SCREEN AND STAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22293, 20 June 1934, Page 3

SCREEN AND STAGE

FROM GREEN ROOM AND STUDIO

BY HARLEQUIN

Grade Fields’s Generosity

The inimitable Lancashire lass 'who is familiarly known throughout Great Britain as “Our. Gracie” has been doing, perhaps unknown to her vast army of admirers, a great work for charity. Grade Fields is the true philanthropist—she runs an orphanage. Through her untiring. efforts, and bountiful generosity, hundreds of children who would never have _ had a chance in this world of security and happiness are cared for and given a fair start in life; This home is Grade’s main thought. When’she signed up the 8.1. P. contract for “ Love, Life, and Laughter,” which meant something like 12 per minute, she celebrated the occasion by ordering a new wing to be built on the orphanage, costing £SOOO. So enraptured is she with her orphans that when plans for this production were being drawn, she -insisted on having the story written around them, and consequently it forms the theme of a very entertaining picture, which is really a slice from the life of Grade’ Fields herself, and has all the vivacity, boisterou&ness, and personality, which has endeared her to the public. It has often been said that the main reason for her immense popularity on the stage and screen is the fact that she is always herself.. Grade' Fields never poses; she has won the hearts of millions of people, who love her, not so much for her undeniable talent, and exquisite voice, which she abuses most dreadfully at times, but for her great simplicity. Miss Fields has ,charm, the charm of making her audience feel that she is one of them, and just an ordinary person after all. She is the most human actress on the screen; she has never aspired to be a star apart. Warm-hearted, jolly, hard-working and generous, she is perhaps doing more for charity, and making less fuss v about it, than any celebrity in the world. “Love, Life, and Laughter,” her latest 8.1. P. release, is a rollicking piece of fun. Filled with raughty incidents, and good plain mirth, it might well be a chapter from her own life, and to a large extent it is. The film abounds in song numbers, “ Love. Life, and Laughter,” “Cherie,” ".Out in the Cold, Cold Snow,” “I’m a Failure,” and “Riding on the Clouds,” all of which are sung by this merry lass with the magnificent soprano. This time she. goes to a court reception, and, growing bored, tries to liven up the proceedings in her own inimitable way. The result is, “Out in the Cold, Gold Snow.” She also hits a prince in the eye with an orange, “ And Why not,” says Grade, “It’s a blood orange.” Making Artificial Fog

Not the smallest demand made. by “ Channel Crossing,” of • the studio technicians, .was for a complete sea fog, of the pearly, impenetrable variety. It goes without saying that, being necessary for the picture, it was produced in all its rich opaqueness. But how? The picture was being filmed in the height of. an unusually _ fine and hot' English summer. The English Channel could not produce that fog, just then, for, love or money—: and eVen if it could have done so, it could not have been mustered and driven off to Shepherd’s Bush, where the director wanted it.

But, it takes more than that to daunt Gaumont-British technicians. At any season of the year these wizards can be depended, on to .produce the,characteristics of any other season—or of all of them at once if need be. Rain, snow, sunshine, sleet, springtime lowings of cattle, and the sweet call of birds; thunder, lightning, .roaring gales and all meteorological nnchafitableness appear at. a nod. To such Olympians of the studio, then, what was a mere sea fog? Some tin plates, a ‘sprinkle of certain. chemicals; a match applied and there it was—a stately, rolling sea fog, as pearly and impenetrable as the best line of fog the Channel itself could offer and guarantee to be direct from thd factory of Mother Nature. ‘ “ Channel Grossing ” will be shown at the Grand:Theatre on Friday.

A President’s Interest in Films One of the keenest students of the screen in America is the President of the United States.

During his first year in office Mr Roosevelt has seen 1327 reels of film-r-the equivalent of about 200 average-length pictures.- This is 202 reels more than the average film enthusiast sees in the same period. Or, to make another comparison, Mr Roosevelt has already seen four times as many pictures as Mr Hoover and five times as many as Mr Coolidge during their whole period of office. Mr Roosevelt sees films privately projected ,in Washington, and also has a “talkie” set in his home in Hyde Park. New York. Apparently he goes to the screen for relaxation wdien worried, for he saw the greatest number of films when confronted with the, gravest problems. Mr Roosevelt sees everything, from Wild West to Mae West. Some of the pictures he saw have caused censorship troubles.

He twice saw "Gabriel Over the White House,” the hero of , which saves the country after being hit on the head in a motor accident, and wants to undo everything as soon as he gets back to normal. He also asked for a second showing of “ The Fighting President,” a news reel record of his own career. All the productions he saw were American, with one exception—-the British-made " Ghost Train.”

A. A. Milne’s “ Dover Road ” It will .come rather as a relief to Dunedin theatre-goers to be presented with a form of entertainment which combines the elements of amusing situations coupled with dramatic intensity. There have in the past been burlesque comedies and farces, there have been whimsical fantasies, and stronger tragedies, but seldom has there been anything so delightfully subtle presented on the Dunedin stage as A. A. ■ Milne’s “Dover Road.” Mr Milne is famous for his children’s verses, so much appreciated by old and young alike, and. in this whimsical play, which has slipped so easily from his pen, he again achieves this popularity. “ The Dover Road ” will be presented by the University Dramatic Society tomorrow and on . Friday and Saturday. The University boasts some of Dunedin’s most versatile actors, and when it is added that the production is in the particularly efficient hands of Miss Bessie Thomson, success should be assured.

An English Comedy

“ Sorrell and Son ” 11. B. Warner, the English actor who has spent 20 years at Hollywood and makes his debut in British films in “ Sorrell and Son,” has been recalling his last visit to his native land when six years ago he wont there to work on location in the silent version of the same picture. H. B. Warner’s present visit to England is to be much more leisurely. Exterior shots for the “ talkie ” version of “ Sorrell and Son ” have been shot in the heart of the Cotswolds, and nothing could be more English than the little Worcestershire village-of Broadway and

the rolling countryside around it, crowded with memories of Tudor days. ■ Herbert Wilcox is determined that the very essence of England shall provide the background of the British-made version of Warwick Deeping’s romance. Since H. B. Warner has had years in films in America his attitude to British studio conditions is interesting. He arrived prepared to be a keen critic because he was keen to be. of assistance in pointing out where America scored. He found the British and Dominions Imperial Studio at Boreham AVood the equal in equipment and genera! efficiency of any studio at Hollywood. The cast of “Sorrell and Son” includes Peter ,Penrose as the boy Sorrell, Hugh Williams as the son grown to young manhood, Winifred Shotter as his fiancee, Margot Grahame as Sorrell’s ex-wife, Donald Calthrop as Orange, the surgeon; Wally Patch as Buck, the bullying chief

porter; Evelyn Roberts as Roland, the philosophic hotel proprietor; and Hope Davey and Louis Hcywood as the two screen artists whose love affair plays such an important part in the life of Sorrell. The Lygon Arms, an old-world hotel' dating back to the sixteenth century, provides attractive settings, and there are some fine views of the winding River Avon. “Sorrell and Son” will have its New Zealand premiere screenings within the next few weeks.

"Meet My Sister,” the new British International Picture release which conies to the Regent Theatre on Friday, June 29, is styled " the picture with a laugh in every line.” The story concerns a young bachelor peer, Lord Victor Wilby, who, engaged to “marry millions,” decides to spend his last week-end of “ freedom ” in Paris. He sets out for the gay city, but a violent storm causes the cancellation of the Cross-Channel services, and it is a very disgruntled bridegroom-to-be who returns to his flat. Meanwhile, the same

storm has drenched to the skin a certain charming young lady, who had called “to collect” some of the debts owed by Lord Victor, and the valet, assuring her of his master’s absence for a few days, had persuaded her to stay and dry her clothes. Thus when the hero arrives, a perfect stranger is asleep in his bed. Unfortunately for Victor, his lady-love decided on that evening, of all evenings, to visit him. “Meet My Sister,” he said, and those three little words started the most convulsing series of complications. Stage and Screen Stars

Miss Gertrude Lawrence and Mr Douglas Fairbanks, jun., made their appearance at the Manchester Opera House on a recent night in a new play by Philip Leaver, “The Winding Journey/’ Jt was one of the most brilliant first nights Manchester lias had for a considerable time.

Mr Fairbanks (says the Daily Telegraph) had every reason to bo pleased with his reception on his first appearance on the English stage, a packed house giving him a hearty welcome. Mr Fairbanks and Miss Lawrence practically monopolise the play, and both achieved a warm personal success. They were recalled time after time at the end of the play.

They have the roles of a highly sophisticated couple—each has a lover — who, on marrying, undertake to forgive not only the past but the future also, and to allow each other perfect freedom. The play ends on a note of tragedy.

Marlene Dietrich’s Latest Marlene Dietrich’s hold on the affections, of her public was shown again recently when a queue had begun to form at the Carlton Theatre before the box office opened (writes Campbell Dixon in the Daily Telegraph). But I fear the new picture, “ The Scarlet Empress,” will leave her more critical admirers, if there be such, vaguely dissatisfied. Once more Josef van Sternberg directs. With one exception, “ The Song of Songs,” he has made every English-speaking picture in which Miss Dietrich has appeared; and the first, “ The Blue Angel,” made in Berlin, remains infinitely the best.

“The Scarlet Empress,” dealing with the story of Catherine the Great of Russia, reveals his strength and weakness — great pictorial sense, an adroit use of close-ups, and a strange inability to draw real characters or tell a clean-cut story. Interest in the drama ig largely dissipated by the scrappy scenario and the dwarfing of the players by the decorations —huge sets,' grotesque masks and statues and misshapen crucifixes. There are some extremely effective moments, and Miss Dietrich looks as lovely as ever; but on the whole, I preferred Alexander Korda’s English version, in which the Empress and Peter were played by Elizabeth Bergner and Douglas Fairbanks, jun.

Irene Vanbrugh Starred Irene Vanbrugh has the leading role in “The Head of the Family,” which will open a season at the St. James Theatre on Friday. Besides offering a story of powerful dramatic appeal, the picture has the additional value of a number of popular and famous players in supporting roles, including John Stuart, himself a star, Arthur Maude, Pat Paterson—re-

cently given a contract by a major Hollywood studio —and D. A. Clarke-Smith. Irene Vanbrugh has the role of the head ot a family whose inspiration and courage successfully steers her husband and her children through the storm of domestic and financial difficulties that_ overcome them at a moment when their security seems most assured'. The drama concerns the rivalry of two great steel magnates — Powis Porter, whose conservative ideas precipitate his ruin, and Stanmore, of the newer school of business, up to date in his methods and ruthless in his determination for success. Even after Stanmore has accomplished Porter’s downfall lie cannot complete his victory of buying him out. Porter refuses to sell the valuable process that once brought his success, despite his straightening circumstances. Guided by his wife, ho successfully weathers the storm, but not before incidents of the most dramatic kind have brought the story to its thrilling climax. “ Cross Country Cruise ” America’s great ocean-to-ocean expanse with its ribbon of roadways is the inspiration for “ Cross Country Cruise.” starring Lew Ayres with June Knight, Alice White, and Alan Dinehart, coming on Friday to the Strand Theatre. It is a story of action aboard a transcon-

tinental bus plying between New York and San Francisco. Produced in an unusual manner, the story deals, principally, with the lives of five travellers—Norman, a wealthy idler; Sue, a beautiful passenger; Steve; his supicious wife Nita; and May, a chorus girl. How Sue eventually “gets her man,” and how Norman clears Sue in the tragic death of Nita and rescues his love from certain doom at the hands of the despicable Steve, is logically revealed. “Cross Country Cruise ’’■ has a capable cast, including Minna Gombell, Eugene Pallette, Robert M‘Wade, Henry Armetta, Arthur Vinton, Robert Allen, and others.

New Comedy by Ben Traver* “Up to the Neck,” which is the. latest triumph of Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter, and Mary Brough, has as its plot the exploits of a young man whose ambition is to become a successful actor. He graduates to loyal town hall amateur dramatics and ruins everything.he touches. He meets an actress (Winifred Shotter), and puts on a.,show with her in the lead.. The leading man fails at the last minute, and Ralph Lynn steps into the breach, playing the . part in true Travers style. This is said to be one of the funniest of Travers’s many successful farces, and Ralph Lynn ' and Co. do full justice to the host of comedy opportunities created.

Baxter and Helen Vinton The Fox Films production, “As Husbands Go,” will be the next attraction at the State Theatre. On a pleasure jaunt in Paris, a young wife and her middleaged friend find unexpected romance. Before returning home, the young wife informs the young Englishman she has become infatuated with that she will secure a divorce from her husband. Upon her return she is determined to tell her husband of her new love, but his charming sweetness is impossible for her to penetrate. The situation becomes more embarrassing- when the lover arrives. The husband welcomes him with open arms, and even when he discovers that, he is. the man his wife is in love with he ig determined to find out what sort of man he is. The Englishman's admiration for the husband becomes so groat that’he feels his presence is an injustice and so he departs.. The young wife, realising her grave mistake, returns once more to the love of her husband. Warner Baxter, who was last seen in “ Paddy, the Next Best Thing,” has for his leading lady Helen Vinson. The other members of the cast are Warner Oland, Catharine Doucet (of stage fame), G. P. Huntley, jun., Frank O'Connor. Eleanor Lynn, and Jay Ward,

Russian Princess on the Screen A Russian princess, daughter of Grand Duke Paul and granddaughter of Czar Alexander 111, ig going to London to play with Douglas Fairbanks in the new film, “ Don Juan.” She is Princess Natalie Pa ley, who is already an established star on the French screen. "London films are making an experiment with me, because I’ve never acted in English yet,” she said. “But I’m so keen to appear in British pictureg that I’ve agreed to play a secondary role as a test.”

A Dramatic Love Story “ All Men Are Enemies,” a new Fox production, is the story of all English, boy and a Viennese girl seeking amid the languorous beauties of the Island of Capri the full expression of their romantic yegrnings. They meet under the spell of a lovely song which becomes the theme of the intensity of their love. They yield to the promptings of their hearts, and revel in the ecstacy of blissful fulfilment. Cruelly separated by war’s blighting fires and their efforts , to keep in communication with each other frustrated, they seek each other at the close of the conflict. Their paths cross, but do not meet, and they finally give up the quest as hopeless. After many tragic vicissitudes each seeks out the scene of their first meeting, there to find at least the solace of glorious memories. Their chance reunion there is the culmination of an altogether delightful and inspiring story of undying love.

Film Topics George Arliss has hem signed by Gau-mont-British for a production to be mad? in England. Arliss is already in England going through plays and stories to And a suitable vehicle. It is possible lie may do,u film based on the life of Sir Henry Irving. The Era mentions the rumour that George Arliss is likely to be knighted before long. “ Just Smith,” a WodehouSe story based on the Psmith series/ a Tom Walls feature, will shortly reach Dunedin. It is said to be very funny, and Tom Walls is considered to be ideal for the role. “Hoopla,” with Clara Bow as a fan dancer in a side show, is a Fox production which brings the popular Fox star back to film fame. It is screened with a background of the Chicago “World’s Fair. “Of all. the lovely stars that America possesses,”says Hannon Swaffer, “there is none so talented as Lillian Harvey,” and her latest musical show, ‘I Am Suzanne,’ thoroughly deserves the success it is meeting with throughout the world. It makes glorious entertainment and is in a class by itself. That the star should ever have been allowed to leave England gives one furiously to think. On the other hand, ‘ I Am Suzanne ’ has done so v eil that one cannot grudge tbs star one moment of her success.