1934-12-22 — Page 5

1

#

Page

"TILLIE AND GUS" JOAN BLONDELL

Coming To The King's

Somewhere in the world, in 2. private collection or on the duty shelves of a secondhand book store. there is a book that Alison Skip- worth would pay a lot of money to own once more.

`IN "DAMES

23

"

"Coming Soon To

The Alhambra

Although he is never seen po the silver screen, there is a man in Hollywood whose fan mall is greater than that of most popular actors.

His name is Busby Berkeley. creator extraordinary of the sen-

In fact, after thirty years. the Paramount actress now featured in "Tillie and Gus" with W. C. Fields and Baby LeRoy, coming on 8un-sational ensembles, the latest of day to the King's Theatre is still searching for it,

The volume is Oscar Wilde's *The Happy Prince," with S.N epigram across the fly-leaf penned by the author himself to the ac- tress forty years ago,

The epigram, an Miss Skipworth "remembers.it, reads: "Advice to a bride: Never worry over trifies and still less over serlous matters. It is impossible to exaggerate the unimportance of everything."

"For years I kept the volume among my prized possession," Miss Skipworth said.

"Several times collectors offered many thousand pounds for Et, due to the fact the epigram was one of the few un- published pieces of Wilde's writ- ings.

which are seen in the Warner Bros gantic musical comedy special which comes soon to the Alhambn Theatre.

From the four corners of the earth comes these letters from: young hopefuls who want to be "Berkeley Beauties," Berkeley discourages the girls from coming to the movie capital

Since Berkeley soared to fame with his enchanting ensembles in "43nd Street," "Gold Diggers of 1933." "Footlight Parade," "Fas- hions of 1934" and "Wonder Bar" his fan-mail has been stea- dily increasing until now receives more than each week.

itself

he

200 letters

Berkeley's specialty numbers in "Dames" are said to surpass any- "About the time Daniel Froth-thing he has yet done. The story man brought me to America to make my singing debut, the book disappeared. Whether it was lost or stolen I never discovered."-

Book collectors and book stores in two continents have been noti- fed by Miss Skipworth's agents that a liberal reward for the book's return will be paid and no ques- tions asked.

In her latest picture, "Tillie and Gus," Miss Skipworth returns to the company of W. C. Felds with whom she scored such a bril- lant success in the "Road-Hog" episode in the picture, "If I had a Million." This time ane and Fields play the roles of Tile and Gus Winterbottom, a pair of psalm- singing, nimble-fingered Card- sharps. She's in Shanghai, he's in Rome when news comes of the death of her brother.

She and Gus travel to the States. meet in Frisco, decide to team up to see what they can loot-out öf the estate of their departed re- lative. They arrive on location, meet their niece, her husband and

son fall in love with the kid, ind discover that a crooked lawyer had cleaned out the estate. They de- cide to cheat the cheater and do so. thoroughly.

CHINESE PLAY IN ENGLISH

is a hilarious comedy romance with an all star cast headed by Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Za8u Pitts, Guy Kibbee and Hugh Herbert."

Ray Enright directed the plc-. ture from the story by Robert Lord and Delmer Daves. ''

BALKING LIONS

The

ROUSED

Raw Beefsteak Irresistible

director's cry. "Action" means nothing to llons, before a motion picture camera, but a most effective method of getting the beasts into action has been found. One merely dangles a side of beef before the cage of the jungle king and then-instantly-there is more real action "than any motion picture director hopes for.

This interesting' manner of pro- ducing action came into use dur- ing the filming of Joe B. Brown's latest First National picture, "The Circus Clown which comes to the Alhambra Theatre on Christmas Day.

The company was on location at the Al G. Barted circus winter quarters near El Monte, Calif., and Joe was to be photographed before one of the cages containing the lons." Director Ray Enright didn't like the background of sleeping llons and a circus attendant step-

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1934.

TO-DAY

ONLY.

AT

2.80.5.10.7.16 & 9.30 P.M.

KINGS

WILD! WEIRDI. WICKED!

BLACK

KARLOFF and, BELA LUGOSI

In a story suggested by EDGAR ALLAN POE

TREASURE ISLAND

CAT

With David Manners, Jacqueline Wells, Lackle Lund, Henry Ammetta. Produced

by Carl Laemmle, Jr. Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Presented by Carl Laemmlz.” A UNIVERSAL PICTURE

The Pirate Classic At The Queen's

Wallace Beery and Jackle Cooper united again as a screen team. Such is the cinematic pleasure offered in "Treasure Island" famous Robert Louis Stevenson pirate classic opening to-day at the Queen's Theatre."

The powerful heart appeal of this combination of man and boy that stirred millions with "The Champ" and recently Bowery" has never been presented with more dramatic intensity than in the pirate story.

As Long John Silver, ferocious sea raider, Beery is chosen as a friend by young Cooper portraying Jim Hawkins, boy adventurer. Their experiences together during the search for treasure are packed with thrill and pathos that. bring Rasps and tears to everyone who see them,

BEST-DRESSED WOMAN IS ENGLISH

Hollywood,

A list of the ten best-dressed women in the world has been drawn up by Adolphe "Menjob, re-- pated to be Hollywood's best-dress- ed film actor.

He begins by stating that he has not chosen his wife. Verree Teas- dale, one of Hollywood's smartest women, for fear of appearing pre-. judiced.

Then he makes the following selection:-

Lady Alexandra Metcalfe.. Mrs. Wellington Koo. Mrs. Clark Gable, Miss Kay Francis, Miss Joan Bennett. Mrs. Reginald Fellowes, Mme. Schiaparelli. Mrs. Harrison

New York),

Williams (ot

"BOOKING

AT THE THEATRE TR No. 25813 26332

TO-MORROW „ON THE SCREEN

TILLIE ANDGUS

A Paranand Planers welli

W-C-FIELDS

Alison SKIPWORTH BABY L.ROY"

ON THE STAGE

WAN WAN SAN

CHINESE ENSEMBLE

THE MERRY WIDOW

Coming Soon To The Queen's

4

Resplendent in its strikingly beautiful settings and costumes, alled to the brim with sly, 'Ingra tiating humqur, telling a romantic tale that cannot fail to delight every onlooker, and echoing the never-to-be forgotten melodies of Frans Lehar, "The Merry Widow" is scheduled for early release at the Queen's Theatre as one of the most glorious film treats ever offered by the Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer studios.

With a cast that could not be Improved upon and the superb

Mrs. Isabel Dodge-Sloane "(of direction of Ernst Lubitch this

New York)...

Mrs. Earle, C. "Anthony (of Los

Angeles),

..

In giving the reasons for his choice, Adolphe Menjou says Lady Metcalfe is an example of the per- fectly dressed Englishwoman and Te-bring this, most widely read Mrs. Wellington Koo, wife of the of all adventure stories to the Chinese Minister in Paris, is one screen Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has of the few really "chic" women in assembled one of the most notable the world, casts of the year for supporting role with Beery and Cooper.

Lionel Barrymore is ideal as the blustering and bullying old Billy Bones, who finally dies of heart fallure when given the "blackspot" by the pirates. His makeup is es- pecially interesting and is one of the most startling he has ever at- tempted.

Ben Gunn, who Ands treasure while marooned on the island, is played with bilarious

comedy: touches by Charles "Chic" Sale: Nigel Bruce adds English bluster. and vigour to the role of Tralawney tiny Sue Collins provides joyful and charming interest for Jackle Cooper in early sequences.

1

picture floats' along like a bubble of merriment to tell its story of the debonair prince and the be witching widow whom he waltzes away to romance arild the noc- turnal delights of gay Vienna and Piris...

Maurice Chevaller and Jean- nette MacDonald have never en- joyed greater triumph. They sing the Lehar songs as they have never been sung before, back-

TO-DAY AT THE CINEMA

KING'S —

HONG KONG

"The Black 'Gat". «QUEEN'S:—

"Treasure Island”

ORIENTAL

"She' Learned About Sailors"

יד

- KOWLOON

ALHAMBRA:-

"Mickey Mouse Silly Sym-

phony'!

MAJESTIC-

"Manhattan Melodrama"

KING'S:-

Sunday

"Tillie and Gus”

QUEEN'S:

"Treasure Island"

MAJESTIC:-

"Manhatten Melodrama”

ALHAMBRA

"Mickey Mouse Silly Sym-

phony"

ORIENTAL

"Viva Villa"

4 SHOWS

DAIL

$305.13 735-8.30

MAJEVITIC

SASTHEATRE Nathan Road Kowloon. Tel. 57222}} TO-DAY TO MONDAY At 2.80, 5.20, 7.20 & 9.20.P.M.

Clark GABLE Within POWELL 3 Wiljina LOY MANHATTAN MELODRAMA

SPECIAL X'MAS PROGRAMME

"STAND UP

CHEER" AND

TAKE ANY THAN OR HAPPY VALLEY SUB-

ORIENTALE

LAST 4 TIMES TO-DAY

DON'T MISS THIS

EXCELLENT COMEDY.

SHE

LEARNED ABOUT SAILORS

EXTRA FEATURE “KRAKOTAO”

A RAGING VOLCANO.

FLEMING

ROAD WANGHAI TEL. ZHATS

STARTING TO-MORROW FEW DAYS ONLY WITH SPECIAL EXTRA

MORNING "SHOWS

AT 12 O'CLOCK

Vivi VILLA!

grounded by a magnificent sym-THE BLACK CAT" villian men, whose thirst for re-

phony orchestra. Una Merkel and

Barbier

the George

help, in humourous scenes and the - eye- filling dances and Albertina Rasch ballets are a joy to behold.

the "The Merry Widow" is grandest to come out of Holly- wood in a long long time.

(Special Air-Mall, Service)

London, Nov. 30. We have seen from time to time in the London theatre plays pro-ped forward to remedy the defect. duced in the Chinese manner. He attached a large piece of raw "The Yellow Jacket" and "The steak to a pitchfork and waving it ] Circle of Chalk" .cccur to the back and forth near the rungs of

Captain Smollett who commands Dozens of well known character mind. Such plays, however, have the cage, soon had all the animals the ship Hispantola on the treasure players also distinguish themselves with full faith from the Steven In spirited action. The sequence cruise, is played with conviction by in the cast including William V.

son original by John Lee Mahin. was promptly photographed with Lewis Stone. Otto Kruger's force-Mong, Charles McNaughton," Ed- Victor Fleming, who has filmed the "action background" workingful personality adds strength to the mund Breese, Douglas Dumbelle, such adventure Dims as “Around perfectly.

character of Dr. Livesey, who pro- Charles Irwin, Richard Powell and the World In 80 Minutes" and

James Burke.

"Rendezvous" and others, deserves The epirit of breathless adven-congratulations for his fine Job of ture in the story has been adapted direction.

been Western imitations. -

The delightful new play at the Little Theatre. Lady Precious Stream," has a genuineness which they have lacked; for, it is writ- ten in English by Chinese author, 5. I. Hsiung, who has shared with Nancy Price the work of produc- tion.

The supporting, cast of the pic- vides medical attention for the ture includes Patricia Hills, Gordon | expeditions. Westcott, Dorothy Burgess, Donald

The whimsical and ... - half-mad. Dillaway, Charles Wilson and a scole of noted circus folk. The

Mr. Hsiung has gone to ancient | picture is based on the hilarious Chinese literature for his material, comedy by Bert Kalmar and Harry and his plot is one that has been

a world's favourite ever since "romantic tales were" first thought

of.

Ruby and directed by Ray Enright.

From the moment when Harold Precious Stream. third and Warrender, as the Honourable favourite daughter of Prime Reader-a character who acted as Minister Wang. Is the victim of a sort of interpreter between East one of those fatuous schemes by and West-began the entertain- which, in fairy-tales of all coun- ment-by wishing his audience an tries, fathers are accustomed to affable good afternoon, there was choose their daughters husbands. a happy spirit of "let's pretend”i But she is a girl of spirit, and ar- in the air. ranges that the young man who The Chinese conventions used catches the embroidered ball shall were those with which we have -be no unknown eligible, but the already been familiarised; butį bandsome young gardener, Hsten they were treated as a matter of Ping-Kuel

course. The property men were Wang casts her off, and poor fused not to create laughter but to Precious Stream has to starve in' help illusion. The humour which

a cave all by herself for 18 years pervaded the play came from the -for Hadeh Ping-Kuel has gone characters and the situations, for a soldier, and' her wicked brother-in-law, Gen. Wel, steals ber, separation allowance.

with only an occasional · laugh raised by Icss dignified means—sa when the Princess of the Western Happy Ending On"Grand Scale Regions sald in an aside to the

However, that 18 years are audience, "He's pulling my leg." nothing to the unhurried Chinese Maisie Darrell is an appealing↑ mind, and when Precious Stream's heroine, Roger Livesey an up- fortune turns it turns in good standing hero. Esmé Percy, An- earnest. Her gardener-husband draw Leigh, Morris Harvey, Mary comes back no less a man than Cassors, Vera Lennox, and Fahiz His Majesty the King of the Drake play other chter parts Western Regiona...

cleverly. But it la to Lontes This simple tale is told with the Hampton for her marvellous beautiful directness possible only make-up and perfect playing, as to a theatre where make-belleve the wise Madame Wang, that my ranks before realism

chief zalutations, must, ro,

SHOWING

TO-DAY

The Greatest Adventure Picture of Ail Time I

WALLACE

GULLN'S

BEERY

Treas

LIONEL -

Ar 2.80, 5.10,

7.20 & 9.30

P.M.

Matre Goldwyn-

· Mayer. Triumph

JACKIE

COOPER

nd

BARRYMORE

OTTO KRUGER, LEWIS STONE, NIGEL BRUCE CHAB (Uno)SALE

HUNDRED OTHERS.

Thriller At The King's

yenge upon each other leads them to make prey of a 'beautiful young girl.

How it all ends and which is the victor, supplies one of the

absorbing: strangest and all climaxes ever put into one picture, The supporting cast has, David Everyone remembers Edgar Ai

Manners and Jackqueline Well lan Poe's masterful tale, "The supplying the love Interest, and Black Cat. It was full of horror Egon Brecher: Anna Duncan, Ber- and terror and certainly not the man Bing, Lucille Lund and many kind of a story one would like to others. hear on a dark and stormy night. ''

The director is Edgar Ulmer, But Universal has come out

to this reviewer, but one new with its own version of "The Black Cat," showing at the King's

whose future work will be eagerly awaited. He knows his stage- Theatre. It was written by Peter Ruric, who took his inspiration from such masters as Rheinhart craft thoroughly, and learned it

from the Poe thriller.

ALHAMBRA

TO-DAY & TU-MORROW-

BIGGER-BETTER-NEWER

And for a couple-de-grace, there and F. W. Murnau in Europe. is "Frankenstein" and "Dracula? together for the first time, in other words, Karloff and Lugoal. There have been horror pictures thrillers, chillers and mystery pic- tures. But this one combines all the best elements of all of these, Together Karloff and Lugosi, com- bine their eerie talents and *: WALT DISNEY'S...... conspire to produce one of the

MICKEY MOUSE strangest, weirdest and terrorful pictures ever presented on A the

SILLY SYMPHONY

screen.

A Programme including It's not the anal, cut and

"The Big Bad Wolf' dried mystery horror picture. It is a veritable avalanche of human (A sequel to

448 Little Pigs ?!)< emotions run wild a demoniacal

"Eight Before rhapsody that is logical at all times,... einbracing characters you can “aní probably do mest in every day life somewhere in the world.

Karloff, the greatest delineator| of grotesque and monstrous characters on the screen since Lon Chaney, proves himself the "master he is at make-up In this Aim. “His realistic performance as Poelzig, the macabrish master of a ghostly

superbly done, Lugnat

himsel

as one

port

Christmas etc., etc.

Page 5Page 6