ELEPHANT BOY’S SUCCESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 May 1938, Page 5

ELEPHANT BOY’S SUCCESS

J/- WEEK TO G'..mm A YEAR ..j.A'i LONDON. April I. Ambassador/, Cabiiici .Ministers, film stars and celebrities in oilier walks of life are to attend the premiere of London I’ilm Productions new picture of Hie. North-West ■FronH< r. ‘‘The 1 Drum." at Ilm Odeon, Lei-'■esetr-square. to-night. A guard of honour com,posed of Sikh Subadars in lull ceremonial uniform. all of whom have seen lighting on the frontier, will lend a picturesque touch., ■ and the band of Ihe Royal Scots will play I lie a iidieiice in. Mr. A. E. W. Mason, author of Ihe story, will introduce the players Io Hie. audience at the end of the film. “The Drum” marks another step in the progress of Sabu. the 14-year-old Indian' boy, from elephant, boy io film star. In “The Drum,’’ Sabu plays a prince who wears gold-embroidered clothes' and rides a pure-bred' Arab. Less than two years ago he was an orphan roaming the elephant stables of Mysore. He lived on handfuls of rice given him by bis only friends, the mahouts, and a pension of a shilling a week from the Maharaja, in whose service Sabu’s father had lost his life.

He now earns £3,000 a. year, and his great ambition is to be a cameraman when he grows up. To-day, thanks to the success of “Elephant Boy,”. Sabu is known in most parts of the world. He rides to the studio in an expensive motor-car. He could' afford to ride his own elephant, if he cared to buy one. But he prefers to race around the studio grounds on a high-powered motorcycle. Sab", is fond of skating, speaks good English now, and is picking up French as well as' the average 14-year-old schoolboy.