Cinema news

Grey River Argus, 3 August 1940, Page 9

Cinema news

PICTURES, PLAYS & PLAYERS

“THE GRACIE ALLEN MURDER CASE.”

STARRING GRACIE ALLEN AND WARREN WILLIAM. Lovers of mystery taies who have always had a great yen to be a detective will not envy the status of Philo Vance, who is called up< n to unravel S S. Van Dine’s “The Gracie Allen Murder Case,”- Paramount’s mixture of comedy and mystery. Warren. William, as Philo Vance, runs up against Gracie Allen, who thinks that she knows just as ranch about the mystery as he does. Gracie has pointed the accusing linger at Kent Taylor because she knows that the cigarette case found in the room with the murdered man was Taylor s. Ellen Drew, who is in love with Taylor, calls upon Warren William to get her lover out of gaol. William does

his best to straighten out matters even though Gracie is continually obstructing things with her hair-brained deductions. Also holding a featured role in this story by the late S. S. Van Dine, brought to the screen by Alfred E. Green, is Judith Barrett.

“JOHNNY APOLLO.”

STARRING TYRONE POWER AND DOROTHY LAMOUR.

Not since “Jesse James” has Tyrone Power had a role like that of “Johnny Apollo” in the 20th CenturyFox drama of that title which co-stars ' him with Dorothy Lamour. “Johnny Apollo” is the alias of a young co’-ege man, a banker’s son who turns mobster when the father he idolised is sent to prison and his wealthy friends turn against him. Dorothy Lamour is more alluring than ever as “Lucky” Dubarry, the night club entertainer who understands the boy and loves him no matter what he does. Highlighting the story are two special new song hits, sung by Miss Lamour, “Dancing for Nickles and Dimes” and “This is the Beginning of the End.”

“YOUNG MAN’S FANCY.’

SPARKLING ENTERTAINMENT

A mixture of Dickens and Noel Coward, “Young Man’s Fancy,” starring Anna Lee and Griffith Jones, >s set in the days when Dukes frequented music halls and winsome ladies, in spangled tights were projected nightly from stage cannons into the stalls. A shy young Lord escaping from a party to celebrate his betrothal to a brewer's daughter follows his father’s footsteps to a music hall where Miss Ada, a girl of spirit, is fired nightly from a cannon by Captain Boumphrey, late of the Horse Artillery. This time the cannon fires her mto the young Lord’s lap. As she is a little the worse for wear, the young

Lord takes her to her home, whicu they find in a process of eviction, so he takes her to his home.

Spurned by the cruel Duchess, encouraged by the gay old Duke.' Ada agrees to a platonic trip to Paris with the young Lord to save him from a loveless marriage. Alas I So far from being scandalised, the Duke slips him a tenner at Cnaring Cross, takes another look at Ada, and makes it twenty. They arrive in. Paris for the war; and by the time they return to London they are really in love. How all the trouble ends happily makes bright entertainment for the whole family. The supporting cast includes Seymour Hicks, Martita Hunt, Edward Rigby, Francis L. Sullivan and Billy Bennett. Robert Stevenson, who •directed “Owd Bob,” “Tudor Rose” and “King Solomon’s Mines,” wrote and directed “Young Man’s Fancy,” with Michael Balcon in charge of production.

BACK FROM SUMMER

MOVIE PLAYERS RETURN WIIH NEW HEART.

They are all coming back to won% - stars from their air tours, tecamcir.ns from their shacks down the coast, secretaries from their cultural sups I j Mexico. , . For it’s the height of summei m California—and the height of the nc-w season movie-making. Yet still Iho most popular question round about the town is—“and whore did vou spend your time ?” For an extraordinary number ox stars it was Hawaii—leis, magnificent. beach hotels, sun-tan, and native feasts. Sonja Henie, of course, took d deal of the tropics’ limelight—succeeding in catching both a very bad sore throat and a fiance —millionaire sportsman, Dan Topping. In fact,

Sonja liked the islands so much—the romance, not the sore throat, mas have swayed her—that she is now locking for a home on Oahu. She wants a permanent summer hideout beside the Pacific. Then Dotty Lamour whirled down to Honolulu for the world premiere--the colony’s first—of “Typhoon.’ She gave the locals all the thrill of personal appearances, sultry songs, then relaxed, to have herself an exceedingly good time. Dorothy was accompanied by her mother, Mrs O. L. Castleberry, on this trip. . Used only to the seclusion of Janet Gaynor, and the occasional band-waggon visits of Sffirley Temple, Honolulu waited breathlessly for more—more came.Bette Davis was the next--four weeks for her underneath that Hawaiian moon, with a publicity from her studio on hand. This holiday was something new for Bette, v ho is usually so devoted to her austere New England. Almost the next white linei brought in a honeymoon couple— M'ary Martin, of “The Great Victor Herbert,” and her husband. Richard Halliday. No, he is not the actor Halliday, but a Paramount producer. The camera had scarcely stopped snapping for this pair, when , m came Irene Dunne, announcing ner intention of staying a month. It was a summer full of stars for Hawaii. After all this travel no one took any notice of the film agent who spent his summer building Hollywood’s only salt-water swimming pool— w ith a consumption of three tens of salt per season. Not all the travellers’ tales, however, dwell upon pure pleasure. Little Maureen O’Sullivan and her baby hastened up to Canada to spend all his brief leave with husband John Farrow —who is definitely in the navy now. Spencer Tracy, the wife and children their time between Palm Springs and La Quinta, another des-

ert resort. Garbo was in Balin Strings too, for a while before she few to Bermuda and donned a startling swim-suit. Ann Sheridan drove her own cm to Palm Springs—and thrilled / the whole staff of a wayside garage wnen her car made a specatcular brearfdown; she had run out of petrol. . It was yachting for Ann Rutherford. who has a new beau with no screen interests but masses of money, and yachting for Paulette Goddard, toe in Charlie Chaplin’s yacht, “Penacea.” „ Jimmy Cagney—usually listed as a yachtsman—took' his family down to their beach home at Balboa, then spent his own spare time driving trotting horses on a private racetrack in the San Fernando Valley. Jimmy has become a cOmple.e harness-race fan. . All in all, a grand summer NEWS FROM ALL STUDIOS. Maurice Moscovitch, popular aim

cnaracter actor, who died suddenly in Hollywood, was well known to Australian theatre audiences through his stage tours. His son, Nat, known on the screen as Noel Madison, who is now in Hollywood, has also played on the Australian stage. Moscovitch’s latest films were “Make Way' For To-morrow” and “Lancer Spy.” * . * * * * * Olivia De Havilland has been ed for the leading role in Warners’ screen version of “Annabel Lee,' the well-known poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Jeffrey Lynn will appear asj.be poet, with Brenda Marshall, Fay Bainter and Donald Crisp in supporting roles ***** “All This and Heaven, Too” vvili probably be as long as “Gone With The Wind.” The whole film has been shot, and the studio is so pleased with it that they don’t want to cut it. The Warner Brothers are now considering releasing the picture in two parts, or releasing it as a four-hour film, with an interval half-way through ******* Tyrone Power will play the shortest role of his career in “The Return of Frank Jones” and he won’t even get screen credit for it I The film is a sequel to “Jesse Janies,” and will continue the fife story of the noted outlaw’s brother Frank, again portrayed by Henry For. da. Power’s scene will open the picture, and will be a duplicate in his filial scene in the first film—showing him standing on a chair with his hack to the audience, and falling to the fo— as he is shot. The story then goes on to ten how Frank James sought revenge for his brother’s death. ***** Did you know that Joan Blondell started her acting career in Australia ? She made her debut on the Australian stage at the age of When Paramount’s “A Night at Earl Carroll’s” is released fans wifi see the inside of a real Hollywood night club. From eight to four every day the

n i.vie company shoots scenes inside Carroll’s famous theatre-restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Then the equipment is carted away so that the club can be opened for regular business in the evening. ******

Greta Garbo has applied for citizenship in the United States. She has her first papers, and must now wait five years until she becomes a citizen. She has been living in the United States since 1926. Most of Gabo’s money is in Sweden. ******

After making one picture for 20th Century-Fox, Alan Curtis has become a permanent member of this studio’s contract list of leading men. Fox producer Darryl Zanuck borrowed Curtis from M.G.M. for a role ii. “Four Sons” and was so pleased with his work that he immediately began negotiating for the purchase of the young actor’s contract.