STAGE AND SCREEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17775, 27 April 1918, Page 4

STAGE AND SCREEN.

(By CRITICUS.) On May 2 the Royal Strollers will return to Christchurch in a new form, offering a revue er.titled " Come Inside" at the Theatre Royal. This is the opening of a tour of the Dominion. Tho clever company, headed by Sydney James and Madeline Rossiter, was a great success when it was here before, but this time the organisation is greatly improved. "The Book of Job," a dramatisation of the Biblical narrative, was staged in New York this month by Stuart Walker. David Bispham lepresented the Voice Out of the Milderness, Carter Hampden Elihu, and Margaret Mower and Judith Lowry the Two Narrators. The three friends of Job were acted by Edgar Stehli, Eugene Stockdale and Henry Buckler. One of the " Bing Boys' " wardrobe staff with a liking for statistics became imbued with the desire to ascertain how many separate garments were worn in "The Bing Boys," the big J. C. Williamson revue now running at Melbourne Her Majesty's. After he had totalled 673 without taking in the children, the Chu Chin Chow ballet, and the Ballet of the Illuminated Ladders, the amateur statistician stopped for lack of time. It is claimed for "The Bing Boys " that it is the most costly production from the point of view of dressing ever staged in Australia. MOVING PICTURE,WORLD. Charlie Chaplin is married, according to latest American reports, lie and iikina Purvia'nce, ins leading woman, became man ana wile some time ago, and it was nut until now that friends of the two knew of it. Atter tliei?' marriage Chaplin and his bride went to Hawaii on a honeyn oon, but for all the world knew, their trip was purely ror the purpose of the making of a new movie film. Chaplin and his bride have played together for years, and Miss Puniance, like Charlie, has gained a reputation in film comedy. "Missing," by Mrs Humphry Ward, is to be translated for the screen and produced for Paramount by J. Stuart J3lackton.

Pauline Frederick is finishing work on "Tho Resurrection," which has been adapted for the screeu from the story by Count Tolstoy. The work of turning O. Henry's stories into celluloid was begun a year ago, and in that time ten stories have been pictured. Seven have been produced in four-reel form, and the majority in one and two-reel length. The total number of O. Henry stories is in excess of 250, and plans are under way to film practically all of them. The National Exhibitors' circuit goes on its conquering way. It's most recent purchase is " Ti.rzan of the Apes," the extraordinary picturisation of the story of a baby, washed ashore from a shipwreck, and brought up by the monkeys. Followiing the. tremendous aucoete! scored by Jt,lsio Ferguson in her recent Aircraft release, '' '1 he Song of Songs," taken from Edward Sheldon's famous play, it is announced that her next screen vehicle is another adaptation from a stage piece. " The Lie," an adaptation by Charles Maigne of Henry Artliur Jones's play, which created a sensation whe-ne presented on th2 speaking stage, is a starring vehicle for Margaret Illington at the Harris Theatre, New York, haß been completed at the Famous Players-Lasky studio in New York. Mrs Vernon Castle has been billed as the. "girl who taught the world to dress and dance," but in her latest picture, " Stranded in Arcady," she comes across with a new miracle. She is lost in the wildest woodlands of a Canadian forest island, and contrives to produce from nowhere in particular several ravishing changes of costume, to say : othing of one remarkable lack of costume. She threatens to rival even Olive Thomas in rhe instantaneous success of her screen debut in New Zealand. . .

Mr and Mrs Sidney Drew have, gone to Florida for a vacation after completing their second year as creators and co-stars of Metro-Drew comedies. For-ty-seven one-act comedies were written, produced and released during the year of 1916, and 42 one-act comedies, with a five-act " thriller" to complete tho onota. were done in 1917. The Drews will soon vary their work by an excursion into the realm i.f the legitimate stage, appearing during the spring under the auspices of Richard Calton Tally. ' r Goldwyn announces tho second Mary Garden picture. "The Splendid Sinner," by Kate Jordan. It was completed before the release of "Thais," and is said to differ diametrioally from that film. In it Miss Garden appears as a thoroughly modern woman, in whose experience luxury, passion and love enter strongly. The play is described in tho advance notices as "a social melodrama," and the story "of a luxurious woman who yielded to temptation, but worked out for herself a tremendous redemption and martyrdom," Edmund Breese, who will be remembered in "The Shooting of Dan M'Grew," which was shown at the Grand, is back with pictures. He is at the head of his own company, producing a big detective picture, entitled " The Master Crook." A cast of 100 is headed by Alma Hanlon. Captain Robert Warwick, the exmovie actor, has been appointed to the Intelligence Bureau of General Pershing's staff. He is a brilliant linguist, to which he owes his appointment. William Russell is now at the head of his own company, and his first picture is " Adrienne Gascoyne," by William Hamilton Osborne, who wrote " The Red Mouse," " The Adventurer" and other stories.

Lilian Walker at latest was appearing in a United States Government film which is to be used for propaganda. The picture deals with tho life of a soldier from the time of admission to the army, and Lilian Walker appears as the wife of a soldier in the love story that runs through the picture. Miss Walker has now left the Ogden Pictures and is at the head of her own company. The Metro Company has acquired "Pals First," a big Broadway stage success, as a vehicle for Harold Lockwood. "Pals First" originally was a story written bv Francis Perry Elliott, who is the author of "Love Me For Myself Alone," which was presented by Metro as " Th? Square Deceiver." The first Goldwyn picture to be shown in Christchurch will be "Tho Auction Block," which is going on at Liberty next week. The film version cf Rex Beach's well-known novel of New York life was made on an elaborate scale and tho Goldwyn Company purchased it outright as soon as it was completed. The picture had a very successful run in Australia. Rubyo de Remer, tho star of the production, is new to Christchurch. A powerful cast has been selected to support Mary Pickford in her latest Artcraft picture, " M'liss," from Bret Harte's story of that name. Theodore Roberts, and Tully Marshall. The scenario is by Frances Marion, who has been responsible for many of Mary Pickford's successes, and Marshal Nielan is the director.

A voting contest which is being carried out in America by one of the big picture magazines has Mary Pickford firmly established at the top of the poll with a big lead over her nearest competitor. H. B. Walthall, who will be seen at Starland in "Little Shoes'' next week, was the fourth in the list of men.