TALKING PICTURES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 252, 5 August 1937, Page 8

TALKING PICTURES

CHATS ABOUT THE CINEMA. (By “ Spotlight.”) Lily Pons in “That Girl From Paris.” In her debut film, “I Dream Too Much,” Lily Pons played leap-frog in a public park, fed fish to a trained seal, and sang Avhile riding on a merry-go-round. In her song-and-laugh musical comedy, coming to the St. James Theatre next Saturday “That 'Girl from Paris,” co-starring Gene Raymond and Jack Oakie, her experiences surpass even these in oddities. Departing from the reserve of an opera diva, la Pons helps Gene Raymond change an automobile tyre, is suspended from Jack Oakie’s belt out of a tenth story window and is hauled right back through that window like a bag of salt; dances through an entire afternoon with four 1 partners, Raymond Oakie, Mischa 'Auer and Frank Jenlcs, each of the dancers introducing his own particular variety of “hot-clia” steps, while she trudges with her tiny feet in a size If shoe! Miss Pons is always wondering where the movies will have her singing next. Until she entered the films, the petite French star performed on the opera and concert stage, or before radio microphones. In “I Dream Too Much” she sang while whirling on a merry-go-round, in a Paris cafe and on a musical comedy stage. “That Girl From Paris” provides equally novel backgrounds for her vocal artistry. She sings in an inn courtyard, in a New Jersey roadhouse, from an opera house stage, and reaches a climax that rivals the merry-go-round experience by trilling merrily while piloting an automobile at reckless speed. Robertson Hare in Comedy: Riot. One of the most successful stage farces of recent times has been made into an unbelievably funny screen comedy with Robertson Hare and Alfred Drayton in the leading roles. “Aren’t Men Beasts?” coming to the St. James next Tuesday, is the title of this subject, which is a new Associated British production, made at Elstree under the direction of Graham Cutts. Robertson Hare is seen in one of his funniest roles to date, as a little dentist who, through no fault of his own, finds himself involved in a scandal with a beautiful and mysterious foreign lady. Co-starring with Haro is Alfred Drayton, celebrated stage actor, and together they prove to be a new comedy team, the funniest seen since Stan. Laurel met Oliver Hardy. The spectacle of Hare escaping from the police dressed as a woman, hidden in a clonk, running out through firo escapes and selling tomatoes in a coster disguise, are just a few of the screamingly funny situations in an uproarious comedy film. Appearing with Hare and Drayton are June Clyde, Billy Milton, Ellen Pollock, Ruth Maitland, Judy Kelly and other well-known players. “The Jungle Princess.’' The howling interior of Malay, termed by big game hunters and explorers the wildest jungles in the world, is the background for Paramount’s “The Jungle Princess,” a story of primitive love, which begins next Thursday at the St. James Theatre. There are places in Malav which have never been visited

by man and are given over entirely t,o giant apes, tigers, leopards and other fierce and predatory animals. Because of this, the Malay jungle was selected as locale of “The Jungle Princess, 5 ' which is the story of a native girl who lived alone in the heart of the jungle with no companions but a tiger and a giant chimpanzee. Into this forest wanders a white explorer. He meets the girl and love blossoms. The role of the native girl is played by Dorothy Lamour, radio artist, who makes her screen debut in this film. Pay Milland plays the male lead. Others in the cast are Akim Tamiroff, Lynne Overman, Molly Lamont, Mala and Hugh Buckler. Sonja Henie in “Girl in a Million.’’ “Girl in a Million,” the spectacular musical comedy featuring Sonje Henie, is due for early release at the St. James Theatre. With a hundred graceful girls in dazzling and sensational iceskating ballets set in charming backgrounds, it is one of the most popular and attractive pictures screened in Ashburton this year. The aide supporting cast includes Jean Hersholt, Don Amec.he, Ned Sparks, the Ritz Brothels. Arline Judge, and Dixie Dunbar. The daughter of a Swiss innkeeper, Sonja Henie is being trained by, her father, Jean Hersholt, to capture the Olympic figure skating championship. Sonja attracts the interest of Don Ameche, young American newspaper man investigating a neighbourhood mystery, who sees in her unusual mate-

rial for a human interest story, for his paper. Sonja also interests, professionally, tho fumbling but glib-tongued manager of a vaudeville troupe, Adolphe Menjou, stranded in Hersholt’s hostelry. “Let’s Get Married.” “Let’s Get Married,” the rollicking romantic jpomedy based on a story by A. H. Z. Carr, with an extremely talented cast headed by Ida Lupino, Walter Connolly and Ralph Bellamy, will make its local booking on Friday, August 6. Others prominently featured in tho large cast are Reginald Denny, Nana Bryant, Robert Allen, Raymond Walburn and Edward McWade. Tho story traipses light-heartedly through a. gay, roughneck romance, a fair quota of exciting drama and an abundance of ripe, rich comedy. In essence, the story deals with the efforts of politico Joe Quinn (Walter Connolly) to crash society through the marriage of his daughter Paula (Ida Lupino) to George Willough,by (Reginald Denny), social dilettante. Into the scene comes Ralph Bellamy, as Kirk Duncan, handsome, truculent official weather forecaster. He and Paula clash, but love blossoms nonetheless, albeit hectically, while Willoughby nurses his wounds. Purely as background “Let’s Get Married” displays an exciting canvass of the secrets behind the government weather forecasting system. Many of the latest weather predicting devices are on view for the first time, such as the recently developed “meteorograph,” a radio-oper-ated balloon which pierces the upper atmosphere to bring back to earth valuable data about the elements. “Sequoia.” The most amazing revelation of nature’s intimate secrets ever attempted for tho screen is to he seen in “Sequoia” (pronounced “See-Quo-Yah”). startling outdoor drama featuring Jean Parker and showing at the Majestic on Monday, August 9. Nearly two years in the filming, the picture deals with a friendship between a deer and a mountain lion, two of nature’s most deadly enemies. Raised together from the “bottle feeding” age, the two animals are shown fighting the wilds together. Mis Parker and Russell Hardie provide a human theme to the plot as two young people who find, love amid the breathtaking beauty of Sequoia- National Park, world’s largest forest of giant trees. The picture is based on “Malibu,” one of the most widely read nature stories ever written, by Vance Hoyt, world famous naturalist. To director Cliester Franklin should go the laurels of praise for his patience and courage in obtaining the thrilling record of American wild life. “Tough Guy.” Joseph Calieia, Jackie Cooper. A boy, a hunted criminal and a dog figure in one of the strangest adventures the screen has ever brought to theatre audiences in “Tough Guy,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s new romance of the secret service which is opens at the Majestic on Monday,' August 9, with Jackie Cooper, Joseph Calieia and Rin Tin Tin Jm\, as the three principals. It is unusual in that it is neither a man and hoy picture o,r a dig picture but a combination of three characters in a comradeship that goes through thriling escapes, high-powered drama and an amazing series of adventures. Against these is played the drama of tho’ relentless pursuit of the secret

service, never giving up its man. Jackie Cooper plays a role new to him, in that it is more mature than usual—the part of a boy about approaching high school age. Jackie establishes himself as the youngest actor on the screen in his clever portrayal. Joseph Calleia, of “Small Miracle” and Riffraff” fame, gives a deft picture of a crook regenerated by friendship and companionship. The dog actor, son of the famous Pin Tin Tin of silent days, bids fair to follow in his father’s footsteps, Clarence E. Mulford’s “Borderland.” “Hopalong Cassidy,” famed moving picture .hero, gets his man where the Texas Rangers and the Mexican police fail in the latest of the popular Clarence E. Mulford-Paramount pictures, “Borderland,” which comes to the Majestic on Thursday, August 12. The man in. this adventure is an outlaw whose depredations along the Rio Grande have baffled the low enforcement agencies of both countries. In order to trap him, “Hoppy” played by William Boyd, has to employ considerable trickery. Ho is forced to pose as an outlaw himself in order to win the confidence of the man he is after and this makes it necessary for him to battle the Rangers and his inseparable friends, Johnny Nelson and “Windy” who are not in on the scheme. Jimmy Ellison, fresh from his success in “The Plainsman,”, plays Johnny Nelson again, this time as a member of the Texas Rangers. George Hayes is lon hand as “Windy.”