ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 188, 7 May 1931, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. “The Right to Love,” at the Regent Theatre, has Ruth Chatterton ns the star. It is a highly, dramatic story of three generations of women engaged, in a desperate struggle to attain the love which is their heritage. As Naomi Kellog on a farm in the Middle West, she hag her romance, with a young neighbour, but he is killed in a harvest accident and their secret is discovered. “Feet First.” Harold Lloyd in his newest Paramount release, “Feet First,” with a brand new bag of tricks that will make your sides ache with laughter, comes to the Regent Theatre to-morrow. There is action to every second, topping the thrills of “Safety Last.” This time, the Monarch of Mirth comes as a smiling shoe clerk, pursuing a beautiful girl, charming Barbara Kent, who appeared with Harold Lloyd in "Welcome Danger.” “Feet First” is the comedy king’s second big all-talking picture. It is a high and dizzy romance, that will send the chills up and down one’s spine, and is an event that the whole family will look forward to with keen anticipation. It has a supporting cast, which includes Robert McWade, Lilianne Leighton, Alec. Francis and Noah Young. “Feet First” reveals Harold as a clerk in a big shoe store. He accidentally makes the acquaintance of Barbara Kent, secretary to Robert McWade, who is president of the shoe stores Harold works for. Inspired by the glamour of this girl’s apparent wealth (tor Harold does not yet know that she is merely a social secretary), tho ambitious youth takes a correspondence course in salesmanship. A subsequent incident in his rise to fame is tho visit of McWade’s wife to the store where Harold works. Unaware of her dignity, Harold starts to fit her with shoes, when Barbara enters the store on other business. Harold is so distracted that ho forgets all about his salesmanship, puts over-size gumboots on the petite tootsies of his dignified customer, and generally makes a botch of it. However, Barbara does not see him, and is still in the dark as to his humble mode of livelihood. Undaunted, Harold saves enough to Tmy a dress suit ' and crashes a swell society affair. GRAND OPERA HOUSE. Two feature pictures are on the Grand Opera House programme. The first feature is starring Henry Edwards, of "The Flag Lieutenant” fame, in “The Call of the Sea,” a picture which gives more of the dashing flag lieutenant’s adventures, this time ou an island where a vice-consul is endeavouring to keep secret the discovery of a platinum mine. The other attraction stars the vivacious Clara Bow, and is entitled “Her Wedding Night." It is pure, straight-out comedy, gay and lively all the way through.

“Silver Horde” and “Sap from Syracuse.” Epochal days In development of a great industry in the virgin territory of Alaska are depleted in “The Silver Horde,” Radio Pictures’ romantic drama, which opens on Friday at the Grand Opera House. The terrific struggle of Rex Beach’s famous characters is., brought to the talking screen in a gripping manner, with Evelyn Brent, Louis Wolheim, and Joel McCrea in the leading roles. The manner in which the story moves from the frozen wastelands, to fishing villages into an American metropolis, and back again with rapid entertaining progress, brands George Archainbaud, tie director, as an artist in his line. «,^ no^ er f ea t ure on the programme is The Sap from Syracuse,” based on the Broadway comedy of the same name which had an exceptionally successful run in New lork last season. It is the story of a young outlander' who boards a vessel for Europe and is mistaken by all the passengers for a prominent mining engineer, reported to be travelling incognito.

... , majestic theatre. n ° hav ? not yet Been that trulv delightful comedy, “The Bachelor Father,” , Marlon Da vies, Aubrey Smith, Ralph Forbes and a solid cast, should, make a point of aontg so to-dav. y SUCC( — 6 tul season closes to- “ The Middle Watch.” UrT?t?o e fm. a “mi isk i l ?- e , n ?, and for Beats at the f°i The Middle Watch,” greatest of Bntish comedies, which will begffi its Wellington season at the Majestic Theatre to-morrow morning. "The Middle Watch” has been enormously successful everywherc. At Dunedin it put up a record run hree consecutive weeks, and of it the Otago Daily Times” writes:—“lt would , f. sll . f o that an audience has never Drincess Theatre more satisfied than that which saw “The Middle Watch,” screened on Saturday nignt. It had every reason to be well pleased, for it saw what Y mmeraily be recognised as the most dellgntful comedy that has ever been shown in Dunedin. It is distinctly the most entertain ng of all British productions, and if England continues to turn out pictures of its class America will have to take second place to England so far as talking entertainment is concerned.” “The Middle Watch,” written by the eminent British playwrights, lan Hay and Stephen KingHall, was the hit of the season at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, and the distinguished actors who played it there are all in the picture which opens here tomorrow. The usual late shoppers’ session will begin at five o’clock and finish at 7 p.m.

ST. JAMES THEATRE. ■After an exceptionally successful season that, Galsworthy masterpiece, “Old English,” with the screen’s greatest actor, George Arliss, at his greatest in the title role, will finish its Wellington season at St. James Theatre to-night. “Holiday.”

Sir Benjamin and John Fuller announce for to-morrow yet another outstanding picture triumph for St. James Theatre. The occasion will mark the first appearance here of the famous international actress, Ann Harding, of whom “Variety” writes: “An artist whose very voice, which reproduces perfectly, is a thing of joy, and whose every tone, every look, carries conviction.” Other 'stars of the long cast are Mary Astor, a remarkably line actress, and Edward Everett Horton, the clever comedian who is already a favourite in Wellington. The title of the big picture Is “Holiday,” adapted from the stage success of the same title, in which Ann Harding created the leading character on the legitimate stage, and scored a triumph in it, which she now repeats on the screen. The plot deals with the ambition of a man whose one desire is to amass enough money to enable him to take one big and glorious holiday while he is still young enough to enjoy all life’s pleasures. Box plans are at the Bristol and also at the theatre.

KILBIRNIE KINEMA. “Outside the Law,” an outstanding feature film with Mary Nolan playing the star role, will commence Its session at the Kilbirnle Kinema to-night.

DE LUXE THEATRE. George Arliss, the star of “Disraeli," has the feature role of “Old English” at the De Luxe Theatre. “Old English” is certainly a triumph both for Mr. Arliss and for Warner Brothers, the producers of the master-., piece. Mr. Arliss is superb. One cannot' improve on that. At the Wurlltzer organ, Mr. Paul Cullen delights the audience. "Hunting Tigers in India.” ..

An extraordinarily fine two-feature programme commences screening to-morrow at the De Luxe Theatre. “Packed with Thrills,” a line familiar to the old melodramas of a bygone age, might appropriately be used to describe the heroic episodes seen in "Men On Cali," Fox Movietone dramatisation of the. lives and loves of Coast Guardsmen, featuring Edmund Lowe, Mae Clarke, and William Harrigan, which is the first attraction on the programme. The story deals with the love of two men for a girl. It is played against an outdoor background, in the setting of au actual Coast Guard station at Monterey Bay, California. Warren Hymer heads the brilliant supporting cast, which is made complete by Sharon Lynn, Joe Brown, Ruth Warren, and George Corcoran, as well as a real crew of U.S. Coast Guardsmen assembled from stations in Northern California.

Tiie second feature is “Hunting Tigers in India,” a thrilling picturisation in dialogue and sound of the adventures of Commander D. N. Dyott (British naval man and famous big game hunter and explorer), in the Indian jungles and swamps. The picture abounds .in spectacular scenes and interesting backgrounds. The tiger hunt is one of the picture"® biggest thrills, over led elephants and hunters being engaged. ‘Hunting Tigers in India” has been described as “the finest picture of its kind over produced." Box plans are available at Bristol and theatre.

PARAMOUNT THEATRE. At the Paramount, 1 “Min and Bill" is a drama of the San Francisco waterfront, it is one of the most powerful films shown since the coming of the "talkie,” and adds new glory to tho name of Miss Marie Dressier. She lives the part of Min, the dirty, caustic-tongued, but great-hearted, proprietress of a wharfside boarding establishment frequented by all types of seafaring men. Wallace Beery is Bill, the grimy and comical skipper of a fishing boat and Mln’s staunchest ally. The whole of Min’s heart and thoughts is centred upon Nancy (Dorothy Jordan), a lovely young girl left by her mother at the boarding-house when a baby. KING'S THEATRE. There is plenty of excitement in Victor McLaglen’s latest Fox Movietono film. “A Devil With Women,” at the King’s Theatre. This virile actor has the role of a reckless soldier of fortune in the service of a little “banana republic” along the Caribbean. “Son of the Gods.” “Son of the Gods,” coming to the King's Theatre on Friday, lias been produced on a lavish scale, and is considered the most important Richard Barthelmess production in years. It was adapted to the screen by Bradley King from the sensational Rex Beach novel. It is the dramatic story of a boy who is raised by a Chinese patriarch under the impression that he is himself Chinese. JOSEPH HISLOP. It is no exaggeration to say that Joseph Hislop, the most famous of British-born singers, who will shortly visit New Zealand under the aegis of the noted entrepreneurs Messrs. J. and N. Tait, has achieved this most enviable reputation by sheer merit. Hislop, who comes to the Town Hall on Thursday night, was not born with the proverbial “silver spoon in his mouth.” Hislop had his early training abroad, his first real success being scored •at Stockholm, where he created a sensation by his magnificent singing and acting in opera. He'was immediately engaged to sing there almost every year, and on each occasion on which he has appeared his reception has been a most enthusiastic one, And so we have this gifted Scottish-born

tenor firmly established in a foreign capital as the favourite of the people—surely a unique position for any British artist to secure. At the famous Covent Garden he was further honoured by being chosen to sing with Melba. Hislop triui>~ led in the great centres as he had done on his first appearance in opera. Wherever he appeared vast audiences assembled to acclaim the British tenor as “the second Caruso.” But the honour, though highly appreciated, was not satisfying enough for this handsome son of the British Isles. So Hislop set himself another goal, and that was to win the music-loving ’ peoples of the world by his own individual effort and' his own charming personality. And he succeeded on the concert platform as he had done in opera; and he has done all this with the modesty that Is characteristic of this most celebrated of singers. For the New Zealand tour Hislop has chosen a repertoire as varied as it is attractive. His Dominion visit will be doubly interesting for the reason tliat with Hislop will come another artist in the person of Isldor Goodman, a young and brilliant pianist and most sympathetic of accompanists. Between singer and player there is that perfect understanding that adds so much to the beauty of Hislop’s wonderful vocal efforts.