PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21621, 17 January 1934, Page 8

PICTURE THEATRES

(MU •Efniting and highly amusing incidents abound in ‘ Sleeping Car,’ the current attraction at the Grand. The story tolls of the adventures or a sleepingcar attendant on a Continental express train, Gaston, a care-free young frenchman who had a girl friend at every stop. While in Vienna he makes the acquaintance of a wealthy English[woman, a resident of Pans, an<jl in hex nresence he poses as a gentleman or leisure,” but the pretence comes to an abrupt end when, a little later, the Englishwoman is a passenger in the sleeping-car of which Gaston is m charge. Although she resents the advances of Gaston. Anne, the lady, in question, secretly falls in love with him, but considers marriage to be impossible. The position assumes a new aspect, however, when Anne is ordered to leave France within fourteen days, following upon a series of court actions arising out of her disregard tor Parisian traffic, regulations and police authority. In order that _ she may. remain in France she conceives the idea of changing her nationality by . marrying a frenchman, and accordingly a “ marriage of convenience ” is; arranged between Anne and Gaston. There follows a number of delightfully ludicrous episodes before the story is brought to a satisfactory conclusion, the marriage of convenience ” becoming a true romance. As the imperturable Gaston, Ivor Novello is seen at his best, while Madeleine "Carroll makes a charming and vivacious heroine. Laddm Ult and Stanley Holloway appear as two ir- . responsible train stewards. Other roles are enacted by competent players. EMPIRE Those picturegocrs, who saw ‘Red Dust ’ may know what to expect from the combination of Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. Gable, in ‘ Hold Your Man,’ at the Empire, is seen as a conceited young man who uses his wits to inake a living. He is not,, however, a “hie shot” of the criminal profes. sion—he reckons 20 dollars as a good day’s takings. Jean Harlow the girl with the platinum hair and the reputation of making some of the most torrid love scenes in Hollywood, also lives by her wits; but she is not so “ tough ” as the man. and soon she i» so much in. love with him that he can pretty well twist her round his little finger. Her association with the man sends the girl to a reformatory, while he escapes and leaves her to taste the bitterness of despair and .lonelinessWhen the man realises the girls plight he has a change of heart, risking capture to go to her. There, is tense excitement as. the police net closes round him, but he manages to marry the girl. Then both of them serve put their prison sentences, to be happily reunited in the last scene with the determination to il so straight *’ for the of then ■ son, • - V ; . - STRAND All that modern mechanical resources and flying ingenuity can devise m the way of new and more spectaculai thrills are provided in ‘ Flying Devils, now at the Strand. The aerial daredevils engaged in the film fly fipside down, make double drops in • one parachute, crash head-on in mid-air, do inside loops, drop in tailspins, and. nose dive to a ground crash. The picture captures the lives of these intrepid barnstormers and builds around a dramatic tale of. their, nonchalant romancing. Eric hmden, 'Arline Judge. Bruce Cabot, Ralph Bellamy, and Cliff Edwards take the principal roles. KING EDWARD ‘ The Kid from Spain,’ featuring the ever-popular Eddie Cantor, will be shown at the King Edward Theatre today. It is Samuel Goldwyn’s annual presentation 'of the Cantor song-and-dance, following 4 Palmy Days ‘Whoopee.’ In ‘The Kid from Spain ’ Cantor marches out, neither bravely nor willingly, to show his; skill and grace as a matador. Escape from the police who are pusuing him, protection from the Mexican thugs about to “ put him on the spot,” the adoring eyes of the elongated blande sex. menace, and solving his room-mate’s difficult love affairs are all among the reasons that throw Cantor into.. the arena in the thrilling colourful climax to the story. Against a magnificent background of lavish scenery and delightful music the humour of the production is particularly attractive. ST. JAMES In ‘ Summer Lightning,’ the delightful film at the St. James, Winifred Shotterihas the part of Millicent, for whose sake Hugo Carmody (played by Ralph Lynn) starts up a pig-stealing escapade which leads to all the fun. Dorothy Bouchier plays the part of the chorus’girl; Sue Brown. The part of Baxter is given significance by the great acting ability of Esme Percy. Pillbream. a private detective, is played by Gordon James, .who for the last eleven years has played character parts in the entire series of Aldwych Theatre (London) farces. Two members of the English aristocracy—Lord Emsworth and his sister, Lady Constance—are played' by Horace Hodges and Helen Ferrers, who between them have enjoyed exactly 100 years’ experience on the English stage. No, reference to the cast of ‘ Summer Lightning ’ would be complete, however, without mention of the twenty-stone Sarah, who. appears as Empress, the prize pig, which is Lord Emsworth’s proudest possession, and whose theft by Ralph Lynn is the mainspring of the plot. , , RECENT ‘ When Ladies Meet,’ at the Regent, is easily among the smartest and most entertaining features the screen has enjoyed for many months. In it the performances add a zest to the brittle dialogue and hilarious situations on which the unique plot relies. Ann Harding, as the understanding, modern wife of a philandering husband, gives a portrayal at once reminiscent of her ‘ Holiday.’ Robert Montgomery is his usual adequate self as the young newspaperman who handles his romantic troubles .as he would a front-page story. His flair for clever, lines is deftly, appeased by the crackling dialogue given him. Myrna Loy is grand in the part of the girl novelist who tries to live the life iof her own heroine. Alice Brady makes her return to the screen as Bridget, the flighty week-end hostess of the tangled gathering. Miss Brady runs away with honours in the scenes she is in. Frank Morgan plays the part ot Miss Harding’s husband, and gives another matchless performance. Martin Burton and Luis Alberni complete the splendid cast. OCTAGON ‘ The Man Outside,’ the chief film on an excellent bill of fare at the Octagon, is a first rate British .uystery drama, to which the capable star, Henry Kendall, adds .a piquant spicing of comedy. He plays the part of that popular character in contemporary detective fiction—the amateur detective who hides his activities j behind a barrage of ‘‘ wise cracks ” sand the exterior of rather inane amiability. This flipJiant role suits the suave, happy-go-ucky Kendall admirably. It is not a

one-man picture, however, for John Turnbull, as that routine ridden limb of the law Inspector Jukes, Cyril Raymond, Louis Heywood, and Gillian Lind all play their important parts more than adequately. A stirring story of the West is brought to the;screen in ‘Son of the Border.’ Torn 1 Keene, in the name part, gives a dashing-performance,