Cinema... Snapshots

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20503, 20 May 1938, Page 4

Cinema ... Snapshots

” Four Men and a Prayer t Under the cryptic hut quits attraelive title of "four Men and a Prayer," Twentieth Century-Fox’s story of revenge and melodrama continues in production; and, besldeß starring Loretta. Young, gives chances to several upand coming players. Apart from Miss Y'oung, who is, of course, on the side of the angels, although somewhat mysterious, the principal characters are four brothers who set out to avenge their wronged father, a task which takes them from military India half-way round the world. Chief of the young men is George Sanders, whose most successful picture to date, "Lancer Spy," is now going round the country. Also prominent among them is Richard Green, the boy who was recently discovered in this country and sent to Hollywood for this picture. The third brother is being played by William Henry, an American stage actor; and the fourth is taken by David Niven. C. Aubrey Smith and Reginald Denny are also in the cast. It Pays to be a “ Villian ” It pays to be bad in Hollywood theae days fo’r the screen villain is back in favour and cinema meanness is paying big dividends. One of the busiest men in pictures is Basil Rathbone, possibly the slickest villain who ever faced a camera. He isn't Idle a week and Jumps from picture to picture. He stepped out of “Confession," in which he was a knave, into “Tovarich" in which he is even more so. And now he has a very rasoally .role in "The Adventures of Robin Hood." y Claude Rains Is another screen rascal who is making villainy pay. For his meanness in "They Won’t Forget" he has won critical plaudits. Next he’s heckling the hero, George Brent in "Gold is Where You Find It." Barton Mac Lane, one of the screen’s meanest characters, goes from picture to picture, so does Boris Karloff. Craig Reynolds didn't do so well until he took up screen skullduggery. Now he’s riding high. Ricardo Cortez, who used to be a leading man, has jumped in favour since he became a bad man. Look over any studio talent sheet and you’ll And that villainy pays—there are more of them working than there are heroes. But in private life they are usually the decentest chaps to bp found in a long summers’ day. s»imi»H»W Merle Oberon and Louis Borell Dance the Rumba In the Anal scenes of “Over the Moon," Alexander Korda’s latest production, now being completed at Denham, Merle Oberon and Louis Borell will be seen dancing an exciting new Rurnba. In the studio rehearsal rooms Alison MacLaren, the ballet mistress of “Balalaika,” who has taught many Elm stars, coached Louis .Borell for several steps. Merle ‘Oberon, already an expert dancer, needed only a few hours before being pronounced to be an expert. Most scripts which have been assigned to Merie Oberon during her career call for dancing sequences. In "The Private Life of Don Juan" she had a Spanish dance and in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" she did a minuet, while in "The Divorce of Lady X" she also danced in costume at a fancy dress ball. The film “Over the J Moon,” which is in technlcolour, is the third in succession to be produced by Alexander Korda, as it follows “The Divorce of Lady X" and "Mutiny in the Mountains." The Silent Men ■ „ V Stories relating to Gary Cooper’s solemn silences are legion in Hollyr wood, but here’s the latest guaranteed to be the truth and nothing but the truth: An old friend of the actor whom he hadn’t seen for years visited him on the set of “The Adventures of Marco Polo,” in which Gary is playing the title role. “Hello 1“ said Gary. “Hello!” replied the friend, w’ho is noted for his taciturnity. The two sat down, then followed 15 minutee of dead silence. “Where have you been?” asked Cooper, the first to break the silence. “Moving around,’* responded the friend. Another 15 minutes of dead silence. “So’ve I,** said Gary. An eavesdropper waited twenty more minutes for something to happen and finally gave up. The world’s most silent men had had a meeting. mmnmiiiHW Harold in Trouble The only one of the Big Three of silent film comedy—we needn’t name the other two —who is still regularly making pictures is Harold Lloyd, who has settled down to a comfortable one-a-year, or thereabouts. His current one, which is well on the way to being finished, is “Professor Beware!” This title has an oddly unfashionable ring about it—almost Keystone, in fact —but the story it •graces is strictly up to date. It is a comedy, in the peripatetic style of “It Happened One Night,” of the every-thing-happens-to-me type. The “me’* is Mr Lloyd. Harold is also the professor of the title, an archaeological gentleman whose career is disrupted by a strange young woman, his championship of whom takes him clear across America on a series of embarrassing adventures. The lady in the case is an almost unknown girl called Phyllis Welch. Raymond Walburn, Lionel Stander, * Cora Witherspoon, Sterling Holloway t and three or four other comedy specialists are also there to give Harold