AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 32, 7 February 1934, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

ST. JAMES' THEATRE. Replacing the current "Broadway to I Hollywood," musical comedy-romance, the, .newest Summerville-Pitts farce, entitled "Love, Honour and Oh, Baby!" will be released initially in Auckland at the St. James' Theatre on Friday. Although Slim Summerville is said to be convincing as the hard-working young lawyer whose clients are all in gaol in "Love, Honour and Oh, Baby!"—which, by the way, is the fourth Slim Summcrville-Zasu Pitts comedy—he has only been in court, twice in his life. The first time was when he was involved in an automobile accident and the second when he adopted a son. in his legal career on the screen, however, he shows he knows all the tricks and twists of the professions, aided, of course, by Zasu Pitts. So popular have Slim Summerville and Zasu Pitts become as a co-starring team that they are working overtime on their productions at Hollywood. The latest, "Love, Honour and Oh, Baby!" was completed in record time. Donald Meek, Lucille Gleason, Purnell Pratt and Arthur E. Stone head the cast. Eddie Buzzell directed the film, 'which was adapted for the screen from Lindsay Robinson's stage "hit," "Oh, Promise Me!" CIVIC THEATRE.

Leslie Hcnson and Edward Everett liorton will continue to amuse Civic patrons in their hilarious English farce, "it's a Boy," only this, evening and tomorrow. The theatre will introduce the dramatio American film, "Midnight Club," on Friday. Clive Brook, suave and courteous, George Baft, sinister but romantic, Alison Skip-.vorth, eharptongued and short-tempered, and Helen Vinson, beauteous and alluring, are featured in the film. Brook plays the role of the leader of a band of society jewelthieves. Baft is an American detective summoned to London by Scotland Yard. The action of the picture centres around the supper club which the gang uses as a "blind" for its operations. Kaft meets them here, poising as a thief himself. They are unimpressed—until on two successive occasions, he arrives at the scene of the crime first, and leaves them nothing £or their trouble but empty safes. Then they decide to take him into their organisation. Baft thinks his plans are going along perfectly, and expects to amass his evidence quickly. But soon he finds himself deeply in love with Miss Vinson. The events that follow lead the picture to a startling climax. REGENT THEATRE.

Widespread interest has been aroused in the current screening of "The Private Life of Henry VILI." at the Regent Theatre. The picture has proved an unprecedented success in America and in Europe, where it has shattered the records of many of the leading theatres in both Continents. Charles Laughton's performance of "Henry VIII." is unreservedly praised by the public. The career of the merry, marrying monarch is made into no pompous historical melodrama, but into robust comedy, deftly tinged with pathos. As to the story, the film shows that Henry's first wife was a good woman; bo divorced her. The "second, Anne Boleyn, was bad; ho had her executed. So that no time would be wasted before his marriage to Jane Seymour, he had a drum give the signal the instant Anne's head rolled off the block: Jane Seymour dies furnishing an heir to the throne one day when the king was out hunting. His courtiers persuaded him to marry again, this time to a clever German princess, who, because she was in love with someone else, contrived to seem so unattractive that the king was willing to spend his wedding night playing cards. After their divorce, Henry married Catherine Howard. He believed in love until he learned that Catherine was having an

"affair." When her head had been chopped off he acquired his last wife, Catherine Parr. Ho was then a feeble, broken-hearted old man with barely enough enthusiasm left to go on gnawing a chicken wing when Catherine henpecked him. The Begent also offers its patrons Walt Disney's newest "Silly Symphony" cartoon, "The Xight Before Christmas."

MAJESTIC THEATRE. When Tom Walls ceases to amuse Majestic patrons to-morrow evening in his latest comedy-drama, "The Blarney Stone," that theatre will present the longdelayed British film triumph, "The Home Express," generally claimed by the English critics as the most outstanding British film production of 1932. Like "Jack's the Boy," "The Rome Express" was directed by the former comedian Walter Fortle, and is said to have set the seal on his reputation as a producing genius. He certainly had wonderful material to help him, as the enst is one of the few entitled to the much-abused title of "allstar." It includes Conrad Veidt. seen here in "In Old Vienna" and "F.P.1.," Gordon Harker, the popular London character comedy actor; Harold Huth and Joan Barry, formerly together in "The Outsider"; Esther Ralston, the American screen star, playing an American screen star; Hugh Williams, the goodlooking English juvenile; Cedrick Hardwicke and Donald Calthrop, two outstanding character actors; and in addition Eliot Makcham. Frank Vosper, Finlay Currie and Muriel Aked, all seen here in prominent roles. The whole of the action of the film takes place during a journey from Paris to Rome, and the passengers on the train become involved in a sensational mystery drama. PLAZA THEATRE.

Grade Fields' popularity is proven thoroughly in the great success of her "This Week of Grace," which looks like enjoying yet a third week at the Plaza Theatre. It is now within a day of ending its second week, and audiences are holding up splendidly. There is an air of unaffected and bright English humour about every moment of this entertaining film. Gracie Fields, who will be remembered for her successful appearances in "Sally In Our Ally" and "Looking On the Bright Side," again sings here way gaily through the ups and downs of life. All her songs, "Heaven Will Protect An Honest Girl," "Happing Ending," "My Lucky Day," and "Mary Rose," are all bound to become popular numbers. The story is essentially a simple one, but it provides an ideal opportunity for the full exploitation of the humorous and happy naturalness of Gracie Fields-. The next picture to be released at the Plaza Theatre will be "I Was a Spy," commencing on Friday, February 16. This production has been acclaimed definitely as the greatest dramatic effort of the British studios in the past year by nearly every English critic who has seen it. Madeleine Carroll, Conrad Veidt. Sir Gerald du Maurier, Herbert Marshall and Edmund Gwcnn (the Jess Oakroyd of "The Good Companions") are featured in the cast list.

STRAND THEATRE. "The Big Executive," an intimate insight into the lives of the financial magnates of Wall Street, is the current attraction at the Strand Theatre. A sound performance is given by Ricardo Cortez, who is cast as a wealthy business man who discovers that when he loses his money in a crash of the stock market he loses most of his worries as well. The Strand will give Auckland its first screening of "Torch-Singer" on Friday. This production has been considered as a splendid example of the versatile lifting talent of Claudette Colbert, that fine dramatic star who played the seductive Empress Poppaea in "The Sign of the Cross," and, by contrast, the very sweet, but certainly not alluring, feminine lead in "I Cover the Waterfront." In "TorchSinger" she is stated to have yet a different role. She will be supported by Ricardo Cortez. David Manners and the amazing Baby Le Roy. This is the child's second feature film, his debut being Maurice Chevalier's "A Bed-time Story" some time ago. MUNICIPAL BAND. Last night a large and enthusiastic audience listened to a fine programme given by the Auckland Municipal Band in Albert Park, many items being warmly applauded. To-morrow the band will play at Avohdale.

NATIONAL AND PRINCE EDWARD. There is a point of unusual interest in the film, "King for a Night," which is now screening at the National and Prince Edward Theatres jointly with the aviation dramatic romance, "Flying Devils." This is the use in several scenes of one of the most historic places in the motion picture industry, the great old stage which was first built as a complete theatre for a baekj ground to "The Phantom of the Opera.' The '•phantom stage," as it is called, has been seen by almost 1,000,000 _sightseers since it'was constructed in 1925. "King For a Night," in its daring frankness, is one of the most unusual and interesting production of the year, and has a splendid cast, headed by Chester 'Morris, Helen Twelvctrees'and Alice White. The National and Prince Edward-will on Friday screen two more films. One is an English drama, "The Man Outside," featuring Henry Kendall and Gillian Lind, while the other is a typical Tom Keene "Western," "Son of the Border."