ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 207, 29 May 1936, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS

“Little Lord Fauntleroy” Comes to Regent To-day According to many leading critics overseas, “Little Lord Fauntleroy,” which begins to-day at the Regent Theatre after a five weeks’ season at the new Embassy Theatre, Auckland, is an ® ven greater triumph for its star, Freddie Bartholomew, and its producer, David O. Selznick, than was “David Copperlield. Known aud loved by readers of all ages throughout the world, produced innumerable times on the stage, and as a silent film in 1921, the classic story of “Little Lord Fauntleroy,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, makes perfect material for talking picture entertainment. Neither the context of the original story nor its spirit has been changed in bringing this new version to the screen,, but there is one notable and very commendable break with tradition-in the presentation of the central character. Selznick departs completely from the old idea of Lord Fauntleroy as an effeminate little chap with curls, lace collars and velvet jackets, and presents him instead as a manly and iovable small boy whose Eton jackets are just as much in keeping with the period, of the story as’ was. the. dress of his predecessors. The wh<?le film is dominated, of course, by Freddie Bartholomew, ■ whose good looks, charm of manner, and perfect naturalness Have already brought ' him, at the age of 12, to a peak of fame attained by few film stars four times his age. C. Aubrey Smith’s -delineation of the old Earl emerges as an outstanding triumph:. Dolores Costello is both lovely and talented as “Dearest”; Guy Kibbee makes Mr. ’Obbs, the American greengrocer and philosopher, a joy to behold: Mickey Rooney is Dick, the bootblack, who is the little lord’s friend; Jessie Ralph, the old apple-woman; Henry Stephenson is Havisham, the kindly lawyer; and others who stand out prominently are Jackie Send,’Una O'Connor, E. E. Clive, Ivan Simpsbn and Gilbert Emery.

Leslie Howard in “The Petrified Forest” at De Luxe A fine play that was a sensation when presented on the stage in New York, ‘‘The Petrified Forest,” now becomes an equally outstanding motion picture, with the polished Leslie Howard playing the selfsame role in which be created a furore on the stage. In transition to the cinema canvas the piece naturally gains in expansiveness of scene and action by benefit of the camera. The fine phrases of penetrating philosophies flow with unfaltering fascination from the lips of Leslie Howard, Howard, who won a host of admirers for his role in “The Scarlet Pim.; pernel,” has. in “The Petrified Forest, which comes to the De Luxe Theatre today, the skilful aid of Bette Davis, Genevieve Tobin, Dick Foran, Humphrey Bogart and Charlie Grapewin. The dialogue is one of the outstanding features of this new Warner Bros, production ; it is distinctly lively, brisk and frequently amusing. This is perhaps Mr. Howard's finest role. At least it is equal to his best, and that is sufficient recommendation for any film. Miss Davis seethes again as the daughter of suppressed desires, while Humphrey Bogart, a. newcomer to the screen, but one of the original cast of the stage version of “The Petrified Forest,” is also outstanding in the role of the fugitive from justice, whom fate throws together with a singularly odd set of characters in a small luncheon room, in the middle of the Arizona desert. The significance of the intriguing title of “The Petrified Forest” springs from the fact the waste of stones that once were trees is symbolic of the moral of the plot. A new selection of screen featurettes is to be seen at the De Luxe with “The Petrified Forest,” and the Orchestra De Luxe will present “Pique Dame,” “Trees,” and a selection from “The Desert Song. Romantic Comedy, “The Bride Comes Home,” at St. James One of the smartest comedy romances of the year comes to the St. James Theatre to-day with the opening of Paramount’s “The Bi“de Comes Home.” in which Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray are starred. In a day when it is difficult to get away from the patterned story, this tale of a modern boy and girl who can't spend five minutes together without fighting, yet who find they can’t stay away from each other, should provide a refreshing change. Miss Colbert plays the daughter of a Chicago financier who had gone distressingly broke.. Though reared in great luxury, the girl nevertheless has plenty of pluck and decides to go to work. Robert Young, a childhood sweetheart, has just inherited three million dollars, but Claudette feels she would prefer getting a job to marrying him. She does go to work, as assistant editor of the magazine Young publishes, where she is made assistant to the editor, Fred Mac Murray. MacMurrny is a hardboiled. rough-spoken fellow who resents Miss Colbert’s presence. They fight from the moment they meet. Both the boy and the girl seem to have been born with a liberal quantity of the Old Ned in them, and they find it exceedingly difficult to speak a civil word to each other until they happen to fall in love.

Two New Films Coming to King’s To-day A gangster, bunted by the police, boldly hides in one of the most brilliant and publie corners of the world. _ Yet the chances are two billion to one in his favour that he will escape detection, for out of all the people in the world only one woman could recognise the sinister personality of the killer beneath the handsome mask of an actor. That is the situation which leads to brisk action and broad satire in “Another Face,” which comes to ,the King’s Theatre to-day, when romance and vanity bring the two together in a film studio. Sharing feature honours with Wallace Ford and Phyllis Brooks. Brian Donlevy, who made his screen debut as the murderous heavy °f “Barbary Coast,” portrays the gangster. Ford, as the studio publicity director, interrupts a hectic romance with Phyllis Brooks, and imperils both in an attempt to make a sensational publicity “gag” out of the killer’s capture. A turbulent tale of thrilling adventure and romance in one of the most exciting periods of American history is Richard Dix’s newest picture, “Yellow Dust, which will be On the same programme. The story unfolds in the colourful territory where the frenzied days of the 1860 gold fever are revealed as a background for a drama that makes full use of all the passions, romance, greed, mad gaiety, and lawlessness of the period. D.x strikes the richest mine and then nearly loses it. and his life along with it, when he strikes romance in the person of an alluring gold camp entertatacr played by Leila ITy.'ims. New Charlie Chan Thriller at State To-day A big top chief is found dead, a murderer lerroriises the ranks of the circus performers, and then the wily Chinese detective, Charlie Chan, is called upon to solve the most terrifying mystery of his long career. How Warner Oland, as Charlie Chau, tracks down the killer through a fascinating maze of clues at the risk of his own life is revealed in the Fox thriller “Charlie Chan at the Circus.” which comes to-day to the State Theatre. With the circus ns the scene of the crime, Chan finds himself involved with a mass of clues. The dead owner, not having been on friendly terms with his performers, leaves all of the troupe open to suspicion, including even the savage gorilla, who was missing from hie cage at the time, of the crime. When a poisonous cobra finds its way to Chan’s room and almost puts an end to the wily detective's career, lie becomes convinced that the murderer is one of the troupe. Chan, however, proves too clever for bis adversaries, and escapes further attempts upon his life. The murderer returns to the scene of the crime to prevent one of

the troupe from revealing his identity, and Chan cleverly baits him into a trap and brings to an end his reign of terror. “Three Live Ghosts” at Majestic Theatre One of the most amusing pictures ever made, “Three Live Ghosts,” has been made a talkie, and is living up to its reputation at the Majestic Theatre, where it has been held over for a second week. Beryl Mercer again plays the role of Mrs. Gubbins, the cockney woman who loves her drop of gin more than anything in life, with the exception, perhaps, ot a reward she hopes to collect from Scotland Yard. Claude Allister is seen as a shell-shocked soldier who escapes from a war camp and arrives back in England when the armistice is signed, and alter many adventures turns out to be a iiiiea man. Three Stars in “The Dark Angel” at Paramount Merle Oberon, who cut a sudden swath across the American film scene by her charactwrisations of exotic, mysterious sirens, has changed her entire screen personality. “I’ve given up these sirenish roles and am going in for real honest-to-goodness human being parts,” she declared in an interview. Fredric Marsh is said also to have breathed a sight of relief when he reported on the “Dark Angel” set, for in it he was offered his first modern part for some time. Set in a lovely quiet corner of rural England, the story reflects the conflicts and triumphs in the life of Kitty Vane, a beautiful English girl who, since childhood, has been loved bv one boy. Gerald Shannon (Herbert Marshall), while she loves bis cousin, Alan Trent (Fredric March). Two men and a girl—to one she was a hope he could never realise: to the other a memory he could not forget, “lhe Dark Angel” commences at the Paramount Theatre to-day with a matinee at 2.15 and a special shopping session at o p.m. “The Private Secretary” at Plaza Theatre With the character of the Rev. Robert Spalding splendidly taken by that great comedian. Edward Everett Horton, delightful comedy is offered in ‘lhelrivate Secretary,” which to-day commences, its second week at tlio Plaza Theatre. Lhe story tells how Douglas Cattermole a gay young dog about town, gets so heavily into debt that his only hope of salvation rests with his wealthy uncle in India. A friend of his, just as heavily in . debt, has nn uncle'in the country who is about to engage as private secretary the Rev. Robert Spalding. To escape their creditors Douglas Cattermole passes himself off as the private secretary.