AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15860, 27 March 1917, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

Tin' new programme at- the • Opor.-. House hist night was witnessed l»y a largo audience. and was bright and sparkling from start to finish. Miss Lily "\ ockler. who made her first appearance in Christchurch. -cored an immediate success with her popular chorus songs, and her impersonation of a principal bov in pantomime was warmly applauded* Mv Huntlv Spencer, who possesses a pleasing and well trained tenor voice, was successful in his songs, and the Brothers Delavale. who aiv also newcomers, were good in their songs and patter. Charles Enderbury. a clever equilibrist. pleased with his various teats. Mr Leonard Nelson appeared in new songs, and also gave the popular recitation "When are yon goin away." and. in response to an insistent demand. sans "Mr 800/.e. Mr \\ alter Kmerson and Miss Gv.-en J-lasto created much merriment with thru" absurdity, "The Lady Harbor.'" Zakaree Erntakov, tlie Russian Cossack, again dc- , lighted with his i'eats with different weapons, and interested with his locturotte on Russian affairs. Miss A iolet Trevenyon made a welcome re-appear-ance, and was bright and pleasing in her humorous songs. Dan Crew, ihe Scottish comedian, gave some new songs with success. To-night the same programme will be repeated, and there will be a matinee on Saturday. '•FLIRTATION WITH DEATH." Tlie largo audience at His Majesty's Theatre last night which witnessed tlie screening of the film, "Flirtation With Death," depicting the journey of a Dodge Brothers motor-car through some of tho "bad lands" of Southern California, had 110 cause to complain of the absence of sensational incidents. Practically every section of the lenglhv film had its own particular thrill, aud was an eloquent testimonial of the thorough reliability of the Dodge car. A more severe test of tho entire mechanism of an automobile could hardly be devised than the negotiating of the desert lands, guiltless of any formed tracks, covered, in parts, with high brushwood, rough and rocky and, generally, more suitable for "tanlks" to operate on than for an automobile to attempt. In fact, in some of the feats accomplished by the Dodge car, the spectator was reminded of descriptions of what the "tanks" have accomplished at tho front. True, the Dodge was not called upon to demolish houses that stood in its path, but it encountered and surmounted difficulties almost as severe when the great difference between tho construction of a

"tank" and an automobile is borne in mind. 'Some of the positions that the car got into .were almost hair-raising in their possibilities of complete disaster. One section of the picture showed the car negotiating a "hog back," which may be described as a ledge of roek lying at a dangerous angle and necessitating one side of the car being at a much higher level than the other. Some of the descents accomplished over rocky declivities were equally amazing and marvellous, and were evidence of the thorough workmanship of the car. Perhaps the most thrilling episodes were those in which tho car was seen negotiating swift-flowing mountain torrents. For the time being tho car seemed to partake of the qualities of a boat, dashing through the streams as if it had been constructed for water and not for land travel. Sensational, also, wore tho dives it took down steep banks into rivers, sometimes coming perilously near assuming a perpendicular position. Very interesting was tlie skilful management of the car over a glacial moraine, strewn with large boulders and calling for mmcli judgment in tho management of tho car. The film is one that requires to be seqn to fully appreciate both the roughness of tho country travelled over arid the excellent, qualities of the Dodge car. The picture is admirable both from the photographic and the educational points of view.' ' There are a number of splendid glimpses of the awe-inspiring scenery of the Sierras and the portions picturing Death Valley give an excellent idea of tho desolate character of the country. "The Flirtation "With Death" will be screened nightly at His Majesty's all this week. , SELL'S CIRCUS AND WILD WEST SHOW. Sell's Circus and Wild West Show is at present touring the country districts of Canterbury. The combination will appear at Kirwee to-night, Darfield tomorrow night, Hororata on Thursday, Glentunnel on Friday, Coalgate on Saturday. Sheffield on April 2nd. and Springfield on April 3rd. Oxford will be visited at Show time. The circus includes trained horses and ponies, trick riders, jumping dogs, cowboys, acrobats, and clowns. Mr Sell has engaged for this season onlv the Russian musician Carlson. The second part of tho programme comprises a Wild- West show, including 12 buckjumper. A reward of £5 is offered to anyone who will ride the "star" buckjumper for five minutes.

PICTURE ENTERTAINMENTS. New programmes were shown yesterday at Everybody's, the Grand, Starland, Globe, and Sydenham theatres. The -weekly change at 'tho Grand -was made on Saturday.