ACROSS THE FOOTLIGHTS

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1929, Page 26 (Supplement)

ACROSS THE FOOTLIGHTS

! COMING EVENTS. OPERA HOUSE. New Plymouth. />ceember 30 to January I.—“ Where East is East” (Lon Chaney), M.G. M.; and “Looping tlie Loop” (Warner Krauss), U.F.A. Production. January 2 to 4, —“Man and tho Moment” (Biliio Dove), First National; and “Smashing Through" (John Stuart), : British Dominion Films. January 8 to B.—“ The Single Standard” (Greta Garbo), M-G.M.; and “Picadilly” (Jamieson Thomas-Gilda Gray), British Dominion Filins. January 19 to IL- —“Tho Whip” (all star, First National); and “The Alley Cat” (Mabel Boulton), British Dominion Films. EVERYBODY’S. ' • -A ... Pec. 28, 30, 31.—“ Close Harmony” (Budy •Rogers-Nancy Carroll)', Paramount . . talking and singing special), “What Is It?" “Now ana Then,” and , 1 “Daisy' Bell" (Paramount Singing -/cartoon), , ' January 1,2, 3, —“The Studio Mystery” ■.(all star), Paramount all-talking ■i production, “Blue Songs,” “Humorous Flights,” “Ye Old Melodies,” .’•' ... and gazette. • . . Jan. 4 to ; 7.—“ The Hometowners” (Doris . : Kenyon),* Warner Bros.’ Vitaphone ■' -attraction; “Waring’s Pennsylvanians* orchestra) and the Howard 1 Bros. January 8 to 10.—“ A Dangerous Woman” (Baclanova), Paramount all talking production; “Vital Subjects”; “Moonshine” (talking com- ; ... edy). January 11 to 17. —“The Black Watch” (Victor McLaglen), Fox Movietone Super Special; “Sound Your A” (talking comedy), and Fox Movietone News. ■! . January 18 to 24.—“ The Desert Song.’’

THE PEOPLE’S. .- New Plymouth. , December 28, 30, 31.—“ The Letter” (Janne Eagels), Paramount all- . talking special); “Radio Hythm” (Rudee Vallsee and jazz orchestra); “Titto Schipa”; and “Schubert’s Friends” (introducing the songs, ! “Sweet Repose,” “Praise of Tears,” • “0 Major Symphony,” “Ave Maria,” and “Seranade.”) January 1 to 3. —“Gentlemen of the Press”; “High Hat”; “Pushers in the Face” (talking comedy), and “Book- ‘ lovers.” January 4 to 10.—“ Tho Innocents of Paris”. (Maurice Chevalier),' Fox Movietone News; (talking comedy, starring Raymond Griffith); “Dixio” (Paramount singing cartoon); and “The Four Aristocrats” (vaudeville act). / >) ' “THE LETTER.” One of the sensationally dramatic pictures that have ever come to the screen, will be screened at the People’s talkies . commencing to-day at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. It is “The Letter,” from the play by W. Somerset Maugham, and tells of a letter written that in the hand of a vengeful rival threatened the life of the woman who wrote it. Jeanne Eagels is the woman who longed for companionship, and whose husband neglected ]ior. She what was in “The Letter” and 'what happened outside Singapore one flight. “THE STUDIO MYSTERY. Sounds and sights on the stages of ft huge moving picture studio vie for interest wit|i a gripping detective story centring around the characters in an all-talking inovinw picture in the new paramount all-talking, all-star thriller, “The Studio Mystery.” This picture, which comes to Everybody’s talkies shortly, is one of the strangest dramas yet made possible for the screen through the new dialogue medium. Practically every department of motion picture making serves as a background for the action of tho story. “WHERE EAST IS EAST.”

. Lon ' Chancy, in one of Ilia most fantastic, and certainly one of his most thrilling roles of the screen, comes to she Opera House next Monday in (“Where East Is East," vivid drama of the Siamese jungles, in which he staged desperate battles with, wild animals and other thrills as a side issue in one of his meat amazing characterisations. The story deals with a strange trapper of wild animals in an Oriental jungle, and the amazing vagaries of fate which enmesh him in a grim and fantastic plot. The cast in a notable one, with Lupc Velez as his half-native daughter, Estelle Tayloi- as' a sinuous charmer of .the Orient, and Lloyd Ihrghes as the romantic lead, a young Western showman peeking animals at the trapper’s camp. “THE INNOCENTS OF PARIS.” Paramount will present at the People’s talkies shortly the season’s all-talking special “Innocents of Paris,” starring that electric personality, Maurice Chevalier, idol of Paris, and magnet of millions. “Innocents of Paris” is Chevalier’s first talking picture, and from the reception accorded him on the opening night On this picture in Sydney and the days following he is destined to become immensely popular with Australian and New Zealand audiences. Chevalier sings six eongs, two in French and four in English. His rendering of “Louise” and s‘On Top of the World Alone” are remarkable for their clarity and intonation. Both should prove extremely popular with vocalists and song lovers. “GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS.” Give the movie scenario writer a big hand! Playwrights and authors are doing it now. - S. S. Van Dine, author of “The Canary Murder Case,” admitted that he considered Paramount’s pieturisation of his book to be the equal, mid maybe superior, of the original story.' Now Ward Morehouse, whose (gripping drama of newspaper life. “Conthdueh of (lie press,” startled New York theatregoers last season, lauds the men who made his brilliant stage liiccess into a still more brilliant moving picture. This picture is booked , for ihowing at the people’s Theatre-‘next week; ' “The Emliiig is a knockout,” he

told officials of the Paramount Long Island studio where the picture was made. This picture is 100 per cent, talking. “CLOSE HARMONY.” (“She’s so, I Dunno,” a melodious harmony-comedy song, is a mememorable part of the vaudeville act —a ! part of the plot—which Jack Oakie and • Richard “Skeets” Gallagher put over in “Close Harmony,” a Paramount alltalking production which comes to Everybody’s talkies to-day at 2 p.m. and L 8 p.m. “She’s So, I Dunno” is one of > three numbers written for the production by Richard A. Whiting and Leo ’ Robin. It is rendered in the Van and Schenk manner. Oakie and Gallagher ■ made names for themselves in vaudeville theatres all over America before they , were signed for this film by Paramount. “SMASHING THROUGH.” The long awaited British Dominions film—“ Smashing Through”—will be seen ' shortly at the Opera House. It is stated to be the first ..great British motor racing film, and has been highly praised by Kaye Don, the famous racing motorist. The road racing scenes are excellently done, and. are very thrilling, and the humours of Alf. Goddard and Mike Johnson as mechanics are mast diverting right through. The leading parts are played by John Stuart, the young owner of a British motor company, fighting to wrest the lead from a foreign rival; Eve Gray, the beautiful youna Australian who won fame on the Australian stage, is the girl with whom he is ih love; Julie Suedo as a I temptress; Alf Goddard and ..MikeJohnson. as • the humorous mechanics, and a regular galaxy of British stars.

“LOOPING THE LOOP.” One of the most .amizing, circus feats ever filmed is shown in the Cinema Art Films’ release, “Looping the Loop,” which comes to the Opera House next week. This particular incident .as one of the highlights of the film, and shows how a troupe of trapeze artists do the sensational looping the loop dive. In this act, the artists.,take a leap from a platform hundreds of feet above the auditorium of the circus and go flying down a slide at a terrific rate to be caught by a girl at the other end. This magnificent circus drama stars several versatile stare, among whom is Warwick Ward, who will be remembered as playing the part of a trapeze artist in “Variety,” Jenny Jugo and Werner Krauss. , “THE BLACK. WATCH.” Team work constitutes a decidedly important asset in tho success of a pic- | ture production, especially the co-or-dination of director and star. One of the most successful of <!;• ecter star cur - binations in pictures is the John FordVictor McLaglen team, which has just added another achievement to its record, the all-dialogue “The Black Watch.” , Currently, Ford is directing “The Black Watch,” baaed on the tremendously interesting story, “King of the Khyber , Rifles,” by Talbot Mundy. “The Black • Watch” screens hero shortly. MeLaglen portrays “Captain Donald Gordon King” of the famous Black Watch, , the n’.U rame of the 42nd Highlanders. ' The supporting cast rates the designation of all-star with such names as Mvrna Loy, David Rollins, Lumsden Hare, Roy D’Arcy, Mitchell Lewis, I Cyril Chadwick, Col. McDowell and Walkcrt Long. John Stone made the adaptation. :

KING’S THEATRE, STRATFORD. Matinee to-day (1.30), To-night and Monday. —“Interference” (William Powell and Evelyn Brent). ■ Tuesday and Wednesday. —“Fashions in Love” (Adolphe Menjou). Thursday and Friday.-“ Weary River” (Richard Barthelmcss). “INTERFERENCE.” Clive Brook, the polished man of the screen, is cast as one of the four central characters in "Interference,” a Paramount picture showing at the King’s Theatre, Stratford. Brook essays Che rolo of Sir John Marlay, an eminent English surgeon, who narrowly escapes a tragic climax to his brilliant career. The other three characters with whom Brook appears are William Powell, Evelyn Brent and Doris Kenyon. The tensely dramatic action of the story takes place entirely in London, and, according to those who have viewed the picture, it is correct in the most minute detail. “FASHIONS IN LOVE.”

Adolphe Menjou has made another o c those pictures in which his philandering causes a lot of excitement for other people. In this ho takes .a young lady away for a drive and then her husband arrives ■ unexpectedly. But just as Adolphe is getting out of difficulties his own wife arrives on the scene. How he gets out of this fix is to be seen in his latest Paramount picture, “Fashions in Love,” which is the starring attraction at the King’s Theatre next Tuesday and Wednesday. Fay Compton, famous English actress, is the wife, and Miriam Seegar, another well-known actress from London, is the other woman. Fay Compton, who makes her debut in American pictures in “Fashions in Love,” is one of the best known actresses in England. Not only has she appeared in pictures there, but was also popular on the stage. In this Paramount picture she is tho leading lady for Adolphe Menjou. “ON TRIAL.”

“On Trial,” Warner Bros.’ latest crime mystery special, is being hailed as the best murder trial melodrama to be presented as a motion picture. Though this fact is undoubtedly one of the reasons for tho sensation it is creating in theatrical circles all over the country, there are several other factors of even greater importance. Tho first of these is the exceptionally brilliant cast,’ headed by Pauline Frederick, Bert Lytcll, Lois Wilson, and Holmes Herbert, and including Jason Robards, Franklin* Pangborn, Johnny Arthur, Richard Tucker, Edward Martindel, Fred Kelsey, Vondell Darr and Edmund Breese. The second is that “Oi Trial” was adapted by the versatile Robert Lord. The third is the fact that

1 REAL LIFE REVUE. MAROONED IN A CUTTER. ► Two young actors and two young actresses at a West End theatre, after having been reported missing for two days on a yachting expedition in the Thames estuary, arrived back in Loudon in time to discover ■ that their services wero no longer required. Ono was Mr. Harry Pelissier, tho 17-yea.r-old son of Miss Fay Compton, the actress. Sho was. so distraught by his disappearance that, she took her part on tho stage oniy with the greatest difficulty. . # , Tho others in tho party were Mr. Graham Humby, ,Miss Felicitc Seddon, and Miss Barbara Mann. All four were appearing in “follow Through” at the Dominion theatre.

Police, coastguards, and Automobile Association scouts in three counties had been searching for them, as it wits thought that they had cither been wrecked or had a motor-car accident on the way to London. Shipping in the Thames estuary had also been warned. Tho patty left London by motor-car on a Sunday for Henio Bay, Kent, with the intention of sailing to Faversham. Creek in a 14-ton- cutter, of which Mr. Humby is part owner. On Monday night they wero not at the theatre. After a day of frantic telephoning by Miss Compton, Mr. Leslie Henson, the producer of “Follow Through,” and the parents of the young men and wonion, Mr. Henson’s chauffeur found the party coming ashore at. Faversham Greek on Tuesday night. They were . liur,gry and. tired, and said that they had .managed with difficulty to row ashore from the yacht, in which they had been marooned. They arrived at tho Dominion theatre shortly before -midnight in their yachting costumes, and were at once seen by Mr. R. H. Gillespie, the.theatre manager,and Mr. Henson. ■ The .young people camo out sobbing and said that they had left the cast.

Mr. Humby told a Daily Mail reporter:—

“When wo reached Herne Bay the boat; was half-full of water. ..We -left at dusk, and as it was too late to get to Faversham that night anchored off Whitstable. ■ - '

“Wo .started early on Monday, and when two miles out ran aground on a mudbank. After being stuck there some time Felieito rowed away in a dinghy, waded, through tho mud to the shore, a. 1 went to. FaxOrsJiam?where she sent a telegram to her mother saying we were marooned. •'

“It was too late this time for us to have got back to London in time for tho show.

- ‘T'elicite got back -the. same way, and after spending aiidtlier vcr ( y unpleasant night on heal'd without blankets and scarcely any food, we managed to row ashore to Faversham.”

A Pretentious Hack. Since Eugene O’ Neill wrote “The Dynamo,” an admittedly inferior work, and unworthy of his talent in its best bravura mood, the New York critics who previously had doubts of hia standing, are now convinced that he is no more than a pretentious hackman disguising his feebleness in a borrowed philosophy, states an American paper. A salvo of critical . squibs has been launched at O’Neill,’arid he currently counting hits royalties in a secluded bit of sunshine in France, is given material for some sardonic comment if he ever feels that way. But O’Neill never feels that way. Of all dramatists who have made their voices ring’beyond their native frontiers, he seems the least disturbed about criticism. Compared with Ibsen, whom even the stately Brandes enraged, and contrasted to Shaw, who has been known to squirm under the fire of his contemporaries, O’Neill is an angel of ' superb complacence.- His answer to a snort from some ill-in-formed gentlemen is usually another drama, and one that proclaims even more steadfastly hi,s’ attitude to life.

it ..’as directed by Archie L. Mayo, one of the pioneer directors of Warner Bros.’ pr ductions. Tho fourth reason is the play itself, written by Elmer Rico, and with a record .of forty-six weeks on Broadway and numerous revivals- and road company presentations. “On Trial” injected a new and revolutionary idea into the theatre, the . “flash-back,” first influence of motion picture technique on th theatre. Because of this motion picture structure, it was-'idcaliy suited for adaption to the screen, which makds possible qualities not attainable on the stage.

“WEARY RIVER.” I here is a treat awaiting motion picture fans who attend the opening of Richard Barthclmess’ newest vehicle, “Weary River," at the King’s Theatre. Stratford, Thursday and Friday. ‘’Weary River” is a spectacularly modern story in which underworld life is combined with the radio. It is based on a short story by Courtney Ryley Cooper and was adapted to the screen by Bnldley King. It relates the story of a singing convict whose voice over the radio'won him a parole and the love of a girl. For the second time Betty Compson appears as Barthclmess’ leading lady, having been last seen in fhe feminine lead in “Scarlet Seas.” Frank Lloyd, whose “Sea made screen history, directed “Weary River.”

PICTURE COMPANIES. CONSOLIDATION OF INTERESTS. Union Theatres, Ltd., and Hoyt’s Theatres, Ltd., have agreed upon a general consolidation of the interests of the two companies, reports tho Sydney Morning Herald. Tho agreement will rule for a period of years. According t<> a statement made by Mr. F. Doyle (managing director of Union Theatres) and Messrs. F. W. Thring and G. F. Griffith (managing directors of Hoyt’s Theatres), it aims at more economical operation, and at tho elimination of ■ building competition in the various States. Tho combined interests will set to work in the near future on the production of talking films in Australia. For this purpose tho studio at Bondi, in which Union Theatres produced the interior scenes of “For the Term of His Natural life” and other films, is to be transformed into a sound-proof studio of tho latest type. Union Theatres, Ltd., spent £100,I>!>1) in producing silent films, but abandoned work of this kind several years ago. It is hoped that tho talking films will prove more profitable, and lead to a thriving industry being built up. Hoyt’s, Ltd., has theatres in every State except Tasmania, but their largest group is in the Melbourne suburbs. The Union Theatre circuit covers all the States, but is mainly concentrated in i tho larger cities. They have a large I share-holding in West’s, Ltd., who in | association with T. M. Donovan own the King’s theatre in Dixon Street, Wellington. Between them-tho two companies control ISO theatres. .. ' Divorced. That he called her obscene names in tho presence of their friends was. the ground upon which Miss Doris Dean, cinema actress, obtained a divorce from her husband, Roscoe Arbuckle, who used to be known to screen . patrons as “Fatty” Arbuckle. The suit was not contested, according to a Los Angeles message. Arbuckle retired from °film ■Work after he was acquitted on a charge of having caused the death of Miss Virginia Rappe, a cinema actress, at a cocktail party in a house near Hollywood. He appeared as a music-hall artist in Paris ■' in Marell last, but tho audiehce protested, against his performance. ’ According to Salary. '

Large Hollywood parties are’ taking on new savour. Guests’are being announced with much unction. For°some time ghosts at large functions have been seated according to salaries. Sonic bright soul will probably think of a new stunt, .and have- salaries- announced with guests’ names. This would be an effective way of keeping a five thousand, a weeker from being found in the company of a five hundred a weeker. in the colony.

“A Message From Mars.” No one seems to have discerned the source of “A Message From Mars,” yet to any reader of Dickens it should be clear that the play consists of little but variations on the theme of “A Christmas Carol” (says a contemporary). Dickens provided the mean nature, the vision, Marley’s ghost to warn the offender, and the reform of Scrooge followed. Horace Parker, in the play, goes through a similar experience, and similarly reforms. “The Message” is not, and never was, a remarkable play, but it happened to reach the stage at one of those periods when, after a succession of frothy and cynical pieces, theatregoers were ready for some moralising. The “Message” cannot be taken as typical of the best plays of its time. Everyone with any judgment knew in its day that it was-mere-ly popular comedy-drama’ by a minor playwright. The author, Ganthony, was a professional ventriloquist, and he published a’ volume on that diversion of vaudeville. After. committing. “A Message From Mails”, he carried • it about to several London theatres, but most of the managements indicated that there was nothing doing. In that time, at which platitude was desired, and others at which it was not in favour, Ganthony did not find the right house until Charles Hawtrey, after a long course of the lightly cheerful lying ; of. farce, decided -that he would rather like to niake a change by offering himself as a grouchy person who got what wag coming to him and. thus taught the public a great moral lesson. Seach For A Type.

A famous Hollywood director says he is looking for a young man capable of the following:— “Possessed 01 the aJelity to feel and display all the privations, sufferings, longings and heartaches, together with the helplessncin and resignation of one who, puppet-like, went io battle and faced death at the command of goldlaced authority.”

That' being the ca-e. any Hollywood extra who has led the precarious life of his kind has been through all the necessary . emotions. But Herbert Bronon. scarehincr for Sergeant Grischa, is turning the village upside-down in his effort to get the one face unquestionably born to the role.’ His last search brought Winifred Westover Hart back to the . cameras. Bill Hart is a bit mature for the sergeant, but a chance in films would end all these pleas and petitions; from Hart fans. ...It’s been a steady refrain now, these several years.

CARGOES OF SOUND. READY FOR FUTURE FILMS. STORED IN HOLLYWOOD. One'of the wonders of Hollywood is the traffic in sound that has sprung up in the wake of tho talking pictures (says a writer in the New York Times). Sound is no longer merely a disturbance of the ether in rhythmic waves—it is a commodity. With the movietone process of sound on film, sound finds itself a staple with a standard of measurement and an entity all its own. It is no longer something ephemeral, lost as soon as recorded on the car. Locked in a vault in Hollywood*City, it can be brought out and be put to work in a picture. If would take a philosopher such as Henri Bergson, a scientist such as Albert Einstein, or a poet such as Masefic-ld to do justice to the new role played by sound. Masefield is mentioned, for his poem

•Cargoes”, happily reminds one of the traffic in sound. Sound now comes in cargoes,, not a week passing that does not see its cargo of sounds arriving from Ophir and Nineveh, Clyde and Palestine.

Tho cargoes referred to, are of two general kinds: film with its accompanying ‘sound truck made from actual audible photography, and devices for the reproduction of sound, such as bells, whistles, and traffics horns peculiar to one 'locality. The former classification may be again sub-divided. There are sound tracks-, accompanying the. Fox Movietone news reels, and there. are those which are made by special camera crews not attached to the news reel di ision. More than fifty sound trucks are at the moment gathering news for the Fox organisation, while one roving camera crew, under the supervision of George Scliniederman, is re-crcating the voices of every capital on the Continent. Schneiderman spent weeks in the French capital photographing all quarters of the city with his ' fnovietone cameras. The hubbub of the taxis wheeling around the Arc de Triomphe, the measured tread of the thousands visiting the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the chatter of the tourists in Versailles, tho jests and quips in the side-walk cafes, the rumble of the trains, the cries of scurrying porters in -the Gare Saint Lazare, the whirr of aeroplane, motors at Lo Bourget field—all these Schneiderman has faithfully transcribed on film. Sixty-one reels of movietone film were made in Paris alone! These will be utilised, in part, during the next few years whenever a film with a Parisian locale demands certain sounds which would emanate from their respective locales. Mr. Schneiderman, who has since passed through and recorded the interesting sounds of Nice, Monaco, and the Riviera, is now “listening in” on Italy. A few months ago he was catching the rrmble of the surf and the cries of the

beach boys at Tahiti! When sound films arrive in Hollywood, Carl Effinger, in charge of the film library, classifies them and places them in a huge concrete and steel vault, where they remain cloistered and silent until one of the directors sees the need for an authentic sound-and-sight background for his particular production. But all foreign scenes do not have imported sounds. They may have imported devices to make these sounds,

v hicli involves what has come to be known as tho “sound-prop” department.

When a certain sound effect is needed, they create it. Sometimes the original sound registers badly on the microphone. It is up to “sound-props” to : find some substitute which will give the i desired effect. For example: — i It’s a simple little device which gives ■ an excellent substitute for . the sound, which is made by leather boots crunching over snow. Joe Delfino, head of the department, invented it. It’s a bag made of sofe deer leather and filled with corn-starch. Close your eyes and grind your fist into the leather and cold shivers will run down your back. Mr. Delfino, a modest sort of inventor who creates miracles of sound imitation, admits that this one, simple as it was stuck him for nearly a week. iHe tried a dozen different gadgets before he hit upon it. In the “sound-prop” department there are some 1500 different mechanical sound devices. These, in various combinations, will yield many more distinct effects upon the ear.. And yet they are adding to the equipment every day. There are fifteen different sets of telephone bells alone. And that is because different countries have different telephone equipment. There are two huge packing cases filled with an assortment of French traffic horns. There are chimes of every sort from diningroom ones- to the immense cathedral chimes.

Another problem the “sound-prop" department must frequently work out is in preventing any sound anachronism. In the filming of John Blystone’s air picture, “The Sky Hawk,” it was necessary to have a siren whit/a sounded just like the police sirens used in London by the police during the war as an air raid warning. A typical police siren was tried out. The technical experts said it wasn't exactly, like the ones in use ten years ago. Their opinions proved correct; it was learned that the wartime sirens have been given up by the London police and another substituted.

Accordingly “sound-props” had a dig around until one was found which gave the exact noise of the London siren of a decade ago. Some thirty manufaclurers had submitted their product before the desired one was secured.

But despite difficulties, sound locations and sound locating only make the game more fascinating, and the final achievement conductive cf even greater satisfaction than was to be had before the screen found its voice. And.it may bo added that since the infant’s vocal chords have been tested out. all the mischief-maker does is to cry for .- o : sound nutrition.

Dividend Postponed. Owing to the extra expense, involved in tho installation of “sound” picture {•hints, the directors of Hayward’s Pictures and of Fullers’ Pictures, which are associated under the name of New Zealand Picture Supplies, Limited, announce that it has been decided not to pay the interim dividend usually paid at this time of the year. In a notice to shareholders to this effect the directors express the intention to pay the total of the interim and final dividends. 9 per cent., at-the end of the present financial vear.

LATE ADA CROSSLEY/ HER LAST PLEA. . i “MELBOURNE BURIAT,”

The late Aladame Ada Crossley, th Australian'vocalist, directed in her wil that her remains should be crematci and taken to Melbourne for burial ii her parents’ grave, tho trustees to ar range a memorial service in the Angli can Cathedral in Melbourne (saye tin London correspondent of the Sydney News). Madame Crossley was interred at tin North Finchley Cemetery on October 21 The explanation is that neither her hus band (Dr. Meucke) nor the Crosslej family solicitors in England, were aware of this particular will, which was executed last February and revealed onlj after the funeral. For this reason it is very unlikely that any move will be made in England to disinter tho remains or otherwise interfere with the arrangements as carried out. In view of the fact that this will differs in certain respects from a former one, it is pointed out that Aladame Crossley, in her last year, suffered periods of unbalanced mentality, - though she generally remembered' afterwards what she had done. Madame Crossley Jefe an estate of £10,989. There were small bequests to servants, and the remainder went to relatives in Australia.

.. TALKIE VOICES. One of the problems that has come in the wake of talking pictures is that of accent. Throughout the Englishspeaking world picture-goers arc' complaining of the voices of many American stars, and campaigns for vocal purity have been proposed. It is necessary to consider the position; from two angles. First there is the question of actual voice quality and, secondly, that of forms and manners of speech. As' time goes on, the chances are the voice problem will right itself. As reproduction improves . there will be less metallic distortion. At "the. same time players will be better trained for microphone work. Many poor screen voices are being heard to-day 'because the. host of silent film stars are being tested for talkies, but it will not be long before rasping accents are weeded out. Style of speech is. a separate question, and, to be treated fairly? should bo considered from, an international standpoint. ‘After all we could not ijx T pect Americans to like the cockney dialect any more than we enjoy the language of the Bowery. If stories of American life are to be accepted in British countries, genuine American voices must go with them, otherwise the films will be inaccurate in “atmosphere.” The most that can be asked is that the voices be musical and the language reasonably pure. British talkies have proved al-re-dy that poor film voices recorded at mquthings of Hollywood and, although to British ears the general' : English standard is much higher, many pleasant American voices have been heard. The responsibility for style purity rests with scenarists rather than with the players, and it is reasonable to assume that in time they will realise the need for a universal and moderate standard of general expression. There it may be predicted that the problem of talkie form and accent is a transient one, allied to other initial weaknesses of the talking screen.

Jewish Season Fails. The season of the Jewish Company at tho Palace Theatre, Sydney, closed last week with tho performance of “Jacob and Esau.” After the curtain had fallen on the last act Mr. Jacob Strunin, the producer, made a brief speech. As this was the company’s final performance at the Palace theatre, he was pleased to be able to announce, he said satirically, that they had sustained a loss of only £5OO. The company had done its best, and they wore all very disappointed, and surprised that they had not been accorded butter support. Ho had thought that a series of Yiddish plays would have proved a big hit in Sydney. He did not consider that they had been given a fair deal, and they certainly could not afford to lose £5OO in a week. Mr. Strunin added that they would have to try and get some of this money back, and would have to put on a few more shows. At what theatre they would be produced, he could not at present state, but ho hoped that wherever the company opened tho Jewish community would give them their whole-hearted support, and try and make the plays a big success. Although in the company’s first two plays, “Koi Nidri” and “Bar Cochba,” a full synopsis was published with the programme, for the benefit of those not familiar with the Yiddish tongue, this measure was not followed with “Jacob and Esau,” states tho Sydney Morning Herald. Judging, however, from the frequent applause of tho audience, it was apparent that the majority were able to follow the dialogue.

A Floating Theatre. A German syndicate is fitting out a floating theatre at Hamburg which is first to sail for England and afterwards cross the Atlantic. It is an auxiliary schooner, and its inside", are capable of seating 500 people. German opera will be performed, interspered with propaganda about the Fatherland's economic progress. The German “showboat” may visit Australia and New Zealand. ■