Hollywood News

Wanganui Chronicle, 3 October 1947, Page 7

Hollywood News

The long search lor a Scottish girl to play Flora Macdonald opposite David Niven's Bonnie Prince Charlie has ended in the choice of an English girl—24-year-old Margaret Leighton, born and bred in Birmingham. Native criticism is slightly mollified by the fact that Miss Leighton is currently playing a Scotswoman, with great success, in the London theatre, the play being James Bridie’s “The Sleeping Clergyman,” with Robert Donal in his original role of the sleeper.

The latest Cinderella of thc screen is no blue-eyed, golden-haired beauty contest winner with a magazinecover type of face and an exotic hairdo. She is 35. She will not don a bathing suit or stage a dance in an abbreviated costume when she makes her debut on the screen. Her face is pleasant, intelligent, and nicely put together. Her name is Jeanette Nolan. Jeanette was snatched from the air to take over one of the choice roles of the movie season. It is Lady Macbeth, opposite Orson Welles as “Macbeth” in Welles’ own production of the Shakespearean drama.

An ex-convict, who somewhat naturally prefers to remain anonymous, has been giving expert advice to Peter Hunt of Independent Producers Research Department. Faced with the problem of finding out exactly how oakum is picked—picking oakum is one of those things which are frequently spoken of but seldom seen—Hunt sought the aid of an exconvict who, it appears, has spent several years of h»s life on this skilled but unpublicised art. r i”'e man duly turned up at the stuuios and, before returning to his now respectable pursuits, gave Director David Lean some useful hints on the niceties of the work house scene from “Oliver Twist” in which this activity is featured.

Dale Evans, back from a personal appearance tour in the East, has these statistics to offer: During the trip she gave 108 shows, sang 570 songs, got laryngitis twice, and lost 12 pounds. When she returned home she found that field mice had moved into her living room and ruined her new rug, and ants had taken over her kitchen for the summer.