STARS AND THE SCREEN

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 9 April 1927, Page 9

STARS AND THE SCREEN

PROGRAMMES FOR THE WEEK. Monday and Tuesday.— “Prowlers of the Night,” Universal. Wednesday and Tiiursday.— ‘The Thundering Herd,” Paramount. Friday and Saturday.—Streak of Luck,” featuring Bill Jnr . Master Picture. ***** The canvass of the American movie publication, the Film Daily, to determine the 10 best pictures of 1926, an annual event, this year was participated in by 218 screen critics. “Varie ty” won first place as the outstandingpicture of the year, with the others, in the orderof their standing as follows: “Ben Hur,” “The Big Parade,” “The Black Pirate,” “Beau Geste,” “Stell-i Ballas,” “The Volga Boatman,” “What Price Glory,” “The Sea Beast,” and “La Boheme.” M.G.M. leads with three in this list. Famous Players md United Artists have two each, while P.D.C., Warner Bros, and Fox itore one each. All the above are [poked for the Arcadia to be screen cd m the near future. it was a very dramatic love scene between Conine Griffith and her Swed- j ish leading man, Elinar Hanson. James Flood, directing “The Lady in Ermine,” explained to Hansen the serimsness of the scene. “You must make love to her with all the fervour you can muster, and to put it over you must forget the camera—tell Miss Grif jib how much you love her, think of your sweetheart and tell her just what you would tell your sweetheart in a limilar situation.” be suggests. The jghtj we ,- e arranged. Everything was ready. A few cranks of the camera, nd then Miss Griffith broke into laugh ler and the scene was spoilt. “Why the laughter, Miss Griffith?” inquired fe director. “He is trying to make bte to me in Swedish,” was her ex ylanation. “And why not ” asked Hanson, “didn’t I follow the director’*inters? He told me to make love to you as I would to my sweetheart, and [did. She’s Swedish, and can’t speak 1 word of English.” Lon Chaney in one of the dual roles te portrays in “The Blackbird,” a letro-Goldwyn production, plays a npplc very similar to the one that Bade him famous in “The Miracle Hau.”

Progress in picture theatre building (says a Sydney paper) is rapidly makiag the “gorgeous palaces” of the past flwar almost like hovels; the last lord—until the next —is to lie the 1100,000 building going up on the land there Sydney Evening News offices tad in Market street and the Globe Iteatre was in George street. The building will go up to the limit of 15 storeys: and, besides the picture-house nth an assembly hall outside, having “tiling 80ft from the ground, thei-e •ill be room for a new arcade with imps. The assembly hall will be braished like an art gallery, and have bunge seats and a band to amuse the People who wait for some of the 4000 Hsbioned seats inside the theatre to bttoine vacant. It is not twenty Bars since the Lyric, the first house Maliy built in Sydney for pictures, ,ss opened with a great shrilling of hnipets by J. D. Williams; before fet, th e “flicks” were shown in any ’iilidi that might be available. But «Lyric nowad. ys looks a mere barn Spared with places like the Prince • • * * . A Lbilutn '.able message says it is Wwsttrnd that a B itish company is Phasing thirteen acres of the Pal,te of Engineering at Wembley Ex’f'ition a t a cost- of £lOO,OOO. It is Miniated that this will enable twenty thirty picture producing coml“n!(‘s to photograph scenes simultaneity. • • • • • J°byna Ralston, and Richard Arlen, 0 have been co-starred in films, J- e married on January 28. Miss B ton disclosed in the license that . r hie name is Jobyna Ralston and r a ge twenty-three. Arlen gave his aie ns Richard Van Mattemore, and age as twenty-six. Jb.s name is Reginald. But it should been Tom or Dick, for Reginald n, 'y typifies on the screen the oesonie American boy—just any- > s brother. You know the type—blundering, and honest. Also '• an< l obtuse. A diaQ m the rough, as it were. And . 0 ev er heard of a chap like that be“called Reginald ?

A steward aboard the boat which curried I). W. Griffith and his players to Germany to take scenes for his wonderful picture, "Isn't Life Wonderful,” deserted the boat at Hamburg and followed the company to Berlin, determined to become an actor. He worked three days, deserted the company, and rejoined the boat.

Lon Chaney effects a startling and uncanny transposition in changing from one character to the other in his dual role in “The Blackbird,” his new Metro-Goldwy ri-Mayer picture. His parts in this thrilling drama, of London and the limehouse underworld, are those of a notorious gangster and crippled mission worker. Chaney’s representation of the dwarf Quasimodo, in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was a triumph of grotesque portraiture, but his weird defiance of physical laws in “The Blackbird” is an amazing revelation of what this brilliant actor can accomplish His principal supports are Owen Moore and Renee Ado-

About the nicest thing we have heard lately is the story of Louise Fazenda’s gift to her mother. While her mother was in the East on a protracted visit. Louise summoned architect, carpenter, plasterer, bricklayer, cabinetmaker painter, paperhanger, plumber, glazier, interior decorator, rugman, and what not, and gave orders to build a. threeroom addition to the new Fazenda home for the exclusive use of Louise’s mother. She filled the. room to overflowing with favorite flowers, and ushered her mother into the private bow-

Major P. C. Wren, author of “Beau Geste,” Paramount’s great picture, is a soldier of prominence, having served in mnay campaigns. Of the Sahara, few living men are better qualified to write a romance, and. having been a member of the French Foreign Legion himself, his deep understanding of the French spirit has enabled him to write such wonderful tales of the .Foreign Legion. Of these the greatest that has been written is “Beau Geste” and from it Paramount have made a picture that will he received as one of the greatest screen dramas of all times.

Irene Rich, the Warner Bros, star, again plays the role of a faithless wife in “The Man Without a Conscience,” This role is so opposite to the ones that have made Miss Rich famous, that she at times found the characterisation difficult; but artist that she is, she mastered the role, and as the wife of the unscrupulous wretch who ruined, all his friends, she proves that. a real actress must not nepes-. sarily specialise in any particular role.

It is obvious every time you , see a portrait of Alice Joyce that she is a charming and beautiful woman. Bat she is more than that. She is a sincere actress, and it is a pity that she is not more often given opportunities for interesting characterisations.

“I never had a. hard time,” says Gloria Swanson, “so why should I pretend I had? My screen life has been comparatively easy. I could make n heartrending tale out of it in order to rcake a story, but to my mind truth is stranger and far more interesting than fiction any day.”