ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 104, 27 January 1930, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS

DE LUXE THEATKE. Now being screened al the De Luxe Theatre is —rue Lady Lies,” au all-talking Paramount screen version ot the successful Broadway play, in "The Lady Lies, Paramount has produced a powerfully dramatic, but at the same time absoroingly human romance drama that should add greatly to the prestige of its sponsors, ami to that ot its featured players, Walter Huston, Claudette Colbert, and Charles Buggies. At the same time, It will doubtless start the upward climb to greater successes of two wonderful child actors, Patricia Deering and Tom frown. Ihe Lady les” is the story of a prominent anti successful lawer who is a widower, and who, to the disappointment of Ins two voung children aud his relatives, tails in love with a woman who Is not, in their opinion, of an equal social standing with him. The family powers of intervention are brought to bear, and the plot deals with the weighing in the balance ot a true love affair, and a family s selltsh ambitions. After numerous situations, which arc shot through with clever dialogue and tense drama, the romance reaches a logical culmination. Huston and Miss Clobert are Ideally lilted for a talking picture of this character. An entertaining and well-varied supporting programme is also screened. "SKINNER STEPS OUT." "Skinner Steps Out," Universal farcecomedy, co-starring Glenn try on and Merna Kennedy, will commence- a season next Friday’ at the De Luxe .theatre. It is a dialogue picture. 'lryqn has novel done better work tbau in this picture, it is stated. He has a role ideally suited to bis exceptional fun-making talents. • Opposite him is beautiful Htlan-halred Merna Kennedy, who also is exceedingly happily east. The plot ot the story concerns Itself with the business and social career or young "XVlllhtni Henry Skinner, who is a great man to his adoring young wile and a very “small potato”. a_t the office. In fear and trembling, Skinner linus hunselt compelled to, justify his wife s belief in himself. His efforts to do this furnish the motive for some ot the most amusiiik scenes that ever have been shown upon the screen. In his portrayal of his role. Tryon veers from a pathetic timorousness to boisterous self-confidence. Among the mauv scenes wliieh especially stand out arc 'those in which be asks for his salary to be increased, and in which he leads the orchestra and conducts an auction at a charity bazaar. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. A- complete screen operetta, with music, songs, choruses* dauces, and dialogue, is -The Desert Song," Hie colourful Warner Brothers production, now being screened at tlie Paramount Theatre. "The Desert Song” retains all the eliarm, colour, action, romance, and tropic- love of the stage production, but greatly enhanced by the motion picture camera’s power of motion. The desert scenes were made in a desert and not in front of painted backdrops; The desert castle of the Cuid, with the splendours of its Oriental architecture, would fill several stages. The story gains in draauilic power and plcturescmeness because of the natural backgrounds. The big east ut featured players includes Jehu Boles, Louise liazen'da, Carlotta Klug, Myrna Loy, John Miljau, Johnny Arthur, Marie Wells, Jack Pratt Edward Martindel, and Robert Gusman. The story is that of a Frenchman who becomes a sort of Ro i b!n Hood of the desert, and remedies the injustices to the natives. Disguised as the lied Shadow, he leads a band of desert tribesmen. Jus father, commander of the French garrison, seeks to capture him; He loves Margot, his father’s ward, and makes love to her in his own person and as the Red Shadow. In the latter character, he kidnaps her, and. refusing to light a duel with his own father for her possession, is deposed by the tribesmen and sent out in the desert to perish. He returns as the heroic vanquisher of tbe Red Shadow, and Margot discovers that her two lovers are the same person.

MAJESTIC THEATRE.

Taking a melodramatic premise and turning it into humour is no new trick for Harold Jzloyd. Yet never before has lie done it with the iinesse lie exhibits in his latest all-talking Paramount release, •AVelcome Danger,” which is the current feature at tlie Majestic Theatre. “Welcome Danger” relates a story, that with but a few twists could have been developed iuto a thriller of the iirst water. Lloyd retains the thrill elements, the mystery, and the romance of the drama, but adds laugh after laugh to the story by little twists of his own. “Welcome Danger” relates the experiences of a boy whose avocation is botany, and who suddenly linds himself a detective in underground Chinatown ing to outwit wily Chinamen who have bafliled the police ot San Francisco. Lloyd portrays the son of a famous Golden Gate police ohicer, who passes on, assuming he has left the world a legacy in the form of a great law-enforcing son. Harold prefers Howers to chasing law-breakers, hut when his father’s old friends call on him for assistance, he readily assents, with recults that arc highly humorous for the audience. What tlie bespectacled comedian does in this quest of ; crime is hardly worth mentioning, and from iirst to last the picture is one long laugh.. An interestign Fox Kilins and a sound film of Armistice Day, 1929, in London are also serened.

GRAND'OPERA HOUSE.

XVhen Richard Dix appeared.ln talking pictures, it was easily seen that he had one of the best voices of tbe new mode of eutertainment. Now Dix has made a third Paramount: all-talking production, "The l,ovc Doctor,” which is now being screened ut the Grand Opcru House. It is a gay story of o young doctor without patients, who tries his 'hand at making a lovesick swain well and winning lor him the girl of his choice. To make matters a ■'little more complicated, the young lady in question thinks that she is cut out to bo tlie life mate of Dix-. despite tbe latter's avowal that he will be a confirmed bachelor. 'J’licn another young lady iu the form of June Collyer walks into the picture, and Dix gives her a job as nurse, despite tlie fact that there is no one to be looked after until the arrival of the lovesick one. XVhen lie sends June, away with him, in the hopes of making the other girl jealous, hd’ only aggravates a position that is fraught with dynamite. He effects tlie love cure all right, falls in love himself, gets himself in a tangle, and engaged to the wrong girl. In addition to Dix and Miss Collyer tbe cast includes Miriam Seegar, Morgan Farley. Winifred Harris, Lawlord Davidson and Gale Henry. “Sul of Singapore,” a humorous production starring Phyllis Haver and Alan Hale, is the second feature.

"WHOOPEE.”

The box plans for "Whoopee,” to be presented at tlie Grand Opera House by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., next Saturday and for live following nights and a matinee, will be opened at the Bristol on Wednes-

day morning, when no doubt there will be brisk booking. "Whoopee” is to some extent founded on J. Bath’s "Nervous ■Wreck." The heroine is the same Sally Morgan, and in it are Dad Morgan and Bob Wells, the sheriff (Jerome Underwood) and ills daughter and son. and above all the nervous wreck himself, Henry Williams, but for musical comedy purposes his illness is only a pretence. Interwoven with the rich material for high speed gaiety is. the romantic story ot thwarted love and tlie hopeless passion ot’ IVan-en-is, of the Mojave tribe of Indians. who, against tlie sage counsels of his chief, Blaek Eagle, persists in his suit of Sally Morgan, but the colour line causes much, heart-breaking. Near tlie end of the play, however, Wan-en-is proves to be reaJV a while man adopted by Blaek Eagle wneu a child, and thereby a happy musical comedy ending is attained. Lilian Crisp, tbe popular J. C. Williamson artist, plays tlie role of Sally Morgan, witli William Perryman as Wan-en-is and Don Nicol the comedy role of Henry Williams, and Fred. Bonnor that of Black Eagle. .There is a long list ot supporting characters' strongly ' represented by, amongst others, John Ralston, Hilton Porter, . John Byrne, Edmund Butterworth and Laurel Streeter, a Tlie company is said to be particularly strong in mule voices. Pat and Terry Kendall, whirlwind dancers, are credited with being two of tlie cleverest exponents of the terpischorean art to visit New Zealand. Tbcv are brother and sister. In the second’act of tlie' play, the invocation to the mountain god by Black Eagle and his braves, culminating in tbe entry one by one down the mountain side of the Indian princesses dressed iu enormous feather head-dresses aud gorgeous frocking. forms a -striking picture, it is said.

KING’S THEATRE

Starring Jean llerseholt. and Kathryn Crawford. "The Climax," a dramatic alltalking Universal production, is the current feature at. the Kings Theatre. The story tells of a voting Italian:..maiden, Adeia. who is gifted with the voice of her prima donna mother. She falls in love with her tutor’s son. Subsequent events prove that to obtain a perfect voice sir? must have a slight operation, which is successful, but the ultimate treatment is placed in the hands of a young doctor who falls In love witli her. When the critical moment arrives for Adeia to test her voice. I lie doctor, realising that her success will render his suit, hopeless, sprays her throat with a preparation that impairs her voice, in the highly emotional scenes that follow her lover’s admission that he loved her voice and not her. her impending marriage to the. doctor, and liow her voice was dramatically returned Io her, the characters roach to groat, heights of dramalie portrayal. Good supports are also screened.

REGENT THEATRE. J'caiuriug Gary Cooper, Richard Arlen, 2d ary Brian and Walter Huston, supported by Eugene Balletic, Helen Wane, E. H. Calmlnt, and Chester Conklin, •‘The Virginian,” Paramount’s all-talking screen version of Owen Wester’s famous novel, is. the feature now being screened at the Regent Theatre. There have been written countless stories of the Wild West, but none in any way comparable to this. When this enthralling novel was written, it was read in manuscript to a number of cowboys, and they all acclaimed it as being true to life. There was no straining after effect. Among this community of the old West, to whom .stealing is the cardinal sin, a wayward lad, Steve, joins a gang of cattle thieves. His pal, the Virginian, knows of it, but, being foreman of the ranch, he places his duty lirst,. and owing entirely to his tracking, the gang is rounded up, including his pal, and they are lynched. Time passes, and the Virginian •is about to marry the sweet young school teacher who lias come to the settlement. However, there is a quarrel between the Virginian and the man Whom he suspects of being responsible for the cattle rustling and his friend’s downfall. They sei out to hunt each other, intent to kill, while the girl waits in her room on Hie eve of the wedding. The picture is one of gripping situations, of laughter and of romance, and is powerfully acted. An entertaining supporting programme is also screened. “THE TRESPASSER.” Gloria Swanson’s lirst 100 per cent, talking and singing picture, “The Trespasser, has been completed and will be screened at the Regent Theatre shortly. This lilm, which will be Miss Swanson’s third United Artists picture, not only presents for the first time this star’s speaking aud singing voice, but it also marks her return to a modern role in which she appears fashionably gowned. Miss Swanson selected for her first audible film an original story, by the author of ’’Broadway Melody” and the director of “Love, Goulding. Production plans were completed, the cast was assembled and rehearsed, and actual camera work was begun before Hollywood heard about the pic-, ture. Robert Ames is. Miss Swansou s leading man. The cast also includes Kay Hammond, William Holden, Purnell Pratt, Alary Forbes, Henry B. Walthall, Blanche Friiierici, Marcella Corday- and others. Cyril Gardner is the film .editor, Lonnie Dorsa the assistant director, and George Barnes and Gregg Toland cameramen Purnell Pratt was the police sergeant ot “Alibi,” Blanche Fridcrici was the wife of the reformer in "Sadie -Ihotnpson, Miss Swanson’s last, film. kilbirnie kinema. Many pictures have been made purporting to give behind-the-scenes views of the studios, but the cinema palaces have been left almost untouched. “Close Harmony is remedying that. It features Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Nancy Carroll, Jack Oakie, “Skccts” Gallagher, . a nd vn 3 .J. a J n r ,y Green, and will be shown at the Eilbirnie Theatre to-night. It gives an Intimate view 6f what goes on behind the screen of a large picture house, as well as portraying some of the headline vaudeville acts which vary the bills. \ln conjunction with this special feature will be screened a full supporting programme. Reserve at theatre, ’phone 14—202.