Stampede Adds To The Thrills In “Suez”

Northern Advocate, 18 February 1939, Page 4 (Supplement)

Stampede Adds To The Thrills In “Suez”

Ever since the days of “The Thundering Herd” animal stampedes have ranked high in the list of exciting thrills afforded by the screen. Yet the stark terror of that first big scene was not surpassed for nearly 13 years, when Darryl F. Zanuck included a sequence showing the destruction of the stock - yards in *ln Old Chicago.”

Now Zanuck. whose productions have sot many a movie milestone, has over-reached that powerful scene with the stampede caused by the black simoom in “Suez.” This spectacularstory of the heroic Ferdinand dc Lesseps and the realisation of his amazing dream —to tear two continents apart, joining the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, that ships'might sail the desert—reaches a terrifying climax when the dreaded zobah-hah, or devilwind of the desert, roars in upon the helpless builders. The savage storm, whipping up mountains of sand and levelling every-! thing in its path, stampeded a herd of camels, elephants, horses and mules through its 70-mile-an-hour fury. The k beasts. roaring in fright, headed

directly for the cameras and their 1 crews, who were housed in specially reinforced glass and steel booths in anticipation of such an eventuality.

“The scene was more dangerous than facing 20' lions and tigers in a circus ring,” declared veteran animaltrainer Louis F. Roth, who arranged the sequence. "In the x'ing you can control the animals with some certainty but when they’re wild on an open desert in a blasting gale—you’re practically helpless!”

4 A large corral wasTuilt behind the camera booths and the animals trained to run toward the enclosure at a certain signal. They did this to Roth’s satisfaction in several rehearsals without the simoom—it was the question of how they would act in the wild storm that worried the ■'animal trainer. To avert possible danger, groups of men surrounded the set with huge nets to stop any runaways.

Tyrone Power portrays the role of de Lesseps in ‘‘Suez,” Loretta Young and Annabella share stellar honours with him in the film directed by Allan Dwan. <

Two four-year-old youngsters—one blue-eyed and the other brown-eyed—-have been signed by Columbia, for the forthcoming production of “Blondie,” based on Chic Young’s newspaper comic feature. Larry Simms will play the role of- “Baby Dumpling.” Dan Mummert has been chosen for the role of i “Alvin,” playmate of “Baby .Dumpling.”