'TO-NIGHT AT TWELVE’

Evening Star, Issue 20472, 1 May 1930, Page 9

'TO-NIGHT AT TWELVE’

TALKIES AKO ORGAN AT EMPIRE The height of amusing entertainment in talking motion pictures, dealing with the tangled lives of husbands and wives, ‘ To-night At Twelve,’ Universal’s sensational dialogue screen adaptation of Owen Davis’s play, will open to-rnorrow at the Empire Theatre. Davis’s play took Broadway’s breath away, and the picture is said to have even more gasps and shocks than the stage presentation, without crossing the border-lino of common decency. What shocks and thrills in ‘To-night At Twelve’ is tho daring treatment of what every husband and wife knows—that a spark of jealousy will explode an upheaval of violent elementary emotions. A wife finds a note written by her husband. She accuses one of three women—all married and all good friends—of being her husband’s sweetheart. That starts it, and in tho confusion that follows the unexpected happens. ‘ To-night At Twelve ’ has an all-star cast worthy of that designation, headed by tho petite and delightful Madge Bellamy and the suave Robert Ellis. Some of the others aro the flirtatious Margaret Livingston, the outspoken Vera Reynolds,' and tho sedate Norman Trevor. An excellent supporting programme of singing and talking featurettes has been chosen to accompany the big picture, and Joseph Wayne has selected an excellent musical programme, included in which will be his first community singing accompaniment. Mr Leslie V. Harvey endeavoured to introduce community singing at the Empire, but it was not altogether a success. .Some evenings tho audience would enter heart and soul into the singing, but other nights it was hard to hear a voice above the organ. It is to ho Ivoped patrons will lend all support possible when Mr Wayne revives community singing, and thus derive more pleasure from the entertainment, and also give Mr Wayne a good impression of his Dunedin audience.