ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 8, 10 January 1934, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. War-time flying with all Us thrills and horrors forms •an Impressive background for Faramounts "The Eagle and the Hawk," now at the Begcnt Theatre. Tho picture is a study in temperaments. Ifrcdrlc March is seen as a care-free polo player who joins tho Koyal Flying Corps with the Idea that flying is a sort of game. In direct distinction Is Cary Grant, as an es-steel worker who goes about bis duties with the seriousness of a snake about to strike. In France, March on photographic work loses five observers in two months, and then Grant is assigned to fill his rear cockpit. In the air the men are an unbeatable combination, and the enemy aircraft fall continually to March's daring flying and Grant's deadly shooting. But on the ground they are far from friendly. March's nerve finally deserts him after he has shot down an enemy "ace," but strange to relate. It Is the despised Grant who saves him from the Ignominy of a suicide's grave. How this Is accomplished forms an unusual climax to a splendid picture. "Radio Parade." "Kadlo Parade," a British International picture, is coining to the Eegent Theatro on Friday nest. It is said that, never in the history of motion pictures, silent or sound, has such a galaxy of stars been assembled in one production. Comody Is tho predominant note of the entertainment. In the cast are Flotsam and Jetsam, the famous high and low-note vocal duetttsts, singing selections from their repertoire; Ciapham and Dwyer in. another "spot" of bother; Florence Desmond at "A Hollywood • Party"; Mario Lorenzo, the \yizard harpist; Keith Wilbur; celebrated animal mimic; Reginald Gardiner, the human motor-car; and Claude Hulbert and Gus McNaughton; tho comedy clowns. Thenthere are more laughs from Stanelli and Edgar, freak fiddlers, merry music from Harry Pepper and Doris Arnold, melody from the Carlyle Cousins, nud from that charming crooner, Elsio Carlisle. GRAND OPERA HOUSE. The Inimitable Maurice Chevalier is .back again at the Grand Opera House in the first and greatest of his International triumphs, "Innocents of Paris." Of course, the picture Is not new to Welllngt6n, for Its tremendous popularity caused it to be shown In no less than five theatres1 in this city. That same popularity, however, is its best advertisement, for It has ensured the return of the Sim to Wellington for a further season. The charming Maurice revels in the eminently suitable role of Maurice. Marny, a Parts "antlquaire," or pedlar, with a gift of song. Airy and devil-may-care, he makes the life of a,povertystricken r.ig-and-bono merchant seem an idyllic existence, and such it seems to "him, until the advent of Jo Jo, a waif whom he rescues from drowning in the Seine. ThroughJo Jo, he meets the adorable Louise, who, with the unwilling assistance of her father, Inspires Maurice to make use of his singing gift. Maurice Is successful—at first too successful for Louise's ; peace of mind, but after a' series of seeming accidents, everything straightens out. The closing scene finds Maurice with both sweetheart and success, although earlier It looked as If he would have to part with one to gain the other. Charlie Chaplin undertakes to master another phase of motion picture making In "City Lights," which comes to tho Grand Opera House on Friday. While "City Lights" is absolutely void of dlaloguo, it Is fully synchronised with music, and sound effects are also included. Teh cntiro musical accompaniment, with but several exceptions, is the original creation of Chaplin. "City Lights" tells of tho comic adventures of a blue blood of tho highways who forms a strange friendship with an eccentric millionaire. While Intoxicated he treats Charlie as a bosom companion; sobered, he will have nothing to do with him. There Is a blind flower girl who does unusual things to the hear strings of the friendless tramp. This happy-go-lucky vagabond tries to solve his and the world's probloms by becoming in turn a street cleaner, a prize fighter, and a man about town. STATE THEATRE. Tho millions who have read "The Good Companions" will not be disappointed by the film version now at the State Theatre. When Jess Oakroyd driven from home by a nagging wife »nd from bis job by Harassing bosses *nd union officials, leaves Bruddersfield on the back of a south-bound motorlorry he very soon meets with Miss Trant. another adventurer- who does not favour the Idea of spending « life of tame obscurity.' In another part of the country a rebellious schoolmaster, Inlgo Jollifant, falls in with a globe-trotting Americans banjo-player, Morton Mitcham . By a strange set of circumstances the four are brought tnto contact simultaneously with the "Dinky Doos," a touring concert party bristling with talent but down on its luck. The subsequent adventures of the four travellers with the concert party, which Is renamed "The Good Companions " forms tho theme of the picture. The cast includes Edmund Gwenn, John Gielgud, Jessie Matthews, Mary Glynne, and Percy Parsons. DE LUXE THEATRE.) A thriller of a novel type and one of the most striking horror films ever made, "Tho Mystery of the Wax Museum," now at tho De Luxe Theatre, will appeal to . every lover of the exciting. Persons disappoar, and no trace of them Is ever found/ A whole series of mysteries, and lending itself to striking photography. Persons disappear, and no trace of them Is ever found. A whole series of flSystories baffles the police, and it is only when a newspaper girl, brilliantly played by Glen da Farrell, obtains an Idea of the connection between the mysteries and the Wax Museum that the plot begins to unravel. Commencing at the De Luxe Theatre next Friday, Metro-Goldwyri-Mayer will present "Stage Mother," a brilliant sophisticated production starring Alice Brady, with Maureen O'Sulltvan, -Franchot Tone, Phillips Holmes, arid Ted Healy. The two popular comedians Laurel and Hardy will also appear In their lat_est riot of fun, "The Music Box." They are said to be funnier than ever in this comedy farce. "Stage Mother" Is a theatrical drama adapted from an original story by Bradford Hopes. It is said that Alice Brady outdoes alt of her previous portrayals in this hew picture. Her role is that of a . domineering "stage mother" who forces her child to success on the stage through difficulties that create powerful human Interest. Maureen O'SullWan plays the young daughter. Franchot Tono Is seen as her young lever. OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN. . Will Is starred in "Doctor Hull," the Fox attraction to1 be shown at Our Theatre tonight. The supporting , cast Includes Marian Nixon and Ralph Morgan. Rogers portrays a village doctor who is a shrewd philosopher, and has seen tlnie's shifting parade bring new faces and new conditions Into the Ilfo of his village., Excellent supports complete the programme. , ■ ■■ '

MAJESTIC THEATRE. Pickwick and Mrs. Bardell fade Into tlio dim and dusty tapestries of the past when confronted by Slim Summcrvlllo and Zasu Pitts in "Love, Honour, and Oh Babyt" now at the Majestic Theatre. Slim, as an Impecunious but latently brilliant lawyer, has been engaged to Zasu for six years, when all of a sudden Fate throws an illicit, but wonderful opportunity beforo the lovers of mulcting Ogden, the leading banker of seven States, of damages in a breach of promise case. Every line In this brllliantx piece of fooling has three meanings, all of them applicable to all that happens, and more Flat life in New Yorlt Is cleverly satirised to bring Into the evidence all sorts of weird people. The end is partly wedding bells and partly gnashing teeth. Jesse L. Lasky's latest Fox Films relonso, "The Worst Woman in Paris?" comes to the Majestic Theatre on Friday. The story revolves around the notorious exploits of a Parisian deml-mondaine whose affairs fare the talk of the Continent. Her relationship with a wealthy playboy of Paris causes such unfavourable comment that she leaves,the gay and smart fast-living Parisian night' life to seek romance and love in the quiet of America's middle west. When at last she finds the love she had always dreamed of, she realises that the shadow of her past is too great an obstacle for her to overcome, and she Is obliged to return to Paris to take up her association with her former comrade. It Is reported that Adolph Menjou,' who portrays the wealthy man about town, and Benita Humo, who portrays the Parisian beauty, have the most Important roles In their careers. ST. JAMES THEATRE. . A picture of the highest merit l.s "Broadway to Hollywood," now at the St. James Theatre. The art of the cinema itself has never been seen to better' advantage than In this tribute to vaudeville, which it supplanted. Not only is /the audience carried back forty years; not only has the very spirit of vaudevil(e been caught In its purest form. .If-that excursion Into the past were the whole picture, it would still be worth vaudeville prices to see It; but "Broadway to Hollywood" accomplishes more, for it links up vaudeville with the modern film in a human story full of dramatic value, in which the acting of Alice Brady and Frank Morgan and cast hits the highest level. The dramatic values of the picture are strong. "Walls of Gold," adapted for the screen from the best-selling novel of the same name by ; Kathleen Norris, will screen at the St. James Theatre on Friday. The leading roles are portrayed by Sally Ellers and Norman Foster. The story, aimed at the vital concerns of modern youth, goes to the core of a situation In which a young girl is given one of the most'difficult 'choices to make. She is an expensive beauty, and must weigh the advantages of true and unselfish 'love and those of a life of luxury and case. The one is offered to her by a young man who adores her. The other Is held out to her by the ycniog man's uncle, a man of untold wealth, lavish entertainments? and an artistic taste peculiarly his own. She makes the wrong choice. And while she has every luxury she can think of, and each of her whims is catered to to the point of satiation, she finds almost too late that although she has chosen well, she has chosen none ,too wisely. How. she finally straightens out her life forms what is reported to bo a' most absorbing climax. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. Large audloncos revel nightly In tho witticisms and absurdly funny situations which abount in the sparkling British comedy "Night of the Garter" at the Paramount Theatre, with the clever farceur Sydney Howard as Bodger, a butler. Winifred Shotter, Elsie Reynolds, Connlo Edlss, and Harold French creato roars of laughter; "Wings Over Africa," an aerial journey from Croydon to Cape Town, which Is admirably lectured, is another firstclass attraction. The big attraction for next Friday .at the Paramount Theatre will be the leading Eugllsh .comedian, Tom Walls, equally famous on stage and screen, In what the English critics unanimously proclaim to be his greatest success, "The Blarneystone." The. film had Its premiere at Northampton, England, to swell the Mayor's Distress Fund, and tickets sold as hisb as a guipea each. "Tho Blarneystone" differs from the type of film with which audiences have learned to associate Tom Walls. It is full of droll,, whimsical, and racy Irish, wit and humour, and it has also a piquancy that makes tears the twin sister of . laughter. The cast Includes Anne Grey, Robert Douglas, Louis Bradfleld, Zoe Palmer, and Dorothy Tctley, with a huge ensemble. . KING'S THEATRE. A mystery thriller that defies solution until the very' end and provides drama, suspense, and excellent acting la "The Death Kiss," now at tho King's Theatre. "The Death Kiss," with its action taking place almost entirely .within the walls of a modern studio, is the most authentic picture of its kind yet pre-, sentea. David Manners, Bela Lugosl, and Adrlenne Ames are the featured players. The second attraction, "False Faces," has Lowell Sherman, Mia Lee, and Peggy Shannon'in tho Icadinjr roles. . . * • Commencing on Friday at the King's Theatre, James Cagney will be seen in "Hard to Handle," a Warner Bros.' first release feature. QUEEN'B THEATRE. Zane Grey's "The Mysterious Rider" Is showing at tho Queen's Theatre. A young .'rancher seeks to oxpose a,crooked lawyer, leader of an attempt to oust fellow-ranchers from their property. The attorney, has discovered that tho land is not legally theirs. and then, after receiving tho nioncy they have gathered together to make it theirs, has double-crossed them and sold t.t for a higher flggure to a powerful financier! He con-' trlves to throw the guilt for the double-cross on Taylor. The latter, tossed Into gaol, escapes, and exposes the swindle. Mac West, the most spectacular figure In the current Broadway theatrical world, makes her debut as a screen star Ib "She Done Hun Wrong," a melodrama , which she herself wrote, and which conies to the Queen's Theatre on Friday. ."She Done Him Wrong" is a story of the Bowery, a notorious section of New York during the gay nineties, with its collection of wide-open saloons, "tough" men, and frivolous women. It centres around a singer known as "Lady Lou," who has a way with men and who accepts their attentions In return for diamonds. Her collection 6f gems, so great Is her popularity, is ransom for half a dozen kings. The second attraction will be the romance "The Confession of a College Girl." . . REGAL THEATRE, KARORI. Tonight at the Regal Theatre, Karon, a delightful comedy, "Her First Mate," with Slim Summervllle and Zasu Pitts, will bo screened. This picture is the greatest laugh raiser that these two comedy, artists have yet appeared in. A special addition to tho programme is "Shots" or the dangers and risks' that cameramen take. •' .

UKIIANNI* THEATRE "Jlon Must Fight," now being shown at the Britannia Theatre, Is a startling picture. Brilliantly acted, lavishly produced, it startles the beholder with the question U propounds—what Is going to happen in 1940? It attempts to answer that question by showing the world on the verge of war in 1940. Aeroplanes, gas, the efforts of a mother to keep her son from fighting even though she Is the wife of an International diplomat, a raid from the air, with structures shown In the process of oelne demolished—these are a few of the stirring details with wlilcb the drama abounds. . Thrills, laughs, and heart throbs mingle' In the reunion of Marie Dressier and Wallace Beery In "Tugboat Annie," a story of a battling feminine tugboat captain' and her "sanguinary adventures. Miss Dressier plays Annie, with Beery caßt as nor shiftless but gpo'd-natured mate. Captain Terry. They battle and make up again for countless laughs; there Is a dramatic note of mother love and a gigantic thrill in the climax when Beery enters a blazing firebox to repair a boiler at sea and thus save a storm-tossed liner. . Most of- the picture was filmed in Puget Sound In the actual locales of the original "Saturday Evening Post" stories. The cast also Includes Robert Veiling. Maureen O'Sulllvan, Wlllard Robertson, Tammany Young, Frankle Darro, Jack Penntck. and Paul Hurst. PRINCESS JHEATRS. "Counsel's Opinion" Is now being shown at the Princess Theatre. It Is a, screen version of the famous stage ' success. An Interesting, feature of this film Is the faithful legal atmosphere, which is correct in every detail. On account of the special privileges which were r#!owed the producers by the authorities, special exterior shots of the Law Courts and Temple Gardens, as well a3 Interior scenes, were taken under the supervision of experts, whoso services were lent to the studios by-permiss-ion of the authorities. Herbert Marshall heads a strong cast In "The Solitaire Man,"-a . startling ■ drama of Continental crookdom. and Scotland Yard, which opens at the Princess Theatre on Friday. The casting of Marshall in another role as a sophisticated, "gentleman crook" brings him to the-screen in a vehicle that has all tho appeal of "Trouble In Paradise." Tho added drama of a smashing story by Bella and Samuel Spewack provides a thrilling basis for the action: In the Spewack play the life of every character is involved with that of the .Solitaire Man. When.1 they finally • meet in tho cabin of a passenger aeroplane crossing the English Channel a situation arises that has scarcely been equalled on the screen. Comedy highlights are provided In the picture by Mary Boland. SHORTT'B THEATRE: "Secrets," now being presented at Shortt's Theatre, is a simple love story, a romance of plain people. There is an elopement to foil a rich father who wants .bis daughter to wed a titled Englishman instead of a poor clerk; a young couple battling the hardships, of western ranch life; battles with cattle-rustlers; the rearing of a family; eventual prosperity, clouded by the husband's affair .with another woman; a loyal, devoted wife who refuses" to let threatened scandal wreck their happiness. 'The Song of the Eagle," a powerfuldrama of the legalising of beer in America, Is also being shown. ARTCRAFT THEATRE. .■/The- sensational picture "King Kong" is at the Artcraft Theatre. Based oil a weird'and highly imaginative'idea; It is a symbolic story of tho age-old triumph of brains over brawn and of the power 'of beauty over the beast. The story deals with the harrowing experience of a party who visit a remote island In quest of a legendary ape god. They not only find tho ape, "King Kong," but find him ruler of their island—feared by tho natives, who steal. Fay Wray, heroine of tho ■ adventure, to provide a sacrifice to . the monster. - ' KILBIRNIE XINEMA. A picture with a. background of strange romances and colossal financial and political intrigues, "The Match King,',' featuring Warren William and the exotic Llli Damlta, Is now showing at the Kilblrnle Kinema. Its plot rivals in imagination the wildest fiction, and would scarcely he- believed were It not that It has a counterpart in. real life, tho story having been suggested by the suicide of a financial octopus. ' . ' '..., CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. "Tomorrow at Seven," showing at the. Capitol Theatre' tonight, features Chester; Morris, Vlvienne Osborno, Frank McHugn, and ■ Allen Jenkins. The picture, which is ■ thrilling throughout, concerns' a maniacal killer who warns his prospective victims with a jigsaw puzzle inscribed with the hour of doom. EMPIRE \ THEATRE, ISLAND BAY. "Shatifilial Madness" Is the principal attraction at ;|ie Empire Theatre this evening. Spencer Tracy plays the leading role, and supporting him are i'ay Wray. Hubert Mundin. and Ralph Morgan. The story revolves around the exploits of an American anval officer who becomes involved in an affair that forces him to resign his command. His subsequent adventures aboard a gun-running boat make exceptionally thrilling entertainment. On Friday and Saturday "Slen Must Fight" will be screened. . ■ • , ■■■.'.;■.. SEABIDE PICTURES. At tho Seaside Pictures, Lyall Bay, tonight Dorothy Bouehler and Harry Milton will be seen in "The King's Cup." The darei-devil aerial race conducted for tho highest trophy in British air circles, his Majesty tho King's Challenge Cup, which event the world at largo thrills to yearly, has been wound into a fascinating film" story' by Sir Alan Cobham, one of Britain's greatest airmen. VThe King's Cup" has been entirely filmed by "British and Dominions Films.

Owing to the length of the programme arranged for the electric light sports at the Basin Reserve on Saturday night, it has been necessary to delete the-girls' interhouse relay race, and the sports will commence at 7.45 p.m. In addition to local competitors, teams from the WangahuiI and Canterbury Clubs will take part in the events. The opening attraction will be a parade of the athletes, Jed ■by thev Miramar Band.