TALKIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 101, 15 December 1939, Page 7

TALKIES

SCREEN'S DANCING FAVOURITES

IN EIGHTH CO-STARRING MUSICAL Marking their eighth co-starring appearancc in n musical film, Ficd Astaire and Ginger Rogers again prove themselves America's number one dancing favourites in their latest vehicle, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle." Since the tuneful cavalcade ot songs and dances is based on the colourful lives of the couple who enjoyed the reputation as the world's foremost dance team during the nostalgic period just prior to the World it is litting that its interpretation on the screen should be by the team of to-day which enjoys a similar reputation. The fascinating story is a tale of the persistence, perseverance and ultimate reward of two people who had faith in themselves and in each other. Too, it is a story of a boy and a girl who made the world danceconscious, who set the tempo for today's modern dances. Such matchless melodies of yesterday as "By the Ijight of the Silveiy Moon," "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee," "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" and "The Castle Walk" in addition to a score of other old-time lilting songs, provide the musical background for the film's action. Astaire and Miss Rogers, in the roles of their terpsichorean predecessors, exhibit their dancing talents in such famous numbers as the Castle Walk, the Texas Tommy, the Castle Waltz, the Tango and the Maxixc —and many other noted dances popularised by Vernon and Irene Castle during their lieydey. The team of Astaire and Rogers first leaped to cinema fame in "Flying Down to Rio." which immediately moved the duo up to stellar rating. Since then they have co-star-red in, successively, 'The Gay Divorcee,' 'Roberta,' .'Top Hat,' 'Follow the Fleet,' 'Swing Time,' 'Shall Wo Dance?' and 'Carefree.' "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" was produced by RKO Radio Pictures, as were all of the others in the Asia ire-Rogers sequence^

HOLT THRILLS AS "DR MEADE" IN ACTION FILM Jack Holt soars to brilliant new heights with his performance in Col- ' umbhvs "The Strange Case of Dr. Meade." As a doctor fighting to bring modern medicine into a backwoods community, I\lr Holt is seen as a modern gladiator—a man who lights with brain and courage and patience rather than with his fists. Despite these seeming departures from the typical Holt performance, "The Strange Case of Dr Meade" may easily be ranked as one of his best. Filled with thrills and action, the new Columbia drama tells a human story of down-to-earth people, with believable characters and natural incidents. Holt is seen as a hard-working surgeon who suddenly decides upon a vacation. In the mountain village wliere he goes to escape his fame, lie runs across ignorance and prejudice which attempts to prevent him from altering the Archaic and shocking local medical situation. Noah Beery* Jr., and Beverly Roberts supply the loiuantic interest of the new film, appearing as smalltown youngsters intelligent enough to see that Holt's position is the correct one, despite the difference their stand creates between them ■ and their families.

GENUINE GOLD DUST' VALUED AT 50,000 DOLLARS SHOWN IN 'WESTERN' Fifty thousand dollars in real gold dust, packed tightly in tiny leather bags, played an important part in Charles Starrett's new starring picture, Columbia's tuneful western drama "Outlaws of the Prairie." In order to obtain authentic ''props" for sequences in which gold is weigh eel, packed in leather bags or pokes 1 and stowed away in the huge, oldfashioned, iron strong boxes carricd on the early Wells Fargo stages, Director Sam Nelson Avas hard pressed. His assistants scoured a dozen tiny mining camps in the California-Ari-zona desert stretches and mountain regions. Then they canvassed mining company and assay offices, and the cabins of prospectors. Finally they gathered the desired "dust." Various substitutes made from brass, bronze and nickel filings had all failed to photograph like the real thing.