ACROSS the FOOTLIGHTS

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1927, Page 20

ACROSS the FOOTLIGHTS

COMING EVENTS

OPERA HOUSE. July 9.—New Plymouth Boxing Association. July 16. —“Barbara Frietchie” (Florence Vidor and Edmund Lowe), First National. July 20 to 23.—Sir Rider Haggard’s “She” British Production. July 23 and 25.—J.C. Williamson Ltd., Renee Kelly Company. Jo-night.—“ One Increasing Purpose” and “The Blonde Saint.” EVERYBODY’S THEATRE. To-night.—’’One Increasing Purpose” and “The Blonde Saint.” July 11 to 13.—“ The Wanderer” Paramount. July 14 to 16.—“ The Perfect Sap” (Ben Lyon) First National. July 18 to 20.—“ The Sensation Seekers” (Billie Dove) Universal and “The Toy Boys” Tilton and West (Vaudeville.) July 21 to 23.—“ McFadden’s Flats” (Charlie Murray and Chester Conklin) First National. July 25 to 27. —“Born to the West” (Zane Grey) Paramount. THE PEOPLE’S THEATRE. July 9 and 11.—“ The Flaming Forties” (Harry Carey) and “The Silent Flyer” No. 2. (“Silver Streak” — Police Dog.) July 12 and 13. —-“The Human Tornado” (Yakima Canutt) First National. “Hey, Hey, Cowboy” (Hoot Gibson) Universal. July 14 and 15.—“ The Danger Signal” (Jane Novak and Gaston Glass) A’sian Films. July ’6 and 18.—“ The Desert Valley” (Buck Jones) Fox and “The Silent Flyer” No. 3. (“Silverstreak”).

Florence Vidor, who is featured in the Regal production, “Barbara Frietchie,” is no stranger in the Thomas H. Ince studios at Culver City, where this stirring historical romance was filmed. For two of her best known screen appearances have been in Ince productions, “Hail the Woman” and “Skin Deep.” Miss Vidor, who was born in Houston, Tex., and educated there, has had an interesting and varied sereen career in Paramount, Rob-ertson-Cole, First National, Associated Exhibitors and Warner Brothers’ productions. Her portrayal of the lovable “Barbara Frietchie,” however, is said by those who should know to be the climax of her screen success.

“She,” an adaptation of Sir. H. Rider Haggard’s famous novel, tells the story of “Ayesha—She Who Must Be Obeyed,” an immortal queen who rules a catacomb city, and who is awaiting the reincarnation of her lover, for whom she has waited two thousand years. Miss Betty Blythe plays “Ayesha,” while Carlyle Black plays Kallikxates, her hiYsj. • • • •

“The Wanderer,” famous Bibical stage spectacle recently dramatized on the screen by Paramount has established what it is said to be a new record for size and beauty of motion picture sets. Like a series of paintings by a master hand, each scene was made pictorially perfect. To gain this desired effect required months of work —not only in the actual production of the picture but in its preparation. Each scene was ■written with the thought of beauty always in mind and each was filmed so that it would balance and blend with the rest. Even the thousands of costumes in the mob scenes for the picture Were made chiefly with a view towards the pictorial effects obtained from them. The featured cast in “The Wanderer” includes Ernest Torrence, William Collier Jr., Wallace Beery, Tyrone Power, Greta Nissen, Kathlyn Williams, Kathryn Hill, George Rigas and Holmes Herbert.

Residents of Manhassett, Long Island, had an opportunity to see how motion pictures are filmed, when Director Howard Higgin, producer Ray Rockett, and Ben Lyon journeved there to shoot exterior scenes for Lyon’s next First National picture, “Thr Perfect Sap,” a mysteryburlesque. “The Perfect Sap,” is a mystery-comedy drama, packed with fast moving action laughs and mystery enough to hold any audience in suspense. Ben Lyon is featured as a would-be detective who clashes with some of the underworld’s chief crooks.

Charlies Murray, whose original stage success was attained while teamed in the Murray and Mack combination for nearly twenty years, believes that he has found another great partner in the laugh-making Chester Conklin. The two will be seen together for the first time in tlu leading roles of “McFadden’s Flats,” the comedy feature soon to be seen at Everybody’s Theatre. Edward Small, of the firm of Asher, Small and Rogers, is responsible for bringing together the two celebrities, whose individual efforts have been responsible for so much entertainment in the past. Early showings of the picture in Hollywood resulted in many predictions that the two would become one of the famous fun affinities of the screen. A real story of our much discussed “younger generation”—but not a tale of flappers, or jazz parties—is “The Sensation Seekers.” Lois Weber, the screen’s only woman director, has given a new angle to this type of story and has an unusually well chosen and capable cast to enact her production. The leading roles are taken by Huntley Gordon and Billie Dove in this Uni-versal-Jewel pr< luction. • • • • Marshall Neilan, well known motion picture producer-director, was a wellknown screen actor before taking up the megaphone. He played leadq opposite Mary Pickford and Marguerite Clark, as well as in support of many of the other popular feminine stars of of past decade. His latest picture production “Wild Oats Lane,” in which Viola Dana an I Robert Agnew play the featured roles, is due for early release through First National Pictures.

A vaudeville attraction will be present at Everybody’s Theatre shortly in conjunction with the screening of “The Sensation Seekers” and will feature the lappearance of “Tilton and West.” They ■ come direct from big successes of the

Tivoil Circuit in Australia. These two artists are reported to deliver an entirely new brand of humour, and the smartest of patter. • « • • Raymond Hatton, whose comedy team work with Wallace Beery, in “Behind the Front,” is still a ’ laughing memory, furnishes many new laughs in “Born to the West” Paramount’s picturization of Zane Grey’s story. This time the little comedian is teamed with Jack Holt. Hatton, brave only when his pal, Jack Holt, “Colorado” Rudd, is at his elbow, seems to wriggle in and out of trouble in a carefree manner all through the picture. “Born to the West,” brings Jack Holt to the screen in one of his best roles to date. The super-human cunning of the wolfdoy, played by Sliver Streak, the famous police dog, is an element that turns the tables in a most astonshing manner in “The Silent Flyer” Universal’s chapter play. This dog, whose unusual sagacity and intelligence have won him movie fame, plays an important and sensational part in the entire action of the story. Dorothy Revier, who plays in the Master Picture, “The Danger Signal,” has been selected as “the most beautiful woman in California,” in a recent beauty contest. This is unusual praise considering the large number of noted beauties that come from all over the world to try to reach fame in the “land of studios.” With Miss Revier in “The Danger Signal” are Robert Edeson, Gaston Glass, and Robert Gordon, giving a strong supporting cast to Jane Novak, who heads this feature cast.

The picture “Hey! Hey! Cowboy” is a hilarious comedy-drama, presenting Western farce and action at its best, directed by Lynn Reynolds from an original story by himself. The story revolves around a feud between neighboring cattle kings. Hoot Gibson, as a cowboy detective, disguised as a knight of the open road, appears on the scene for the purpose of solving a number of mysterious happenings, which have brought about a state of open warfare between two erstwhile friendly neighbours. In his blundering, innocent way, he finds himself in hot water from the moment he appears on the scene.

In “Desert Valley,” Fox Films latest production, Buck Jones is given an opportunity to show his horsemanship to good advantage. From beginning to end, the picture calls for unabated action. Buck is seen in one sequence riding at a furious pace over sage-dotted plains, in another sequence he is urging Silver up the rock-strewn side of a mountain, and in still another sliding with Silver down a precipitous canyon. Red Rock and Jawbone canyons in the Moyave desert were chosen for these sequences, because of the unique lava formations which provide excellent settings.

The desperation with which a pitiful old man defends the claim which he has staked out for his lovely daughter when he is tricked into signing away the deed, forms the basis for the smashing story of “The Human Tornado,” in which Yakima Canutt is starred.