FILMLAND

Otaki Mail, 15 December 1943, Page 2

FILMLAND

latest doings from HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS DIVORCE FOR DEANNA DURBIN (Specially Compiled by Les. Af. Murphy 1) WELLINGTON, This Day. Orson Welles and glamorous Rita Hayworth were married in Hollywood recently. Deanna Durbin's prestige with lier fans suffered a jolt when she announced that she was divorcing Lieut. Vaughn Paul, who is serving in the U 3. Navy. The star was married in 1941, but recently announced that she and her lius band were parting. A quiet wedding just reported from Hollywood was that of Richard Nov, who is now in the U.S.A. Navy, and Greer Garson. The only person at the ceremony was Greer's mother. James Cagney is producing his own picture, “Johnny Come Lately,” under his brother's supervision at United Artists’ Studios. Poli Negri, vampire of the silent days, returns to the screen as Adolphe Alcnjou’s wife in “Hi Diddle Diddle,” which will shortly be released in the Dominion. She lias a figure like a schoolgirl. Adolphe says she is wonderful to work with. Peter Lorre is reported in the latest news from Hollywood to have forsaken Hollywood for New York, where he is starring in the stage play, “1 Play the Devil.” Walter Pidgeon is co-starring with Greer Garson in “Aladame Curie” to be released early next year in Wellington. The la’e Conrad Veidt has left an estate valued at 72,000 dollars to his wife and daughter. Luis Rainer, twice honoured with Academy Awards, returns to the sound stage after an absence of four years in I aramount’s ciiicmutisation of Stefan Keym’s dramatic novel, “Hostages." f Paul Lukas, who has been off the ! screen for nearly two years, returns in j this picture. 1 mentioned ill last week’s “J ilm- | bind ” that Hollywood's ace producer, , David Selzuick, had signed up Shirley (Temple for a seven years’ contract. It Jis further tcvcalcd that -Shirley i\i!l I appear in Grade A productions only, | her first being “Since You Went Away.” I “Tales of AlanhatL.n.” the widely acclaimed 20th Century-Fox film, which will be screened in all centres in New Zealand, lias seven top stars, namely, Charles Laughton, Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Gouda, Edward G. Robinson, and Paul Robeson, besides Ethel Waters and “Rochester,” the Negro humorists, j Garry Cooper, Paramount star, re(ccived a great reception when he stepped on to Australian soil a few days ago. Garry is doing the rounds <>f American camps to help entertain his countrymen in Australia. Will he come to New Zealand 1 Well, that remains to be seen. Plenty-of argumentative fireworks are generated by Arthur Gubin and the fiery Latin star, Alaria Alontez, in the new version of “Ali Baba,” soon tojic seen in the Dominion.

1 Erich von Stroheim, who made screen ■history both as a jicrformcr and as a [director, returns to the screen in “Five Graves to Cairo,” now doing a good season in Wellington. Erich portrays, the important role of Nazi Field Alarslial Erwin Rommel. Technicolour sponsors freely admit that their cameras have faced and survived the most severe test possible — filming what was called the “'Brazilian Boogie Woogie,” a dance spectacle st..ged for “Broadway Rhythm.” at 2J.-G.-AI. This film is to be an early > release in the Dominion next year. I Six-year-old Margaret O’Brien has 1 signed a film contract for seven years |at a startling salary of 200 dollars. [ rising to 750 dollars a week. This l child makes her debut to Wellington audiences in “Journey for Margaret, which is drawing large houses ut present. Margaret takes the part of a blitz orphan. .She is supported by Robert Young as a newspaper correspondent and Laraine Day us his wife. “Blithe Spirit,” the play which Noel Coward wrote when h< returned to England from New Zealand in 1941, is ; ( po filmed and Rosalind Russell will co-star with the author. Tallulah Bankhead, back in films for the first time for eleven years to star in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat,” keeping a vow made more than three veara ago. After Dunkirk, Tallulah foreswore anything more stimulating than coffee until something happened that was worth celebrating—namely the complete defeat of the Axis. Then site began work on the film—on« in which s.he cits all day long in a lifeboat, attached to rockers that swing and sway it as the ocean might do. Miss Bankhead and the rest of the cast leave the set continuing to feel they’re at sea. In a lobby full of people at the Beverley Wilshire Hotel, Tallulah weaved from entrance to elevator —and just made it. “You know* what they-' thought,” she said. “And they certainly didn’t think the war was over’” Inquiry Corner “Sunny,” Otaki Railway.—(l) Gene Autry is married, but his wife’s maiden name not available. (2) Age is 30, born September 29th, 1907. (3) American, born in Texas. (4) Height. sft. lOins.