PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21623, 19 January 1934, Page 14

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE The power of creating and sustaining laughter through a whole story is a rare achievement for a film production, but in the case of ‘ Mama Loves Papa,’ which opened at the Empire Theatre to-day, there is no one who can resist the happy mood of the story or fail to laugh unreservedly at the naive acting of Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland. With phrases that are sometimes humorous and sometimes sad, the play is carried on a current of the best type of comedy—not tbe kind that depends on continuous knock-about scenes, but the sort of engaging and clever fun that is instantly and accepted by an audience. Charlie Ruggles uses his most infectious chuckle at the right moments to accentuate the laughs that greet the trend of the story, and the pleasing personality of Mary Boland i.> a factor in making the homely atmosphere all the more real. When a clerk in the office of a furniture company, who possesses an innate sense of humour and an adoration for his wife, is suddenly dismissed and engaged as parks commissioner within twenty-four hours, the unexpectedness of fate sends him into the realms of bewildered muddlement. But everything he does seems to be for the best, although it might not appear so at the time, and his wife is the proudest- woman when he accepts an invitation to a social week-end house party. This turns out to be a rollicking show, at least for the newly-appointed parks commissioner and the wife of his host, and time after time the words of the players were lost before the laughter of the audience had died down. On the very day that his job as parks commissioner ceases his employer in the furniture company makes arrangements to take him back, and so the happy circle of events is completed. In the supporting programme the interesting recent happenings of world-wide interest are recorded. GRAND The stage and its people have many superstitious and famous sayings—some true, some not so true. Among them will be found an oft-repeated phrase among show folk. “A good trooper is never too old!”—and the Gainsborough picture, ‘ Soldiers of the King,’ which was shown at the Grand Theatre to-day, is said to bear out its truthfulness. The birth certificate of Cicely Courtneidge, who -stars in the picture, would, according to theatrical year books and ‘ Who’s Who on the Stage,’ indicate that this versatile woman was born forty years ago. To see her in ‘ Soldiers of the King ’ is to disbelieve that immediately, But it has been verified, and must be accepted for fact. In this picture Cicely is seen as the leader of a theatrical troupe, and on the occasion of a special gala performance, when the adagio dancer fails to turn up, she “ doubles ” in her place. Thrown hither and thither at the will of the men in the “ act,” almost tied in knots as they swing her round their bodies and up in. the air, Miss Courtneidge is always loose and supple. _ Who would believe, in the face of this, that forty summers had passed by since she was a bundle of baby charm? From the foregoing description of the adagio act it might readily be understood that Miss Courtneidge was a success. That hardly fills the bill. . As an adagio dancer she was a terrible failure, but as a burlesque actress she reaches the pinnacle of fame. The adagio sequence, undoubtedly the outstanding highlight of a picture that is intensely funny from beginning to end, is claimed to be one of the most superb comedy acts the «ei’een has ever known. ST. JAMES Acting of compelling force dominates ‘ Hindle Wakes,’ the screen version of Stanley Houghton’s famous play, which opened to-day at tbe St. James. There is a cast of famous players, including Dame Sybil Thorndike, Mr Edmund Gwenn, and Mr Norman M'Kinnel, and brilliant character studies, together with a fine sense of atmosphere, portray vividly the life of N a Lancashire mill town." It is a film of a “view.morality,” if it can be called that, to a far greater degree than the play. A Lancashire mill girl spends a holiday with her employer’s son, and then, in spite of the scheming of a shrewish mother and the magnanimity of a puta-

tive father-in-law, refuses to have a marriage made for her. It is a simple story simply told, but it is charged throughout with tremendous dramatic force. In the role of the mill .girl .Miss Belle Chrystal makes a triumphant entry into pictures. She acts brilliantly in a difficult part, and must be welcomed as one of the most promising “ discoveries ” of the British cinema. Opposite her Mr John Stuart acts with restraint and feeling, and memorable character studies are provided by Dame Sybil as the girl’s mother, Mr Gwenn as her father—the most delightful of North-countrymen—and Mr M'Kinnel as the righteously determined millowner. STRAND Johnny Hines, for years one of the foremost comedy stars in “silent” days, is rapidly disproving the theory that “ they never come back.” He scored heavily in ‘ Whistling in the Dark,’ and now appears in 1 The Girl in 419,’ at the Strand. ‘ The Girl in 419 ’ is set in the police emergency hospital of the large city, with James Dunn as head of the institution and Gloria Stuart as an unidentified girl who is brought in dying and is pulled through by the former’s skill to face a far more frightening future. An interesting glimpse into the working of a hospital when an urgent call is received, the desperate fight of the young surgeon to save the life of' the beajutiful girl, and the shooting of a young doctor who endeavours to prevent an unwelcome visitor from seeing the girl in hospital, are among the production’s highlights. OCTAGON > An interesting feature of ‘ Strange Evidence,’ the new attraction at the Octagon, is the beautiful settings built by Holmes Paul, the art director, and the magnificent genuine period furniture used in the film. One of the pieces of furniture used in this production is a genuine old Elizabethan four-poster bed, with massive pillars and elaborate carving. Another genuine antique of great value is a long refectory table. This is set with valuable old wine, glasses bearing the motto: “ Faithful Unto Death ” in old English scroll. The table is lit by two massive silver candelabra containing numerous candles. Real oak panelling was built into the walls of the various sets, which depict the interior of an old Scottish castle-mansion. The ancestral dining room contains a collection of very fine oil paintings, kindly lent to the film company by the owner of a famous ducal mansion; also old-fash-ioned models of sailing ships. ‘ Strange Evidence,’ a Paramount release, is a thoroughly unusual film, and is a psychological studv, particularly suited to the technique of Robert Milton, who directed ‘ Outward Bound ’ and 1 Westward Passage,’ among other brilliant films. Edmund Lowe and_ Nancy Carroll play the leading roles in * I Love That Man,’ drama of a woman’s devotion to a man she knows is a good deal less than trustworthy, which is on the same, bill. Heading the supporting cast are Robert Armstrong, Lew Cody, Warren Hymer, and Dorothy Burgess. REGENT ‘ The Masquerader,’ which began its season at the Regent to-day, enjoyed extended seasons in the north, where audiences were delighted with the excellence of its acting and the skill of its direction. It is doubtful if Ronald Colman has ever had a finer role; it is certain he has never had a more difficult one. Portraying John Chilcote. M.P. (the brilliant but drunken politician) and John Loder, the formers exact double (a debonair and charming journalist), he draws a sharp contrast between the two characters. His performance is a blend of clever photography and polished acting, in which, however, the greater .responsibility? is thrown on the human element, since the actor is afforded no aid to>; speak of in the way of make-up. Although Ronald Column carries the weight of the film on his shoulders he ig given very useful assistance in making it a success bv Elissa Landi, Juliette Compton, David Torrence, and Halliwell Hobbe. Elissa Landi is the unhappy wife of the drug-sodden Chilcote, who finds such a difference in her life 'when her husband’s place is taken by Loder; Juliette Compton is the mistress of Chilcote, who senses a deception when Loder fails to respond to her charms, and who is nearly successful in unmasking the masquerader; David Torrence is the politician who is so overjoyed when Chilcote apparently recovers his balance by a miracle and leads his party to victory in the House of Commons; and Halliwell Hobbes is the old family servant, who first upbraids his master for bringing disgrace on the name of Chilcote and then throws himself wholeheartedly into the task of making Loder’s masquerade a success. KING EDWARD ‘ The Kid from Spain.’ featuring the ever-popular Eddie Cantor, is delighting audience's at the King Edward Theatre. It is Samuel Goldwyn’s annual presentation of the Cantor song-and-dance, following ‘ Palmy Days ’ and ‘ Whoopee.’ In ‘ The Kid From Spain ’ Cantor marches out, neither bravely nor willingly, to show his skill and grace as a matador. Escape from police who are pursuing him, protecti. i from the Mexican thugs about to “ put him on the spot,” the adoring eyes of the elongated blond sex menace, and solving bis 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.