FOOTLIGHT FLASHES AND MOVIE GOSSIP

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 284, 4 January 1930, Page 9

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES AND MOVIE GOSSIP

" SALLY " RETURMNG . Josie Melville, of "vSally" fame, arrived in Australia this week from London. Sl>* will open in Melbourne in "Turned Up," wlxich will folloiv "Hold Everytliing." She has been away just a few weeks under four years, and in that time she played in "Coo-ee," in the AVast End, and "Ladv Luek." She played leads on tour in "Hit ihe- Deek." "Betty'in Mayfair," ahso playing this for a time in London; and she was the prineipal girl in "Oinderella" afc Leeds thi.s vear. Sinee then she has been vory ill, and the doetors s.-n'd it was imporalive that slie should get out of England for the Winter. She aeeepted an ongagement to go to South Africa to oover the cokl months, but the firm stepvied in' and said, "You're for home, Josie."

SOON A CITY - "Whafc memqries for Hollywood there are in "Wallace Reid's home, writes a Hollywood correspondent. One of the first of its kind out here, and O'lie. ivhieli-he b'uilt wlien"he was At the height of liis suecess before he becaihe ill and before the tragedy of his death,. Mrs Reidj with her two cliildreii; continued to live in the house so filled with memories of lier beloved Wally, but' now she'is leasing it. Slie wants to go away and her friends have persuaded her the sensible thing to do is to rent hev home. Apartment houses have hit Hollywood all of a sudden. People from New York _ are demanding apartments and it just hurts to see these big buildings going up all over town. I am afraid, no niatter what anyone can do, Hollywood will soon became a city. SISTER OF MOVIE STAR. Margaret Cullin-Landis, who will make her first appearance in New Zealand with Leo Carillo in "Lonxbardi, Ltd." as the shapely model upon whom Tito Lombardi drapes his gorgeous frocks, was born "way dowjx south in Tennessee." She is a sister of Cullin-Landis, the popular moving picture star. While on the stage, this charming young model ehews gum to her heax-t's content and the cracking lxoise she makes can be lxeard all over the theatre. "Lonxhardi, Ltd.," will pi'obably open in Wellington for Christmas.

PASSING DUNEDIN . Jlnring tlie exhihition period Wirtli Brothers' cireus xxxade its appearance in Dunedin, but not even the attractions of a circus could xvitlxstand the competition of the exlxibition. Difficulties xvere also expex-ienced in findxng a site on wlxich to jntclx the tents, and whcn they wer-o finally pitclxed a galc of wind damaged thenx cxtensivoly. When 1 lio season cnine to an end Wirtli Brothers announeed that thev would nevor bhoxv in Dunedin again. On their next, tour of New Zealand they jxass'e'd Dunedin by, anl they intend to do so again this vear. The circus wilJ' laud at Bluff on Motidnv, and nlter plnying the sonthern towns if will appear at [Mosgiel on one side of Dunedin, and -at Palmerston od the othor.

IGNORANT AND NOISY It" must he an ever-llai'assing problem to decide when to' pull up the curtain"at; a play.or musical comedy, " ;eomiu€iits jt citV" Critic. Tlie '"tjsual thing nowadays is, I suppose, about 10 to la niiiiutes aftei' the advertised tfime- /u'shally^ ailnouriced. S oi- 8.15' sliax'p) , by which tiihe tliose unfortunate ixeople ivboj like myself, are cursed with the vil'tue of punctuality faxid also the pit and gallery, who have had quite enough of waiting) are heginning to get had-humoured aud kicking themselves for liaving leffc their dinner withoub coffee. Tlie alteruative is to •start at the advertised time. The other. night I was at a play which started alhxost 011 time. Imniediately 111 Jront ot my stalL was a " gangway. Down this narrow passage there passed a continual stream of late comers, the lasb pair taki'ng their seats near me with the inaximum of uunecessary noise at 8.50. Each couple was escorted by tlie programme girls (I.saxv mucb niore of them tlian of the opening of the play) and each couple, after loud clinking of money, was informed that there was no charge that night. There were also sundi-y inquiries as to whether refreshments would he required during the fast approaching interval. Txvo of the Iatest to arrive sat doxvn near me and spent the rest of the act, to the tune of much giggling, recoxxstructed tliat they imagixied had happened on the stage while they sat at dinner. Aleanwlxile tlie man sitting directly behind me kicked my stall incessantly in tune with some'air xvhich was running in liis liead. A hackward look of fury would onlv hold up the drumnxing for a period of two minutes: then it would begin agaiii with redoubled vigour.

CHATTY NEWS. "Rain" is out for another trial in Australia. Yvonno Baijvard has the responsibilitv this. time of Sadie Thompson, supported by Jack Settle, Rohert Graliam and Richard Bellairs, and after a week at Newcastle the company has moved on to Brisbane. They also have "The Barter" in the repertory. * * Ada Reeve, _ tlie famous vaudeville and x-evue artist, will soon appear in drama. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., has announeed that Miss Reeve would be seen with Leon Gordon in the production of F ra 11k. Vosper's "jMurder 011 the Second FJoor,'.' . Avhich will lxe stagecl after the run of "Bx-ewster's Millions" in Melbourne. • TJiree .Jxrand new songs have been written for "Tlie Shannons of Broadway," now nearing coxnpletion at Univex'sal Citv, with Mr arid Mi's Jimmy Glcasbn. The titles aro "Someone to Love Me."_ "Get Happ.v," and "Liviug ~the Life of Riley." They were writtcir by Ray Ivlages and Jess Greer, and will be puhlished by the Roherts Musio Corporation. » ' * Laura La Plante " will be co-stai-red with Jolxn Boles in the special production of - "La Marseillaise," wliich Carl. Laemmle," jnr., 'is preparing at, TJniversal City. Dr. Paul Fejos will direct. So far Lucien ■ Littlefield and James Marcus are the only members of the cast selected. * # ti . Alax-ie Burke has accepted an offer made to her by Edward Laurillard of one of the prineipal roles in the re- , vival of "The Student Prince," which J he is presenting at the Piccadilly I Theatre, Loiidon, soon. Miss Burke is | to portroy the role of the px-incess, in j u-lnch Adele Crane. appeax-ed hex-e. I british Fiffis' : Itx Australia, according to the Londoii..DaiIy Telegrradi, .where British filnis in quota pi'oportions"-are: i-equired to_.be -shown, the exhibitoi* gets around tliig so that he "can show the Americaii 'films by projecting" tlie quota films beiore or . after the main pi'ogx*amnxe. At tliose txmes the pxctures are shown at such a speed -4lxat the audience . knows ■ Jittle of what- is in then^ \ . •»!

"COQUETTE" BOOED. Talking film- have had the rnost unexpected oi all results says the London Daily Mail. They have made the silent public vocal, even to the extent of booing their old favourite Mary Pickford, wlxose first talking film, "Coquette," is now 011 generaf exliibition, with disastrous results to Marv's screen reputatiou. It is tlie first time in her screen caroer of uearly twonty years that LMiss Pickford has received "ihe hird." Manv exhibitors who have shown the film coniplnin of had "husiness with it. it will bo rcmemhered that "Cof|uetle" Itnd Ihe same experience in Hamilton recently, heing withd rawn after ihe first night audience had ricli'euled it. Wanganui wcnt one better and didn't show it at all, although it was advertised widelv. ASTOUNDING FIGURES. Salarics of actors, espccially those employed in musical pieces, liave gone to astounding iigux'es (says an Ameri-c-an paper). The Astaires, for instance, Adele and Fred, dancers, have been Gugnged at 7000 dollars per week. W. C- Fiekls gets 6000 dollars to clown in "Vanities." Marilyn Miller is another of the 6000^dollar bahies. Jack Donab u e gets 5500 - dollars for dancing in 'Carry On," and Lily Damita, the lady of the plot, gets 3000 dollars per week for doing this, with 30,000 dollars put 111 esci'ow to secure her salarv for ten weeks, and 25,000 dollax-s paid to a film company to loan her for that period. GENERAL NOTES. * Marie Burke, well l'emembered here 111 "Wildfiower" and "Katja," is appeai ing in Edwai'd Laui'illai-d's x'evival of "The Student Princc" at the Piccadilly Theatre, London. ^ £ In the prize ring sequenc-es of "Hold Everything," the Yitaphone production that Warner Brothers are making of the musical stage production, George Carpentier will box Tony Stahenau. * * * The first to welcome Ada Bcevo when she arrived in Melbourne to com-i mence rehearsing -with Leon Gordon was Gus Bluett, who made his first big success wlien appearing with . Ada Reeve- in "Aladdin" at His Arajesty's, :Sydney. * :fc ^ AT -Jolson, star of "The Singing Fool," has a, wife. Her stage nanxe is Rubv Keeler. She is a clever dancer. and before her marriage was one of _ the stars of the "Ziegfeld Follies." Tliss Keeler was seen in a clever tapdancing number in sound at the Grand Theatre this week, on the "Speakeasy" programme. * * * Mr and Mrs Douglas Fairbanks are visiting Tndia. Tlie ruling Prince of the great province of Mysore has oreranised an elephant hunt for them. This will he the only stopover on the world tour they_ are making, hut they hope to get an idea for their next picture out of it. Thev nlan to be back in Hollywood- with the heginning of the New Year. THEATRE BOOKJNGS NAPIER. Januarv 4 and 6. — Napier "Bluebiras." January 16 and 17. — Hawke's Bay' Wool Brokers. Fehruaiy 1. — Napier Boxing Association. February 25. — Hawke's Bay Wool Brokers.