PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 20585, 10 September 1930, Page 7

PICTURE THEATRES

REGENT An engrossing plot, splendid direction, beautiful photography, and a good performance upon the part of Joan Crawford make ‘ Montana Moon, now on view at the Regent Theatre, a good hour’s entertainment. Miss Crawford, who shows herself to be more of a dramatic actress with each new vehicle, has the role of a society girl, who, tiring of the conventional boredom ot New York activities, takes a group of friends out West to visit her father s ranch in Montana. Hero she impetuously marries a cowboy, who nr the light of her recent distaste for hypo-critical-mannered Eastern gentlemen seems to her to ho the real man she has always wanted. Unusual interest centres in the fact that in ‘ Side Street,’ the other picture, the three Moore brothers —Tom, Matt, and Owen—appear co-starred for the first time in their long screen careers. The story provides an admirable characterisation for each of the three stars. It concerns a family of moderate circumstances living in New iork City. Tom is a policeman. Matt an ambulance surgeon, and Owen a racketeer, who carefully' hides from 'his family his method of livelihood. Eventually Tom is called upon to round up the gang of which Owen is the head When the latter finds he has ordered his lieutenants to take his own brother “ for a ride ” he beats Tom to the rendezvous and pays with his own life. It is one of the most gripping and sensational climaxes ever portrayed. The bill is completed with a -Mickev the Mouse cartoon, ‘ The Haunted House.’ EMPIRE The beautiful picture ‘Sarah ami Son,’ starring Ruth Chatterton, is enjoying a successful season at the Empire Theatre. In the story Sarah Storm, a lonely and poor singer, marries Jim Gray. When their baby is born Gray sees him as an obstacle to his and Sarah’s continued success as a vaudeville team. Later,when they are broke, Gray tries to get money from John Ashmore, a wealthy man. He fails. Sarah chides him for_ his laxness, and angered at her ho disappears, taking the baby with him for revenge upon Sarah. Cyril Belloc. broken-down opera singer, befriends Sarah. They build up a fairly successful vaudeville act. Four years later, while Sarah is singing in a hospital entertainment for a group of wounded marines, she discovers Gray dying. She frantically asks him to tell her about their child. He whispers “ Ashmore,” and expires of his wounds. Sarah returns, a brilliant success in opera. She is now determined to get Bobby away from the Ashmores, and her adventures make: up the most dramatic part of the film. An exceptionally entertaining programme of shorter talkies is also being presented. OCTAGON In ‘The Love Parade,’ now at the Octagon Theatre, Maurice Chevalier sings several engaging songs, xeaturihg ‘My Lovo Parade, ‘ Anything to Please the Queen,’ * Nobody’s Using it Now,’ ‘Paris, Stay the Same.’ Ana to make matters complete he spends considerable time flattering, flirting, and finally falling in love with Jeanette Macdonald, his beautiful leading lady, who is ideally, cast as the Queen of Sylvania. And the Queen, rightly enough, finds it impossible to resist the dashing Count Alfred, whose amorous adventures are the gossip of the kingdom. The Queen, for these things even happen to Queens, is smitten with the dashing, reckless Alfred, and he, man of the world, succumbs to tho charm of the beautiful Queen. Their courtship is a merry one, abounding in subtle comedy, ardent lovemaking, -and , delightful singing. And like all royal marriages, they live happily ever afterwards. That is, with certain reservations which the impetuous Alfred hum- • orously insists on. All in all, it is a fascinating comedy of the most delightful pattern, in which Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette Macdonald, and Lupino Lane revel as gaily as it is possible to imagine. ‘MURDER ON THE ROOF.’ For those audiences that like the mystery and suspense of crime stories—and their numbers are very large—- ‘ Murder on the Roof,’ which will be Friday’s attraction at tho Octagon Theatre, is an entertaining picture with an exciting climax. It deals with a murder and diamond theft in a fashionable night club, for which Sommers, tho proprietor’s lawyer, is sentenced to death. His daughter Molly, convinced it was a frame-up, determines to solve the mystery, and as a dancer at the club fascinates the proprietor, Carozzo, until he gives her the diamond. But her identity is betrayed by an ousted rival, and the police arrive to find Carozzo shot dead, apparently by Molly. The real murderer is eventually disclosed by a reporter who had feigned dumbness to get into tbe premises. No attempt is made by any of the actors to tear at the emotions, and tho whole action- goes forward at an agreeable rate. Dorothy 'Revier as Molly, Raymond Hatton as a journalist, and Paul Porcassi as the evil genius of tho night club acquit themselves well in a slick and suitable way. ‘ The Dummy,’ a Paramount attraction, will also be shown. ‘The Dummy ’ is a sparkling combination of comedy and melodrama, replete with clean humour and tense, thrilling action. The picture has an imposing cast of players, all of_ whom have won renown on the legitimate stage or before the moving camera. Ruth Chatterton is the featured player, and she carries her part in a manner befitting her position as one of the best-known actresses on the legitimate stage. A special added attraction on the programme will be a Fox Movietone record of the first cricket test match, England v. Australia. PRINCESS Only in the all-talking version of ‘The Green Goddess,’ starring George Arliss, which is now at the Princess Theatre, is the complete story of . that popular stage and silent screen success told. Neither the stage nor the silent screen was able to utilise all the material available in tho spectacular melodrama. No better example can be found of the ability of the screen to make up for tho limited scope of the stage and of the ability of the Vitaphone to complete the illusion of the screen than ‘The Green Goddess.’ On the stage, the exteriors w«r« impossible. The story of the wreck of the aeroplane in the wildest stretches of unknown Tibet, had to bo described , and never shown. Tho same was true of a spectacular rescue which had to be made off stage. In the silent version of the screen Slay, most of the subtle deviltry of the lajah, played by Arliss, and all of the delightful qualities of that famous voice, were lost. The lines of the show are clever and telling in tho development of the plot and characterisation. Now in the Vitaphone production, utilising the wider range of screen technique and at the same time keeping intact the lines and the quality of the voices of Arliss, H. B. Warner, Alice Joyce, Ralph Forbes, and others,

‘The Green Goddess’ is complete for the first time. Vitaphone varieties of an interesting and entertaining nature are also shown. ROXY ‘Devil May Care,' which stars Ramon Novarro, will be screened at the Roxy Theatre for only two more days. The story of the film has many exciting moments, and features Novarro at his best. ‘ THE VIRGINIAN.’ ‘ The AGrginiau,’ which will be shown on Friday at the Roxy Theatre, has tho distinction of being the first “talkie’’ to be filmed and recorded entirely out of doors. Notable members of tho cast include Gary Cooper, Richard Arlen, Mary Brian, Eugene Pallette, Chester Conklin, and AValter Huston. On Saturday, at 2.15 p.m., the management has arranged to present a series of attractive short films, including three two-reel comedy gazettes and other pictures more suitable for children. In conjunction with these items will bo a screening of ‘ The Virginian.’ As Western pictures are always popular with the young, this treat should be much appreciated by those who attend on Saturday afternoon. STRAND Alice White, the peppy little First National star, plays a shopgirl for the first time in her screen career in * The Girl From Woolworth’s,' now at the Strand Theatre. Miss White is seen as a clerk in the music department of a ten-cent store in this sparkling story of modern youth. Later in the story she becomes a night club entertainer. Charles Delaney, tho young Irish-Arae-rican actor who played opposite Miss White in ‘ Show Girl ’ and ‘ Broadway Babies,’ is again her leading man in ‘The Girl From Woolworth’s.’ A splendid cast of youngsters is seen in support of the star in this picture. FINE DRAMA COMING. ‘ Her Unborn Child ’ will be screened for the first time at the Strand Theatre on Friday. The picture, which has caused a great deal of interest in other centres, deals with the tragedy that can occur when young people are not properly guided fay the older generation. The cast is largely composed of young artists from the Broadway stage. PLAZA The current programme at the Plaza Theatre offers two films of unusual merit. In ‘Betrayal,’ Emil Jannings heads a cast including Gary Cooper and Esther Ralston. _ ‘ Honeymoon Hate ’ stars Florence Vidor. KING EDWARD Priscilla Dean and Arnold Gray are seen in a pleasing comcdy-druma, entitle ‘ West of Broadway,’ which commenced a brief season at the King Edward Theatre last evening. Tho supporting film, which is also good entertainment, is ‘The Little Adventuress,’ in which Victor Varconi and Phyllis Haver are starred.