COLUMBIA RELEASES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 October 1939, Page 2

COLUMBIA RELEASES

FOR 1940 SEASON. SOME OUTSTANDING PICTURES. More than ever today in films, directors count. In the case of Columbia Pictures, the names of Capra and Columbia have been linked for many years in successively bigger pictures, and now for Columbia’s 1939-40 season, details of which are announced by Mr B. Vinsen, General Manager for Columbia Pictures Pty., Ltd., of New Zealand, Capra has been joined by a whole group of top-flight Hollywood directors. They include Frank Lloyd. Howard Hawks, Wesley Ruggles, Rouben Mamoulian, and Alexander Hall. The name of Frank Lloyd will always be associated with pictures described, for lack of a better term, as “epic.” Picturegoers will remember “Mutiny on the Bounty,” “If I Were King,” “Well’s Fargo” and “Cavalcade,” and will realise just what the Frank Lloyd touch means. Howard Hawks also has a niche of his own. He is admitted master of big aviation dramas, though this coming season he is directing a HechtMcArthur comedy. Wesley Ruggles, who is supervising two pictures for Columbia this season, will always be remembered for his vigorous and exciting “Cimarron,” and Mamoulian whose “Golden Boy” will shortly be showing in New Zealand, for Garbo’s “Queen Christina,” ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” and the Nino Martini musical, ‘The Gay Desperado.” Alexander Hall was responsible for so many bright touches in Columbia comedies such as “There’s Always a Woman” and “Good Girls Go to Paris.” This coming season he directs light comedy and straight out drama.

It is Capra, however, who will go down in cinema history as the genius of Columbia. Capra, three times Academy Award winner, director of ‘You Can’t Take It With You,” “MiDeeds Goes to Town,” and “Lost Horizon,” is once again making Columbia’s most important picture. It was the instantaneous success of “MiDeeds” that probably prompted Columbia to entrust Capra with “Mr Smith Goes to Washington.” Like the story of “Mr Deeds,” “Mr Smith Goes to Washington” is a simple, amusingly told tale of a homespun lad who is catapulted into the turmoil of a big city. Once again Jean Arthur is the star, and James Stewart, who has become' a very important person in Hollywood during the past year, is Mr Smith. It is interesting to note that the supporting cast includes two of Hollywood’s most notorious scene stealers, Edward Arnold and Claude Rains.

Quite apart from his big aviation pictures Howard Hawks has a distinct flair for comedy. A Howard Hawks picture which promises to be very bright and amusing is “His Girl Friday” which stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Ralph Bellamy, who is rapidly rising to stardom, is also in the cast.

Wesley Ruggles, brilliant newcomer to the Columbia fold, has already commenced production on “Arizona,” a big technicolour outdoor drama. ‘Arizona” which is right in the “Cimarron” tradition, is a red-blooded story of America’s west, during the Civil War days. It is adapted from the novel by Clarence Budaington Kalland, and stars Jean Arthur, who will be remembered for her outstanding characterisation as Calamity Jane in “The Plainsman.” Warren William is also in the cast of this outstanding production. A second Wesley Ruggles production will be announced shortly. Frank Lloyd is directing two pictures for Columbia’s 1939-40 programme, the first Entitled “The Tree of Liberty.” This strikes an appropriately patriotic note. It is a chronicle of the beginning of American liberty, and was adapted from Elizabeth Page’s best selling novel, a recent United States Literary Guild choice. Lloyd’s second production has not yet been announced.

Rouben Mamoulian, who made such a fine job of translating Clifford Odet’s “Golden Boy” to the screen, will also be in charge of one or more important films.

Alexander Hall, who incidentally, made a name foi- himself directing both Shirley Temple and Mae West, is indeed one of Hollywood’s most versatile directors. “Super Clipper,” one of the coming season’s special shows, tells that he is equally at home in aviation drama. “Super Clipper” includes some of' the greatest flying thrills yet brought to the screen.

Hailed as the best Alexander Hall comedy yet made is “The Doctor Takes a Wife,” which again stars Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas. Cycles of family pictures arc here to stay. One of the homeliest and most likeable families are the Bumsteads of the Blondie series. Several “Blondie” pictures including “Blondie Meets the Boss” and “Blondie Takes a Vacation” have already been seen in New Zealand, and already the Bumsteads —Blondie herself, Dagwood, Baby Dumpling and Daisy the dog have been accepted as some of the most lovable people Hollywood has introduced. “Blondie” pictures for 1939-40 are “Blondie Brings Up Baby” and two others.

There are many other special productions featured for Columbia’s 1939-40 programme, two that will specially interest crime fans being a couple of “Lone Wolf” productions starring Warren William. Another interesting series features Edith Fellows, the brilliant child actress. This is known as the “Five Little Peppers” series, and the first is “Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.” They are all in the light vein and are sure to be popular. Still one of the most popular comedians on the screen is the widemouthed Joe E. Brown. Mr Brown is making two comedies for Columbia this coming season. Other specials which Columbia have in hand are “Men in Sing-Sing,” a story of America’s grim prison fortress on the Hudson, “I Married Adventure,” another jungle story by Mrs Martin Johnson, “American at Scotland Yard,” an unusual story of a New York detective transplanted to London, “Scandal Sheet” heralded as one of the biggest newspaper stories yet produced, and “Prison Surgeon,” starring Walter Connolly. Literary properties on Columbia’s shelves hlcludc “The Life of Alfred Nobel” by Peter Freuchen, the life adventure of the man who invented dynamite, and “Chopin” by Sidney Buchman.

One of the most virile and popular western stars on the screen today is the rugged Jack Holt. Columbia will release four Jack Holt productions during the coming year. Two other western stars who will be popular with youngsters are Charles Starrett and

Bill Elliott, both of whom are making several pictures. Columbia’s short subjects are well up to the high standard set by the studios. Columbia’s serials this coming year promise to be more interesting than ever, First comes the serialisation of ohe of Edgar Wallace’s most exciting stories, “The Green Archer” and then “The Shadow.” Then “Terry and the Pirates” and finally "Deadwood Dick” which brings to life a character who has thrilled generations throughout the world. Finally special mention should be made of Columbia’s arrangement with Denham Studios, England, whereby a limited number of pictures made in Denham by Columbia, with all the resources of the organisation’s Hollywood Studios in the background, are released throughout New Zealand. The first of these, “Clouds Over Europe,” has just had its New Zealand premiere, and is already proving an outstanding success. If arrangements with Denham are not upset by the war. the coming season will see a further quota of British productions released here, including for a start — “The Boy in Black,” featuring Valerie Hobson and Conrad Veidt, and "Ten Days in Paris.”