LAST OF THE SUPERS?

Evening Star, Issue 23527, 16 March 1940, Page 5

LAST OF THE SUPERS?

• HUNCHBACK ’ SCORES HEAVILY In Hollywood, where even the corner newsboys can’t he fooled on the merits of a motion picture, “ big shot ” executives of the industry, movie stars of the first magnitude, and sophisticated film fans are doing considerable raving over ‘ The Hunchback of Notre Dame.’ The multi-milliou-dollar RKO Radio spectacle “ laid ’em in the aisles,” as old-time vaudevillidus were wont to say, when its world premiere was presented at the Pantages, Theatre in Hollywood. Hundreds of film colony notables who attended the swanky affair with mildly-whetted curiosity, left the theatre slightly dazed. Some could talk of nothing hut the tremendous scope of the film; some

spent the rest of the evening in night spots toasting the amazing performance of Charles Laughton in the weird role of the hunchback, Quasimodo; others shouted the praises of the nine-teen-year-old Irish girl, Maureen O’Hara, who, making her American film debut, startled the hard-boiled natives with one of the most brilliant portrayals of the season.

Due to war conditions, ‘ The Hunchback of Notre Dame ’ may prove to be the last of the “ super colossals ” to come from Hollywood’s film factories. More than a year of preparation and research passed before filming of the Victor Hugo classic started. The largest motion picture company in Hollywood’s history, worked on the picture, 3,500 extras compared with ■ previous ' record-holders, ‘ Ben Hur ’ (3,000) and ‘ Intolerance ’ (2,800). The sets were among the largest ever created, covering most of RKO Radio’s eighty-eight-acre ranch. William Dieterle directed the unusual picture, which was produced by Panclro S. Berman. CASSIDY STATISTICS WILLIAM BOYD’S FIFTH YEAR 1H ONE ROLE William Boyd recently began his fifth year as Hopalong Cassidy when he stepped into his role in ‘ Argentina,’ the Paramount picture produced by Harry Sherman. % Between scenes, the actor took paper and pencil and did some figuring that revealed interesting facts. - Boyd has appeared as “ Hoppy ” in 28 outdoor films, has fired no less than 30,000 shots at the villain and his henchmen, has “ killed ” at least 100 “ varmints,” has worn out a dozen costumes, including 60 10-gallon hats, has ridden herd on approximately 5,000 head of cattle, and ridden his handsome white horse, Topper, more than 2,000 miles in “ chases.” Besides this he has saved the heroine at least a score of times, hut has never kissed her. Neither has he ever smoked a cigarette or taken a drink on the screen, and by this abstinence set a good example for the youngsters who compose a majority of his army of fans.