Motion Picture News

Gisborne Times, Volume LXX, Issue 11126, 8 February 1930, Page 10

Motion Picture News

AIAJESsHIC TU.EATB E. To-day ;iud Monday: “Iho Bridge of St. Luis I’ey”—Aletro-Goldwyn-starring l.ila Damita, Ernest Torrance, Don Alvarado and .Henry l!. Walthall; “Tile Craz.v Countess”—All British, starring Diana Gralla and Werner Fetterer; special at to-day's matinee “Fighting with Bullalo Bill” serial. Tuesday ami Wednesday: “’.I he Naughty Duchess' ’— Fox comedy drama, featuring li. B. Warner and Eve Southern; “What .Vex t?”—All British comedy, starring AYalter I’oi'de and lhiuliue Johnson. Thursday and Friday: ‘ Broadway Daddies,” starring Jacqueline Logan and Alex. it. Francis*; and “Modern Love.” stalling ('has. Chase and Jean Uerscholt. RECENT THEATRE, To-day, To-night anil .Monday: " Lll Old Arizona” Fox Movietone Feature, starring Edmund Lowe, gess. Warner Baxter and Dorothy JhirTucsday. Wednesday, 'lliursdny and Friday— “The Terror"—Warner Bros.' talkie, starring Alay McA.voy and Louise Fazenda. FILM MONOPOLIES. CLOSE WATCH KEPT J.N U.S.A. “RESTRAINT OF TRADE.' FJm monopoly reports have led Air. ALitchell, the U.S. AttorneyCeenral, to invoke the law against, “eomhiuations in restraint of trade” commonly called ‘the Anti-Trust Law,” says a correspondent of the London “Daily Chronicle.'’ Air Alitchcll has been watching tins operations of the- Fox Filin Corporation on the one hand and of the "Warner Brothers Picture Corporation on the other hand, since there have Been reports of a contemplated amalgamation of these groups, lie has tiled a suit for the dissolution of both organisations. With nearly PLB.t.‘o,ooo assets, the Fox concern controls other companies having stock valuations of £30,000.000 or more. Willing' Brothers, with £3,250,000 assets, controls concerns whose valuation is estimated to exceed £21.000,000. j 070,000,000 ('AI'iTALISATiON. Thus the combined resources of these combinations would total more than £70,000,000. Washington Government's action, which has come as a complete surprise, is based on. the recent acquisition by the Fox concern, or by some ol its responsible* heads, of the Luew chain of more than 200 theatres having a. capitalisation of £2,200 000; and Warner .Brothers of the Warner Brothers (if the First .National Pictures, valued at £3.200,000. The combined production of the Fox interests is put at -10 per cent, of the output of the entire motion picture industry of his country ; that of Warners is put at 20 per cent. It is sought by the Attorney-Gen-eral's action to have the stock purchase by which the mergers of subsidiaries of both groups of interests arc. effected set aside; and to have the defendants ordered to strip themselves of their holdings.

An injunction is also sought to prevent them from exercising die voting power conferred hy the stock invol cod, notes AND NEW?. Rapid rise to stardom lias boon the lot of Ruth C'hattorion in two fields, both on the stage- and in the talkies. After acting for four years Miss Chattertou became a star at •ho age of 18. an unusual honour for the stage. Paramount has elevated her to the rank of star in less than a year's 'work on the screen, her first picture being “Madame XV’ shown, at the Regent recently. “The l.atiyhiiig Lady," her next starring vehicle for Paramount, is now being edited and prepared for release. She is now in Hollywood making “Sarah and Son,” dialogue version of fitent, hv Shea’s novel.

Tom .M ix is now lost to the s< t ern for ever. He has signed a c-.itracl will Sells Ploto Circus In work fir them “for the rest of his --areel at a. salnrv of £3OOO weekly.

Sixty players appear in the cast of “Happy Days,” Fox Movietone production, described as a picture without an individual star. Under tlio direction of Benjamin StolofT, a large east is beginning rehearsals and among those who will bo seen in ‘Happy Days’ are: Janet Caynor, Charles Farrell. Will Rogers, Walter Catlett, William Collier, Sen., Farjorie White, Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Horn Partricola. George Jessol, J. Harold Murray, Dixie Leo, Frank Richardson, Jas. J. Cor. bett, Warner Baxter. Whispering Jack Smith, Ann Pennington. Lew Bruce and others.

Maurice Chevalier’s third all-talk-ing .and-singing production for Paramount will be “The Big Pond,’’ a New York stage success of last year. Filming on the new picture commenced .on November Ist. Betty -Lawferd, who was featured in '“Gentlemen of the Press,” will play the feminine lead. Chevalier’s second Paramount talkie, “Tim Love Parade,” will" arrive in Australia shortly.

PLAYS AND PLAYERS ... ON THE SCREEN ... $y <sXCovie Fan

There are. tricks in aIL trades, but some of the quaintest must surely he in the “talkies.” In the British Internationa! picture “Blackmail,” Cyril Richards has to whistle a tune “off” while A tiny Ondra is acting before the camera. On the day on which this scene was being “shot,” ( vnil Richards was appearing at a matinee of “Love Lies” at the Gaiety Theatre, London. As it was necessary for him to whistle so that the scene could lie finished, lie was called tin to> the telephone, which was connected with the microphone in the sound studio, and between bis numbers at the Gaiety, he whistled the. tune into the receiver so that it was transmitted a fid recorded at. the same time that Antiy Ondra was doing her part.

Scenes tor Paramount's picturisation of Sir Conan Doyle's famous story, “The Return of Sherlock Holmes,” were filmed on hoard the Cuiiaril liner s.s.. ‘FBerengaria.” The actual IcrHiing of the mammoth vessel and the'-accompanying' waterfront sounds were faithfully filmed and recorded. Clive Brook plays the title role, and the supporting east includes Betty Lawford, who played in “Gentlemen of the Press.” 11. Reeves-Smith and Philip Holmes. Basil Dean, the famous English stage director and playwright directed the picture. REG EXT THEATRE ATTRACTIONS. The following attractions have been secured for the Regent Theatre: February lo—IS: “Speakeasy”; February 19—-21, “No Defence”; February 22—25. “The Valiant”; February 22—-2 S, “The Alidniglffc Taxi.” ' .March I-—-1. “Abie’s Irish Rose”: March 5—7, “Home Towners” ; .March S—ll, “Pleasure Crazed”: March 1.2—14 “Conquest” ; Ahijj-eh lo—IS. “Fox 1.929 Follies” : March 19—21, “Beware of Bachelors” : .March 22—25, ‘"Thunder'' ; A larch 2(5—29. “Close Harmonv.”

March 29—April T : “The Last of Airs Chcyney" ; April 2—5. “Blackwater” : April 7—9, “The Girl in the Shop” ; April 10—11. ‘Redskin': April 12—15 “Unholy Night” : April 19— 21, “The Desert Song”; April 20— “A Woman of Affairs.”

-May 3—(j. “Hallelujah”; Alay 7 “Divorce Made Easy”; Alay 1013 “So This fs College”; .May 21— 23, “Rivers of Romance” : Alay 28— 30. “Greene Murder Case.”