FILM TOPICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21278, 3 September 1932, Page 10 (Supplement)

FILM TOPICS

Lupe Velez may play the Tarzaness in the " female Tarzan " story, " Fury of the Jungle." Frank Borzage has been selected to direct Mary Pickford's third talkie, which is to go into production in September. Boris Karloff has been cast in the starring role of " Robinson Crusoe," shortly •to go into production in Hollywood. "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm," with Marian Nixon, Ralph Bellnmy and Mae Marsh, is expected to elevate Miss Nixon to stardom. It earned her the leading role in " Walking Down Broadway," which goes into production soon. ■While stunting for the film "War Correspondent," in Hollywood, Roy Wilson, remembered as the bald-headed aviator in " Hell's Angels," and un-named hero of sixty-five aerial film thrills, attempted a tail-spin from a height of 2000 ft. crashed, and died of his injuries an hour later. Immediately following the accident, Frank Wilson, another Hollywood stunt flyer, successfully attempted the same feat for the film cameras. Gary Grant, a new Paramount picture player from the Broadway str-ge, plays his second Hollywood picture rolo in the Chester-Morris-Carole Lombf.rd picture, " Sinners in the Sun." recently completed his first screen role in " This is the Night," a Paramount picture with Lily Damita, Charlie Ruggles and Roland Young. He will join Adrienne Ames, Alison Skipworth and Walter Bryon, in support of Morris and Miss Lombard. An actual reproduction of a Tyrolesa inn was constructed for the opening scenes in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's " Downstairs," which Monta Bell is directing. All details of the atmosphere were carefully prepared on a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer sound stage from photographs made in the Tyrol mountain district in Austria. Supporting • Gilbert in his new talkie is a strong cast including Olga Baclanova, Paul Lucas, Virginia Bruce, Bodil Rosing and Otto Hoffman.

His Excellency, the Egyptian Minister, with his Charge d'Affaires, visited the 8.1.P. Studios in order to view some of Hie scenes in " The Fires of Fate," which was recently produced in Egypt by Norman Walker. It was through the Minister's good offices that the company was able to secure the co-operation, which was complete and unstinted, of the Egyptian Government, which made the production possible. Walker was delighted to have the opportunity of showing to what good purpose he had used the extraordinary facilities offered him. " The Fires of Fate " is being prepared for an early screening.

Calculations based on figures already known indicate that the " Grand Hotel " will gross more than half a million sterling in receipts from the United States alone.

Laurence Olivier is to replace Michael Farmer in Gloria Swanson's " Perfect) Understanding," and William Boyd has been invited to come from Hollywood for the same production.

Lew Ayres is to star in " Red Knight, of Germany," a story of Richthofen, the wartime air ace. Ramon Novarro is being considered for the Red Indian role in " Laughing Boy," for which Ayres was found to be unsuitable.

In support of James Cagney and Joan Blondell in " The Crowd Roars," a Warner Bros, First National Picture, is a large cast including a score of racing drivers, among them the Indianapolis Speedway champions Billy Arnold and Lou Schneider, and also such well-known racers as Ralph Hepburn, Harry Hartz and Leo Nomis.

James Finlayson's native Scotch accent is being put to work in Tallulah Bankhead's current Paramount starring picture, " Thunder Blow." The comedian, signed for the role of Scotty, the humorous character in Thomas Rourke's novel, will join Charles Bickford, Paul Lukas, Eugena Pallette and Leslie Fenton in the cast supporting Miss Bankhead.

In "So Big " a Warner Bros. First National picturisation of Edna Ferber's novel, seven children of the same family have parts. Their ages range from one and a-half years to eighteen years, and all have appeared in pictures before, but this is the first time they have been seen together. These children, Johnson by name, have been trained for the pictures from a very early age.

One of the longest scenes on record, technically known as a " space shot," was filmed for " Cock of the Air," the Howard Hnghes production. In this scene an Italian carnival is filmed with moving cameras, mounted on perambulators, with one of the most, exquisite effects ever obtained photographically. Chester Morris plays the title role in " Cock of the Air." This picture is to be released by United Artists.

Norman McLeod, •vrhose production of " Horse Feathers," the Four Marx Brothers' starring picture, was halted when Chico Marx injured his leg in an auto accident, has arrived in Hollywood to complete this comedy film at the Paramount Studios. McLeod directed " The Miracle Man " and " Touchdown " for Paramount before beginning on " Horse Feathers." He also directed the Marx Brothers in " Monkey Business," and was well known as a writer of screen stories before embarking on directorial work.