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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1596, 25 November 1920, Page 36

Mr. E. J. Carroll arrived in Sydney last week by the Ventura, after visiting America, England, and South Africa. He is accompanied by Mrs. Carroll and their two little boys.

Mr. Frank Harvey, hitherto known as the gifted interpreter of dramatic roles, has lately been appearing at the Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, in the musical comedy “The Girl for the Bov.”

“The Bing Boys on Broadway” opened in Wellington last Thursday to a big house, and the season was assured from the start. The company finish their Dominion tour on December 1 and return to Australia from Wellington.

In an interestingly written account of her recent tour in South America,' Miss Maud Allan —pre-eminent interpreter of the. poetry of motion — alludes to exCiting portions of her trip through the Andes. “Near Las Cuevas we saw the beautiful Tupungate, the second loftiest peak in the Andes. The highest point the railway touches is at Las Cuevas and this is where we were snowed up for nearly a whole day. The ■ snow was fifteen feet high, and owing to the fact that we were compelled to remain so long in such an unaccustomed altitude our train was soon converted into a hospital, for thje passengers—some of them —began to faint. The dining car had been left behind so all we had to eat and drink from ten in the morning until four o’clock the next morning were biscuits and tea, procured at an alleged hotel by some of the heroic gentlemen who climbed the snow piles to get there. Their description of the hotel was whimsical. It consisted of three rpoms, one large bar room such as one sees. in cowboy moving pictures, when there is some shooting to be done, two wooden tables, a few chairs, a stove, two cats, two dogs, and a unique door through the entrance of which ope stepped upon two barrels of beer and jumped to the ground. At Con Comara,■ a point eighteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, there .is., a sentimentaLand artistic touch of a deeply ‘religious nature, which punctuates agreeably the path of the muleteers who forge their way alongside of the dangerou? precipices. It is a monumental statue of the Christ, set on a high peak by

Argentineans and Chilians at the meeting of their borders. Underneath it, but several thousand feet, lower, is a three mile tunnel, through which our train passed. These two nations after their last quarrel agreed to clasp hands (partly through the instrumentality of England) in an eternal peace, and the colossal, statue of the Christ on their border was placed there as a symbol to brood over the brotherhood of the two nations, whose mother tongue is Spanish,”

No other actor in the moving pictures can lay claim to “Snowy” Baker’s record of athletic successes in boxing, running, rowing, wrestling, swimming, football, horse-riding, bayonet lance-fighting, etc. It is not generally known that he represented Australia in the Olympic Games a few years ago and returned with some honours.

Mr. James V. Bryson, representing the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, is in Auckland at present, and is staying at the Grand Hotel. He will afterwards visit the following places in turn with a view to spread-' ing Universal features: —Hamilton, Marton, Wanganui, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill. A private screening in Wellington at the Artcraft Theatre was witnessed by a crowded audience, -who readily recognised the quality of the films and the super-attractiveness of the pictures. The subjects shown were “Blue Streak McCoy,” “The Devil’s Pass Key” (sensational and daring), and “Under Crimson Skies.” A special orchestra under Miss Nellie Black’s direction vividly enhanced the effect.

: Mr. Reg. Wills, who is well-known in New Zealand, as treasurer of J. C. Williamson companies, contracted serious throat trouble while in Christchurch, and was laid up for a couple of weeks, but is now making good recovery. ’ ' -

The Verbrugghen Orchestra, which has won a great reputation in Australia, is to make its second visit to New Zealand under the J. and N. Tait direction about- the end of the present year. Great preparations are being made for this season, and music lovers in the Dominion are already on the tip-toe of expectation regarding the programmes to be given. It is understood that in addition to the ordinary orchestral performances there will be several recitals by the celebrated Verbrugghen Quartette.

What has all the earmarks of one of the biggest theatrical combines ever attempted (says the New York “Dramatic Mirror”) is being planned, whereby all the legitimate theatrical interests of the British Empire, to include legitimate theatre and administrators of England, under, Sir Alfred Butt, and also of Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa, would be operative under one booking con-, trol. What gives' authenticity . arid weight to the proposed combine is the personal statement made by George F. Driscoll,- vice-president of the Trans-Canada Theatres, Ltd., who is on the high seas, bound for England on matters bearing upon the formation of the combine. The actual ownership of such an amalgamation would include 1200 theatres, but the bookings would affect from 5000 to 6000 theatres.