ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Issue 52, 2 March 1935, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. Anna Sten, the Russian star "who made i such''a success in her first American film, | : returns to the Kegent Theatre this week in "We Live Again," the apt film title , of a production based on Tolstoi's famous novel "Hesurrection," and proves herself n versatile and interesting actress. As Jvatusha, the peasant girl who is seduced and forgotten by a prince until lie has to '. serve on the jury which tries her for murder and as the victim o£ stupid officialdom and the girl who is finally regenei'- ■ ated by the remorse and sacrifice of her , lover, Anna Sten shows that she is capable of portraying the most varied cino- , tions. Her winsome sweetness at the beginning of the film is in strong contrast to 'hci' embittered fatalism at the time ! when.she.goes to prison. Predric March plays the, main role opposite her and. ef--1 feetively shows the • transition of a passionate and idealistic boy into a dissolute ■ and cynical army officer who is brought ■ bade to, a realisation of himself by the , shock, of. finding that he has caused the downfall of a splendid girl. 'the. background'of. the story/ Russia of the late nineteenth century,; is , given with effective, contrast between the lot o£ the nobles:.and that of' the peasants and prisoners, .with; the whole gaudy, savage •surroundings . extremely; well _ suggested, and the story, unusual as it is, is made Convincing.by the intense conviction with \vhichthe principal parts are played. Included in the large cast in support are C. Aubrey .Smith and Jane Baxter. The ,'giipporting bill is also of merit, including iip-to-date newsreels, .a . Mickey Mouse : cartoon in .which Mickey captures a dog--1 Bimteh'er,' and an atniosplierie organlogne 1 with-Donald Novis .singing "A Screen Souvenir,"-and other good things.- Alto- : rather it is one of the best prgrammes ! wliich the: Regent Theatre, home of many. ; fine1 pictures, lias submitted to the. public. •The bill will be repeated daily until ; Thursday evening'next. ' : ~ DE CUKE THEATRE. 1 Greta Garbo at her best appears in 1 "The-Painted Veil,", a film adaptation ot ■ a novel by -Somerset Maugham, which is entering its second week at the De Luxe Theatre,: .In,this new production the • famous star breaks, entirely new ground, ■ being shown as a beautiful and unhappy ' daughter of an Austrian prbfessor, who ' marries an' English doctor and goes with ', him to China. There she is fascinated 1 by the brilliant personality ot an_ attache lat the British. Embassy and begins an • intrigue with him. The affair .is disi covered by her husband, who gives her the choice o£ going inland with him to a • city where cholera is ragmg or of return- ■ &/to her family. Her lover fails, her I at" this crisis and she goes submissively ito a far Chinese city where she lives amidst scenes of terror, bloodshed, and ; Sing Rapidly the story develops, and when the end comes it is in a manner :^f^aGS^SertSars^; . who give^.one of Wsbest per ormances to i Sn^edrfS gl 3eo| ' Ket°"ry Pl» ° Tnt su^orS it^^eSeTc^S:l^ - Old KoS- Miss Iris Mason plays • bright music on the organ. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. Excellent entertainment is provided at the Paramount Theatre m the presen double-feature programme. A well-balanced cast was. selected by Warner Bros, for the leading roles in the comedy, "Inends ot 2 Tsieeney" which is the first, attraction, Charlie Ruggles, the inimitable comedian and the screen counterpart ot "Timid Soul," who in this instance turns into a raging. lion, has the leading role, with Ann Dvorak furnishing the romantic part of the story. .■■■; Others In, the cast ' include Eugene Pailette, iDorothy. Burgess, Dorothy Tree/ Robert Bertoii Churchill, Harry Tyler, Harry Beresford and William Davidson. "The Thirteenth Candle," a Warner Bros.' English production, is an .ingeniously constructed .murder mystery combining good comedy with exciting melodrama. Isobel Elsom as Lady Sylvia Meeton sustains the more serious ' side of the plot, while Captain Blyth (Glbb Mclaughlin), not.so dense as he pretends, ' provides bright dialogue, and, incidentally, the solution of the mystery. The supports are well chosen, and round off the-evening , splendidly. ■ KING'S THEATRE. Combining romance and the suspense ' elements of a well-concrivednuirder mystery, "Hat, Coat, and Glove,' ,at the King's Theatre, is a most . entertaining picture. The story, depicted by a strong cast ot splendid players, including Ricardo Cortez, Barbara Robbins, John Beal,- and Dorothy Burgess, involves a great criminal lawyer and his beautiful wife and a young artist, the "other man." The story assumes an, ■ ister proportions when a gir from the art--1 isfa past is found dead in his apart- ' ment. A hat, a coat and a glove are the only clues to the real murderer. The drama rises to tense heights in the court-room ; scenes, where surprise follows surprise, and > sensation tops sensation. Cortez is at his best ss the lawyer. Interest is added by 1 Barbara Robbins, a " talented newcomer 1 from the Broadway stage. QUEEN'S THEATRE. 1 Two excellent subjects comprise the cur- , rent double bill at the Queen's Theatre. The chief attraction is "The Ruling Voice, • with Walter Huston and Loretta loung, a drama of the racketeering game in America, and the consequent clash with the forces of law and order. The other pici ture is "The Keyhole," with Kay Francis t and George Brent, an enthrallingly ditter- '■ ent -picture, presenting the gaiety and i luxury of Park Avenue penthouses and the | glamour of balmy nights under a Cuban ; moon. ! 'ARTCRAFT THEATRE. i With Clark Gable and Myrna Loy co- ! starred, "Men in White," from the famous sta^e play, is now in its season at the Artcraft Theatre. Clark Gable, as Dr. Ferguson, surpasses any characterisation •he has ever essayed. Myrna Ley's cool, ■' self-possessed dignity is very muck in evidence, and enables her to make ot her characterisation a very commanding personage. There are excellent supports on the programme. Patrons are advised to book early for this evening. SHORTT'S THEATRE. The programme at Shortt's Theatre is a bright one. The chief attraction is "Koinan Scandals," in which Eddie Cantor,is seen as a brow-beaten lad who finds himself, through the power of his imagination, in the Rome of the Caesars, involved in breathtaking adventures among beautiful slave girls, charioteers, and the intrigues of the Imperial ■ Court. More shortly, Eddie is let loose in Imperial Rome! The second film is "The Eagle and the Hawk," a dramatic and tragic story of war in the air. Fredric March and Cary Grant are the stars. The shorter films are a cartoon in colour, "The China . Shop," and an orgaulogue, "Gold of the North." ■ PRINCESS THEATRE. '''The Gay Bride," featuring Carole Lombard and' Chester Morris, heads .the bill at the Princess Theatre. Carole Lovn- ■ bard as Mary, the blonde with a bankaccount mind, dazzles • racketeers into parting with their ill-gotten gains, and makes them like it. A nautical comedythriller, ,with Clifford Mollison ; giving . a breezy portrayal as a timid clerk who i becomes' a naval officer and foils a Ger--1 man sea plot during the war, entitled i "Freedom of the Seas," is the supporting : attraction. There is a particularly en- ! joyable selection of short subjects. ! EMPIRE THEATRE, ISLAND BAY. '. The weekend programme at the Empire ', Theatre is headed by "Straight Is the ! Way," starring Franckot Tone and May Robson. The story deals with the return from prison of a former gang leader. He finds another man running his illegal busi- . uess, and the conflict and strife between 1 these two provides unusual and thrilling entertainment. Nnt Pendleton and Karen t Morlcy play the lending roles. Two Hal ' Roach comedies, a Cinesound review, and a. Metrotone newsreel' complete the pro- [ gramme. On Monday and Tuesday War- . ner Baxter will be seen in "Grand Canary."

MAJESTIC THEATRE. The audience at the Majestic Theatre last night was quickly put into a very I good .humour and was kept in that happy state until the final fade-out by "The Captain Hates the Sea," a nautical comedy of the most uproarious type. Centred round the happenings on board a liner engaged in pleasure-cruising, the picture provides cause for a succession ot laughs and chuckles by the situations which arise among a miscellaneous collection of passengers and a staff among whom numerous little feuds are kept alive. Captain Helquist (Walter Connolly) has two reasons for disliking the sea. One is the constant necessity for being on cheerful terms with people who regard his ship as a picnic ground, and the other is Layton, the chief steward. In the latter part Leon Errol bids fair to steal the show, in a cast which includes Victor McLaglen (a detective), John Gilbert (a crook), Alison Skipworth (a typical, pleasure tripper), and Wynne Gibson (a' pretty young woman -whose life holds more than a little tragedy). It is impossible to give an outline, of the various happenings which'make a pleasure trip a doubtful source of enjoyment to many of the passengers but a riot ■of mirth to those who watch their misfortunes on the screen. The supports comprise a nowsreel, an African travel picture with humorous narrative, and a comedy. ST. JAMES THEATRE. A comedy on very novel lines, "Ladies Should Listen," provides the new offering at St. James Theatre, where the handsome Cary Grant (a sheik comedian) gets into the grip of vamps and blackmailers, and has to be rescued by the masterful Anna, Miss Frances Drake. Anna' holds a key position in the world, because she is telephone operator at a big hotel, and knows about every intrigue or crime that happens therein; and her knowledge also covers the whole city, for she knows,all the other telephone girls, and can get full particulars about a.scandal or a pending frame-up quicker than the detectives can get them. Anna is, indeed, a female detective with a head and also a heart. You might not observe the latter, because she does not wear it on her sleeve, but she always arrives in time to get the susceptible sheik out»f trouble, to foil his temptresses, and to outwit'the gunmen who wait for him. He' is really to blame for his affair with Marguerite (Rosita Moreno) and deserved to be shot by her' blackmailing husband (Rafael Corio), but the affair with Susi (Nydia Westman) was no fault of his because this lady took him by storm, and had to be choked off before she would return to her rightful lover (Edward Everett Horton). It will be seen that anyone who wants an amusing comedy can get it at St. James." In the supporting programme a review of major news events in 1934 is vividly reminiscent. "The Superstition of the Black Cat" is a clever bit of fancy. "Paramount Pictorial" is a series of gripping items (partly in colour), and: there is a Betty Boop cartoon, also Cab Calloway's band. ■ STATE THEATRE. "One Night of Love," starring; Grace Moore, has proved so popular that the management of the State Theatre is screening the picture for a further week. The interest of last night's audience was lield throughout, and the fine work of Miss Moore was applauded time and time again. Miss Moore achieves -wonderful heights- as a young opera star who owes allegiance to an imperious maestro. He has lorbidden all talk of love to interfere with, her training, but he cherishes within his breast far more than the professional teacher s interest in his pupil. A young • American admirer, .■spiritless for all his-bright-ness, helps her to break these fetters, with tragic consequences so far as her impresario's heart is concerned. She engages to sing in "Madame Butterfly, bhe is lost, however, without the friendly direction of her maestro. At the last second he appears and she sings gloriously to bring her new world of happiness into being. She sings the ecstatic "Habanera and "One Night of Love," which, gives its title to the film. The portrait of the maestro as given by Tullio Carminati is beyond criticism. The popularity of the film must rest upon the/appeal M Grace Moore s glorious voice "and lovely personality,: since it is frankly built around her. There is. a varied and attractive supporting programme. . ' ' PLAZA THEATRE, An absorbing and human story of the nursing profession forms the theme tor "The White Parade," which is now showing at the Plaza Theatre. It deals with the duties of probationer nurses m the early days of their training and the conflict of their young desires to escape from rigid discipline. Many people are in&ro: duced for the first time to what the young nursing student has to learn in the process of becoming efficient in her work and the picture has no small educational value from this point of view..., Loretta ■young and John Boles are m the leading roles, Miss Young as probationer and he as a leading American polo player. In ordei to cure the homesickness of a, fellow-pro-bationer Miss Young alleges that she s the sweetheart o£ the polo artist and is unset to be torn apart from tab) her work Te ruse works but the ruramir Treads and she is obliged to keepup the others The photography in the training school'is very good ideed. Several newsreels and other "shorts" are included m the programme. OUR THEATRE. The "Fountain," starring Ann Harding, heads the new programme showing at Urn Theatre, Newtown, tonight. It is a poignant «tory of a woman and a man seeking to stifle their heart instincts, because they felt in honour bound to the noble spirit of a crippled husband. The beautifully coloured "La Cucaracha," a musical tale of old Mexico, and a wonderful supporting programme make a most attractive presentation. ' BROOKLYN PICTURES. "Pleasure Cruise." showing at the Brooklyn Pictures, is one of the greatest comedies yet produced. The cast m support of Miss Tobin is a notable one that include* "Ralph Forbes, Una O Connor, Herbert Mnndin, Minna Gombell. Theodore yon Bite, Frank Atkinson, Robert Greig, and Arthur Hoyt. KILBIRNIE KINEMA. Another excellent double-feature programme will be screened at the Kilbirme Kinema tonight. "Here Comes the_3Savv> starring James Cagney and Pat O Bnen, supported by Gloria Stuart and Frank McHugh carries some breath-taking thrills, in addition to supplying hilarious comedy and a glowing romance. The supporting feature is "Employees' Entrance," a drama probing the problem of millions of out-of-work girls. It stars Warren William and Loretta Young. There is also a spewallyselectcd array of short features. : REGAL THEATRE. Tonight Janet Gaynor and Lew Ayres will appear at the Eegal Theatre in a brilliant eoniedy-romance, "Servants Jintrance." a story of an heiress who poses as a maidservant to win the love of a man. Miss Gaynor is well supported by a powerful cast. The supports include a travelogue, "Highlights of Travel," a camera thrill. "Marching With Science," and current "news of-foreign and Australian atfairs. KILBIRNIE SPEEDWAY. A test match has been . arranged for speedway followers at-the Kilbirnie Stadium tonight, when teams representing Australia and Wellington will race under test match conditions. Clutch starts will be adopted, and' the electrical starting gate will be used. The system of runnintr this contest will be exactly the same "as adopted in England, and the public will have their first opportunity of seeing speedway racing conducted under English test conditions. Australia will be represented by Billy Lavnont and Charlie Perabo, and Wellington will have Peter Phillips and Albert Hunger to defend tie province. Another attraction will be tlie teams race in which Petone and Newtown will be the competitors. Ihere will also be a handicap evnnt, and a midget car race between the "Southward Special with Clarrie Tonka at the wheel, and the "M.G.," driven by A. Sutherland. Owing to uncertain movements of the English riders Atkinson, and Stevenson, it ha? been found necessary to postpone the meeting set down for Wednesday, March b. j

RIVOLI THEATRE. A grand acting- combination, a thrilling, fast-paced, and imaginatively-directed story, and a human and appealing theme, are the elements that Paramount put into the making of "Now aud For Ever," now at the Kivoli Theatre, and that make that picture one of the most thoroughly delightful and entertaining hours of film fare that have been offered in a long time. Komanitc Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, and lovable Shirley Temple are the three who play out'this tale of a reckless young international crook, his light of love, and the child who changes^ the whole course of their gay lives. There are entertaining supports, building up ail excellent programme. CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. •'Treasure Island" is the attraction | screening .at the Capitol Theatre tonight, j Adapted from Kobert Louis Stevenson's immortal atory,. the picture versiou is one j which has made a wide appeal to grown-1 ups and young people alike. Jackie Cooper, Wallace Beery. Lionel' Barrymore, Otto Kruger, and Le^vis Stone are at the head of a notable cast. _ Laurel and Hardy are seen in "Busybodies." SEASIDE PICTURES, LYALL BAY. At the Seaside Pictures tonight,and on Monday night "The House of Rothschild" will be screened. In this production Mr. George Arliss gives the supreme performance of his career in an' impressive story of the famous family, the Rothschilds.