AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17609, 11 November 1922, Page 16

AMUSEMENTS.

PICTURE HOUSES. j LIBERTY THEATRE. "THE IRON TRAIL" TO-DAY. "Stirring melodrama, with all of the spectacular features and none of the crudities of this popular style of entertainment," is the classification that the motion picture officials have given to the new big Rex Beach production of his great Alaskan railroad story, -The Iron Trail," which will be the feature at the Liberty Theatre to-day. The new "Beach production waj made under the watchful eye of the famous author himself. Every location was approved by him as being faithful to the Alaskan country, in which the theme of his story is laid, and the all-star cast that, portrays the leading roles and the incidental characters were approved by him before any of the scenes were made. In reproducing the spectacular railroad construction scenes Mr Beach, in close collaboration with Director R. William Neill, elaborated on his original vivid descriptions, and the reported results are that the film version is twice as blood-stirring as the book. Snow and fire, rain and thaw, and the feverish rush to lay the tracks of the pioneer railroad through the Alaskan wilderness before the terrible winter closed down on the workers, and the desperate opposition of enemies in human form, provide a profusion of hi?h spnt3 that keep intense interest suspended from start to finish. Thoie who have read the book and who are acquainted with the popular artists that play the leading roles, will anticipate the strength of this new production, in vitalising: Wyndham Standing as "Murray O'Neill." Thurston Hall as "Curtis Gordon." Reginald Dennv as "Dan Appleton," Harlan Knieht as "Tom Sinter," Betty Carpenter as "Natalie." Leo Bejycs as "Dr. Grnv," and Ettlnlie Jensen as""Mrs Curtis Gordon." The production was made under the dirction of R. William Neill from the scenario prepared by Dorothy Faxnum. Charles Chaplin in "The Id's CW will also be screened at all sessions to-day. Box plans are at The Bristol Piano Company. EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. WALLACE REID AND ALICE BRADY. The management of Everybody's Theatre promises its patrons next week another one of those wonderful programmes for which this popular theatre is noted. The main attraction will be the popular Paramount star, Wallace Reid, who will be seen in a new automobile speed picture, entitled ''Across the Continent.". In this picture the star returns to his old love, the automobile, and in tho transcontinental tale by Byron Morgan, Mr Reid has plenty of fine chances to demonstrate his prowess at the steering wheel. All kinds of thrills and unexpected stunts and turns have been introduced, and the love elements strongly represented. Mr Morgan has done a number of pictures for Mr Reid, among which have been the most popular in which he appeared, but "Across the Continent'' is said to surpass them all in interest, and pictorial quality. One of the most thrilling scenes is when Mr Reid, a flivver in the transcontinental automobile race, dashes through a blazing roadway at more than eighty miles an hour. In the story Mr Reid is piloting his little car at tremendous odds across the country and leaving his larger iand more powerful contestants behind one by one. To prevent ultimate victory one of the contestants sets fire to tall grass in the roadway, in the belief that the driver of the flivver will be stopped indefinitely. But not so. As the flames gather force Mr Reid dashes into the blazing inferno at tremendous speed, and comes through the fire belt unharmed. Mary MacLaren is leading woman, and Theodore Roberts has a prominent role. The second attraction is Realart's big super production, "Out of the Chorus," starring Alice Brady. It is a tense emotional drama which borders on the melodramatic, as strong drama is bound to do, but which Miss Brady gives a role of a sort which she handles most expertly. Miss Brady is always an artist, and she always wears beautiful clothes. Her work throughout the picture is satisfactorily finished. Never has she made a more wistfully appealing heroine than in this role.' The settings are of unusual beauty. Several big scenes, such as the theatre scene, the reception, and very smart costumes, combine to make this a convincing portrayal of certain New York groups. The third attraction is the screening of the first group of contestants in the beauty contest, to, discover who is the most beautiful girl in Christchurclt. Over 140 entries were received by the management, and the public _ ' will be asked to judge who they consider the most beautiful girl, by the means of a voting paper which will be handed to them on the purchase of admission tickets ■ to the theatre. As usual at this theatre, ] a brilliant musical programme will be played by the popular Select Orchestra, under the conductorship of Mr W. J. Bellingham, F.S.M., chief among the items being: Overture, "Sounds from tho Sunny South'' (Isenman); suites, "Three Dream Dances" (Coleridgo-Taylor); ballet music, "Le Cid" (Massinet); opera, "Werther" (Massenet); entr'acte, "Irish Airs" (De Witt); light selections, "Girl in the Train" (Lee Fall), "After the Girl" (Rubens); fox trots, "Jabberwocky" (Kendis), "Mozie" Reserved seats may be obtained at The Bristol, or by telephoning 4925. GRAND THEATRE. CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND HOBART BOSWORTH. At this popular theatro will be presented to-day a programme, which for variety and standard of excellence would be hard to excel. The ever-popular Charlie Chaplin in "The Idle Class" will be the main attraction to most -people, and as good wine needs no bush, it is unnecessary to say more than that this picture i 3 one of Charlie's best, and has been the cause of as much laughter as anything else he has ever done. Hobart Bosworth, tho screen's foremost exponent of virile out-of-door roles, supported by an all-star cast, will be seen in a vivid drama of Alaskan gold rush days and modern business, "Blind Hearts," an Associated Producers attraction. The action opens in the Alaskan goldfieldsj where Lars Larson, portrayed by Bosworth, and John Thomas, his closest friend, wrest a fortune from the ice-clad Yukon. The final sequences of the story, absorbingly involved, result in a forceful and totally unexpected climax. The other; big feature is "The Infidel," starring Katherino Mac Donald, one of the screen's most popular artists, in the best role of her career. This is a gripping drama of the South Sea Islands, and tiie star plays the role of a beautiful infidel, who masquerades os a castaway on an island, where she endeavours to vent her spite on certain missionaries. As an additional attraction for this afternoon and evening only, Mr P F Selbit will again mystify his audiences' by placing a lady in a box and sawing* it in the' ladl apparent injllI y of kind to STRAND THEATRE. Heading the new programme at the Strand Theatre to-day will be a Metro special production, "Are All Men Alike?"—a comedydrama of artists and Bohemian life in the studios of a Greenwich village. May Allison is the star, and the picture is based on Arthur Stringer s novel, "The Waffle Mi n .. A VJ Ie ,. ln J petu < )us Theodora Hayden, called "Teddy" for short, May Allison has a uvid role in this screen comedy-drama that brings into play all her fine powers of characterisation. Teddy has been plunging into the excitement of adventure extracted from such dizzy sport as driving racing cars and aeroplanes, but in the end she is tired and blase. Then comes a truant whim, and she mingles with the artistic crowd of soulfree Bohemians in the hectic atmosphere of the tearooms and studios of Greenwich Villace. She develops a friendship with a portrait painter who esßays to instruct hex in art. However, when he has gained her confidence he drops his pose of piatonic ■ ir ,e ° d u shl P an i. reveals himself as the roue that he is. He seizes Teddy in his arms and kisses her. She angrily repulses him, and drives him forth, but he declares he will return. He does so, and is about to embrace Teddy again when he is given the surprise of his life The entanglements and deep mazes of intrigue that follow provide the most fascinating situations of this photoplay, ch ,1? iJ ased on Arthur Stringer's novel. The Waffle Iron," which delighted millions of readers when it appeared in McClure's Magazine. The supports will include a George Fitzmaunce production, "Experience," with Richard Barthelmess and Marjone Daw, which tells the lure of life and its caressing voices. The way of the world with one who had turned to the left all moulded into a swift-rushiug drama. ' 'Movie Madness and "Paradise Maoriland" are included in the fine programme.

QUEEN'S THEATEE. "WHILE NEW YORK SLEEPS." The thousands of people who have a desire to see and know intimately the myriad of interesting features for which the city of New York is known, will find much to interest them in a photoplay showing at the Queens Theatre beginning to-day. Under the title "While New York Sleeps," the producers have made a screen melodrama, which, according to report, is not only intensely interesting from its wealth of New York atmosphere, but also teils a thrilling story of New York life as lived by the upper middle end lower classes. The things lor which New York is famous or notorious, according to the point of view, have been brought in incidentally to the plot. One sees the i\ew York skyline, silhouetted against the blackness of night, with the millions of lights in the skyscrapers twinkling ,; ke stars. Marvellous views of The Gay White Way, from a photographic standpoint, are interspersed through the film, showing the dazzling electric signs from which Broadway in part gets its name. The throngs o'f people on the streets and the pleasure-seek-ing crowds in tho fashionable cafes and" cabarets have been woven into the picture. In one act of the film occurs a dancing number from the famous ZiegfeM Midnight Frolic show, and the audience gets a close view of Dolores, the stately beauty, who ereited such a sensation among New York beauty critics. _ Into the action of the picture come millionaires, blackmailers, crooks, thieves, gunmen, sweatshop workers, gangsters, and vamps. There is an all-star cast headed by Estelle Taylor, Marc HacDermott, Harry Sothern and Earl Metcalfe. The pictures sunrxirting this gTeat feature are excellent. There is a screamingly funny Al St. John comedy, "Straight from the Farm, tho latest Fox News, and the third chapter of tho continued feature play "Fantomao. A delightful musical programme has been arranged. GREATER CRYSTAL PALACE. MUSIC, DANCING, AND PICTURES. "The Married Flapper," "Keeping Up with Lizzie," and the present successful programme of motion pictures will be shown at Greater Crystal Palace for the last times this afternoon and to-night, and the -world-" famous Symphony Orchestra of twenty-two solo musicians, under the distinguished conductorship of Mr Alfred J. Bunz, will play at both sessions. In addition' to the new programme of orchestral music and pictures for next week, commencing on Monday, a dance recital lasting thirty minutes will be given at each night Bession de luxe by the pupils of Miss Lynno Edwards. About thirty solo dancers, including dainty Betty Jacomb, will take part, and the numbers include character, classical, and toe dancing. Dancing has never been more popular than it is at the present time, and this delightful interlude in the programme should prove a strong attraction to amusement lovers, as all of the numbers will be given in cos-' tume by the various students of this charming art. „ As usual, there are two big pictures on the long three hours' programme, and as both are six thousand feet in length and products of the celebrated Hodkinson and Universal City studios, a rare treat is in store for picture lovers. The Hodkinson picture is a high-speed comedy-drama that sparkles with delightful humour, beautiful scenery, gorgeously-gowned women, and tense dramatic situations. This picture, "The Spenders," was made from the well-known novel of the same -name by Harry Leon Wilson, and has charming Olaire Adams and popular Niles Welch in the star parts. It is a tale which opens in the West and moves with lightning-like rapidity to the drawing-rooms and high society life of the American metropolis. The Universal picture is .one of the most gripping photoplays that has been screened at Greater Crystal Palace for many months, and is the pictorial version of George Bronson Howard's greatest Btage success, "Don't Shoot." Herbert Rawlinson, ■ star of "Don't Shoot,' is one of the most popular actors on the screen to-day. He is at his best in this big picture, and his work is finished to such a remarkable degree that one forgets he is playing a part. Edna Murphy, leading lady to Mr Kawlinson, is one of the most beautiful and talented stars of scrcendom, and her winsome manner and charm have endeared her to picture patrons all over the world. Millionaires' mansions in ultra-wealthy Pasadena were rented solely for the extravagant interior scenes in this magnificent production, arid special permission was obtained from prominent banks in the financial district of Los Angeles to film the bank-break-ing scenes at night, necessitating the posting of a cordon of Los Angeles policemen to prevent tho possibility of real crooks slipping something over" on the motion picture company by. working as extras in the SC In addition to the two big pictures there will be screened the fourteenth exciting chapter of "With Stanley in Africa, and if time permits the latest International News film and a very laughable Century comedy. The box plan is at The Bristol, or seats may be reserved by telephoning Greater Crystal Palace, number 3758.