LAST LOOK IN MIRROR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21040, 31 May 1930, Page 8

LAST LOOK IN MIRROR.

FILM STUDIO TRAGEDY. GIRL BURNED TO DEATH. DRESS IGNITED BY RADIATOR. ..Tiagedy came into the make-believe life, of talking pictures at the Twickenham Film Studios in London on April 1, Pretty, golden-haired Anita Fay Tipper, a 20-year-old chorus girl in “ Here Comes the Bride” at the Piccadilly Theatre, and dancer in a new film' Spanish Eyes,” was so severely burned when her flimsy gown caught fire against an electric radiator in a room at the studios that she died in hospital. The fire occurred in the dressing room of Mr Donald Calthrop, one of the prinnjpal„?: in the film, just after Miss Fay Tipper had received her call to go on the studio stage to be filmed. , Miss Fay Tipper, who was known on the stage as Anita Foy,- left London after a performance at the Piccadilly Theatre, and motored with others who were appeanng in “ Spanish Eyes ” to the studio at Twickenham. There she changed into her film costume—a flounced dancing dress, for aim was to appear in the film as a ballet -G “J 10 Ca^ed at the dressing room of Mr Calthrop, who was a friend, and the two were together talking while they waited for the “call.” - “Set is up. Dancers, please.” The call-boy came through the corridor rapPJ?S at’ the doors. The room in which Miss Fay Tipper and Mr Calthrop were waiting is small, and was warmed by an electric radiator. ABLAZE IN A MOMENT. i turned to the mirror as she heard the call, and glanced to see that her make-up and her hair were as they should be. As she bent down to look into the glass her skirt came into contact with the glowing wires of the radiator. She was ablaze in a moment. S ie n fla “ es her like a garment. Mr Calthrop acted instantly. He seized Ins heavy silk dressing gown, and wrapped it round the shrinking girl trying to smother the fire. He flung’open the door of the room, calling for aid, and the other actors and actresses who were assembling for the “set” ran to ins help. _ The girl was placed by the side of the stage on which she was to have nlTv Ti ° nly , her face and h ‘ er golden hau had escaped the flames. Someone brought oil and dressed the burns. Sbmeone telephoned for an ambulance ihe film dancing girl was still conscious as ( they carried her to the ambulan“\ i^ ont Worl 7>” she said. “It C£l at' ll( l lpe(i - n is nobody’s fault.” said • Carteu manager of the studios, When I was called and ran down tlie girl was lying covered with oil. NoSf k K n ° WS , bow the fire started. It niu-t have been caused by her dress touching the radiator. She was in Mr Calthrop’s room' for only a few minutes, awaiting her call. He made a most plucky attempt to save ucr. He was burned on the arm in trying to put out the flames, and hj s hair and eyebrows were scorched.”

Mr Calthrop was suffering from a severely burned right arm. His eyebrows and hair were badly singed. He said • My recollection of the tragedy is hazy, and I am definitely a sick man." His conversation was disjointed and excited. His face was lined and drawn from the effects of the tragedy. A VERY POPULAR GIRL. Miss Tipper’s mother is in America on a visit, and the girl had been livin°with her aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Ernest Edelsten. Mrs Edelsten 'was almost prostrate with grief after the tragedy. “My husband and X are overwhelmed by the® tragedy,” she said. Anita was a beautiful girl, on the thresnold of what showed every sign of being a splendid career on the stage. She had been working tremendously hard to gain success. She came home to us last night after leaving the theatre, and left us in a happy mood to go to Twickenham for her film work. The next we heard was that she was dying in hospital. Anita is a cousin of Anita Elson, the actress.” / friend of the dead girl said: “ Poor •Nita, with her blonde beauty and her shy, sweet manner! She had a host of friends. She was a most promising actress, and had been on the stage since she was 16. She appeared in ‘ The Five O’clock Girl 1 and ‘Mr Cinders - .' She has also played in America, where her parents had lived for some years, and she had previously done film work.” Mr Julian Wylie, the theatrical producer, said: “ I released six of the chorus girls of Here Cotnos the Bride ” to go to the studio at Twickenham. I believe that they were appearing in the last scene of a film there. Miss Tipper, who was among them, was a most popular girl, and had a charming personality.”