AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1927, Page 11

AMUSEMENTS.

° NATIONAL AND LYRiC. ] t "The Unknown Cavalier." the first ' ° attraction at the National and Lyric Theatre?, is a stirring drama of the West * in the days of the Vigilantes. The hero, . Torn Drury, is played by Ken Ma.wiard, j a newcomer to the screen who. in pre-war | r days, was a circus stunt-rider. The story ! 1 gives him plenty of opportunity for dare- | * devil riding, for he plays the part of a | dashing young cowboy engaged in running | ' down a notorious bandit. In capturing | £ the villain he captures the heart of the > . heroine. Ruth Gaunt (played by Kathleen j Collinsi, whose father had been murdered ' * by the outlaw. Kod La Rocque is the I 1 hero of the second picture, "Red I>icc," j V a tale of the underworld. The hero, a| ! destitute war veteran, makes a pact with | 1 one of the pang leaders in which lie j * agrees to insure himself for one hundred | thousand dollars and marry a girl chosen 1 1 by the gangster, in return for ten j [ thousand dollars. At the end of a year, j ' the gangsters will shoot him. He feels 1 in love with his strangely-acquired wife j v whose part is played by Marguerite De ij La Motte, and determines to tight for life. The stiugcle against the power of c the gangsters give rise to some thrilling 1 scenes and tense moments. j ' MAJESTIC THEATRE. j i Concerning Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's | j celebrated picture, "The Big Parade," • . which will begin its season at the Majestic • ( Tlieatre to-morrow (Friday) morning, j "The Dominion," (Wellington), wrote: — • | "There have been many great pictures with the Great War as a background, but 1 since "Hearts of the World." there has j been none to compare with "The Big i , Parade," King Yidor's picturisation of j ] Lawrence Stalling's story of the same | ; name, which registered a very deep ini- j j pression on large audiences yesterday j , afternoon and night at the Majestic , Theatre. Though war in all its grim ; horror and staggering vastness of 1 operation, is the background, it may be i . said that the great throbbing humanity ; or the story could only be made possible ! ; with such an epic setting. And yet it | < is just a love story, the love J : of three loveable young men from i widely different angles of life, for one another, and the all-absorb-ing passion of one of the trio for a simple maid of France. The three characters mentioned are James Apperson (who is j of old wealthy stock), Bonev Slim, a rivetter in the skyscrapers, and sturdy I Bull, a coarse, lough bartender from east-side, New York. How they come j together, and "cottoned" to one another, I is one of the great mysteries of the war I | —and life. James Apperson has had a | boy-and-girl sweetheart affair before the j ! call comes, but there was little of the | 1 "grande passion" in the affair. That j conies when he meets sweet Melisande, lin one of the little villages behind the lines. She is no common flirt, but a fine stout-hearted girl, who works honestly all her days, and who forms a deep attachment for the handsome American youth— one that is very deeply and seriously reciprocated. Then comes a rush order for the company to- stop a Fritz break j through the line, and heartrending scenes l are enacted as the great motor wagons | I are packed up with the soldiers in full I kit —thousands of them—and miles of j wagons recede into the distance. Melisande is distracted at not .being able to | locate her "Jimniee." and in another part I of the line. Jim stands looking, seeking, I searching for Melisande. The sergeant | orders him on. He stops—cannot go. He | races back and searches. —God! Will he j I never see her again? Suddenly they find i cach other. Mr. Jean Dellore. baritone. I I will sing the vision song. "My Dream of j ■ the Big Parade." and the special New 1 York musical score will be rendered at I cach screening by the All Soloists 1 ] orchestra, directed by Mr. Fred Muniford. i PRINCESS AND TIVOLI. The principal attraction at the Princess and Tivoli to-night is "Lure of the Wild." a thrilling drama of the Canadian back--1 woods. The real hero of the story is j Lightning, one of the finest and most in- j telligent dogs on the screen. When his , , master, believing his wife to be false, j hides himself away with his baby I ! daughter in the depths of the Canadian forest, the dog follows. In a series of : gripping scenes, he saves the child from • death, and hunts his master's murderer. ! Jane Novak is said to play the part of | the deserted wife in her usual sympathetic j i way. The second feature of the pro- ■ gramme is "The Runaway Lxpress. , ' starring Jack Dauglierty. This is a i ! stirring talc of railroad adventure, reach- 1 ing a climax when the track limited • ' rushes towards certain doom with the | i driver lying drugged and helpless in his | i cab. Jack Dauglierty. as oe Foley, the | ex-cowboy locomotive driver who has been discredited through the machinations of his rival for the love of Norah Kelly, dashes to the rescue and finally wins through. HIPPODROME AND EMPRESS. "The Blue Eagle," with George O'Brien h. the leading role, is the stellar attraction I , on the programme now showing at the Hippodrome and Empress Iheatres. T he . ! picture was directed by John Ford lor | Fox Films, and the ocean scenes are said 1 ! to teem with a rare sparkle and grandeur, j Rival gang leaders in a big city are ' jealous of the affections of pretty Rose 1 Cooper, the belle of the ward. But the I World War begins and the gangsters need . 1 no urging to join the colouis. The story ; centres about the efforts of a lovable old .! parish arbiter to bring peace to the ward I bv reconciling George D'Arey and big " I Tim Ryan, who net only tight over ward j differences, but re always at loggerheads over the (firl, characterised by Janet II Gaynor. Many of the sequences are said j to 'be thrilling in the extreme, particularly 5! those which are centred in and about the American Navy. There is a burial at sea, and innumerable. scenes where the " j director has called quite heavily upon his | vast experience. The story was written ; by the late Gerald Beaumont, the well- , i known Californian author. The director, s in paying tribute to Beaumont, said he I was one of the most realistic film-story writers of recent times. Many of his ' stories were based upon his own experiences upon the racetrack and in the prize e ring. "The Blue Eagle." is described as > the best story the writer has developed, j A fine programme of supporting pictures | is also shown. I STRAND THEATRE. ' I In addition to "With Cobham to tlu j Cape," "The Boy Friend," a delightfu , picture, will commence with the change oi j programme at the Strand Theatre to e ! morrow. We see the all-British enterprise , conceived and planned, and carried oui j successfully by Sir Alan Cobham in a Dt i- | Haviland machine, with the mechanic ie ; Elliott (who was illed during Cobham"! s recent flight to Australia). The only othei : passenger was the camera man sent b; | the Gaumont British Film Company. Tin r i story of this epic flight is told by Si: Alan Cobham in his characteristically j bright style. Never has there been sucl 1 a wonderful tour of the African conti n ;nent. A five-hundred mile hop across th< n j Mediterranean. Leaving the coast of Nortl j] 'Africa we get into the storied land of th j s i Pharaohs. Here are wonderful views o r ! the Pyramids and we make a tourists' tou jof these marvellous sights. We visit th le j famous Sphinx, which nas just had a"brusl a jup and a wash down. We see the Sphinx' s. I toes, which have been buried for centurio? ro Then we call at Cairo, and -without doub , see the finest views possible of this fa; (filiating city. We stop to marvel at th j wonders of the deserted Valley of King and the tomb of Tutankhamen—and so o Ito the Cape. It' is astounding. "The Bo ' Friend" is an excellent . letro-Goldwyi i Mayer support in which Marceline Da 'and John Harron are starred. It is th ' story of a boy friend who was waylaid b jealousy and then sandbagged by Cupid. . Strand Magazine, full of interest, and m picture showing the arrival of the Duk and Duchess of York completes the pic r ~ ture part of the pingiamine. Special inusi ie wHI be featured by the Strand Syraphon s. Orchestra.

NEW REGENT THEATRE. | Although "Aloma of the South Seas" should be a big attraction on the change of programme at the New Regent Theatre , , to-morrow, the supporting programme is one that should please even the most blase picture patrons. A film of the Xgaruawahia military camp entitled "See Your Own Boys in Khaki." will give some idea of camp life and will also show ni Major-General Young. Officer Command- Sa ing the New Zealand Forces, inspecting the camp. The regimental march of the Ist Battalion Auckland Regiment will be played by the orchestra. A Hawaiian ee prologue will be presented, in which Miss 0Bettina Edwards. Auckland's well-known l< dancer, is featured. Eddie Horton on Li the Wurlit7.er organ, will again be a llt , l'eatuie this week, and his programme ineludes "A Perfect Day," "Barcarole." from the Tales of Hoffman, and a popular 7.. medley. "Aloma of the South Seas" in- ; troduces Gilda (bay. the famous ZiegficM Follies star. In reviewing the picture. the "New York Times" critic said: "Aloma N (Miss Gray) is a nimble little person. JShe falls in love with Holden, and with Ti the aid of the captions, she is quite a j u whimsical creature. Although a pagan, y she prays t'> the white man's Cod to save y Holden from being killed by shark*. She even promises on her knees that she will ' not marry the white man if he is only ■"*' spared. Then thete is Nuitane. te impersonated by Warner Baxter, who is much too fond of smiling in ti.uic moments v. and also of sinking boats to have Si h;s white enemies and rivals eiien by j_ sharks." The orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Maurice (Juttridge. will feature this week, t.ie overture. "Light Cavalry - ' iSuppe.) ° ! MAURICE MUSCOVITCH SEASON. j; Playgoers who retain so many pleasant recollections of the previous \isit to the y Dominion some two years ago of Maurice Moseovitch. in "The Outsider" and other .j plays, will no doubt be pleased to hear of the return visit, commencing on Sat- J 1 unlay evening at His Majesty's Theatre. and during a short session four dramas will •»- be staged. The company supporting the N star includes Miss Margaret Murray. B Messrs. Alex. Sarner, Ken Brandon, and Miss Ellen Pollock, all of whom were specially imported from leading London successes. Other prominent people are Reginald Newson. George Blunt. J. B. Atholwood, .John Harper. Leslie Donaghey, Eileen Sparks, Kerrie Kelly. ' and Kiore King. The opening production it on Saturday is "They Knew What They if Wanted," the much discussed play, w written by Sidney Howard. The play r| has been a sensation in London and New '' York, and will be likely to form the e ' subject fit" many a lively discussion here. " The trite title of the piece is no index to the volcanic contents of the play. It is a vignette of life as it is lived. It is more—it is an impression drawn with I photographic clarity and treated with human understanding. The play is V artistically sincere. One critic says: "The ovation accorded Moscovitrh at the ron- | elusion of the play was sufficient evidence of the feelings of the audience. They cried insistently for the reappearance of 1' the actor and it was only after many C curtains and a speech, that they released j him. "They Knew What They Wanted" \ will be played for four nights only, fol- ] lowed by Du Manner's celebrated romance | of the Latin Quarter of Paris. "Trilby,'" Maurice Moseovitch a,•pens as "SvenI gali." a rolo he has made famous in four continents. The box plans for both productions opened this morning at Lewis 1 R. Eady and Son, Ltd. * ! ROYAL BAND CONCERT. By permission of Captain R. A. Suliv.v.i a "Royal t oncert Programme" will given at the Town Hall on Saturday next by the full Marine Band of H.Ms. i Renown, the members of which were I specially chosen to accompany their Ro\al ' Highnesses the Duke and Dii' liess of Vo k , | oil their world tour. This will be the only , j concert platform programme to be given in Auckland, and will be personally con- i ducted by Lieut. A. Pragnell. L.K.A.M.. A.R.C.M. Booking arrangements as e ' advertised. j NAVAL BAND. i An excellent programme of music has il ! been arranged by the band of the H.M.s. j | Renown, which will play at Blandford | Park on Saturday. This should prove an I I additional attraction to the big soccer I match. Auckland v. H.M.s. Renown. j