THE PICTURES—NEW PROGRAMMES

Evening Star, Issue 21316, 21 January 1933, Page 10

THE PICTURES—NEW PROGRAMMES

DELIGHTFUL ENTERTAINMENT 1 MICHAEL AND MARY ' The second of the British film , series to be shown at the Grand Theatre is of a type different from the recordbreaking ‘ Sunshine Susie,’ yet it has promise of exercising the same long and strong grip on public favour. It does not make laughter its keynote, but there are character gems in ‘ Michael and Mary ’ which are screams of delight. Any serious story from the pen of A. A. Milne can be relied upon to bo clean v entertaining, and thoroughly satisfying, and in these respects one of his best plays, ‘ Michael and Mary ’ is in no way lacking. The film version is equally delightful, and the wider scope of the screen has made possible a picture that is credit to all concerned. Although the film is long, and deals with successive events over the past thirty years, there are no incongruities to mar the effect.; Ladies of the period, wearing flowing dresses and - impossible hats, move with the grace associated with the times, and the whisker-tugging, bowler-hatted gentlemen with their verbose politeness are much in evidence. Scenes of rejoicing at the conclusion of the Boer War are accompanied by appropriate light music, already practically forgotten, and there are no blatant errors to destroy a carefully-created impression of living in the early years of the present century. As might be expected, the cast is excellent. The principal players actually took part in the original production on the stage, and their acting on ■ the screen makes a simple story convincing and devoid of the slightest trace of melodrama. Perhaps the finest work is that of Hubert Marshall, as Michael. His part is extremely difficult, chiefly on account of its simplicity, and the fine emotions he is called upon to portray. As the enthusiastic _ young author, . whose chivalry .carries hiin beyond toe. bounds of cold common sense, he is the essence of youthful enthusiasm, and in the later stages, as an energetic and devoted husband of early middle age, he\ fits his part equally well. Credit is also undoubtedly due to Edna Best, who is cast as 'Alary, the heroine. There is none of the hysterical emotion that a lesser actress might well have been excused for introducing into such a film, but she takes her part with a quiet grace that is in,keeping with the whole picture. The decidedly unpleasant villain of the piece is represented ably by D. A. Clafke-Smith, while Frank Lawton and Elizabeth Allan are cast as members of the younger generation upon whom there falls a grave’> responsibility. The story of an abandoned bride and her , subsequent bigamous marriage and happy life with the one person to befriend her in her misery, has been handled with admirable discretion, and the result is a picture that rings true. On account of the length of the main film, the supporting programme consists of only two pictures, both of which are British. ‘ Flat No. 9 ’ is a real comedy of errors, in which two young couples who quarrel and separate are ultimately drawn together unwittingly and much against their will. The leading parts are taken capably by Jane Baxter, Reginald Gardiner, Marjorie Brooks, and Arthur Margetson. Two mothers-in-law, a stupid house agent, and a house full ot parrots, cats, and toy dogs do not help to smooth the path of the young couples. The other picture included in the programme is an attractive scenic on Ireland. MARIE DRESSLER'S SUCCESS 1 EMMA' SEASON EXTENDED AT REGENT ‘Emma,’ Marie Dressler’s first character portrayal since ‘Alin and Bill,’ which has been retained for another week at the Regent Theatre, again proves Marie Dressier to be an actress whose ability in both the fields of comedy and tragedy is unequalled. Written by Frances Marion, author of ‘ Alin and Bill,’ which won Alarie Dressier. the academy award for the best .feminine performance of 1931, the picture presents an intimate drama of family life which rises to as stirring a climax as has been seen on the screen in some time when Aliss Dressier is placed on trial for murder. The story revolves about the marriage of a millionaire to his devoted housekeeper against the opposition of his children. When he subsequently dies, leaving all his money to this servant, she becomes the centre of a cataclysm of dramatic events, which result’ in a notorious will contest, and ends with the murder trial. As • Emma, the housekeeper, Marie Dressier has never been seen to greater advantage, giving the role all her powers of “straight” characterisation,. and also injecting the inimitable comic touches for which she is famous. Finished performances are also offered by Richard Cromwell, Jean Hersholt, Alyrna Loy, John Aliljan, and a large group of supporting players. The direction of Clarence Brown is a further asset to the production. In the tense courtroom sequence he shows the same fine’ sense of balance that marked his handling of a similar episode in ‘ A Free Soul,’ one of his outstanding achievements of the year. From the standpoint of story, cast, and direction ‘ Emma ’ rises head and shoulders above the average screen effort. but, above all, it is another distinctive triumph for Alarie Dressier. A travelogue, ‘ Ireland, the Alelody Isle,’ which is also on the programme, is described as' the finest’ thing of its kind. Glorious scenes in the ‘Land of the Green ’ are accompanied by John ADCormack’s famous voice singing old favourites. , EMPIRE'S OUTSTANDING PROGRAMME •ON OUR SELECTION' A GREAT FILM Those who have read Steele Rudd and liked him should see ‘On Our Selection,’ which opened at the Empire Theatre yesterday belore large audiences. This production, admirably staged and splendidly acted, captures the peculiar humour which is that distinctive author’s in a way seldom seen in screen adaptations of popular fiction. Nothing could be the same as Steele Rudd’s books, but this talkie is so near the mark that it doesn’t matter. If Cinesound, the Australian combination, can produce a talkie like this in its initial stages, then theatregoers will welcome more offerings from the same quarter. , I There are few people who have not been acquainted with the rough-hewn but very likeable characters drawn so j well in Steele Rudd’s stories of early outback life in Australia. In this film they are al) faithfully presented. They

are seen in their uphill struggle against droughts and slumps and crop failures, till with splendid grit they win out in the end above discomforts and disappointments. They arc shown with all their strong and" happy contempt for trouble and trial, in presenting the picture of family life, enriched by the humour, typical outback dialogue, and situation, this film reproduces admirably the peculiar and particular genius that was Steele Rudd’s. Round Dad all other characters revolve—in the books and in this film. For that reason the producers can count themselves as fortunate as the audience is that a player of the ability of Bert Bailey fills the main -role. He is thoroughly the irascible, deterxnined, and likeable old tyrant, with vigour of limb matched only by capacity for outspoken comment, that the author drew years ago. Bewhiskered and gruff, contemptuous of misfortune, hardship, loafers, and his enemies, and not afraid to show his feelings with his ready tongue, he is the Dad Rudd that all readers of these books know. Dave Rudd, lazy and uncouth, is well played by Fred Macdonald. Dave, it will be remembered, was even more than ordinarily sheepish when he fell in love. It cannot be easy to act such a part, but this player does it perfectly. Mrs Rudd, buxom and patient, standing behind Dad on principle, and sympathising with Dave and Joe and Kate and Sally because she cannot help it, is well played by Alfreda Bevan. Lilias Adeson is another who captures her part well. She is Lily White, Dave’s “girl.” She and Dave provide some of the funniest scenes of the film. There is a love story woven into the film. Kate falls in love with a young selector who is accused of committing a murder. Molly Rainer is Kate and Dick Fair is Sandy Graham, and both do well in their respective parts. Mention must be made of the staging of the film. Cinesound, on this showing, has little to learn from producing companies with twice its experience. The farm scenes, the reaping of the wheat, the droving of the cattle, and others of the same kind are excellently done, and when Dad runs for Parliament the impressionist representation of him and his opponent campaigning equals anything the enterprising technicians of older studios have shown us. The supporting programme is a very good one, and, as usual, the playing of Paul Cullen at the organ meets with the unqualified approval of the audience. His presentation of ‘ Rollicking Songs of tho Sea ’ was well received. He also rendered melodies from ‘ The Chocolate Soldier,’ and as an entr’acte ‘La Paloma.’ A Mickey the Mouse cartoon is most amusing, and the programme is completed by an Australian Newsreel and a delightful travelogue of Sydney and its surroundings— ‘ Symphony in Steel.’ The programme will be shown to-night and during next week. ONE LONG LAUGH ‘ THE LAST COUPON' AT THE ST. JAMES In the broad, honest type of humour Leslie Fuller has few peers on the screen. With every picture he adds to his reputation as a mirth-provoker, and in ‘ The Last Coupon,’ which opened at St. James Theatre yesterday, the English comedian, assisted by a strong cast, produces as many laughs as the most jovial person could desire for a merry night. The opening scene of ‘ The Last Coupon ’ is in a coal mine in the North Country, but later the picture takes us to Mayfair. The society part, however, turns out to be only a dream. Fuller plays a typical miner, who watches Soccer matches on Saturday afternoons and takes an interest in boxing of an evening. He has full opportunity for bringing out his usual delightful mannerisms and some new ones besides, and is altogether as happy a comedian as ever. Opposite him in the cast is Mary Jerrold as the miner's wife, successfully enacting a role that has its • serious aspects. The other people in the cast are all comedians of note. Bill, the miner, has studied the form of the Soccer teams so well that he correctly solves a football competition in which the prize is £20,000, and various things happen then. The people of the district, for instance, become unusually friendly. The daughter of tlie family is excited, while mother has a dream in which she sees them all in high society and Bill playing with another woman. Fortunately she wakes up before things become too bad, but she has many misgivings. In the meantime other people come on the scene. There is a cocksure boxer who gets sadly knocked about in a fight arranged in the local hostelry. Bill was his backer and second,. but what with getting tangled up with the ropes, does not look after his man as well as lie might. Another character is a neighbouring housewife, all the time popping in to see what she can borrow. There is the young doctor who is after Bill’s daughter, and is also responsible for the defeat of the cocksure boxer. These people between them keep tilings moving, Bill, however, being in the centre of the stage all the time. There is a great deal of excitement over his winning of the £20,000, and a newspaper photographer arrives. Then, when Bill and his family. and some of the neighbours are all posed, the alarming discovery is made. Bill had forgotten to send in his entry for the competition, and he might just as well have got it all wrong. ‘ The Last Coupon ’ is exceptionally bright, fare, and (due to the careful selection of the supporting short subjects) the whole programme is well balanced and diversified. An English Patlie opens the bill, and it is followed with a travelogue through the Belgian Congo and parts of Rhodesia, this being the third instalment of the unusually interesting African series booked for the St. James. British Instructional Films, which have issued so many engrossing studies of Nature in recent months, have gone this time to the broads of Norfolk to “ shoot ” the bittern in its native rushes. Both photography and description are high class. Sir Harry Lauder, fresh as ever, appears in the final _ short, in which he sings ‘ Roaming in the Gloaming ’ with all of his old-time infectiousness. Altogether the St. James programme should satisfy all classes of picture-goers. SATISFYING FARE OCTAGON'S TWO FINE PICTURES In ‘ Graft ’ and ‘ Stranger in Town,’ the Octagon Theatre, now noted for its screenings of sterling double-featured programmes, has secured for the current week’s bill a pair. of eminently satisfying productions. ‘ Graft ’ has all the action, appeal, and glamour with which an imaginative public has clothed I American journalism, but it has other 1 attributes which lift it out of the ruck of similar photoplays, and make it an j education and an entertainment of considerable merit. The other film is a] clever comedy featuring Chic Sale, one of the veterans of the talkies, around I

whom, revolves a variety of amusing small-town happenings. ' ‘ ‘ Graft ’ tries to reveal, the underhand methods practised behind the scenes in a big election campaign, and if the picture is any criterion, one begins to understand why “ rotten politics ” has become a catchword. 'A very gripping human interest is provided in a vivid drama by the fact that a junior reporter and a politician’s daughter become embroiled in a whirlpool* of wire-pulling and political murders. The picture is a series of startling episodes, and the vivid and impartial presentation of political rottenness makes its realism something of a revelation. Regis Toomey makes the story live by his playing of the role of the frank, simple-souled newspaper youth, stumb- ■’ ling and struggling in a wistful way for recognition. Unwittingly he blunders into a murder on the eve of a big election. He becomes the hinge-on which the picture depends for ‘.its moral. He is charmingly human while he uncovers the inhuman rottenness of politics that considered even murder only a means to an end. Sue Carol acts splendidly with Toomey. A candidate’s daughter, ;she is present at the murder of a rival politician, and is drawn, into ;the machinations of an unscrupulous gang.. Hers is a sympathetic- role, and .she plays it well enough to _ soften ithe iiarshness of some of this absorbing drama. In ‘ Stranger in Town,’: David 'Manners is cast as a young man who,goes out into a small town to run a grocery store, one of a strong chain of sfich establishments. He is immediately faced with uncomfortable developments when he finds ■ that the. girl to whom he is attracted is, the granddaughter of his old-established rival (Chic Sale). A series of complications and misunderstandings ensue,divers schemes being introduced by, Sale to offset the harm done to 1 his business by the new store. of her attachment to Manners, the girl, whose part is tastefully played by Ann Dvorak, is driven from the house' by her grandfather, but in the final straightening out of the. tangle everybody is reconciled and satisfied. : All through the film Chic Sale’s, work is remarkably good, while David Manners makes an impressive hero. Others in the case are Noah Beery and Raymond Hatton. The picture is an;interesting study of characters in :an out-back American town. • •THE TENDERFOOTJOE E. BROWN AT THE STRAND ■ The-Strand will enjoy a very popular season this week in presenting ‘-The Tenderfoot,’ the latest Joe E. Brown farce-comedy. This entertaining ■affain is an adaptation of the well-known! American comedy, ‘ The Butter and Egg Man,’ and is an ideal. vehicle for, the celebrated humourist. Last night’s audience was much amused by his broad comedy, and the picture was voted the best he has done. ‘ .. The broad grin and bright quips Jhati are the principal stock-in-trade > of Joe E. Brown are much in evidence in ‘‘ The Tenderfoot.’ The picture is a farcical comedy of the type that has made Broivn famous, and the ridiculous p ( lots and utterly impossible situations serve only to add to the humorous nature of the entertainment. The comedian, tvho has the principal, part, has made merry in many roles in the course of his career, but surely there was never a: less convincing cowboy than the diminutive Brown. Two large revolvers, a tall hat, and a coil of rope fail entirely to make a Texas “ bad man ” of Joa E. Brown, but the story makes him blissfully unconscious of this fact, although the other characters in their respective parts realise if fully. There is comedy in practically every scene, from the opening in which the cowboy visits New York, to take the city by storm* but is instead sold a useless musical comedy, to the conclusion, in which he appears as-a happily married man! with three almost unbelievably ugly, children. Extremely clever trick photography has given each of the triplets the decidedly homely face of, Brown' himself, and the effect is amusing in the extreme. Throughout the photography is decidedly good, surprising effects being obtained, in order to make some of the .comedian’s antics appear feasible for the sake ofy the farcical story. There are im the supporting cast a number of prominent players, including Ginger Rogers find Lew Cody* both, of' whom acquit themselves well. Miss Rogers has the role of a typisto in the employ of the producers who sell the cowboy a useless musical comedy* while Cody, as the villain of the piece* is suitably suave. An attractive variety of supports rounds off a very entertaining bill. The Fox Movietone record of the first test is particularly interesting. WINNIE LIGHTNER STAR OF KING EDWARD FEATURE Winnie Lightner plays one of he* most hilarious and colourful roles in ‘ Gold Dust Bertie,’ which opened its season at the King Edward Theatre today. The second feature on the programme is ‘ The Missing Rembrandt, ’< an absorbing story of that great. fictional character, Sherlock Holmes. The roles of the detective and his friend. Dr Watson, are taken by Arthur Wont* ner and lan Fleming respectively, th« supporting cast including Minnie Ray. nor,. Frances .L. Sullivan, Dino Galvani, and Miles Mander. The story deals with the theft of a Rembrandt painting, which is brought into England in a chest of tea, which also con. tains other smuggled goods. The painting is spirited away as Scotland Yard raids a Chinese den in the Limehouse quarters of London, passing into the possession of the “ Baron,” an art dealer and one who will resort to any moans to secure that which he is after. Scotland Yard and Holmes trace their objective through many mysterious channels, with Holmes always just, a little ahead of the Yard officials, until Holmes not only brings forth the missing Rembrandt, but nails the guilty persons. ’.