ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 128, 1 June 1935, Page 7

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE,

Two of the screen's most popular stars, Gary Cooper and Anna Sten, are brought together in "The Wedding Night," the United Artists picture which heads the new bill at the Regent Theatre. Their joint performance— strongly supported by Helen Vinson — does much to make a picture with considerable merit in itself into a really outstanding piece of entertainment in the romance line. Gary Cooper is cast as a novelist to whom success has brought a threat of failure. On the royalties of a "best seller" he and his wife (Helen Vinson) have followed the rapid stream of New York's high life until the quality of his work has deteriorated to a point at which his publishers reject his MS. Lack of funds drives the pair to an ancestral home in Connecticut where Polish families are industriously engaged in the tobacco-growing industry. It is there that the author conceives the germ of a theme for a new novel in the lives and old-world customs—particularly in regard to matrimony—of his Polish neighbours, and he settles down to work alone throughout the winter. When his wife returns she is handed the unfinished novel to read and is easily able to recognise in it a counterpart of herself as the "unwanted third" in a triangle which includes her husband and a pretty young Polish girl (Anna Sten). The girl is under her father's orders to marry one of her countrymen. Supplying an ending to the book is no easy matter for her husband and the manner in which it all pans out provides a fitting climax to a well-constructed story. The supporting programme is of exceptional quality, notable features being a picture of the Dionne quintuplets (who celebrated their first birthday on May 28), one of Walt Disney's inimitable sound cartoons, a natural history picture, some amusing "dumb-bell" letters, and items on the organ by Jesse Crawford. "dive of India." "Clive of India," the most ambitious undertaking of 20th Century Pictures, the producers of "The House of Rothschild," the best picture of 1934, comes to the Regent Theatre next Friday. The picture is based on the London stage hit of the same name, and its authors, W. P. Lipscomb and R. J. Minney, were taken to Hollywood by the producers to assure a true and accurate adaptation of their play to the screen. The story of Robert Clive, who conquered an empire at 26 and rose,, by his own faith, genius, and daring, from a poor clerk in the East India Company to become one of England's greatest heroes, is said to fit Ronald Colman like a glove. Loretta Young portrays the lovely English girl to whom Clive wrote proposing marriage after seeing her picture in her .brother's locket—the girl who arrived in India to accept him, only to find her poor clerk magically risen to heroic heights through having boldly taken charge of the army and quelled a rebellion. NEW OPERA HOUSE. "London Speaks," the main attraction in the change of programme at the New Opera House, is a picture which, should have an appeal to many. It has been described as as good as a trip to London, and though perhaps ail would not agree with that description, they will at least come to the conclusion that it is the next best thing to a trip to London. The picture, which is presented by British Dominions Films, Ltd., is a pictorial tour of the great metropolis, with a suitable running commentary. The picture should appeal to those who know London, and should also appeal to those who have not visited the Empire's capital, as 't gives, within a limited amount of time, art excellent impression of the great city. A very careful selection of scenes has been arranged and in addition to the usual London pictures with which one is familiar, there are others which the cameraman has captured by going off the beaten track. It would be difficult to describe adequately in condensed form the vast area covered by the picture. It is sufficient to state that little has been overlooked in the production.- Places that have,-become famous in history are featured —and >n London-there are many—and, further, one is given a good impression of the city at the present tune. There is a strong supporting programme which includes a Universal newsreel; a minute mystery, "One Way Out"; a "March of the Years," showing events of long ago;, a Sidney-Murray comedy, "Radio Dough"; snapshots of movie stars at work and play; and a Krazy Kat Kartoon. DE LUXE THEATRE. - Those who remember the brilliant music of Jerome Kern in "Show Boat" and many other successes and know that Oscar Hammerstein II was the writer of "Rose Marie" will realise that "Sweet Adeline," in which they have combined and in which Irene Dunne stars at the De Luxe Theatre this week is an outstanding, musical production. The film has been adapted from the highly popular musical comedy, and portrays old New York in the days of bustles, hansom cabs, beer gardens, and champagne suppers. It is a tale of the rise of a brilliant young singer and her love affair with a song writer, running through a stage production liberally garnished with attractive music, and relieved by the spy hunt of an eccentric millionaire, the plots of a beautiful foreigner, and the search for a husband of the young star's sister. The swing of the production, the attractive melodies, and the strong story combine to make this a very appealing film with Irene Dunne at her very best and an enormous supporting cast headed by Donald Woods, Hugh Herbert, Ned Sparks, Louis Calhern, and Winifred Shaw. The supporting programme includes the latest newsreels, a novelty number, "Two Boobs in a Balloon," a short musical film with some unusual items, and a brilliant picture, "Show Kids," in which there is some extraordinary dancing. The programme will be repeated until Thursday evening next. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. The all-British programme at the Paramount Theatre does full credit to British productions, and it is fitting that the late Edgar Wallace's last and greatest stage play should be interpreted by some of the most famous players of the London stage. "The Green Pack" takes one in breathless suspense from London to Portuguese West Africa, whither a trio of gold seekers has gone, backed by a rogue with a plausible tongue. The financier, during the absence of one of the party, has compromised his fiancee, and when the backer, the girl, and the girl's father, a doctor, pay a visit to the three men there is a dramatic showdown. A green pack of cards, from which the men draw for the privilege of killing the financier, plays an important part at this juncture; the effect of the Tropics on mentality and morality is emphasised with excellent realism, and there is much drama and suspense before the inquiry into the backer's death is concluded with happy results for all concerned. John Stuart, Aileen Marston, Garry Marsh, and a fine cast of British actors portray the roles in this exciting picture. Also showing is another British production, "Without You," a snappy comedy in which Harry Kendall and Wendy Barrie, with Margot Grahame, BiHy Msyerl, and other well-known people of the British theatre, stress with hilarious effects the adage that love will find a way. Incidentally there is some fine pianoforte playing, and Miss Grahame reveals a singing voice that will, no doubt become famous. The ludicrous situation of a husband playing co-respondent to his own wife is just one of the many comedy angles presented by the story. The settings in both pictures are perfect in conception and artistry.

1 " MAYFAIR, UPPER HUTT.

Tonight's attraction at the Mayfair Theatre, Upper Hutt, is "The Old Curiosity Shop," a classic brought to the screen by Elstree's leading studios. On Monday will be shown Charles Laughton in "The Private Lite of Henry VIII," and on Wednesday "Freedom of the Seas," a musical comedydrama.

PSYCHOLOGY LECTURER.

Dr. Vere Poliss, Ph.D., will dteliver an address tomorrow night, at 7.!15, in the Mezzanine Hall, Dominican Farmers' Institute, on solving problems of life. .Details., are advertised irji this 'issue'.' "•■■■

MAJESTIC THEATRE,

A thoroughly entertaining picture, "After Office Hours," is showing at the Majestic Theatre. Constance Bennett, the actress who, it is said, earns something like £6000 a week, and Clark Gable have the leading roles. It is a story of the newspaper world of New York, and is full of incident and clever dialogue. The young editor of a newspaper has reason for thinking that scandalous rumours concerning a well-known public man and the wife of another man, people well known in society, are true, and he sets out to prove them. However, the owner of the newspaper thinks he is barking up the wrong tree and demands that he cease the campaign, so he decides to investigate for himself "after office hours." He realises how useful a wealthy young girl whom he had discharged that day from the job of music critic on the paper can be, so he forthwith sets about getting on friendly terms with her. This is not very easy, but he manages it, first by getting to know her mother and paying her a lot of flattering attention, and then by telling the girl that they want her back on the paper. He takes her to dinner at a very fashionable place and, through her, he meets the society people he is after. A murder is committed later on, and the investigation of it is intensely interesting, exciting, and amusing. Clark Gable gives an excellent performance. Constance Bennett's acting is very finished, and she wears some lovely clothes. The supporting cast is very good, especially the man who takes the part of a newspaper photographer, who passes himself off as the coroner's assistant in order to get into the house where the murder was committed. The supporting programme is exceptionally entertaining. A Metrotone News is full of interesting events, and a game of donkey baseball is intensely amusing. Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly in "One Horse Farmers" are as amusing as eyer. There is a delightful coloured picture entitled "Gypsy Night" in which there is some very fine singing and dancing and very original little dolls. Altogether the programme is well worth seeing. ST. JAMES THEATRE. "Wings in the Dark," now showing at the St. James Theatre, is undoubtedly one of the finest aviation romances shown here to date. Although the popularity of the aeroplane in modern fiction might well have tempted the producer to work in too many thrills at the expense of the acting, the production is unusually well balanced in this respect. The story is that of a famous young airman, Ken Gordon (Cary Grant), who has invented a device for flying unhindered through fog and for landing "blind" on a fog-bound aerodrome. It is his intention to fly the Atlantic in a hooded aeroplane to prove his invention, but some ill-timed publicity by an advertising manager (Eoscoe Karns) results in permission from the Government being withheld. A daring young aviatrix, Sheila Mason (Myrna Loy), who worships Gordon, incites him to attempt the flight without' permission, but in preparing to take .off he receives an injury which results in blindness for an indefinite period. ■■ From then on he is tended by his faithful Scots mechanic (Hobart Cavanaugh), and a splendidly-trained Alsatian dog. Despite numerous setbacks, due to the promoting companies losing faith in his ability, he continues with his invention, and finally perfects it so that, by a system of buzzer signals connected with his robot pilot, he can actually fly his fast, long-distance monoplane. At the last moment, the sponsoring company takes the aeroplane back. Sheila Mason attempts a non-stop flight from Moscow to America to get enough money to repurchase the machine. On the trip over the Atlantic she is lost in fog near New York, and the blind Gordon determines to go up and lead her in. What happens after that is a fitting conclusion to a very pretty and heroic romance. The acting of all, especially of the two principal, is very fine indeed. Both have difficult and novel roles, and play them with conviction. The supports include newsreels, an amusing and instructive "Screen Souvenirs" featurette, a sporting review of swimmers and divers, and a harmony musical novelty featuring Jack Little and his band.' PLAZA THEATRE. "One More Spring," at the Plaza Theatre, is one of those idealistic human stories in which Janet Gaynor plays to such advantage, and Warner •Baxter is the hero, as a New York 'curio dealer who has failed. He meets a violinist down on his luck, and the queerest, most improbable story, yet with a- strange appeal, is made real by clever acting. Janet is m search of a job, and sleeps in a subway, feeding by eyesight, while Baxter and his friend sleep in a park, on the only thing the auctioneer could not sell, a bed with a history. The hero and the eirl bump into each other on a thieving expedition in the dark, and these three, the virtuoso, the actress, and the broken bric-a-brac dealer, set up house in a stable, assisted by the park cleaner. They starve for a while, and some piquant situations develop, but in the end they help a broken banker to repair his fortunes, and all ends well. Sometimes the supports are of more interest than the feature, and this is the case at the Plaza this week. There is a fine long film of the King's Jubilee celebrations, and "Baboona, one of the Martin-Johnson aerial African travelogues, is the most striking these remarkable photographers have yet achieved. Herds of 500 elephants, rhinos, which charge the aeroplane but get the wind up before they reach it, lions which fight over their zebra kill under the wings while Osa Johnson sits in the fuselage, wonderful aerial panaromas of the Kikuyu country natives' kraals, and magnificent glimpses of Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro from the air, thrill the audience, but the best part of the film is the sound record of a tribe of baboons. The monkey life, so uncannily human as to rouse gasps of astonishment, will remain in everyone s mind. This wonderful nature picture should not be missed. PRINCESS THEATRE. "Return of the Terror," one of the most unique and baffling mystery dramas ever screened, is at the Princess Theatre. The screen play was suggested by the cleverest of all of the mystery dramas of Edgar Wallace. .The story concerns a series of crimes, the first of which is the killing of a number of patients at a private sanitorium for which the superintendent is convicted. Three other slayings and two attempted murders follow, all m a night of terror at the very sanitorium at which the patients have been slain. An all-star cast is headed by Mary Astor, Lyle Talbot, John Haniday, and Frank McHugh. The allAustralian production,. Splendid Fellows," the supporting feature, is full of thrills. The Centenerary Air race is the centre around which the stirring story revolves. EMPIRE THEATRE, ISLAND BAY. "The Count of Monte Cristo"- is the current attraction at the. Empire Theatre. Dumas's immortal story of the "Count of Monte Cristo," who was imprisoned in a dungeon for twenty years before escaping and wreaking a slow and terrible vengeance on the three persons responsible for his imprisonment, makes unusually exciting entertainment. A cast of many hundreds is headed by Kobert Donat and Elissa Landi. CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. "Charlie Chan in Paris," featuring Warner Oland, Mary Brian, and Thomas Beck, is the attraction screening at the Capitol Theatre tonight. This picture, the seventh of the famed Chan series, is said to beat all its predecessors for sheer suspense and ingenuity, and builds to an astonishing climax. There will be a special matinee on Monday, at 2.15 p.m., "Forsaking All Oothers," with Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Robert Montgomery, being shown. SEASIDE PICTURES, LYALL BAY. A double-feature programme will be screened at the Seaside Pictures tonight at 7.30. "The Crusader," starring H. B. Warner, Evelyn Brent, and the inimitable Ned Sparks, is the story of an honest man's' fight against crime even when the person was his own wife. "Melody in Spring" is a delightful musical, featuring Lanny Ross. Charlie Ruggles, Ann Sothern, and Mary Boland are also in prominent roles. Selected short subjects will be shown from 7.30.

STATE THEATRE,

"Roberta," which opened at the State Theatre yesterday, is one of the gayest and"'most colourful musical romances ever seen in Wellington. The talents of three stars, said to be most ideally suited to musical comedy, are combined in this picture. They are Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers. With Miss Dunne singing, Astaire and Miss Rogers dancing, and a bevy of beautiful girls displaying the latest in feminine style creations, the film moves swiftly and tunefully through a most intriguing story. An American football player falls heir to a fashionable Paris gown salon. The hero and his band leader pal set the world of fashion agog, the hearts of the mademoiselles afluttering, and the feet of the Parisians aflame during the course of their hectic adventures. Irene Dunne's role is that of a European countess who is the fashion expert of the glamorous "Roberta" establishment, and hers is the chief heart interest of the film, as the romance centres around her and the new owner of the salon. Among the musical highlights of the picture are "The Pipe Organ Number," "Let's Begin," "Yesterday," "I'll Be Hard to Handle," "Lovely to Look At," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Russian Refrain," and "Touch of Your Hand." Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the two dancing stars, almost talk with their feet in some of the numbers. One of their feature dances, done to the haunting melody of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," could almost be described as a poem in motion. Miss Dunne's voice is heard at its best. Playing the romantic lead opposite Irene Dunne in the role of the football hero is Randolph Scott. A wide range of supporting attractions includes a film showing interesting scenes in the Saar, and an unusually clever colour cartoon. RIVOLI THEATRE. Heading the double programme showing tonight at the Rivoli Theatre is "The Lawyer Man,'" which stars William Powell and Joan Blondell for the first time. While suggesting by its title that this is a courtroom drama, such is not the case, as the picture concerns itself with the love affairs of Powell after, and during, office hours, and is said to be one of Powell's most romantic roles. "Big-hearted Herbert" is a family comedy that should prove excellent entertainment, being one of the homeliest comedies produced on the screen this season. Guy Kibbee makes his debut as a star with Anne MacMahon as the better half. Tomorrow the musical comedy sensation, "Footlight Parade," which played a record week's season at the Rivoli Theatre previously, will be revived for a special midnight matinee. Featuring those popular song hits, "By a Waterfall," "Honeymoon Hotel," "Sitting On a Backyard Fence," and other popular hits, this picture is one of the fastest, gayest, and most tuneful musical comedies that .has yet graced the screen. Special matinees will be held for children on Monday, and in the evening Norma Shearer, Fredric March, and Charles Laughton will be seen in The Barrets of Wimpole Street," and Roger" Pryor and Esther Ralston in "Strange Wives," plus a George Wallace comedy. KING'S THEATRE. Cecil B. de Mille has excelled even his high standard in his latest production, "Cleopatra," now screening at the King's Theatre. "Cleopatra" is easily the greatest of de Mille s creations. Truly amazing are Caesar's triumphal procession through the streets of Rome, with trumpets, captives, and chariots, the lofty splendour of the Roman baths, Cleopatra's barge with its burnished poop and beaten gold, its harps and feathers and toiling oars, the banquets and dances, the scenes of war on land and sea, with catapults and battering rams, and galleys showering fireballs. It is the greatest love story of the ages—Cleopatra, divinely beautiful, and Antony, Roman general, forgetting all the world in the mad ecstasy of their infatuation. All the grandeur that was Rome, all the glamour that was Egypt is spread upon the screen in this amazing achievement. Claudette Colbert Warren William, and Henry Wilcoxon head a cast ; of thousands. REX THEATRE. A revelation of the inner workings of a metropolitan police force in tracking criminals is made m the murder mystery drama, "From Headquarters, featuring George Brent and Margaret Lindsay, which is the main current attraction at the Rex Theatre. The story opens with the murder of a millionaire Broadway playboy and follows the search for the slayer through scientific investigations at police headquarters from the fin-ger-printing of suspects 'to their inquisition in the darkened third degree room. The cast includes Eugene Pallette, Hugh Herbert, Dorothy Burgess, Theodore Newton, Hobart Cavanaugh, Robert Barrat, and Henry O'Neill. "Fashion Gaieties of 1934," with William Powell in the stellar role, is the additional feature. Bette Davis plays opposite Powell as his co-conspirator and vies for his love with Veree Teasdale. SHORTT'S THEATRE. Ann Dvorak and Lee Tracy play opposite each other •in "Love is a Racket," now showing at Shortt's Theatre. "Love is a Racket" concerns the adventures of a wise Broadway reporter who discovers he is not so wise in the ways of women after all. His love for a chorus girl was doomed by her ambition to marry millions. Dou£. Fairbanks, jun., appears as the wise columnist who, really is not so smart when it comes to himself. Lee Tracy appears as his best friend. The second feature picture is "The Mind Reader," starring Warren William and Constance Cummings. "The Mind Reader" takes the spectator behind the scenes of the crystal-gazing game, and shows how a few telephone wires and a trained confederate can make a "psychic" of any quick-witted man or woman who has no objection to making money in that manner. KILBIRNIE KINEMA. "British Agent," which was inspired from the book by R. H. Bruce-Lock-heart, will be screened finally at the Kilbirnie Kinema tonight. The picture stars two of the most popular artists on the screen, Kay Francis and Leslie Howard, with a cast of thousands, and is an epic of, Red Russia during the troublous time of 1917. The additional attraction is "Baby Take a Bow," starring little Shirley Temple with James Dunn and Claire Trevor. Monday's change will consist of two delightful productions, "Danny Boy," with Ronnie Hepworth, Frank ForbesRobertson, Dorothy Dickson, and a host of others, and "Song at Eventide," starring Fay Compton and Leslie Perrins. "Hell Below" will be screened at the special matinee on Monday at 2.15 p.m. BROOKLYN THEATRE. The main attraction at Brooklyn Theatre tonight is Kay Francis and Ricardo Cortez in "Mandalay," a tale of thrilling romance and adventure set in the colourful background of. Burma, and concerning a beautiful Russian exile who is sold into virtual slavery by the man she loves. Her flight and pursuit form an exciting portion of the drama. There are good supporting pictures. A special double feature holiday programme will be presented on Monday. OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN. For the first time in the history of the screen the popular stars, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Robert Montgomery, are seen together in the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, "Forsaking All Others," which will be screened at Our Theatre tonight. Billie Burke and Charles Butterworth head a brilliant supporting cast. Joan Crawford is at her best as a society girl pursued by two men, but with a great sense of humour about it. Gable and Montgomery vie with one another for her smiles. The second picture is the comedy "The County Chairman," starring Will Rogers. REGAL THEATRE, KARORI. The weekend programme at the Regal Theatre is headed by "The Painted Veil," starring Greta Garbo. The picture is set in the plagueravished regions of China, and the story rises to great dramatic heights during a native riot and the destruction of a plagued city by fire. George Brent, Warner Oland, and Jean Hersholt play the principal supporting roles.

CLEM DAWE REVUE.

No doubt Wellington theatre-goers will be pleased to welcome a flesh ana blood show after such a long period since the last one was here, and the coming ol the Clem Dawe Revue to the Grand Opera House on Saturday, June 15, for a short farewell season prior to their departure for London will be a pleasing innovation. Clem Dawe s Auckland season was extended to no less than 21 weeks, and it was only ( because the theatre had been booked ahead that the company did not re-] main for a longer period, as large audiences witnessed every matinee and evening performance. These revues comprise everything that is bright in the way of music, song, and patter, and in addition to the clever composition of playettes, and the entertaining and amusing manner of their execution, the show possesses a range of splendid vocal performers. In the centre of all the funmaking is, of course, the inimitable Clem Dawe. Still, in the realm of revue a one-man show is never completely satisfying, and every member of the company brings an acceptable contribution. Associated prominently with Clem Dawe in potted plays, burlesques, and numerous turns of comedy are Dorothy White. Eric Edgley, Les White, and Joe Shriner. and in every scene they create roars of laughter. But the comedy is only one phase of the entertainment, and big features are the remarkably beautiful ballets and ensembles, the excellent singing, and the acrobatics. Miss Muriel O'Malley and Miss Ann Luciano give, songs at the piano. The adagio dances of Halliday and Watson created something like a sensation in Auckland. The company includes Gregory Ivanofr, the famous Russian violinist. The work of a team of talented young Australian ballet dancers is a feature of the revue. An added attraction will be the Clem Dawe Rhythm Kings, a magnificent jazz band of twelve talented musicians. ROXX THEATRE. "Chu Chin Chow," at the Roxy Theatre, provides glittering material to appeal to every taste, its pageantry enhanced by skilful handling and acting of classic style. In its settings, this magnificently produced picture reaches great heights. Grouping of large crowds, costumes of great beauty, and dance ensembles of a most original order are among other features which have been combined into a great film. The strong, dramatic story of the supporting feature, "Channel Crossing, is interpreted by a carefully selected cast, headed by Matheson Lang, as a multimillionaire financier, and Constance Cummings as his secretary. Anthony Bushell is her lover who is responsible for tragic happenings. Edmund Gwenn enjoys a feature role as a passenger—a Lancashire man of substance paying his first visit to France. REPERTORY THEATRE. Favourable comment is being heard on the Wellington Repertory Theatre Society's choice of a play for their next production, "Sixteen," and the booking is heavy. This charming play in three acts and four scenes by Aimee and Philip Stuart is to be presented in the Town Hall Concert Chamber for four performances, commencing next Wednesday, at 8 p.m. Mr. W. S. Wauchop, who is directing the production, had the privilege of seeing the play when he was in London last year, and was immediately impressed. It was then in its sixth month pt the Criterion Theatre, to wl-«f» • had been transferred from the Embassy, the capacity of the latter having been found too limited to accommodate the numbers desirous of seeing the play. Such eminent critics as Mr. St. John Irvine and Mr. James Agate gave it excellent notices, and in addition they broadcast their opinions of the play in terms of the highest praise, placing it high up amongst the plays worth seeing in London at that time. An unusually suitable and experienced cast for the Wellington presentation includes Mrs. Ina Allen, Mrs. Greville Wiggs, Mrs. Sydney Tingey, Miss Phyllis Nicholls, Miss Vivian Tait, and Messrs. T. V. Anson and E. S. Baldwin. The box plans are at the D.1.C., and i other particulars are advertised. SKATEWAYS. The management of Skateways, Vivian Street (one minute from Cuba Street), has placed skating on a very high standard, and the pastime is now a fashionable winter entertainment in Wellington. There will be a special session this evening, extending from 7.30 to 11 o'clock, at which the Manhattan Orchestra will render the latest skating numbers. The programme will include waltzing, two-stepping, etc., and- skilled instructors will assist novices. The rink is open daily from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., with extended sessions each Wednesday and Saturday until 11 p.m. Oh Monday (King's Birthday) there will be three sessions, 10 a.m. to 12, 2.30 to 4.30 p.m., and a special late session from 7.30 to 11 p.m., at which the Manhattan Orchestra will be in attendance.