AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 144, 20 June 1934, Page 16

AMUSEMENTS.

( CIVIC THEATRE. '• "Just Smith," the new Tom Walls'.picture coming on Friday to the Civic Theatre, is a British adaptation of ~ Frederick Lonsdale's successful stage comedy "Never Come Back," and has been directed by Tom Walls. Smith is a high-class "crook," whose chief delight as , well as his livelihood., is to relieve the * wealthy of their negotiable riches- In thin instance he plays upon the weakness of liis intended victim for titled folk in order fi to be entertained as guest at the lady's c home in the country. There a valuable necklace is stolen, and many are suspected. l'iie inquiry detective eventually convinces himscll that Smith is the . culprit, although that astute individual never touches jewels. The serio-comedy -1 character of the action makes good enter(l tainment and everything is straightened out, but Smith still remains an enigma. The picture is well played in the Wallsian 0 manner, and is bound to be a succcss. > The adaptation is said to have retained ■" the full humour of the play, and presents both action and sparkling dialogue in the 1 best Lonsdale manner. Walls the actor is an entertaining person, who divides his Li facial agility and his skilled delivery r between the pursuit of bonds and the s assisting of Carol Goodner and Anne e Grey, ladies in distress. Clever performa ances are also attributed to Hartley Power, Eva Moore, Veronica Rose and Peter Gawtliorne. s CLEM DAWE REVUE COMPANY. } Features of "The Laugh Parade," which ' Clem Dawe is producing this evening and to-morrow night in His Majesty's Theatre, d as his third sliow of the current season, V are "The Cabaret Ball," "Trees," "The e Skaters' Waltz," "The Waihi Choir" and the extremely humorous old-time enter- . tainment, "Minstrel Show." "The Laugh rl Parade" will also be staged this evening - and to-morrow night, and on 'Friday evens ing the company will present an entirely Ei new production entitled "The Whirligig," y in which Sir. Dawe and his fellow artists ; will present a number of new and original g features, including humorous sketches, comedy scenes, the latest song successes, adagio dances, acrobatic features and 15 clever ballets. At next Saturday's matinee Y Clem Dawe will distribute no less than - 50 gifts, including a thoroughbred Shetland pony, together with saddle and .j bridle. ST. JAMES' THEATRE. e Scotland Yard, famed criminal iuvestit gating headquarters of London, for the t tirst time In its long history, has revealed y the workings of its inner mechanism. For j three montus prior to the beginning of ! production of the motion picture "Mystery I of Mr. X," communications Hew between ' Scotland Yard and the studios. Photographs, secret records, and histories were being forwarded, furnishing authentic j data for the new film. Now completed and released, it will opeu on Friday at the St. James' Theatre. Robert Montgomery is starred and Elizabeth Allan, j beautiful English actress, plays the . feminine lead. Featured players include , Lewis Stone, Ralph Forbes, Henry Stephenson, Forrester Harvey, Ivan Simpson, Leonard Mudie, Alec B. Francis, and Charles Irwin. Numerous scenes are laid inside Scotland Yard. Settings have been duplicated exactly from photographs and e specifications furnished. The- ranking commissioner's office is identical with the original, even to a bronze bust of Caesar standing like a sentinel in the corner. ; So also is the roof, wireless room, finger--5 print department, bureau of records, and • the exteriors of the structure. The exact 5 procedure of criminal investigation is I- followed. London's metropolitan police— 1 of which Scotland Yard is a part—tries' 3 its criminals in the Bow Street Police Court. This building also has its counterpart in the Hollywood studio, conforming ! exactly with the original. The St. James' t will show "Every Woman's Man," known : also as "The Prizefighter and the Lady," for the last time to-morrow night. Its "highlight" is a ten-round draw between ?■ Baer and Camera. REGENT THEATRE. In connection with the current screening of the, serious Australian drama, "The Silence of Dean Maitland," at the .Regent Theatre at the moment, the following incident -is amusing. John Longden is cast as the dean in this production, with ..Charlotte Francis as the alluring Allna Lee. The film had just then provided the centre of quite a storm against ; the action of the Commonwealth censor, Mr.. Cresswell O'Reilly, in banning certain vital portions, such as the nude bathing . sequence and the kiss of passion, in the | film to be exported from Australia. John ' Longden had a similar experience when he was making an English production, "The Flame of Love," burn in the eyes of the English critics by romancing with Anna May Wong. The English Press rose more or less in a body, and with them- the censors. The argument centred ai'ound whether an Englishman should kiss an Oriental in a film. After considerable altercation in the Press, eventually both sides. won, the hero embraced the lady sufficiently for the purpose of the story, but that was all. Mr. Longden's ability ' as a screen lover has now been questioned by the authorities sufficiently to enable ■ him to compete with Mao West in popu- > larity. He certainly seems to have un- , wittingly stolen some of that lady's thunder, and by the same token should frequently have the invitation extended to him to "Come Up and See Me Sometime." It must be mentioned that the Regent is 1 also screening the first Australian musical , revue film, "Cinesound Varieties." ROXY AND TIVOLI. The frantic search for a leading lady for the debut film of Francis Lederer, . sensational European and New York stage . star whom Hollywood recruited last year, culminated in the selection of beautiful : Elissa Landi. The film was "Man of Two 1 Worlds," .which comes to the Roxy and Tivoli Theatres jointly to-day. Miss Landi has the part of the beautiful daughter o£ an English explorer who brings ! Lederer, as a Far North hunter, back to London from his native land. The love of the native for the girl whom he wor--1 ships as a goddess, is accounted one of the most, unusual emotional themes yet adapted for the talkies. While Mi 66 Landi does not appear in the earlier sequences of the production, her role of an ,Englishgirl, who inspired a" hopeless love in the heart of a young Arctic big-game hunter, is considered of starring importance. The public and critical acclaim Miss Landi has received for her recent pictures, "The Warrior's Husband," "I Loved You Wednesday," and "The Masquerader," is also said ta 'have influenced the decision to give her co-starring billing with the sensational European actor. The photoplay is from the novel by Ainsworth Morgan. The other picture on the dual programme ..at the two theatres is "Bedside," in which the. brilliant little newcomer to films, Jean Muir, has the leading feminine role opposite the star, Warren William. The picture is a story of the amazing adventures of a handsome and masrnetic youth - masquerading as a surgeon. Romance, as may be expected, plays no small part in the plot. NATIONAL AND PRINCE EDWARD. . On the close of the current contrasting 1 dual-feature programme at the National : and' Prince Edward Theatres—consisting ■ of the Pitts-Summerville farce "Love Birds" and the highly dramatic "Midnight":—the tw.o theatres, will introduce i another dual- programme, in which the features will be an uproarious farce and a t-omedy-drama of gentler risible qualities. The farce is "Tillle and Gus," in which Alison Skipworth and W. C. Fields, one of the screen's finest comedy teams, provide most of the entertainment, ably assisted by the talented- young Baby Leroy. The other production offering .is "A Passport To Arms," an English film starring Sally Eilers and Ben Lyon. ROUSHWORTH'S SKATING RINK. 1 .- > - ■ i Elaborate arrangements have been made < for a "Vice-Versa" carnival to be held j to-night at Roushworths' Skating Rink, t ; Khyber Pass. Prizes willbe given to the !. prettiest young tody and the handsomest , young man, the best-looking boy and girl * under 16 and the best dressed couple and f trio. Ji