Screenland (May-Oct 1937)

London Continued from page 62 Hale and most of her own sports jerseys too. Nat Pendleton has come over to play one of his typical tough guy parts in "Gangway"— though however such a mild-mannered man took up crime characterization is beyond me. He never drinks anything stronger than orange juice and cocoa. He is passionately fond of music and knows a great deal about the classic composers. His favorite recreation is playing squashrackets and he isn't even interested in girls, let alone married. "Guess I'm comfortable as I am," is his laconic comment. His ambition is to work in Hollywood until he has saved sufficient money to buy himself a fruit-farm in Southern California and then he'll retire from the studios and devote his life to raising oranges and lemons. Palatial Pinewood is naturally a show he thought about that when I went to his Denham studios but he was visiting his latest production, and when Alex appears on the set, with white gloves, silver-headed walking stick, and yellow spectacles, it becomes a Royal Occasion not to be regarded with levity. So I just sat reverently behind the lamps and watched bearded and grimy Edmund Lowe heroically rescuing pretty Ann Todd, tense scene from "The Squeaker" which is a detective film based on the late Edgar Wallace's novel. Edmund's charming wife sat with me — ■ they're a happy devoted couple who share a tremendous sense of humor. I also met Oliver Garrett, the Hollywood writer. Korda has brought him over specially to adapt "The Four Feathers," the historical adventure film which has Robert Donat as the soldier star. Robert assists with the script himself too. He's a temperamental, highly determined young man behind that rather wistful exterior! In the fall Robert is due for a new romance partner, co-starring with Merle Oberon in Korda's scintillating film of Joan Crawford basks in her garden like this to acquire the sun tan for which she's famous, and which out-tones (no pun — fact) that of her sister stars. place, for the vacationing folks from Hollywood and its recent visitors have included Skeets Gallagher and scenarist Robert Riskin and the one and only Frank Capra — no, he isn't planning to make a film here. It was just professional curiosity to see how we work this side. Stocky and olive-skinned, his black hair blowing about, Frank was busily shooting everything and everybody within sight with his little movie camera when I met him outside St. James's Palace. Between answering his staccato questions about the colorful military ceremony of Changing the Guard, I managed to get some information for myself. "Why do you always introduce this whimsical philosophical slant into your pictures?" I demanded. Most famous producers would have taken the opportunity to deliver a high-brow oration about Art but Frank is a realist. "Because it's good box-office," he replied unhesitatingly. "You see, this gentle poking fun at the accepted customs, giving a few good-tempered digs at the more solemn conventions, championing the 'Little Man' who is really Everyman— those things appeal to everybody all over the world. So a him which is made according to that formula is naturally successful." I meant to ask Alexander Korda what London Society life, called "The Divorce of Lady X" at the moment. "How will I enjoy playing with Merle?" Robert echoed, "I shall be delighted to because my own part is so rich and quite different from anything I've attempted before. I don't care twopence whether I'm starred or sharing the lights with somebody else or just supporting a star. All I want is the opportunity of playing a character I enjoy." He means it, too. Money and fame quite honestly don't matter much to him. He will only act when the part appeals to him, which is why he has refused so many lucrative offers from Hollywood. (He wouldn't even play in "Romeo and Juliet" because he considered Romeo "such a spineless fellow" and cabled M-G-M to that frank effect!) It will be the third time that Robert and the glamorous Merle have played in British films together but the first time they have ever appeared on the screen together. They were both completely unknown when they made "Men of Tomorrow" and it didn't get either of them any further, but "Henry the Eighth" followed to establish both their reputations and send them off to Hollywood to work. How come? Oh, they were in different shots in both films and the scenarios never called for them to meet ! Merle has now recovered from her car accident and the subsequent shock of her mother's death and has been staying in the country with her friend Lady Morvyth Benson. Smart London restaurants have missed her very much, the only startling fashion item of late being provided by Gloria Swanson, dining at the Ritz in purple satin with a green and orange striped net jacket. During her stay here Gloria attended many gatherings squired by Paul Soskin, the young producer who has just built an enormous new studio at Elstree. He's tall and dark, very wealthy, and a bachelor, and accompanied the Gorgeous Gloria most assiduously. "Yes, we're good friends," she announces sweetly. This summer sunshine has brought George Arliss back to the studios again. His doctors forbade him to work during the cold damp winter months as he is subject to asthma which is apt to lead to serious complications in a man who's nearing seventy. He is playing the title part in "Doctor Syn," story of smuggling exploits in a little Kentish fishing-village over a hundred years ago. As a. kindly old clergyman by day and a wily brandy "bootlegger" after dark, his role is in complete contrast to anything he has previously essayed. Love interest is supplied by John Loder and blonde Anna Lee as the clergyman's daughter Imogen. Between scenes George has been giving them both lessons in chess, a hobby he takes almost as seriously as his celebrated collection of old books. He owns a valuable set of hand-carved ivory chessmen that came from France two hundred years ago and he and sweet-faced Mrs. Arliss play with them in their old-fashioned flat. It's furnished just in the manner you would suppose, a pleasant homey place with Victorian mahogany and flower-patterned chintzes and scores of silver-framed photographs of George in his numerous roles. Talking of furnishings, the latest London fashion is to have an evening frock in vividly-patterned cotton that looks as though you had made it from your window drapery. Demure little Elizabeth Allan went to a theatrical premiere in a fullskirted affair of white pique printed with pink roses and yellow daisies, while Mary Ellis shows off an exotic scarlet poppy design all over her green dance cambric. A fanciful cream muslin spotted and checked is even being made up into a party dress for Grace Moore who's giving her annual concert here very soon and regretting she can't spare time to appear in that longpromised Korda musical. Elsa Lanchester was wearing a coat and skirt of purple gingham when I saw her at the preview of Flora Robson's new film "Farewell Again." Flora herself was absent — she hates to see herself on the screen and can't even be persuaded to watch the studio rushes. Ruth Chatterton was there, wearing an unusual hat just like a black soupplate; and Director Raoul Walsh had brought Valerie Hobson with him, while stalwart Leslie Banks, who plays the Colonel in the picture, escorted two of his daughters. (Yes, I know he only looks about thirty but actually he has been married over twenty years and possesses four pretty girls in their teens.) After the performance there was an informal gathering for cocktails at the Trocadero. Charles Laughton and Erich Pommer talked long and earnestly with H. B. Warner — can it be this brilliant character actor is now going to play for their newly-formed producing company ? Vivien Leigh was gaily displaying the African lions-hair bangle which is her idea of a lucky mascot, and tall Conrad V eidt gave us the latest news of Elisabeth Bergner, still far away in the Swiss Alps and declaring she won't return to fulfill her screen contracts till the Fall. 74