News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 14 November 1940, page 10


South Seas SO THEY moved the South Seas right into the Edward Small studios in Hollywood and finished up "South of Pago Pago" on sound stage No. 4. That is what happened in the filming of the Edward Small production which will have its premiere at the Regent Theatre tomorrow. The cast is headed by Victor McLaglen. Jon Hall. Frances Farxner, Olympe Bradna. Gene Lockhart, and Douglas Dumbrille. and Alfred E. Green directed. Several weeks before shooting started at the studio, producer Small despatched a big company to the Hawaiian islands. The principal location site was on famous Kona coast on the island of Hawaii. the largest in the group. Here 2.000 natives were employed. 300 canoes were assembled. and an entire native village built on the beach. After four weeks on this location, Small presented the entire village to the -natives for use as a playground, and when his troupe returned to Hollywood they brought with them a wealth of beautiful tropical film. . However, it was necessary to make many of the key scenes on a sound stage, so Small called in his art director. John DuCasse Schulze. and commissioned him to build not only an exact replica of the village, but of the beach as well. replete even to the roaring surf. The village reconstructed covered an area of more than 23.000 souare feet of floor space. Special earth was hauled from the trooics in order to oreserve the crowths imported.