ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 69, 14 December 1933, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

REGENT THEATRE. Sylvia Sidney, Donald Cook, Mary Astor, H. B. Warner, and Loisise Carter head the cast of “Jennie Gerhardt,” Paramount’s film version of a story by Theodore Dressier, at the Regent Theatre. “Jennie Gerhardt” deals with the life of a girl, the child of poverty-stricken parents, who possesses extreme beauty and charm. This beauty, however, finally leads to her downfall. The popular Sylvia Sidney is seen in the difficult role of the unfortunate Jennie. Good supports are also screened. “Mama Loyes Papa.” Mary Boland and Charlie Ruggles, who have been featured together in numerous recent pictures, are co-starred Jn Paramount’s “Mama Loves Papa,” a comedy written especially for them, which opens to-morrow at tiiie Regent Theatre. Norman McLeod, director of the Four Marx Brothers in most of their screen appearances, directed ‘ the production. “Mama Loves Papa” is a' story which permits both Miss Boland and Ruggles to display their particular types of comedy to the best advantage. They are cast as a middle-aged couple who live outside a big city and come to town each day; Ruggles to tease fellow office-work-ers with his puns, and Miss Boland to absorb ideas of “culture” at popular lectures. After one of these lectures, Miss Boland decides her husband must dress in formal clothes on every possible occasion. The next day he goes to work m frock coat and bowler. His boss, spotting the clothes, immcdiatly concludes there was a death in the family, and gives him the day off. Charlie wanders into the park, vhere he is mistaken for a city official, and forced to participate in a dedicatory exercise. The city’s political boss, dissatisfied with the park commissioner. decides Charlie would do as well as any one else, and appoints him to the job. and a series of hilarious events follow. In addition to Miss Boland and Ruggles, the cast includes Lilyan Tnshmnn, Walter Catlett, and George Barbier in important roles. ST. JAMES THEATRE. Colleen Moore is seen once again on the screen in “The Power and the Glory,” the film version of Preston Sturges’s play of the ignorant, young railway track walker, who is driven to “the power and the glory of a railroad president. Then, having achieved everything, he falls in love with a young girl, casts out his wife, who kills herself under the wheels of her husband’s railway. Still he marries the girl, and the joy of that belated romance turns to ashes when he discovers her to be false, with his own son as the third angle to the triangle. “The Blind Adventure.” Discarding all conventional methods of plot development, “Blind Adventure,' which is coming to the St. James Theatre to-morrow, and which features Roland Young, Helen Mack, and Robert Armstrong, offers an unusual treatment of the mystery theme. In “Blind Adventure,” a young American blunders into an old English mansion and becomes involved in extraordinary intrigue. Amazing complications ensue, and the hero is compelled to escape across London rooftops with a beautiful girl whom he has met under peculiar circumstances. A timid burglar makes a hilarious . entrance into the plot, and his professional experience is enlisted by the fleeing pair. The three make their way to a certain address, at the instructions of a bogus secret service man. where they fall into blackmailers’ hands, who hold them as hostages to force the delivery of important military secrets held by the girl’s uncle, a British Army officer. Good supports are promised. MAJESTIC THEATRE. “The Wrecker,” at the Majestic TheatiO, tells the story of how the life of a building wrecker whose motto is “Everything that goes up must come down,” is ruined by one whom be helped along the road -to success as a builder from a humble position, and by an Unfaithful wife. Jack Holt is cast as the proprietor of the great wrecking firm, and Genevieve Tobin has the part of the unfaithful wife. "Shanghai Madness.” “.Shanghai Madness,” the new Fox Film production, with Spencer Tracy in the leading role, comes to the Majestic Theatre to-morrow. It. is a romance of white people against, an ever-changing background of modern China. The story revolves around the exploits of an American naval officer who, through the intrigue and subtlety that are characteristic of Shanghai, becomes involved in an affair, that forces him to resign his cmomand. He becomes a wanderer in the poorer sections of the seaport town, avoiding all his acquaintances of the past, and seeking to cull his livelihood as best he can. In this new phase of his life he again becomes involvced in trouble when he sees a mob of natives attacking a white girl. He rescues the girl from the mob and a tender attachment between them begins. But she is a girl of high social standing, and a discharged naval officer is not the most appropriate of companions for her. GRAND OPERA HOUSE. A tale of the open spaces, and of the owners of rival ranches fighting hard for laud, is Zane Grey's “Man of the Forest,” now showing at the Grand Opera House.

DE LUXE THEATRE. “The Crash.” starring Ruth Chatterton. f is at the De Luxe’ Theatre. There is a good supporting programme, and Miss Iris Mason presides at the 'Wurlitzer organ. i “The Desert; Song.” “The Desert Song,” which opens at the De Luxe Theatre to-morrow, retains all the charm, colour, faction, romance mid 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 Caid. 'Zltb the splendours of its Oriental architecture, would fill several stages. The story gains in dramatic power.and picturesqueness because of the natural backgrounds. Warner Bros, were fortunate ii» being able ■to select a cast of such excellent singers, most of whom have had both .stage and ■screen training. John Boles, tenor lead, sang the same role in the stage presentation of “The Desert Song” and has been a screen leading man for several years. Carlotta King, lyric soprano, is a concert and radio artist of note. Their voices register perfectly on Vitaphone, are true in tone and sweet in quality. Marie (Wells. Robert E. Guzman also give splendid singing performances. “The Desert Song” is said tq be one of the best entertainments the screen has ever offered. Fast action and colourful drama are supplemented with all of Sigmund RomIberg’s delightful music and the vocnl solos, duos and choruses that helped the stage version to its great success. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. Sydney Howard’s “Up for the Derby” will finish a highly successful season at the Paramount Theatre to-night. “Cleaning Up.” ' George Gee, the English comedian who is famous the world over as one of the most travelled favourites of the..stage, has now scored a big hit in talking pictures per medium of British Lion’s musical farce, ‘‘Cleaning Up,” which will begin at the Paramount Theatre to-morrow. It is said to be as novel as it is funny.' George Gee stars as the son of a lord, who is reduced to.the extremity of trying to earn an honest 1 living by selling vacuum cleaners. Known as “the man with 1000 faces,” Gee. is afforded big scope for his versatility in “Cleaning Up,” and he is credited with “creating one long continuous stream of laughter.” He is supported by Betty Astell, Davy Burnaby, and a chorus cast of over 100 singers and dancers, who introduce all sorts of up-to-date novelties. The mountings, dressings, and scenic investiture of the play are described ns being upon the most luxurious scale.