FILM WORLD.

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 November 1939, Page 9

FILM WORLD.

News of Pictures and Players.

FILM STAR BEREAVED ROBERT DONAT LOSES FATHER Robert Donat, the film star, has been bereaved by the death of his father, Mr, Ernest Donat at the age of 75, following a long illness. Mr. Donat died at his home near Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. The evening of the same day marked the return of Robert Donat to the English stage after an interval of five years. He played the lead in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” produced at the third annual theatre festival at Buxton, Derbyshire. The famous tragedy was the opening play of the festival.

Mr. Ernest Donat was a civil engineer, born in Poland. He went to Connecticut from England nine years ago. During the past year he had been unable to leave his house. A projector was installed there so that he could see his son’s films. He leaves a widow and three other sons besides Robert Donat. At Last: Greta Garbo’s long-delayed comedy, “Ninotchka,” really has gone into production —with Ernst Lubitsch, not George Chukor, directing and Melvyn Douglas, not William Powell, co-star-ring.

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS FILMING NAZI SPY STORY “Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” the sensational, topical picture represents a complete reversal of Hollywood precedent in more ways than one. In the first place, the motion picture producers in the past have avoided controversial subjects like the plague. But Warners could hardly have chosen a subject packed with more potential dynamite than the spy picture. Then, contrary to all (precedent, they literally filmed the picture behind locked doors. No one not directly concerned with the production was allowed on the seat, This rule was rigidly adhered to, with no exceptions made for executives of the company or members of the Press. Ordinarily, studios are anxious to announce the casts of their pictures. That is showmanship and good advertising, for every name added to a cast means additional fans at the box-office. After the first ten principals (including Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, Paul Lukas and Lya Lys), had been chosen for “Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” however, Warners clamped down on all casting news and announced that the rest of the players would be known by number instead of name. “Simply a precautionary measure,” the studio announced.

A NEW STAR ? For the last year June Storey has been an important film personality. Now she is more important in Hollywood —having just been signed for an important role in Deanna Durbin s new Universal picture, “First Love.” June’s importance came from the fact that she has been Gene Autry’s leading lady in most of his pictures. And i those westerns are important over the I country. However, Hollywood pays very close attention to the players in | Miss Durbin's pictures. And in “First Love” it will pay attention to the blonde June who switches from cowgirl roles to an ultra-fashionable New York society debutante. Among the others supporting Deanna in this film are Helen Parrish, Robert Stack, Lewis Howard, Eugene Pallette, Leatrice Joy, Charles Coleman and Jack Mulhall, Henry Foster is directing and Joe Pasternak, who has produced all of Deanna’s pictures, is the producer. “Disraeli” Again; Harry M. Warner, president of Warner Brothers, announces that he will re-mako “Disraeli,” probably with Claude Rains, as Teddington, just as soon as he can get a new script written.

CAUGHT UNAWARES WAR AND HOLLYWOOD Like the rest of the world Hollywood was caught unawares by the sudden declaration of war by Great Britain and her Allies, and, like the rest of the world, it has begun slowly to adjust itself to the changed conditions (writes a Hollywood correspondent of •the Sydney Morning Herald). Most of the studios had million-dol-lar and more epics either in production, in the cutting-room, or ready for release. These films were made for a normal market, but studios know now that under present chaotic conditions they will lose heavily. But at least there is no panic. The day after the declaration of war studios began to gear down production to a shrinking world market. Milliondollar films were either-removed from future schedules or budgets were slashed to bring them into line with changed conditions. There was no slowing up of production, only hurried reshuffle of plans that will result in fewer A-class films and many more B-class. I have just spoken to studio chiefs at all major plants, and each has assured me that war will not affect production. The same amount of films will be turned out each week as in normal times, but at greatly reduced cost.

VICTOR McLAGAN STARRED “THE EX-CHAMP” Once winner of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award foi’ fine acting, and lauded for his great characterisations on the screen, Victor MeLaglen stars in his latest production, Universal’s “Ex-Champ.” McLaglen is noted for the rugged characterisations he enacts for the 'cameras. In “ExChamp” he appears as a broken-down ex-champion prize-fighter, proud of two possessions. They are a championship belt, and a worthless, snobbish son who disdains his father’s home and his rough and tough associates. Although “Ex-Champ” has an atmosphere of the boxing ring and training quarters, it cannot be regarded a prize-fight story. It deals primarily with the sacrifice McLaglen makes to attempt to save the snobbish son when the son is in danger. In the supporting cast will be seen Tom Brown, featured as an embryo fighter, whom McLaglen grooms for a championship battle. Nan Grey has the role of his daughter; Donald Briggs is the snobbish son; William Frawley is a training camp hanger-on; Constance Moore takes the part of a Park Avenue blue-blood in love with the son; and Samuel S. Hinds is a kindly boxing commissioner.

LONGEST TALKIE SCENE What is probably the longest single scene since the advent of talking pictures was enacted recently by Carole Lombard and Cary Grant for RKO Radio’s “In Name Only.” Running a fraction under ten minutes (film footage for cameras without reloading is exactly 10 minutes) the scene will reach the screen just as it was filmed, without interspersed closeups or varied angles. Most long scenes are broken up into short takes. Director John Cromwell decided upon one long sustained sequence in order to build up and maintain a definite psychological feeling which marks the story’s emotional climax. Dialogue was about evenly divided between Lombard and Grant, but Cary worked under a handicap with his lips puckered by spirit ::nm and collodion to make them look feverstricken.

Important Role: Universal has acquired Charles Winninger for the important role of county sheriff in “Destry Rides Again” the lavish Joe Pasternak western 'which will have Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart in the leading roles. * Winninger is one of the screen’s outstanding character actors.

KILLED IN EIGHT FILMS Cinematically, Brian Donlevy lias proved the truth of the Biblical declaration that “the wages of sin is death.” In eight films in which he has played bad men of various types, Donlevy has died before the final fadeout. Currently, however, he lives in RKO Radio’s “The First Rebel,” in which he plays a villain in support of John Wayne and Claire Trevor. Donlevy’s list of film deaths in previous pictures are as follows: Shot to death in “Barbary Coast”; hanged in “In Old Chicago”; trampled in a cattle stampede in “This is My Affair”; shot in “Union Pacific”; “Mary Burns, Fugitive”, “Jesse James”; and "Beau Geste,” and drowned when an airplane crashes into the ocean in “Crack-Up.” LAUREL AND HARDY AGAIN Hollywood's most successful and prolific comedy team, Laurel and Hardy, are not superstitious for “Flying Deuces” the Boris Morros production, was their 13th picture. Morros, who recently became an independent producer, was formerly music director and associate producer of Paramount Studios. Writer, composer and producer of the famed “Chauve Souris” his career has been one continued series of successful talent discoveries.

A departure from the usual comedy formula was planned by Morros for the Laurel and Hardy comedy. Humour will not depend heavily on the lines of his principals. Instead, the characteristic pantomine of Laurel and Hardy is augmented by one of the outstanding musical scores for which Morros is famous.

There who delight in that veteran comedian, W. C. Fields, will find plenty to amuse them in the comedy of circus life, “You Can’t Cheat An Honest Man.” This story of a financially harassed circus proprietor, who is continually evading process servers and others anxious to collect the monies due to them, was written by Mr. Fields himself. It has all the inconsequential air of the comedian's own screen flippancies: for the narrative counts little in this colourful if

erratic production, so long as Fields! himself and his chief assistant, Char-j lie McCarthy, occupy the attention, i Without the famous Edgar Bergen-j Charlie McCarthy combination the film would not be half as entertaining. The] circus setting creates an interesting atmosphere and A. C. fields constant occasion to disport himself.

PRODUCTION PARS. NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS , Walter Wanger is going ahead with preparations to make a film of that classic among adventure stories Jules Verne’s “Round the World in Eighty Days.” Jacques Thery is writing a film script, and production should start early in the new year. Mr. Wanger is negotiating with Roland Colman to play the eccentric English gentleman, Phineas Fogg, who rushes round the world for a wager. Grade Fields’ Greatest:

A cablegram from Mr. Ernest Turnbull, managing-director of British Dominions Films, states that the outstanding picture success of the hour throughout Britain is Grade Fields “Shipyard Sally,”- a human story, told in drama and music of real events in the lives of workers in the great Clydeside shipbuilding industry. The critics class the film as Grade Felds’ greatest.

Strong Trio: Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, and George Brent are claimed to bring the three leading characters of the great novel to life in Darryl F. Zanuck’s production of “The Rains Came,” by Louis Bromfield. Myrna plays the amorous Lady Esketh;, Power is seen as the romantic Major Sefti, and Brent is cast as the world-weary Tom Ransome.

Capable Adviser: Leon G. Turrou, former G-Man who ■uncovered the Nazi spy ring in the U.S.A., and who acted as technical adviser on “Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” worked on most of the cases which brought the G-Men to their present fame. He found the Lindbergh ransom money and helped convict Hauptman; headed the Akron airship sabotage investigation.

A Success: Hollywood is already whispering that Anna Ncagle’s “Nurse Cavell,” which Herbert Wileox has just made in Hollywood, puts her in the running for an Academy award. Wilcox took an entire British Unit to Hollywood to make the film. Joined Up: David Niven was playing in 'Raffles’| in Hollywood when war broke out.! Two weeks later he left for England j to join a regiment. He said that he felt! compelled to fight for Britain. Holly-j wood is likely to lose many other British and French actors.

Popular Team: j Howard Hawkes’s latest production| is to be entitled “His Girl Friday,”) and stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. This is the star team of “The Awful Truth,” and the director who made “Only Angels Have Wings.”