STAGE AND CINEMA.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15112, 22 December 1921, Page 3

STAGE AND CINEMA.

Amongst the films to be screened at the King's Theatre next week will be the following: Tuesday and Wednesday, December 27 and 28, Buck Jones in "The Big Punch. Thursday and Friday, December 29 and SO, "Smiling all the Way," with Leatrice Joy and David Butler as the stars. Saturday, December 31, An English picture, "Westward Ho." The part of Rose Salterne is taken by Renee Kelly; Don Guzman by Charles Quartermain; Amyas Leigh by Eric Harrison. Monday, January 2, 1922 Alice Joyce appears in "The Vice of Fools."

It is genei'ally thought, remarks one of W. <S. Gilbert's biographers, that the librettist, achieved fame easily and quickly; but nothing could be a greater mistake. In the sixties and seventies there was not a harder worker in' London than the young barrister, who spent his.'days and nights at every kind of labour (ex-

eept a barrister's), playing in turn dramatic critic, comic verse writer and illustrator, playwright and the like. An order from H. J. Byron for a column of "stuff" every week for the comic paper "Fun" resulted in the production of the "Bab Ballads," which in later years yielded plots or episodes for. a number of Savoy operas. Gilbert was seldom seen as a barrister, but certain features of his nominal profession were neatly satirised in "Trial by Jury," which first appeared in condensed form as a page of "Fun." Miss Rosemary Rees, who is staying in Wellington, is discussing the advisibility of initiating here a Repertory Club, which would produce plays of merit which are known to the outside world but seldom find their way into the repertoire of companies visiting New Zealand (says ("The Dominion"). There are many admirable plays by Shaw, Barrie, Galsworthy, Houghton, Lord Dunsany, Arnold Bennett, and many others which are intellectually delightful that might receive attention, and Miss Rees believes there are audiences for such plays in Wellington. ' Messrs J. and N. Tait have engaged the famous contralto, Madame Marguerite d'Alvarez for a tour of Australia and New Zealand next year. The. brilliant singer has of late been appearing with great success in London, at the Albert Hall.' Puccini is to write an opera for the great contralto. Recently meeting the composer, she asked him why he had never written an opera with a contralto for the leading role, to which Puccini replied, "Because I have never met a' contralto capable of sustaining such a role.. But now, Madame, it is different, and I will repair the omission as speedily as my engagements will permit." Charlie Ray puts up four of the hottest rounds in" a prize fight it has been this scribe's luck to witness, in bis latest picture "Scrap Iron." No beg pardons, either.

What is probably a world's record vaudeville partnership was broken on October 15, by the death of Harry Carleton, of Carleton and Sutton, the popular dancers and patter artists, who had been working together for' thirty years. Deceasedj, who was forty-nine years old, died in Sydney from consumption of the throat. When Tom Mix was in New York recently he went home to the hotel late one night and encountered a scrub-woman hard at work. Tom has a kind heart, so he said: "I have some tickets for the movies. Would you like to go to-morrow night?" "Can't you get off some other night?" she replied. "I'm working to-morrow night." ; At last- we are to see "The Kid," otherwise Jackie Coogan! The big Chaplin comedy, which incidentally revealed unknown depths of feeling and artistry in the king of comedians, placed Charlie Chaplin on the topmost pinnacle of screen art, With a capital A, discovered to the world the most marvellous child actor—only four, mind, —ever known, is on its way here.

Although the book is old enough to be a classic, "Black Beauty," Anna SewelPs epic of. equine history, still dwells among the great ones. Any one who has not read it a literary treat well worth while. Not one whit the less charming is the splendid production Vitagraph made of the story with Jean Paige in the stellar role. Every normal person loves a horse or a dog,, and this story of horses, told by a horse, is at once arresting' and beautiful. No child should be allowed to miss "Black Beauty." It is an invaluable -lesson no school could give. An arinoiiii.ee-meat has been made in Los Angeles papers that the reported engagement; of William 8. - Hart and. Jone Novak, if it ever existed* has been terminated. In connection with this matter Bill himseji is reported as having sale : "No, we are not going to be mat ried. It's not true. I wish it w<;r:> —but it isn't. "Photoplay's" gold medal of honour for the greatest picture of the year L 920 has been presented to the producer of "Humoresque." The decision was some to on tho vote of readers of the magazine. In denying a report that she -was engaged to be married to Jack Gilbert, the movie star, Lila Le*, aaid : "I am not engaged to anyone, and never intend to be."

Theda Bara, it is said, is likely to appear in a picture directed by D. W. Griffith, and it won't be a vamp, picture. " " Max Linder, the Frendh come-dian,-is making a three-reel burlesque on "The Three Musketeer*.' - '. For a while (says a writer in an American movie magazine) there was a story that Natalie was the youngest of the thre e Talm-idges. It was" sent out, I fancy, because Natalie was on the screen. Now tha', she has retired as Mrs. Buster Keaton, I suppose there's no objection tlo the world knowing that (Jonstance Tnlmadge is the youngest of the bunch.

Universal, on the heels of the RO3coo Arbuckle case, has come forward with an announcement thafe it has inserted a "morality clause" into all its present and future contracts (says "Photoplay.") In effect, the clause says thafc any or actress who commits any net tending to offend the community nt outrage public morals and decency, will bo given five days' notice of the cancellation of his contract with, the company.

America is not tho only country that has experienced a slump in movies. News comes that th e Gvr man film industry is in a bad way. In September no less than 20 kinemas wer Q obliged to close down in Berlin, amongst them being the largest) movie theatre, th 0 Ufa Palast, which is to become a variety theatre. In Frankfort, it was decided, to close, down all kinemas at the end of the montih. Reasons ad vanced for the crisis are the increasing' cosfc of production, tho high salaries of the artists, operators, etc., and the heavy entertainment tax. Now that Americans are realising that their public and ours ar 0 sick of the old scenery and the o'd themes- of Los Angeles, they are beginning to look t!o Europe for their salvation, says tho "Daily Mail"; and the news that Miss Mary Pickford, Mr. Douglas Fairbanks, and others are coming to England to make pictures is only a sign of the times. It is a welcome move, for American production over here Ts bound to "ginger up" British work. Tho resuit of the invasion will be that a far greater number of people in this country will have to "be employed in the industry; far more money will flow into it; other studios like these of the Stoll company will have to bo built; and the whole business will bound forward.

Youthful audiences at tho King's will be pleased to hear that Kingsley's "Westward Ho" will be screened on" December 31. > It now turns out that May Alii son, whom everybody regarded as a spinster, is not only a jjaarried woman, was has been married twice, and in two years at that. It all came out through a forger and narcotic user declaring that he was May Allison's husband. Inquisitive Pressmen, while disbelieving the story, took the advice, to ',turn up the records," and they found that in November, 1919, May Allison had been married to Colonel William Stephenson. When the position of affairs was brought under Miss Allison's notice, she admitted the marriage, but stated that it had been annulled by mutual consent a few months later. About a year a-fterwards she was married to Robert du Reel Ellis, one of the witnesses being Ethel Clayton. The marriage was kepti quiet, said Miss Allison, because "I had to return West to finish my contract with Metro, and Mr. Ellis had to stay in New York to complete his with Selznick."

Marguerite Clark, after a year's absence from the screen, heads he* own company in "Scrambled Wives." W. S. Percy has a big part-in the J. C. Williamson pantomime, "Th» Babes in the Wood." The principal boy will be Norah Delaney, in pti vate life, Lady Maxwell, who ha» made a name for herself on tL«» musical comedy stage in London "She is described as an actress 01 outstanding ability and great charm and beauty.