AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 228, 26 September 1934, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

CIVIC THEATRE. | In direct contrast to the current chills and horrors of the lvarloff-Lugosi film, "The Black Cat," the Civic Theatre will screen next Friday a delightful romantic film in "Change of Heart,'' featuring one of the most popular combinations that have graced this popular entertainment medium. Janet Gay nor and Charles Far-t-ell, whom film fans first saw together in the never-to-be-forgotten "Seventh Heaven," are reunited after an. absence of almost two years in the production "Change of Heart." They have blazed a triumphant way to popularity ill close on a dozen features since "Seventh Heaven," including "Street Angel," "The Man Who Came Back," "High Society Blues," "Sunrise," "Sunnyside Up," "Lucky Star," "Merely Mary Ann," "Delicious," "The First Year" and "Tess of the Storm Country." Since that last film, Miss Gaynor has appeared in "State Fair" (Lew Ayres), "Adorable" (Henry Garat) and "Paddy the Next Best Thing" (Warner Baxter), while Farrell has been seen in "Salomy Jane," "Heartbreak," "After To-morrow" and "Girl Without a Room." His leading ladies in these films were respectively Joan Bennett, Madge Evans, Marian Nixon and Marguerite Churchill. "Change of Heart," which was formerly entitled "In Love With Life,"' is an adaptation of the best-selling novel, "Manhattan Love Song," by Kathleen Norris. Supporting players are headed by a second romantfc combination in James Dunn and "Ginger" Rogers. The film was produced by Winfield Sheehan, that master of film technique, who made "Cavalcade" the world success that it was by insisting of its retention of everything British and savouring of Britain. PLAZA THEATRE. Just as she completed work on "Wonder Bar," the bright musical film which is doing so well at the Plaza Theatre at the moment, Kay Francis was offered a new long-term contract by the studio. She signed on the dotted line and will continue to bo one of the company's leading stars. Her next picture will be "Mine. Du Barry." The contract was the result, not only of her splendid work in her current production in the leading feminine role, but because of her greatly increasing popularity. Miss Francis went to Warner Bros, two years ago and in that time has appeared in ten productions. Her first picture for the company was "Man Wanted," followed by "Street of Women," "Jewel Robbery." "One Way Passage," "The Keyhole," "Mary Stevens, M.D./ "I Loved a Woman," "The House on 56th Street," "Mandalay" and her current production of "Wonder Bar." Of these, "Mary Stevens, M.D." and "Mandalay" alone have not yet been released in Auckland. "Wonder Bar" is a musical drama of Parisian night life, with Miss Francis sharing stellar roles with Dick Powell, Dolores Del Rio, A 1 .Jolson, Hal Le Roy and many others. Lloyd Bacon directed, while the spectacle numbers were staged ■and created by Busby Berkeley. It was liusb.y Berkeley who created the remarkable dance sequences in such spectacular pictures as "42nd Street," "The Gold Diggers of 1933," "Roman Scandals" and "Footlight Parade," greatest of all the musicals. REGENT THEATRE. The final scenes of "The House of Rothschild," in which Nathan Rothschild, in the person of George Arliss, is publicly honoured for his services to England, were adjudged by producers Joseph M. Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck to be too magnificent a spectaclc to be wasted on black and white film. And since a large sum was already invested in the richly decorative court costumes of the period worn by the 200 actors and actresses participating in the sccne and sets, designed by Richard Day, and accurately reproducing the sumptuous coronation room ot St. James' Palace, where the event occurred, they decided to give audiences the full benefit of their spleudour and called in technicolour experts to photograph the scenes in the newly-developed three-colour process, which had never before been used on a set of this "The House of Rothschild" is now enjoying a thoroughly successful season at the Regent Theatre. With it is screening the Walt Disney technicolour cartoon, 1< tinny Little Bunnies," for which Frank Churchill, composcr of the world-famous \\ ho s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf.'" penned an equally captivating melody as a theme song, bearing the same title. 1 his tune will sing itself in the hearts of millions as they listen to these clever little flopeared actors busily whistling and whittling away at their work of manufacturing Easter eggs and chocolate replicas of their fuzzy selves for the glorious springtime season. And if you have never had the opportunity to get on a sufficiently friendly footing with a bunny to see him whistle, vou just haven't lived. When Arliss and the Rothschild characters have ceased to hold their current appeal for Auck landers. Regent patrons will see the first of Will Hays' comedies, "Those Were the Dajs, featuring one of the most popular comedians the London music halls have known. STRAND THEATRE. George Arliss continues to attract excellent audiences to the Strand s revival season of "The Affairs of Voltaire. J his line historical drama-romance will give place at the Strand on' Friday, however, to a dual bill in which the two films offering will be a revival of Marlene Dietrich s "Song of Songs," and a first release ot the fine Ruritanian romance, ' i hirty-Day Princess." IVliss Dietrich has the lMiglisnman, Brian Aherne/as her leading man in "Song of Songs," while Alison Skipworth supplies much of the comedy relief in the production. "Thirty-Day Princess is a fine imaginative love story of the popular "mythical kingdom" style, with Sylvia Sidney starred as the beautiful unmarried ruling princess who is in love with a commoner, in the form of Gary Grant. Many excellent eomedy effects are said to be incorporated in the production.

NATIONAL AND PRINCE EDWARD. An unusual theme is the feature of interest in the film "Damaged Lives, which is now being screened at both the National and Prince Edward Theatres. Produced in Hollywood by the Canadian Racial Hygiene Association, its aim is, by education, to strike a blow at diseases of a type which are age-old, but which could be materially checked if knowledge concerning them were more widely diffused. It is contended that it is a false modesty that would withhold from the young knowledge that is even more important to them than to older people. The story which the film tells concerns a young man, Donald, who postpones marriage to his Joan until he is able to show himself capable of "settling down." The sowing of his "wild oats" and its consequences to his -married life provide the theme of "Damaged Lives." Lyman Williams and Diane Sinclear portray the two central figures in the film. CONCERT FOR CHILDREN. A concert for the benefit of the children of the Papatoetoe Church of England Home was given at the home on Saturday evening by the "Good Companions of Auckland" concert party, under Mr. A. Danbers. Miss E. George was the pianist.

MAJESTIC THEATRE. Described as a romantic musical comedy, the film "Romance in the Rain," _is announced as the new attraction for Friday at the Majestic Theatre, after the current season of "Murder in the Private Car," an entertaining murder mystery iilm with far more than its share of comedy. This laugh element is provided chiefly by the irrepressible and utterly haudJess Charles Ruggles. "Romance in the Rain," originally known by the title of "Sin for Cinderella," was bought by Carl Laemmle, jun., from the Broadway stage for a considerable amount for translation into the cinematic medium, in which the Majestic's patrons w::i see it on Friday. Musical effects for the screen were written by the team of Jay Gorney and Sigmund Herzig, a well-known song-writ-ing team, with 110 small degree of success to their credit for former productions. The picture has a polished cast of musical comedy favourites, together with several popular players of other types. The cast includes Heather Angel, the young English girl who "captured" Hollywood after appearing in only one or two films in Britain; Victor Moore, operatic star from the New York stage; Roger Pryor, popular star of the musical films, "I Like It That Way" and "Ladies Must Love," and Esther Ralston, the brilliant star of "Rome Express," "After the Ball," "By Candlelight" and many other productions. One unexpected personality in the cast, in an important role, is the long-forgotteu Clara Kimball Young, one of the greatest cinema stare the industry has ever known. ST. JAMES' THEATRE. Wallace Beery has made fourteen pictures in five years, and of these "Mill and Bill," "Dinner at Eight," "The Big House," "Hell Divers," "The Champ,' and "Grand Hotel" were superlative pieces of entertainment. Despite all this, his most sensational film is "Viva Villa," which is enjoying an excellent season at the St. James' Theatre at present. As Pancho Villa, the rough Mexican patriot, he has a tremendous role. He is almost always before the camera; he has to suggest a certain unthinking cruelty, a native humour, a weakness for women, a man whom men will follow without a backward glance, and he has to make the audience like him. Beery succeeds in all these things, and the story provides him with revolutionary settings which are unique. The lighting is splendid, the sun-" scorched land of Mexico coming as a welcome change to the usual surrouudings of most Hollywood films. The change of programme listed for Friday will comprise chiefly the spy romance "Stamboul Quest," which features Myrna Loy in one of a most thrilling story. Many sw tales have regaled picturegoers of late —Garbo s "Mata Hari," the British "I Was a and "On Secret Service," Connie Bennett's "After To-night," Fay Wray's "Madame Spy," to say nothing of Marlene Dietrich's well-remembered "Dishonoured" of a few years ago. All of thein dealt with the theme of a woman spy's thrilling adventures, and they cultivated a genuine liking for this type of entertainment. "Staniboul Quest" is more than a drama of a woman spy. It incorporates considerable romantic qualities, which were either entirely lacking or strangely overdone in the other productions, making of it a credible and intensely likeable piece of screen fare. George Brent has the male romantic lead, with Lionel Atwill in a typically fine character role. STATE THEATRE.

No one seemed to recognise the fact that | Glovia Stuart had a line singing voice' until she offered to sing a song in The I Secret of the Blue Room." Her talents | were subsequently vindicated by "I Like It That Way," and she was immediately cast with her same leading man—Roger Pry o r—for another musical film. This was "Glamour," in which she will be at the State Theatre on Friday, when it will be given its first local release. Current entertainment at the State is supplied by the uproarious Laurel and Hardy comedy, "Sons of the Desert." Charley Chase is also featured. "MASSES AND MAN." The final performance of Ernfct Toller's remarkable play, "Masses and Man," will be given by the W.E.A. .at the Old Grammar School, Symonds Street, this evening. Mr. Arnold Goodwin and his anonymous cast have achieved something really worth while in making this strange play live. PSYCHOLOGY LECTURE. The final lecture of a series given by Mr. Harry Gaze, late of London, will be heard in the Lewis Eady Hall this evening. The address will be on the subject, "How to Realise Your Desires and Make Your Dreams Come True." Admission is free. These lectures are given in an attempt to disperse knowledge of the science of applied psychology and the benefits which it may accord in everyday life. j