FILM NEWS

Grey River Argus, 17 October 1936, Page 9

FILM NEWS

“ANTHONY ADVERSE’’ IS THE NEW KING OF FASHIONS. “Anthony Adverse’’ costumes are the latest things from Paris! Across the sea come the first reports of Mareel Rochas’ fashion show opening next winter’s regime; and among the outstanding creations by M. Rochas are some striking costumes inspired by the famous novel of Hervey Al’en, which has been made into a motion picture by Warner Bros. Fredrie March plays the title role in the film with Olivia de Ilavilland, Anita Louise and other lovely ladies wearing the sort of gowns that put the idea of “Anthony Adverse” winter season into the head of Marcel. The creations now being shown in Paris, and which will soon be a la mode throughout the well dressed feminine world, have flaring black coat skirts bordered with white grosgrain ribbon, and thev are worn with jaunty little cocked hats. Marcel is also featuring panniers on the coats, and some of the dresses ami evening gowns might have stepped right out of the eighteenth century —the era of “Anthony Adverse” and his multitudinous adventures. The Hollywood angle of this approaching “Anthony Adverse” vogue in women's fashions is as interesting as the Parisian phase. Milo Anderson. costume designer for the picture, spent weeks of research in order that the clothes shown on the screen might auther.tieallv of the period, and then discovered that many of them we-e -uartlinglv like modern styles. The action of the film takes place between the vents 1776 and 1801. and covers four fashion periods. But o com', lete’v have period clothes taken over the' modern style parade that mar.v of <he feminine costume.- for ••Anthonv Adverse” could be worn either on"the street or to formal evening affairs without attracting other than complimentary comment, Antlerson dec In res. •‘For instance, there is a cape lh:«i is verv important to the plot, running all through the picture.” notes the stylist. ••Anita Louise wears it first, in her role of Marie, Anthonv s mother. Then after her death, it goes with her baby to the convent, and later when Anthony goes to Bomiyfeather's house, it identifies him as the grandson. “This cape, :i< I designed it for I In’ picture, is of black duvet vne, with :i hood. It is typical of the capes worn in the eighteenth century, and yet it is almost identical with the one. dune in white velvet, that Anita herself wore to the premiere of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Hollywood Ilers is" not quite as full; that's the onlv difference.

“Another cape, being worn now in the picture by Gale Sondergatird, is of black velvet, in the high Empire mode, with puffed sleeves and ermine collar. After the picture is completed, Miss Sondergaard purchased the cape from the studio, ami now wears it. without alteration, to formal evening parties. This cape. incidentally, is dated about twenty-five years later than Anita 's, or 1800. “Tn a recent issue of a fashion magazine,” Anderson continued “‘there is a portrait of Anita Louise, in which she wears a silvery white evening gown. That gown, too, is strangely similar to one, of her gowns in “Anthony Adverse,” the major difference, again, being that Anita’s modern dress is' slimmer in silhouette. But take off the petticoat from the period gown, and you’d find the effect was just the same. “Olivia de Ilavilland.' playing the Italian girl, Angela, wears some little black shoes with square toes and heels and a buckle, with a pleasant costume. Those shoes are now being shown in the stores for modern wear. “Olivia also wears a poke bonnet of black velvet trimmed with ermine tails, that is very modern-looking, resembling a hat done recently for Marion Davies by Orry-Kelly. And Anita’s coiffeur, with curls swept off her ears, and a flower arrangement, has been seen throughout the autumn on modern dance floors.” Jewellery, fans and feather trims, and large sleeves are other style items linking up the “Anthony Adverse” costumes with the present day, Milo Anderson pointed out. “Evening gowns of 1800, or the Napoleonic period, would be perfect right now,” he said. “The long, bouffant skirts are specially similar to the dernier ery of to-day, while daytime skirts, particularly those worn by the peasants, tire identical with a modern fall style, which has been given impetus by several gowns designed l>y Orry-Kelly for Bette Davis.” MEET FRANK McHUGH AGAIN! Frank McHugh was the round-fac-ed juvenile who used to rush on the stage with the mortgage money just in time to save the little home from foreclosure. It was a role he has always wished lie could play in real life, but until he reached pictures ami Hollywood he never had a home to save—or the money to save. it. Frank, who was picked recently by Warner Bros., to play the part of Erwin Trowbridge, the lead, in “Three. Men on a Horse’’ (a role that Eddie Cantor liked so well that he wanted to buy the show so he. could have it lor himself), has been an actor since he was nine years old. His mother ami father and two brothers and one sister were actors and actresses before him. Among them they played most of Ihe leading roles in “Human Hearts,” a sizzling melodrama written by the father of the late Wallace Reid, during the thirteen years they toured with it.

So many people, older actors p’.i'ti cu.larly, have said to Frank something like, '“Didn’t you play So-and-So in Such-and-Such,” that he answers “yes,’’ automatically. It usually turns out fhat he did. He can recite from memory the principal scenes of many old melodramas. popular in smaller centres before the World War. Such plays as “Thorns in Orange Blossoms’’, “Tempest and Sunshine,’’ “East Lynne.’' “Sappho,” “The Two Orphans.’ “'fen Nights in a .Bar Room’’, and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” were the high spots in his early theatrical life. He has played in tents, barns, operahouses and lodge halls. But lie lias also played important roles with important companies in New York and London, and has managed productions in both cities as well as many road and local stock and repertory companies. During those travels he met almost all the important players now in Hollywood. lie introduced Pat O’Brien to Eloise Taylor, then Frank’s leading lady in a Des Moines stock company; she is now Mrs. O’Brien. Spencer Tracy, Guy Kibbee, Frank Morgan, .Tames Gleason, Robert Armstrong, Miriam Hopkins and Ralph Bellamy were early associates of Frank’s. He was born during the. last, year ot the last century, in Homestead, Penn- }

sylvania. He went to Hollywood in 1930 to be the ukelele-playing reporter in “The Front Page” and has been there ever sine, most of the ti me under contract to Warner Bros. His famous laugh was developed accidentally in the picture “Top Speed.” The director heard McHugh telling a story about a drunk —and using the laugh. When next McHugh faced the camera the director said, “Now, Frank, give us that same laugh.”

He has never been able to lose it since, but in “Three men on a Horse” the same director, Mervyn Leßoy, says that Frank will not use it. He has made some fifty pictures since coming to Hollywood.

In 1933 McHugh married Mrs. Dorothy Spencer, a widow with two children, Peter and Susan. His own son, Michael is two years old. They live in the Toluca Lake district in North Hollywood, where Frank attends the meetings of the Parent-Teacher groups and otherwise proves himself a good father and a useful citizen.

Secretly lie hopes that his children will follow him to the stage or screen. He is a level-headed business man, and he is very particular about his shoes being always cleaned and polished—the result of his father’s training during all the years he spent on the stage as a child.

THRILLING CAREER OF “RANGLE RIVER” CAMERAMAN.

Although Frank McKechnie, second cameraman, working on the Columbia — National Studios Production “Rangle River” is still a young man, he has had more than his share of adventure and experience. Leaving his home town of Dunedin. New Zealand, about twelve years ago, Mr. McKechnie went to the United Stales of America where for five vears lie was employed as a newsreel photographer, the first Britisher to see u.re that job, and during that time, by virtue of bis exploits, he gained the reputation of being one of the niost daring cameramen of modern times. No trip was too hazardous, no camera angle too difficult for this intrepid adventurer intent on supplying hot •:ews to a waiting world. Being strapped to the undercarriage ot an aeroplane. taking pictures from the girder- of a thirty-storey skyscraper or climbing thousands oi leet up mountains are all in his day's work—and his thrill-loving spirit revels in it. Besides being renowned for his hazardous exploits as a newsreel cameraman, Mr. McKechnie is recognised as one of the outstanding pictorial men in the business, while he also possesses a thorough knowledge of feature-film photography, and it was only alter negotiating for some time with F< x Films where he was employed that he was secured to net as second cameraman on “Rangle River.’ Some of this young New Zealau Io ; - s adventures are so exciting that the,' make a slorv of their own. At on" time, during' the prohibition period in America, he secured photographs ot the rum-runners along “Rum Row ’ 'and had a thrilling flight from the police who desired to smash his camera in order to destroy the films hi had taken so that the activities of the prohibition agents would not be made public. Frank was chased for some hours across roof tops and over fences and finally escaped with his precious load of film. One of his most daring exploits- however, was at White Island, New Zealand, when he procured the _ most outstanding scenes of a volcanic disturbance ever shown on the screen. Undaunted by the blinding flames he dragged his camera-gear through steam to the edge of a cr.it ir and .secured a picture which was regarded as something of a sensatioi when shown throughout the wo'lJ. This episode earned Frank a couple of weeks in the hospital but he says it -was worth it. . On several occasions Mr. McKechnie has been strapped to the wing of an aeroplane to obtain pictures of the count rvside and t ires, etc., as well as speeding along at sixty miles an hour turning his camera on a, fire at sea. Mr. McKechnie has shot several ot the most important scenes in “Rangle River” and has been complimented on his excellent work therein. “Rangle River” stars the famous American actor, Victor .Tory while Margaret Darc, Robert Coote and Cecil Perry occupy important featured roles. Clarence Badger is directing.