PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21318, 24 January 1933, Page 7

PICTURE THEATRES

REGENT Skilled in the art of capturing the emotions of thousands, Marie Dressier, the convincing and appealing actress of ‘ Min and Bill,’ ‘ Reducing,’ ‘ Politics,’ and ‘ Let Us Be Gay,’ acts even more naturally in her latest production, ‘ Emmaj’ which is enjoying an extended season at the Regent Theatre. The sixty-two-year-old artist is at her best as an old and trusted housekeeper, who takes the part of mother to a family of children and looks after their W’elfare, without the slightest thought of herself, over a period of thirty years. The film’s main theme is the pathetic situation which arises when they eventually turn on her and accuse her of the murder of their father. Miss Dressier, however, introduces _ many touches of welcome comedy with a deftness of which onlv she is capable. Jean Hersholt acts splendidly as the father. The supporting programme maintains the standard of the chief picture and includes the latest newsreels, a cartoon, comedy, and a film, * Ireland, Melody Isle’ in which the popular singer John M'Cormack, sings several old favourite numbers. GRAND * Michael and Mary,’ the latest British success at the Grand, is a picture of emotional and material loveliness. It will appeal instantly and irresistibly to all classes of Ihu-goers who are tired of artificiality in screen drama. The direction of Mr Victor Saville is sincere and understanding in relation to the story, and resourceful and brilliant in relation to the studio. In spanning a period of twenty years he has kept his players perfectly in character and has made his plot move with speed and precision. The stars of ' Michael and Mary ’ are Miss Edna Best and her husband, Herbert Marshall. Their team work is flawless. Miss Best gives one of the finest performances ever seen in any talking picture. Mr Herbert Marshall, in voice and gesture, gives a delightful performance. The charm of his personality and the polish of his work make Mr Marshall one of the most welcome players in talking pictures. EMPIRE All the essentials of the original story are found in * On Our Selection/ winch is proving a decidedly popular attraction at the Empire. From Dad, the hardy pioneer who has built a home with his own hands, Dave, the angular eldest son, and Mum, quiet and inoffensive, to the last character of Rudd’s now classical novel, the picture is of a standard comparable with the best. The picture has lost nothing ot the savour of the original plot. Bert Bailey, as Dad, makes the old veteran live with all the force Rudd intended. Romantic elements are introduced by Dave and his Lily, Sarah and her so-prano-voiced Billy Bearup, and finally by Kate (Molly Raynor) and Sandy (Dick Fair). Into the tale of Dad’s success is woven all the variations of imaginative farm life —the mad bull in a house, kangaroos down wells, bad eggs, and draught horse racing. The story is largely filmed against an Australian background of hills, valleys, rivers, and fields of wheat that stretch as far as the eye can see. The picture is full of humour and human touches. The comedy element is strong in the picture, and there' are many scenes which will evoke loud laughter from the audience. ST. JAMES ‘ The Last Coupon,’ a rollicking comedy featuring the inimitable rubberfaced comedian Leslie Fuller, is the attraction at the St._ James. Fuller, who made such a hit in ‘ To-night’s the Night ’ as the jubilant convict, this time appears as a coal miner in the star role. An ardent football enthusiast, he spends his spare time in filling up football coupons, and is successful in forecasting one result for which a prize of £20,000 is offered. Bill (Leslie Fuller) and his pal, Geordie (Jimmy Godden) are busy training their respective boxing champions, for whom they are putting up £25 apiece, when Bill’s good fortune comes to light. The entire village repairs to the “ local,” where they regale themselves “ putting it down to Bill Carter,” but Bill’s wife succumbs to unknown fears, which are in no way allayed by her husband’s “ high-falutin’ ” talk of “ goin’ to Lunnon.” _ Her subsequent dreams prove both “ rich and strange,” but the reality is even stranger. How Bill loses the fight but wins the money, and what happens to the £20,000 and Mrs Bill’s peace of mind provide something genuinely hilarious and unique in film entertainment. An excellent supporting cast assists Fuller in the fun-making. OCTAGON A fast-moving drama of newspaper life in America is unfolded in ‘ Graft,’ one of the current Octagon attractions. The screen play, which deals with the trickery of crooked politicians, is told against a background of a seething newspaper office in a great city, and_ is one of the most intensely interesting stories of its type. The story follows the hectic movements of a cub reporter in his efforts to unearth a murder committed on the eve of an important election, and the tale moves at lightning pace. With one young man pitted against the sinister forces of the city, his exploits are fraught with danger, and his life is only saved by the quickness of his wit and his even quicker action. The cast of ‘ Graft is headed by Regis Toomey, Sue Carol, Dorothy Revier, and Boris Karloff, and also includes such popular players as Richard Tucker, William Davidson, Carmelita Geraghty, George Irving, and Harold Goodwin. In ‘ Stranger in Town a cast ot quality plavers interprets the amusing story of life in a small American town, where the action revolves around the antagonisms of two grocery _ establishments. “ Chic ” Sale provides most of the merriment, while Ann Dvorak and David Manners maintain the Jove interest. Raymond Hatton and N oah Beery are also in the cast. STRAND ‘ The Tenderfoot,’ at the Strand, is a farcical comedy of the type that has made Joe E. Brown famous, and the ridiculous plots and utterly impossible situations serve only to add to the humorous nature of the entertainment. The comedian, who has the principal part, has made merry in many roles in the course of Ins 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 Joe E. Brown, but the story niakes him blissfully unconscious of this fact, although the other characters in their respective parts realise it fully. There is comedy in practically every scene. There are in the supporting cast

a number of prominent players, including Ginger Rogers and Lew Cody* both of whom acquit themselves well; KING EDWARD The double-feature programme at the King Edward Theatre is headed by the film ‘ Gold Dust Gertie,’ in which the, leading role is taken by Winnie Lightner, who leaped into fame several years ago and has maintained her reputation as a comedy actress of parts. 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 Wontner and lan Fleming respectively. The story deals with the theft of a Rembrandt painting, which is brought into England in a chest of tea, which also contains other smuggled goods.. 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..