ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 113, 6 February 1935, Page 14

ENTERTAINMENTS

Paramount. —“You Belong to Me” and “Crime Without Passion.” King’s.—“ Dark Hazard.” Grand Opera House. —"Better Times.” De Luxe. —“Dr. Monica.” St. James. —“The Barretts of Wimpole Street.” Regent. — “Trans-Atlantic Merry-go-Round.’’ Majestic.—“ The Return of the Terror.’ Plaza. —“A Cup of Kindness.” State. —“Hell in the Heavens.” ‘Transatlantic Merry-go-Round’ at Regent A compound of melodrama with a full range of card-sharpers, gunmen, confidence tricksters, unfaithful women and the modern theatre revue, ’’Transatlantic Merry-go-round,” screened at the Regent Theatre, is hectically exciting enough to interest anyone. There are good supports. “Great Expectations.” “Great Expectations” comes to the screen at the Regent Theatre on Friday, with the real Dickens flavour untouched, right out of the pages of one of the most human, absorbing and dramatic novels conceived by this greatest of English novelists, an ever-living classic of literature for all time. The story of “Great Expectations” will never grow old. It is just as fascinating and thrilling to-day as it was when Dickens wrote it, almost a hundred years ago, in his beloved house at Gadshill. The story is full of descriptions of the countryside surrounding his home, of the Kentish lanes he loved so well; but it is also vivid with scenes Of the London of his day, for ■ Dickens was a great cosmopolitan figure and could write of that great city and its people with more understanding than any writer has been able to do. One of the most interesting scenes in “Great Expectations” IS the Cheapside inn, “Lily and the Swan.” The various signs on it, such as “Coffee Room,” “Coach Office,” etc., were faithfully copied from books such as Cruikshanks' “Days of Dickens” and actual places in'w hich Charles Dickens himself stayed. The inn itself is of the hotel variety and is not to be confused with the common English “pub.” The “Coffee Room" in such inns was always the rendezvous, of the better class, while the lower class took their drinks in the “tap room,”.as it was called. Quite often, the post office was part of the inn, as was also the booking office for coaches in those days. So much attention was paid to getting the proper Dickensian flavour by Universal in the making of this film, that,hardly a detail was overlooked. For example, “Jagger’s" home, where a great deal of the action in the story takes place, is dignified in the extreme, the furniture suiting perfectly its decidedly massive master. The selection of Chippendale and Hepplewhite furniture, the pieces of old needlework on the walls and chairs, and -the fine sporting prints, the dumb waiter table, silver, etc., all go to make up a most interesting and realistic picture. A cast of unusual merit interpret the well-known characters of “Great Expectations.” Henry Hull, Florence Reed, Phillips Holmes and Jane Wyatt. Almost a year of research and preparation was necessary for the production, and faithful replicas of the scenes and sets in the story were obtained at great cost and much trouble. De Luxe Theatre Presents “Dr. Monica” In “Dr. Monica,” which is being shown at the De Luxe Theatre, the plot is lightened by many prettily romantic scenes, and the picture is magnificently produced. There is a varied supporting programme. Miss Iris Mason plays several numbers on the organ. '“Murder on the Blackboard.” Edna May Oliver and James Gleason are again teamed in a thrilling murder mystery, and endow their sleuthing with mirth-provoking repartee, in “Murder on the Blackboard,” which domes next week to the De Luxe Theatre. Cinema-goers will remember the antics of these funmakers in “Penguin Pool Murder.” Again Hildegarde and Piper solve a baffling crime, straighten out a love affair, narrowly miss annihilation by a mysterious killer, and provide incidental comedy. Edgar Wallace Mystery Thriller at Majestic Theatre Thrills and chills swing the pendulum of excitement along in splendid.style during the screening of “Return of the Terror,” which the Majestic Theatre presents with all the mystery and horror attendant upon and expected of an Edgar Wallace story. The plots of this famous master mind always contain that tantalising twist of uncertainty and suspense which gives spice to the thriller class of story, and the picture is well able to satisfy the most demanding of thrill seekers. “Evelyn Prentice.” William Powell and Myrna Loy, who, teamed in photoplays of the mystery type, have won immense popularity in varied forms of this drama, are reunited on one entirely different from anything they have done in the past in “Evelyn Prentice,” vivid production, coming on Friday to' the Majestic Theatre. This time, as in “The Thin Man,” they again play husband and wife, but this time both are enmeshed in an amazing problem, worked out in one of the most dramatie Courtroom scenes presented on the screen in many a month. It is the drama of the work of a great criminal attorney, who, through an amazing trick of fate, finds his own wife enmeshed in the tangled maze of motives and evidence in which he is struggling to save a woman’s life. A Ben Travers Farce at the Plaza Theatre It has again fallen to Ben Travers to give us a brilliant satire, but this time it is something “different”—a brilliant skit on snobbishness in suburbia, “A Cup of Kindness,” which is now showing at the Plaza Theatre. Nothing farcical is complete unless associated with the name of Travers, and nothing produced by him is complete without the names of Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn and Robertson Hare, and this world-famed trio romp through countless piquant episodes. “The Age of Innocence.” Capturing the spirit and beauty of the novel from which it was adapted, “The Age of Innocence,” starring Irene Dunne aud John Boles, comes to the Plaza Theatre on Friday. Noted as one of the classics of modern jlmerican literature, the story deals with the convention-rid-den era that marked the close of the last century, and gives intimate glimpses of life as lived bw members of New York’s then Four Hundred. The picture is said to adhere closely to the story of Edith Wharton’s book, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1920. and which was later dramatised by Margaret Ayer Barnes as a starring vehicle for Katherine Cornell. “The' Age of Innocence” centres about the romance of a freedom-loving girl for a man who strives to throw off the shackles of a narrow social code. Drawn together by kindred interests and a lifelong friendship that ripens into love, they are confronted with the alternative of sacrificing their own happiness or that of those whom they would not wound. The film marks the first joint appearance of Miss Dunne and Boles since their memorable “Back Street,” and the supporting cast includes Lionel Atwill, Helen Westley, Laura Hope Crews and Julie Haydon. Frank Neil’s Revue at Opera House “Better Times” is the title of the new revue produced at the Wellington Grand Opera House by the Frank Neil company. This bright, sparkling company, iyith its wealth of clever folk from overseas; its amusing comedians, who keep the audience tittering; the brilliant flapper ballet, so even in height and build, and such gifted all-round dancers; the charming

dressing and the artistic settings have added a cheerful note to life in Wellington during the last fortnight. “Better Times” is a worthy successor to its predecessors as a tonic, but one misses the jolly choruses which caught the fancy of the public so wonderfully in the last revue. Screen Tests. Dr. A. L. Lewis, of Hollywood, the discoverer of Janet Gaynor, and trainer of many film stars, is searching New Zealand for comedy talkie types to use in a talkie comedy which he proposes to make m New Zealand, thus presenting an unusual opportunity for aspirants for screen fame. Dr. Lewis’s season commences at the Grand Opera House on Friday evening at 8 o’clock. Dr. Lewis proposes to use local candidates to portray short extracts or climaxes from current motion pictures. What may be called contact types rather than those of unusual histronic ability interest Dr. Lewis particularly. It is personality that he requires, for his comedies depend more upon humorous situations than upon the employment of experienced character actors. Frequently a person whom the general public might not visualise as a talkie type will, contrary to anticipation, prove to be a find. Dr. Lewis will be supported by a full picture programme, “We’re Rich Again,” starring Edna May Oliver, Reginald Denny, and Buster Crabbe. ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’ at St. James Audiences which have been attending the screening of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” at the St. James Theatre have been unstinted in their applause for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s production of this famous stage success. Following faithfully the dialogue of the play, the picture, which tells the story of life in the house of the Barretts of Wimpole Street, has for its stars Norma Shearer (Elisabeth Barrett), Fredric March (Robert Browning), Charles Laughton (Edward Moulton-Barrett), and Maureen O’Sullivan (Henrietta). “Hell in the Heavens” Showing at State Theatre It is not' often that one can say that a film is one of thrills, adventure, comedy, tragedy, drama and romance, but all these attributes are contained in “Hell in the Heavens,” which is now screening n< the State Theatre. “Hell in the Heavens" may be ranked beside its predecessor, “Hell's Angels.” “Kentucky Kernels.” The popularity of the American comedians Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey is amply evidenced by the signal success which has been accorded their latest farce, “Kentucky Kernels,” which will bead the programme nt the State Theatre on Friday. These two comedians rely more on witty dialogue and clever repartee than on amusing situations, and in this story they have been particularly well ser.ved with innumerable subtle witticisms. Other features of their productions are the many tuneful songs and spectacular dances, which again have not been overlooked. The catchy melody, "One Little Kiss,” is one of the best songs to come from the screen for some time. As usual. Wheeler and Woolsey become involved in the most 'hopeless complications, which provide excellent entertainment for the audience. Double Feature Programme at Paramount Theatre Patrons of the Paramount Theatre will be entertained by two excellent films. The new offering is, firstly. “Crime Without Passion,” and, secondly, “You Belong to Me.” “You Belong to Me,’ in which the star is Lee Tracy, and he has with him Helen Mack, talented emotional actress. There is also on the programme a series of good news shots and Miss Iris Mason at the organ. Coining Attractions. Two big special attractions are billed for screening commencing on Friday at the Paromunt Theatre. They will be Victor McLaglen’s greatest triumph. “Wharf Angel,” a gripping romance of the San Francisco waterfront, and George Bancroft with a brilliant star cast appears in a delightful comedy drama romance. “Elmer and Elsie.” “Dark Hazard” Now showing at King’s Theatre “Dark Hazard,' at the King’s Theatre, upholds the adage once a gambler, always a gambler. Edward G. Hobiijson gives a successful portrayal of Turner, while Genevieve Tobin ns his wife is at her best. “Jimmy the Gent.” A lively comedy romance, “Jimmy The Gent,” starring James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Alice White, commences next Friday at the King's Theatre. The plot reveals a strange racket in which lake heirs are found to collect large unclaimed estates.