PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 19549, 6 May 1927, Page 2

PICTURE THEATRES

— EMPIRE “Historically correct in every detail.” Such was the opinion of a retired Army officer on the great General Custer massacre scene in ‘ The Flaming Frontier.’ The ground over which the battle was refought for the screen was an exact duplicate of the spot where Custer aud his command died. As shown on the screen the scene is a most impressive one. The unsuspecting Custer and his men come through the barren hills into the trap set by the Indians under the crafty Sitting Bull. The cast of this great picture includes some of the best-known screen stars. Hoot Gibson plays the role of an army scout, befriended by General. Custer. Dustin Fnrnum came out of his retirement to impersonate this famous soldier. Ward Crane is the “ heavy ” and Anne Cornwall the heroine., Kathleen Key impersonates a .“vamp,” while Eddie Gribbon and Harry Todd take care of the comedy. The cast also includes George Fawcett, Harold Goodwin, Charles K. French, Noble Johnson, Walter Rodgers, Joe Bonomo, and Ed. Wilson.

A brief outline of the story of ‘The Flaming Frontier,’ which opened today at the Empire Theatre, is as follows:—In 187 C the tide of civilisation is steadily pushing westward. The Indians are growing restless and jealous of the advancing whites. On the plains, settlers and soldiers are • blazing the wav, while in Washington politicians and profiteers are selling, whisky and arms to the redskins. Bob Langdon, pony express rider, army scout, and friend of General Custer, through Senator Stanwood, gets an ; appointment to West Point. There ho meets Lawrence Stanwood and the latter’s sister, Betty. It is a case. of love at. first sight. General Grant is President. General Custer is seeking to bring peace in the West, but this clashes with the interests of the profiteers, and they try to disgrace Custer before Grant. Custer is aided .hy Senator Stanwood, In order to get Stanwood,. the plotters involve his son with Lucretia Belden, at West Point. There is a scandal, and to shield, the Senator Langdon takes the blame and is expelled. He returns to Custer’s command. : The Indians, aided by .the renegade whites, unite under Chief Sitting Bull for an attack on the whites. Custer, misled as to their numbers, attacks on the Little Big Horn. He has 400 men; the Indians number thousands. . Custer sends Langdon through the Indians with a message ordering Major Reno to come to the rescue. Reno fails, and Custer and his command are slaughtered. The profiteers are gleeful. What finally happens comes, as a startling climax to this groat picture. Under the direction of Mr Charles Parnell the Empire Orchestra will he heard in another programme of choice music. The overture will he Rossini’s ‘ Semiramide.’ OCTAGON To-night Gloria Swanson is to ho seen at the Octagon Theatre in. her latest success, ‘ Fine Maimers.’ With Eugene O’Brien, she makes the picture live in the eyes of those who see it. The story is interpreted in a manner that leaves no doubts in the minds of the spectator of the capabilities of the players. The story tells of Orchid Murphy, who livej iu a cheap hoardinghouse in New York, together with her brother Buddy, who takes great care to see that she does not fall into the hands of a rich man, as he has the impression that all rich men are looking for poor girls to make them their playthings. Orchid meets Brian Aldcn, a scion of a wealthy house. The girl is afraid that her brother will do something desperate, so she arranges that her brother and Brian will meet at a dance, Brian being known as a waiter for the occasion. Brian tells his aunt of his love for Orchid, as he is going away for a time. His aunt suggests that Orchid should be trained in the ways of modern society. In the meantime, Buddy, Orchid’s brother, finds out who Brian really is. When Brian suggests to Orchid that she should live with his aunt in order to undergo her training, she accepts his offer and goes from her brother’s boarding-house without leaving any address behind her. In six months’ time Orchid is the perfect society lady, but' her transformation has made a world of difference to her iu nature as well as in manner. Except for an occasional outburst against the conventions of society and a thought for her brother once in a while, she seems to have completely forgotten tho life that she has left behind her. When Brian returns ho is astounded at the difference in her, and ho complains to his aunt. Overhearing the conversation, Orchid thinks that her lover has cooled and does not want her. When she goes to her room she is astounded to see her brother there. Ho has seen her photograph in a society journal, and has come to see. if Brian is goilig to marry her. Brian enters the room and Buddy heats a hasty retreat behind the curtains. Brian is astounded when Orchid forces him to promise to marry her in order to satisfy her brother. As soon as the latter goes, she turns on her fiancee and speaks'to him of his cooling in affection. Seeing that beneath, the veneer of society tho old high-spirited girl is still there, Brian tells her of his love for her and all ends happily. QUEEN'S The magnificent Continental picture ‘Variety,’ which has been screened tor the past week at the Empire Theatre, will he transferred to the Queen s Theatre to-night. With the famous Berlin Wintergarten aud a country carnival as the background, the picture deals with the lives of a troupe of throe trapqzo artists, “ Boss,” - Bertha, and Artinelli. Boss and Bertha are married and performing at a carnival, when Artinelli, who has lost his partner in an accident, invites them to join his act at the Wintergarten. All goes well, and they become the rage of the city, when discovers that Artinolli is going behind his back and winning his wife from him. He is consumed by a blind hate, and decides to let his partner hurtic to his death from the trapeze high above ‘he audience. When tho thjie comes, however, he cannot carry out his decision, and finishes the act. On bis return homo ho waits for Artinelli, and a hand-to-hand fight ensues, in which the latter is killed Boss then hails a taxi aud gives himself up to the police. The part of Boss is taken by Emd Tannings. Lya do Putti is seen as Bertha, while Warwick Ward has the part of Artinelli. EVERYBODY’S AND KING EDWARD ‘ Ladies at Play ’ is being featured at Everybody’s and King Edward Theatres this week. Doris Kenyon and Richard Cortez are the featured players, and the story deals with the inheritance by the heroine of six million dollars, with the proviso that she marry a man who meets with the approval of her two spinster aunts. Inasmuch as the latter wore expecting to share the fortune themselves, they determine to make the heroine’s task of finding such a man a hard one. To solve tho situation the heioine deliberately compromises herself with a man who unwillingly becomes her accomplice. The aunts, however, do not insist that she marry the man; they think such conduct should be punish;®! by disinheritance. Finally, however, she wins the man of her choice On the same programme is 'The Cat’s t Pyjamas,’ featuring Betty Bronson in the story of the love of a seamstress for an opera star.

PLAZA AND GRAND For a Warner Bros.’ production of ‘ The Night Cry, starring R.in-Tin-Tin and featuring June Marlowe and John Harrow, has a fierce life-and-death struggle between the dog star and a Californian condor. As it is a bird of prey, living on small mammals. which it carries to the caves where it nests, it is voracious and bold. Very few dogs are found with sufficient hardihood to attack this great form, which swoops down on its victims with a weird, uncanny cry, and does not hesitate to do battle with tho largest that may interfere with it. Hence the title of ‘ The Night Cry ’ for the picture, which is the chief attraction at the Plaza and Grand Theatres. Included in the cast _ are Gayne Whitman, Heinie Conklin, Don Alvarado, and Mary Louise Miller. The second attraction features n former Follies’ beauty, who has won remarkable success in films in the last year. She is Jane Winton. and she enhances the cast of ‘ Perch of the Devil,’ which is a Universal-Jewel! production. The cast is an excellent one, and includes Pat O’Malley, Theodore Von Eltz, Jane Winton, Mario Carrillo, and Lincoln Steadman

The first of the winter matinees at the Roslyn Theatre is announced for to-morrow, at 2.30, and thereafter every Saturday throughout the winter.