SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 22146, 28 September 1935, Page 5

SCREENLAND JOTTINGS

. Hollywood-is expecting an announcemcnt of marriage between Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone any moment now. Rumour has it that they are, in -".fact, already married. • • * b Harry Langdon. old-time comedian, . ii to make a come-back in a . fulllength picture, ‘ Atlantic Adventure. This is following his success in Keystone Hotel,’ a film full of old-timers. . \v < ■ # ' « * * Max Reinhardt will; in all probability direct a screen version of ‘ Green Pastures’ for Warners. ‘ Green Pastures ’ is the play by Maro Connelly which won the Pulitzer prize a few years ago. • j*. ft • ■Because Sally Blane couild not finish her work at the Fox Studio recently, her role in Paramount’s ‘ The Milky (Wayf? with Harold Lloyd, . was as- ■ jugned to Helen Mack, who is cast asthe sister of Lloyd. • * * ■* t Harry Revel, who teamed with Mack '• Gordon to write'Bing Crosby’s songs in ;. (■ Two for To-night,’ darkened his skin and played a piano in a Hawaiian orchestra In-his first job. ' 9 ' » Warners are thinking t of.starring A 1 Johnson in an operatic version of •*Porgy,’-with)music by George Gersh,win. ; V - •- Alice. Brady .has been given a lead■'ing role in ‘ Metropolitan,’ the operatic satire in which Lawrence Tibbett ia'to play the‘lead. f; », * *■„'■»• . ■■ , ■ Helen Cahagan is a comparatively ..new name even to keen film followers. ..‘ Her first screen part will be in ‘ She.’ Sh'e has been on the horizon for some ' time, though. About six months ago it was rumoured that she was to appear in a screen version of. ‘ Cavalferia Rusticana.’ She is well known on the Broadway stage, and made her’New , , ( York stage debut while still at col- ; , « « * ■ * Bette Day is and Ann Dvor ak are , 1 Bguring in. last-minute changes of ' leasts. Thd former was scheduled to .. iplay opposite Paul Muni in ‘ Dr A .Socrates,’ the latest film in the G-Men ’’ cycle. Now the part will , «;Jbe played by Ann Dvorak. Miss Davis ■■fias gone into ‘ Special Agent ’ opposite v George Brent; Ricardo Cortez will , . also join the cast of ‘ Special Agent.’ ' ♦' • * ♦ ♦ Buddy Rogers and June Clyde , are ■ Jjoing to appear-.together, in, ,of the, Circus’- for ;British international Pictures." They' recently made ‘ * Dance Band ’ together -iii England. ■ The new film will he a musical one. An original point about it. is, that the whole or the " action .takes place during a single re- ■ hearsal and-,one performance of the *> circus.: v ,r> 'fa-: ; ■*&,*’>;*> «. ■ i T * \va \ ’ .The, oldest'air pilot in the film colony was revealed td-be none other-than Sir Guy Standing, who learned to fly in 1910 in an old Farman pusher plane. Of the. entire class of 18, Sir Guy, now featured in paramount’s ‘ The, Last 1 Outpost,’ was the: only member alive three years, later. He attributes it alone to the fact that, he, gave up fiyinff .becaufie.ifi6 considered it tqb'dangerous. The .mechanic at the flying school, operated by a man named Du Ores, was a quiet fellow called Brown. It was this man who years later was knighted by the King when, as a member, of the flying team of Allcocfc and Brown, he was the first to fly the At- / lantic. , ’ • « * ♦ ’• Loyalty to old, reliable associations ■ > on the part of Cecil B. De Mills is bringing Pedro de .Cordoba back into films after a tworflecade absence. He. has been cast in an. important foie in ■ Do Millie's Paramount picture, ‘The Cfosades,’ in which: Henry Wilcoxin has -ihe lead. It is exactly 19, years since he appeared in his last De Mille ' production, when, in 1915, he appeared in three pictures with Geraldine Farrar -and Wallace‘.Reid, .‘.Maria' Rosa,’ ‘Carmen,’ and ‘Temptation.’ Prior to that de Cordoba was well known as a stage favourite, at which time he became acquainted with De MOle. when the latter played small roles in his company prior, to coming to Hollywood and entering' the motion picture business/ J ■■ Mae West’s new Paramount picture, * Now I’m a r Lady,’ has been set for New Zealand on October 4. In her new stai-ring film Miss West undergoes the strange and eventful transition from a“cowgirl to the, sweetheart of society in Southampton, without losing her;.poise or her wit. Her adventures ,in ‘Now I’m a Lady,’ which presents her in modern clothes and up-to-date settings, start back in the cattle country when she inherits the money of a cattle baron and decides to pursue a handsome young Englishman (Paul Cavanagh). This leads her to Buenos Aires, where exciting ;■ and/ humorous J horse-racing sequences

take place, then hack to, the United States and Southampton, the stronghold of society. Mae. West marries a handsome young society man to attain position, but the efforts of fortune hunters and the jealousy of her rivals upset her schemes until Cavanagh returns to rescue 1 her. .In addition to Cavanagh the supporting cast includes Ivan Lebedeff, Tito Coral, Monroe Owsley, and Marjorie Gateson. * * * » Bette Davis, who has the stellar role in the Warner Bros.’ production, ‘ Front Page Woman,’ says she does not. want to he a “ screen menace.” “ I hope I shall never he called upon to do such characterisations as Mildred in ‘ Of Human Bondage ’ and Marie in ‘ Bordertown ’ again,’ she frankly confessed. “ The characters are too hateful.” They—the powers of the motion picture industry—had tried to make an ingenue of her. She was possessed of an ingenue’s physical l characteristics; youth, bldndeness, large eyes. But she had planned otherwise. The roles of Mildred and Marie had a three-fold effect upon the destiny of Miss Davis. ’First, they brought about a storm of objection throughout the length and breadth of the country . when Miss Davis failed of nomination for the award of,the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the year s best performance by a feminine player. Second, they gained for her the psuedonym of the “ meanest girl in pictures.” Third, and most important in the Davis scheme, they convinced the powers of Miss Davis’s ability as an actress in any kind of role. Front Page Woman’ was directed by Michael Curtiz from ‘the screen play by Laird Doyle. Bette Davis and George Brent have the stellar roles, and the talented supporting cast includes Roscoe Kafns, Walter’ Walker, Winifred Shaw, JCarrqll Naish, .Gordon Westcott,, and J, ’ Farrell MacDonald. - .* ■'’■*' The latest Jack Hulbert. comedy is entitled, Jack of all Trades,’ and has . been: ca-dir,ected, by .the star . and Robert/Stevenson. In this story Hulbert returns to the'setting in which he made, his first great screen success. Like ‘ Sunshine Susie,’ the film bas a background of big business, most of the action taking place in a largo bank. Hulbert is the cheery, somewhat inconsequential fellow who bursts into the world of high finance, and, bluffing himself into a job, gaily sails through every known and unknown contretemps. • The principal roles in support are taken hy Gina'Malo, Robertson Hare, Alary Jerrdd, Athole , Stewart, Peter Gawthorne, and others;

Anthony Asquith has completed London Films’ story of wartime Imperial Russia. This exciting, film of spy intrigue, love, and court martial is the second to be completed under London Films’ increased production schedule of super pictures, the first being Roland Younghs ‘ The Man Who Could Work Miracles,’ which was directed by Lothar. Mendes. Harry .Barr, the famous French star, plays the Russian / wartime profiteer Brioukow. -Penelope Dudley-Ward makes her second appearance in 'filfns in this picture, and has-her first leading role. Thb photography of Philip Tannura shows her as a lovely and exciting screen personality, but she gives a first-rate performance in a long and difficult part. The film is produced by Alexander, Korda. * * * * ‘ Legion of Valour,’ the new Reliance thriller glorifying the Federal operatives in their current war on organised crime in America, will shortly be released by United Artists, with one of the season's greatest casts. Richard Aden, Virginia Bruce, Alice Brady, Bruce Cabot; Harvey Stephens, Eric Linden, and Gordon Jones head the cast, which also includes Hale Hamilton, j. Farrell MacDonald, Dorothy Appleby, Barbara Pepper, and a score of other popular names. The story presents Aden,' Stephens, and Jones

as three fearless Federal sleuths who pit science and brains against machine guns. Cabot is seen as Joe Keefer, a chauffeur who starts, his. shocking career of crime hy engineering the attempted kidnapping of his society girl employer, played by Virginia Bruce. The relentless pursuit and final spectacular capture of Keefer by the three men makes one of the most exciting adventures the screen, has ever shown. Virginia Bruce and Richard Arlen provide the romance, while Alice Brady provides the comedy. ■ , , Ancient Greek mythology tells us that the sea nymphs resided on •an island off the coast of Italy near Sicily, and by their songs lured many an ancient mariner to destruction. We have learned from Ulysses, in his Odyssey, that ho Was only able to sail his ship past the island by stuffing the ears of his crew with wax and tying himself to the ship’s mast. Walt Disney, our present-day teacher, of mythology, shows us just how fascinating the sea nymphs must have been for the old-time sailors by introducing us to his ‘ Water Babies ’ in his Silly Symphony of the’ same name.. He has captured a new mood in this newest symphonic poem. All the blues, greens, and variegated colours, of an under-sea fairyland are revealed in them natural colours by .means of. the technicolour process. United Artists release all Walt Disney productions. * • * • There is no phrase in the English language which means more to the average Englishman than that of “ Home, Sweet Home.” The song by this title is known wherever the English language is spoken, and its melody brings back a , flood of memories to all who hear it. The film ‘ Home, Sweet Horae,’ which comes to the Grand Theatre next Wednesday, is . a story based upon the memories conjured up by this magic phrase. . It tells of Dicky Pelham, a mining engineer in South America, and the manner of his homecoming after a lapse of many years. His dreams of home are shattered when he receives a note from his wife advising him, she is leaving home with John Falkirk, an old friend of them both. What he dtjes not know, for ho is on the sea homeward bound, is that at the last moment the ties ivhich bound his wife to him—those hundred little half-forgotten things which make up the atmosphere of “home”—have proved too strong for her to break. The result is that he misunderstands the motive of his wife’s trip to Dover,

and this misunderstanding and an unfortunate accident result in some tense drama before the house in which he and his wife- used to live can once more be described as “ Home, Sweet Home.” John Stuart plays the part of Dick Pelham with sincerity and restraint, whilst Constance, his wife, is played by Mario Ney. This actress is one of the most talenated on the London stage, and this picture is almost her first screen appearance. Sydney Pairbrother, Richard Cooper, and Cyril Raymond head a strong supporting cast. ‘ Home, Sweet Home ’ is a Real Art British production produced by Julius Hagen and released by Radio Pictures, ♦ » « * # ' Once again First--National Pictures has combined the dual purpose of providing’ fine entertainment, _ and, at the same time rendering patriotic _ service by showing on the screen a vivid story of a branch of the United States Government. In ‘ Here Comes the Navy ’ and again in ‘ Devil Dogs of the Air ’ James Cagney was the star of pictures that have done an infinite amount of .good. Now First National Pictures again that dynamic young star to tell tho first story ever screened of the Department of Justice agents’ war on _ organised crime. This exciting, thrilling, yet intensely gripping drama, ‘ G Men,’ comes to the Empire Theatre on Friday. It is a tremendous picture, and should certainly be of inestimable value in rallying public opinion to the support of tlio G Men—which is tho term applied to Department of Justice operatives. The story, written by Gregory Rogers, was based on headlines that have screamed across the first pages of ‘ tho nation’s newspapers for the past three years, and many of the incidents are recognisable to everyone, although neither tho correct names nor localities are used. ‘ 6 Men ’ is more than a thrilling melodrama—it is history as re-enacted for the screen. James Cagney is the Department of Justice agent around whom most of tho action evolves. Ho it is who traps the Mad Dog of tho Gangs, the killer Whom no gaol could hold, and exterminates him in a rendezvous with death. In and out of the underworld these G Men roam—dying and taking life, that civilised society might live safely. Cagney has never given a better characterisation, nor one that gained for him a greater amohnt of audience sympathy. He is good, too. in the lighter side of’ 1 the picture as well as in a romance with Margaret Lindsay, who portrays the role" of the sister of Cagney’s boss,-a part played by Robert Armstrong. Ann Dvorak, who also has a leading role as the

.wife of Public Enemy No. 1, has an * other opportunity to sing and dance. She leads a chorus of dancing beauties in a night club scene, and her song, especially writeen by the famous songwriting team* of Fain and Kahal, will probably bo one of the season a big hits. • • ft s Clive Brook seems destined to introduce new leading ladies to the screen. In the memorable ‘ Cavalcade Brook brought Diana Wynyard to the attention of film “ fans ” in this country. Now, two years later, Brook is again sharing leading honours with a newcomer. Tutta Rolf, the foremost stage and screen personality of the Scandinavian countries, makes her American debut with the noted British actor in ‘ Dressed to Thrill,’ recently completed at the Fox Film studios under the direction of Harry Lachman. • « * ft There is a song for everybody in Shirley Temple’s latest Fox picture, ‘ Curly Top,’ said to be her happiest and most tuneful picture. There are five musical numbers by the > versatile Ray Henderson, three for Shirley, one each for John Boles and Rochelle Hudson. Shirley’s role in ‘‘Curly Top is that of a lovable orphan child who rewards her benefactor by helping him to win the girl he loves.

Janet Gaynor “ fansaround the world are ' anxiously inquiring about her health since it was necessary for her to withdraw from the cast of ‘Way Down East,’ Fox Film production. Every day brings its quota of cablegrams, telegrams, and telephone calls from people who know and love her as a screen personality.

* British Agent,’ the production which opens to-day at the Mayfair Theatre, with ‘ Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,’ was inspired by R. H. Bruoo Lockhart’s novel that went through 33 editions in England and America. . Lockhart’s life during the Russian Revolution was a spirited admixture of the very elements of human interest: dangerous adventure, romance, intrigue, suspense, and a dramatic. background of, devastation and death. It may appear strange that Michael Curtiz, _ who directed the screen* version with, Kay Francis and Leslie Howard, should" find the love story development the most difficult part of his task. Briefly,, Stephen Locke, a young adventurer, is bending every effort to prevent the Soviet from declaring a separate peace with Germany, If he_ fails it means that Germany can withdraw her troops from the Russian front and throw them into the offensive on the Western Front. . This would be disastrous for the Allies. Stephen is in love with Elena, a young Russian girl who serves, the leader of the Soviet with a fanatical fervour. The conflict between their love and their political ideals is inescapable drama. Pauline Lord, celebrated stage star, makes her screen debut in ‘Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,’ the adaptation of the Alice Hegan Rice play, written in collaborar tion with Anne Crawford Flexner. It commences to-day at the Mayfair Theatre. The parts of the famous “ Wiggs brood ” are played by capable Hollywood 'Child players, and the story tells the struggles and heartaches that come to this poor, struggling family, whose father “ thinks too hard to bo bothered with work.” * * . * Julie Haydon, who plays the leading feminine role opposite Noel Coward in Paramount’s ‘ The Scoundrel, has been given a long-term contract because of her excellent work in this production. She has played the part of Titania in ‘.A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ Ophelia in ‘ Hamlet.’ and has also appeared in Maxim Gorki’s ‘ Lower Depths’ and Andreyev’s ‘Thought.’ Her ambition is to do comedy on the .screen, » * 9 * It is an acknowledged fact that star personalities mean much to the success of any motion picture, no matter how strong is that picture’s story value. This “ star value,” as it is termed in the motion , picture business, attracts tlie extra money to the box office that differentiates “just another feature” from the ton group of money-seekero. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have been pioneers in the building of star power ever since motion pictures became an institution for the entertainment of the masses. They have-developed such artists as Garbo, Gable, Shearer, Montgomery, Nelson Eddy, and many others whose names are now household words. .» * *’ * In ‘ After Office Hours,’ new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production, there are many innovations. The first is the co-starring team itself, Clark Gable and Constance Bennett, who share honours for the first time, and in a picture worthy of their tremendous popularity. Second is the story, a murder mystery against a Park _ Avenue which lets the audience see who is the murderer and how the “ perfect crime ” was committed, then watch a skilled investigator in action. Other innovations arc the gowns worn by Miss Bennett, a brilliant wardrobe designed by Adrian and likely to set tile styles for the new season.

So great was the local popularity of ‘ Naughty Marietta,’ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s record-breaking musical spectacle, with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in the stellar roles, when its initial release at the St. James Theatre extended over ' three weeks, that alreadv many requests for a return season have been received by the management. It is now announced that all the major centres of/the Dominion arc to commence second-run performances of the film, commencing next Friday (succeeding ‘ Sequoia ’ in tho case of the St. v James). “ Acoustic exteriors ” is tho term given the new type of setting used in the filming of

‘ Naughty Marietta.” One of the important optical details of tho unique setting is really one of the most intr portant acoustic devices in it. The set is a courtyard flanked with quaint old-fashioned French-Louisiana houses. Trees stand in the courtyard. It is here that Miss MacDonald and Eddy sing one of Victor Herbert’s beloved melodies. The trees are hung with moss, such as is seen in the Everglades. This moss is really acoustic fibre which kills echoes from the tree’s branches. Aside from that it is beautiful scenically. Frank Morgan and Elsa Lanchester have important roles ,in the film. ft ft • ft Not since ‘ One Night of Love ’ has the screen been in better form, says a critic. Not since Miss Moore’s last picture has anything so satisfying to the soul been flashed before our eyes or sung into our ears. Telling the story of Margaret Howard, a debutante who suddenly finds herself penniless, ‘ Love Me Forever,’ now at the State, takes her from the moment she meets Stephano Corel! until she sings her lastoundingly beautiful debut at the Metropolitan in lovely *La Boheme.’ Corelli, a big-time gambler, falls in love _ with Margaret when, he hears her sing, and sponsors, her career. The advent of the girl into his life throws Corelli into confusion.

He lives with but one thought—the ultimate operatic success of Margaret. To this end he sacrifices everything ’—to the extent 'of plunging himself into unfathomable chaos. But _his martyrdom comes to naught, for just before she signs the Metropolitan contract he has secured for her she announces her intention of marrying Philip. Cameron, a socially prominent young man of the set she used to know. Filled with the God-given voice of Grace Moore, as Margaret Howard, 1 Love Me Forever ’ swirls on to a heart-rending dramatic climax. As Corelli, Leo Carrillo certainly gives his finest portrayal. Michael Bartlett, American-born tenor who sings opposite Miss Moore in the ‘La Boheme ’ sequences, has been a hidden treasure. Robert Allen, another newcomer to the screen, is admirable and refreshing. In fact, every member of the cast seems to have been inspired by their leading lady’s divine voice. Victor Scbertzinger, who was responsible for ‘ One Night of Love,’ does an equally fine directorial job on this new Grace Moore vehicle. And his songs, ‘ Whoa!’ and ‘ Love Me Forever,’ are tunes that will linger with you. All in all, ‘ Love Me Forever i nits high “ C in picture making. , *•» * ' Seven years, almost to the Say, after Grace Moore made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, singing the role of Muni in Puccini’s ‘ La Boheme,’ she again made her debut in. the Metropolitan Opera House, singing the same role in the same opera. The first was a performance from real life.' As a thoroughly frightened young girl she faced ’New York’s critical opera audience and sang the plaintive role of the beautiful little modiste. Seven years later, in reel life, she simulated the same frightened young girl in the role of a young singer making an operatic debut under circumstances as highly dramatic. Her screen performance occurs in her second Columbia production now at the State Theatre, in which , she is seen as a singer who finally wins the coveted honour of performing in the historic and famous Metropolitan. When Miss Moore stepped on the stage which housed the Metropolitan Opera House set at Columbia studios she could not restrain a gasp of amazement at the accuracy with which technicians had duplicated the'interior of the famous playhouse. When the curtains parted and she entered the garret setting to sing the duet with Michael Bartlett as Rodolfo in the first act of ‘ La Boherae ’ her voice faltered and tears filled her eyes. She could not go on with the scene for some, minutes. “The scene brought back such memories,” she said. “ There was the famous overture which I had faintly heard through the nervous moments which I had before time for me to step on the stage and start singing. It brought back the remembrance of the days, weeks, months, and rears I had struggled for the chance to sirg at tlio famous ‘ Met.’ When I eat rod the stage setting, Rodolfo’s garret studio, and heard the opening, bars of the duct it was such a page from real life that I was momentarily overcome! And when the curtains parted and there before mo stretched what might have been a typical opera first-night audience packing the auditorium, and the famous ‘ Diamond Horseshoe ' stretching back into the darkness, the illusion was overpowering.”

Powerful drama and subtle comedy are neatly blended in the Strand’s two latest presentations— ‘ Journal of a Crime ’ and ‘ The Church Mouse ’— which opened a season yesterday before crowded houses. Ruth Chatterton and Adolphe Mcnjou are co-starred for the first time in the first picture. A most dramatic story is unfolded in this powerful film, an adaptation of the play by Jacques Deval. The devastating effects of a murder on the conscience _ of a sensitive and refined woman is the subject of the story. In tho role of Erancoise, a young wife, tortured by remorse ' for her crime of jealousy, abject with misery because she is scorned by her well-loved husband, and loathing herself because she allows another to be accused of her awful crime, Ruth Chatterton is a sensational success, rising to great emotional _ heights. Mcnjou, everybody’s favourite, portrays one of those delightful philandering characters which have made him famous. Good supports are also screened. ‘The Church Mouse ’ is singularly suited to screen treatment. Warner Bros., realising that the story fitted perfectly with the personality; and ability of ‘Laura La

Plante, outbid all other companies, and ‘ The Church Mouse ’ was put into immediate production. Miss La Plante plays the role of an efficient but unattractive secretary to lan Hunter, for whom she has a deep admiration. But not until she learns all about the love methods of a modern girl does she win tho eye and the heart of Mr Hunter. How she accomplishes this end' forms the basis of the story Edward Chapman’s dry whimsies make n delightful contribution to the general gaiety of the theme. Others in the cast are Jane Carr, Monty Banks, Clifford Heatherley, John Batten, and Gibb M'Laughlin. • * • ■ • “And don’t forget, boys, we get up •early to-morrow morning to shoot our sunsets. About 4.30 will* be right.” This was James Howe’s matter-of-fact instructions to tho camera crew on location at Lake Arrowhead with the ‘ Biography of a Bachelor Girl ’ company from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This picture, based on the Broadway hit, ‘ Biography,’ co-stars Ann Harding and Robert Montgomery. _ Howe went on to explain the surprising fact that the best sunsets and twilights are photographed just before dawn. “ The air is clearer then,” he said, “ and the photographic effect more brilliant.” Next morning the entire company, including tho featured players, Edward Everett Horton, Edward Arnold, and Una Merkel, ate breakfast on mile-high Strawberry Peak and waited for “ Jimmy’s ” signal to begin photographing evening scenes against the rising sun. To this peak, one of the highest in California, tractors had dragged camera cars, dynamos, lumber for sets, and about 75 persons. Lake Arrowhead itself glittered like a jewel about three miles in the lower distance. The nearest peak was 35 miles as the crow flies. Great _ care must he taken in photographing scenes against such a background, the cameraman said. The immediate scene must be lighted to the exact depth as the blue expanse beyond. This was particularly difficult in the rarified air, which slowed down the dynamos 1 to 70 per cent, of their normal output, with consequent dimming of the great lights. ft ft ft. S Further details of' the comedy _ to be filmed for international distribution by South Sea Films, a company recently launched, were given to a * Star ’ reporter to-day by Dr Lewis, of Hollywood. The name of this production, ‘ Phar Lap’s Son,’ was suggested by Mr H. V. Smith, of Wingatui, former •London stage comedian. “In addition to a strong cast, the animal section of the picture is not.to be overlooked,” he said, “ for there will be quite a number of thoroughbred racehorses, two trick dogs, a trained goat, an educated goose, and a willing flock of ducks. Most of the action will take place at Wingatui, and preparations arenow being made at Mosgiel to house a' number of the performers and technicians, who will be on the job during tho entire duration of the production work. In view of the fact that the entire routine will be thoroughly well worked out in advance, and much of the more difficult dialogue will have been rehearsed and the action planned, it is estimated that all sequences will have been shot within three creeks from time

of starting.” Dr Lewis explained that nn outside comedy is the only logical kind of vehicle which can be filmed successfully in New Zealand at this time, due principally to lack of studio facilities, which, incidentally would entail so much expense as to make impossible the production of films demanding modern interiors which are so essential in dramatic film work. Dr Lewis contends that although tremendous sums may bo invested in spectacular films or in the reproduction of a stage success or in the picturisation of a wellknown book, the'general public are just as well entertained (in many instances better) by an economically-made picture which is chuck-full of laughable situations. This is > the sort of thing he expects to do in .Dunedin. -In a picture like this, he explained, it was necessary that the script be alive with thoroughly appealing, humorous situations. » •' •* • _ Entertainment of rare quality is provided in the remarkable film ‘ Sequoia,’ which began a season at the St. James yesterday. It is a picture right off the beaten track, and took two years to make, the result being as strange a story as ever told on the screen being enacted mid scenes of grandeur in the high Sierras. Jean Parker, one of the most appealing of the younger screen actresses, and Russell Hardie find themselves drawn' into a beautiful romance in the big mountains, where a strange nature drama is enacted before their eyes. Two of Nature’s deadliest enemies, a deer and a mountain lion, develop an extraordinary friendship, and with simple and touching skill the picture tells of their devotion to each other and their efforts to escape the gun of the hunter. The picture attains the highest standards of the film producer’s art, and is a glowing tribute to the enterprise of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, and to the ability and patience of the members of the cast. There are thrills that stir the heart, and the drama is relieved with delicate touches of humour and romance. ‘ Sequoia ’ can bo recommended to all. The programme is given a perfect balance by tho inclusion of a particularly amusing Laurel and Hardy comedy, ‘ Oliver tho Eighth,’ * * » ', * llooth Tarkington’s story has been brought to tho screen, and proims an admirable vehicle for that grand comedian who recently made such a tremendous success in ‘ David Copperfield 5 —-W. C. Fields. As the amiable, laughable old captain of a “ showboat ” ho is in his clement, and provides the utmost in comedy fooling. There is a wealth of entertainment in.

‘ Mississippi ’—a story of the old South of America, with its thrilling duelling,: tuneful crooning, and lively comedy blended with romance. In fact, the story, which is set on one of those picturesque old lumbering paddle steamers trading up and down the broad surface of the Mississippi River, lacks nothing. The colourful settings and costuming give just the right atmosphere. Several tuneful numbers lend interest to the screen play, the most outstanding being ‘Soon/ ‘lt’s Easy to Remember/ and ‘ Down by the River/ while the over-popular ‘ Swanee River ’ is rendered in modern rhythm with a negro chorus. The Cabin Kids, a troupe of little negroes, lend an irrstible attraction to the production. In addition to W. O. Fields a strong cast is headed by Joan Bennett, Bing Crosby, Gail Patrick, Quennie Smith, John Milj’an, and Fred Kohler. ‘ Mississippi ’ opens at The Regent on Friday next.