Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday All letters to the Editor should be addressed c/o BOY'S CINEMA, Room 163, The Fleetway Houm, Farringdon Street, London, E.C.4. " The Last Parade." Cookie Leonard, Jack Holt; Mike O'Dowd, Tom Moore; Molly Pearson, Constance Cumniings; Larry Pearson, (iaylord Pendleton; Marino. Robert Ellis; Leftv, Earl D. Bunn; Chief of Police, Ed Lc Saint; News Editor, Ednunid Brecso; Alabain, Clarence Muse; Joe, Gino Corrado. " Breed of the West." Wuliy Weldon, Wally Wales; Betty Sterner, Virginia Browne Fairc; Long- rope Wheeler, Bob Walker; Colonel Sterner, Lafe McKee; .Jim Sterner, Bnzz Barton; Shorty, Bobbie Dunn; Cook, George Gerwin; Sheriff Cole, Hank Bell. " South of Sonora." Bill Tracy, Buffalo Bill jun. : Betty Williams. Betty Joy; Heine Schinultz, (iene Schuler; Buck Harris. Fred Church; Blackic Wells, Lew Meehan; Mr: Williams, Horace B. Carpenter; Sheriff Kilne, James Merrill. A Director's Pride. Regard for human safety is a shift- ing quantity in the movies. Jn the re-enactment of the Dakota land rusli for the Fox picture, "Not Exactly Gentlemen," Director Benja- min Stoloff employed 15,000 pcr.sons, more than IjOOO cattle and hundreds of horses. For two dajs men. women and children ran helter-skelter, cattle milled and horseback riders charged. Stoloff took pride in the fact that by observing rigid safety precautions he brought the scene to si close without an injury to person or animal. A few days later another .scene was filmed in which Victor McLaglen, the leading man. was called on to clean house in a frontier gambling establish- ment occupied by Robert Warwick, Frankly II Farnum and sundiy ex- pugilists. The latter were instructed not to pull their punches, and no director has yet succeeded in persuad- ing McLaglen to pull his. Stoloff took pride in this scene also, based on the amount of work provided for the com- pany doctor in the way of cuts and bruises. Pugilist and Actor. Few }K'oplc are aware that Conway Tearle, the out.slanding British actor, playing in "The Truth About Youtli," First National's latest relea.^e, was onre ambitious to become a pugilist, and. moreover, he followed this profession for two years prior to taking up act- ing. Conwny Tearle, indeed, holds many distinctions. His family had been on the stage since 1712. One of his ancestors played in support of the cele- brated Mrs. Sarah Siildons, while another w?s a famous Shakespearean actor. Conway's father, Osmond Tciirlc, was also a noted classical actor, and his brother Godfrey is to-day one July I8th, 1931. NEXT WEEK'S THREE COMPLETE FILM STORIES. Fur stealing in the far North, and how the Royal Canadian Mounted Police set out to capture a desperate band of outlaws. A gripping story of the frozen wastes, starring Bob Custer. "THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL." Train wreckers after bullion of untold wealth—a young railway operator blamed for the dastardly deeds—his kid brother fighting ta clear his name. A tlirilling railroad drama, starring Glenn Tryou and Merua Kennedy. "THE SUNRISE TRAIL." The daring exploits of a young cowboy who sets out to bring a ruthless band of rnstlers to justice, starring Bob Steele and Blanche Mehailey. of the most popular figures before the footlights of England. Conway Tearle's own first appearance on the stage was at the tender age of live, when he appeared at tfie Academy of Music in New York. His pugilistic career terniiimted when he accepted an engagement at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. Later he became leading man at the Garrick Theatre. His London experience has bcien in support of such famous stars us Sif Charles Wyndham, Ellen Terry and Lena Ashwell. He is a real veteran in pictures, having made his film debut as long ago as 1914, when he played lead in a picture called "The Nightingale." " A Fowl Affair." Mec't Genevieve I..eghorn, or "Jenny," as slic is usiuilly called. Sorry I have no picture of her, but you will sec her on the screen. Jenny is one of Hollywood's new leading ladies, and she is said to have no nasty tempera- ment, or even an idea of what she is worth to her film producer. Jenny—for it seems a shame to kcej) you all mystified any longer—is a Wliite Leghorn hen, and she appears in a starring role in a talking comedy entitled ''A Fowl Atfaii." Opposite her in the picture is a Plymouth Rock rooster, and " supporting " them are a number of farmyard folk such as chickens, ducks, roosters and turkeys. This is the first time that fowls have appeared in a talkie comedy, and how- ever lender tlie birds might be other- wise, the producers say it was a tough job getting them to do their different parts. A Real Fire Thrill. A fire in a London .street is one oi the big scenes in the British Inter- nal ional picture, "The House Opposite." Licidcntally, the fire proved to he really exciting for the chief artistes taking part. The set representing a Bloomsbury quarter was built on the "lot" of the .studio at Elstree, and comprised eight houses made of asbestos. Fi-om one of these Renee RtcCready, Celia Glynn and Henry Kendall liad to make th(*tT"' escape in the presence of a crowd oi two hundred people. To create the bi;4 blaze about 1.000 smoke bombs, about 50 gallons of inflammable liquid and half a hundredweight of "white fire" wire used. Two fire-engines with firo brigade were engaged to add further realism to the picture. Then, "according to schedule," the fire was started. The alarm was raised, people crowded on to the scene from neighbouring houses and elsewhere, and .•«)on the fire-engines daslied up and a dozen hoses were (juickly brought into jjhiy. All this was "play acting," but afur a few minutes the onlookers sud- denly realised that the three artistes were in real danger. They were on the roof with a drop of fifty feet to the ground and a blaz- ing stairway behind. Huge tongues of tl:'n)e were all around them. For several seconds the three artistes could not be .^en. The firemen now worked in real earnest. Then it was seen tliat Kendall had his arms round the really frightene.l girls and was trying to shield them. L\ a few seconds, however, one of the firemen was able to reach them, and when I he three artistes were eventually rt-scued it was found that the giHs' dresses were partly burnt, and that Henry Ivendall's hair and that of Miss Glynn had been singed. They had ex- i-ei-ienced one of the narrowest escapes in iheir lives. Harry Carey's First Serial. Years ago a We>t<'i ii drama was not considered good by many picture-goers unless it starred Harry Carey. His (Continued on page 87.)