SCREEN AND STAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23688, 21 December 1938, Page 4

SCREEN AND STAGE

FROM GREEN ROOM AND STUDIO

BY HARLEQUIN

Film Topics “Fidelity,” which was all set for Joan Crawford’s next picture, has been temporarily postponed censorship trouble. Writing is now being rushed on “The Shining Hour," which will probably supersede “Fidelity," Nelson Eddy and Liloma Massey will be starred in “ Balalaika,” the musical comedy with a Russian background, recently staged in. New Zealand.

Victor Saville’s . latest production, “South Riding,” is the screen version of Winifred Holtby’s famous book. The leading players in the film are Edna Best, who plays the part of Sarah Burton, the headmistress at a Yorkshire school for girls, and Ralph Richardson, who plays Robert Came, squire of Maythorpe Hall. A leading child part is played by Joan Ellum, a Yorkshire girl, who has had no previous film experience, but for whom Mr Saville predicts a great future. The other important Child part is played by Glynis Johns, daughter of Mervyn Johns, the actor. Interesting names in the cast are Ann Todd, who plays Game’s wife; Edmund Gwcnn, who plays Huggins; John Clements, who gave a brilliant performance as the Soviet commissar in “Knight Without Armour,” plays Socialist Councillor Astell. t Those Dionne Quints, of' whom a few people seem to have heard, are

scheduled to make a new film, titled (of course!) “Five of a Kind.” By the way, they have now been given their own special stand-in. She is Mila Samrich, aged three and a-haif. You may or may not remember her (she was there anyway) as the infant Anne Shirley of “ Stella Dallas.” A mahogany desk that belonged to Sir James Barrie is used as a “ prop ” in a scene of Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion.” The desk, at which Barrie wrote some of his most famous plays, is used in the scene by Leslie Howard, who takes the role of Professor Higgins, phonetic expert. It was borrowed from a London antique dealer. An umbrella stand belonging to Bernard Shaw also figures in a scene of “ Pygmalion,” and here is the reason: When Mr Shaw refused to watch his film being made, Producer Gabriel Pascal suggested to him that the presence in the studio of "something personal ” from the G.B.S. household might serve as a gentle and constant reminder of the author. Next day the umbrella stand arrived. “What the Public Wants" is the optimistic title for the next Eddie Cantor film.

The “ Dead End ” kids are the Hollywood picture fashion of the moment. Billy Halop, the ringleader in “Dead End ” and “ The Crime School,” will be starred all on his own with Humphrey Bogart in “ Chalked Out,” Warden Lewis E. Lawes’s crime story. All the kids will be reunited in “Something to Live For,” based on Playwright Sidney Kingsley’s discovery of them for the stage play “Dead End” and their subsequent acting fame. Humphrey Bogart impersonates the playwright This will be preceded by yet another Bogart plus “Dead End kids” opus “Hell’s Kitchen,” with Claire Trevor.

Miriam Hopkins, whose picture popularity • has declined within recent months, gets a grand opportunity for a comeback in “We Are Not Alone,” co-starring with Paul Muni. The last picture this couple made together, “The Woman I Love,” was a grade A “flop”—but they had a terrible story. “We Are Not Alone” is a James Hilton best-seller. The part Miss Hopkins plays—a German dancer stranded in a provincial English town—was originally scheduled for Bette Davis, but since Bette already has the leading role with Muni in “The Phantom Crown,” the Warner brothers thought it better to discharge their one-picture debt to Miss Hopkins with this excellent role. Both Miriam and Muni are executed in the final fade-out, accused of poisoning Paul’s wife.

Jose Iturbi in Film With a cigar in one hand and a baton in the other, Jose Iturbi, dynamic Spanish conductor-composer-pianist, made his debut as a motion picture personality, conducting a symphony orchestra of 85 pieces as it recorded three symphonic numbers for the Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy musical “ Sweethearts.” Iturbi will not actually face a camera until later, but started his film work in the familiar chore of rehearsing his orchestra. The regular Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio orchestra is being used for the sequence, but more than doubled from its usual recording size with the addition of solo instrumentalists from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. „,, . „• Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries, the “ Bolovetsian Dances ” from Borodin’s “Prince Igor,” and Tschaikowsky’s “ Capriccio Italienne ” were recorded, with Iturbi dashing back and forth between the podium and the mixing booth to make sure that he had his instruments arranged for best possible effect. Iturbi will shortly record a Herbert Stothart arrangement of Victor Herbert’s “ Badinage,” with Miss MacDonald and Eddy as soloists. The conductor will play the piano solo for the number and will conduct from the piano. The scene represents a national broadcast, the “ Sweethearts ” hour.

“That Certain Age” As Deanna Durbin grows older, so must her roles. Children of her age grow quickly. The first picture adapted to a slightly older Deanna Durbin is “That Certain Age,” which opens at the Regent Theatre on Friday. It is the fourth in which she has appeared. From the surprising “Three Smart Girls,” through the beautiful and stirring “ 100 Men and a Girl,” and the touching “Mad About Music,” to the current “That Certain Age,” her pier tures have been a delight. “ That Certain Age ” is as different from the previous trio as each of them were from each other. This picture is lighter in theme than the others, but is said to be no less entertaining. With Melvyn Douglas, Irene Rich, Jackie Cooper, John Halliday, Juanita Quigley, Jackie Searl, Peggy Stewart, 1M ancy Carroll, and Charles Coleman supporting the star, “ That Certain Age ” tells the story of a girl nearing 16 who meets a war correspondent and fancies herself violently in love with him. She forgets her “ boy friend ” and her childish playmates until it is brought home to her that she is still a child, and that romantic love has no place in her life.

Deanna Durbin sings five numbers in “That Certain A;e,” Three of these are by the popular song-writing team of McHugh and Adamson. These are “My Own.” “Be a Good Scout,” and “You’re as Pretty as a Picture.” Her two classical selections are “Les Filles des Cadiz,” by Leo Delibes, and “Romeo and Juliet Waltz,” from the opera. In all matters technical the film is said to be excellent. Noteworthy also is the performance by the entire cast. Melvyn Douglas appears as the war-weary correspondent, Irene Rich as the society mother, John Halliday as the indulgent father, and Jackie Cooper as Deanna Durbin’s boy-friend. Disney’s Plans

Halfway between the rumours of feature films and shorts to be produced by Walt Disney comes the musical fantasy on which the cartoonist is collaborating with Leopold Stokowski. The idea is to present, in a single programme, a number of musical comnositions which Disney will illustrate with an entirely new series of characters. The music chosen includes “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” “ Night on the Bare Mountain.” a Bach fugue, and “The Nutcracker Suite.” by Tschaikowsky.

Stars Strange Vacations Strange vacations are not generally planned. They just happen according to records established by the screen stars of Hollywood. What starts out to be a most normal affair, sometimes ends up in the “ thrills ” column. There is the case of Rosalind Russell, for example, who started out alone one evening for San Diego. After driving for some hours, she found herself completely lost in the mountains, and proceeding to wander 135 miles off her route. During this little jaunt she ran out of petrol and arrived in San Diego, generally a three-hour drive, exactly 14 hours after she started. Now, ordinarily, one would not consider a motor trip through France as strange or unusual. But Robert Montgomery can tell one differently. Twice he was pursued by gendarmes, and twice taken into court —and all was well when he learned fully the differences between motoring abroad and at home. "But I’ve got a new type of vacation now,” he smiled. “ The minute I can get away I make tracks for my farm in Connecticut. I have all phone service cancelled, and don’t even go to the general store to pick up the mail. The entire time is spent in working, loafing and hunting wild pheasants.” Luise Rainer never plans a vacation. They always just happen. There was the time that she, like Rosalind Russell, started for San Diego. It was a beautiful summer day, and the top of her roadster was down. The sun felt so good that the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star kept right on driving, right down into Mexico. She stopped at Ensenada and spent four thrill-packed days and £3, all the money she had with her at the time. Lewis Stone knew what was in store for him when he started out to discover a lost mine in Alaska. Several seasons before, he had met an old miner, who told him glowing tales of a mine to which he and he alone, had the map. The two formed a partnership, but in the meantime the old fellow died On his first vacation. Stone attempted to trace the mine through the maps, but with no suecoss. When Jeanette MacDonald and husband, Gene Raymond, started on this year’s vacation trip, they did not know what fun was in store for them First of all their idea was to visit places which would give them a completely new set of memories. First, they visited a Dude Ranch. From there they took a train for New York Upon arriving at the city a major prob lem beset them. They did not want to stop as Mr and Mrs Raymond at any hotel where Gene had stayed as a bachelor or Jeanette as a bachelorgirl. They finally succeeded and spent happy weeks in New York, visiting popular night clubs and theatres, storing memories never to be forgotten. Freddie Bartholomew has just finished spending his vacation in the basement of his home. This was the younsster’s own idea. He did not want to go anywhere. All he wanted to do was complete a soapbox " car he had started several months ago before / beginning work on his new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. When he resumed his work he discovered that he had grown so much he could not comfortably install himself in the original model, and so nothing would do but to spend his vacation in his basement workshop and finish the task. Judy Garland, another of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s talented youngsters, spent three weeks allotted to her vacation in the hospital. A car accident. occurring right in the middle of production on her new picture, put her on the hospital vacation list for that length of time, A trailer vacation held the interest of Robert Young, leading .nan. Satisfying this urge, he rented a trailer, took his wife and two youngsters, and started off. “We finally ended up at Laguna, Young reports. “We took no servants with, us, Betty and myself doing all of the cooking and housework such as it was. I found myself spending almost all of my time rearranging the youngsters’ menu. Carol Ann especially was accustomed to having her meals at certain times. Before we returned home she knew how to wait until I got them ready.” Clark Gable recalls one famous vacation in Arizona. He had a beautiful Palomino horse which he shipped to the ranch at which he planned to stay. It was only after he arrived that he discovered the horse would not ride “Western.” Dictator Chaplin

The latest rumour about the very gradual hatching of Charlie Chaplin s production plans seems even more doubtful of fulfilment than most. It goes so far as to announce January as a starting date; and that Charlie will play two parts, one silent, one all-talk-ing. The parts are those of an innocuous Jewish paperhanger who is mistaken for a dictator and of the dictator himself. There is the doubt.

Charlie’s resemblance, in his screen character, to Hitler has been caricatured all over the world. Hitler is supposed to have been a paporh anger Chaplin may have achieved a prepared script at last, but has the Hays Office seen it? His own point is that as his pictures are banned in Germany and Italy anyway, what's the odds.' Grand Theatre

Frank Albertson, versatile leading man. heads the cast in “Fugitives for a Night.” coming to the Grand Theatre to-day. He has portrayed important leading roles in every studio in Hollywood. some of his most recent films being “ Navy Blue and Gold ” and “ Fury.” In his current vehicle. “ Fugitives for a Night," the young actor is cast as a movie star’s stooge who becomes involved in a Hollywood murder scandal. Eleanor Lynn appears opposite him in this R.K.O. Radio picture, while others in the cast include Allan Lne, Bradley Page, Adrienne Ames, Jonathan Hale. Russell Hicks and Paul Guilfolye. The dynamiting of an entire mountainside is one of the thrilling scenes that feature “Painted Desert," George O’Brien’s new screen thriller, which is the second feature. The explosion, set to destroy a valuable mine after previous efforts to ruin its owner have failed, makes the stirring climax of the picture, and is said to be the biggest smash of its kind ever filmed. Twelve tons of explosive were used to blow up the 400-foot-high cliff, located in a remote Arizona canyon, and debris from the blast were scattered over more than a square mile. The stampeding of a mule-team ore wagon over a precipice, an attack on a cattle herd, and the ambushing of O’Brien are other exciting events that make the action of the picture. Laraine Johnson, who played opposite O’Brien in his recent “ Border G-Man,” is again his heroine in this new film.

“ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ” The Walt Disney cult will be exalted by “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which yesterday jammed the mammoth Radio City Music Hall (wrote the Daily Mirror’s special reporter of a New York preview) The master’s first feature-length production, “ Snow White," marks an epochal advance in the colour cartoons. It sets a grim pace for the Disney imitators, a pace which probably will not be uniformly maintained even by Walt Disney himself. His technical crew, his sound crew, his musical arrangers, his artists, his idea-men, all merit a share in the awed acclaim which will be his after five years of effort on a feature-length fairy tale. Exquisite colour, persuasive music, and fanciful humour all contribute to the enchantment worked by the film from the first moment of its unreeling. At first astounded by the technical perfection of the production, the beholder is inclined to concentrate on it. But in just a moment the strangeness of the medium is forgotten. “ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs have worked their spell. Without violating the familiar elementary plot of the fairy tale, the Disney _ artists have embroidered it with fanciful incidents and situations. The dwarfs themselves are most beguiling little creations, each an emphatic individualist who, plays a consistent part m the trials and joys of the beset but patient “ Snow White.’’ The little animals further Disney’s exploration into the characteristic temperaments of the forest denizens. The jealous queen typifies the horror of her vice. The voice of her mirror is the awesome voice of truth. As for “ Snow White," first brunette glamour girl of the screen, she represents a very ideal of girlish sweetness, innocence, and charm. She is the most graceful and winsome human the animated drawings yet have represented. A freak picture, undisputedly, “ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is not great only as a novelty. It will cast a spell over adults as well as over the young —for it has excitement, drama, wit. artistry, and a most potent magic. “Snow White” will be the Christmas attraction at the Octagon Theatre.

“ Hollywood Hotel ” It was bound to happen sooner or later; the films have taken one of the better-known radio programmes and have reversed the picture preview idea by filming the “ Hollywood Hotel ” air hour (writes “ Flin ” in Hollywood Variety). It is a musical entertainment, with a lively and amusing story and some popular song numbers. Warners has assembled an excellent cast,

not the least interesting of whom is Louella O. Parsons, newspaper columnist, who makes an effective debut as an actress. Her performance is not likely to disturb Katharine Cornell or Helen Hayes, and the positions they occupy in the theatre, but Miss Parsons is herself on the screen, and that is news. She gets away with it. Production is elaborate, and Busby Berkeley’s direction keeps the players going at top speed. In leading roles are Dick rowell, Rosemary and Lola Lane, Hugh Herbert, Ted Healy. Glenda Farrell Alan Mowbray. Duane Thompson Grant Mitchell and Edgar Kennedy Special orchestra numbers are supplied by Benny Goodman and Raymond Paige. Hollywood film studios and broadcasting are the basis of a farcical story which pokes fun at both the picture-making business and the radio industry. Story is by Jerry Wald and Maurice Leo, who have developed a satire which is original and humorous. Eight musical numbers are by Whiting and Mercer, best of which are “I’m Like a Fish Out of Water” and “ Silhoueted in the Moonlight These and perhaps several others are likely to get numerous airings All the better-known Hollywood places of interest are shown in the picture including the exterior of the Hollywood Hotel. Once the cameras enter the door considerable licence has been taken with the interiors, which are a combination of the Waldorf lobby and the Mme. Dußarry boudoir Even the film studios have been burlesoued One of them boasts a huge sign which says “ Miracle Pictures: If It’s a Good Picture It’s a Miracle.” Lane sisters Rosemary and Lola turn in good performances, and Ted Healy and Hugh Herbert have some very funny material Dick Powell’s song numbers are first rate

Studio of Choreographic Art Australia will have a school of ballet comparable with the great schools of Europe and America when Anton Dolin opens a summer school in Sydney for two months during the season of the Covent Garden Russian Ballet in that city. The Melbourne season of this company is now in its last three weeks, and the Studio of Choreographic Art will commence on or about December 1. Through Dolin, a principal dancer of Diaghileff Ballet days and a pupil of great teachers like Astafieva, Legat, Cecchetti. and Nijinska, Australian dancers will have direct contact with the great tradition of ballet which has descended through the dancers of the famous Marinsky Theatre and the Russian Imperial Ballet. The present intention is that Anton Dolin should come to Australia each year for at least two months. He will supervise the work of the school and of the teachers, who are to bo brought from Europe. The aim of the studio is not merely to offer a maximum number of lessons, that is, four per week, but it will embrace lectures by eminent overseas authorities on the ballet and choreographic art. and offer new students the opportunity to acquire correct instruction from the beginning of their studies, thereby obtaining a general understanding of the art of the ballet Also, it will give to advanced pupils the opportunity to analyse, enlarge, and broaden the knowledge they already possess. Apart from groun tuition, private individual lessons will also be given, as well as lessons in the arranging and staging of solo and group numbers. The school will be under the business direction of M. Alexander Levitoff in association with Mr Arthur J. Tait, and it is the intention of the directorate to make it the foundation of a permanent school of ballet and choreographic art in Australia. A limited number of students from the various States and from New Zealand will be accepted. Anton Dolin, in addition to being the principal male dancer of the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, is an executive member of the Royal Academy of Dancing, London. Now in his prime as a dancer, Dolin is a dazzling technician, a great and unselfish partner, a brilliant conversationalist, and he is a major figure in the history of ballet. He is the first Englishman to become a “ premier danseur” in the Russian Ballet.

For Diaghileff he danced evpry ballet in the classical repertoire and created the majority of the roles between 1925-1929. Dolin is the first Englishman to dance principal roles with Diaghileff. and has partnered all the leading ballerinas —Karsavina, Nemtchinova, Tchernicheva, Nikitina, Spessiva, Markova. Solkova, and Lopkova. After leading his own company with marked success, Dolin appeared with the company now present in Australia during its first season in London.

In response to many requests from patrons who had witnessed his brilliant solo performances in Europe, Dolin recently made his first solo appearance in Australia in Ravel’s “Bolero.” His inspiring choreographic interpretation, together with his brilliant execution won for him an ovation seldom seen in Melbourne, and it appears evident that this number will become a feature of the Australian and New Zealand tour. Veteran Cameraman Talks

Colour pictures and their boom in popularity mean a return of the “ blonde era ” to Tony Gaudio. ace cameraman. The veteran Gaudio, winner of last year’s gold statuette for camera achievement (he photographed Warner Bros.’ “The Story of Louis Pasteur”), has devoted 30 odd of hi? 53 years to giving actresses glamour, first in black and white, and now in the full flush of all their natural beauty through the technicolour cameras in “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” “When you work with the colour camera,” says Toriy, “you find how strikingly a woman with golden hair, or soft brown hair, and the complexion that goes with it. enjoys an advantage over a brunette. There is a softness that comes from the colour and texture of her hair. Yes, a blonde will get a better break than a brunette in colour films.” “ But what about the tall, dark, and handsome men? ” Gaudio was asked. “They will stay tall, dark, and handsome, Gaudio replied. “If a man looks a trifle harsh or determined, that’s what the women like anyway.”

Mayfair Theatre The motion picture public is noticing more and more that top rank actors depend on their eyes and facial expression to convey the ideas and emotions of the characters they portray Among notable screen actors who nave mastered the technique of showing emotions through their eyes is Lewis ■ Stone, featured with Barbara Read and Tom Brown in Universal's " The Man Who Cried Wolf,” the film which opens at the Mayfair Theatre to-day. Stone portrays the unusual dramatic character of a stage star who confesses murders he did not commit He has to register many changing schemes that run through his mind. “ Dick Powell and Bing Crosby both have been kind enough to extend encouraging praise to my voice," confided Phil Regan, the " singing New York cop ” of radio and screen fame while making his latest Republic production, “ Laughing Irish Eyes." which comes to the Mayfair Theatre to-day "They and my other friends, know that I would rather sing than do anything else,” Regan continued “ and so you can tell the world I am exulting over my latest role, that of a singing prizefighter. It gives me a chance to give to the screen world some ol the old Irish favourites which my mother sang to me. I’m sure screen patrons will share my love for home folk songs as ‘ Old County Down.' ‘ Laughing Irish Eyes,' and ' Londonderry Air.'" Beautiful Evelyn Knapp plays the Irish colleen who fights with and for the “ singing prizefighter ” in this comedy romance. Disliking his boxing career, she steers him towards radio fame and romance-

Original “Thriller” Story? Most people to-day are no doubt inclined to accept stories of the " thriller ” and gangster variety as products of our own time. Yet, how wrong they are. Mysteries and thrillers are really as old as the hills And Gordon Harker can prove it. Harker is something of an authority on crime-fiction history. He possesses a fine library dealing with the subject. As an actor he has probably appeared in more plays and films of the thriller type than any othei British star “To-day is the day of the mystery thriller,” he said. “"Never before has the thriller in fiction and in fact enjoyed such a wide-spread popularity But I wonder how many realise that mysteries and thrillers were being retailed centuries ago? “I am a bit of a student of these things myself, and I think I have found what is probably the oldest story of the thriller type. It may even be regarded as the father of the gangster story; and it is also to be found in the records of ancient China.”

Mr Harker produced from his drawer In his dressing room table a large volume entitled “ Travels of the Russian Mission Through Mongolia.” He showed me this extract from it which he thinks may be the original thriller “The Kingdom of Chu founded by Lieou Chin or Lieou Pei, having been invaded by the enemy. King Ming ordered a stone statue of a man. of the ordinary size, to be set upon the high road, by which the hostile army must advance, The statue held in one hand a sword and in the other a book, the leaves of which were impregnated with poison. “The general ol the enemy’s army coming to this spot, and seeing the book open, began to read it and found it interesting.

“As he frequently put his fingers to his mouth in order to moisten them to turn over the leaves more easily he soon felt the effect of the poison He attempted to retire, but could not his coat of mail being attracted by the pedestal which was composed of loadstone.

“ Enraged at this, he seized the sword, which the statue held in the other hand, and struck it. This action proved still more fatal to him. The stroke having caused sparks to fly they kindled the combustibles enclosed in the interior of the statue, the explosion of which killed him!

“Surely,” commented Mr Barker

“ not even the imagination of Sax Rohmer could improve on such a thorough method of bumping off an enemy.

“ In fact, to bring this ancient thriller up to date, all you have to do is substitute ‘being put on the spot’ for ‘coming to the spot,’ and there you are.”

“ Carefree ” RKO Radio’s new “Carefree" reunites Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in what is hailed as the most delightful screen vehicle of their brilliant careers. The film will be the next change at the State Theatre. Modern in theme and treatment, the picture deals with the triangular romance between a popular actress, a distinguished psychiatrist, and a successful lawyer. Astaire portrays the medical man and Ralph Bellamy is the attorney, whose uncertai. love affair with Miss Rogers leads him to call on Astaire for help. From this beginning stems the complications of the story. Fred gives Gmgei a course or treatment which leads her to fall in love with him instead of with Bellamy, and which involves her in a series of wild escapades. And after Fred, in defence, has firmly planted in her mind the notion that he is a monster, he suddenly discovers that he is in love with her himself. Like all AstaireRogers vehicles, “ Carefree ” is well equipped with melodies and dances. “The Yam," said to be the popular dance hit of the season, and which almost any amateur dancer can perform. is featured by the stars, as is the romantic “Change Partners” routine, a spectacular dance rivalling their “ Cheek to Cheek ” and “ Night and Day” routines in earlier films. An ingenious Golf Dance in which Astaire solos, and a fantastic dream sequence comprise the other dancing specialties. Besides the songs o f "The Yam ” and “ Change Partners,” the musical features include “ The Night Is Filled With Music ” and “ I Used to be Colour Blind.” Jack Carson is hailed as a real “ find ” in “ Carefree ” with his work as Astaire’s young assistant Luella Gear, noted Broadway comedienne, as Miss Rogers’s aunt: Clarence Kolb, of the famous Kolb and Dill team, as a testy judge: and Walter Kingsford and Franklin Pangborn have other principal supporting roles, plus Robert B. Mitchell and his St. Brendan Boys.

Jeanette MacDonld Alone Although it was announced a little while ago that the MacDonald-Eddy combination would become something like a permanent one, the latest news about Miss MacDonald is that she will appear in her next picture without Mr Eddy (writes a London correspondent). In fact, there will be scarcely any music at all in “Remember To-mor-row.” In it the famous singer will wear no romantic costume or appear in romantic surroundings. The time will be to-day, and the scene Coney Island, where Miss MacDonald will undertake a straight comedy part. This news is not surprising, and it is certainly welcome Those who have followed her career must have been aware that the singer has become more and more markedly a cultivated comedienne. One remembers scenes between her and Maurice Chevalier in what we may call the old days, when her comedy was almost, if not quite, equal to his. Now she can carry off a scene of light and whimsical humour with all the touches of the finished actress One rather fancies *hat Miss MacDonald will enjoy herself amidst the fun and high spirits of Coney Island, where she will be associated with Fredric March and Una Merkel. “ Swiss Miss ” The latest comedy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. “ Swiss Miss,” will be shown on Friday at the Empire Theatre. The comedy pair w. re never funnier, it is claimed, than in their guise of mousetrap salesmen who believe that, because of the large Swiss output of cheese, the Alpine regions will be a fertile field for their endeavours. Their demonstrations constitute many minutes of hilarity. Also provoking guffaws is the scene in which they are compelled to work out their board bill, washing dishes, sweeping and scrubbing floors, each resulting in greater disaster and more comic despair to the unwilling workers. The picture has been given unusually lavish production. As the locale is the Swiss Alps elaborate scenery and. costumes add their part. Chief interest centres in the Alpen Hotel, an attractive Inn in the Tyrol which forms the stage tor a large part of the action. In its courtyard the villagers—singers, gymnasts. yodellers, dancers and musicians —gather for their gossip and their fetes and “ Swiss Miss ” becomes almost a variety show with the display of diversified talent. Included in the unusual routines are bell-ringing, flagthrowing, the blowing of the huge wooden Alpen horn and variations of yodelling. Musically the picture is of significance. Its score incorporates folk tunes of infectious rhythm and vocal melodies that carry unusual appeal. Interpreting many of these numbers, which have the potentialities of song

hits, are Della Lind and Walter Woolf King, who share the romantic honours of the picture. Miss Lind is a blonde and beautiful Viennese stage and screen star who is making her American debut in this film. Strand Theatre “Judge Hardy’s Children,” third of the Hardy Family series and sequel to “ You’re Only Young Once,” is the main Christmas attraction coming to the Strand Theatre. In the new picture, Lewis Stone, as Judge Hardy, is named on a power commission. The family leaves its country home; the daughter, played by Cecilia Parker, becomes infatuated with a State Department employee and takes a whirl at society; the son. played by Mickey Rooney, falls in love with the daughter of a French diplomatist, dons his first tuxedo, and winds up in disgrace when ejected from a fashionable dancing school for teaching the youngsters the “Big Apple.” Meantime the judge foils the plot of lobbyists, and the family returns to the country town of Carvel • in triumph. Intimate glimpses into the family comedies, joys, sorrows, and problems provide entertainment in the story. How a former officer of the British Intelligence Service who has been dishonourably discharged, vindicates himself with his Government is the theme of the dramatic Republic picture, “ Invisible Enemy,” which comes to the Strand Theatre on Friday next, as one of the Christmas attractions. _ Alan Marshall, who has played in such popular films as “After the Thin Man,” “ Parnell,” and “ Night Must Fall,” plays the role of Clavering, the Intelligence officei. Nicola Kamarov (C. Henry Gordon) is an unscrupulous financier who is attempting to sell valuable oil lands for military purposes to a foreign Government. Clavering’s trouble with his Government had been over an affair with Sandra, played by Tala Birell. an exolic moneymad adventuress She is now the wife of Kamarov. Clavering uses her as a means of stopping Kamarov in his nefarious scheme.