“BLUE BIRD”

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20953, 4 November 1939, Page 15 (Supplement)

“BLUE BIRD”

SHIRLEY TEMPLE’S NEW FILM PLAYERS IN ANIMAL ROLES Darryl F. Zanuck tackled one of the toughest casting jobs of his career—the casting of the 2000 players in his forthcoming £400,000 technicolour production of “The Blue Bird.” Chief problem is to secure character types who have some semblance to the “animals and elements” they will portray in the new Shirley Temple vehicle. For the role of “Tylette, the Cat,” Zanuck selected Gale Sondergaard, distinguished Theatre Guild and film actress. She was awarded the role following a careful survey made to find an actress with high cheekbones and black hair, who could successfully depict an animal character without benefit of a mask. For the equally important and difficult role of “Tylo, the Dog,” Eddie Collins has been cast. Spring Byington, who for many millions of American movie-goers typifies American motherhood in her “Jones Family” roles, will be Shirley’s mother in “The Blue Bird.” To Sybil Jason, who won acclaim for her work in Shirley’s last technicolour, “The Little Princess,” went the role of “Angela.” With Ernest Pascal’s script of the Maeterlinck story now complete, and with Gwen Wakeling’s costumes and Richard Day’s sets nearing completion, production was scheduled to start recently under the direction of Walter Lang.