1940-05-08 — Page 23

Wednesday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

May 8, 1940.

| MAGAZINE PAGE

ENTERTAINMENTS

Hepburn is returning

to the screen

KATIE HEPBURN, who retired from Hollywood

with her ears singing in 1988, is going back. She held her head high when the Independent Motion Ticture Theatro Proprietors published the charge that she wne "box-office polson."

She still asked £30,000 a picture. Now she's going back, she'll get more. She has sold her play, "The Philadelphia Story" (for which she paid £3,000), for £15,000. And her- Aelf for another £20,000. The cameras grind in June.

Query: Why was Hepburn "box-office poison"? A.: Be- chuse she stepped out of character. All the clever fellows who make pictures saw her as a great actress a sort of female Paul Muni-which she.may be.

But the publle paid to see her as flms, she Katie Hepburn. For could het her russel curis white and fare her nostrils like n Derby winner. It didn't work unless the part let her be herself. She was Hepburn "the queer one." what they paid to see.

same

with

That's

Elisabeth

It's the Bergner. Most every day I pray Mr. Show won't let her be his screen Saint Joan.

Clive

COME what muy. Brook Is determined to get into naval uniform. There is now quite une considerable doubt about the Graf Spee Alm. "Death of the Rulder.'

Already there is the documentary "For Freedom," with the British officers playing their actual battle parts,

But if Mr. Brook can't be Ad- miral Sir Henry Harwood, he'll be the captain commanding the light cruiser escorting a fleet of met- chantmen across the North Sen in "Convoy," which British studios are now making.

One sentence in the synopsis of the story makes me angry. It says: "Embiltored by an unhappy mir- riage, the captain's task is made more difficult by the presence on the convoy of a young lieutenant who before the war-bad come between him and his wife."

I'm the mug. I thought that the one good thing you could say about the war was that it had done awny with the need in pletures for old, hack situations like that.

Or maybe the script man wrote it out of force of habit.

JUST as enger for a uniform us Mr. Brook is Mr. Niven, After four months waiting, he has got a com- mission in the Rife Brigade. Two pips. His part will take longer to play:

BY the way

Anna Nea- gle to be teamed with Cary Grant Bette in "Tree of Liberty."

Davis to be Sarah Bernhardt.... Michael Stoller, singing foolman in "Me and My Cal," song well enough to get a job with the opera tics. lie's in "Beggar's Opera,” baciting up Michael Redgrave.... Spencer Tracy-Mickey Rooney will sequel Boy's Town."

Cancelled all George Formby has Blage contracts to leave himself free to play his banjulele to the troops.

Hilda Glyder, who made the cur- rent hit song. "Oh, Johnny, Oh," popular twenty-three years ago, is now honey mooning in California with Dave Goldman. She was pre- viously Mrs. Harry Weldon.

Dietrich will get glamour and Vic McLaglen in "Seven Sinners"

think (Seven?: I didn't

Dopey could be bad)

.June (Four

Duprez has arrived in Feathers) Hollywood and is being tested by All Hitchcock for "Personal His- Deanna Durbin earned tory."

£34.980 in 1930.

MICKEY NOONEY and his futher appear together in a picture for the first time in Mickey's screen career. In Judge Hardy and Sun, Joe starring Mickey, his father, Yule, will have a minor role. They played together in vaudeville when Mickey was four years old,

GEORGE BRENT spent part of his childhood in Ireland herding sheep. He related his experiences as we sat around huge charcoal burners on the night location set of The Fighting 69th, which covered several acres.

A troupe of forty workmen and technicians returned from a three- thousand-mile journey through Ok- Inhoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arl- zoma and California, where they exposed more than twenty-five back-

thousand feet of film getting ground shots for The Grapes of Wrath. The cast, headed by Henry Fonda, and director John Ford were working at the studio at the same time. John Steinbeck approved the script which was adapted from his book.

Jano Withers' voice was used for Impersonating cartoon characters on the screen before she became an actress.

INANITY FARE

When Sir John got the

Invitation

To be Minister of Infor

matión.

He remarked: "It looks to **As easy as B.B.C."

me

HE NEVER TOLD HIS PARENTS

OF HIS EXPLOITS

CQUADRON LEADER KENNETH

CHRISTOPHER DORAN, who became the first air hero of the Allies, is reported missing.

on

Ho was awarded a bar to his Flying Distinguished

Cross January 30, the first time this dis- tinction has been recorded a Bri- tish fler since hostilities began last September.

Young

is only 26 Doran-he was awarded the flying cross by King George last November in on for leading the suc- attack on German naval bases

Wilhelmshaven at

and Brunsbuettel on September 4, less than 30 hours after Great Britain declared war on Germany.

Britain announced hits with bombs had been made on n German battleship at WI- helmshaven and that another war- ship was attacked at Brunsbuettel.

GRIN AND BEAR IT

by Dubators on in, I

that direct

By Lichty

"I wish you'd watch what papers you give me to sign-this is the third time this week I've committed myself to prison!"

In describing the Wilhelmshaven rald, Doran said:

*Wo

reached Wilhelmshaven after two hours of flying. We could see a German worship tak- ing on stores from two tenders at her stern. We could sec sume washing hanging on a line but un- daunted by this, we proceeded to bomb the battleship.

the

"Flying at 100 feet above mast height,

ali three aircraft in flight converged on her. I flew straight ahead. The plot of the second craft come across from one side, and the third crossed from the other side.

"When we flew on top of the battleship we could see the crew running fast for their stations. We dropped our bombs. The scc- ond pilot, flying behind saw two hit. We came around and the ship's pom-pom guns began to fire as we headed for home.

The explait for which Doran was awarded the bar to his fly- cross vas

was the leadership of a re- connaissance aight of nine Bris- bombers which en- tol Blenheim countered o

of Messer-

schmitt 110 "destroyer" planes over the North Sen. One of the British bombers was shot down, but their Are downed one German plane and damaged two others.

DORAN, a

a handsome, mustached officer, is so modest that, accord- Ing to his mother, he refused to wear his uniform while home on leave. He never told his parents of his exploits and the announce- ments of his decorations surprised them both.

Was

Born at Leicester, Doran educated at St. Albans school, and he enlisted as a private in the Ter- ritorial Army in 1932,

He was commissioned in the Royal Air Force in December, 1935, promoted to pilot officer ten months later and was advanced to flying officer in May, 1918,

מה

In March, 1030, Doran was made

acting flight lieutenant and was ralsed to squadron leader

December of last year.

in

On February 1, he was awarded' bar to the D.F.C. for lending a formation of bomber aircraft which was attacked by Messerschmitts over the North Sea.

Two fighter aircraft were com- pelled to break off the fight. A third was shot down in flames into the sea and the remainder eventu- ally abandoned the attack.

Although one Brilish atrcraft was lost and second had to return to the base, Dorun led the remaining aircraft 130 miles further to his objective.

How Poland's £21,000,000 of Gold was Saved

N-September 26, 1939,-thirly

ON

one tired, dirty, unshaven men lined up with other refugees to wait their turn for free soup and bread at a charity soup kitchen ot the Gare de l'Est, in Paris.

over

to

of

One of them had in his pocket a receipt for £21,000,000 worth of had just gold, which the parly handed

the Bank France.

That receipt was a symbol of perhaps the greatest victory over Hiller that as yet been achieved in this war.

The story begins 23 days before, In Warsaw, which was at that time being threatened by the huge mechanised Nazi ármy, that was ever coming nearer. The Polish Government was busy leaving the capital for its brief stay in Lublin, and the city, already under shell fre, was preparing for its gallant but hopeless resistance.

Colonel Adam Koc, former Polish Minister, paid a visit that to the Bank

Finance night of September of Poland and to the Finance Ministry to usk, what arrangements had been made for the transfer- ence abroad of the Government's gold reserve. As he had suspected,

WAR CHANGES IN OUR LANGUAGE

WE are using quite a number of words which, only a few months ago, most people would not have understood-or if they had understood them, would have given o different meaning.

* "WARDEN" used to conjure up the Governor of a US. gnol as represented on the films. Now, if we hear the word, we think of the man or woman who tell us that our "block-out" (another war word) is imperfect.

**"POOL" is an adjective for petrol or other commodities which are. doled out by controllers and have lost their familiar brand names.

We

"EVACUEE" La a genuine new war word formed from "EVACUA- TION" which is here used in a different sense from its former one. coined this word in Hongkong for the people who came down from Shanghai during the early days of the Sino-Japanese War.

The economists are popularising "VICIOUS SPIRAL"-which means a situation in which prices and wages rise, chasing each other as it were up a spiral staircase. The phrase is quite old, but it has hitherto been confined to books on economies.

The most popular of the new words coming froni Germany in (subsiltute) farmillur in 1914-18, has been revived now, It has auch n bad name in Germany that the Nazi Government discourages Its use, preferring such terms na "gyalistic."

"BLSATZ much more used, than its translation, "lightning war.".

"CONCHIE" and "RATIONS" are both words from last war. The latter is again being pronounced "rashuns," with the short "a" instead of "rayzhuns," which is considered more correct, and is used in the Services.

Some of the war words are not particularly desirable additions to the language. Perhops after the war English will be "DECON- TAMINATED-another wartime, term; meaning, as applied to streets, houses and gocxis, freed front contamination by gas

-It-is-not-truc-that-Hitler's-conquest-of-Poland-was on unqualified victory, for it failed to attain one of its principal objectives--the capture of the gold reserve of the Polish Republic.

How the £21,000,000 of bullion was transferred from the Bank of Warsaw to the Bank of France is one of the greatest thrills of this war.

nothing had been done. All was confusion. The Government had left without the gold,

*

SO Koc took upon himself the responsibility of, ordering and or- ganising the removal of the gold to France before the city feil. He had no legal standing, no trans- port; the country was over-run with German spics and saboteurs, constantly down over by Nozi air- craft, and was soon to fall a proy to the advancing armies Fuehrer.

uf the

Koc telephoned to Colonel Ignacy Matuszewski, so a former Fin- ance Minister under Pilsudski, and put the problem to him,

* *

ONE hour inter Matuszewski reported to Koe at the bank. With him he brought 10 volunteers, sol- diers, clerks, mechanics all mere boys.

to

The lads were sent out to And transport, while Kne and Matus- zewsk! worked out possible routes the Rumanian frontier. The search for transport seemed hope. less. Every avaliable bus or lorry had been commandeered for war purposes or for evacuation. five derelict, creaking, worn-out buser, which nobody had thought worth removing from the garages, could be begged, borrowed, or stolen.

Only

By the time, these Ave wrecks had lumbered up to the bank the two leaders had decided that the best plan was for the convoy to set castward for Brest-Lilovak, then strike southward for the fron- tier. tier.

out

Only £5,000,000 worth of the gold could be accommodated in the five derellet busos. It was decided that this amount should be taken ro- Immediately and, if possible, turn journey, could be made for the remainder. As soon as the bullion was aboard, Matuszowski took his sent in the leading bus, and the ex- pedition set out. Koc was left be hind to deal with further arrange- ments.

ALL that night and the next night the buses lumbered on over

shell-pitted roads and through bomb-torn villages. During the day they hid and camouflaged the buses and niso added to their petrol supply by siphoning fuel from the tanks of derelict farm tractors. abandoned curs, and broken-down lorries. They snatched very little rest. Overhead they heard Ger- man bombers, which were actually searching for them.

at

On the second night they arrived point just outside Brest- Litovsk,

which is 125 miles from Warsaw. Here they learned facts that altered their plans entirely. The German wireless had on- nounced that the plan of the con- voy and Its route were known

50

It was impossible to go On southward: the Gestapo was watch- ing, mining bridges and roads and the German air force was search- ing for them, ready to bomb the buscs.

★

★

*

ON the other hand, there was plenty of petrol in Brest-Litovsk It would be possible to return to Warsaw and pick out a new route. But Matuszewall could not con- sult Koc by phone or wire. Com- munications had broken down and there was not a whole aeroplane in the city.

However, a shot-down neroplane was found. Its engine was useless. But in the city's aircraft instruc- tion school they found a set of parts which could be, made up into an engine and one of the inds knew how to do it.

It took 28 hours to do, then one of the party few this makeshift machine to Warsaw. He came back with the message: "Return to the capital,”

ON the night of September 0, they got back. There were now ten more buses, loaded: "with the rest of the gold. A new route, to the south-east had been worked out and fuel supplies were arranged

for along it Twenty more.volun

teers were ready, too,

So the enlarged convoy set out on its 470-mile trekt.

Soon Nazi spies found the new route und was doing all they could to stop the convoy. Enemy uir

But above.

the hovered craft convoy travelled only by night, Bridges were mined and the buses discover new had constantly to ways. Ronds had been bombed to pleces. Frequent breakdowns occurred. But on the evening of September 13 the last bus arrived in the town of Snistin on the Rumanian frontier-arrived two hours ahead of schedule.

Here a

train was waiting, thanks

to arrangements Koc made by wire from

om Warsaw. The gold was im- mediately loaded on to it. The the bridge truin thundered over that led into Rumanio. And 30 minutes later the bridge blew up, The Gestapo had set their time- bomb too late.

AT

*

Constanza, the Rumanian Black Sea part, the gold was put aboard the American oil-tunker. Eocene, skippered by an English- man, Captain R. E. Brett. There was a hitch when the crew de- serted. They had been bribed by the Germans or frightened at the the thought of submarines. But Poles combed the dockside taverns and got together a new crew, by threats or by persuasion.

Soviet Russia was by this time invading Poland, and there were Red submarines, warships, and planes to be avoided, as well as German agents, but the Eocene got through quite safely to Istanbul.

the Hore

officials demanded £6,000 in cash to pay for a special train with guards. They suggested that the money could come out of the hoard of gold, but Matuszewski refused, declaring that he had no authority to touch it.

An American oll company came to the rescue and lent them the required amount of money.

So the train set out from Scutari (on the other side of the Bhos- porus from. Istanbul) on on un- eventful Journey to Beirut, in Syria, where the gold was trans- ferred to French cruisers,

Most of this story is told in "The Pollsh Gold by Robert Westerby and.R. M. Low, published by

at 3s. Methuen

No.

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