The SCREEN and its STARS

Southland Times, Issue 21848, 27 October 1932, Page 10

The SCREEN and its STARS

(By

“Columbine ”)

THE MAJESTIC Now Showing: “High Pressure” (William Powell, Evelyn Brent, George Sidney, Evelyn Knapp). Saturday: “The Crowd Roars” (James Cagney, Joan Biondell, Ann Dvorak, Eric Linden). * * » * “High Pressure,” William Powell’s second picture for Warner Bros., now showing at the Majestic, is a story of stock promoters who, while they are generous and good hearted, are so irresponsible and to anxious to get rich quickly that they scale rather close to the border line of the law. The production was adapted to the screen by Joe Jackson, from a novel by S. J. Peters, and was directed by Mervyn Le Roy. The supporting cast is large and includes Evelyn Brent, George Sidney, Evelyn Knapp, Polly Walters, Harry Beresford and Lilian Bond. James Cagney’s new picture for Warner Bros., “The Crowd Roars,” a story of high-speed auto racing, comes to the Majestic on Saturday. The large cast of professionals and non-profes-sionals includes William Arnold and Lou Schneider, who were Indianapolis Speedway champions for 1930 and 1931 respectively, and the Indianapolis Speedway serves as a background for many of the scenes. “The Crowd Roars” is from an original story by Howard Hawks, who also directed it. Mary Astor is the latest addition to the cast of M.-G.-M.’s “Red Dust,” now in production under the direction of Victor Fleming. Clark Gable and Jean Harlow play the principal roles and others playing important parts include Donald Crisp, Tully Marshall and Gene Raymond. “Red Dust” was originally bought for Greta Garbo. “Tinfoil” is now in production at the M-G-M studios under the direction of Harry Beaumont. This is an original screen story by Mildred Cram and Tallulah Bankhead and Robert Montgomery are co-starred. The cast includes Louise Closser Hale, Hugh Herbert, Lawrence Grant, Greta Mayer, Lily Irene and Henry Kolker.

The English film director, Donald Crisp, well known for the important roles he has played in detective films such as “The Return of Sherlock Holmes,” has married Jane Murfin, the American scenarist, who introduced the famous police dog, Strongheart, to the film world. The bridegroom is 45 and the bride 43.

M.-G.-M. has assembled an impressive cast for “Kongo” which is now in production under the direction of William Cowan. Walter Huston, Lupe Velez, Conrad Nagel, Virginia Bruce, Mitchell Lewis, C. Henry Gordon and Forrester Harvey have the principal roles. It is a screen transcription from the play by Chester Devonde and Kilbourn Gordon.

Ronald Colman, the British actor, has started a libel action, claiming 2,000,000 dollars (about £400,000 at par) against Samuel Goldwyn, Incorporated. He charges the Corporation with causing statements to be issued “which reflected on my character and my ability as an actor.” Ronald Colman is now working on a film version of the play “Cynara,” with Miss Phillis Barry, the Leeds girl who has scored a success in Hollywood.’’

The sensational collapse of the Kreuger fortunes recently had the stuff that good stories are made of, and the dead financier’s career will provide material for at least one film. Warners announced the purchase of the screen rights to “The Match King,” a novel by Einar Thorvaldson, which the Macauley Company will publish next month. Warren William will be the star of the film version when it goes into production. It will trace the rise and fall of a certain Paul Kroll, who, according to the summary, “outwitted the world’s shrewdest financiers.”

Al Jolson’s first cinematic endeavour for United Artists has gone into production under the revised title of “The New Yorker.” The mammy-singer will render at least five songs in his new film all of them the work of Irving Caesar. The story, a Ben Hecht product, will present the comedian as a cheerful vagabond of the city streets. “The New Yorker” will mark the return of Harry Langdon, and two other comedians—Chester Conklin and Vince Barnett—will be included in the cast. Madge Evens has the feminine lead.

Miss Diana Wynyard, the English actress who went from London to New York stage last year, has been chosen to play the leading part of Jane in the Fox film version of “Cavalcade,” the part which Mary Clare played at Drury Lane. Hundreds of actresses had been considered for the part, both in England and America including Ann Harding and Fay Compton. Miss Wynyard went to Hollywood some time ago, and played in “Rasputin” with the Barrymores. She has now been given the lead, again with the Barrymores, in “Reunion in Vienna. It will be interesting io record a few recently published figures concerning “Cavalcade”: Since the last night was announced (September 10) Drury Lane has been packed, and the takings have approximated to £4,000 a week. On the last Wednesday there was the biggest matinee since April. The following are some of the statistics of “Cavalcade”:— Number of performances 403 Total number of people who have visited the play 731,392 Amount paid in entertainment tax £43,043 Number of people employed in theatre 644 Number of costumes 1,260

Miss Mary Clare did not miss a single performance since the play opened. She made each night thirty-three changes of costumes, and it was computed that she ran a mile at every performance.

Ray Enright has been assigned the direction of First National s forthcoming “Central Park” in place of Mervyn LeRoy. Members of the company include Joan Biondell and Charles Farrell. “Central Park” was written by Ward Morehouse and Earl Baldwin. Claudette Colbert has the role, o? leading lady in “The Phantom Presid’ent,” George M. Cohan’s starring picture for Paramount. The cast for this satire on American politics also includes Jimmy Durante, George Barbier, Louise Mackintosh, Sidney Toler, Jameson Thomas and Julius McVicker. Norman Taurog is the director. Paramount has hit upon a unique plan for obtaining a script to be filmed under the title “If I had a Million.” The company has asked fifty widely known authors to submit short stories for episodes, five of which will be selected and interwoven into a general plot showing what would happen in the lives of persons to whom 1,000,000 dollars was given suddenly. The central idea concerns a dying multimillionaire who takes five names at random from the telephone book as beneficiaries in his will. Preparations for filming “Island of Lost Souls,” from H. G. Wells’s fantastic adventure story, “The Island of Dr Moreau,” have begun at Paramount. >Charles Laughton, the English stage player who was recently won over to Hollywood, will have the weird role of the doctor who discovers how to make animals talk. As the young lovers on the lonely tropical island, Nancy Carroll and Randolph Scott will be the romantic leads. Cyril Hume has helped to adapt the piece to the screen. Laurel and Hardy. Stanley Laurel and Oliver Hardy, two of the most popular screen comedians of the day, arrived in London recently. At Cherbourg Mr Hardy had a narrow escape from sudden death. He poked his head out of the porthole in the early hours of the morning just as the heavy lead attached to the sounding line whizzed past. “They tried to tell me it was just one of I Laurel's jokes,” said the stout comedian, shaking his head sombrely. At Waterloo they were mobbed by 1 about a thousand admirers with a warmth that compensated for Mr Hardy’s reception at the hands of the officials at Portsmouth. Not having obtained a permit to work here, he was admitted only after threats of penalties for working had been attached to his passport. Laurel and Hardy are two of the most likeable men in their profession. Laurel was born in Ulverston, Lancashire, though his father, an old actor and manager, is best known cn the Tyne; Hardy is the son of a Georgia politician. They met in the Hal Roach studios in Hollywood, after years of struggling. They formed a team and became so popular that they make their films in five languages—English, French, German, Spanish and Italian—and have not been able to take a holiday for five years. They write their own stories, and rehearse everything so carefully that they finish them in from eight to twelve days. The “cuckoo” tune, which introduces all their films, is one they heard on the wireless and bought as a trade mark. You would know Oliver Hardy anywhere. When he entered the White Room at the Savoy, a tall plump man, in a brilliant brown suit, with brown and white shoes, he was unmistakable (writes a reviewer). His walk had the familiar jaunty swing and the tiny black moustache, the double chin and the deprecating smile were just as in the pictures. Stan Laurel lurked behind his ample partner in the familiar way at first, but when he came into the open he was much less easily identifiable. His face is not so thin as it appears on the screen, and as for being wistful—well, I don’t remember seeing a man do so much steady laughing in an hour. Hardy, with the native urbanity of a man who trained for the law, medicine

and music before going on the vaudeville stage, and who holds 24 cups and two gold medals as a golfer, was ready for a serious examination of the anatomy of humour. But Laurel had no time for anything but sheer happiness. His face was one continuous beam, and this phrase ran like a slogan through all his conversations: “That’s my old dad over there.” I heard him say it again and again, looking affectionately at the figure of Mr Jefferson, of Ealing, a grey-haired, clean-shaven man whose life has been spent in the theatre. Beside Mr Jefferson stood his wife, who is Laurel’s stepmother. Laurel was born at Ulverston, in Lancashire, 37 years ago, and the locality around is preparing a great reception for him. They have recently made a fulllength picture, “Pack Up Your Troubles,” which has pathos as well as humour. “There is a little English g7rt in that who,” Mr Hardy assured me, “is, I believe, going to be a sensation. Her name is Jacqueline Lyon. She is only three and is in California with her mother and grandmother. They are not professionals. I found her playing on the beach and we had great trouble in persuading them to let her act for the pictures. She gives an amazing performance, telling the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. She does it sa wonderfully that she goes on for 360 ft. without a break, and makes you laugh and cry at the same time.” Mr Hardy is accompanied on this trip by his wife, but Mr Laurel’s wife and little girl remain behind in California.