ELSIE JANIS

Evening Star, Issue 23699, 5 October 1940, Page 5

ELSIE JANIS

Elsie Janis, the vivacious American star who was the toast of Broadway and London during the last war and gave up her musical comedy career to go to France as an entertainer to the American Expeditionary Force, may be resuming her public career. Miss Janis, who. it will be remembered, was noted for her devotion to her mother and family, has been approached to play lead in ‘ Women in War,’ and with her stage and film experience she should make a big success of her casting. Gene Gerrard, a popular London actor, well known locally foi; clever comedy in early talking pictures (notably ‘ My Wife’s Family), had the leading role in the New Theatre production of a musical comedy, ‘The Silver

Patrol,’ in London recently. In the same cast was Miss Sylvia Welling, who will be remembered for-her vocalisation in the Williamson season through New Zealand of ‘ Madame Pompadour.’ Elizabeth French, Percy Heming, Jack Melford, and Eric Maturin were also well cast, and a vocal number of outstanding success was the marching song of the Silver Patrol The piece is not all fooling, for dramatic developments lift it almost to tragic heights.

Josephine, a pocket-size Malayan sun bear, proved an effective scene-stealer in 1 Turnabout,’ Hal (Roach’s comedy from the Thorne Smith novel. So well did she carry out her role of messing up Carole Landis’s boudoir, knocking over bottles of perfume, wallowing in the bath tub, and spilling powder, that the script was revised to give her a meatier part.

Academy Award-winning Vivien Leigh and internationally-acclaimed Laurence Olivier appear in Columbia’s ‘2l Days Together,’ exciting new romantic drama, a glorious love story hailed as one of the most thrilling of the season. The brilliant stars of ‘ Gone With the Wind ’ and * Rebecca ’ respectively, share stellar honours in the new film with Leslie Banks, distinguished British actor, whose most recent success was scored in ‘ Jamaica Inn. ’

William Boyd recently tinned down an offer of £I,OOO for his handsome white Arabian horse,_ Topper. It was made by the purchasing agent for one of the big circuses. “No money can buy Topper,” explained Boyd, who plays the star role in the Hopalong Cassidy pictures produced by Harry Sherman for Paramount. “ He’s just as important to the productions in which 1 appear as any actor in them, and.that includes me. Besides this, his intelligence saved my life while we were filming ‘ Stagecoach War.’ So do you think T’d part with him for a mere £1,000? Five times that amount wouldn’t tempt me. They might be able to fill my place, but not Topper’s.’!