AUSTRALIAN FILMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21112, 20 February 1932, Page 11 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN FILMS.

NEW PRODUCTIONS PLANNED. AN AMBITIOUS PROGRAMME. Efftee Film Productions, of Melbourne has completed its operations for 1931 with the taking of a further batch of short talkie and sound features, which will probably be released in conjunction with "The Sentimental Bloke" early this year. One of the. most enter- j taining of these will be an Italian scena by Lou Vernon, a versatile actor and vocalist, who' has played prominent roles in numerous J. C. Williamson musical plays. Mr. Vernon returned to Melbourne recently from a long inter-state tour, and was promptly engaged by Efftee Films. Keith Desmond is to be screened in his original comedy monologue " The Death of Nelson." which was so popular on the Tivoli circuit a few years back, and the Sundowners Quartet, and Hermie Barton and her ten girl violinists are other acts to be made into screen features. These and other acts will be interpolated into ten-minute screen revues in attractive settings. This new idea in talkie ' shorts was originated by the managing director of Efftee Films, Mr. F. W. Thiing. The second of the " Cities of Australia, series, will be Ballarat, views of which were taken under the direction of Efftee's camera expert, Mr. Arthur Higgins. The first of the five eight-reel talkie features to be produced by the studios this year is to be a dramatisation of " Pick and the Duffers," by Kay Glasson Taylor, which deals with cattle duffing on adjoining stations in Southern Queensland. The scenario has been specially prepared by Betty Davis, who wrote the fine play "A Touch of Silk." This will be the first Australian talkie, the scenes of which are laid mainly in the open air and should provide an interesting additional test of the technical abilities of iiifitee studios. . . , , All the qualities t>f a successful outdoor talking and Sound picture are produced by this scenario. There is a charming love romance in addition to the main theme which concerns the qualities as an amateur detective of a nine-year-old boy, Pick Leyden, and his native friend Gordon who help to solve the mystery of the cattle duffing. The story works up to a tragic and quite unexpected denouement. The title of the film will probably be changed from that of the book, but the new name has not yet been selected. An interesting feature of the new talkie will be the appearance of Willie Kerr, a nine-vear-old Wagga boy, in the role of Pick." This youngster, who is, regarded by Mr. F. W. Thring as a valuable discovery, is the son of Olive Roberts, who was formerly known on the Australian stage. Camera tests of the boy have proved thoroughly satisfactory, and he has revealed acting talent which suggests that he will meet all the very considerable demands of the part. Mr. Thring is now searching for a youthful aboriginal to play the part of Gordon. In all probability Ray Fisher and Cecil Scott, who play Doreen and the Bloke in the talkie version of the C. J. Dennis play, will be cast for the romantic roles in the new film. It is Mr. Thring's intention to associate these two artists more or less permanently in juvenile roles.