The SCREEN and its Stars

Southland Times, Issue 21771, 28 July 1932, Page 12

The SCREEN and its Stars

(By

“Columbine.”)

THE MAJESTIC

Now Showing: “She Wanted a Millionaire” (Fox—-Joan Bennett, Spencer Tracy, Una Merkel, James Kirkwood, Dorothy Peterson). Saturday: “The Love Race” (B-I-P— Stanley Lupino, Dorothy Boyd, Jack Hobbs, Dorothy Bartlam, Wallace Arthur). Coming: “The Passionate plun l b °F” (M.G.M.—Buster Keaton, Polly Moran, Jimmy Durante); The Devil’s Lottery” (Elissa Landi, Victor McLaglen, Paul Cavanagh, Beryl Mercer, Herbert Mundin, Barbara Weeks, Alexander Kirkland); “Hell Divers” (Wallace Beery, Clark Gable, Conrad Nagel, Marie Prevost, Dorothy Jordan). “Lovers Courageous” (Robert Montgomery, Roland Young, Madge Evans, Beryl Mercer).

Another British comedy comes to The Majestic on Saturday m The Love Race,” adapted for the screen by Edwin Greenwood from the musical comedy of that name written by Stanley Lupino, the West End comedian who is also the star of the film. His brother, Lupino Lane, directed, and the song, “Dance Your Blues Awav,” was composed by Jack Clarke. Lane is himself a comedian of note in England, and made an all-too-bnet American talking film appearance in “The Love Parade.” Jack Hobbs, Dorothy Boyd, Dorothy Bartlam and Wallace Arthur form the rest of this comedy team. Miss Boyd appeared in the English film comedies: “Too Many Cooks” and “The Sport of Kings,” with Leslie Henson.

Next week the Majestic will screen an interesting experiment recently made by M.G.M., in the transference of the polished stage play ‘ Her Carboard Lover” into a hilarious slapstick farce known as “The Passionate Plumber.” In the former, Tallulah Bankhead appeared to some note in England, while Leslie Howard and the late Jeanne Eagels gave it distinction on the American stage. In the silent films Nils Asther and Marion Davies appeared in it some years ago. Now it has become a vehicle for Buster Keaton, Jimmy (Schnozzle) Durante and Polly Moran. The play must have undergone a complete change to accommodate these players, in addition to Irene Purcell, Gilbert Roland, Mona Maris and Maude Eburne. Edward Sedgwick diercted.

Frank Borzage has been assigned to direct the Fox picture, “Young America,” in which Spencer Tracy, Barbara Robbins and Beryl Mercer will have featured roles.

Following the completion of “The Jewel Robbery,” in which Kay Francis is to co-star with William Powell, the actress will be seen in “S.S. Atlantic, a story to be directed by Tay Garnett.

Michael Simmons and Joseph Foster have completed the script for the first of a series of short subjects entitled “Down Memory Lane with Louis Sobel,” each one to feature a different star. Texas Guinan is to be featured in the first at the Standard Studios.

Paramount is credited with having a find in Wynne Gibson, whose first starring picture, “The Strange Case of Clara Deane,” was previewed recently. Another find in the picture is Cora Sue Collins, a four-year-old child, and a list of the year’s best scenes will undoubtedly include that in which Miss Gibson parts with the baby in an orphanage as she is sent to prison, if advance reports are to be believed.

Dita Parlo, the German stage and screen star, seen here in “The Hunagrian Rhapsody,” has been signed by Adolph Pollak, president of Peerless Productions, to play the lead in “The Warning Shadow,” a film fantasy, with a New ' ’ark background. Edgar George Ulmer will direct and production will be carried on in New York as soon as arrangements have been completed for a studio.

Ronald Colman returned early in April to Hollywood from Shanghai by way of Honolulu, following a three months’ vacation. He will soon begin rehearsing for a new Samuel Goldwyn picture, “The Brothers Karmazov,” screen version of the Dostoievsky novel. No one else has yet been selected for the cast. Sidney Howard is preparing the adaptation.

Mary Astor’s first film since her recent marriage is “A Successful Calamity,” (Warners), in which she has the role opposite George Arliss, the star. John Adolfi is directing the picture, which is based on the Clare Kummer play. Others in the cast are Evalyn Knapp, Hardie Albright, Grant Mitchell, David Torrence and Leon Janney.

Ben Lyon and Constance Cummings have been engaged by Columbia for the leading roles in the first full-length production to be directed by Eddie Buzzell for this company. Mr Buzzell is the same young man who has been seen during the past year in the central role of short comedy subjects. The working title of the new film is “The Challenger.”

Tallulah Bankhead issued this statement recently from the Hollywood studios where she was working on “Thunder Below”: “All of the reported engagements concerning me are amusing but a waste of headlines. It is boring to be so frequently reported engaged and the only saving grace is that all of my supposed fiances are goodlooking. In most cases I have met my ‘future husbands’ only once or twice.”

The difficulties over “Red Headed Woman” seem to be nearing the iron-ing-out stage at M.G.M. with indications that Jean Harlow will be given the part. Miss Harlow has specialized on the screen in distasteful women and the fear of the average star that she will suffer from an unsympathetic part does not affect the original platinum blonde of the screen. She says that wives don’t like her anyway—professionally speaking, of course—and even if she played the orphan in “Daddy Long Legs,” they wouldn’t think any better of her.

“Puss in Boots,” described as a fairyland operetta, was released throughout America during Easter week, by Picture Classics, Inc. The book is by Robert A. Simon, of the National Broadcasting Company, and the music by Nathaniel Shilkret. The cast is composed of children ranging from two to eight years and featuring Junior Addario, a boy. from Newark. 'Hie only two .adults in the picture are Willy Robyn, who. plays the king, and Oscar Ragland, who sang in New York recently with the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, and who plays the giant. This is said to be the first time that “Puss in Boots” was ever made into a motion picture. It was directed by M. T , WcisfeW.

THE REGENT

Now Showing: “The Beloved Bachelor” (Paramount —Paul Lukas, Charles Ruggles, Dorothy Jordan, Vivienne Osborne). Next Saturday: “The Unexpected Father” (Universal —Slim Summerville, Zasu Pitts, Cora Sue Collins, Claude Allister). Coming: “Mischief” (British—Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter); “Service For Ladies”—Paramount-British (Leslie Howard, George Grossmith, Benita Hume, Elizabeth Allan); “The Reckless Age” (Buddy Rogers, Peggy Shannon, Charles Ruggles, Trances Dee, Richard Bennett) ; “The Man Who Played God” (George Arliss); “The Blue Danube.”

“The Beloved Bachelor,” the Paramount film at present showing at The Regent, is based on a play of the same name by Edward H. Peplcs, with Paul Lukas the Hungarian actor who arrived in America four years ago in the title role. Lukas was last seen here as the operatic singer in “Strictly Dishonourable,” a role which most of the male actors in Hollywood coveted. The current film at The Regent has another claim to interest in that the screen adaptation of the play was done by Agnes Brand Leahy in collaboration with Raymond Griffith, the screen’s former “silk hat comedian.” Evidently the latter finds writing for the screen more satisfactory than acting for it. Associated with Lukas in the cast are Dorothy Jordan, Charles Ruggles (one of my favourite comedians), Vivienne Osborne (a newcomer), Leni Stengel (I remember her as Wanda in the screen’s version of “The Desert Song”) and Harold Minjor (a former Ziegfeld comedian).

A new comedy starring team will be seen on the screen at The Regent on Saturday in Universal’s comedy, “The Unexpected Father,” which was especially written for Slim Summerville and Zasu Pitts by Dale Van Every. Summerville, who was one of Mack Sennett’s extras in the old pie-throwing days of the screen, and really came into his present prominence as the comic soldier of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” is one of the most natural comedians on the screen. As the bugler of Universal’s short army comedies he has quite a large following. Zasu Pitts (who was first noticed in a small role with Mary Pickford in “The Little Princess” —and that wasn’t yesterday! - * is one of the busiest players in Hollywood, and her lugubrious face and voice are always popping up in new films. “The Unexpected Father” was directed by Thornton Freeland (who made “Whoopee” and “Three Live Ghosts”), and introduces to the screen a new child actress, four-year-old Cora Sue Collins. Alison Skipworth, Dorothy Christy, Grace Hampton, Claude Allister, Tyrell Davis and Tom O’Brien are also in the cast. The dialogue was written by Robert Keith and Max Lieb.

One of Adolphe Menjou’s most satisfying early screen comedies was “Service For Ladies,” in which the charming lady who is now h's wife made her only film appearance. Now it has been made into an audible film which comes to The Regent next week —the Para-mount-British film, made in England, and featuring Leslie Howard, Elizabeth Allan, Benita Hume and George Grossmith. Alexander Korda is the present director, and the picture should afford some interesting comparisons.

Phillips Holmes has started work in “The Flagrant Years,” (Paramount) film version of the novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams, to be produced under direction of George Cukor, with Carole Lombard and Lilyan Tashman in featured roles.

The first RKO-Pathe picture to bo produced at the RKO studios in Hollywood will be “The House of Glass’’ a screen version of Max Marcin’s stage success, with Ann Harding in the starring role. James Creelman has completed the adaption for “The House of Glass.”

“Sunshine Susie,” a current hit among London’s talking pictures, will be released in the United States by R.K.O. It is a Gainsborough production featuring Renate Muller, a favourite of the German musical stage; Jack Hulbert, English comedian; Owen Nares and Morris Harvey.

The Rev. Neal Dodd, pastor of Hollywood’s Little Church Around the Corner, has been assigned by Paramount to a technical post on a new picture, “Sky Bride,” starring Richard Arlen. He will be heard offstage reading a memorial service as a part of his duties.

Mary Brian, who made her first important screen success in “Peter Pan,” as Wendy, has been signed by first National. She will have the leading feminine role opposite Douglas Fairbanks jr. in “The Goldfish Bowl,” which is an adaption for the films of an original story by Marsh McCall jr.

Following three years as a member of the team of Wheeler-Woolsey in pictures, Robert Woolsey will branch out for himself in future Radio Pictures productions. One of his first independent performances will be in “Frontier,” soon to start filming. Richard Dix and Irene Dunn are “Frontier’s” stars.

Gilbert Emery has been signed by Universal to adapt “Nana,” the Emile Zola tale, for tire screen. Tala Birell, the Viennese actress, will have the leading role. Emery, who has been seen on the New Zealand stage, has made distinctive, but much too infrequent appearances on the American talking screen.

“Ballyhoo” will be Eddie Cantor’s next picture for Samuel Goldwyn (United Artists). “The Kid from Spain” is being held over as a possible second production during the new season. Herbert Fields the author, will depart in a few days for Hollywood to prepare the final treatment of his story in association with Mr Goldwyn and Arthur Honiblow jr.

We swagger where the spotlights blaze, We love to hear the beaten drum, We sc times get the peals of praise, But mostly get the o-di-um. Such swank and swagger hold no

charm If winter ailments we endure— When germ infections cause alarm, We treasure Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.—Advt.