TALKIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 185, 12 July 1940, Page 2

TALKIES

"THE LION HAS WINGS" FILM EVERY BRITISH SUBJECT MUST SEE London Films' "The Lion Has Wings." is Alexander Ivorda's first great Government-sponsored produc lion, and lolls ' the story of how Britain gradually awoke to the menace of Hitlerism, the threat of life and liberties of all Europe which the German war machine proclaimed. Produced with Ihe co-opcration of the Royal Air Force, it tells ol the swift and efficient transformation of a nation devoted to the pursuits of peace into a people mightily armed to resist aggression It contrasts in ai sequence of fascinating shots the spirit of thi? country, devoted to sport, seeking education, concerned with progress with the spirit of Nazi Germany, drilling, marching, organising, preparing day and night for one purpose and one purpose only—War! The first episodes of the rvvar arc brilliantly reconstructed, including actual shots of the daring raid 01 Kiel, and leaturing the men whe carried out the raid. The whole film reflects the powe> and confidence of our people, anc" the certainty of ultimate victory. .Merle Oberon, Ralph Richardson Flora Robson and June Duprez contribute memorable performances and are admirably supported by Robert Douglas, Anthony Bushell Derrick de Marney, and George Carney. The film was directed b;y Michael Powell,. Brian Desmond Hurst and Adrian Brunei. THE LATE 'COBBER' KAIN CHOSEN FOR PART IN "THE LION HAS WINGS" The ace pilot of the Royal Aii Force, New Zealnnder 'Coibber Kain, whose exploits thrilled no! only his home country, but the rest of the world, was chosen a: one of the escort fighter pilots foi /the raid on Kiel, presented dramatically in "The Lion Has Wings.' The scenes of these crews and the raid are real. INDIAN ALARM CLOCK An Indian alarm clock was riggec up by Charles Starrett while or location for Columbia's "Call of tht Rockies," to arouse his pretty leading lady, Iris Meredith, each morning. But Miss Meredith, when she saw the device, decided that she'e rather sleep late and be propeiij "bawled out" by Director Allar James. Starretf's alarm clock con sisted of a bucket of water, .suspended above Miss Meredith's bei by a rawhide thong which was slow ly burned through by a camp-fire. MYSTERY DRAMAS ACTOR'S DELIGHT AVERS PIDGEON "When I was a kid I used to read Nick Carter stories behind my arith metic book in school and dream of experiencing his adventures. I never thought that some day I'd really do it." So declares Walter Pidgeon, who becomes the famous detective of popular literature in "Nick Carter, Master Detective." "Thrills are fun," adds Pidgeon. "Of course, I knew Avhen I was in' an airplane, in fights with international spies, and trailing an auto from a plane, ttfiat it was all acting and that every device man could invent was being used to insure my safety, but just the same I got a furiny sensation in my spine every now and then. I suppose that's because actors pretty much imagine what they're doing is the real article. I knoAV I did, especially when the plane nosed down into the ert for the battle with the spies and Rita Johnson had to take it off the ground again. "Rita went to the airlines stewardess? training school for a week to learn to play her role, and while we had a real pijob aboard rt was as much of a personal tflirill to me as I hope it is to audiences when she took oifT the plane and kept it going up until the camera stopped and the pilot, perched under it, jumped in and took over the controls. It's things like that which make an actor's life a joy once in a while."