GENERAL FILM GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19132, 26 July 1930, Page 26 (Supplement)

GENERAL FILM GOSSIP.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. F. —Thanks for clippings. Have used one, as you will notice. L.M.C.—So far as I am aware, the picture shown at the Grand Theatre is the only one that has been made of the doings of Jesse James. The cast was as follows: Jesse James, Fred Thomson; Zerelda Mimms, Nora Dane; Frederick Mimms, Montague Love; Mrs Samuels, Mary Carr; Frank James, James Pierce; Bob Ford, Harry Woods; Parson Bill, William Courtwright. G. Carterton. —A Press sheet gives the following as the principal musical numbers of “Paris”:—“Miss Wonderful,” “My Lover, Master of My Heart, “Somebody Mighty Like You,” “I Wonder What is Really on My Mind, and “I’m a Little Negative Looking for a Positive.” Cast as follows: Vivienne Rolland, Irene Bordoni; Guy Pennell, Jack Buchanan; Cora Sabbot, Louise Hale; Andrew Sabbot, Jason JRobards; Brenda Kaley, Margaret Fielding; Harriett, Zasu Pitts. Cast of "Sunny Side Up”:—Molly Carr, Janet Gaynor; Jack Cromwell, Charles Farrell; Jane Worth, Sharon Lynn; Eddie Rafferty, Frank Richardson; Eric Swenson, El Brendel; Bee Nichols, Marjorie White; Joe Vitto, Joe Brown; Mrs Cromwell, Mary Forbes; Raoul, Alan Pauli; Lake, Peter Gawthorne. Musical numbers: —“Sunny Side Up,” “I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All?” “If I Had a Talking Picture of You,” "You’ve Got Me Pick,ing Petals off of Daisies,” “It’s Great to be Necked on a Bra’ Bricht Nicht,” “Turn on the Heat” and “You Find the Time and I’ll Find the Place.” J.M.C. —Janet Gaynor, Fox Studios, Hollywood, California; Lois Wilson, Warner Bros. Studios, Hollywood, California. I understand that both are married. Lois Wilson played opposite Conrad Nagel in “ Kid Gloves.” Dixie Lee had the leading female part in “ Let’s Go Places.” Address Fox Studios, Hollywood, California. Unable to say whether she is married or not, biographical records being silent on the question. “ The Delightful Rogue ” was screened at the Civic Theatre on April 10. The leading lady was Rita La Roy and the theme song “ Gay Love.” Have no data with respect to the actress. “ No, No, Nanette ” opens a season at Crystal Palace Theatre on Monday. The story is still fresh in the memories of local theatre-goers, for it is only a few years since Elsie Prince and Jimmie Godden introduced ail the now-famous characters to Christchurch, and the tunes of “ I Want to be Happy,” and “Tea for Two ” are still sung whenever a few jieople get together. The picture is much more elaborate than the play. New ballets, new scenes and new songs have been introduced, and it boasts a great comedy cast besides the two stars. In the roles of Nanette and Tom are Bernice Claire and Alexander Gray, and they sing their parts and clown their way through the stcry with great gusto. The straight-out comedians are Lucien Littlefield, Bert Roach, Louise Fazenda, Lilyan Tashman and Zasu Pitts, five people who would be hard to beat in any comedy contest “No, No Nanette” has scenes in technicolour. and some of the ensembles are “ The Dance of the Martians,” “ The Human Aeroplane ” and others of a similarly sumptuous nature. This talking, singing and musical show is one of the most attractive comedies seen on the screen in the city. Richard Dix’s third talking picture, a comedy, of course, wall be screened at Everybody’s Theatre next week. It is “ The Love Doctor,” and he has two leading ladies, June Collyer and Miriam Seegar. In this story, Dix plays a young doctor who is trying to work up a practice in a small town. He spends fcis time in practising putting

or chip shots in his surgery, and his first patient is a young man who is brought by his mother, to be cured of being in love with a certain young woman. When the young woman sees the doctor she falls in love with him, and when the doctor sees the young woman that the young man’s mother wculd like him to fall in love w’ith, he (the doctor) falls in love with her; the young woman No. 3, that is, not mamma. It is all delightfully simple once you have unravelled it, and Dix and his leading ladies make it one happy rear from start to finish. It is a long time since one picture possessed such an imposing array of great names in its cast as does the principal picture at the Majestic Theatre next -week. “ Glorifying the American Girl ” is a musical extravaganza which was produced for the talking screen by Florenz Zeigfeld, so that a Zeigfeld Follies will be seen in Christchurch next week. Mary Eaton has the leading role, she who is glorified, and all the great people of Broadway have something to do. Rudy Valee leads his band, plays his saxophone and sings “ I’m Just a Vagabond Lover”; Helen Morgan sings her famous “Blues” song. “What Wouldn’t I Do for That Man”; Eddie Canter (famous for his role in “Kid Boots”), appears in a comedy sketch, and Johnny Weismuller, the Olympic and world swimming champion, appears as a classic figure in an Olympian scene. Notwithstanding all these “ bits,” however, there is a very real story running through the piece, and by no means can this picture be termed either a revue or a musical comedy. It is wonderfully produced, full of lovely music and ballets, plenty of good comedy, and is the story of a girl who preferred to be glorified on the stage than to pursue the prosate paths of dull convention. A most attractive and unusual plctuie in every way.

The two famous Gleasons, Mr James and Mrs Lucile, have at last graced the talking screen with their presence and will be seen in Gleason’s comedy, “The Shannons of Broadway” at Liberty Theatre next week. Jimmie Gleason it was who wrote that famous comedy “Is Zat So? ”, so everybody who saw that play will know what to expect from the “ Shannons ” in the way of snappy dialogue and funny and intricate situations. The juvenile leads are played by Mary Philbin and John Breedon. The story concerns a pair of comedians who decide to desert the footlights and try their hand on running a tourist hotel in a small town. They make a. glorious mess of everything, which, if it is disastrous for them, is at least very funny from the audience’s viewpoint. “ The Shannons ” introduces a new type of talking-screen amusement, a story that hovers between revue comedy and domestic drama, with plenty of broad humour thrown in for good measure. Some of the songs sung by the inimitable Gleasons are “ Living the Life of Riley,” “ Get Happy ” and “ Someone to Love.” There is an almost unknown corii. of North-eastern India, skirting the in. passable Himalaya Mountains, where a strange goddess known as Kali is worshipped. It is this tiny and all but forgotten country and this weird religion that is the basis for the dramatic story of “The Green Goddess,” which will be presented at St James’s Theatre (Fuller’s Opera House) this evening,

with George Ariiss in the leading role. Mr Ariiss is a past master of the polished and heartless roles, and in “The Green Goddess” he portrays forcefully all the delicious deviltry of the suave Indian Rajah who baited his guests with taunts of torture and death while entertaining them with all the lavish hospitality of an East Indian potentate. Assisting Mr Ariiss is a notable cast, including Alice Joyce, H. B. Warner and Ralph Forbes. Writing of the performance of Mr Ariiss the “New York Herald-Tribune” critic says:— “Mr Ariiss, as the vengeful Oriental potentate with the Oxford accent, can be evil in a gentlemanly way and coldly cruel in the most patrician manner imaginable, and he can do it all with gusto, ease, and a smart attention to significant detail. His Rajah is a colourful and striking romantic portrait, played with such brilliance that it becomes a thing of real delight.”

That the English producer is capable of turning out pictures with powers of attraction equal to those from Hollywood is clearly demonstrated by the patronage accorded “Rookery Nook,” which has run to full houses for a week at the Theatre Royal and will hold the screen there for another week. “Rookery Nook,” based on the comedy of the same name, ran for a year on the stage in London and proved equally delightful to America, Australia and New Zealand. The company of English actors and actresses that appears in the picture is the same as that which made the stage presentation famous. Splendidly acted, with humour in abundance, and the diction of the actors of the highest British quality, “Rookery Nook” can be recommended as entertainment of a nature tjiat appeals to all classes of the community. Following “Rookery Nook,” a double feature bill will be screened at the Theatre Royal—“ The Girl Said No,” and “Children of Pleasure.” William Haines is the star in the former picture. He has a part in which romance, big business, love and Wall Street are all mingled in a story of a young man who is suddenly called upon to assume vast responsibilities. Leila Hyams is the girl who says “No” at first, but finally decides definitely upon “Yes.” Also in the cast are Polly Moran, Marie Dressier, Francis X. Bushman junr., and William V. Mong. “Children of Pleasure” is an altogether different type of picture. It tells the story of a song writer who marries an heiress. It shows how songs are composed for the “inside,” and gives vivid little glimpses of Broadway night life, theatrical life and New York society. The leading parts are filled by Lawrence Gray, Wynne Gibson and Helen Johnson. E ® ail S 3 HI HSUS ® 131! ID HI ®®® U@ ®

Pola Negri, Jean Hersholt and Kenneth Thompson will be seen togetner in “The Secret Hour,” the leading picture at the Grand Theatre next week. This picture is the screen version, and under a new title, of the Sidney Howard Pulitzer Prize play, “They Knew What They Wanted,” which has recently been made into a talkie under a third title. Jean Hersholt plays Tony, the old and wealthy orange grower (played here by Maurice Moscovitch), Pola Negri is Annie, the waitress who comes to marry Tony without having previously seen him, and Kenneth Thompson is Tony’s handsome overseer. The eternal triangle from a new' light, and one which seethes w’ith drama from beginning to end. As usual, Negri gives a superb performance.

The second picture at the Grand Theatre next week is the comedy, "“Running Wild,” in which W. C. Fields has the lead, with Mary Brian in support. This is a light, frivolous and purely farcical affair, in which Fields first appears as a fool of a fellow, humble, crushed, and completely dominated by his family and his bosses. A hypnotist gets hold of him, and persuades him, for purposes of demonstration to an audience, that he is a lion. Fields escapes, and, still under the influence, leaps round shouting that he’s a lion. Filled with these excellent sentiments, he goes on and lionises the household, carrying on the gooa woik in tne ofnee next morning. The ending is just as funny as the rest of the picture.

In “Alias Jimmy Valentine, ’ the leading feature of the current programme at the Strand Theatre, William Haines has a part that is totally different from the breezy farce roles that brought him into prominence. As a reformed cracksman who goes to rob a small town bank but stays to start life afresh, he reveals himself as a dramatic actor of unusual intelligence and ability. There is plenty of romance, suspence and thrills in tne p.cture. The support. ng pic -u-. c, “The Cardboard Lover,” has Mo e Carlo as i,s setting ..lari'-:. - , Ails and Jecta uoudai are the principal figures in a glamorous story oi love, pathos, intrigue and corn&dy. “The Laughing Lady” will shortly

make a return visit, and will be shown at Everybody’s Theatre. During its first season here Ruth Chatterton and Clive Brook created a sensation by their interpretation of Alfred Sutro s well-known drama, and it is but to be expected that all their admirers will flock to see and hear them again in the tense situations with which the play abounds.

George Bancroft’s next talking picture, “The Mighty,” has been booked for screening at the Majestic Theatre, and it should create a favourable impression among lovers of good drama. Bancroft may always be relied upon to produce good acting, and good diction, and can cast the spell of his personality over a role so as to make it an outstanding achievement. The “he-man” of the screen, his pictures are always awaited by his large following, and a feat of dramatic entertainment is in store for those who will see his latest talkie.

“The Return of Sherlock Holmes” is another all-talking picture of outstanding merit which is shortly to be presented at the Majestic Theatre. Clive Brook, one of the most popular stars of the talking screen, plays the famous detective in this picturisation of Conan Doyle’s tale, and he is just as effective in polite melodrama as he is in the five o’clock tea kind of comedy in which one usually sees him. “The Return of Sherlock Holmes,” in which Flolmes is miraculously brought to life from that “fatal” accident in the Swiss Alps, is as thrilling and ingenious a combination of events as Conan Doyle ever wrote, and is ideal material for the talkies.

The name of the New Opera House (Fuller’s) has been changed to that of St James’s Theatre. In publishing the announcement Sir Benjamin and John Fuller give as the reason for the change the fact that Fuller’s will concentrate on talking attractions. Australian Films.

Said that a large organisation is to make a big talkie that will place this country on the map in the cinematograph world (says a writer in the Sydney “Bulletin”). The proposed director is a gentleman of considerable attainments, but, as far as I can discover, he has taken no important part in the production of a modern talkingpicture. It will be a pity if once again, through lack of the right people, we fail to make successful pictures in Australia. To repeat the disasters, artistic and financial, which attended the production of silent pictures in Victoria when the quota system came in, will set back the local industry indefinitely. There is no earthly reason why good pictures cannot be made in Australia, with a wealth of theatrical talent walking the streets of every capital. If the objection is to the importation of foreign producers, there are several Australians in Hollywood and England who are at or near the top of the tree in sound production. Ruth Qhatterton can act, write and compose. She has been a stage and screen star for the past ten years. Two of her plays have been produced on !n m [*j I*3 [g [s] [U f*j @ig il [*] gi H]ID HO HJ EE [*)

Broadway and more than half-a-dozen musical compositions are accredited to her. Olga Baclanova, intriguing Russian blonde, is featured with Arthur Lake and Dixie Lee in the forthcoming Fox Movietone “Cheer Up and Smile”. This lovely lady makes repeated efforts to win the affections of a youth, causing great consternation to his young sweetheart. In “Song of the West,” the all-natural colour, singing, talking, dancing Vitaphone picture, Warner Bros, have an epic through which runs a tremendous drama, enacted on the plains, around camp fires, with the waggon train, and in the gambling halls of the roaring days of ’49. John Boles, star of “The Desert Song,” heads the cast of players. Clerical jobs were the beginnings oj a number of new famous screen celebrities. William Haines was a broker’s clerk in his first job, Walter Catlett was a bank teller, Lawrence Gra? worked in his father’s brokerage office, and then became a newspaper reporter, and Ramon Novarro worked in a monetary exchange concern in the City of Mexico. What happens to girls who can’t say No”? This interesting question is answered in the Warner Bros.’ and Vitaphone production, “She Couldn’t Say No”, with the vivacious Winnie Lightner in the leading role. “She Couldn’t Say No” is not only a song and dance drama; it is filled with drama, and with heartaches against the gay background of lively night clubs. “The Arizona Kid”, a great outdoor romance on Movietone, has Warner Baxter and Mona Maris in the title roles. It is the first talking picture to be filmed entirely on location, and the scenic splendours of Zion National Park in Utah form a delightful background to the swift action of the -tory, as well as adding to its realism. Begging letters to screen stars are diversified in every idea except the ap peal for money. In a single day Lon Chaney, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star got in his mail an appeal for money to buy a piano, another asking him to

start a man in the furniture business one asking him for funds to organise a jazz band, and one asking for enough money to enable her husband to buy a car, a new outfit, and “have some left over so he wouldn’t have to worry about a job!” “Show of Shows,” Warner Bros.’ and Vitaphone’s musical screen revue, is the most ambitious talking picture ever undertaken by Warner Bros. John Barrymore gives a magnificent rendition of a Shakespeare’s soliloquy, not Hamlet’s as one might expect, but the sololoquy of the Duke of Gloucester in “King Henry VI.” Winnie Lightner is also in this revue with her antics; Irene Bordini and Georges Carpentier represent France; Beatrice Lillie, favourite of the London stage, hilariously dominates a brilliant number. “The Storm”, which was released as a silent picture by Universal in 1923, has been remade by that company with full dialogue and sound. As a silent picture it established a box office record that stood until the release of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The addition of dialogue and sound has made it even stronger drama. The featured players in the new production are Lupe Velez, Paul Cavanaugh and William Boyd, the well-known American stage star, who is not to be confused with the equally famous screen favourite. j{ j.j jj John M’Cormack’s first Fox Movietone picture, “Song o’ My Heart”, is having highly successful runs in America’s principal cities. In Hollywood it opened at Grauman’s famous Egyptian Theatre, to the most enthusiastic and representative audience ever to see a picture on the West Coast. Seats for the first thirty performances (fifteen daj's, two shows a day) were exhausted before the opening, and tickets for the gala opening were sold at a ■l®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®!

big premium. A great feature of the opening was the broadcasting of a complete programme by the great tenor from Dublin to Hollywood, the programme being relayed through the principal American stations. “For the coming year, Paramount has prepared one of the biggest production schedules in its history,” said John W. Hicks, junr, Australian managing director of Paramount Pictures, on his return to Sydney from America. “A total of 248 talking pictures will_ be produced at our Hollywood and New York studios for the English speaking world,” he continued, “together with a great number of feature-length pictures and shorts produced separately in Spanish, French. Swedish, Czech, Polish, German, Italian and Hungarian, and enacted by foreign casts. The motion picture is no longer international, but national. One picture cannot be filmed for the world as in the silent days, but now must be produced for each foreign country / Douglas Fairbanks (writes the Hollywood correspondent of the “Exhibitors’ Herald World,” American trade publication, expects to relinquish his activities as producer of his own pictures soon after his next picture, “Reaching for the Moon.” No reason is forthcoming for his decision to abandon the method which he has pursued unbrokenly since 1919. Neither is it certain what effect this decision will have on the organisation which he has built up during this period, but undoubtedly its members will be absorbed into similar positions with United Artists, which will produce his future pictures under the supervision of Joseph M. Schenck and John Considine. “Reaching for the Moon” is be lieved to have its foundation in an earlier picture of Fairbanks’s by the same title.