IN FILMLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20596, 21 June 1930, Page 35 (Supplement)

IN FILMLAND.

Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn, comedians I of " Rookery Nook," will make six comedies for British Dominions under a new' contract. First of thoso will probably bo another adaptation of tho Ben Travera' | popular novel, " A Cuckoo in the Nest." Following his work in " A Very Prac- -j tical Joke," in which. he was featured with Dorothy Mackaill, Milton Sills has been signed by Fox Movietone under a long-term contracts His first engagement under the new arrangement will-be the lead in Jack London's "The Sea Wolf." Doris Kenyon, who had a featured role in Paramount's " Interference," has been assigned the feminine lead in " Hie Caveman," Georgo Bancroft's next Paramount talking picture Miss Kenyon portrays a society woman, who forces the star into social ciroles in seeking revenge on? her friends. Milton Bills will begin work in the leading role of "The Sea Wolf" for Fox Movietone, when he completes "A Very Practical Joke," which is being directed by Berthold Viertel Alfred Santell will direct Sills in the talking adaptation of Jack London's powerful novel. Marlene Dietrich, distinguished German screen and stage star, has been engaged by paramount to' appear in a new alltalking production shortly to be filmed in Hollywood. Josef von Sternberg, the Paramount director, who discovered Miss Dietrich in Germany, has been given the directorial assignment for the forthcoming ; picture.'. •,* , : • Clandetto Colbert, who has appeared ! for Paramount in " Tho Lady Lies," " The Big Pond" aqd '* Young Man of Man- ; hattan," has been given the lead in "Man- , slaughter," a new Paramount all-talking | picture. The new film is scheduled for I production at the Hollywood studios this \ month. No supporting cast selections have yet been made. ! Cyril Maude, the distinguished' English ' stage star, who appeared' on the Australian stage a ! few years ago, has been signed "to a contract by Paramount. Maude will appear in the. talking screen version ■of " Grumpy," in which-ho scored one of his greatest "successes on tho stago. The adaptation anddialogue are being completed by Doris,. Anderson. The all-Technieolour, . all-talking animated cartoon is the latest development of tho screen, and. this innovation is presented for he first , time-, by Universal In " King of Jazz," the extravaganza star- • riiig Paul _Whiteman and his" band, which has been "completed under John Murray Anderson's direction. The ■ cartoon sequence opens tho picture by showing how Whiteman came to be crowned King of Jazi, a story that would moke Baron Munchausen blush for envy. Charlie 'Murray'and George Sidney, one of the foremost laugh teams of the screen, appear in two hilarious comedy sketches. Ruth Qhatlerion, already famous for her emotional roles, is varying them by singing with Jr spectacular mala dancing .chorus at ; dios in "The Lady of Scandal," the screes adaptation of, Frederick Lonsdale's stage v hit, "The High Road," and in.'which she is being starred. Miss Chatterton plays a musical 'comedy star, and In tho big : stage scene, in which she and Ralph Forbfes appear, sho sings a dancing number with a malo chorus. The song is " Say It With a Smile," a new original, composed by Jack Kitfg, with lyrics by Elsie Janis; Greater Australian Films, spirited by the success Of their first two British releases, " Splinters" and " Rookery Nook," are particularly confident regarding'"Alf's Button" and the historical drama, " Balaclava." The former is the talking ver- ; sion of W. Darlington's farce, several scenes of which are in colour. " Balaclava," which was recently'screened in London, aroused praise from the critics. It is built around the Crimean War, and introduces tha memorable charge of tho i Light Brigade. ' For some time past reports from America have indicated that Warner Brothers, pioneers of Vifaphone, would Adopt the sound-on-film principle, in oddfticn to, if ! not in substitution. for, tho sound*on-cLte<s system. Colour is given to that story by the announcement that Warners have now acquired a substantial stock interest in the Nakken Patents Corporation, together with a licence to use the patents in all motion picture fields, whenever thoy feel disposed. Tho basic Nakken patents cover reproduction of sound-on-film; electrical transmission of. facsimile telegrams by both wire and radio; electrical transmission of pictures by wire and radio; and television by wire and radio. According to tho report, " Warner Brothers can make sound-on-film talking pictures through a new invention of Nakken's, which discards tho slit altogether and provides a now and . improved exciter lamp, by means of which the light values can be increased many times over the light values available with i tho slit."