Thursday,
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
March 23, 1939.
Father Disguised His Girl As
Boy And Reported Her Missing
Ruse to Bring Wife Back-It Succeeded
· REUNITED with his wife who had parted from him, *36-year-old Mr. Richard Goddard, a Southwark wireless engineer and father of three children, told recently how he came to hide his nine-year-old daughter Sylvia after cutting her hair and dressing her in boy's clothes.
Earlier in the day a summons accusing him of ill- treating and neglecting the child had been dismissed by the Tower Bridge magistrate, Mr. Bernard Campion.
Goddard, by hiding the girl and then reporting her to the police as missing, hoped the publicity would bring his wife back
to him.
....
Mrs. Winifred Williams, of ill-treatment, but I think that is a Tollington Road, Holloway, in whose most unfair suggestion. boarding house Goddard placed the
child, dressed as a boy, said in court; "The police, knew I was already "The child told me that his name worried about my wife, and when I was Cyril Gillell. I understood all reported Sylvia missing they came to the time that the child was a boy.ce me, Then they found some of The child was clean, well kept and clothes in the fat that I had said not a bit
Sylvia was wearing. So I told them the whole story,
nothing out of
I could get
LOST WIFE AND JOB Goddard, sitting in his flat in the Borough High Street, said:
"My wife went away early in November and then I lost my job and was terribly worried.
children-the
three
othér
**The two are Ronald, aged 6, and Dorothy, aged 4-were taken care of by the L.C.C., but my mother was going to take Sylvia and I got her back.
"Then the Idea came to me that if Sylvin was reported missing there
"I have had a week in prison. Still, It has been worth it, for my wife back with me now.'
Divorce Law Reform Likely
Begun by "The Drum
Selon Morgrave writes:
Success of British films in the United States began, with "The I Drum," starring Sabu.
I HAW "The Drum" in London in the
company of a famous American film producer, who said to me, "Maybe, It is all right for your local market, but It is not up to our Hollywood stand- ard,
The Bimgoing public of the United States has since proved- him hopelessly wron
But what put British films in news- selection by the New York dlm critics paper headliness was the unanimous of "The Citadel" as the best, film made in any studio-American British-In
036.
WARNER'S PLANS
ог
"The Mikado," I predict, will send American audiences into ecstasles,
Already there is reaction in Holly- wood. Walter Wyndham, cabling from Hollywood, Bald lead- American producera are speeding up plans to produce first- rank films in London.
in
Warner Studios in Hollywood are discussing an early entry into super- ts, flm production in their British stu- dios at Teddington. First film to be made with an American star would be, "We Are Not Alone," with Ana- tole Litvak as director.
It is understood that the Attorney-
Keneral and the Solicitor-general are would be a greal search for her divorce law in order to remedy a de- considering legislation to amend the the police. The police would ask
feet which has been discovered in Causes Act of 1937.
the Prese to publishi reports, and iny Mr. A Herbert's Matrimonial
wife, seeing these, would return.
"So I found lodgings for Syivla in Holloway. To prevent the inndlady
a
being suspicious when the fact that nine-year-old girl was missing was made public. I dressed Sylvia as a boy.
GAVE HER A "SHINGLE"
Before a petition for divorce on the
ground of insanity can be presented, the patient concerned must have been for at least five years "under care and treatment" as defned by the English Lunacy Acts.
No mention is made In the Act, however, of the Scottish Lunacy Acts, and certification in Scotland therefore does not count.
"I went out and bought the clothes for her-it has cost me pounds one way and another. First I told her my scheme to help me find her mother.
Corisequently petitioners for I told her to be careful, and not let anyone find out she was not a boy. divorce in England whose partners
This would be followed by "The Knight and the Lady" with Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth and Errol Flynn as Sir Walter Raleigh.
Film Will Have
No Heroine WOMEN will play only minor
roles in the film which Herbert Wilcox is to make of the life of Lord Kitchener.
There will be no heroine, There was no woman in Kitchener's life and the flm will be kept to facts.
Herbert Wilcox is now on his way to Hollywood to sign up the star for the title role. It is thought this will be Ronald Colman.
The first
irst part of the production will be done in the spring at the
The story
studios.
A LILY-LADEN BRIDE with her gossamer veil blown by the breeze and a bunch of lies in her hand, Miss Noel Murray made a delight- ful picture as she arrived at Savoy Chapel for her recent marriage
to Surgeon Lieut.-Comii: ander Louis Corbett.
N
British Players For British Films
London.
"Although it has been sald 1 cuture in Scottish asylums cannot obtain j.Denham will be written by Sir ▲ effort is to be made by manyvision
her hair, I did not cut it very short. their freedom.
What I gave her was shingle. The law officers, have agreed that #1 particularly object to the fan alteration in the law is necessary,
Gaumont British and Bairil Tele. officials decided recently, of the British Film Companies to after the success of the reception in! Robert Vansittart, the chief diploma-utilise the talents of British actors cinemas of the Doon-Dauahar fight tic, adviser to the Government, St and actresses to the maximum ex-television broadcast, to go ahead with! nccusation that I ill-treated her but it is not possible to say when | Robert hus already done a great deal
tent. Plans for this proposal have the production of television appara- was told that cutting her hair was a new Bill will be introduced.
of research work.
already been put in hand by Para- tus to be installed in 380 cinemas.. mount Pictures who announce that At the Baird factory at Sydeuhani they have spent several weeks view over 17,000 square feet of floor space ins
tests of young British players. are to be added. Mr. Isidore Ostrer, Thoy are convinced that there is
chairman
of the Gaumont British wealth of material in this country Picture Corporation is reported to which, properly exploited, would re- have said that a Gaumont British sult in the establishment of a large omcial in New York is negotinting number of front-rank atars with with well known people to visit this ability, personality and drawing country and appear in future tele-
the equal
of any in the vision broadcasts. The Bont-roce, world. This is good news although for which the D.B.C. are making there has always been a tendency in riaborale plans, and the Cup Final this country to rely too much on stage actors and actresses. After all are two events likely to be televised if Hollywood-cun-take-a-raw-product. like, for instance, Sonja Henle, and make her into a star and an actress,
ucer.
rotective Food
Butter.
There is no effective substitute for Good We cannot have too much of it. Particularly it enables young children to thrive and grow and be full of energy and power to resist disease and cold. Butter is a vital food substance; you
should therefore use only the best.
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AUSTRALIAN BUTTER
power
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FIGHT TELEVISED
There is no doubt the televising
It is.up to our Film Producers to of the Boun-Danahar fight hos mark- look elsewhere as well as to the stage ed a declded step forward in tele- for new talent.
vision. People are now asking how television will affect the cinema and the theatre. There seem to be two schools of thought-those who des-: older entertainments,
Although we praise most French films, apparently the French do not always praise us to the same extent. A reporter of the Glasgow Herald pair for the
and those who recall the some dis- writing on French Views on British Films from Paris specifically men- mal prophecies of ruin were nude The opt- tions the French views of the Citadel. when the talkcles arrived.
Their chief criticism of this film, it mists say people who like going into
19
is pointed out is that no mention is the air to watch the sporting events made of the time given by specialists will always do so, television or no to the poor and needy in the hos- pitals, although they agree that the ln is, the best Imported one they have had for some time.
ACADEMY'S AWARD
television. However, it is a world of adjustment, and by experience we are learning quick adjustment, and no doubt, there will be plenty of room for television and any other new
· entertainment which comes along. has After all other entertainments have Mr. George Bernard Show been given the annual award of the survived the wireless, so they are Academy of Motion Picture Arts and likely to survive television. Sciences for the year's best written There are no very outstanding screen play "Pygmalion." Mr. Lips-nims this week. "Gunga Din" at the comb, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Dalrymple, Caumont, is damned with faint who collaborated in the film version, praise, and is described by one critic have been given separate awards. ns a cross-eyed marioncilisis tale of Other nwards have been given to Miss the North West Frontier. It is Bette Davis for her work in "Jezebel"
tremendously amusing and exciting and Mc. Spencer Tracy, for his per- if you can believe. I, but mony formance in Boys' Town," for
the
GANSTER FILM
best performance by an actor and people won't. betress respectively. Miss Davis won this award in 1038 for her net- ing in the Alm "Dangerous" and Spencer Tracy won last year for
it
Gangster fins are still with us and this week at the Plaza, we can seu "Persons in Hiding." It is, however, is part in "Captains Courageous, excellent of its kind, based on a book
The outstanding pleture of the by J. Edgar Hoover, head year was "You Can't Take it With America's G. men, J. Carol Naish You." It is the third picture direct-1 effective, If hardly attractive ed by Frank Capra to gain this dis- enough, as the gunman, and Lynne tinction. Frank Capra won the Overman has the best part of his award for the year's best achieve career as a nonchalant
G. man. meni in directing for his work on There is a superb performance by ils Alm. The authors of "Boys" newcomer, Patricia Morison, who is Town," Dore Schary and Eleanor likely to be very quickly a new Grinn, won the award, for the best stor. She is dark, silm and lovely, original motion picture story. Walt and invests the siren with a beauti Disney received a special award for fui, sinister distinction and all the his "Snow White and the Seven effortless fascination cf the born Dwarfs, while special awards went destroyer of insa, also given to Deanna Durbin and Mickey Rooney us the best juvenile players.
AN INTERESTING PLAN
good
Jessie Matthews is in a comedy called "Climbing High" at the Empire. A wild tale is kept. moving, the slapstick should be An Interesting plan for co-ordinat- popular, and Carol Reed's direction; ing different branches of the British as always, hos ingenious touches. film-producing industry has been Horride aims are evidently return- evolved by Mr. Bryan Wallace, the ing. Boris Karloff has come back
and
Edgar con of:
In "Son of
at the of Frankenstein" scenario writer
Karlof Wallace. He proposes to call a con- Leicester Square Theatre. ference of the principal Associations is the monster, and Basil Rathbone is connected with the Alm industry. Frankenstein's son. It is another The object is to obtain co-operation orgy of murder, distortion
and and co-ordination" belween the sadistic Borror that ends in the mon- various groups, and to execute any ater being pushed into boiling sul- plan on which the committee máy phur. One critic remarks that for agree. It is hoped eventually to him the picture lacked charm. widen its scope until It represents hardly think "charm is the term to the entire production Industry, deribe any horrific picture.
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