SCREEN and STAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24732, 8 October 1941, Page 8

SCREEN and STAGE

I From GREEN ROOM and STUDIO

■ By Harlequin ■ ■"

“ Trail of the Vigilantes.” Franchot Tone plays the first Western role of his career in Universal’s new adventure epic, “ Trail of the Vigilantes," and he brings a new and refreshingly different character to this popular type of picture. As an undercover agent sent by a city newspaper to the frontier in search of the murderer >f a reporter, Tone becomes a tenderfoot, cowboy who is led into a series of adventures that are both amusing and exciting. Sharing honours with Tone in roles, aptly suited to their talents are such well-known performers as Warren William, Broderick Crawford. Andy Devine, Mischa Auer. Porter Hall, Peggy,. Moran, Samuel S. Hinds. Charles Trowbridge, and others. The presence of Auer and Devine in the cast gave Allan Dwan, veteran director of “Trail of the Vigilantes,” ample opportunity ,to inject comedy into the action, and he took every advantage of it. And in addition, the background scenery of the film is both picturesque and beautiful. The comedy, “Too Many Blondes,” with Rudy Valee and Helen Parrish, is the support feature.

“Gone With the Wind” “ Gone With the Wind,” which is enjoying a boom season at the Regent Theatre, is claimed to be one of the greatest events to date in motion picture production. A tremendous cast Of players is headed by Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, Clark Gable as Rhett Butler,. Leslie Howard,' and Olivia de Havilland. As Rhett Butler, Clark Gable is a wealthy socialite, a man of few illusions, but of certain admirable traits. Gable matches Vivien Leigh in his great performance, rough and shrewd, yet tender and faithful at times. The London Film Weekly of recent mail contains the following concerning “ Gone With the Wind Some remarkable statistics have been collected relating to this unique film, but each week sees new records created. .. At the moment of going to press the film had played 8500 theatres, shown to 45,000,000 people. . . , . Total receipts now exceed £7,750,000. There are 3000 bookings yet to come in U.S.A. ... In less than a year G.W.T.W. grossed more than twice as much as “ Birth of a Nation ” got in its twenty-year history. . . . In England the film had passed its thousandth West End performance.

“ The Rains Came ” The power of one of to-day’s great novels finds its full scope on the screen in the 20th Century-Fox production of “The Rains Came,” which commences at the State Theatre, on Friday, with Myrna Loy. Tyrone Power, and George Brent sharing stellar honours. These fascinating strangely-assorted humans, cut off from the world in the colourful mythical city of Ranchipur. India, with all restraint swept away, as the angry forces of nature made life a fading hope and love a desperate longing, are brought vividly to life. Myrna Loy breaks with the “ perfect wife ” tradition to play the amorous Lady Edwina Esketh; Tyrone Power has his most romantic role as the highcaste Hindu surgeon, Major Rama Safti, who proves the one great love of Lady Esketh’s life: and George Brent is seen as the worldly Tom Ransome, a ghost out of the lady’s romance-strewn past. Brenda Joyce, discovered by 20th Century-Fox as the climax of a nationwide search, heads a brilliant supporting cast in the role of Fern Simon, the fresh, young beauty whose love gives the world-weary Ransome a new lease of life. OJhers who bring colourful characters to life are Nigel Bruce, Maria Ouspenskaya. Joseph Schildraut, Mary Nash. Jane Darwell, Marjorie Ranibeau. Henry Travers, and H. B. Warner, “ Magic in Music ” Bringing together one of the most impressive musical casts ever assembled for .a motion picture, Paramount’s new comedy musical, “Magic in Music,” will be released on Friday at the Empire Theatre. Featured in the gay story of a young burlesque queen who goes operatic are Susanna Foster, who plays the title role, Allan Jones, Margaret Lindsay, and Lynne Overman. Cast in prominent roles, brilliant Metropolitan Opera stars Richard Bonelli, Irra Petina, and Tandy MacKenzie make their screen debuts in the pic-' ture. In addition to these musical luminaries, five of the most noted teen age youngsters in the world of music display the extraordinary talents which have brought them the plaudits of music-lovers throughout the country. The story is told against the background of Interlochen. the worldfamous music camp in Michigan. Produced and directed by Andrew L. Stone, “ Magic in Music ” tells the story of a brassy young burlesque performer with a beautiful voice. Discovered by the young son of the founder of a musical camp, Allan Jongs, Susanna Foster is given instruction in voice—and manners—and emerges, after chastening and voice-training, an operatic star. “That Uncertain Feeling” Although Donald Ogden Stewart has written some engagingly daft things, such as “ Mr and Mrs Haddock Abroad,” “The Crazy Fool.” and “Aunt Polly’s History of Mankind,he insists he felt no concern about his mind until he began work on the screenplay of Ernst Lubitsch's “That Uncertain Feeling.”

which will be released at the Octagon Theatre on Friday. The picture uses psychoanalysis as a premise for comedy, tossing a psychoanalyst into the bosom of a happy household composed of Melvyn Douglas and Merle Oberon. “Having no more than a bowing acquaintance with Freud and his works,” says Stewart, “I thought it would be a good idea to have myself psychoanalysed." Visiting one analyst, he confessed he dreamed often of climbing ladders, and this was interpreted to mean that sub-consciously he was trying to escape from himself. He went on to another professor, who discovered that a dream jof knocking over duckpins at a bowling alley indicated he hated little children.' He had been convinced all along that he doted on kiddies. A third analyst said that dreaming of a juicy steak indicated a suppressed urge to murder someone. A fourth prober of the subconscious said that an occasional attack of writer’s cramp meant that Stewart didn’t like to write. It was a shock to Stewart to find he had been successful in the wrong business for 20 years.

Known as “Peter the Great” “Peter the First,” the fine Russian film which opens at His Majesty’s next Friday, presents a vivid picture of life in Russia at the beginning of the eighteenth century and of the activity of the great reformer of the Russian State. Its plot depicts the. struggle of Russian reaction against Peter’s reform and the personal tragedy in the life of the Czar, whose son and Weir, the weak-willed Alexei, turns out to be a supporter of the reactionaries. The famous Catherine, the peasant girl whom Peter marries, and Menshikov, an orphan who becomes a counsellor

of the Czar and is elevated to the nobility with the title of prince, feature in the film. Peter and his courtiers, the clergy, peasants, merchants, and soldiers all pass in review before the spectator. The film was given the highest award at the Paris Exhibition in 1937. Historically authentic, the story is told without Communistic propaganda. ( “Lady Scarface” To obtain authenticity, the scar which disfigures one side of Judith Anderson’s face in the title role of “Lady Scarface,” to be shown at the Grand Theatre to-day, is an exact replica of the knife wound which marred the face of Camorra Rose, notorious underworld .character now dead. A portrait of the former Black Hand queen was obtained from the files of a detective magazine and an enlargement made by the studio still department. With the enlargement picture as a guide, Mel Berns, head of the makeup department, made a facsimile «f the scar with putty. From this facsimile a mould was made and a permanent scar cast in a special material which could be fastened to Miss Anderson’s cheek. The artificial scar then was tinted in the various blue, brown, and red shades which natural skin develops when it grows over a deep, wide knife wound. This colouring was copied from tinted medical charts. In RKO Radio’s “Lady Scarface,” Miss Anderson plays the role of a notorious gunwoman." Dennis O’Keefe. Frances Neal, Mildred Coles, and Eric Blore have the other principal roles. Mayfair Theatre “ Too Many Husbands,” hailed as the vears most uproarious comedy, comes to the Mayfair to-night with Jean Arthur, Fred Mac Murray. and Melvyn Douglas starred. The story concerns a lovely young woman, who suddenly discovers that she has two legal husbands, and is in love with both of them! Fred Mac Murray is seen as Miss Arthur’s first husband. His reckless responsibilty has won love, and she continues to love him though he continues to dash off on wild expeditions from which she is excluded. His death is reported, and she marries Melvyn Douglas. Douglas also proves to be somewhat careless about romance—where Mac Murray had left hi* wife inorder to hunt adventure, Douglas behaves as though he actually were wedded to business. A thrilling story of the airways. “Flight Angels,” starring Dennis Morgan. Virginia Bruce, Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, and Ralph Bellamy, is the supporting feature. Air Raid Scene Because he needed authentic-looking and talking extras for a scene in an air raid shelter, producer-director Edward H. Griffith -checked over more than 200 prospects to select 65 English-born men and women for work in One Night in Lisbon.” This film, which has just arrived in New Zealand and will be released shortly, stars Madeleine Carroll, Fred Mac Murray, Patricia Morison, Billie Burke, John Loder, Dame May Whitty. Edmund Gwenn and Billy Gilbert.

Strand Theatre She always used to be known as somebody’s mother in Hollywood. But Elisabeth Risdon. afraid of being typed—a filmland phobia—got tough about it and demanded diversified screen roles. In “Mr Dynamite,” Universal mystery drama co-starring Lloyd Nolan and Irene Hervey, which will be shown at the Strand Theatre on Friday, is proof that she has mastered the type-casting trouble. • In the new film she is allowed to win the audience's sympathy, only to become a cold menace with the closing of the door to her forbidding mansion. Jack Randall, new singing Western star, sings two selections especially written for him by Director R. N. Bradbury in the Monogram musical Western, “Riders of the Dawn.” the supporting picture. Southland Boys’ Choir The Southland Boys’ High School Choir, which will assist in the Choral Society’s concert in the Town Hall on October 18. is an organisation of no small fame. Under the guidance of its pianist and conductor, Mr. Kennedy Black, it has been brought to an unusually high state of efficiency. The choir (60 strong) is exceptionally well balanced, as there is a fitting number, of baritones and basses to offset the higher voices. The baritone soloist. Jack Thompson, is a singer of particular promise. The choir’s programme will range through comic opera, ballads, traditional numbers, and popular classics. There is also an instrumental sextet.