AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16271, 23 July 1918, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS.

OPERA HOUSE. A goodly audience, undeterred by the adverse weather conditions, witnessed the nsw i programmo at the Opera House "last v night, j •and greatly enjoyed the varied bill of. "all ' vaudeville" items submitted. Grahams I human marionettes, with their reproductions ' [ of past and present vaudeville artists in their favourite songs, created great merriment and pleased exceedingly with their, faithful and lifelike imitations. The marionettes were heartily received, and were warmly applauded. Miss Nellie Kollc, in addition to several songs, contributed a selection froui "Cavalleria Rusticana, - ' on tho pianoforte, and also gave a monologue, both being well executed and appreciatively • received. Miss Kolle also sang "The Tramway Copper Trail," I and was rewarded with a shower of pennias I for tbo fund, the total amount collected being over fifteen shillings. The Lampini Brothers submitted fresh examples of magic mixed with merriment, their Rasputin specialty being especially noteworthy. Ley wood and Norcll gave an entertaining sketch, anfl j pleased with their songs and funnyisms. The juvenile singers, the Vivians, submitted with marked success several new numbers, and Phil Percival, kept the audience fully amus:d what time he spent at and near the p'.ano. Coco, She, and it were warmly welcomed on their reappearance, the daring head slide and other skilful balancing acts evoking mucn applause. Victor Elvin, skate dancer, Fred "Webber, the musical col ege boy, and Dumo, trick cvclist and unsupported pole balancer, j also appeared and Vere successful in their I respective offerings. To-night the same pro-- : gramme will be repeated. I CRYSTAL PALACE.. . a | Despite the eevere weather experienced yes- ! terday there were excellent houses at the Crystal Palace Theatre, when the weekly change of programme was made, the feature : being the William Fox production, "Durand of the Bad Lands," a six-reel film of strong situation, power, and interest. That wellknown favourite of cinema audiences, Dustin Farnum, takes the hero's part, and with him is associated the charming actress. Winifred Kingston. The locality in which the play is staged possesses beautiful scenery, making quite a feature of the production. As tho hero Durand performs many sensational and thrilling feats. Ho is wanted by the Sheriff for many crimes and misdemeanours. Both those men love tho same girl, and in the end the bad man proves the most dosirable. It is he, for instance, who drives off a band of Indians who have all but massacred a caravan of settlers. The Indians have killed nineteen sturdy wliite mea

when Durand comes along, and in a'great sght drives off and eaves throe small children, ill that are loft of the heroio little caravan. Hie Sheriff finds Durand'e holster on tho field, and for tho added crime of wholesale murder offers another thousand dollars reward for his head. Tho picture then takes an exciting turn. There are train hold-ups by another band of Indians, in which the daughter of the Governor of the Slate is captured and finally rescued .by Durand, and after many exciting exploits Durand is taken into custody by the Sheriff and has to stand trial for murder. Like all good stories, there is ar happy ending-. Supporting pictures includo another thrilling? instalment of the mystery serial, "Who is 'Number, One?" entitled "No Surrender." Little Mary McAlister is seen in a further instalment of tho series, "Do Children Count?" the picture on this week's programme being entitled "The Kingdom of Hope." The latest number of , tho "Cinema Gazette" is also shown. _ At tho night session de luse the vocalist is Mr Farquhar Young, who sing 6 "Tho Floral Dance" and "Captain Mac." The overture ;by the orchcetra is "Norma" (Bellini). The programmo will be repeated to-day. QUEEN'S THEATRE. "A Modern Fairy Story" might be, with appropriateness, the sub-title of "Charity j Castle," the Mutual plioto-play, featuring | Mary Miles Minter, which was shown for the j first lime at" the Queen's Theatre yesterday, and delighted tho audiences which witnessed it. 'The story-is compounded partly of hard fact and partly of fanciful imaginings, and the two are eo well balanced that the reel-It : is most pleasing and artistically satisfying. ;As the girl to whom, owing 'to her mother's : death, is left the charge of her litt'e brother, with no friends or relations to Tielp them, Mary Miles Minter plays with that youthful charm ijnd winsomenes« with which i>--r .mtny admirers are bo familiar. 1 Her fanciful, make-believe stories are finely acted, and .admirably pictured. The. I nerdents at ''Charity Castle," when tho brother and exstpr explore the temporarily deserted mansion in' company ,the. burglar,.,the dead beat; and ' tho'tfno-timo exponent.of Hamlet, are most convincingly presented, md !ht, c'imax. wi'en the grouchy old millionaire falls a v;ctim to . the «.rtleaanc£.s- and charm of Mary , Miles Mi> tor, and forgiveß his madcap son,.cuds a very . happily conceived and excejlanr.ly produced j comedy-drama. Great paiiis 1 ■ avo been j shown in the producing of t-he picture, tho i interiors being especially noteworthy. Sup- : porting films were the eleventh <:•:>. vie of 'A I/ass of the Lumberlands," in which "Aoe : High Loses" after a frtuies of thrilling and | absorbing incidents; the two-reel Mustang drama, "A Modern Knight," with a realistic stage coach hold-up, mid a inv e romance; 'and the comedy, "A Gay Blade's Last Escapade." To-day and this evening the same programme will re given. ' »

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. . . • ' A fine attraction has been secured by ! Everybody's Theatre this week. This is the ' five-reel Pathc special, "Stranded in Arcady," | featuring Mrs Vernon Castle, who performssome hair-raising feats, including a 90ft leap froth a cliff, and a struggle for life in the rapids. The story starts in a club, where Donald Prime, the author, is told by a friend that although ho writes of women ho knoVs nothing of them. .The friend suggests that he ought to be marooned on a desert island, with one. A,few days later Priine that he has been ddped, and actually is marooned. He naturally attributes it to a practical joke, •especially when he finds a woman on the island, also marooned. She is furious at being dragged into a joke just for Prime's benefit. But- strange things occur. A murder is committed on the island. They find they are being watched. "When they try to escape they axe fired upon and have to fight for ' life. Then to tneir rescue comes the man whom they thought had marooned them, and he, too, nearly loses hia life. The; whole thing is very mystifying,' and the solution is as' unusual as it is unexpected. . The love interest develops convincingly, and.the setting of the story is wild and romantic in the extre'me. Supporting films include a further instalment of the exciting serial, "Mystery of the Double Cross," and a Garotte. A feattre of the entertainment is the recently augmented orchestra. Altogether it is a. programme well worth attending. ' It will bo repeated at today's sessions. STARLAND. A military' secret service drama, entitled "Sacrificed,", is the chief attraction at Starland this week. Mr Winter Hall, who plays the leading role, is a former resident of. Christchurch, ' and the film is of . course of special interest for that reason. H is a, play | of tense emotiou,. and Margaret Illington, iu a dual role, upholds her part in a worthy .manner. The changing of passportß and u, | State ■ secret written in invisible ink on a| dress are.. two outstanding features round: which are hinged thrilling incidents and perilous situations. A Mack -Bennett eftmedy, • "A Bedroom : Blunder." and interesting gazettes are included in tho programme, which Will be screened to-day and throughout the week., i : LIBERTY THEATRE. J it was a rathoCout of iue ordinary iofia for a film drama To take an artistic Frenchman, a designer of women's gowns, who :>ad been turned down for military service, and make him the hero of an intensely patriotic story. In the Triangle i:hoto-olav, "The Gown of Destiny," is demonstrated how successfully this has been done. _ j?ho gown,, designed as the result of a dream und, when designed, properly described te *'a dream," works wonders, starting with lis effect on tho husband of its firßt owner, who was iiiix-r-

I ceptably drifting away from his wife, finishing wilh its effect on the lover « its second owner—a slacker ho is brought to a sense of his duty by the gown, added to the fascination of Alma Reubens. The gown |3 " "the bustle frock," an exquisite creation *nd, in the picture, 113 whiteness contrasts artistically with Alma Reubens's dark tresses. Very realistic axe tlx& b&ttle picturoo ■ tto niflii in the trenches, the scramble "over the toft" the fighting in tho village streets, and .the explosion of a mine.- The film is admirably produced, and apart from "The Gown of Destiny" itself, there is much that interests tlie gentler sex in the scenes in the modiste's parlour, on which various beautiful "creations" ar# displayed. The supporting films were good, ,and included an excellent and laughable Tyengle comedy. To-day and thiff evening the. same programme will be elwwm. STRAND THEATRE. Douglas Fairbanks, as the dashing and Bth« letio hero of "The Man from Painted Post," drew delighted audiences to the Strand Theatre yesterday. With its support®, the. Fairbanks comedy-drama wfll be shown today and-this" evening. . SKATING RINK. The cold weather experienced yesterday made skating a particularly appropriate pastime, and very .large numbers of young . people adopted this ipeans 6f' keeping themselves warm. . All sessions at tho 1 Colosseum - were well attended, the music supplied by the band at night making skating the mote enjoyable. Another famtf dregs and poster carnival is shortly to be-held. The rink will be open at the usual hours to-day.