They Tell Me That...

Radio Record, 9 December 1938, Page 35

They Tell Me That...

Our Special Correspondent, Jennifer Quentin, Gives You The Latest Hollywood Gossip po we inne

tained in a planned divoree action consulted his heart instead of his head or his pocket-book, Luise Rainer has been reconciled with Clifford Odets, her noted playwright-husband. The reconciliation occurred at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, with Miss Rainer and Odets playing, of course, the principal roles. But the man who pulied the strings while Dan Cupid danced a precarious jig before true love once more resumed its course was bespectacled, bushy-haired PB an attorney re-

‘Louis Nizer, who forgot his law books long enough to bring about the happy ending for which he was not retained. ‘Big-hearted Mr. Nizer craftily aranged a "chance" meeting in the dining-room of the Waldorf-Astoria, and that was all that was needed. Miss Rainer cried out joyously when she saw Mr. Odets, and left poor Mr. Nizer all alone while she snuggled up under the encircling arms of her husband, who wasn’t slow to catch her when she rushed to him, "I love him, very; very much," said Miss Rainer iater. To Please Australia STORY trouble is delaying production on Hal Roach’s Australian epic, "Captain Midnight." The original script showed the hero as a gallant bushfranger, in the Robin Hood tradition, .

But the studio was told that a picture dealing with bushranging would not be well received in Australia, so scenario writers are busy making alterations. A studio representative said: "Our main concern is to please Australia with the picture, and we're willing to make any necesSary changes for that purpose."

‘*Mikado"’ Filmed WOw that Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" has been filmed so ‘successfully, the picture industry is anxiously awaiting the first screening of Gaumont British Dominions’ version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, . "The Mikado," which has been filmed entirely in colour, The cast includes ‘some well known D'Oyly Carte players, and the part of Nanky-Poo is taken by Kenny Baker, Amer ican radio singer, who was seen in "Mr. Dodds Takes the Air." It was his first visit to England.

‘*Flashbacks’’ TEST novelty of that great showman, C. B. Cochran, is "Flashbacks," which is a cavalcade of selected news reels, full of great personalities of the last 46 years, ending with the Queen’s Speech at the launching of the Queen Elizabeth, and Mr. Chamberjain’s broadcast on the crisis, superimposed on shots of a nation hoping for the best and quietly preparing for the worst," The news reels show: King Edward VII, one of the earliest of the great to take an interest in films, walking up and down the deck of the royal yacht for the benefit of the cameramen; the Tsar of Russia inspecting cadets; the coronation of King George V.; Trotsky inspecting his troops.

"Wlashbacks" also gives early examples of John Bunny, Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd; a trick production, "Dancing on the Ceiling," made as long ago as 1900, and a French short, "The Invisible Thief," suggested by H. G. Wells's ~aseumm, ™

"The Invisible Man"; and such pioneer "story" films ag Melies’s "Trip to the Moon," 1902, and "The Life of Charles Peace," 1903, "At a Price’ R. BERNARD SHAW reacted with typical modesty to a private view of the film version of his play, "Pygmalion."

"At last a film that says something worth saying," remarked Mr. Shaw with the warmest appreciation, "Am I satisfied with the adaptation? I’m delighted. I wrote it myself." "And do you still think," he was asked, "that speech is the only thing worth troubling about, and that the proper way to film your plays would be to put a camera down in the middle of the orchestra and ieave it there till the end?"

"Tv’s a le--somebody made it up," said Mr. Shaw genially. "Tt never said anything so absurd." When asked whether other films of his plays would follow, Mr. Shaw slapped his pocket until the money jingled and said, "They can -have them all-at a price." Homecoming Directors ‘WO of the few British directors who have made good in Hollywood, Frank Lioyd, of Glasgow, and James Whale, of StaffordShire, went home on holiday re cently. "4 _ One reason for Lioyd’s visit was to try to persuade Charles Laughton to make a sequel to "Mutiny on the Bounty." "Bligh’s later career is really more interesting," says Lloyd, "but I wouldn’t make it with anyone else." -_

Gunga Din THE other day | mentioned in R.K.O’s forthcoming se version of "Gunga Din," it not yet known who weuld playing the role of the man was so much better than ev body els2. I now lIearn th Gunga Din will be Sam Ja veteran Broadway stage act and the man who played aged lama in "Lost Horizon." Where Directors Count VER in France, according evidence based on box-offi returns, names of directors Hk Jyean Renoir, Jean Duvivier, Ren Clair, Mareel Carne and A Gance have at least as much dra ing power as any of the outstan ing French stars. That’z as i should be everywhere-but isn’t. One interesting result of this that a picture which has cost co paratively little-having no gs in the cast, but a director who name counts-often makes mor money than an "all-star produ tion" costing three times as much In France, by the way, the dire tor has far more authority tha elsewhere, doing many of the pr ducer’s functions.