Behind the Screen

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1940, Page 10

Behind the Screen

"The Doctor Takes a Wife." Laughter is the product of contagious comedy to be found in Columbia's "The Doctor Takes a Wife." Loretta Young appears in her first all-comedy role with Ray Milland as her dashing co-star and a supporting cast which includes Reginald Gardiner, Gail Patrick, Edmund Gwenn and Georges Metaxa. "The Doctor Takes a Wife" is Alexander Hall's fifth comedy for Columbia. His four previous films starred Melvyn Douglas, vith Joan . Blondell appearing in three and Virginia Bruce in one. "There's Always a Woman" was one film which Hall directed. The story of "The Doctor Takes a Wife" was written by Allen Leslie. "The Man From Dakota." The dirtiest set ever prepared for a motion picture was made ready with fire hose, dump trucks and shovels for "The Man From Dakota," a civil war story starring Wallace Beery. Dressed in the tattered regimentals of a Yankee prisoner of war, his feet wrapped in burlap sacking and a McClellan cap set askew on his head, Beery is shown ploughing his way through the mud of the Confederate prison camp at Belle fcle in the opening scenes of the picture. As Sergeant Barstow, a ton of a man, with a gravedigger's long-handled spade on his shi/ulder, Beery trudged his unwilling path behind a funeral cortege led by his young superior officer, Lieut. Oliver 01 ark, played by John Howard. Others in the cast include Dolores Del Rio and Donald Meek.

"Vigil of the Night." From the pen of A. J. Cronin, who gave the fiction and screen worlds those magnificent stories, "The Citadel" and "The Stars Look Down," comes the story of "Vigil in the Night." The new story is taken from the heart of the nursing profession and reveals, with the amazing j candour that made its predcccssors famous, some of the less romantic and not so glamorous aspects of the work. It is fitting that the work of a master such as Cronin should be brought to the screen by a team of acting talent whose names ara famous in the film world. The leading roles are taken by Carole Lombard, Erian Aheme, Ann Shirley and Brenda Forbes. "Road to Singapore." Against a background of Javanese native life Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour present a mixture of comedy, love-making and singing in "Road to Singapore." There are several catchy new songs in the picture and the scenes of native customs, especially the annual feast and marriage dance, are excellently done. Judith Barrett, selected by Life magazine as outstanding . among the younger Hollywood starlets, gets another chance to prove her ability in this picture. Miss Barrett came to Hollywood in 1929 and it was not long before she was playing in comedy shorts. Producers of feature pictures saw her and gave her a chance. She did not, however, attain real success until she appeared in "Illegal Traffic" and went on to major roles in such films as "Disputed Passage" and "The Great Victor Herbert."

"All at Sea." Sandy Powell's latest film is the G.B.D. comedy, "All at Sea," in which the famous comedian plays the role of a seaman in the Royal Navy. Sandy appears as A.B. Skipton, who wages a lone fight against a gang of enemy agents who are trying to steal a secret new high explosjve. Sandy takes the explosive away with him when he is sacked from a chemical factory where he is employed as a messenger, joins the navy and is sent to the Mediterranean. The crooks chase him, and then ensues a series of hilarious thrills in which first Sandy and then the crooks obtain possession of the explosive. They threaten to blow up the ship, but Sandy triumphs in a series of riotous situations. "All at Sea" was produced with the co-operation of the British Admiralty, who granted special facilities during the making of the picture, and many new and magnificent scenes of the flect have been incorporated. Poweli introduces one of the first great naval war-time songs, "Oh, Ain't It Grand To Be in the Navy." In support are Kay Walsh, John Warwick, Gus McNaughton and Leslie Perrins.

That Explains Nothing! Maestro Mickey Rooney, so the story goes, composes his songs entirely by ear. He cannot read a note of music. Lily Pons in Opera. Hollywood may in the future turn out an opera in the old tradition. Paramount is said to be completipg a deal to bring Lily Pons back for the lead in a remake of "The Count of Luxembourg." Allan Jones is favoured as her singing partner. War Angles are Frowned On. Paul Muni is without a picture to start now that Warners have dissolved "The Bishop Who Walked With God"— because of touchy war angles. Another strifetinged tale that goes on the shelf is "Underground." It is doubtful now whether M.G.M. will make furthcr preliminary preparations'on "30,000 Horses," a story of Canadian shipment of American-made warplanes, which was to have starred Clark Gable— with a location trip to Montreal. Meanwhile, the same studio looks for no Government intercession in plans to release "The Mortal Storm,"