PUGILISTIC BEERY JUNIOR. Strand, Friday: 'Some Blondes Are Dangerous ’ (Universal), Noah Beery, Nan Grey, William Gargan, Dorothy Kent. Type: Boxing drama. ‘ Murder in Greenwich Village’ (Columbia), Richard Arlen, Fay Wray, Type: Murder mystery. Screening time, 69min. When Universal §tudios prepared to cast principal roles in ‘ Some Blondes Are Dangerous/ there was no hesitation jn selecting Noah Beery, jun., for the part of “ Bud Mason,” the “iron man ” of the ring about whom the action takes place. Since boyhood, Beery has been a notable ’boxer among the younger members of the motion picture colony," and no matter how busy he has been making pictures, there is scarcely a week passes that he does not cross gloves with some notable pro- ' fessional or some husky actor. In * Some Blondes Are Dangerous,’ which also features two noted professional pugilists, Beery had not only to give, but take a senes of resounding wallops with the gloves, for the script required that he should engage in two fierce glove encounters. Death and laughter pool their resources for entertainment’s sake in ‘Murder in Greenwich Village.’ There may not be anything funny about a murder—or even two murders—but the complications arising therefrom might possibly be humorous if done as cleverly as this film is supposed to be. Richard Arlen, lately featured in ‘ Artists and Models ’ and ‘ Silent Barriers,’ plays the leading foie in the picture. Fay ‘ Wray, whose most recent appearance was in ‘ It Happened in Hollywood,’ portrays the leading feminine part. These two stars, incidentally, have to their credit a long string of successful screen appearances together. “ETERNAL TRIANGLE” AGAIN. -Regent, Friday: ‘Between Two Women’ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Franchot Tone, Maureen O’Sullivan, Virginia Bruce. Type: Romantic drama. Screening time, 89min. The story of ‘ Between Two Women,’ depicting life in a hospital, was an original, based on actual observations by Erich Von Stroheim, one of the most colourful characters in Hollywood, formerly a noted director. Tone is excellent in the role. of an ambitious young interne. Miss Bruce is an heiress who goes to the hospital as a patient and falls in love with him. Miss O’Sullivan appears as a nurse, unhappily married, who secretly loves the interne herself. Doctor and heiress marry, and their, union .is a failure. She concern, trates on another man, also a doctor.Tone knows, that he loves the nurse. Then her husband is brought in as an emergency case. If he lives, they will be separated for ever. Should he die, the way is open to them for happiness. Tone operates and saves his life. The story is strengthened by effective backgrounds and, realistic: atmosphere. The'players, are .at their best,.-without exception;. -In the- supporting cast are Cliff Edwards,- as a reporter; Helen '.Troy, as a telephone operator; Janet Beecher, Broadway ■ stage star, as head nurse; Leonard Penn, actor-hnshand of Gladys George, as a sadistic surgeon; and Charlie .Grapewin, Grace_ Ford, June Clayworth, Edward Norris, Anthonv Nace, and Hugh Marlowe. The excellent direction was by George Seitz. FOURTH TIME TOGETHER. Malfair, now screening: ‘ The Last of Mrs Cheyney ’ (Metro-Gold- . wyn-Mayer), Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery. Type: Comedyromance. Screening time, 96min. ‘Under the Red Rob% ’ (Twentieth Century-Fox), Conrad Veidt, Annabella. Type: Drama. Screening time, 85min. For the fourth time in six years Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery are teamed in the type of intriguing comedy that has placed them both in the top ranks of stardom. This time they are reunited in the production of -Frederic Londsdale’s sensational stage play, ‘ The Last of Mrs Cheyney.’ Miss Crawford appears as the delightful adventuress, Fay Cheyney, and Montgomery as the, persistent, titled wooer, Lord Arthur Billing. William Powell plays the role of the distinguished butler. ‘ The Last of Mrs Cheyney ’ was- directed by Richard Boleslawski with l one of the year’s strongest comedy supporting casts. There are lavish settings by Cedrio Gibbons "with a regal English background. One of the most remarkably cosmopolitan gatherings of talent that the screen has presented in some time is represented in the cast and staff of ‘ Under the Red Robe.’ Based on the famous,best-seller by Stanley J. Weyman and the play by Edward Rose, ‘ Under the Red Robe ’ gathers its leading figures from many parts of the world. / . COW CAUSES CHICAGO BLAZE. Octagon, how screening: ‘ln Old Chicago ’ (Twentieth CenturyFox), IVrone Power, Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Brian Dbnlevy, Alice Brady, Andy Devine. Type: Spectacular drama. Prometheus, Nero, and O’Leary—these are the names of the great firebringers. Prometheus has always been a hero. Nero is still one of the great villains of history.. But there’s always been, some doubt about where the O’Learys stood. Those doubts the Twentieth Century-Fox producers of ‘ln Old Chicago ’ set themselves to resdlve. ... One school of thought maintains that it was indeed Daisy ■ who Idckedl over the kmp and started the blaze, but that,it wasn’t Daisy’s fault. The second approach to. the cause of the fire blames Daisy., She was a cow with *x misdirected mind of her owil according to this theory. Then there was an earnest group who stoutly asserted that neither Daisy nor the O’Learys had anything to do with the holocaust. The thought of these people was embodied—rone might almost say embalmed—in a little pamphlet, entitled ‘ Inquiry Into the Causes of the Chicago Fire Proving it Couldn t have been started by the hand or a cow.* In absolving the O Lear3 T s and their bovine adjunct of all, blame, the author made use of a diagram and two maps designed to show that the fire which some observer saw in the O’Learys’ barn was really a reflection from some other blaze. It was all very involved, but the O’Learys came out fif it with fine characters.

27 COMMAND PERFORMANCES. St. James, now screening: ‘Artists and Models’ (Paramount), Jack Benny, Ida Lupino, Richard Arlen, Gail Patrick. Type: Musical comedy. Screening time, 91min. Ben Blue, the comedian whose wistful face and rubber legs furnish much of the “ side-splitting ” humour in Par-a-mount’s ‘Artists and Models,’ has the unique distinction of being the only American comedian ever to be called for 27 command performances before the British Royal Family in London. Last year Ben joined George Burns and Gracie Allen in their “ personal appearance ” tour, and it was through this top-flight team of comics that he got his first film opportunity. Burns induced Paramount to cast Ben in ‘ College Holiday,’ in which he was a sensation. He has also appeared in Paramount’s musical ‘ Turn Off the Moon,’ and in ‘ High, Wide, and Handsome,’ with Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott. The services of six of the greatest artists in the world—Peter Arno, McClelland Barclay, Arthur William Brown, Rube Goldberg, John LaGatta. and Russell Patterson—were engaged by Jack Benny for important roles in this musical. ADVENTURE IN AFRICA. State, now screening: ‘King Solomon’s Mines ’ (GaumontBritish Dominions), Paul Robeson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Roland Young, John Loden, Anna Lee. Type; Romantic adventure. Screen- , ing time, 75min. H. Rider Haggard has been responsible for adventurous, imaginative tales that have thrilled readers since the ’eighties and will continue to do so for years to come. These stories haVe all the glamour and romance that appeal to any imagination, and ‘ King Solomon’s Mines ’ is probably the best of these. As Umbopa, Raul Robeson has never been seen to. better advantage. He sings three songs during the action of the film in glorious voice, and acts with conviction. The story of Kathy O’Brien and her diamondmining father who obtain a wagon-lift from a hunter, Alan Quartermain, and who are later joined by Commander Good and Sir Henry Curtis, explorer and adventurer, with the powerfullybuilt Umbopa for driver and guide, makes interesting material. REUNITED. Grand, now screening: ‘Breakfast For Two, (RKO Radio), Barbara Stanwyck, Herbert Marshall, Eric Blore. Type: Comedymance. Screening time, 68min. Eric, Blore, noted English comedian, who first met Herbert Marshall when they both, played in a Robert Courtneidge musical , comedy_ in London before the war, is reunited with the popular leading man in RKO (Radio’s ‘ Breakfast for Two.’ JJlore, who scored heavily in such screen hits as ‘ Shall We Dance,’ 1 The Soldier and the - Lady/ ‘ Quality Street,’ and other recent RKO Radio films, is cast as Marshall’s loyal valet in their current vehicle. Glenda Farrell, Frank M. Thomas, Etienne Girardot, Donald Meek, find Pierre Watkin also essay prominent supporting roles in the production by Edward Kaufman,’ .which Alfred Santell directed. , HUGE “ COVEiI SET.” Empire, next change: ‘ Big City’ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Luise Rainer, Spencer Tracy. Type: Romantic taxi drama. Screening time, 80min. Day was turned into night by the construction of the largest 11 coyer set ” ever attempted for a motion picture. A “ cover set ” usually is a covering canvas over an exterior picture setting to film night scenes during the daytime, or to exclude detrimental weather conditions. To make way for a gigantic building expansion at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, _ additional acreage was acquired adjoining the studio to erect new exterior settings. Among the first of the huge sets to be completed was a down-town section of New York City, two blocks in length, for night scenes in ‘ Big City.’ Included in the scructnres that line both sides of the 80ft wide street are a metropolitan theatre (Neon lights acclaiming the Marx Brothers, Allan Jones, and Maureen O’Sullivan in ‘A Day at the Races’), a shoe store, Italian restaurant, department store, an optical supply: shop, a fashion shop, a beauty salon, and a jewellery store. The structures, all of four stories, measured 60ft in height, 500 ft in length, and 150 ft in width. To cover this area required 180,000 square feet of black canvas, more than enough to house a huge circus. “FOWL” PLAY Staid residents of Pasadena’s exclusive Orange Grove Drive recently were roused from their beds early when 150 ducks and chickens descended squawkingly upon their well-kept lawns. For a sequence in ‘ Bringing Up Baby ’ for R.K.O. Radio, in which Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant collide with a poultry wagon, the “ prop ” department built 21 “. breakaway ” crates, so made that they would fly open and release the fowls _ upon the impact of the intended" collision. The breakaways functioned perfectly —but ahead of schedule. En route to location a studio truck, loaded with the crates containing the poultry, turned a sharp corner too rapidly, spilled seven crates which immediately discharged their contents. The “ prop ” crew, assisted by sleepy-eyed gardeners and servants, recaptured their noisy poultry after a frantic round-up which included the grounds of several fashionable estates.

ROUGH WORK FOR THE STAIs Most of the “ sweet young things ” who sigh for the life of a “movie” star could probably be cured of their envy by a few days of emulating some of the things their stars are called upon to do. Take Katharine Hepburn for example. In R.K.O. Radio’s forthcoming comedy, ‘Bringing Up Baby,’ both Miss Hepburn and Cary Grant worked several weeks with two full-grown leopards, purportedly domesticated felines, but neither above occasional fits of temperament often characterised by a few snarls and potentially lethal passes. Also included in the story’s mad-oap action is a'chase during which Miss Hepburn and Grant crawl on hand# and knees over several acres of painfully rugged terrain which is dotted with brambles and sharp rocks, fall into an icy stream ami end by tumbling head-first down a steep embankment.