PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23334, 28 October 1937, Page 19

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Mrs F. Moore is a visitor to Auckland.

Mr and Mrs Richard Hudson will leave to-day for Hanmer, and will later be in Christchurch for race week.

Mr and Mrs W. O. McKellar, who spent Labour Day week-end in Timaru, have returned to town.

Miss Millicent Mackerras left by yesterday's express for Wellington, to sail by the Wanganella for Australia

Mrs H. J. Guthrie and Miss Jean Guthrie returned on Monday from an extended trip to England and Europe.

Mrs Oldham, of Macandrew Bay, is visiting her aunt, Mrs R. Thompson, of Wyndham.

Mrs Hedley Bellringer has returned from a visit to New Plymouth and Christchurch.

Mr and Mrs W. T. Still and their family spent Labour Day week-end with Mr and Mrs Luscombe, of Otekaike..

Mrs Eva M. Seward has returned from her tour of Otago, and is staying for a few days at the Y.W.C.A. in Dunedin.

Miss Edith Howes arrived from Christchurch last evening and is the guest of Mrs R. H. Stevenson, Musselburgh rise.

Miss Isobel Kohn recently made a tour of the Rhineland after a motor tour through Devonshire and Cornwall. Miss Kohn will leave for home by the Orford in November.

The birth of a daughter in London to Lady Prudence Loudon was announced this week (writes our special correspondent on October 6). Lady Prudence is the youngest daughter of the late Earl Jellicoe and Countess Jellicoe.

Mrs Hugh Speight will leave on November 11 by the Monterey for San Francisco, afterwards travelling via Los Angeles and the Mexican border to Philadelphia, where she intends to spend some months as the guest of her sister, Mrs E. A. Nicol.

For the period of 7 days a special free-making offer on all materials bought from Doris Haworth, furnishing specialist, of Stuart street, will be available to all women who are making new contributions to home furnishings. This opportunity to have immaculatelytailored loose covers, new chintz bedspreads and curtains for the summer season should appeal to those who desire only the best and newest in furnishing styles.—Advt.

Mrs E. J. Smith and Mrs Guy Tapley were hostesses at the Vedic yesterday morning, when the Dunedin Travel Club held its fortnightly meeting. There was a large attendance of members, who showed much interest in an address delivered by Miss Nance Pratt on " England as Seen Through the Eyes of a Young New Zealander," and a talk by the Rev. B. Gina. who gave a fascinating account of his work and experiences as the first ordained Methodist minister in the Solomon Islands. Other visitors present were Mrs Seward (London), Miss M. Macassey (Wellington) Mr and Mrs A. Clark (Christchurch). Mr Lupton (London) and Messrs Doonan and Carroll (of the Montague Revue Company).

Diana Churchill, who plays feminine lead in "The Dominant. Sex," first made her stage appearance in 1931, when she played at the Oxford Repertory Theatre, where she remained for a year, gathering valuable experience, before going to London to appear in three of Sydney Carroll's productions —"The Rivals," "Streets of London," and "The Country Wife." She attracted the attention of the critics in all these subjects, and an important role followed in " Vintage Wine," out it was not until she came to play the role of the young wife in Michael Egan's play, "The Dominant Sex," that she really became well known. " The Dominant Sex" was originalb produced for one week only at the Embassy Theatre at Swiss Cottage, London, but it met with such high praise and was such an instantaneous success that it was transferred to the West End. where it ran for nearly 700 record-breaking performances, with Diana playing lead opposite Richard Bird. She plays the same role opposite Phillip Holmes in the screen version of the plav recently completed by Associated British Pictures at Elstree. It was as a result of the prominence she was given in this great success that she began to receive her first screen offers both from England and Hollywood At the time she had a horror of film work, and it was with great difficulty that she was persuaded to appear in "Foreign Affairs." with Tom Walls. She admits that she was appalled when she first saw and heard herself on the screen, and that it practically decided her never again to make another film. However, film producers hardly seemed in agreement with Diana, for a series of film offers resulted from this apnearance. and Tom Walls persuaded her to appear in two further pictures in which he played lead. All this time she was appearine on the London stage in "The Dominant Sex," and when Walter Mvcroft. of the Associated British Studios, called in at the theatre "ne evening he was so struck with Mi" Churchill's performance that he offerer' h«»r the imoortant role of Angela Shale, opposite Philip Holmes in the screen version of "The Dominant Sex."

Mr and Mrs P. J. McLean, of Greymouth, and Mrs J. Thomson and Miss Stewart, of Invercargill, were visitors to Dunedin last evening for the wedding of Mr William Burnett and Miss Molly Stewart.

Miss C. J. Eadie was hostess at a party at her home on Saturday evening in honour of Mr Neville Scoullar and Miss Natalie Scoullar. who have been spending a short stay here. Guests included Messrs Joan Eadie, Pam Williams, June Holloway, Betty Warren, Natalie Scoullar (Auckland) and Phyllis Crossan (Auckland); and Messrs Reynolds, Ritchie. Scoullar. Hart. Dixon and Dunlop.

Ellen, Countess of Hardwicke, left on October 6 on the Aquitania for the United States, New Zealand and Australia. She will return to England in April.'

Dr and Mrs Malcolm Brown, who were visitors to Christchurch for the week-end, have returned south, accompanied by Mrs J. Smith, who will visit her sisters in Dunedin and Central Otago.

Mrs Elsa Kingston, of Invercargill, will hold an exhibition of enamels in Dunedin in the second week of November. She studied the craft in Paris, where she showed examples of her work at several exclusive exhibitions. The exhibition will include brooches, ear-rings, plaques, and ornaments.

The Misses Ramsay will leave to-day on a visit to Melbourne, where they will be the guests of their sister, Mrs John Mackenzie. While in Melbourne Miss Doris Ramsay will study at the League of Health and Beauty School promoted by the late Mrs Bagot-Stack, of London. Later, she and her sister will go on to* Sydney. While the Misses Ramsay are away their residence in London street will be occupied for three months by Mr and Mrs Garth Gallaway. * * *

Mr Russell-Wood gave pleasure to about 200 members and friends by inviting them to the annual Playbox prizegiving party on Tuesday evening. The room was decorated with boughs of cherry blossom and large quantities of orange calendulas, which looked very effective beneath the softly-shaded lights. The hostesses for the evening were Mesdames A. C. Stephens, John McPherson, Hugh -Speight, and H. M. Sutherland. The programme consisted of two plays and several sketches and humorous readings. The latter were given by Mrs Speight, Misses Peggy Griffiths, and Mary Hawes, and Mr K. Donaldson. Mr J. Tannock's prize-winning play. "Her Affairs in Order," was well staged, Miss Warren repeating her excellent performance of the part of Judith, and being well supported by Misses Marcia Morris, P. Elston, Audrey Watson, Mollie Baker, and Claire Mirams. The second play, a clever and amusing skit on romance in Hollywood, was interpreted by a well-balanced cast that extracted a great amount of humour from the various parts. The players were Misses P. Griffiths. C. Mirams. Dulcie Hazelwood, Alice Clarke, A. Walton, Joan Denny, Leila Greenall. Mary Hawes. Freda Cubitt, Doris Nees, Nell Warren, and Betty Rhodes, and Messrs lan McNarey, J. Tannock, and L. Pithie. Lady Hutchison, who presented the prizes, was welcomed to the club by Mr Russell-Wood, and in a graceful speech eulogised the work done by Playbox members under Mr Russell-Wood's guidance, stating that the' work was known to be helpful to many stage asoinrnts and to the playloving community generally. For the outstanding individual efforts of the year, Mrs Speight and Mr Frank Lanyon were handed silver cups, for the best all-round work Miss Nell Warren and Mr Donaldson were likewise honoured, and for character work Miss Claire Mirams and Mr James Tannock were also handed silver cups. Mr Lanyon's cup for the best one-act production was won by Mr J. Tannock. and prizes for the most improved players went to Miss Marcia Morris and Mr Bernard Falck. For outstanding work in the Playbox festival Miss Warren received a presentation, and token.' of annreciation were also handed to Mrs John McPherson Mrs G. Murray. Misses Noeline Parker. Alice Clarke, and Dulcie Hazelwood and Messrs Leo Manning and Tom Bastion. Mr K Donaldson, on behalf of the anting members pi'esented Mr Russell-Wood with a handsome chromium clock. After supper the floor was cleared for dancing, which concluded a hannv evening.

The members of the committee of the Music Circle of the Otago Women's Club were the guests of the chairwoman (Mrs Lynn Beaumont) at a luncheon party at the club yesterday. Those present were Mesdames Richard Hudson, Wakefield Holmes, and Eric Miller, and Misses Meda Paine, Zita Hart, Edith Morrison, Muriel Lane. Ngaio Garland, and Margaret Sawers.

Miss Winifred McQuilkan will be at Somerville College, Oxford, for at least two years, reading English for the B.A. honours degree. She is the holder of a New Zealand University post-graduate scholarship in arts for two years. On arrival in London Miss McQuilkan was met by Miss Joan Thompson, who has been on the Continent studying languages for the past 18 months, and is now in London taking a secretarial course. Another New Zealander met in London was Miss Yvonne Champtaloup, who was at Otago University with Miss Thompson and Miss McQuilkan.

The annual party of the Literary Circle of the Otago Women's Club was held on Tuesday evening, and was very entertaining. Mrs R. D. Nimmo, who was in the chair, was responsible for a number of amusing selections from Punch, read by herself, Mrs Eastgate, Miss Frances Ritchie, and Miss A. McDougall. Mrs S. N. Park and Mrs Gordon Bell assisted by Miss McDougall gave a clever presentation in character of Barrie's " On the Track of the Minister." and Miss Holland and Mrs McMillan a little Irish sketch written by Miss Holland herself. A fantasy from "Marton Pippin in the Apple Orchard," by Eleanor Farjeon, was presented by Mrs V. E. Galway and Miss Service, who later joined with Mrs F. J. Turner and Miss Lilian McCarthy in a dramatised version of "Villikins and His Dinah," with Mrs L. Beaumont as accompanist and soloist. The final sketch, " Sleeping Out," given by Mrs S. P. Cameron and Miss Farnie, was ideal as an item with which to bring the programme to a satisfying climax. Miss Holford, on behalf of the audience, thanked the performers for their contributions

On Tuesday afternoon the St. Michael's branch of the Mothers' Union met to celebrate its seventh birthday and incidentally to hold the final meeting of an enjoyable and enlightening year. Members of the St. Peter's branch were also present. Opportunity was taken of bidding farewell to Mrs Dobson, who has been secretary since the inception of the branch. Mrs J. N. Thompson presided and spoke highly of Mrs Dobson's capabilities as secretarv and asked her to accept a picture as a small token of the high esteem in which she was held. Mrs Bennett, who served as enrolling member of the branch for a period of six years, spoke of the pleasant associations that had existed between Mrs Dobson and the and in presenting Mrs Dobson with a bouquet wished her every happiness in her future home. Mrs Dobson suitably replied.