The SCREEN and its STARS

Southland Times, Issue 21649, 10 March 1932, Page 5

The SCREEN and its STARS

(By'

"Columbine.” )

THE MAJESTIC.

Now Showing: "Riders of the Purple Sage” (Fox —George O’Brien, Marguerite Churchill, Noah Beery). Saturday: "The Shadow Between” (8.1. P. —Kathleen O’Reegan, Godfrey Tearle, Olga Linds, Henry Wenman). Wednesday next: "Wicked” (Fox —Elissa Landi, Victor McLaglen, Una Merkel, Allan Dinehart). Coming: "Broadminded” (Warners —Joe E. Brown), "Bad Girl” (Fox —Sally Eilers, James Dunn).

Zane Grey’s most popular novel, “Riders of the Purple Sage” has been made into a Fox film by Hamilton MacFadden, and is now at The Majestic. This company made it twice as a silent film, once with William Farnum, the second time with Tom Mix. Now George O’Brien plays the role of "Lassiter,” with Marguerite Churchill as Jane Witherstein, and Noah Beery as Judge Dyer. The following is the rest of the cast: Bess, Yvonne Pelletier, Venters, James Todd, Oldring, Stanley Fields, Judkins, Lester Dorr, Tull, Frank McGlynn jr., Fay, Shirley Nail. O’Brien is one of the most virile figures of the American talking screen, and I can think of no one in Hollywood as suited to this outdoor romance It is interesting to record that fifteen genuine Arizona cowboys were used in this film. * » * * Kathleen O’Reegan, one of the Irish Players of Little Theatre fame, (who played in “The Playboy of the Western World,” “Juno and the Paycock,” and “Young Woodley” amongst other West End successes) returns to the screen from recent stage work in “The Shadow Between,” A 8.1. P. production directed by Captain Norman Walker, with many other West End players in the cast, headed by Olga Lindo (who was Judy Abbott in “Daddy Long Legs” in London), Godfrey Tearle, Henry Caine, Henry Wenman, Arthur Chesney, Mary Jerrold, Ann Casson (Sybil Thorndyke’s daughter), Haddon Mason and Irene Rooke. This film, which comes to The Majestic on Saturday, is based on the stage play by Dion Titherage and was photographed partly on the Riviera and partly in England. Next week “Wicked” comes to The Majestic—Elissa Landi’s third production for Fox. This was directed by Allan Dwan from a story by Gordon Rigby written for the star, and Victor McLaglen and Una Merkel are also in the cast. Gary Cooper is en route to Egypt and will go 3,000 miles up the Nile. He plans to stop in Naples before going to Cairo. He will return later to New York and Hollywood for work. “Under Eighteen,” (Warners) starring Marion Marsh for the first time has Regis Toomy in the supporting role and others in the cast include Anita Page, Warren William, Emma Dunn, Norman Foster, Maude Eburne and Lilian Bond. Archie Mayo directed the picture and Charles Kenyon and Maude Fulton wrote the script. The Brooklyn Vitaphone Studios, which have sent to Hollywood such promising players as Joan Blondell, Evalyn Knapp, Donald Cook, Sylvia Sidney, Peggy Shannon and Polly Walters, by way of the short subject route, announce that they believe they have made another “discovery” in the person of Rita Lan, a twenty-two-year-old Russian girl who is the niece of Count Schncebach, of Curland, Riga. Miss Lan arrived in America nine months ago, after starring in a feature production for British International. She also has appeared on the stage and screen in Germany. She has just completed a role in “The Symphony Murder Mystery,” on the S. S. Van Dine series, and is now under consideration for longer pictures by Warners. A Chinese temple, in which grotesque and god-like figures frown down in menace upon the actors and directors, is the setting for scenes in the 8.1. P. film, “Tin Gods,” now being produced at Elstree. The temple is the stronghold of Cheng Chi Lung, a notorious Chinese pirate, who holds a party of English and American citizens to ransom. F. W. Kraemer, the director of the film, has visited China, and with meticulous care has introduced oriental ceremonial and atmosphere into the scene. Priceless embroidery worked by patient fingers in Canton, beautiful bronzes and antique weapons wrought with wondrous skill and whose edges are still keen, adorn the setting over which towers the God of Revenge, a war-like and leering figure on a dais. The soft and sibilant murmurs of hundreds of Chinese guards and priests, decked in gaily coloured vestments, filled the ear, mingling with the fearful conjectures of the white prisoners, one of whom prepares to face death on a formidable rack. With a snap of his fan, Cheng Chi Lung gives the order for sentence, and two gigantic negroes hoist the figure aloft. But rescue is at hand, and the still suspense is shattered by the fire of rifles. The odour of incense suddenly gives place to the fumes of gun-powder and the doors of the temple are burst open by a rescue party of bluejackets. These thrilling moments are enacted for “Tin Gods” by Evan Thomas as the intended victim and Frank Royde as Cheng Chi Lung. Frank Cellier, Dorothy Bartlam, Ben Wetden, Ruth Maitland, Atholl Fleming and Margaret Darner are other prisoners, while forty ex-sailors, unemployed and members of a Seamen’s Home were engaged to enact the rescuers. Films in Schools. , The first practical test in the world of the educational value of talking films in schools has been carried out in elementary and secondary schools in Middlesex (England). Fifteen schools, with 3602 pupils of all ages from 7 to 16, took part in the experiment, says a report issued recently, and the number of tests taken was 22,118. Sixteen films were shown. The children afterwards wrote essays on what they had seen, and the teachers discussed the value of the films. The outstanding feature of the report is the effect the films had on the backward boys and girls. Points in the report were: Many children ordinarily classed as almost hopelessly dull made excited attempts to describe what they had learned from the talkies. Some, unable to write down their thoughts in sentences recorded them by queer drawings, more vivid than words. It is claimed that in the talking pictures “an instrument has been found to arouse the desire for knowlede which is dormant —not non-existent —in children of this type.” The talking films were agreed by a majority of teachers to make facts live for the children who saw them. Girls tended to do best in geographical and natural science films. Two teachers stated that girls had been particularly interested in the "Prince of Wales’” film. Boys, on the whole, did better than girls in th« "Coal Face,” “Submarine” and “Flight Machine” films. The master of a secondary school stated that whereas he expected a difference of between 30 to 40 per cent, between the normal and retarded boys, the striking thing was that the difference had been reduced to 11.4 per cent. We believe that properly devised films can broaden the pupils’ interest.

the regent. Now Showing: “Compromising Daphne” (B.l.P.—Charles Hickman, C. M. Hallard, Phyllis Konstam, Margot Grahame). Saturday: “Tell England” (8.1. P. Fay Compton, Carl Harbord, Tony Bruce, Dennis Hoey, C. M. Hallard). Coming Attractions: “Alibi” (B.DJ. — Austin Trevor, Franklin Dyall, Mercia Swinburne) ; “Silence”, (Paramount—Clive Brook, Marjorie Bambeau, Peggy Shannon) ; “Lasca of the Rio Grande” (Leo Carillo, Johnnie Mack Brown, Dorothy Bur. gess) ; “Personal Maid” (Nancy Carroll) ; “Daughter of the Dragon” (Warner Oland). * * * * British films are certainly finding a firm footing in New Zealand. It is not so very long ago that one complained of the dearth of British films finding their way here—now, following “These Charming People” come three more in succession to The Regent. At present showing is a hilarious affair called “Compromising Daphne,” based on the popular London stage farce, “Valentine,” and like so many of the British films, there is a goodly sprinkling of prominent London players in the cast. The title role is played by Jean Colin (the musical comedy star who, I read the other day, has just had her eyes insured for £20,0001). That promising film star who appeared in “The Skin Game” —Phyllis Konstan, C. M. Hallard, Voila Compton, Charles Hickman, Leo Sheffield, Frank Perfitt, Barbara Gott and Margot Grahame complete the cast. Thomas Bentley directed. “Tell England,” (which comes to the (legent on Saturday), just misses being a great picture. Had it come before All Quiet it would have been hailed as a tri umph of British production. Still, it is a very gallant effort, (writes a London critic). “Tell England” is adapted from Earnest Raymond’s book of the Gallipoli epic. “The film is impressive in its sincerity, and though Ahthony Asquith and Geoffrey Barkas —who spent a year making it—could have made more of the material at hand, it is decidedly an outstanding achievement. Scenes of the landing of the Anzac Division and the 29th Division on Gallipoli, and the raid on the Turks are highlights of this thrilling epic ( The cast is somewhat dwarfed by the wide action of the drama, but you will easily recognize sincere work from two schoolboys, Carl Harbord and Tony Bruce, and from Fay Compton as the mother.” This British International picture is one we have been waiting for, and one very few will care to miss. Lou Vernon, erstwhile character actor in J. C. Williamson’s musical productions, has “gone-talkie” and is making a series of comedy character shorts for Efftee Films (Melbourne). In one of these he appears as a “Dago” fruit vendor, and in another as a Scotchman. His song scenes are expected to be popular. A "Garden of Friendship” has been started by Victor McLaglen on his estate in Flintridge, near Hollywood. In a rock garden, designed by his brother Arthur, Mc.Laglen is planting trees and shrubs, each given by and named after one of his friends. At the base of each plant will be a copper plate embedded in concrete carrying the name of the donor and his or her position in the picture industry. Mr McLaglen has already received gifts of trees and shrubs from Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Winifred Sheehan, Marlene Dietrich, Janet Gaynor, Elissa Landi, Lew Cody and Carl Laemmle. ' Production has been commenced at the Melbourne studio of Efftee Film Productions of the first musical talkie feature yet attempted in Australia. The scenario has been adapted from “His Royal Highness,” an original musical play by that popular comedian, George Wallace, who will appear in the leading role of a. Melbourne pieman, who becomes King of an imaginary European State. The piece is said to be full of good comedy, and there are also many attractive musical numbers both for soprano and baritone. A company of leading artists has been engaged to support Mr Wallace in the production, and there will be a strong chorus and ballet in addition to a full orchestra. When extras were called to appear in a scene of Samuel Goldwyn’s production of “To-night or Never” in which Gloria Swanson is starred as an opera singer, one of the “bit” players proved to be a relative of one of the greatest operatic stars of all time. The extra is Nick Caruso, cousin of (he late Enrico Caruso. He has been working in motion pictures for two years. “Tonight or Never,” which is a picturization of the late David Belasco’s last stage success, has its setting in Venice and Budapest. Miss Swanson’s supporting cast includes Melvyn Douglas, Warburton Gamble, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Robert Grieg, Greta Mayer and Allison Skipworth, all but the latter of whom appeared in the original stage play in New York. "To-night or Never” is scheduled for release by United Artists.