ROUND THE STUDIOS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21304, 25 March 1939, Page 16

ROUND THE STUDIOS

Luise Rainer, after leaving Hollywood for her six months’ leave, had to return for re-takes on “Dramatic School.” Zasu Pitts’ fluttering hands will be thoroughly exploited in “Always Leave Them Laughing.” She takes the part of a harpist. Frances Mercer, who fought Ginger Rogers in “Vivacious Lady,” gets a part supporting Ginger and Fred Astaire in “The Castles.”

WHEN CHAPLIN WILL TALK Charles Chaplin will commence actual production on his first all-talking picture for United Artists, tentatively titled “The Dictator,” shortly after the first of the New Year. In this film, which has been conceived and W’ritten by Chaplin himself, the comedian will play not only his old, but also a new, character, one which will be seen and heard for the first time. Preliminary work has commenced at the Chaplin studios. Additional sound equipment is being installed, the stages being enlarged and studio personnel increased to accommodate the crowds to be used in many mass scenes. Negotiations are under way to lease considerable acreage in San Fernando, or some other suitable locale, for exteriors. MOB SCENES IN WHICH EACH EXTRA HAS A PART Frank Lloyd’s newest picture, “If I Were King,” gives him his best opportunity to date to show what he can do with mass-action scenes. ‘Tn the old days,” said Lloyd, “a director could mass a couple of thousand extras in a square, give each of them a torch or flag to wave, and call in a scene I But that’s not enough nowadays. To-day every member of a mob scene must do his or her share of the acting or the scene will look stilted and bogus. In ‘lf I Were King’ I selected two thousand players to support my leading characters, Ronald Colman, Frances Dee and Basil Rathbone, and took as many pains coaching the most ordinary extra as I did with the stars themselves.” Lloyd’s technique in handling mob scenes consists of flashing his camera for a split second at a few members of the crowd, then giving a moment’s glimpse of another, and so on. In this way the scene consists more of a number of short shots, each with its own meaning, than of a mere bird’s-eye view of a thousand people. The biggest mass scene in “If I Were King” forms the dramatic climax of the picture. It is a battle between the Burgundian army, made up of Europe’s most powerful troops on one side, and battalions formed by Francois Villon out of the Paris populace on the other.

HOLLYWOOD CINDERELLA

Leni Lynn, 13-year-old singing Cinderella, who rode into Hollywood recently on a silver chariot made up of “dimes” of 10,000 Passaic, New Jersey, school chums, found that her tiny feet fitted the glass slipper. Leni's story is almost as fantastic as the immortal fairy tale. Her real name is Angelina Ciofani, and she is the daughter of a poor Italian factory worker in Passaic. Blessed with an amazing natural coloratura voice, sire gave vent to her happy heart in song at amateur and benefit performances in her home town. Howard Herty, promotion manager of the Passaic “NewsHerald,” heard her sing in a show at a Passaic fire station and decided that something should be done about it. He enlisted the aid of the mayor and arranged for the use of the Passaic School Stadium for a concert. Ten thousand children and their parents crowded the stadium. They were thrilled by little Angelina’s voice. The mayor told them it was a civic duty to help this little girl bring fame to Passaic. The hat was passed. Each person was asked to contribute one dime —no more, no less. Herty changed Angelina’s name, choosing “Leni” because it was her favourite nickname among her school chums, and “Lynn” because it sounded well with Leni. When she arrived in Hollywood Leni's unusual story broke into print. She was signed for an appearance at the Trocadero Cafe. Hundreds of celebrities, stars, and producers heard her. When bashfully she sought the autographs of these movie greats they in turn asked for hers.

PROPHETIC CRITICISM OF lAN HAY’S “HOUSEMASTER” Mr Philip Page, the critic of London “Sphere” and other papers, was certainly prophetic in critizing lan Hay s “Housemaster,” which is to be produced by Leo du Chateau for the Wellington Repertory Society. He wrote: “I have not read Mr lan Hay's novel The Housemaster,’ but if it is anything like the play it is a perfectly credible picture of public school life as it is. Certain departures and adornments must, of course, be allowed. School life is not an entertainment which anyone would pay to see—and I feel that people 'will be paying to see this play for quite a long while.” It ran for 663 performances. “And since,” he continued, “I believe no play has ever been successful without a certain number of young ladies in it, the author has put this to rights.” ANNA NEAGLE NOT TO APPEAR AS MARIE LLOYD Anna Neagle*s next film role is not, after all .to be Marie Lloyd, a famous music-hall star of former days. Miss Neagle and her director, Herbert Wilcox, went to New York to attend the premiere of “Sixty Glorious Years,” and the actress was to have returned to England immediately to begin work on the Marie Lloyd picture. but she is now discussing with Mr Wilcox a more suitable role to follow her portrayal of Queen Victoria. “It is largely in response to letters of protest from all over the country that I have decided to drop the subject for Miss Neagle,” Mr Wilcox said. “Judging by these letters, the success of ‘Victoria the Great’ and ‘Sixty Glorious Years’ has established her as preeminently an artist for the family audience. lam afraid that her appearance as Marie Lloyd might prove a disappointment to this type of oudience, and also that, in the circumstances, it would hardly be possible to do full justice to the grand character of Marie Lloyd. “I shall do the Marie Lloyd film but with another actress in the star part.” LIONEL BARRYMORE AND “YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU” It may come to pass that Lionel Barrymore will be given an academy award for his performance in “You Can’t Take It With You.” How much of this was Barrymore and how much the director, Frank Capra, is open to question, but the wedding of the two talents resulted in a rousing character projection. The picture content had much to do with it. Great performances must be established in a believable story, a story that has flesh and blood on its skeleton. “You Can’t Take It With You” becomes almost a social document. It expresses a philosophy of living that may be true or false, but, true or false, it is interesting at all times. Holding it together, giving it point and rhyme and reason ,is the warm portrayal of Lionel Barrymore. Barrymore gave this performance w'hen advancing age and illness were threatening to end his acting career. They even had to write in crutches in his part so that he could use them and continue working while he had to use them. Yet there was not a suggestion in his playing that Barrymore was feeling unwell. CHILDREN SEE THROUGH LAUGHTON MAKE-UP When Charles Laughton returned from a week’s holiday at St. Moritz between pictures, he told an amusing story against himself. Laughton has a dread of appearing conspicuous, which is one of the reasons why he is seldom seen at any of the big social functions or round the fashionable hotels. At the hotel in which he was staying in Switzerland, the management approached him to appear as Santa Claus for a children’s party. Laughton protested, but it was pointed out that in the Santa Claus make-up, behind a set of flowing white whiskers, he would be unrecognisable. Laughton, the master of make-up, with characteristic thoroughness spent an hour perfecting his Santa Claus outfit, and, hidden behind a flowing white avalanche of hair, made his entry into the party. “And now, children,” cried the M.C, “I want to introduce Santa Claus.” The sophisticated youngsters of St. Moritz took one look at the jovial figure, and cried: “That’s not Santa Claus, that’s Charles Laughton,” and there was a bigger rush for autographs than for the sackful of presents he carried over his shoulder. CHINESE DRAMA VERY DIFFERENT FROM EUROPEAN There are reasons why Oriental races produce fewer theatrical stars than Occidental races, according to Nick Grinde, who made this observation while directing Anna May Wong in Paramount’s “King of Chinatown.” “The average person has no conception of the Chinese theatre, where the audience has to be better educated in the drama than the actors. I saw one performance in which there was a scene where one actor and eight property men were on the stage. The actor presumably was in a boat approaching a forested shore. Four of the men were attired in green smocks. They walked in undulating fashion alongside the actor. The green smocks and the undulations told the audience that they were depicting the waves of the ocean. Four other men attired in brown smocks stood at one corner of the stage. The brown smocks told the audience that they were the trees on the shore. “Lines are enunciated in grandiloquent fashion with extravagant gestures. In our westerns, the hero always rides a white horse and the villain rides the black horse. A Chinese villain wears one sort of a mask, a hero another, a merchant dresses in one fashion, a diplomat in another. “Now, with people trained to understand and appreciate drama with this technique, it is obvious that they would not produce actors and actresses who can convert themselves overnight into players with the Occidental technique. Miss Wong is a rare exception. But it must be remembered that she is Ameri-can-born and that she has W’orked since a child in motion pictures.”