West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Tuesday 16 August 1949, page 11


FILMS Perth Cinema To Show British Programmes About mid-October, after it has been refurbished, the Grand Theatre, Perth. is to open as the only West Australian cinema with an all-British programme policy.

The first releases will be "Red Shoes" (which won three Academy awards), "Courtneys of Curzon-street" and the long-awaited Sir Laurence Olivier production, "Hamlet," in that order. The policy change will provide Perth with the only all-British house. In Sydney, the all-British policy has met with such public demand that three cinemas are devoted to entire British pro-grammes. No definite dates have been set for the first releases. The managing-director of the Grand Theatre Co. Ltd. (Mr. Cyril Nor-ton) who recently returned from an Eastern States trip, says that British films will be shown in their announced sequence but that changes of programmes will be governed by the length of each season. Before the change-over, the cinema must complete the pro-grammes it has contracted to show. It is expected that this will be in mid-September. In the interval between then and the reopening, new seats and car-pets are to be fitted, the house will be repainted and as many structural alterations as the State Housing Commission permits will be carried out RELEASE PLANS. Talking of his trip which had its outcome in the new policy, Mr. Norton said that he had arranged to get the rest of the Gaumont British-J. Arthur Rank distribution together with a block of London Films-Korda produc-tions which would include at least three reissues ("Four Feathers " "The Scarlet Pimper del" and "Lady Hamilton"). He had also made presentation ar-rangements with British Empire Films, whose first pictures would be "The Guinea Pig" and "Sara-band." The order of release of the first set of programmes had already been arranged. Many years ago three Perth picture theatres-the old Prince of Wales, the Theatre Royal and the Grand (when under a dif-ferent management)-concen-rated on British film pro-grammes but the policy could not then be maintained. Dog's Big Income The fame of the one-time "won--der dog," Rin Tin Tin is being challenged on the screen these days by Lassie-the dog that has

risen from the smallest puppy of a litter to the world's best-paid animal. Despite the name, Lassie is a male, his annual film salary is £62,500 and when he was work ing in a Californian valley on the "Hills of Home," now currently showing at the Metro, he was flown out once a week to Holly-wood to take part in a pro-gramme extolling dog food. Las-sie's salary for that alone was £500 weekly. Lassie took his first film test five years ago. The collie was then named Pal but the produc-ers wanted a "she" not a "he." More glamour in a female dog, they thought, so henceforth the name became Lassia. "Lassie Comes Home" estab-lished the collie as the world's most beloved dog. Lassie has had an intensive education for the screen and is billed on the studio roster above Clark Gable. The collie has a five-year film contract. Picture Of Eileen Joyce's Story SYDNEY, Aug. 15: Ealing Stu-dios will shortly begin a search for a small Australian girl to play the part of Eileen Joyce as a child in the film "Prelude," which will be based on the childhood of Miss Joyce and will begin production in Australia in October. The general manager for Ealing Studios in Australia (Mr. Eric Williams), who arrived from Eng-land during the weekend, said to-day that he wanted an all-Austra-lian cast for "Prelude." Mr. Williams said: "For the main role of Miss Joyce as a child we want a competent young ac-tress about ten years old. She must be dark-featured. Tests for the part will begin when the film's producer, Michael Gordon, arrives from England within the next fortnight ." "Prelude" and one other film would be made before "Robbery Under Arms" began production next year. "The Australian film industry will develop into a major undertaking within the next five years," he said. "We are equipping our studios out here with the best cameras, lights and other technical equipment"