"Mr Deeds Goes to Town"

Radio Record, 26 June 1936, Page 23

"Mr Deeds Goes to Town"

~A Chaplinesque Quality

[T'S funny, but the longer one has been writing about films the less inclination one has to write about any one film in particular. We write -about theories — Mickey Mouse’s appeal to the adult mind, the stylised, almost .symbolistic treatment of Marlene Dietrich by Josef von Sternberg, the psychological aspect of Russian flmsbut occasionally it becomes necessary to write about a film. And this week I must write about "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town." The story is. full of improbabilities, the picture panders in places to the mob inteliect, some of the laughs are secured by methods as old as original sin. But, above all this, "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" brings you that rare experience of scarcely being con-

scious that you are _ watching a synthetic photoplay, without either the colours or the dimensions of ordinary life. No Humour, Please!

GARY COOPER, as Mr. Deeds, has never done a better job in his life. (No, I’m not overlooking "Bengal Lancer," either.) For a long while the lean, stern Cooper face was considered good for nothing but God’s-fresh-air type of parts-serious young man who got the girl in the end, after a lot of hard riding and hard punching. He was never allowed to say anything funny. And then someone noticed a glint in his eye that betokened a sense of humour. Perhaps-perish the ignoble thought!-the young man might ‘be able to play in comedy! Directors ok a timid bite at the cherry, but {t\has taken Frank Capra to swallow the whole fruit-stone and all.

"Chaplinesque" "WTR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN" has a Chaplinesque quality. It sounds suspiciously like intellectual snobbery to say that I almost cried in the parts where the audience will probably laugh. Mr. Deeds, who has inherited 20,000,000

dollars from his uncle, is a shy. young man who suddenly finds himself front-page news. It is all very bewildering; the only really genuine person in New York appears to be a fair-haired typiste (Jean Arthur, the delightful actress with the little girl’s voice), and he writes a poem to. her. She stands under the light in the doorway of a New York tenement and reads it. Mz. Deeds stands screwing his hat in his hand, a picture of infinite embarrassment and ecstasy, She looks at him, a look of grey-eyed sincerity. "I think it’s rather wonderful," she says. He stares at her for a moment, his embarrassment overcomes him and he bolts down the flight of staixs only to fall over a dustbin at

the bottom. It is all so naive, x0 tragic, Capra Made It "MR. .§ DEEDS GOES TO TOWN" ‘is interesting for a number of reasons. It was directed by Frank Capra, one of the most promising directors in the world today; it brings George Bancroft back to the screen in the old familiar role of a hard-fighting, hard-spitting

"noospaper" editor; it provides the _ screen with the brightest courtroom scene ever to be photographed; and it gives’ Gary Cooper a lovely line when he is being measured. for clothes by a covey of tailors; "Well

this is the first time I’ve ever had 2% suit made on purpose!" Pot of Gold BOTH Hollywood and England have decided that there’s a pot of gold waiting to be picked up at the "end of the both countries are suddenly plunging into Technicolor films. The public is definitely "colour conscious," and the film magnates are beginning to realise it, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," Paramount’s all-colour outdoor talkie, which opened its New Zealand season in’ Auckland at the week-end, hag been breaking records in Australia -~and colour is responsible. At the

Paradox of Gary Cooper’s Stern Face-Frank Capra Swallows the Whole Cherry

Melbourne Capitol the picture broke the record. established by "Bengal Lancer"; a thousand pounds went through the box office during the first two days XO K OOK KOK KIO KOK KKK IA ‘a v4

in Brisbane; at the Sydney Prince Midward the picture has been running to packed houses .for four weeks. All A-Glitter ‘WHEN the Berengaria pulled into Southampton from New York recently she glittered with stars from steni: to stern-not the remote, cold affairs that poets write about aid astronomers gaze at, but the real living ones that publicity agents. write about, and tke public

gazes at. Sylvia Sidney, Richard Barthelmess, Margot Grahame, Leslie Howard, Anita: Louise, Estelle Brody and numerous lesser lights were all on board-and how the autograph-hunters did push and shove! But Southampton was nothing to London where, in the dense crush, Sylvia Sidney. fainted and had to be carried out by. the pojice. Anita Louise’s fur coat was almost torn to shreds, and she was pursued by autograph-hunters wherever she went. "Rangile River’ "RANGLE RIVER" is to be the title of the film that Columbia is making in ‘Sydney. Clarence Bad.ger, the American who is to direct the picture; passed through Wellington on the Makura this week, and he ig being closely followed. by _ the star, ‘Victor Jory, whois due: at Auckland, en’ route to Sydney;-in a few days. ~The story is hy Zane Grey, who is already. interested ‘in another Australian film being made from one of his scenarios. At present thé studio is looking for a suitable. girl ‘to play opposite Jory-Naney Smith, Judy Jelly, and Mary MeGregor (in , New Foaand' with "The First Mrs. Fraser* a few years’ ago) are all nnider consid ‘eration; Earl i in Films JT,ONDON society is breaking into the moviés-in a’big way. It’s not so long ago that Penelope Dudley Ward lent a rather colourless ‘heauty to one or two British ‘pictures. Now comes word that the ‘Karl and Countess of Warwick are -contemplating a trip to Hollywood, ‘Where ‘they will: both appear’ in films. The Countess of Warwick was formerly Miss Rose Bingham, a debutanie in the most famous London sea-

son since the war-the year that saw Lady Bridget Poulett and Margaret Whigham (now Mrs. Charles Sweeny >}, as eo-debutantes. Lady Warwick a already made her debut in a film. She stayed with Adrienne Ames in Hollywood some time ago and played the part of an "extra" in the Edmund Lowe film, "The Black Sheep." At that time the Countess said that film work was "very boring and very tiring," and added that she had done it _ just for fun. But now it seems that the youthful Ear] and Countess will return to the film capital where, by their good looks and personal charm, they made a distinct social hit. Quotient of 140 ©, A. LEJEUNE, the brilliant film critic for the London "Observer,’ had some very complimentary things to say about "Thest Three," the Samuel Goldwyn filra now being screened in New Zea~ land. "There are two children in the picture," she writes, "little Bonita Granville as the malign Mary, and the still younger Marcia Mae Jones as her tortured ‘vassal,’ whose acting is as near genius as makes no matter. I am encouraged in this opinion by one Professor John W. Todd, professor of psychology at the University of Southern. California; who: rates the. Gran-

ville girl with an intelligence quotient" of 140. ‘Definitely in the geniug class, adding, darkly, ‘were her rating any higher she, could not he socially orientated, so it is well for her that she daes not pass her rating. Now, with a quotient of 140, and the witimate certainty of social orientation,,.Miss Bonita Granville, at 18, seems all set for "glory." Fantastic! "ANY suggestion that the film partnership between Fred A taire and Ginger Rogers may je broken either by Mr. Astairey‘or

Ignored In New Zealand Feted in Australia. T is strange that, while he was in- Wellington, the existence of Junior Farrell, the talented | young pianist, was practically ig-nored-in fact, the "Radio Re‘cord’? was the only paper to give him any sort of a hearing. Since he has gone to Sydney, where he is now studying under’ Alfred’ Hill, all the big. Sydney papers have publishéd long write-ups. and photographs, newsreel cameramen have made talking’ pictures ; of ‘the ‘boy, and radio companies have.sought his services. Now the New: Zealand papers are wak: ing up.to the fact that the boy has distinct. ‘talent. and are giving him something of'a break. He is a: son of" Mr. ***Tom" Farrell, of Wellington, ‘and: a nephew of Mr, John Farrell, well-known’ member of J. C. Williamsons.: SCX WOOO POOOOOOOOO OQOODOOO Xx 200

Miss Rogers is as fantastic as any‘thing, even in the films, ean he. In ’. temperament these two players are strongly contrasted, but there is a ter- ‘ rifie artistie affinity between them." So said Dwight Taylor, whe wrote the film scenarios of "Gay Divorcee," "Top Hat" and "Follow the Fleet" for the famous pair, recently. "You ean diseount all the stories about professional jealousy between Astaire and Miss Rogers. No such thing exists, They are the most eomplete team in. Hollywood." . "White Death." WORK on Barrier Reef Productions’ "White Death," directed by Edwin G. Bowen, which Zane Grey is personally supervising and in which he is also acting, is well under way, and a further 1000 feet of negative arrived at Cinesound Studios, Sydney, last week, A . number of the members of the cast and technical staff haye been badly cut by coral during the filming of under-water scenes, and Bowen had one of his hands scorched by the premature firing of a photographic flare. "T Hate Films." ~ JUST say in a loud enough voice -and in the hearing of the

tight people-that you hate films and wouldn’t act in them for all the tea in China, and the betting is

that you'll have a film contract Yin next to no time. Laurence Olivier openly reviles pictures, and yet he is one of the most-sought-after film stars in England to-day: " Rokert Donat, too--and there’s no’ need to tell you about the success of hig film career, Emlyn Williams, the brilliant young author of "Night Must Fall," isn’t. a cinema enthusiast, and, yet he, is. as much in. demand as the. two above, His latest vole is in -a. brand-new version ef that old fayourite, "Broken Blossoms," with Dolly Haas, the German star, in the part originally pigyed. by: Lilian Gish It is being made in a. British studio Colman: and. Colbert. ITH a ‘cast ‘that looks like a handful of. visiting cards after a Garbo at-home, "Under Two Flags," a talkie version of the super-spectacle of the bad old silent days, is now almost ready for release. Ronald Colman is the star. and supporting him are Claudette Colbert, Rosalind Russell and Victor MeLagien. Coiman seems to be much in demand lately--he made "The Man Who Broke the Bank" for Twentieth Century," "A Tale of Two Cities" for M G.M., "Olive of India" for

United Artists. ."Under Two Flags" -is a Twentieth Century-Fox. production, and it promises to be something outstanding. Plunket Cabaret. "(HE Christchurch folk who organise the annual Plunket cabaret in Grand National Week (August) are this year paying a compliment to Charlie Chaplin by calling the dance a "Modern Times" cabaret. Presumably the decorations will be along the lines of the factory which figures largely in the film and, as the release date for the film in Christchurch is this Friday, the cabaret should get plenty of preliminary publicity. The committee that organises this dance has acquired a considerable reputation for originality-a French quay-side, a Tyrolean mountain resort, a Shanghai railway station have all been used as decorative motifs, while the first Coster Ball in New Zealand was a somewhat historic affair in Christchurch. oo Rembrandt, — (CHARLES LAUGHTON,’ one of the world’s greatest. cinema attractions, has been firmly secured by Alexander Korda for three British films. The idea of making a film of "Cyrano de Bergerac" has been abandoned in the meantime, but plans are now being advanced for a

picture based on certain incidents in the life of Rembrandt, the famous painter, . Laughton has lately returned to London after several weeks in Amsterdam, where he gathered local "colour" and impressions, This is. Laughton’s first film for London Films since his epoch-making "The Private Life of Henry the Highth," the film that put the British film industry on its feet and which, incidentally, was financed by the Prudential Assurance Company. Changed My Mind. ON those rare occasions when, as -a schoolboy, I was allowed an afternoon: at the: pictures, I always had a sneaking preference for Mary Pickford. But with the talkies and development of my critical faculties, Mary slipped badly in my estimation. Now, in conjunction with Jesse Lasky, she has gone into production, and her first film promises exceedingly well. It is called "One: Rainy Afternoon," and has Francis Lederer. Ida Lupino, Hugh Herbert, ‘Roland Young, Hrik Rhodes, Seger .Ellis and Margaret Warner in the cast, It is a gay, musica] film adapted from a French trifle, and-it-has two songs-that are now being. "plugged" almost to death over the, American: air-"One Rainy Afternoon" and. "Secret Rendezvous." , " . , World SIMULTANEOUS world pre- _* mieres are promised for Australia’s most ambitious talkie, "The Flying Doctor," which is now completed and ready for dis-

tribution. This is the picture that brought. Charles Farrell across. the Pacific Ocean-and it is estimated to have cost £40,000. The picture will be handled throughout the: world by Gau-mont-British. With Farrell are associated Margaret Vyner (the famous a

mannequin), Mary Maguire, Erie Colman (brother of Ronald Colman), Joe Valli and Jimmy Raglan. iy In the News. SIR BENJAMIN FULLER is in the news in both Sydney and Melbourne. In the former city he proposes to build a-new theatre-it will probably be called the St. George-at the corner cf George and Market Streets. It will hold 1500 people and will be used for both stage productions and talkies. In Melbourne a new company, Savoy Theatres, Limited, has been formed with Sir Benjamin at the head, The presentation of a series of musical comedies will be undertaken, while a number of films may also be made. Kiepura Again. JAN KIEPURA and Gladys Swarthout are starred in "Give Us This Night,’ Paramount’s new musical romance. Philip Merivale and Benny Baker head the supporting cast, and the production was directed for Paramount. by Alexander Hall. Hrich Korngold and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the musical score for the picture, which, in addition to half a dozen popular type hits, includes a complete original opera, f written especially for the picture. Kie- Fed pura was seen here in "Tell Me to-,: night"-and other hit pictures, ~