PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 20958, 24 November 1931, Page 9

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE Th© star of ‘ Never the Twain Shall Meet,’ at the Empire Theatre, is Conchita Montenegro, Spanish actress and dancer. She is a girl of tremendous sparkle, and eminently suited to tno role she plays. . . , . The central theme is a violent struggle between infatuation and lo\e. The love is centred on a_ beautmn society girl, while a vivacious little island siren gives rise to the infatuation. The result is that a man loses his senses and leaves his love and follows the South Sea maiden to her island home. Then it is proved that east is east and west is west, and a disillusioned man breaks from the island life just in time. Leslie Howard takes the male lead. Next in the cast is Clyde Cook, taking the part of the drink-sodden beachcomber, who is pathetic but nevertheless humorous, and possessing an accent most decidedly Cockney. C. Aubrey Smith is featured for a while, while Karen Morley is an attractive actress who has the role of the girl who is forsaken. , , 'PARDON -US.’ Patrons of the Empire Theatre will see on Friday the first full-length production of Laurel and Hard}', tor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. These two famous comedians hit new heights or hilarity in this production, ‘ Pardon Us.’ They aro would-be bootleggers and liquor manufacturers who try to sell their first bottle to a policeman —who in turn sells them to the prison officials. Her© they do everything but cat the governor’s breakfast, including accidentally alienating the chief warder, the governor, and a gangster bully, “Tiger.” Then they assist m a “break” from gaol. They escape and pose as negro cotton pickers. How they are eventually caugnt and not again, finally to be given free pardons for saving officials’ lives, will cause many a laugh. James Parrott, who directed many of Laurel and Hardy s famous two-reel comedies, was again at the helm of ‘Pardon Us,’ and the cast includes Juno Marlowe, Wilfred Lucas, James Einlayson, Walter Long, and Stanley J. Sanford. HEGENT * Kiki,’ at the Regent Theatre, stars “the world’s sweetheart,” Mary Pickford. in one of those hoydenish roles that in tho silent film days so endeared this brilliant actress to every member of the _ picture-going public. Released by United Artists, ‘ Kiki gives Miss Pickford every opportunity of showing how great an artist she really is. She is a creature of moods —mostly tempestuous. One moment she is coy, appealing, and wistful, and the next moment she is a positive young spitfire. Never for a moment tloes she overact, and throughout this hilarious comedy of the tempestuous love of a chorus girl she holds the interest and sympathy of every member of the audience. Reginald Denny and Joseph Cawthorn have splendid parts in tho film. The supporting bill is of especial interest and entertainment. BRITISH- THRILLER COMING. ‘ The Sleeping Cardinal,’ the great Sherlock Holmes mystery drama, now a British Dominions’ talkie, owes much of its success to the brilliantly imaginative direction of Leslie S. Hiscott. It starts with a great story and has obviously had tremendous care lavished upon it. : Mr Hiscott has. endeavoured to 'shojv on the screen all the, niystery and terrors of a gang of forgers and murderers led by an unscrupulous “big gun.” The settings and superb acting of every member of the cast make This subject a really creditable achievement. Nothing finer in the way of acting has ever been seen in any picture than Arthur Wontner’s Sherlock Holmes. lan Fleming as Holmes’s constant companion, Dr Watson, portrays the role with easy grace, ana, indeed, rarely before have such a brilliant pair of actors been seen on the talking picture screen. All of Conan Doyle’s beloved hook people, including Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, Mrs Hudson, his motherly housekeeper, and numerous others arc gathered together in this brilliant B.D.F. film, which commences at the Regent Theatre next Friday. OCTAGON Really good acting, excellent photography, and an unusual plot combine to make the picture, ‘ White Shoulders,’ now showing at the Octagon, a very acceptable piece of entertainment. With Jack Holt as the “ twenty millionaire ” who returns to the gay city to enjoy the life that he craved but could not have in the days of his youth, anil with Mary Astor as tho hungry working girl who gate-crashed into his “ house-warming ” party/.olcly in order to get a free meal, the film makes an excellent treatment of a very unusual iubject. The.pair get married, but the with soon tires of Tier husband’s blind devotion and love-making, and after their first “ tiff ” leaves him for a new lover. The woman’s “ first ” husband suddenly comes into tho story, and a dramatic climax is worked up, where the lover maddened by rage, shoots the first husband, who it appears was tho finest “ hand ” at safc-cracking in the States. On the same programme j- ‘ City Streets,’ with Gary Cooper, Sylvia Sydney, Paul Lukat, William Boyd, and Wynne Gibson in tho leading roles. ‘TRANSGRESSION.’ ‘ Transgression,’ opening on Friday at the Octagon Theatre, is a vivid film of contrasts. From the quiet, pleasing panorama of an English countryside, the picture moves swiftly to the night life of Paris, with its kaleidoscopic parade of women flirting with the danger of pleasure, and thence to a romantic setting of the Dons in tho wikis of Spain. Directed by Herbert Brenon, ‘ Transgression ’ boasts a splendid cast, with Kay Francis, Ricardo Cortez, Paul Cavanagh, Nance O’Neill, John St. Polis, and Cissy Fitzgerald portraying the leading roles. STRAND The attraction at tho Strand Theatre now is ‘ A Holy Terror.’ Tho athletic George O’Brien has tho most important part, that of Woodbury, and Sally Filers, who is well known as an accomplished actress in_ this class of picture, enacts tho heroine very satisIV.rtorm*. There is a good supporting cast. Tho story commences with the arrival in, Wyoming of young Woodbury, who is endeavouring to solve the mystery surrounding tho death of his father, Woodbury registers at the hotel as Tony Bard, but his real identity is discovered by Kitty Carroll, who tells Bogart, ranch foreman lor William Drc-vv Tony openly declares that ho is looking for Drew. A trap is laid, and Tony is taken prisoner, hut ho escapes, and makes for Drew’s ranch. There is a fight, in which Drew is shot, and them crlnes the denouement, which is cxfciemely unusual. There is also a first-class list of supports. The box plans arc at the theatre and Th© Bris-

BAFFLING MYSTERY, A large cast of prominent players is seen in tho featured roles of ‘ Costello Case,’ which will commence at the Strand Theatre on Friday. Tom Moore, cast as a shrewd, genial policeman, is the prime mover in the solution of a baffling murder mystery around which tho plot revolves. Lola Lano appears in tho role of Mollio, an innocent victim of police suspicion, and proves her artistry in dramatic parts. Playing opposite her is Russell Harclie, who makes an effective portrayal as Jimmy, suspected as the perpetrator of a baffling crime. Others in the cast, arc Wheeler Oakman, as Mile-Away-Harry; Roscoo Karns as a reporter, and William Davidson as Police Captaip Saunders. ST. JAMES Seeing ‘ Trader Horn,’ which is drawing full houses at the St. Janies Theatre, makes us wonder how some of the shots could possibly have been secured. The mysteries of the African jungle are laid before our eyes, animals in their wildest state, and natives primitive and barbaric. Hippopotami in the river, rising to tho surface with a splash and a snort; huge and fearsome crocodiles scuttling down the bank into the water when disturbed: a battle royal between leopards and hyenas, and a fierce domestic squabble between four lions over a kill; rhinoceroses charging; elephants roaming at will—all these things are of tremendous interest, and their filming a triumph for the cameraman. But it must ho emphasised that ‘ Trader Horn ’ is far more than a mere record of animal life, however entertaining that might be alone. It is a drama faithfully based on one of tho books written by Trader Aloysms Horn a few years ago, and edited by Ethelreda Lewis, who discovered the gold in an old mine before it was too late. He has put on record strange and wonderful experiences of life in Africa when a great part of the Continent was still unexplored. His books waited to be put on the screen, for they have most of the ingredients of a film story; Trader Horn undoubtedly ■wrote with an eye on picture producers. , For a while tho talkie presents ns with a succession of scenes such as might be seen in Africa any day, and then we realise that there is a story to be told also, and follow with breathless interest the perilous journeyings of two white men and their black servant, out to rescue a white girl who is the goddess of a savage tribe. KING EDWARD Lawrence Tibbetts, who has ono of the finest voices on tho screen, is starred with Grace Moore, who created such a. sensation as Jenny Lind in ‘A Lady’s Morals ’ in ‘ Tho New Moon,’ which is the principal picture at the King Edward Theatre this week. Nor is it only in respect of their glorious singing that these two aro worthy of special comment. Both possess a sense of the stage seldom acquired by artists so eminently successful in their own particular lino, and the decorative manner hi which they interpret the important role which they have in the film cannot fail to arouse general admiration. Lawrence Tibbetts has the part of Lieutenant Michael _ Strogoff, and his delineation of this picturesque and attractive character is almost flawless. Grace Moore, in the no loss prominent rolo of the Princess Tanya Strogoff, acquits herself with equal distinction, giving a charming yet vigorously life-like study of perhaps the most interesting character in tho story. There is a good list of supporting pictures.