FILMS AND THE STUDIOS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 672, 25 May 1929, Page 25

FILMS AND THE STUDIOS

EASY TO LEARN A film method of teaching children the alphabet has been introduced at Budapest. Moving line drawings are projected on a screen before a class. In order to teach the letter A, for example, an apple tree laden with apples is shown. The apples drop one by one and form the letter A. For “M,” mice run from a hole in a wall. A cat’s head appears suddenly and the mice seem frightened, scampering to and fro, then slowing down, join each other, flattening themselves, and their group forms the letter M. BEBE DANIELS MOVES Bebe Daniels has left Paramount and joined the rapidly-growing list of players for Radio Pictures. Radio is also claiming Wesley Ruggles, one of the best comedy-drama directors, who made “Silk Stockings,” “Finders Keepers,” and “Beware of Widows,” all Laura La Plante productions. His first Radio picture will be “The Viennese Charmer,” with Betty Compson. BLOW FOR BARRYMORE Relatively humble actors in “Eter-

nal Love” shame the star, Mr. John Barrymore, says a London paper. Once Mr. Barrymore had two assets; he was a conscientious and. intelligent character actor, as his performances in “Beau Brummell” and “Dr. Jekyll” proved. He was also good-look-ing. In this film both assets are missing. He does not act at all; he merely presents himself to the camera in the role of Mr. John Barrymore being photographed, and lets it do its worst. * * * ACTOR’S TREASURE A rare violin, said to be worth £B,OOO, recently came into the possession of Joseph Schildkraut. It was selected for Schildkraut by Efrem Zimbalist. The instrument was made in the eighteenth century by Jacobus Stainer, a Swiss. It is one of 101 instruments carved by Stainer while he was serving a sentence in a Swiss prison for murder and was made from wood growing on the Alpine slopes.