FILMS AND STAGE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 166, 13 June 1940, Page 10

FILMS AND STAGE

Unique Family Problem. “Four Daughters/' the picture of a famous story by Fanny Hurst, which is scheduled to open at the Kosy Theatre to-morrow, poses a unique problem in ' human relationships as its theme. 1 What happens when four devoted sisters all fall in love with the same man ? The man in the ease .is Jeffrey Lynn, one of the screen’s newest and most handsome leading men, who makes it quite believable that four girls would fall under the spell of his charm. An unusual bit of casting places the three Lane sisters— Priscilla, Rosemary and Lola—in the roles of screen sisters, with Gale Page, a dark-haired beauty recently come to the screen, making the fourth. Of interest to theatre-goers is the casting of John Garfield, the leading young character actor of the Broadway stage, in another featured rble in “Four Daughters,” which marks his screen debiit. Hollywood’s Finest Star.

Spencer Tracy, 1938 Academy Award winner, co-starred with beautiful Loretta Young, returns to the Meteor Theatre screen on Saturday in “Man’s Castle,” the finest romance, since “Seventh Heaven.” Spencer Tracy, whoso recent triumphs include “Test Pilot” and “Captains Courageous,” for which he won the year’s “best actor” trophy, appears as an irresponsible, gruff, but kind, vagrant who takes under his wing a hungry, homeless and helpless girl. His miserable Shanty home in a squalid squatter community becomes , the scene of their ecstatic love affair. Also in the cast are Glenda Farrell, who sings several numbers in her characterisation of a musical ccmedv star attracted to the rugged Tracy ; Walter Connolly, as a former preacher turned night-watchman; Marjorie Rambeau, as a broken down woman; Arthur Hold, and young Dickie Moore. Deanna Durbin Again. Heralded as Deanna Durbin’s most colourful motion .picture, “It’s a Date,” which has its background in Hawaii, comes to-morrow to the Regent Theatre. Marking another important forward step in the development of the star into more mature roles, Deanna’s seventh film finds her surrounded by a strong cast, including Kay Francis, Walter Pidgeon, Eugene Pallette, and Lewis Howard, of “First Love.” The producer was also responsible for Deanna’s record of

six consecutive hits. The singing star has four numbers, including a popular tune, “Love is All,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” Musetta’s “Street Song” from “La Boheine/ and “Loch Lomond.” Harry Owens and his Royal Hawaiians are also in the cast. With hula dancers and the soloist, Kenny Allen, they introduce two new numbers, “It Happened in Kaloha” and “Rhythm of the Islands.”

A Star’s Biography—No. 61. A young and vibrant girl thrilled with life and the varied riches it brings, Loretta Young has retained the most important characteristic or hoi childhood—enthusiasm. Even betore her 21st birthday, the beautiful stai of “Man’s Castle,” co-starring with Spencer Tracy and screening on Saturday at the Meteor Theatre, had been acclaimed one of the screen s finest actresses; liad been disillusioned . by marriage and divorce —in effect, had lived a lifetime before attaining her majority. Born in Salt Lake City on January 6, 1913, her first ambition was to be a nun, and she actually was educated in a convent. When her family moved to Hollywood, her older sisters, Polly Ann Young and Sally Blane, entered motion picture work. Loretta fol: lowed when a studio called for 10l .v Ann to come down in a hurry, while Polly Ann was out shopping. Loretta showed up in her place, and almost immediately was placed under contractShe was, then, less than 15 years old. When she was 17, she married actor Grant Withers; they were divorced less than a year later. Since then she has occupied herself with her career, appearing in such films as “Laugh, Clown. Laugh,’! “Life Begins,” “Zoo in Budapest,” “House of Rothschild. “White Parade,” “Clive of India,’ “Call of the Wild,” “Ramona,” “Caravan,” “Love Js News,” “Lov6 Under Fire,” “Second Honeymoon,” “Four •Men and a Prayer.” “Kentucky,” “Modern Miracle.” “Wife, Doctor and Nurse,” “Wife, Doctor and Friend,” “Eternally Yours,” and' “Man’s Castle.”

Work has started on “Boom Work,’ with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the initial scenes, their first together since “It Happened One Night," in December,-1933.

Vivid Drama. One of the most dramatic sequences in “On the Night of the Fire "'"opening to-morrow at the State Theatre, shows Ralph Richardson walking down a' dark, empty street in a windstorm, and entering the house of a man who lias been trying to blackmail him. Dust is raised and swept into his lace by the wind. Old newspapers fly past him In the distance, behind him, the sky is lit up by a fire which is ravaging a section of the city. It is indeed the night of the fire —the night he chooses to kill the blackmailer. Henry Oscar plays the blackmailer who threatens to expose Richardson to the police for a theft he has previously committed. The theft amounted to £IOO and was the issue of a humdrum existence and a discontented life. With this money lie had hoped to give up his barber shop and start life afresh in a dreamed Utopia, but the

gods decreed otherwise. A triumphant hour became a torment of agonised weeks culminating in a finale of life itself. “Tailspin Tommy” Returns. Thrills are the theme song of “Danger Flight,” the latest Tailspin Tommy film coming to the Mayfair Theatre to-morrow. “Danger Flight,” fourth in the Tailspin Tommy series, dramatises the building of model aero-

planes and shows how youngsters of today come to love and understand aviation through models. Primarily it is the story of Tailspin Tommy’s Air Scouts, a young organisation similar to the Boy Scouts, and tells of the regeneration of Wliitey, who gives up liis gang to join the Scouts of the Air. With Tommy as his guide and hero, Whitey becomes leader of the Scouts, and things are running smoothly until his gangster brother sees a chance to uso the scouts and their

model ’planes to work a racket, and Wliitey unwittingly helps him. A thrilling climax ensues when Tommy embarks on a mercy flight with gangsters plotting to trap him and only Whitey and his model ’plane can save the flier. Milburn Stone plays Skeeter, Tommy’s mechanic and pal, and Marjorie Reynolds is Betty Lou.

Victor McLagen’s role in “Kit,, Car.son” will be that of an Australian who goes around knocking off Indians with a boomerang! George Brent will appear opposite Merle Oberon in “The. Constant Nymph.” . Following her sensational success in “Gone with -the Wind,” Vivien Leigh 'goes into a re-make of “Waterloo Bridge.” Evidently feeling that super colossal epics are now expected of him following “Gone with the Wind,” David Selznick has announced that he will film “Joan of Arc” with Ingrid Bergman in the title role. In. the new melodrama, “Babies for Sale.” Rochelle Hudson and Glenn Ford will play the romantic, leads, while important featured roles will be> portrayed by Isabel Jewel, Miles Mander, Joe Stefani, Georgia Caine and John Qualen. A message from Hollywood last week announced the death of. I 1 lorence Roberts. Born in New York l 1 loience Roberts was ‘‘‘grandmother” to the Jones family of the films, and she lias also appeared over one thousand tunes as a grandmother on the stage. Making her stage delmt in Philadelphia '.when 15 years of age, Florence Roberts rose rapidly to he the star of several operas, and has appeared in practically every' country in the world. Her most recent'films include: “Down On’the Farm,” “The Storm.” “Everybody’s Baby,” “Jones Family in Hollywood,” “Quick Millions,” and “Too Busy To Work.” The last-men-tioned is vet to lie seen by New Zealand picturegoerS.

Formby’s Funniest. ; . Th'b popular; Lancashire comedian, . George Formby, will bo seen in the comedy, “Come On, George,” at the Regent Theatre to-morrow. George Formby appears as an ice-cream i salesman with an ambition to be a jockey—so, wearing a jockey’s trapi pings, he sells the ices from a tricycle , on the racecourse. Being Mr Formby, i who usually gets what he wants, the . climax of the picture is his victory in the big race in which the horse coni veniently sits down in the water jump so that he can remount with comfort. The supporting cast, most of whom appear as tricksters and cads, includes Patricia Kirkwood, Joss Ambler, , Meriel Forbes, Cyril Raymond, Ronald Shiner, and Gibb McLaughlin. The tasteful selection of short films which comprise the entertaining supporting programme includes a timely and inspiring featurette entitled,

“Raising Air Fighters.” This highly topical and instructive picture dealing with the training of R.A.F. pilots and short service commissioned officers shows I England’s famous Cranwell Training School, training men for what is termed the “Navy of the Air.” Fifth Column Exposed. Although the story was written almost thirty years ago, the theme of “An Englishman’s Home,” which comes to the State Theatre to-morrow week, acts as a direct warning to the English people against unpreparedness. It has been brought up to date to meet the modern situation, and has many tense and thought-provoking scenes. The story concerns the adventures that befall a typical Englishman when he unwittingly harbours an enemy spy. He is firmly convinced that all these war preparations are so much waste of time and money, but his views are changed by subsequent exciting sequences. The leads in the picture are handled by Edmund Gwenn and Mary Maguire. There will also be an excellent supporting programme, the main of which is the latest of the 1940 “March of Tinie” series entitled “Crisis In the Pacific.” which gives an exclusive story of America’s West Wall for the first time on any screen.

The British-made production “21 Days,” co-starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, has been re-titled “Three Weeks Together.” An American company is considering Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Greer Carson, Ilona Massey, and Hedy Lamarr for the role of the Countess in the forthcoming production of Ethel Vance’s “Escape.” Each of the stars is reported to have asked to do the role. Three Hollywood veterans, all of whom started their picture careers a quarter-century ago or earlier, met for the first time on the set of.“ The Man Who Wouldn’t Talk.” More famous to another generation, they are Mae Marsh, Pat O’Malley, and George Melford. Miss Marsh, of, “Birth of a

Nation” fame, plays Lloyd Nolan’s mother, her most important role since her return to the screen. O’Malley, once a romantic idol of millions, and Melford, an ace director of the silent film era, . are character actors in the picture. More and more of Hollywood’s toj>salaried stars are accepting smaller salaries plus a percentage of their films. Both Mae West and W. C. Fields are reported to be working on a percentage basis in “My Little Cliicadee.” Loretta Young has accepted, about half of her usual 100,000 dollars per picture for “Eternally- Yours,” and gambled .that the business of the picture would easily make up the difference in percentage from the box office., Ronald Colman is- one of the highest paid of all stars, usually'asking for and getting from 200,000 to 250,000 dollars & picture. But they say he will listen to an offer of 100,000 dollars and a percentage these days. Colman wants 10 per cent, of the gross after the first million. ;