PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 19408, 17 November 1926, Page 3

PICTURE THEATRES

OCTAGON In ‘Bright Lights 1 a disillusioned chorus gin finds in a simple country boy the romance her life had lacked. The girl in the picture, which is at the Octagon Theatre, is Pauline Starke, and sho gives a fine performance of the character, perhaps her best to date. The old-established rule that comedy is the best training for drama has been reversed by Miss Starke. All her life an emotional actress, sho scores a distinct success in her first lighter role. Charles Ray plays opposite the star, and his comedy scenes are easily _ the best he has been seen in. ‘Bright Lights ’ holds a subtle moral that is never allowed to become too evident, with the result that there is no_ impairing of the entertaining qualities. The picture is invested with clean humor, romantic incidents, and dramatic situations leading to an unusual climax. A number of other films, support' ‘ Bright Lights’ and the- Octagon Orchestra, under Mr L. D. Austin, plays the usual fine musical programme. EMPIRE The attendances at the Empire Theatre this week, show no signs of dcI creasing. The reason for this is that ‘ Old Clothes,’ the successor to ‘ The Rag Man,’ which was shown hero some little time ago, is the feature picture. Those who saw * The Rag Man ’ will remember the quaint partners, Kelly and Ginsberg, who traded in junk and eventually _ won a fortune. ‘ Old Clothes ’ brings this lovable pair back to the screen, and the story commences where it ended in ‘ The Rag Man.’ Kelly and Ginsberg unfortunately lose their fortune, and are once more trading on the East Side in old junk. They adopt (unofficially) a young girl, a stranger to New York, and the story tells how they successfully find her a husband, and regain their lost money. Jackie Caogan is again Kelly, and Jinx Davidson has the part of Ginsberg. Supporting them axe Alan Forrest, Joan Crawford, and James Mason. Chosen items are screened in support, and the musical programme is a, speci-ally-selected one, EVERYBODY'S * The Song and Dance Man ’ is the current headliner at Everybody’s Theatre.- The story deals with a vaudeville actor who loses his partner as a result of the war. Unable to obtain work of any description, he decides to try robbery. His intended victim captures him, however, and tells him that if he can make a satisfactory explanation he will bo freed. Ho tells his story, but is arrested, as' his captor realises this is the best way of keeping him from killing himself. Later he is given the chance of going into the West to make good. He goes and is successful. Also showing is ‘Rouged Lips,’ a sparkling story of the stage, which shows how a young girl rose to fame in the glare of the footlights .of Broadway*

QUEEN'S In ‘ The Arizona Sweepstake,z’ at tho Queen’s Theatre, Hoot Gibson has the role of “ Coot ” Cnddigan, a Western cowboy who finds himself involved in I the gang warfare of a great city. Ho ' is wrongly accused of murder, and hid- • den by a friend. While the police are ; searching for him lie remembers that ho 1 must be homo in time lo ride tho horse > of his fiancee’s father in tho big race of . the year. The girl’s father has staked s his afl on. the race,'and the most dani gCrons rival is a wealthy villain from ; the East, who is threatening to fore- • close on the ranch. Coot eludes tho . police and returns to the ranch in time , to take part in the race. The race it- ; self is the biggest scene in the picture, ; and forms a realistic finale to the story. : PLAZA AND GRAND ’ Blanche Sweet and Jack Mulhall are tho featured players in ‘ The Far Cry ’ j at tho Plaza and Grand Theatres this week. The story deals with Claire . Marsh, an American girl who is-living ' with her mother in Paris, and has gra- ' dually drifted away from , the conven- ’ tiomil code of her country. Finding that marriage interferes with her freedom, sho divorces her French husband. Later Dick Clayton falls in love with her, and takes her to Florence. There . they meet . Count Rturnni, who makes . love to. Claire. Dick flies into a rage, and Claire ’s'turns to Paris, inviting the > count to follow her. When he arrives . the girl discovers that she loves Dick, and after a painful scene returns to 1 him. On the same programme'are ‘A - Modern Scandal ’ and' ‘ Motor Trouble.' [ - KING EDWARD ‘Old Clothes,’ showing at the King Edward Theatre, is a picture of the furi ther adventures of Kelly and Ginsberg, the junk dealers of ‘The Rag Man.’ Those who saw ‘ The Rag Man ’ will never forget the partners, and those ■ who did not see the picture will welcome this oportunity of seeing its successor. Jackie Coogan and Jinx Davidson are once more in their old roles, those of Tim Kelly and Max Ginsberg. _ They supply many new humorous episodes, and go through many adventures before regaining a lost fortune. RO3LYN THEATRE ‘ Through the Dark ’ will be the attraction at the Roslyn Theatre to-night, Colleen Moore is the featured player, and sho is supported by an exceptional cast. The film is replete with action and dramatic thrills, and moves swiftly from the interior of the famous San Quentin Prison through the haunts anj diYes ..of:. 'Frisco's Chinatown. How Boston ” Blackie, after making a realistic escape from prison, is led to give up the lire of crime that has made his name famous throughout crookdom furnishes a-succession af _ melodramatic thrills that keeps the audience in a fever of excitement during tho whole" story.