MAE WEST FILM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 13 June 1936, Page 9

MAE WEST FILM

DENOUNCED AS INDECENT BUT PUBLIC CROWDS ALONG William Randolph Hearst, America’s multi-millionaire Press Lord, whose 30 newspapers are on 15,000,000 American breakfast-tables every morning, has . declared war—on Mae West. Miss West, so it is said, ventured to wisecrack against Marion Davies, a star whom Mr Hearst admires. Instantly Mr Hearst' ordered all his papers to throw out every advertisement of Mae’s latest picture, “Klondike Annie.” tie printed articles denouncing it as “an immoral and indecent film.”

Mr Hearst, however, failed to notice certain small advertisements in his papers “Important feature. For information call VA —2041”—the local cinema’s telephone number. Every man, woman, and child who rang this number was told all abtiut the greatness of “Klondike Annie.” Mr Hearst finally decided that as far as his papers were concerned Mae West no longer existed.

SMASHED ALL RECORDS Meanwhile, Paramount, for whom Miss West made the picture allowed her contract to lapse. Columbia announced that she would star for them in future. They were wise. Mr Hearst s ban has given Mae more publicity than a million dollars could have bought. “Klondike Annie” has smashed all records in hundreds of American cine-

t mas. | ¥ A A * i Astaire-Rogers Team Again Next ; Week Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the two finest tap-dancers on the screen, will be seen in Nelson again next week in “Follow the Fleet,” their newest success, this time with a nautical tang. This film has proved itself a bigger draw than even “Roberta” and “Top Hat.” The songs are a revelation being by Irving Berlin, while the new dance routines have excelled the wonderful tap-dancing that

has".made' their ‘previous films: so ■ fascinating. The story is of a different calibre <. and is plentifully besprinkled with rich humour that has been such a feature of their former successes. A A A A,

The celebrated old firm of, Lynn, Walls and Hare, not forgetting author Ben 1 Travers, again collaboratedn the farcical mix-up'which, under the title of “Fighting Stock,” is now current at the State. This-time the fun revolves round the adventures of Sir Donald Rowley (Walls), his nephew Sydney (Lynn), and ■ Sir Donald’s ultra-correct secretary, Duck (Hare), whilst protecting a maiden in distress from the attention of, a blackmailer. ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ “Exclusive Story” The sensational revelations of Martin Mooney, a famous New .York reporter, who was given a prison sentence for his refusal to reveal confidential sources of information to a grand jury, serve as the subject matter for “Exclusive Story.” Written by Mooney himself and picturised by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s it brings to the screen an amazing and true “inside story” of society’s war on gangsters. In the picture Franchot Tone clings to the rung he reached with “Mutiny on the Bounty.” ' Tone is ably supported by Madge Evans also making her first Hollywood appearance after gaining the distinction of being the first major actress borrowed by an English studio.