GENERAL FILM GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 911, 4 November 1933, Page 24 (Supplement)

GENERAL FILM GOSSIP.

FAMOUS CONDUCTOR. Paul Whiteman, who is featured in ‘‘.King of Jazz,” at the Theatre Royal, was born in Denver, Colorado. His father, Wilberfore J. Whiteman, was director of musical education in the Denver schools for thirty years, and his mother was a choir singer. At the age of seventeen, Paul Whiteman was chief viola player in the Denver Symphony Orchestra. In 1915 be went to San Francisco and played in the World's Fair Orchestra. Whiteman's orchestra was featured in the late Florenz Ziegfeld’s Xew York “ Follies,” tours in Berlin. London, Paris, Vienna and Rome following. His orchestra has made hundreds of gramophone records and is also one of the most famous ; American radio combF ations. Buchanan’s New Method. In addition to leasing the Leicester , Square Theatre as a West End of London “ shop window ” for his films. Jack j Buchanan, in association with British j and Dominion Films, will adopt a new ; method of presenting his pictures in the future. Commencing with his new film. “ That's a Good Girl.” the Jack Buchanan features will be given public exhibitions in six leading provincial centres before being screened in London. There will be no trade shows in the accepted sense of the word; but the trade and public alike will be admitted to these special provincial screenings, which, for one performance only, will form part of the ordinary programmes of the theatres concerned. The new procedure has been adopted owing to Jack Buchanan’s desire to keep as closely in touch with the provincial public in his film work as he does in his stage performances, thus enabling him to concentrate on angles of production which are proved to have more than West End appeal. Buchanan will make a tour of the provincial towns at which the films are screened, and will be accompanied by Herbert Wilcox, the director of production, who will watch the audiences’ reaction with a view to any possible j cuts.

s® sms assn®® ®is@@p®®®@® The Runaway’s Return. Back in Hollywood from Europe, Sylvia Sidney, who recently 4t walked out ” of the Maurice Chevalier picture, “ The Way to Love,” will soon begin to act for Paramount’s prouction of “ Reunion,” with Herbert Marshall as the hero. Sylvia Sidney will subsequently appear for the same company in “ Thirty Days’ Princess,” in which she has to masquerade as a foreign princess who has been detained in quarantine. After the star had thrown up her role the Paramount organisation had many embarrassing days, and the substitution of Ann Dvorak is said to have When Sylvia Sidney visited London last month, just before returning to America, she was unrepentant about all the bother she l had caused. “Nonsense!” she declared to the stories of her bad behaviour. “ 1 had only done a few days’ work with Chevalier. And, anyway, it j was his picture. I was only in it by | accident. And I really was sick. I ! have been troubled with my wisdom teeth for two, three years. Treatment ! didn’t do any good any more. I had ito have them out. Then inflammation I set in. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t speak. I They operated in Holl} r wood. I got no better. So I flew to New York to see a specialist. He told me there was something in that should not be there. I seem to have been travelling ever since all this trouble started. Am I airsick ! And am I seasick ! ” Germany Abolishes Stars. Stars have been abolished in Germany—at least on the screen. In future, no actor or actress can demand that his or her name shall be placed on a show bill in front of the title of the film. No name may be displayed in greater prominence than that of any other. It is declared that the custom followed hitherto has done much to damage the cultural and artistic development of films in Germany. It is also hoped that the new regulation will help to bring forward young players. A Costly Dress. It took ten women seven days to make a gown for Sally Eilers for “ Walls of Gold.” The gown weighs more than 401 b, and is made of more j than 500,000 jet black beads arranged • in herring-bone design.