1940-04-16 — Page 3

Tuesday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

April 16, 1940.

| MAGAZINE PAGE

ENTERTAINMENTS

'CHIPS' SWEETHEARTS TO TEAM AGAIN

THE film folk are going nuts on classical music. And what they think is classical music. If it isn't Chopin, it's Schumann. If it isn't Beetho- yen, it's Brahms. I wouldn't be surprised if they got around to dear old Schubert again, the rate they're going.

Latest story to hand is that Louis B. Mayer in Hollywood plans to team gain the famous stars of "Mr. Chips"-Robert Donut and Greer Garson.

The film they are to do is to be ealled "Song of Love." It is the love story of Clara and Robert Schumana. Theirs was n great love story, coloured at the end by tragedy, for Schumann went mad.

Ho

THEY plan that Robert Taylor shall be in the picture, too. is to play Brahms. Now, Brahms was crotchety, bibulous, ugly, port- ly and small. He was rude unless he wanted to be charming, which was rarely, I think, apart from that, Robert Taylor is pretty good casting.

NOTHING recently seems to have been heard of Mr. Mayer's previous brain-wave, which was to muke Alm of the song "The Rosary," with Myrna Loy, Clark Gable and William Powell,

I'm wondering when sumebody wilt decide to do Handel's Largo, with Dorothy Lamour.

*

BIGGEST laughs that have been heard in einemas sluca war broke out have been caused by a little American programme pleture--n sort of junior Hardy family plc- ture, with William Frawley ng the Film is called, exasperated pop. "Stop, Look and Love."

And are the following faces red -Crazy Gang, George Formby, Will Hay, Lucan McShane, Askey, Mur- doch, Moore Marriott.

*

*

"SCATTERBRAIN" la Britain's top song just now.

Richard Greene-Virginia Fields. who announced that they would marry in Hollywood this month, now say they have deelded to wali a year.

"White Horse Inn" will be re- vived at the London Coliseum.

Another revival will be the serial famous wartime thriller

But "The Exploits of Elaine." only if they can find just the gal to be another Pearl White.

WHAT'S ON

KING'S: "It Could Happen to You."

ORIENTAL:

MAJESTIC:

Courageous."

"Junrez."

"Daughters

QUEEN'S AND ALHAM- BRA: "Tarzan Finds a Son."

It is a tale of how Jesus brought peace when the Jews revolted ngainst the Romans in A.D. 30.

Which commandment? Not one of the Sermon on the Mount: Thou Shult Love Thy Neighbour us Thyself."

An excellent idea. Producer Darryl Zanuck senses that the world is enger, just now, to hear again the old story of brotherly love.

But Power? Frankly, he is a mystery man to me.

He has built the Suez Canal, bcen

Marie Antoinette's lover, Jesse James,' the lud who saved Lloyd's of London.

But he had another part. He was Sonja Henic's Press agent In "Second Fiddle." The film was poor, but he was grond.

Frankly, Mr. Power is a light comedian first and other things a

afterwards. long way

I wish the they'd let him Addic while other actors take care of Rome burning.

SAME thing with MLADELEINE CARROLL. She has been snared by Cecil B. de Mille. And that guy certainly throws a mean lasso.

He has Birmingham's second- best citizen (first is Mr. Chamber- lain, of course) ridin' the Rockles with Frederic March in "North- West Mounted.”

And just as soon as he can pry her out of that high-backed saddle. she, too, is to go into a religious picture.

De Milic calls 14 "Queen of Queens." Miss Carroll is to be the Dietrich the first Mary and Mis. ollier one. I hope it works out

well.

So it will be six months before Miss Carroll can come home to be the society dame in "The Admir- able Crichton," which Paramount Society dames plan to do here. 19-are-her-long suit.

Looks like Charles Laughton settled in California for good. His next flm will be "Half a Rogue," whimsical story of a London bar- tender who is mistaken for the father of a Hollywood star.

REMEMBER Paulette God- dard was announced as Scar- lett in "Gone With the Wind," withdrow by agreement, and was replaced by Vivien Leigh?

A blow for any girl But Paulelle, once famous as a Charlie Chaplin leading lady, is now busy making herself into a star.

"All "No Scarlett," she suld. right. But I'm going to be Lou- pette." She is. What's more, she put in for the part unasked.

Acry Loupette,

French- the Cunadian girl in Cecil B, de Millie's Technicolour production "North- West Mounted Police" is one of the most sought-after feminine parts since "G.W.T.W.""

So Poulette shares starry hon- ours with Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, Robert Preston and Akim Tomiroff,

SHE had a hard struggle. Do Mulle wasn't interested.

"You don't quite look the port," he told her.

So Poulette had herself made up as Loupette, complete with bullwhip.

De Mille shook his head: "This part Calls for acting, for accent, for fire," he said. "It needs a Lenore Ulrich."

Paulclie called

Samuel up Kayser, noted acting coach. She learnt the part, mastering the French-Canadian dialect

She caught the exasperated Mr. de Mille again.

"Here," she said, thrusting -the. script into his hand, "you read Robert Preston's part and we'll do the scene together."

An hour Inter she had got it.

TYRONE Power, America's No. 2. star of 1939, gels his marching orders for 1940. He is to play lead in a flim called "The Great Com-

mandment,'

The delay has this one advan- toge. Mr. Leslie Howard may by

juls cut-. then be through with price "Hamlet," so that he can be butler to Miss Carroll,

Paramount announce four Brl- then "Crichton," tish pictures. "Knights of the Round Table" (with young DOUG FAIRBANKS as Sir Lancelot), the life of Barney Barnato, diamond klag, -and comedy to be called "What Hol"

Spotting the Rank

LIEUTENANT (E) SUB-LIEUTENANT MIDSHIPMAN (E)

(E)

Each of these ranks is dis- tinguished from the corres- ponding grado in the Execu- tivo branch by strips of purple cloth between, or alongside, the gold lace on the cuffs or great-coat shoulders of Licu- fonants and Sub-Lieutenants.

When the war broke out there were 358 Lieutenants (E), 94 Sub-Licutonants (E), Including 33 acting in that rank, and 121 Midshipmen

(E).

On the retired list thero word 156 Lioutonants (E), 105 Engineer-Lieutenants (a rank now superseded by the former), and 14 Sub-Liou- tonants (E) or corresponding ranks.

Until the rank of Sub-Lieu- tonant (E) is reached, those officers spend their time prin- elpally at the Royal Naval Enginooring College, Keyham,

Devonport.

1

At s03. Ligutonants and Sub-Ligutenants (E) may be

junior engine-room

Which reminds me to say that I don't think there is any form of entertainment I read more than a comedy called, "What Ho!" Unless it is a comedy called "Splash Me," Film titles are a great trouble to me. Mr. Howard's fim with Ingrid Mergman used to be called "Intermezzo," but It is now "Escape to Happiness."

It could be called "Hell Blog You Again," and I still wouldn't know what it is all about. I ke titles like "lunchback of Notre Dame" or "The Great Train Robbery." They let you know what's going on,

* ☆

TAKE ANN HARDING for in- stance. She is coming down from the Hollywood bill top she inhabits to stage a cereen come-back after two years. She partners Basil Rathbone.

In our last instalment, you will remember, we left her screaming at Mr. Rathbone in "Love from a Stranger." The new chapter is to be called "Destiny. All I know about a film with Harding and Rathbone called "Destiny" is that it depresses me.

GRIN AND BEAR IT

By Lichty

158

"Don't look now, Gaylord, but that woman over thero has a

torrible figura!"

How Holland

THE MOMENT the Gor- mans set foot on Dutch torri- tory, short, stout Mr. J. W. Alborda will be at the tale. phone to give the word "Flood!"

As Holland's Minister of Waterworks, Mr. Alberda- civil engineer before he enter. ed the Cabinet-controls the country's vast network of canals and waterways.

Hundreds-of-uniformed locks-and- sluice attendants are standing by, night and day, waliing for his word.

It will be the signal for them to pull an electric switch. Im- mense sluico' gotes will be raised by machinery. The water will. aush through to inundate large tracts of land,

Holland's waterworks are marvel of mechanical efficiency. Within twenty-four hours a sheet of water will lie in the path of the Invader.

While some of the sluices on rivers and canals are hand-operat- ed, the principal sluices are worked by electrlelty.

Time will be an important factor In the flood strategy-and no time will be lost by the Dutchman.

HOLLAND'S first line of defence is the River Yssel, near the German-Dutch fron- tier.

If resistance fails at this point. the Dutch Army, about 700,000 strong, will fall back to their main water line which is to Holland what the Maginot Line is to France

This stretches for more than eighty miles from Amsterdam, part Utrecht, south-west to the River Leit and the River Waal, then to Blesbosch on the River Mans,

Above and beyond the flooded lands, the important industrial centres of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, Utrecht, and Haarlem will remain intact.

In many parts of this low-lying region, the canals, enclosed in their banks, aro ten feet above the | level of the land. Flooding is thus

on easy procedure.

All the siuloo nilendants havo to do is to open the sluices, and raise the level of the canal water so that it overflows the banks on to the surrounding country.

Main artery of the water-line is the River Vecht, which flows into the Zulder-Zee, west of Amsterdam. It is fed by a network of cannis.

ís

Flooded

Both the stufces on 'the Vecht and the canals will be opened immedi- ately the danger signal is given..

SIMULTANEOUSLY hun- dreds of bridges, already mined in readiness, will be blown up. There are more bridges to the square mile in Holland than any other coun- try.

The water-line would be three, milen on an average in width, and the depth would vary from 18. Inches to 20 feet. Invaders will find it impossible to tell when they would pass from the shallows into the deep canals and ditches.

of

Already large stretches of tho country have been flooded as an

and hundreds emergency, homes are under water. More than 10,000 of the people who lived there have been evacuated.

And what has been done there in the last few weeks has been suf- barrier the cient to show what a water would be to

an invading army,

The Dutch military authorities have experimented with tanks in the drowned fields. The tanks have been hopelessly bogg d in the soggy, penty ground under the water.

"BETTER a drowned land than a lost land, cried WI- Ham the Silent in the sixteenth century, when the Spaniards mennced Holland.

Dykes were breached, the water came in and a great lake was aprend between the Dutch and their

enemy,

Water is a greater barrier to an army than it was in William the Silent's

mechanised

*time. For

forces the water-line would be im- passable. Even where the ground. fooked solid, it might be a death- trap mire for tanks and guns. For the water seeps

treacherously underneath.

To see the flooding of their land would be lieartbreaking to the Dutch. For centuries they have been fighting water,'ns each pol- den or strip of reclaimed land was won from the, sea.

FBy Jan

Van Elcen

But the Dulch urc rendy to undo the work of centuries and welcome an in- vasion by their ancient enemy if it serves to keep a worse enemy. out.

Much of the work of reclaiming the vast basin of the Zuider Zee would go by the board. Millions of pounds have been spent

in the last twenty years

on

in

cheme reclamation which was to have

051052. A dam long has been built as a barrier against the North Sea, and behind it thou- sands of acres have been drained and made useful, Thousands. of neres more remain to be drained.

compnty-six miles

TO reclaim flooded reclaim- ed land and make it fit for cultivation again will take years of hard labour.

That is the sacrifice Holland must make to save the more important part of her territory from the in- vader.

In the strip of territory south of the River Mous and the Belgian frontier the Dutchmen would have a harder task in stemming the Enemy.

But, here again they would have formidable barriers in the Wilhel mina and Willenstaart Canals, which are Inked, in their continua flon over the Belgian frontier, with tho

Albert powerfully-fortified Canal, running from Liege Antwerp.

to

Co-

If Holland and Belgium operated to resist invasion, a siond could be made along the canals in this sector and the Germans held up long enough for help to arrive.

Many mlillary experts believo that the region between the Maas River and the Albert Canal may be the great battlefield of the war.

Germany's twin óbjecives, to reach the south coast of Holland for the catablishment of seroplane and submarine bases, and to swing from Holland through Belgium for an attack on France, would be fought out here.

The large provinces of Friesland and Groningen at the north-west of Holland may prove indefensible. Here the land is comparatively high and cannot be flooded.

Plans have been worked out for evactiating the population of these provinces by rushing them across the modern roadway on the Zuider Zee dam.

Holland, free of invasion for more than a century, is ready for any emergency,

officers in battleships, cair Count the "TELEGRAPHS" everywhere

craft-carriors or cruisors, or in

charge of the machinery of small voisols..

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THE WORLD'S "MOST GLORIOUS TENOR

R020474-Santa Lucia

La Danza

· R020473—Dreaming. (Traumeric)

Two Grenadiera (Schumann)

(Zigeunerwelsen) R020427-Gipsy moon.

Vienna, elty of my dreams R020305. When you're away

When the sun roes down no20408-Mother Machree

Rose of Trales

R020340-Will you remember," "Mayilme"

Song of songs

020323-Kashmiri song. "Indian love lyrics"

Til I wake

R020320-Prologue from "Pagliacci"

R020316-Noses of Picardy.

Berenade from "Student Prince" R020284-You are my heart's delight When moonbeams softly fall R020260-Serenade. (Schubert)

Impatience

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Brown bird singing

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