The Moving Row Of Magic Shadow Shapes

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 18761, 27 December 1930, Page 13

The Moving Row Of Magic Shadow Shapes

OMAR. KHAYAM

Gloria Swanson’s husband, the Mar- I quis de la Falaise de la Ccudraye, has been engaged to direct the production of the Radio picture “The Queen’s Husband." Two recent marriages in Hollywood are those of Viola Dana to James Thompson, the professional golfer, and of Lewis Stone, the “strong silent” actor, to Hazel Elizabeth Wolf. Norma Shearer, in private life Mrs. Irving Thalberg, is now a proud mother, a son having been bom last month. She will return to the screen in the new year to appear in “Gondola of Dreams,” a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production. One of the most romantic figures in Hollywood is Howard Hughes, who made a huge fortune in oil wells. This year he has already spent £BOO.OOO on the production of his air film “Hell’s j Angels,” which is regarded by critics | as not so good as it might have been at the price. His latest extravagance is the expenditure of £200,000 on the erection of a multi-colour laboratory, which will be ready for business in January. The laboratory will have a capacity of 1,000,000 ft. of film a week. “Strictly Business” is the title of the i next picture to be made by Claudette Colbert, the beautiful Paramount star. Frederic March will again be seen in the leading male role, and Dorothy Arzner will be the director.

A doctor was present on the set when Gary Cooper and William Boyd fought their great battle, which forms the dramatic climax of “The Spoilers,” the Paramount version of Rex Beach’s novel. Although neither was seriously injured in the fight, both had expected torn flesh and broken bones. The title role in "Captain Blood,” from the novel by Rafael Sabatini, which is to be produced by Warner Brother, will be played by James Rennie, who, by the way, is the husband of Dorothy Gish. Rennie has alreadyappeared in “The Bad Man,” and “The Girl of the Golden West,” both of which are shortly to be seen in Auckland. The picture “Captain Blood,” will be directed by Prank Lloyd, who directed the silent version of “The Sea Hawk,” in which the late Milton Sills was starred. Three generations of stage celebrities will appear in “The Lady of Scandal,” the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer version of Frederick Lonsdale's stage hit, “The High Road.” They are Fred Kerr and EfHe EUsler, stars of three decades ago in London; Nance O’Neill and Cyril Chadwick, stage celebrities of 15 years ago; and Ruth Chattel-ton and Basil Rathbone, whoe-are present-day personalaties in the legitimate theatre.

Marlene Dietrich, the blonde German actress, who was recently recruited to Hollywood, declares that Clara Bow is her favourite actress. Without a single dissenting opinion, New York newspaper reviewers accorded “Outward Bound,” the Warner Brothers’ picture, their unbounded praise. Remarkable among other things, to which the reviewers drew notice, was the manner in which the picture, dealing with things mystic and unworldly, was vibrant with a deep undercurrent of real life. Leslie Howard, the English actor, who appeared in the stage play, “Berkeley Square,” heads the cast. Paul Gregory, who plays the role of the white Indian, Wanenis, in “Whoopee.” the United Artists musical comedy, is noted as the central figure in one of the most sensational disputes between theatre producers recorded. Oscar Hammerstein and Florenz ZiegI feld were at loggerheads for years as to which one owned the exclusive rights to his services, the matter finally being settled when Ziegfeld bought the contract between Gregory and Hammerstein for £SOOO. Gregory was already rehearsing in “Rosalie” two years ago for Ziegfeld, when court proceedings instituted by Hammerstein brought him back into the fold. He had previously been Hammerstein’s leading singer in the sensationally successful, “Rose I Marie,” “Song of the Flame,” and

“Golden Dawn.” “Whoopee” is his first motion picture. His role in “Whoopee” calls on him to play the role of an educated Indian barred by race from marrying a ranch owner’s daughter with whom he is in love. The revelation from an old chief of his tribe that he is really of white birth finally straightens matters out and allows of a happy ending to the story. Dual roles are by no means uncommon in moving pictures, and audiences have often witnessed the same actor playing two dinstinct roles in the one scene. Previously, however, no contact has been possible between the two characters, each of which has had to be kept ‘to one side of the film, or else photographed separately. A new “transparency” process has been introduced in the Paramount picture “The Right to Love,” in which Ruth Chatterton is starred. In one scene the mother holds the daughter in her lap and walks in front of her in her other character. This Is the first time that actual contact of duel personalities has been accomplished. There are women who cannot say no to the peddlers who come to the door, and men who cannot say no when someone offers them a drink, but Winnie Lightner in “She Couldn’t Say

No,” her second Warner Bros, and Vitaphone picture, is playing the role of a girl who can’t say “no” to anything. With much of the story told against a background of gay night clubs, it is nevertheless a drama of unusual power, and Winnie Lightner gives a convincing performance of a girl who loves vainly a handsome racketeer. Chester Morris is excellent in this role, while Sally Eileers, Tully Marshall, and Johnny Arthur are the other principal members of the cast. Noel Coward’s comedy, “Brown Sugar,” is to be made a British alltalking picture. Twenty years ago the famous London music-hall sketch impressario, Fred Karmo, toured America in “Mumming Birds.” Among the team who remained to make films, one was called Charles Chaplin. Another was Stanley Jefferson, now Stan Laurel. He struggled precariously for years. Michael Vavitch has been signed by Metro-Goldywn-Mayer for the role of chief surgeon in “War Nurse,” which Edgar Selwyn is directing after an adaptation of the popular best-seller. Vavitch will be remembered for his character roles in “Call of the Flesh” and many other films. Dorothy Mackaill, First National star, now in New York after a European vacation, may appear in a Broadway production in the near fture. At least two plays have been submitted to her in manuscript by Broadway producers, and it is expected that she will arrive at a decision sTiortly. Dorothy Mackaill is not scheduled to start her new First National picture until January 1, next year. Two quiet fellows—one American, one English—may often be seen taking walks together in the country round Hollywood. They are usually deep in serious conversation. They are talking business —but it is business as used as a term for comedy action. For they are Laurel and Hardy, who are causing more laughter all over the world than any two other men now alive. Film history is full of funny pairs of people, but never has there been such a successful alliance. And what a perfect contrast in personalities! The piteous dejection of Laurel is that of a man whose philosophy has forever failed him. The suppressed indignation of Hardy is eloquent of a man who nurses impatience and calls it patience. Their success has astonished them, and it is to be hoped their genius for the ludicrous will never be spoiled by their trading on it. Despite the oft-heard statement around studios that “children and animals are hard to direct,” Samuel Wood, a director of college pictures and an apostle of youth in drama, says that this is not so. In fact, with the advent of talking pictures, .he says children are most easily directed of any players, because they have not been taught to act unnaturally. “In silent pictures,” Wood states, children were hard to direct, because they were doing something unusual and unnatural in acting pantomime. Pantomime is unnatural to a child, because it normally prattles about everything. They were moved here and there, without knowing what anything meant. Hence they made mistakes. But when they talk, that’s another matter. They do this naturally, because speech carries a meaning with it, and they don’t have to be told how to co-ordinate gesture with speech. That’s inherent. The grown-up actor learned to accustom himself to the unnaturalness of dialogue, and often to such an extent that he found it hard to learn to speak again. But the talking picture puts the child right where he’s at his best, in the new form of play.” Wood says that not only children, but adolescents, too, find natural acting far easier in talking pictures. One can take a group of young people of college age,” he says, “and get a perfectly spontaneous performance from them without directing them at all, because the naturalness of speech makes for such spontaneity. In fact, the hardest actor to direct is one who has become old enough to form habits. That’s a psychological law which is extremely important in pictures.”