1938-04-26 — Page 6

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1998,

FOR THE COCKTAIL HOUR

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Including eleven new dance records and an interesting selection of vocal & instrumental recordings.

Ask for a copy of the supplement.

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Chater Road.

York Building

Music hath charms

Sunday Classical Concert.

at Repulse Bay Hotel

Under leadership of

Geo. Pio-Ulski

Programme for Sunday, May 1, 1938

1 p.m.-2.30 p.m. PROGRAMME

1. Alessandro Stradella. Ouverture. Flotow.

Ricordo

2.

.Narciso.

3. Goldsmith's Daughter. Waltz .....Feiras.

4. Serenade Melancolique

5. Traviata. Selection

6. Marka

7. Ballet Exypilen

also

WEEKLY DINNER

DANCES EVERY

WEDNESDAY

9.00 p.m. to 1.00 a.m.

For Reservations please

'phone. 27775

Repulse Bay Hotel

.Tschaikowsky.

.Verdi.

.Glinka.

Luigini,

HONG KONG Hotel GARAGE!

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The Films You GRIN AND BEAR IT

Like To See

By

The Man Who Picks Them ARTHUR W. JARRATT of Gaumont-British

I

T is my job to find film entertainment--to pick

How do I set about it?

Golden Rule. No. 1 is never to under-rate the intelligence of the public. If a picture is unpopular you can be sure it is bad.

Rule No. 2 is to remember al- ways that the public will not be lectured. If an entertaining film carries a moral that is all to the good. But no audience will accept a lecture for the lecture's sake.

As for as films are concerned, there is one West End for week-

Hongkong Hotel days and another for Sundays,

Stubbs Rd.

Garage

Phone 27778/9.

The

Thongkong Telegraph.

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1938.

FOR THOSE WHO FORGET

and neither is the West End of the street maps.

On weekdays, audiences in West End cinemas. come mainly from the districts west and north of Piccadilly and they ap preciate most the fast, wise- cracking, crazy comedies.

They like any well-made comedy or molodrama, but they are not keen on ordinary Western dramas, dialect films, back-stage: stories, and musical films.

No Clue

ON Sundays the West

End moves round to

same

The subject of this article the East. Audiences then come from an area north of the cannot be guaranteed as being Thames as far cast as Bow. either interesting or instructive,

And the strange characteris- yet it is something which touches tic of these Sunday filmgoers is to a lesser or greater degree that their reactions give no cluc almost every one of Hongkong's audiences-even weekly audi- to success or failure with other residents; and more particularly ences attending the the European population. It is cinemas. that affliction known to many, North London likes fast-mov- admitted by a few, "Hongkong ing films, especially of the gang- Memory,"

ster or G-Man type. But this It may

be indi-

holds good only until we get genous to this Colony, so to north of Harringay, where wel speak; or it may be that climatic strike the same sort of audience and other conditions combine to

find nearly everywhere as we south of the Thames. nourish it here and that it is no In these outer suburban areas, more than a manifestation of the the British type of film is most Bame mental inertia which popular, occurs elsewhere, notably in the Spring. In any event, there is no denying its existence, and even its utility; for it has served

Now what about the Pro- before now as an excuse for a vinces? In the main we can say broken dinner date. As far as south of Nottingham is like can be ascertained none of the South London, and the northern counties like North London. But great scientific minds of the age

there are notable exceptions. has tackled this rather fascinut- York and Harrogate, for in- ing problem, although Freud and stance, follow South London's Jung have made dilettante tastes. reference to similar complaints. It is therefore time the thing was examined.

North London understands and likes American slang. South London does not like it, and does not wish to understand it..

Lancashire and Yorkshire in general are magnificently loyal to their own stars. If you send them what you think the finest It not suggested that when they can

film in the world on a week sec a Gracie "Hongkong Memory" is al Fields or a George Formby you disease, exactly. It may very will be asking for trouble. well be a symptom of some phy: On Danger List sical disability, however, and} perhaps can help the medical

FIND that I

those en- gaged in heavy or

man to arrive at {1 correct arduous work incline to follow diagnosis. It is sometimes North London in its liking for chronic and apparently is one of (Continued on Page 5.) the results of excessive use of alcohol, though it is not a proof responsible advisers around our of over-indulgence. It may be Emperor" (loud criés of

among

a result of physical fatigue or Irresponsible')-to speak of worry, or it may be due to irresponsible advisers. Pardon unconscious repression. In a the lapsus linguae. "This con- form well-known to journalists fused utterance was naturally

followed by and public speakers, it frequent-Bulow's hearers. It may be

hilarity ly results in inability to remem- that the mind of such a speaker, ber a word or a name. And like the mind of a writer, runs since, at this stage of treat-on before his words; that he ment the subject approaches the speaks, actually, in, a sort of

having realm of psychopathology, it recitation,

instantly might not be amiss to consider memorised a sentence framed in the mind, and that while he is the relationship between "Hong-speaking his brain is reeing, on kong Memory" and the mental to find new words and arrange and physical atates which induce them in propor order. Even so, lapsus linguae, or in-every-day the error is a sign of mental language, slips of the tongue. weariness, and of the samo That there is a close relation-category ne that of the Hong ship seems certain. It was the kong man who droopingly mur- former

murs to the bar-boy: "I think Gorman Chancellor, I shall have a abishkey-woda Prince Bulow, who fell into one mean a whishky-oh, a high- of the most embarrassing tongue ball."

traps when defending his EmThis Information is not likely peror in 1907. "Concerning the to do anyone very much good. present, the now epoch of The whole article is typical of the products of minds afflicted Emperor Wilhelm II, I can only with subt of one anoto

By Lichty

Linity

Cape. 1934 by Wilied' l'enlaire syntiinta, Lan

"Every night this week it's been dinners, banquets, flances, stay parties-when will we spend a quiet evening at home?”

QUOTATION FOR TODAY

ONE of the greatest lessons of life is to learn not to do what one likes, but to like what one does.

BLACK.

THE "VERY IDYA"

BRINGING UP THE PROBLEM CHILD

By Eddie "Pop" Kelly THE amab'e zot measles and the headache is sick in bed with the dog'(the animat occupies the bed, with, her) And

busy

we've been, so

tier) and we've been so busy lately minding the baby that we haven't had time to give you those swimming · Écssons we promised you.

WE find that minding the

baby is the most difficult part of our job. Washing. the dishes is easy, for we re- ceived so many for wedding presents that we have auf- ficient reinforcements. for those already in the kitchen sink to avoid unnecessSTY

menial tasks until the amalı is well again.

We don't really know who that kid takes after. It must be his mother. We're sure it's not us. Mind you, he's a dear Uttle thing, but the temptation to wring his neck does prove terride ni

nt times, And the muck he lives on,

cuits. Gruel, and stuff like that. That was his official menu, but when he found out how to open the refrigerator, he was able to vary it a little.

Warmed up milk and soggy bis-

A bit of raw chop, followed by half a pound of butter, and the contents of the milk bottle poured over himself was just a sort of snack.

The headache used to call us into the bedroom and say in a weak, suffering voice (all put on, of course): "Is Willie nlright? What's he doing now? He's very quiet"

That's the sort of kid he is. If he isn't quiet, you im- medi»tely fuseet he's dead. Oh, well. Being married calls for a little celibation.

Goodbye

Gretna Green!

The Government will shortly introduce a Bill in the Commons to end "irregular marriages" at Gretna Green and elsewhere in Scotland.

Mr. Walter Elliot, Secretary for Scotland, announced this answering a question by Mr. David Kirkwood.

The Bill is not yet finally drafted, but it will end all forms of marriage in Scotland except :-

iu recognised Christian or Jewish places of worship alter

the ordinary calling of banns;

by a new form of civil wedding before officials to be instituted by the Bill. It will resemble English

Register Office marriage. Marriage of minors without consent of tlieir parents, and marriage""by" declaration "before" witnesses "will"be ended. All unauthorised people who profess to condver marriages such as Mr. Reunison, the Gretna "Blacksmith," will be penalised and put out of practice by the Bill,

RETNA GREEN. From St. Pancras or Euston 3173 miles. Map square 44. See Carlisle. About 6 week-day, 1 Sunday service. Ordinary single 64/2 a, 38/6_o. Monthly return 77/3 a, 5/6 c. Early closing Wednesday.

G

Not very romantic, the way the time-table looks at it, is it?

But Gretna Green is really a prosaic place. During the war £0,000,000 was spent on making It into a cordite-manufacturing centre where 24,700 people worked. The ruins remain in the fields around.

It might have become more important still If this munition

factory hadn't been sold up in 1924, Labour M.P.s wanted to make it into a vast peace-lime factory.

Now Gretna Green has come. into the news again-perhaps for the last time.

For 184 years Gretna Green has been the scene of "romantic" marriages.

Romantic? Well... it was only an Act of Parliament in 1754 which changed the venue of these "romantic" marriages.

It did so by making the inarrluge. of a minor illegal in England with- out consent of parents or guardian. Such marriages remained legal

are in Scotland-änd

still 50 to-day.

Before the Act of 1754 minors had contracted hideaway" wed- dings with their lovers in the Fleet Prison of London.

Afterwards they started. those long drives in post-chaises to the Scottish border, with furious parents in pursuit and the trim mings of tawdry romance.

Grotna hnd, replaced "The Fleet"

And so the English built up Gretna Great as the very marrow

i

But Mr. Rennison doesn't worry. "My smithy mill still be one of the most famous places in the country." he told the Daily Herald" last night when told of the new Bl

Mr. David Macintosh, the rival marriage practitioner at Gretna, says he will carry on unta, the

Bil becomes law."

"It is a plly," he added.

#

dings Look place between run- aways from England. At Lamber-. ton Toll, on the East coast, just across the border from Berwick- at Coldstream on-Tweed, and nearby, the same thing happened:

for years,

In 1850 Lord Brougham's Act was passed and one' party of the marriage was required to have thice weeks' residential qualifien- tion in Scotland.

The other places went out of business," "Only Gretna had the staying power to survive the blow and the sense to turn the Scottish

of roinahes for runaway lovers,wedding into a racket.

Gretna, you see, was the first village across the border into Beat land on the main besting-road from London to Glasgow, by way

was not hadt Carls) ©. SERIES we only place where ? irregular

The bláčkaitin's shop was the idea of a Gretna farmer callos Macklers and he bought

THE HONGKONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS, LTD.peat what I said a year ago, The best remedy for this

that it would be unfale and un- decrepit mental atate is that Just to speak of a coter of quiet.

ago the buildings, now known÷68;£ło

Chitok kurum and the mick

and are

The Blacksmith's Shop'at that time was certainly occupied by a blacksmith, but he ran the Gretna Estate businesa.

Mackie bought him out, turned the shop Into a museum with a room for marriages.

He

led his "museum ** with relics. Twelve of these so-called relics are fakes, and since they were all bought after 1000 nobody thinks much of the rest either.

The Blacksmith's Shop idea comes, It is believed, from a

more

Gretaa public house which had an anvil as its sign and at which mar- ringes had taken place formerly.

Mackie mado about £1,500 m year performing marriages and selling souvenirs worth than 3.000 to-day, remember.

Mackie's successor at The Shop is Richard Rennison, Before 1927 he bad been a saddler in England. Bince then, describing himself prlest" on the so-called mar- riage certificates. Rennison, still not a blacksmith, has managed to make as much as £3,000 in one year.

119

☆

Last year a Scottish Office com- mittce reported against any more Gretna marriages. The new Gov- ernment Bill flows from this report.

The committee based its case un two main grounds.

One was that so much doubt and mlsery have been subsequently experienced by the foolish young couples in their mistaken" roman- tic behaviour,

The other was that though the marriage ceremony itselt a legal and binding in Scotland it is not legal unless followed by registra- tion in

proper form. Unless this registration is made it in't easy to prove or deny the marriage afterwards.

The Greine anvil marriages are known as marriages de presenti. All any couple needs do lo to say they will, have two witnesses there to hear them and that's enough.

They need offer no proof of resi- dential qualification. The," black- smith "naks if they are qualified and la bound, to accept no more than their word for it.

If the residential qualification is in fact watertight, the marriage is worthless unless unmediately registered at Dumfries Sheriff's Court

Only one in four Gretna mar riages la thus registered,

And, that's when the trouble starts when work la found for magistrates, probation omoors and blackmallbre

Let. Gretna Green be what 10 ought to be to the rest of the world name in the time-table.

Today's Thought -

MUST marry 1258 viri frat bau and ask his consent after.. wards RES