NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17964, 8 March 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM THE STUDIOS.

Talkie Favourite Coming to Hamilton. It, is not often that New' Zealand gels the opportunity of seeing on the huge comedians who have won much popularity in the talkies. Ernie Lotinga, the London comedian, who, with his company,"will appear at the Theatre Royal on Monday night in “House‘Full," was the very amusing Constable Josser in the talkie “Doing His Duty” at the Theatre Royal last Saturday night, and previously had been seen here as “The Raw Recruit” (probably the funniest short subject v-et screened locally) and in “Accidental Treatment,’’ a screamingly funny sketch in a dentist's rooms. Having enjoyed his screen work so much it will be interesting to see Mr Lotinga “in the flesh” on the stage.

Civic Pictures in Hamilton. The Civic Pictures will open in'the Town Hall, Hamilton, next Saturday, under the control of Mr Sidney Tombs. The hall has been enlarged and com-

pletely renovated, and provided' with very comfortable seating accommodation. Singers and other entertainers have always remarked on the excellent acoustic properties of the hall, and with the up-to-date Western Electric equipment installed the talkies should be heard to the very best advantage. Mr T. mbs has wide experience and great personal popularity, and everyone will wish him well in his new venture.

Funny Lines from the Films, “Daytime at the Palais de Luxe is just an interval between one night and the next.”- —-From “Bright Eyes.” • “Officer McNut was a trifle flat—he had been standing too long.”—From “Better Behave.” “Blimey, Bill! Blowed if this ain't a bathroom! I’ve read about them.” — From “Alf’s Carpet.”

The Hero of “Rio Rita.” One of the “finds” of the talkies is John Boles., He has a beautiful voice and acts convincingly. He takes the lead in the screen versions of the big stage successes “Rio Rita”. and ‘‘The Desert Song,” and will also contribute two numbers to Paul Whiteman’s production of “The King of Jazz," which is' now in production. Before entering the talkies Mr Boles was lead in several musical plays on Broadway. i Making Talkies in Australia. J. C- Williamson, Ltd., have made their entire resources available for talking picture production, under the tenns of a contract which associates the firm with the Australian talkie enterprise of Norman Dawn. The contract also makes J. C-. Wil-

liamson, Ltd., an active partner in the venture, with representation on the controlling board. “While the firm is not actually engaged in film production,” Mr John Tait explained, “we believe our stage properties, copyright material, wardrobes, music libraries, choruses and ballets will be of immense value to any producer who has them at his command. Mr Dawn will select w : hat he w'ants, and have our complete cooperation in establishing the industry in Australia.”

The sound-recording equipment wall arrive by the Ventura in March, to be transferred immediately to the Lapstone Hill Hotel, which will -be the centre of production. An Australian revue is planned as the first effort. Work on the scenario and dialogue scrip has commenced, but casting will be delayed to enable the producers to give auditions to all available talent. For interior “shots” the stages of the J. C. Williamson theatres will be used after temporary sound-proofing has been installed. “Alice in Wonderland” on the Screen. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare, the Red Queen, the Walrus and the Carpenter,' and all the other familiar characters of “Alice in Wonderland, have come to life at the United Artists’ studios. All of Lewis Carroll’s characters appear in an elaborate colour scheme in “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” Harry Richman’s starring picture for United Artists. The fantasy is part of a revue staged for a sequence in which Richman is depicted as the star of a Broadway show.

Some Talkie Productions.

Girls In "All Quiet.” Four girls are engaged for “All Quiet on Ihe Western Front” production, which Lewis Milestone is making for Universal. In addition to Joan Marsh, who plays the poster girl, Yola D’Avril, Renee Damonde, and Poupee Androit will play in the scene where the young German soldiers swim the canal for an evening’s diversion. Players to Marry. A Los Angeles message states that Helene Costello, sister of Dorothy Costello (Mrs John Barrymore), and Lowell Sherman, fnoiion picture actor, will be married this month. Miss Costello is the former wife of John Regan, member of a prominent New York family. Sharland Succeeds in Talkies. Here’s the tribute of the Hollywood Filograpli lo Reginald Sharland in “The Girl of the Port” —the Sally

O’Neil “talkie” just released: “Jim, the gassed soldier, was excellently hit off by Reginald Sharland, and the honours of the picture go to him. His work was compcllingly gripping in the fire-walking scene, and at all times his illusive limning was all but flawless.” Mr Sharland was in New Zealand with his wife, Annie Croft, in “The Girl Friend.”

Leo Carrillo and the Talkies. Leo Carrillo, recently in New Zealand in “Lombardi, Ltd., is now in Melbourne with the same play. Australians, he thinks, are the best audiences in the world.

When he concludes the Melbourne season, Carrillo will return to Hollywood, and will he the star in three talkies, “Senor Manana," “The Medicine Man,” and “The Gringo Privateer.” He expressed satisfaction to learn that the Theatre Royal had dispensed with talkies, and added that, although they were firmly established throughout the world, they would never oust the legitimate stage, for without stage experience there would be no talkie stars. Great Irish Tenor in Film. John McCormack, the great Irish tenor, sings ten songs in the film of Irish life recently made by him. Following completion of the photoplay the tenor left for Rome with his wife and daughter, Gwendolyn, who played a small part in the picture. Afterwards lie plans to go to Moore Abbey, his borne in Ireland. “Hit the Deck” as a Talkie. Seventeen songs or love, fun and adventure, weird spirituals chanted by a chorus of 100 negroes, two fullj-

equipped orchestras and a navy brass band indicate what a w’ealth of melody and music Radio Pictures’ “Hit the Deck” will bring to the talking screen. N&ws from the Studios. A special cable from the Paramount studios states that Harry Lauder recently visited there and gave away—a number of smiles. A film biography of Kaiser Wilhelm, called “The Kaiser in Peace and War,” is being shown in America. With television looming on the horizon most film companies will soon be announcing the purchase of such rights to stories. In fact, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer does this in acquiring the sound picture and television rights to Arthur Schnitzler’s novel “Daybreak.” “The Green Goddess,” the filmisation of the famous play in which Guy Bates Post was seen in New Zealand, has a cast including George Arliss, Alice Joyce, H. B. Warner and Ralph Forbes. “Voice Extras”. The producing of "voice extras” capable of creating a foreign atmosphere by means of conversation, though the actors themselves are not seen, presented the latest problem in talking motion pictures. In “Slightly Scarlet,” which is a Continental adventure romance dealing with the activities of a master criminal genius, the extra players were used to portray mysterious, unseen criminals. Their voices, in conversation, come through an open window' of a French villa, but the actors themselves never appeal within camera ranga,