AUCKLAND IS SEEING:

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 16, 9 April 1927, Page 19

AUCKLAND IS SEEING:

STRANu .. •• •• •• “The Road to Mandalay,” Harris Family Vaudeville. hcGENT “You Never Know Women,” Armand Bros., Vaudeville NATIONAL AND LYRIC .. “The Keeper of the Bees,” “The • Blonde Saint.” MAJESTIC .. “The Waning Sex,” “A Dresden Dream.” Pn.. .CESS “The Cat’s Pyjamas,” “Secret Orders.” PRINCE EDWARD .. .. .. “The Jungle Woman,” “Should A Girl Propose.” HIPPODROME “Carbine’s Heritage.” TIVOLI .. •= “The Cat’s Pyjamas,” “Secret Orders.” EVERYBODY’S .. .. .. .. “Fine Manners,” “Rustlers’ Ranch.” EMPRESS “Carbine’s Heritage.” GRAND “Thelma.” White Sin.” RIALTO .. .. .. ... .. .. .. “The Second Chance,” “The White Sin.” BRITANNIA .* • *. .. .. ‘‘Tumbleweeds,” “The Untamed Lady.” QUEEN'S .. M M ... .“Carbine’s Heritage.”

William Seiter, the man who directed Baby Peggy at the height of her success, believes that the day of the child star is gone, never to return. * * * Wally Beery and Zasu Pitts were rushed ±o the hospital the other day after they had come in contact with some dynamite that was doing its stuff. The company was engaged in making battle scenes, and the premature explosion of the dynamite nearly caused us to lose two prominent members of the film firmament. Both players were knocked unconscious for a short time. Neither suffered serious injury. * * * Will Rogers left Beverly Hills, and appointed Douglas Fairbanks to take his place as mayor of the city, which has the largest non-working capital of any city on the coast. Many protests were filed because Doug, has been playing too much golf lately to fulfil the duties of the mayor’s office. Contractors who tear large holes in the streets arc trying to “alibi” themselves by saying that the new mayor roams about the streets at night practising his niblick shots. * * » While various scenario writers are trying to turn out stories suitable to the personality of the suddenly renowned Victor McLaglen, Victor is going to undertake the role of the bullfighter. Kscamillo. in the Fox production of “Carmen,” starring Dolores del Rio. * * * Jetta Goudal’s temperament has proved too much for even the patient Cecil dc Mille. Jetta recently was ordered off the set by her director, William K. Howard, when she announced she wasn’t in the mood for acting. De Mille has upheld his director, and his verdict is that, hot or cold, Jetta will have to leave his studio for ever as soon as her contract is up. Jetta has three more pictures to make before the parting. * * * “The Eagle of the Sea,” a Frank Lloyd Paramount production, is a tale of pirates in the days when “a life on the ocean wave” was pretty lively. Ricardo Cortez, co-featured with Florence Vidor, has the most colourful role of his career as Lafitte, bravest of buccaneers. Entering New Orleans with a price on his head, he becomes enamoured of lovely Louise Lestron. She returns Jean’s affection until his identity is unexpectedly revealed. Then begins the most amazing series of events ever pictured in films. * * * A most fascinating, vivacious flapper, but with locks unshorn, is the type portrayed by Olive Borden in “The JSecret Studio,’* a Fox attraction. A notable cast surrounds Conrad ffagel in his new picture, “There You Are,” which has been adapted from F. Hugh Herbert’s hilarious novel, and which will be released throughout New Zealand shortly. Edith Roberts, darkeyed and vivacious, is particularly pleasing as the main feminine role, Alma Rubens Is completing the many costumes which she will wear in the Fox attraction, "The Heart of Salome,” being directed by Victor Schertzinger.

Dorothy Phillips is the latest addition to the cast of “Cradle Snatchers,” being directed for Fox Films by Howard Hawks, whose deft touches of humour scintillated last in “Fig Leaves.”

W. C. Fields, supported by Alice Joyce, Buddy Rogers, and a cast of favourites, will be spreading laughs at at the Princess Theatre again shortly. As an inventor of unbreakable glass he mixes Fords in the' test, and fails to convince the prospective buyers. The irate owners of the broken windscreens form a deputation of departure. On his way home his friendship lor a lady is misconstrued into an affair, and thus his arrival is not a thing of joy. But you will laugh till you cry at Fields in "So’s Your Old Man,” his latest Paramount picture. “Mare Nostrum” (“Our Sea”), a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, will be released shortly throughout New Zealand. “ Mare Nostrum,” is the name given to the Mediterranean Sea, by the Latin races. Alice Terry plays the part of a beautiful spy, who succeeds in obtaining the help of a sea captain (Antbnio Moreno) in supplying the German submarines in the Mediterranean with oil. Rex Ingram, the director, made the picture on the actual locality described by the author. Marceline Day is now the child of destiny. The difference between her and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer over a contract has been patched up, and in addition to that she has been making a hit with John Barrymore and the studio officials of United Artists, because of her performance in “ Francois Villon.” Barrymore himself selected her as the lead in this picture. It was largely through the recommendation of his brother. Lionel, that she was chosen. Lionel Barrymore had played with her in “ The Barrier,” and felt that she had exceptional talent. * ale * The great Australian opus, “For the Term of His Natural Life,” is announced for early release in the New Year, and it will undoubtedly be a long-anticipated release. Eva Novak, who was especially brought to Australia, to play the role of Sylvia Vickere has recently returned to her homeland, and there only remains now many technical details to he polished and the £40,000 Union-Master picture will be presented to the world —a genuine example of Australian cinematic art. A new Tom Mix picture, “ Outlaws of Red River,” has been started for Fox by Lew Seiler. The scenario is based on Gerald Beaumont’s magazine story, “ The Fighting Falcon.” Marjorie Daw has the feminine lead. The John Colden play. “ The Holy Terror.” will be produced for Fox by Lambert Hillyer, with Buck Jones playing the terror. * * * A new face was added to the cast of “ The Kiss in a Taxi,” Bebe Daniels’s new starring picture for Paramount, with the announcement from P. Schul-bei-g. Paramount’s west coast executive, that Charles Garves had been cast. Sally Blane, youngest contract actress on the Paramount stuff, lias been assigned as the romantic feminine lead opposite Wallace Berry in the latter’s starring vehicle, “ Looie the Fourteenth,” to be directed by James Cruze. It is her first big change since she left child roles four years ago. She is 16 years old. Ford Sterling, Zasu Pitts "and Tom Kennedy have featured roles in the picture. * * * Little did we think when we saw Lillian Gish playing heroines with more of the angelic than the human in their make-up. that she was nursing a secret desire to play such an essentially human and dramatic role as Hester Prynne in “The Scarlet Letter.”

Lon Chaney, the prince of character actors, is still keeping up his deceptive ways. He is now busy on “Mr. Wu,” the Chinese story made famous by Matheson Lang, with Renee Adoree as his daughter—a strange role for that typically French young lady—and Ralph Forbes, in the principal junior role. Pauline Starke is surrounded by a notable cast in her new picture, 'Women Love Diamonds.” Owen Moore has the featured male lead, and other players are Cissy Fitzgerald, a famous English character actress, Douglas Fairbanks, jun.. and Constance Howard, a noted screen figure. "Women Love Diamonds” is a story of sophisticated city life. A huge forest fire, which demolished an area of several hundred square miles, provides a realistic setting for some thrilling scenes in "The Scrappin’ Kid,” Universal Blue-Streak Western, starring Art Acord. The fire which appears in the picture was a real one, and occurred in the forests near the Panamint Mountains in California. The entire company rushed to the scene of the fire to get the scenes, then helped forest rangers extinguish it foi* more than a week. A unique distinction to be gained by any picture is that of being presented at the Albert Hall, London, noted niecca of the world-famous concert artists. Such a distinction is held by the magnificent French Film production “Michael Strogoff,” which was elaborately presented in the famous Hall to a distinguished audience. “Michael Strogoff” is from the book of the well-known author Jules Verne, and will be released by Universal Films in New Zealand early in the year.

Cecil de Mille does not believe that children have lost their appeal. He has a very young and engaging Irishman by the name of Junior Coghlan under contract. Junior is one of the very few kids to be under a long-term contract in any studio to-day.

“Three Weeks in Paris,” soon to be released, concerns the entertaining adventures of a shy bridegroom in Paris. Matt Moore is the shy groom and Dorothy Devore his bride. The late 'Willard Louis, made of his best screen characterisations in Gus Billikins, the obtrusive and jovial best man. The picture is a sparkling comedy and is excellent entertainment for any picture-goer. “Oh, What a Nurse,” a Master Picture due for early release, is another of Syd. Chaplin’s hilarious pictures, featuring himself in the attire of a nurse. The action begins on a Hudson River ferry, and a great many of the ridiculous situations occur on the decks of the boat, where he changes clothes with a nurse on her way to duty, and thus entangles himself in a series of humorous adventures. The soul of the underworld is coming to the screen. The mobs engaged in the never-ending warfare against society are to be shown as thev are among themselves in what is declared to be the most striking and remarkable story of its kind ever written. Its title will be “Underworld,” and it was written by Ben Hecht. one of the outstanding figures in contemporary literature, as his first original story for the screen. The Russian mazurka was executed in five languages during the filming of the revel scene of "Hotel Imperial,” Pola Negri’s new starring vehicle for Paramount. When Alexander Oumansky. signed by B. P. Schulberg. associate producer to stage the dance, selected ten dancers to perform the mazurka he discovered that three of them were French, two Russian, two Italian, two German, and one American. He proved equal to the occasion, however, and pattered out his instructions in whatever tongue the instructees required.