The Bioscope (Jul-Sep 1931)

22 THE BIOSCOPE September 30, 1931 British Studios To-day “ Lord Babs ” Casting— Pearson’s “Third String” Through— Arliss At Teddington— Elstree Busy Bobby Howes for “Lord Babs ” Gainsborough’s “ Sunshine Susie ” is scheduled to finish in a fortnight’s time and will be followed about October 18th by “ Lord Babs.” This successful farce has been converted into a musical picture of the modern continental type. The dialogue has been revised and new lyrics written by Clifford Grey, who was responsible for such famous stage successes as “ Mr. Cinders ” and ” The Bing Boys on Broadway,” as well as the lyrics in " The Smiling Lieutenant.” Vivian Ellis has composed the music, Louis Levy will conduct, and Walter Forde will direct. A strong team to start with, especially with Bobby Howes in the star role. Fighting Finish to “Third String” Sandy Powell and Alf Goddard had a terrific set-to the other day at the Cricklewood Studios, when as “ Ginger Dick” and “ Bill Lumm ” in W. W. Jacobs’ story, " The Third String,” the pair met in a classic ring encounter. Both hit hard and often. With these fistic fireworks George Pearson concluded studio “ shots ” on this latest Gaumont -Welsh Pearson film. Universal’ s British Cast Shooting on the Mutual picture “ Lloyd of the C.I.D.” (former " Heroes of the Law ”) is already well under way, a company of 65 being located for the old English manor sequences at Deep Dene Hotel, Dorking, Working under Director Henry MacRae, the cast includes Muriel Angelus, J ack Lloyd (formerly Claude Sanders), Janice Adair Emily Fitzroy, Shayle Gardner, Wallace Geoffrey, Lewis Dayton and Tracey Holmes. The latest additions are Kenneth MacLaglen, younger brother of Victor, Gibb MacLaughlin and Humberstone Wright. Sloan Joins Markham James Sloan left London yesterday for Nice to take over the production manage Alone but not afraid : Wm. McGann, American director, now making “ Murder on the Second Floor ” for Warner Bros, at Teddington Studios ment of " Baroud,” Mansfield Markham’s ^100,000 “ talkie ” which Rex Ingram is directing and starring in. Sloan has frequently worked in Nice, Corsica and Paris, and was responsible for production supervision of Gloria Swanson’s " Madame Sans Gene,” made on the Continent. Denis Hoey is to play a rugged Captain of Spahis in the Ingram picture. George Arliss at Teddington George Arliss visited Warner Bros.’ First National Teddington Studios yesterday, for the purpose of acquainting himself with the conditions under which he will work when he returns to make the British film for which he is scheduled. Having watched the shooting of a scene from " Murder on the Second Floor,” he conferred with Roland Pertwee and John Hastings Turner on the subject of the story in which he will appear. Elstree Activities “ The Bachelor’s Baby,” under the direction of Harry Hughes, has “ taken the floor ” this week at Elstree Studios. As previously announced, William Freshman, Ann Casson, Henry Wenman, Connie Emerald, Amy Veness and Helen Goss all have important parts. * * * " Tin Gods,” an action drama, with the South Sea Islands as a background, has also gone into production this week. F. W. Kraemer is directing, and the cast includes Frank Cellier, who makes his " talkie ” debut, Dorothy Bartlam and Frank Royde. * * * " Bill the Conqueror,” which Norman Walker is directing for B.I.P., is now oil the “floor” at Elstree Studios, Captain Walker having already secured exteriors in Sussex. * * * "Number 17,” which Alfred Hitchcock will direct, is the well-known Jeflerson Farjeon thriller. " Hitch ” has been putting the final touches to his script, prior to “taking the floor” at an early date. No cast has yet been selected, -with the exception of Leon M. Lion, who will play his original role of " Ben.” * * * “ Strictly Business,” a story dealing with a young man who thinks business comes before pleasure, directed by Mary Field and Jacqueline Logan, has moved to Welwyn, where exteriors are in progress. The highlights of this film will be genuine “ shots ” of London. * * * “The Window Cleaner” is Anthony Asquith’s next for B.I.P. As a distinct contrast to the film hero and heroine of the past, two everyday people — a window cleaner and a servant girl — are to be the hero and heroine of this film, which is a crook drama ! Short Shots Martita Hunt, who is at present playing the part of the elderly schoolmistress in the popular play " Autumn Crocus,” is making her first screen appearance in the Jack Lloyd, new British screen “ find,” in the Mutual production “ Lloyd of the C.I.D.,” Univer* sal’s first British picture, now in hand with Henry MacRae directing Paramount film version of Ernst Vajda’s " The Head Waiter.” * * * David S. Cecil, who, besides writing film stuff for several different papers, is a cartoonist of some ability, has joined Mutual Pictures to act as studio representative under J. Leslie Williams, who is publicity chief of Universal, and is also interested in the activities of Mutual. M. Details of British Colour System The first meeting of the Winter Session of the B.K.S. takes place on Monday next, October 5th, when T. Thorne Baker reads his Paper on “ The Spicer Dufay Colour Process.” The meeting will be held in the Gaumont British Theatre, Film House, Wardour Street, at 7.45 p.m. S.M.P.E. and Third Dimension What is expected to be one of the most important motion picture engineering papers to be delivered in recent years will be read by Dr. Herbert E. Ives, of Bell Telephone Laboratories, at the Fall Meeting of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, Swampscott, Massachusetts, October 5th 8th. The title of Dr. Ives’ paper will be “ The Problems of Projecting Motion Pictures in Relief,” and the paper is perhaps the first thoroughgoing effort, from a scientific standpoint, to outline the scientific principles involved in the projection of motion pictures in relief to obtain the effect of third dimension. Dr. Ives is director of electro-optical research at Bell Telephone Laboratories.