Gloria Will Appear in Maugham’s “Rain"

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 110, 30 July 1927, Page 23

Gloria Will Appear in Maugham’s “Rain"

On Screen at Last FORMER BATHING BEAUTY the stage success by Somerset Maugham, is at last to make its screen appearance. Gloria Swanson is to play the role of Sadie Thompson.

It is somewhat curious that the production of “Rain” was disappointing in the extreme in this part of the world. Barbara Hoffe was a failure when “Rain” was originally produced in Melbourne, while illness recently prevented Judith Ail-

derson, the Australian girl who made such a success in New York, from presenting the drama to Sydney theatregoers. Australian and New Zealand admirers of Somerset Maugham will now have to wait and and see Gloria Swanson as the lady with the laced-up boots. Gloria should make Sadie as vivid a screen character as Jeanne Eagels did a stage figure in New York. She is now comfortably ensconced in her new headquarters at the United Artists’ studio and ready to start work on her next production. Few personalities have forged from obscurity to the pinnacle of public adulation in the manner that Gloria did in a few short years. She started her upward trend in pictures, as so many other international favourites did, at the Mack Sennett studio as a bathing girl. She Was listed on the Sennett payroll, at the time Charlie Chaplin, Ford Sterling, Charlie Murray, Marie* Prevost, Phyllis Haver and other stars were appearing in the Keystone comedies.

“BEN HUR” COMING FRED NIBLO’S PRODUCTION SECURED BY MAJESTIC Besides its magnitude and the fame of the novel, “Ben Hur,” Fred Niblo’s epic for Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer has an entirely new claim to being the most remarkable picture ever produced, j The Majestic lias secured this picture for Auckland. It will shortly commence its season in Australia. “Ben Hur” depicts the customs and manners of twenty different races of the period of Caesar Augustus during 'the first century. The life of the Ro-

man conquerors, of Jewish princes, of Egyptian slaves, of sheiks of the Arabian desert, of galley slaves of all nationalities, and of the hundreds of types prevalent along the east coast of the Mediterranean during the world of the ancients are all in the picture. The title role is played by Ramon Novarro, and May McAvoy interprets the part of “Esther.” Other stars are Francis X. Bushman as “Messala,” Carmel Myers as “Iras,” Nigel de Brulier as “Simonides,” Kathleen Key as “Tirzah,” Claire McDowell as the mother of “Ben Hur,” and Betty Bronson as “The Madonna.” BACK TO WORK! POLA AND HER PRINCE

Pola Negri has returned to Hollywood from Paris with her

brand new Russian Prince husband. The star is to commence work, according to recent advice, on her new picture, based on an original by Sidney

H oward. She went abroad after finishing “The Woman on Trial.”