THE SILENT STAGE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20583, 5 December 1928, Page 8

THE SILENT STAGE.

FILMS. AND FILM ARTISTS.

By Harlequin.

Th.fi Chinese Theatres in San Francisco, Seattle, and the Pacific Coast generally have contributed four of their foremost troupers to enhance gay cafe sequences in Raymond Cannon’s "Husbands Are Liars ” for Fox Films.- As they, arrived On the lot jn their colourful cos-, tumes of tho Ming Dynastic period the four. Miss Bo Ling,- Lee Ting, Gum Chuen, and Jimmy Leong, presented a most ■ ■ colourful, Oriental appearance.' Miss Bo Ling is an. exceptional dancer, and essays the, ancicn't Chinese dances ns well as modern aesthetic terpsichore. With 15,000 - extra players and a cast of do well-known screen names, "The Trail of ’OS” is the motion picture.using largest number of people since the beginning of the motion picture industry. This number o£ players exceeds the number used in " Ben Hur,” also a Mfitro-Goldwyn-Mayer picturo.by approximately 2000. "The Trail of ’08” was directed by Clarence Brown on the locales mentioned in Robert W. Service’s story oi the Kloadyko >gold rush, and includes Ralph Forbes, Dolores Del Rio, Kan Dane, Harry Carey, and George Coopet in the cast. ■ ■

One of the most perfect northern settings over constructed for motion pitturc work was recently built- at the Metro-Goldwyn-Majer. studios for Luciou Hubbard's Screen version of the famous musical play “ Bose Marie;” 'in which Joan Crawford add James Murray play "the principal roles. The settings, which Includes a street more than a block long, is a- replica of the famous Hudson Bay trading posts in North-western Canada, built 75 years ago, but still devoted to the .same use for which it was originally built. The supporting cast in " Rose Marie” is particularly talented, and'includes Eousci Peters, Creighton : Hale, Gibson Gowland, Lionel‘Belmore, Polly Moran, and. George Cooper.. t Nine Out of every -20 Hollywood girls are beautiful, six are pretty, and tho remaining five arc attractive. This is the opinion of Reginald Denny, who has made a personal survey, inspired by remarks recenatly'.published in Le Matin by Henri Didotier, the French artist, to the effect that three girls out of every ten are beautiful. After a six months’ investigation Didotier declared, that the classification was a correct one. •“He added that the remaining seven were cither attractive or lacking in sex appeal/ “ The majority of beautiful girls the world over seems to be concentrated in Hollywood,” says Denny in reply. “ Maybe, it’s the lure of the movies, and perhaps it’s just the’climate. The pretty ones attract the male eye, permit tho gaze to wander away.and then return again. Perhaps it Js a lack o! harmony in clothes or the mode of a hat that keeps them out of the first group, ' The merely attractive ones arc those you gaze at momentarily, only to turn suddenly away. It is a lack of smartness in dress, perhaps uneven' heels or an, ugly figure., I have faoticocl, ” said Denny, “ that many beautiful faces, are lost points because of a too slim or too. stout figure.” Since three-fourths of the filmgoers all Over tho world are women, - in reality film actors are much more important than actresses. , Women, . perhaps: unfortunately, but undeniably, Are' eternally interested in love in^the'abstract; - In the yrorld-famous actors they judge those' characteristics .which to them are of supreme importance. John Gilbert, for instance, really entrenched himself in the kinerim public’s affections long ago, when in "His Hour’’ he made desperate love to Aileen Pringle—l seem to recall that he ■ showered a -chain of - kisses up tho length of her bare arm. He has repeated his success several times; turning his avid - glances now upon Mae Murray, nbw Greta Garbo, and giving the women in the audience a new glowing dream about Ms own particular typo of “perfect lover. There Avas. a time Avhen Latin lovers had their vogue. There is still a supply of them—Don Ah’arado, Gilbert Roland, and, latest of all, Alexander D’Arcy. From the woman’s point of vieAV they represent a desirable dancingpartner, guaranteed to pay thrilling com"pliments and squeeze their'companion’s hand effectively, rather than tiro more highly esteemed admirer-serviceable on all occasions. It is Ronald Colman who more nearly fulfils the feminine ideal—a man Avho, besides other qualities, possesses that of appearing an eminently desirable husband. He baa an air of unapproachahleuess, is courteous, goodlooking Avithout being too decorative. Miss Marion Davies, the American film star, Avho has been called " the, Venus of the JJnitcd States,”’ is an enthusiastic admirer of England and her people. She recently arrived in London after a holiday on the Continent, arid in an intervierv expressed her views freely. " Your men are handsomest I have ever met,” she declared, “and youd women, especially their pure complexions, are lovely.” Miss Davies is very proud of the fact that she is honorary colonel of the 26th Regiment, one of the crack corps in the United States’Army. “X have held the .tank for three years now,” she said, “and maybe I shall get promotion one. day.” . Florence Yidor, the popular Paramount star, AVas born in the toAvn of Houston, Texas, and Avas educated in a 'high school arid convent near the city. Unlike the majority of screen stars, Miss Vidor has had no, stage experience, but entered the Avorld of motion pictures shortly after leaving school. Miss Vidor appeared in a large number of pictures as a featured player, but found it a hard struggle to get even that far. It Avas not until after joining Paramount that she secured-recogni-tion as an actress of unusual ability, and Avas soon raj seel to stardom, and lias since appeared in a large number of Paramount pictures. Her latest to be, seen in New Zealand was "The Magnificent. Flirt,” arid her next starring picture to be produced is titled “ Divorce Bound.” In addition to the latter picture. Miss Vidor Avill be seen in im.portant vole in Emil Jannings’s “The Patriot” and with Wallace Beery in “The Tong War.” While on a recent trip to Europe Miss Vidor married tho famous violinist, Jascha Heifetz. She is five feet four inches in height, Aveighs 120 pounds, and has an olive complexion, broAvu hair ami brOAVn eyes. Charles Rogers, one of the .youngest of Paramount's stars, is the son of a country newspaper proprietor.- He was born on August 13, 1904, in Olathe, Kansas, and attended the public school there, later finishing his studies, at the University of Kansas. When Paramount, in an endeavour to locate neAV screen talent, started the Avell-known Paramount Pictures School of Acting. Rogers’s father secured a tryout for his son, aa’lio Avas immediately afterwards enrolled in the school, and i played an important part in “ Fasdnat- I mg Youth,” the graduation picture produced by the students on the completion of their course. He Avas an instantaneous success, and was given a contract to appear in Para- I mount productions. He was chosen for ar role in “ So’s Your Old Man,” - and on the completion of that part, began his Avork as Johnny Powell in. Paramount’? air epic, “ Wings.” Another important part Avas opposite Clara Boav in “ Get Your Man.” FolloAving these performances Rogers Avas given a starring contract by Paramount, and his first starring picture to he seen in New Zealand is “ Varsity.” His second, “Just Twenty-One” is-now in production. The youthful star is 6 feet tall, AA-eighs 175 pounds, has black hair and bro Ayn eyes. He is unmarried.