Film Corp. was started by Edgar Wallace and S. W. Smith to turn Edgar Wallace stories into pictures. They started with "The Ringer" which was followed by a whole series of Wallace thrillers. When talkies came, they made "The Squeaker" in 1930, and "The Case of the Frightened Lady" in the following year. In this Emlyn Williams made his first appearance on the screen.
Edgar Wallace is dead, but S. W. Smith remains and still' believes in Edgar Wallace. So he is remaking "The Frightened Lady" with Marius Goring as Lord Willy Lebanon and Helen Hayes as the dowager. In the cast will be also Penelope Dudley Ward, Isla Crane and Rodick Barr. British Lion must be the only producing company which throughout so many years has so intimately associated its fortunes with one writer.
Capra Works on His Own Ìt is not surprising that Frank Capra should have decided to make pictures independently. For one thing, he has enormous popularity as a director. He is one of the very few directors who can draw in a large public irrespective of the vatticular stars working under him, The important thing is the name of Frank Capra on the screen. That is one, and a very strong, reason for independent action. But there is probably an even stronger one.
Those who have followed his career must be aware that Capra is a man with a mission. There ate even those who think that there is danger of the missionary overwhelming the artiste. There may have been signs of this in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," which repeated the moral theme of "Mr. Deeds Goes to. Town." "Lost Horizon" and "You Can't Take It with You" were triumphs of direct-fon; they were also sermons in pictures. A man with a strong message always wants to deliver it himself, without hindrance or outside complication.
For his first independent picture Capra has engaged Gary Cooper and is said to be paying him the very large fèe of £50,000. The picture, now in the making, bears the title, "The Life of John Doe". The title is significant. "John Doe" stands for the common American citizen. It would not be surprising if we were to fird another version of the Everyman theme ili modern dress. C; is the one to make a new morality play and make it well.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.