STAGE AND SCREEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 11 August 1934, Page 4

STAGE AND SCREEN

One of the most important roles in “The Merry Widow” has fallen to Minna Gombell, exotic screen charmer, who is cast as Marcelle, the vamp in Maxim’s Parisian resort in the new production. Miss Gombell, a former stage star, is to play a former sweetheart of Maurice Chevalier in the film, and figures in wliimisical comedy sequences with Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald in the Parisian sequences. Others in the cast include Edward Everett Horton, Una Merkel, George Barbicr and Sterling Holloway. The famous Albertina Rasch ballet, original Franz Leliar music, lavish “sets’ and spectacular costuming provide opportunities for plenty of that anticipated Ernest Lubitscli technique.

An annual festival of music and drama that has never failed to prove one of Europe’s summer attractions was to have taken place at Visby, Sweden, during the past fortnight. Visby, a medieval city on the Isle of Gothland, with its walls and 37 towers, was the home of the Hanseatic League in the days when its barons ruled the Baltic, and remains one of the most impressive monuments of the Middle Ages. The festival takes the form of music drama and pageant dealing with the conflicts of early Christianity on the island, and is presented in the semiruined churches of St. Nicholas and St. Catherine.

George Arliss has signed a contract to make a picture in England. Production is scheduled to commence in August. Mr Arliss is already in his homeland going into the matter of a suitable story. It is undoubtedly a scoop for a British company to have engaged this eminent actor. The character which Mr Arliss portrays will probably be one of the great national ones of history. Suggested already have been films concerning the life story of Joseph Chamberlain, of Pitt, or the lives of the famous actors Henry Irving and Edmund Kean.

Some time ago an English studio announced that it would film the life of Cecil Rhodes, and Mr Geoffrey Barkas was sent to South Africa to arrange preliminaries. Returning to London recently, he reported that the most suitable time for making the film will be from mid-November onwards. He made complete arrangements with Government officials, railway executives and various public and private bodies, covering access to various buildings, locations in Rhodesia and elsewhere, transport facilities, electric power, etc. The script for the film has been completed, and the executive is. selecting its cast. There are many important parts in this ambitious production, which is to be directed by Victor Saville.

“Shooting” has started at Shepherd’s Bush, under Maurice Elvey’s direction, on the new Jan Kiepura-Sonnie Hale picture, “A Song For You.” By a typical film-studio chance, the first scene he played was the last scene but one iu the picture; and in it he had not a single word to say! The shot was a silent sequence, as far as Kipeura was concerned, during which he had to stand on the steps of a church, gazing in silent reproach at Aileen Marson, who, as he thinks, has just married another man. In actuality, all is well. Aileen has, in the preceding sequence, horrified the congregation by returning an emphatic “No!” to the priest’s “Wilt thou . . and is about to. fall into Jan’s arms. Silence is sometimes golden. The first meeting between play Aileen Marson’s parents in “A Muriel George and George Merritt, who Song For You,” was amusing, though a trifle unconventional. Aileen Marson, leading Mr Merritt up to where Miss George sat on the “set,” performed the necessary introduction. “Miss George, I don’t think you know Mr Merritt. You should, though—lie’s your husband.” LILIAN HARVEY HOW A MISHAP LED TO FAME Lilian Harvey first studied dancingin Switzerland when she was a very small girl attending school. She continued her studies under Madame Zimmerman, of Berlin, the most famous teacher of ballet in Europe. Her debut into pictures was brought about following a rather unusual experience. Lilian ivas touring as a member of a ballet chorus. It was during a performance in a theatre in Vienna that lovely Miss Harvey pirouetted, tripped and fell screaming into the orchestra pit. A film director present on the occasion saw the fall and decided it would make a good scene for a motion picture. So he engaged Lilian to do it all over again. And in that way Lilian Harvey set foot on the ladder to fame. She has danced in nearly all the pictures she has made. “In Old Vienna was the picture that won for her a Hollywood contract. Besides being a clever dancer, Lilian is also an accomplished tight-rope walker, which is more than any other feminine star in Hollywood can claim. Lilian Harvey has been dancing ever since she was a little girl. She has twinkled on to fame on her two little feet. VAST LONDON THEATRE NEW AMUSEMENTS PALACE Plans for establishing in the heart of London the greatest combined cinema legitimate theatre, music-hall and cabaret in the world, at a cost of £1,000,000, are being developed. Clifford Whitley is the author of the scheme, and another principal is Sir Malcolm McAlpine, whose firm built the Wembley Exhibition, the docks at Southamptdn, and in almost record time pulled down Worchcster House in Park Lane and built the famous creamcoloured Dorchester Hotel on the same site. The desired site of the contemplated super-theatre—on the lines of New York’s famous Rockefeller Radio City hardly be a more magnificent and appropriate place for the world’s biggest amusement palace than somewhere near the spot where the great railway, omnibus and “tube” systems culminato at. Charing Cross—the “nerve centre” of London. Sam L. Rothafcl, known in America as “Roxy,” was in London a few weeks ago discussing With Clifford Whitley the new theatre and plans for the supply and interchange of film stars and stage presentations. The building will, according to present plans, contain a cinema palace

with seating accommodation for 5000 at prices from one shilling to five shillings, . and a cabaret theatre in which 1000 guests will be able to dine, see a show, and have supper for an inclusive charge of 7s 6d.

A CHANCE THAT PAID ADQLPHE MENJOU’S TAILOR Few investments pay as well as the one Eddie Schmidt made ten years ago. It’s still paying him dividends and doubtless will f.r some time to come. Here’s the story: '*. * / ' 1 Ten years ago Adolphe Menjou went to Hollywood to “break” into the flickering photos. He imihediately saw liow impossible it would bo to- make an impression without good clothes, or even to get jobs with a wardrobe of the size he owned. So he went to Eddie Schmidt and put a proposition to him in this wise. “I think I can succeed in pictures, but I haven’t any clothes. Would you stake me to a. few suits?” Schmidt, so goes the tale, looked Menjou over, was impressed and ieplied: “Gambling of this kind is out of my line, but I’m going to take a chance on you.” Whereupon lie began measuring Adolphe. He gave him six suits of his best clothes—several hundred dollars’ worth. After Menjou made a name for himself, he not only paid Schmidt for the suits, but he has been buying all his clothes from his shop since. He has, in ten years, bought 90,000 dollars worth of clothes from Schmidt, a suit a week, it is estimated. Other stars, too, buy their clothes from Menjous tailor, adding enormously to the dividends on Eddie Schmidt’s investment.