Motion Picture News

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10728, 27 October 1928, Page 10

Motion Picture News

NEXT. WEEK'S PROGRAMMES. MAJESTIC THEATRE. Saturday—“ Pals in Paradise”—featuring Marguerite de la Motte, John Bowers. First. National ; also, “The Liglitning Bider” A Carey, Virginia Brown Caere, and Vultinini, vaudeville. Ti(dsday tend Wednesday.—/“Lovje Hungry ! 5 —Fox—Lois Moran. Thursday and Friday.—“ The Phantom Flier”— Al Wilson—lJniver- . sat. PALACE THEATRE., This Afternoon, To-night and Monday: “Twelve Miles Out”—Met-ro-Goldwyn-Mayer featuring F. John Gilbert; also ‘Half a Bride’ Paramount-—featuring Esther Ralston and Cary Cooper. Tuesday, and Wednesday: ..‘‘lrish Hearts”—Master—featuring May McAvoy and Jason Robards. Thursday and Friday: “You Never Know Women” Paramount—featuring Florence Vidor, Lowell Sherman and Clive Brook. sclreen news. “Boses' of Picardy,” the British masterpiece known as “England’s Answer to the Big Parade,” will be released at an early date hy British Dominion Films. Power and. characterisation are said to he the distinctive features of this production adapted from R. 11. Mottram’s. wellknown story, “The Spanish Farm.” The leading roles are portrayed by Lillian Hall Davies and John Stuart.

F. W. Murnau, the great European director, whose first . picture made in America was “'Sunrise” for Fox Films, has just completed his isecond production for that company. This is titled “The Four Devils” and is a story, 'of circus life in continental Europe. Janet Gaynor has the leading role, and is supported 'by Charles Norton, Nancy Drcxel, Barry Norton and Mary Duncan, the celebrated stage performer.

William (“Bill”) Cody, famous 'Western player, has been chosen by Carl Laeimnie. President of Universal Pictures Corporation to play, the leading role in ‘Price of Fear,’ which is expected to go into production, shortly, according to an announcement from Universal's executive offices. “The Price of Fear” is an underworld story by Basil Dickney and will-be directed by Leigh Jason, who recently completed ‘The Body Punch’ for Universal. George Hackathorne has been named to play the role of “Shrimp” Riley in the Dickey story. William Lord Wright will supervise its production.

Stern Brothers have started production in their 1928-1929 series of “The Newlyweds and Their Baby” comedies. “The Newlyweds’ Court Trouble” is the title oi the first tworeeler. Sunny McKeen. the popular child star, is featured as in the prior series. Air. and Airs. Newlywed are played by Jack .Eageu and Derelys Perdue, bThe Sterns have added two well-known “gag” men to their corps of production experts. They are Glen Lambert and Robert Burns. Lambert lias*, been assigned to the Newlywed unit-, and Burns to the Buster Brown Comedy unit. Francis Corby is directing the new “Newlyweds” comedies.

Colleen Moore'* latest picture, adapted from a famous Broadway success, will be released in New Zealand as “Love Never Dies.” The aerial sequences are breathtaking in their realism, and critics say, have never before been approached in their thrilling magnitude. As “Jeanine,” Miss Moore ha sa role wherein she is able to display all her charm and vivacity, but is "afforded greater opportunities than ever before for very tense dramatic work. Gary Cooper, as the hero, is ideal, making a splendid foil to llie supremely feminine charm of “Jeanine.” The picture will bo released by First National.

What becomes of the dresses that the; film stars weary Many women would no doubt he extremely interested to know. Studio-made gowns cannot be re-worn by the same person, in successive pictures. The same holds trtie for (lie personal creations that the-stars don for formal private affair, except that here a little morelatitude is allowed. Florence Victor, who is now making “Divorce .Bound ’ for Paramount, wears twenty-five different gowns in the various sequences. Miss Vidor stated that no star can afford to bo seen more than twice in the same evening gown. After she lias worn a frock it passes into the property room wardrobe, from where it is taken later for use by “extras.”

A leading Hollywood director has expressed the opinion that the motion picture industry will go bankrupt in two years over the talkies. “We, know so little about the motion picture’s possibilities, and now the industry is rushing headlong into still another field, before it has full grasp of what it already has,” ho said. Ho feels that the big appeal of the films heretofore has been that it has been the silent drama. 'The era of sound brings with it too much that is nerve wracking and little that is not a feeble imitation; of the legitimate stage. This director feels that it probably will be a good thing lor the movies that this sound wave shall come and .go, for it will, bring the industry at last to a sound basis financially, and make it take stock of its- own possibilities which distinguish it from the theatre?' Thera is much that the film can do, ho says, that the stage can not, and there lies the real future of the industry.

While on location during the pro-, ductipn ;of • the U.F.A. picture de luxe “Secrets of the Orient,” director Alexander ■ VVolkoff made a discovery near Gabzies, in Tunis, which was as unexpected afe . it. was sensational. While excavating- a trench, his men found a-great number of arrow; heads and fragments of vases from a long forgotten period. Three> days later Dr. haul Borchardt, of the University of Munich, a recognised authority, arrived on the scene and after,a|careful study of the fragments - came to the conclusion that? some, three thousand years ago the famous Temple of Poseidon had been standing on exactly the spot where \Vblkoff was making his exterior shots. Since then, several of Europe’s highest scientific authorities have; approved' of Dr. Borchardt’s theory. Besides, this theory is borne out ‘by . Plato, and Solon, who, in tfieir/'writings, stated that Atlantis was. situated at a place about. twen-ty-five miles distant of what is today .the Tunesian city of Gabis.. It is a queer coincidence that Atlantis, known to.-the Arabs as the “copper city” of ‘Thousand and One Nights,’ is , also an important factor in the new U.F.A. production, since it is fan m -‘nfr- flip.' cobbler Ali. the

PLAYS AND, PLAYERS _ ON THE SCREEN ...

By The Movie Fan

Blanche Alehaffey, Virginia .Pearson, Robert Graves and Leo White have been engaged by Hoot Gibson for his latest Universal picture, “Clearing the Trail.” It is the third under his new production contract with Universal.

A unique distinction was achieved by the Hal Roach Metio-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy, “The Fight Pest,” at the Capitol Theatre, New York (5500 seats), when this comedy was held over for a second week. It rarely happens that a feature is screened at this theatre for more than one week, but on this occasion, so great was the demand from the public that this two-reel comedy was shown for two weeks.

Curtis Benton has been engaged by Universal Pictures Corporation to make a complete' adaptation continuity for their production, “The ABnstrel Show.” This adaptation will be made from the story, “Minstrel Alan,” by George Rogan and Norman Sper. “The Alinstrel Show” will be entirely a talking picture and will present to his generation all the humor, minstrelsy and color of the minstrel show of' the Gay Nineties as well as the latest, up-to-date gags.

Everyone iwho loves a dog should see “Under the Black Eagle,” the new Metro-Go ldwyn-Alayer picture, which is to l>e shown shortly. Mareeline Day and Ralph Forbes play the leading roles in this picture, which introduces a. wonderful screen find in “Flash,” a beautiful and intelligent dog star. The supporting cast is worthy of special mention, and includes such startling artists.as William Fairbanks. Bert Roack and Alarc McDermott.

“A Double Cross,” short subject We,stern in the “Stunt Cowboy” series, has lieen completed with Bob Cunvood in the starring role, according to an announcement by Carl 'Laemmle, president of Universal. Pictures Corporation. The production, which is from a- story by William Lester. was directed by Walter Fabian under the supervision o 1 William lord Wright! In the east are Gloria Urey. Buck Connors, Edwin Moulton. Ctto Biher and others.

A factory for making Egyptian mummies was the strange plant constructed at the Aletro-Goldwyn-May-er .studios' as an incidental to the filming of “Detectives.” the new costarring comedy for Karl Dane and George K. Arthur. The factory turned out- several dozen replicas of ancient mummies, with coffin-like cases and all details to furnish the weird subterranean grotto in which some of ■ comical adventures. of the heroes of “Circus Rookies” occur. Chester At. Franklin directed for Metrn-Gold-wyn-Alayer and Alarecline Day, Toneii Holtz and Polly Moran are included in the east.

Grace Cunard, formerly one oi the leading serial stars, and more recently seen in important roles in serials and other pictures, has turned her hand to story writing. Universal has just bought one of her stories, entitled “A Fightm’ Fool." The contract with her also calls for a continuity. which, it is understood, she will supply. The picture will be made as a Western feature. It is unlikely .that she has given up acting altogether, as she is expected to play in one or more Universal serials lor the coming venr, in roles' similar to those in. which she appeared this season m Universal chapter-pictures.

u iiliimi Haines' latest starring puti:ra for Metro-Goldwyii-Mayer. TcTlinv the World.’ is a great romance' m which Haines plays the role of a newspaper reporter. As the stor> moves round to a Chinese revolution, with a gild’s life at stake many unusual thrills arc added to contedy, and action piles <m action, .sensation on sensation, right to the final fadeout:.' Anita Page makes her debut to the screen opposite Haines, and Poily Moran and Bert Roach are other favorites who appear in the cast. This picture will he shown shortly.

Julius Caesar -set the style for kilts in Scotland! This fact was disclosed when the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Research Department was investigating the kilts worn by the plaid warriors in “Annie Laurie.” It was found that the kilts were developed from the skirted uniforms worn by the Roman soldiers who invaded England and Scotland when Rome was the most powerful nation in the world. Lillian Gish plays the starring role in “Annie .Laurie” and Norman Kerry has the leading male role. Ernest Torronco, Creighton Hale and Hobart Bosworth are in tho cast.

Sellers of fake oil stock had better avoid as prospects members of Universal’s “Shakedown” company. The film players, now know a thing or two about oil wells themselves. “The Shakedown” lias the oil fields as background for much of the story, although the theme is one of prizefighting and the stage, Director William Wyler has taken the. company on location to almost every prominent field iifSouthern California, and as part of the picture, they have been called upon to help drill a shaft, pull up casing, cap the overflow and handle the- pumps, as. well as other jobs. The one feminine member of the company, Barbara Kent, who plays a leading role, was also called upon to work around the huge derricks. Included in the large oil fields where Wyler has taken the company on location are Signal Hill, Torrance, Santo Fe Springs, and Montebello.

Negotiations extending over a- period of months have been completed with the purchase of “Sutter’s Gold” by the Universal Pictures Corporation. The adaptation of this story will he .a starring vehicle for Jean Hersholt. “Sutter’s Gold” was Avritten by Blaise Cendrars, a French author. It Avas translated into English by Hem-v Longan Stuart and published in book form by Harpers. It appeared in the Cosmopolitan magazine under the title of “The Days of Forty-nine.” Jean Hersliolt and Edward Montague, scenario editor, together, ; visited the locations in Northern California and found conditions such that-’it is possible for the company making this production to use the actual locale. Although Avritten hv a Frenchman, “Sutter’s Gold” is regarded by all ’avlio have read it as the greatest, story of the California Gold Rush ever written.. . General Johann Augustus Sutter established a colony upon-a parcel of land granted him by the Spanish Governor, near where San < Francisco now .stands. The discovery, of gold by one of his laborers brought on the famous California- Gold Rush, and his colony was overrun and Wrecked by squatters. Sutter, by reason of his claims for 200,000,000 dollars against the state, considered himself the richest man in tho world. His fight to regain this wealth through litigation pnn+,iniiinrr until bis death ill uovertv