Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Saturday 2 March 1946, page 3


JAMES MASON NAMED AGAIN AS

BRITAIN'S BRIGHTEST STAR

rjTTHE announcement that James Mason has again been chosen by England's J. film exhibitors as No. 1 British star for 1945 (he won the honour in 1944) wdl surprise few moviegoers. Mason has made his mark quietly. He has shown more than once the versatility of a great actor. He can play cad or hero

with equal ease.

PROBABLY his portrayals in

suave villainy - for instance the gross, dissolute adventurer, Lord Manderstoke, in "Fanny By Gas-light," and the title role in "The Man in Grey" - have brought him greatest popularity.

According to the "Motion PictureHerald" representative in London, Peter Burnup, anyone who main-tained that Mason would not head the list simply was not looking.

James Mason is an actor with a mind of his own. He rejected with firmness thc Hollywood offer to play the lead in "Forever Am-ber," a role reportedly sought hj every young actor in Hollywood.

Mason recently caused a storm by criticising British productions. He said that to a person continually working in the industry, Britain's films and certainly British film-making were lacking in glamour.

Perhaps this is so in some cases, but in my opinion it is a good fault when glamour is sacrificed to present

the truth.

James Mason, Britain's No. 1

star.

I^ORN on May 15, 1909,

Mason took his MA degree at Cambridge. He is married to Pamela Kellino, a novelist, who ap-pears with him in "They Were Sis-ters." She plays the part of Ma-son's 17-year-old daughter.

James Mason first appeared in films in "Late Extra" about 10 years, ago. Among pictures in. which -he has appeared since are "Thunder Rock," "Return of the Scarlet Pim-pernel." "Fanny By Gaslight," "The Man in Grey," "A Place of One's Own," "They Were Sisters." and "The Wicked Lady."

His latest, and reported to be easily his best film, "The Seventh Veil," is expected to reach Aus-tralia shortly. It has already been

released in America.

During the war people in Eng-land often changed their Top Ten listings. For six years George Formby, the comic, topped the poll. He ranks ninth in 1945. The comics, . apart from Formby, are not in the

race. The romantic mood prevailed right to the end of the poll.