FILM WORLD.

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1939, Page 9

FILM WORLD.

News of Pictures and Players.

STAR FINDER ALEXANDER KORDA’S RECORD Since “Henry the Eighth” first brought several British 11 discoveries world fame, Alexander Korda has consistently built up new screen stars, with an absence of ballyhoo, who have had a lasting and interesting popularity. “Henry the Eighth” brought before kinemagoers Merle Oberon, Robert Donat, Charles Laughton, Wendy Barrie and Elsa Lanchester. Korda also created the present popularity of Sabu, John Clements, and Raymond Massey, and was responsible for the first great successes of Leslie Howard and Paul Robeson. In the current Korda production, “The Thief of Baghdad,” a new discovery, 21-year-old John Justin, promises to have as great a future as any star yet produced by the Korda organisation. If any single Hollywood producer liad a record to compare with that of Alexander Korda he would be universally acclaimed. But the home product, however good in marketing merchandise, is at a disadvantage in the screen world, where the British producer seems to be without honour in his own country. As a case in point, Sabu’s popularity in America is even greater than it is in England, and it was America which ranked him among the 10 top box office stars following “The Drum.” Mr. Korda has had several temptations to produce in Hollywood, but his loyalty to British production and to his staff have kept him in England. His latest acquisitions for British pictures are Ralph Richardson and Lawrence Olivier.

“THE LADY VANISHES” SECRET SERVICE STORY Rated as one of the ten best pictures of the season, “The Lady Vanishes” is a fast moving story of the Secret Service, with light hearted comedy interwoven. It commences with a trans-Continental express snowed up by an early summer avalanche at a wayside station in the South European State of Bandrika. Its passengers have been forced to herd together in the only available Gasthaus and from then on, then- fortunes are cleverly interwoven. Events move quickly when the journey is resumed, including the kidnapping of an innocent looking passenger (in reality an agent of the British Intelligence Department), an attack by a military company and the seizing of the train by the English passengers. The new English discovery, Michael Redgrave heads the cast, which includes Margaret Lockwood, Dante May Whitty and Paul Lukas.

TECHNICOLOUR MUSICAL THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES Presenting a dazzling array of stars and a variety of talent “The Goldwyn Follies,” a technicolour musical extravaganza marks the first entertainment in Samuel Goldwyn’s 25 years of picture making to carry the producers name. The musical, which also marks the producers’ swing to the colour standard, has been produced on a scale more lavish and magnificent than anything the screen has ever known. Goldwyn invaded every field of entertainment to find stars to augment the cast, headed by sauve Adolphe Menjou and the beautiful young stai Andrea Leeds. From radio he tools Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy the comedy sensation; Kenny Baker silver-voiced romancist; irrepres sible Phil Baker and his accordion; • from Grand Opera lovely Helen Jep

MONEY IN SONGS BIG MUSICAL’S DISCLOSURES Fifteen million dollars’ worth of songs, picked from the outstanding hits of the last two decades, are featured by Alice Faye, Al Jolson, and Tyrone Power in ‘Rose of Washington Square.’ A check of old music publishing records revealed that the 18 hits of bygone years brought in a gross of a little more than 15,000,000 dollars from sheet music and record royalty sales. In the days of Tin Pan Ally’s noisy fame sheet music sales often went over the million mark for an outstanding hit —and the music sold for 75 cents to 80 cents, a copy. When Darryl F. Zunuek decided to pattern another big musical on the sensational ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ of last year, he combed the music mart for the biggest song hits oi the last two decades. Every famous composer, with the one exception of Irving Berlin, is represented in the musical hits assembled for ‘Rose of Washington Square,' which include ‘My Man,’ ‘Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Good-bye,’ ‘l’m - Sorry I Made You Cry,’ ‘Ja-Da,’ ‘The Vamp,’ ‘The Curse of an Aching Heart,’ ‘April Showers,’ ‘Mammy,’ ‘Rose of Washington Square,’ ‘l’m Always Chasing Rainbows,’ ‘California, Here 1 Come,’ and ‘Avalon.’ A Return: “The Night of the Fire” will bring Diana Wynyard back to the screen in a co-starring role with Ralph Richardson.

CHARM SCHOOL. What the world needs is a charm school, according to Alexander Hall motion picture director. Hall, director of Columbia’s comedy; “Good Girls Go To Paris,” which co-stars Melvyn Dogulas and Joan Biondell, feels that femininity, woman’s most potent weapon, should be more extensively cultivated. Waving his hand toward a bevy of beautiful girls working in a tea-room sequence, he said: “All of these girls were trained in the world’s hardest school. They were taught to walk, talk, dress, make-up, how to stand and how to sit. They’ve learned assurance and poise. They are perfectly groomed for every occasion. Sure, it’s part of their profession as actresses, but why can’t every girl have their chance? ” Hall thinks that girls should be given an all-encompassing course in charm ; Subjects should include modulation of voice, development of poise, proper use of cosmetics, and plain, every day good manners.

son, and the newcomer Charles Kullmann; from the world of the dance, the beautiful Zorina and George Balanchine’s American ballet of the Metropolitan Opera; and from musical comedy, google-eyed Bobby Clark to clown with petite Ella Logan. Then there are the Goldwyn girls as well as Hollywood’s twelve loveliest and most talented tap-dancers. Jerome Cowan, Nydia Westman, Frank Shields and a hundred more who fit into the

pattern of one of Ben Hecht’s best stories, a comedy of Hollywood which casts Menjou as a film producer out of touch with his public, and Andrea Leeds as the typical American girl whom he hires as “Miss Humanity” to keep him posted on what the public wants. “The Goldwyn Follies” boasts thie last and perhaps the greatest score written by the late George Gershwin, “I was doing all right”; “Love Walked in”; “I Love to Rhyme,” and “Love is here to stay.”

PRODUCTION PARS NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS A The initial scenes for Alexander Korda’s ‘The Thief of Bagdad’ are.being taken in Cornwall, where Sabu is washed ashore on a quiet beach and finds the bottle containing the imprisoned Djin, whom he releases. A big cast of players, including Conrad Veidt, June Duprez, Mary Morris, Rex Ingram, and John Justin, have started work on the picture at Denham, under the direction of Alexander Korda, who states that it will be the most . ifficult to produce that he has attempted yet.

Bored Baby: After much searching, M-G-M has found a “bored” baby to play William Powell and Myrna Loy’s son in “The Thin Man Returns.” William Anthony Poudsen, jun., aged eight months, has already begun work on the M-G-M lot, looking even more “bored by it all” than “Papa” Bill. Powell, by the way, has made a complete recovery from his recent illness.

Many Films: Nancy Kelly’s appearance in ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ marks the fiftysixth film in which she has acted in three years. At the age of four she made her screen debut. When she “retired” two years later she had completed the amazing record of 52 screen performances. Since resuming her cinema career last year Nancy has augmented this record by four films.

Youngest Director: Mickey Rooney will become the youngest director in motion pictures, when production starts on “Babes in Arms,” in which Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bring Mickey and Judy Garland together again for the second time. “Babes In Arms” will offer Mickey an opportunity to run the gamut of his own entertainment talents. Not only will he play the leading role opposite Judy Garland, but he will sing, play the piano and dance.

Beau Geste: “Beau Geste" is in the final-stages at the Paramount studios. This big production has now been before the cameras since January, but much of the desert scenes taken from near Yuma were not able to be shot until the heat of the summer abated a little. Gary Cooper is starred in the picture with Ray Milland, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, Susan Hayward and Heather Thatcher.

WEDDING PLANNED Will Bette Davis marry George Brent? The famous pair, as usual, maintain an enigmatic silence on the Question. But Hollywood tips they 11 be wed by Christmas. That’s when Bette's divorce from Harmon Nelson becomes final. Harmon won his divorce last year on the grounds of mental cruelty. He said Bette preferred reading books and plays to his company. As fellow stars at Warner Brothers, Bette and George have known each other for quite a long time. But •their romance blossomed when they made “Dark Victory” together.

PRISON MELODRAMA Dick Foran and June Travis fastrising young Warner Bros, stars, appear in “Over the Wall,”’a melodrama having to do with a man falsely thrown in to prison and his sweetheart who believes in him and finally obtains his freedom. A thrilling story originally written by Warden Lewis E. Lawes of Sing Sing prison, “Over The Wall” has an authentic ring that combines drama with romance. Foran’s singing voice, always so appealing in his Western pictures (which have now come to an encl, the long series being completed), is heard to excellent effect in “Over The Wall.”

WAR CANOE IN CHASE CENTENNIAL FILM INCIDENT One of the much-heralded fleet of Maori war canoes which are to appear on the Auckland Harbour during the forthcoming Centennial celebrations figures, through the courtesy of Princess Te Puea, in a dramatic chase scene in the new Centennial sound film “Rewi’s Last Stand.” The fugi-j tives in the story, Ariana (played by the Maori film star Ramai Te Miha) and Bob Beaumont (played by Mr. Leo Pilcher), secure a considerable start on their pursuers on the broad Waikato River, and there follows the exciting spectacle of the big war canoe fijlly manned by warriors stripped for battle, driving the great craft downstream. The carefully preserved traditional canoe chants of the Waikatos are heard in all the beauty of their swinging rhythm, rising in pace as the pursuit grows hotter. The paddlers have three tempos for their arduous work in which they are encouraged by an elderly chant leader who beats time with a taiaha. Mr. Alfred Hill, the noted authority on Maori music, has written the stirring background to 1 the various rhythms.

BIOGRAPHIES POPULAR What is to be the type of 'production that the coming year will bring is now in the melting pot, until the film,moguls decide what the new trend will be. Last year it may have been come-', dies. This year it may be biographies. Next year—who knows? It does ap--pear, however, that the cycle is definitely headed towards biographies, with drama coming a good second. Already listed at the RKO Studios are the life story of Nurse Edith Cavell, a biographical story of Father Da-, mien, a picture which holds more, than ordinary interest, that of the exploits of Kitchener, whilst other studios are planning films based on the life of Madame Curie, Queen Elizabeth, and others. Romantic comedy, that is of the crazy type, not seem to figure quite so much as it hafc during the? past twelve months.

MUSIC FOR MAORI FILM y Hard at work on the musical score of the new Centennial historical romance, “Rewi’s Last Stand,” is the eminent composer, Alfred Hill. Worked out to the minutely-timed scenario ot the battle scenes, Mr. Hill’s music will enhance the emotional power of the production. Ensign Mair’s, slow pro* gress down the British sap, carrying a flag of truce and conveying to the Maoris, General Cameron’s offer, while for the moment the big guns; cease to roar, and grim native heroes, await behind their smoking muskets, bleeding from wounds there has been no time to staunch —what a moment! And it is one that Mr. Hill has fittingly heightened with his rare skill. ■' ‘-.A ’A i