“THE LAMBETH WALK’’

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 169, 20 July 1939, Page 5

“THE LAMBETH WALK’’

, FAMOUS DANCE CRAZE | LUPINO LANE AT REGENT ‘‘The Lambeth Walk’’ that fascinating, tantalising tunc that has swept the world and has got everyone doing “as they darn well pleasey,” now takes on a new lease of life and has fresh worlds to conquer in the film version of the Victoria success, “Me and My Girl,” commencing on Saturday at the Regent Theatre. Lupino Lane, star of the original stage hit, is starred in his famous role as the little Cockney who inherits a title and sets blue-blooded aristocracy agog with hi.s lack of poise and his wealth of “Oi’s.” Albert de CourvilP directed “The Lambeth Walk,” with Anthony Havelock-Allan, of “This Man is News” fame, as producer. Supporting “Nipper” Lane in his whimsical comicalities are Sally Gray, who scores an immense personal hit as the Cockney sweetheart ot lhe Cockney hero, and that dean of the English stage, Sir Seymour Hicks, wno plays an unconventional and lova’tJe old nobleman. Other members of the cast include Norah Howard, Enid Stamp-Taylor, Wallace Lupino, and many more. The all-conquering dance, of course, is one of the high lights of the production, and that, allien to ■ the splendid performances by every I member of the cast, and the naunting | music of Noel Gray, make "The Lam- | beth Walk" a treat in store for every- i one. From the opening shot, set in tnc famous London suburb, to the hilarious reunion of the two Cockney lovers, “The Lambeth Walk” on its way with one chuckle following closely on the heels of another. The star gives the performance of his life and has the time of his life recreating “Bill,” the hero, a little Cockney with all the lovable traits of his class, traits which even social snobbery cannot smother. Australian Film Actress Injured. Mary Maguire, the Australian film actress, fractured an ankle at lhe Denham studios, near London. She tripped when dancing a foxtrot in a ballroom scene of “An Englishman’s Home." The film, which will cost £lOO,OOO, deals with an aerial invasion of Britain. Scenes not featuring Mary Maguire will be taken while she is recovering. Honour for Playwright. A new honour has come to Robert Brennan, the play-writing Irishman who has been appointed Minister to Washington by the “Eirish” Premier. Founder and first general manager of the "Irish Press” in Dublin (the daily organ of the De Valera Party). Mr. Brennan is also a playwright ol distinction. He wrote “Good Night. Mr. O’Donnell,” a farce in whicr. Jimmy O'Dea starred in Dublin some years ago. It was later translated into Irish and staged in the Gaelic-speaking city of Galway. His name was the mystery of the disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from Dublin Castle on the eve of King Edwards crossChannel visit. He also wrote a book about his experiences in piXan, when he was in Cork gaol; previous to that he had been in Dartmoor, and had been sentenced to death for his pait in the Easter Week Rising, and reprieved. Among his accomplishments have been those of County Council staff surveyor, reporter, 1916 rebel, soldier, hiker, poet, writer of detective mysteries, Director of Publicity for the Republican Forces during the Free State Civil War 16 years ago; editor, secretary, Civil Servant. Edinburgh to New York. Frieda Inescort, the talented British star of American pictures, is the daughter of an actress mother and a journalist father; she was born in Edinburgh and first followed her father in a literary career. She became secretary to Lady Astor and when she had saved enough, went to New York where she continued secretarial work at the British Consulate before branching out into literary work. While she was handling publicity for a publishing firm she met Ben Ray Redman, poet and novelist, and married him. Her husband is one of the writers who has been snapped up by Hollywood for script work. Miss i/escort has been most successful on the stage; toured with George Arliss in “Merchant of Venice”; playing Portia (her handling of the chief role in “Portia on Trial," a recent picture success, was superb); and has broadcast many times. This lovely, fascinating lady of stage and screen is one of America’s most popular figures and her large Hollywood house, built on old-fashioned lines with big fireplaces, is lhe popular rendezvous for guests of all kinds. She has even introduced darts and shove-ha’penny to American visitors. . * ♦ About H. K. Ayliff. H. K. Ayliff, the popular producer at Malvern, focal point of the world's dramatic interest every year, was born at Grahamstown, South Africa; he is lhe son of the Hon. Jonathan Ayliff Henry Kiel! Ayliff, to give him his full name, started life as a painter — won a three year's scholarship at the Royal Academy School in London, and then spent a further two years in Paris and Italy. His inborn love of the theatre interfered with his artistic studies to a certain extent, for he interrupted his painting apprenticeship to learn voice production and elocution. He drifted to the stage, his first part being that of Sivla Tosh in Barrie’s “Little Minister,” at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln. He made his first appearance in London, in 1908, playing Postman Kelly in Hall Caine’s “Pete at the Lyceum, where he now spends as many as 13 hours a day rehearsing five different casts for Malvern. In 1921, after an excellent study in “The Two Shepherds,” for the Birmingham Repertory people, he stayed on to produce “Candida” for the society. He it was who gave Sir Cedric Hardwicke his first post-war engagement in a curtain-raiser to “Candida ' jin 1922. He also staged “Cymbeline” (in modern dress.