PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21725, 21 May 1934, Page 13

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE For tho first time in the history of the Alarx Brothers and their screen career, one of their films has a very definite story. Heretofore, they have just romped and clowned in front of the camera with gag after gag, but in ‘ Duck Soup,’ at the Empire, they have a real plot. A more farcical, insane theme could not have been selected, and on their performance in the leading roles no doctor would have had any doubt in certifying Groucho. Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo as incurable. Freedonia is a quiet, helpless, useless, and bankrupt little Central European State, until Groucho is selected as President ; from then on it is the bowl in which the four brothers mix as complicated a soup as has ever been prepared. From the quietness of its slumber Groucho drags Freedonia through a social upheaval that starts a war and ends in a pie fight. Could anything be more silly r 1 It would be useless to attempt to give any idea of what the plot is all about. It is merely the frame in which four actors, each with his own mirth-provoking characteristics, each with his own amazing ability to entertain, disport themselves to their own great enjoyment and that of anybody who watches them. They sing, they play, they dance, they play jokes, they.engage in rapid-fire “wisecracking,” star in bedroom scenes, and fight battles—they merely look, and the answer from the audience every time is a laugh. Behind it all is excellent direction, with amazingly wellpresented scenes, and a splendid company of supporting players. The topical portion of the programme is made up of well-chosen films depicting world events, STATE ‘ A Cuckoo in the Nest,’ starring the inimitable Lynn-Walls combination which appeared with such success in ‘ Rookery Nook,’ is attracting large audiences to the State Theatre. It has all the elements of the traditional Aldwych Lynn-Walls successes. First produced by the incomparable Lynn-Walls Company at the Aldwych Theatre, London, in 1925, ‘ A Cuckoo in the Nest 1 also features the entire company, of whom Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn, Mary Brough, and Robertson Hare are the chief players. The original combination on both stage and screen included Winifred Sliotter in the ingenue role, but since she accepted a position as a star in her own right her place in ‘ A Cuckoo in ’ is taken by Yvonne Arnaud, the attractive little brunette ■ who starred with Tom Walls in ‘ Canaries Sometimes Sing.’ The film Is further enhanced in entertainment value by the fact that it boasts a dialogue and story by Ben Travers, king of English farce writers. It is so full of absurdities—as any robust farce should be—that you almost accept the earnestness of Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn as being genuine. In this British film, besides directing, Tom Walls played the role of Major Bone, which he created in the stage version. ' His excellent makeup as a middle-aged toper, complete with “ thirsty ” moustache, red nose, and hazy eyes, makes him almost unrecognisable and “ puts years on him.” ‘ A Cuckoo in the Nest ’ is one long laugh. It is a Gaumont-British production written by Ben Travers, and provides ideal scope for the distinctive talent of the two comedians. Tom Walls is one of the prorhineht personalities of the stage and the screen, and his association, oiice more with Ralph Lynn will be welcomed by all fihngoers. The story concerns the absurd misunderstandings of two eminently respectable married couples, and the ridiculous situations which arise, are handled in such deft manner by the distinguished cast that the picture provides entertainment of exceptional quality all through. GRAND After seeing ‘.My Weakness,’ the Fox production which is attracting large audiences to the Grand Theatre, one can only regard ‘ Aly Lips Betray/ Lilian Harvey’s first Hollywood film, as something of a false start. If the first was a fairly bright show, the second is brilliant, and she is outstanding. Lew Ayres is seen as Ronnie Gregory, one of those social ornaments commonly known as a “ playboy,” who has a string of feminine admirers yards long. Incidentally, the appearance of the “ admirers ” gives the audience a chance to do a bit of admiring itself, since these often scantily-clad beauties are played by some of Hollywood’s most decorative actresses.. ■ Ronnie has an old uncle and guardian (Henry Travers), who is not too old, however, to have fallen under the spell of a young gold digger (Irene Bentley), with the result that when the story opens Uncle is threatening to cut Ronnie off with the proverbial, shilling because be will not settle down to work in the brassiere (pronounced “ brazeer ”) factory which has built up many figures and the family fortune ; and Ronnie is not improving matters by telling Uncle that he is an old fool to fall so easily for a girl who is so obviously “on the make.” There are two theme songs—Gather Lip Rouge AVhile Ye Alay ’ and ‘ Be Careful ’ —and it is enough to say that both of them are in the same class as the “ hits ” of ‘ Sunny Side Up.’ There is, indeed, a resemblance in many other ways between these two pictures (both were produced by B. G. De Sylva and David Butler), only 1 Aly Weakness ’ is quite modern, slightly daring, and much more comical than the GaynorFarrell success. The impish personality of Lilian Harvey is given full play as Looloo; Henry Travers (the silly old man of ‘ Reunion in Vienna ’) is very amusing as the amorous uncle who himself “falls for” Looloo’s charms; Charles Buttersworth and Sid Silvers are separately and collectively brilliant; while Lew Ayres is boyishly charming as Ronnie. A splendid supporting programme completes .an enjoyable programme. OCTAGON

If anybody lived her part Alarie Dressier does in ‘ Emma/ which is the Octagon’s current attraction. She is more lovable than ever, and her tremendous following of “ fans ” may look forward to seeing her as they would like to remember her if she never again played before camera and microphone. Written by Frances Alarion, author of ‘ Alin and Bill,’ the story opens very pathetically. Emma is a housekeeper

in the home of Frederick Smith, an inventor. Airs Smith dies as the fourth child, Ronnie, is born. Emma is a second mother to the children, loving them as though they were her own. Ronnie is her favourite. Smith’s inventions bring him a- fortune, and as the children grow up they enter society, and, though in the midst of luxury, still have to depend on Emma for everything. The children accuse her of influencing their father, forgetting all her devotion to them. They bring a charge of murder against Emma, to the effect that she gave an overdose of medicine to kill Smith. Ronnie, at an aviation school, reads of the trouble, and sets off in a storm to help. His plane crashes ns Emma is acquitted, and one of the most dramatic climaxes ever presented on the screen is afforded. Fay Wray, who in the past year has assumed imposing proportions on the Hollywood horizon, is cast in the featured role of ‘ Alary Fanshawe,’ a professional woman who falls in love with Walter Byron, against her better judgment, in the other picture, ‘ Once Every Woman.’ When Byron is unmasked as a philanderer she seeks consolation in the sincere devotion of Ralph Bellamy, a brilliant young surgeon, then to discover that his love is what she had mistakenly believed Byron’s to be. Bellamy’s role in * Once To Every Woman ’ marks his second co-featured assignment opposite Fay Wray, having appeared last season as her lending man in ‘ Below the Sea.’ ST. JAMES George Gee, who will be remembered for his performances on the New Zeaalnd stage, gives a fine portrayal in ‘ Strike It Rich/ the picture which heads the splendid programme at the St. James Theatre. With his distinctive screen personality, he dominates the cast, and cleverly adapts himself to every phase of the story. There is a clever blending of humour, singing, and dancing, and the film is one of the brightest British comedies to be screened. Tho story deals with the adventures of Eddie Smart, a downtrodden clerk, who suffers from an inferiority complex until a phrenologist tells him that he is a second Napoleon. This news has the effect of giving him such; confidence in himself that he almost becomes a power in the world of big business, but not until after a number of amusing complication have arisen. ‘ Strike It Rich ’ is an original story by Alichael Barringer. The film was directed by Leslie Hiscott, and includes as supporting players such names as Gina Alalo, leading lady with Stanley Lupino recently in ‘ King of the Ritz ’; Betty Astell, the appealing little heroine of the current ‘ This Is the Life ’; Davy Burnaby. Hal Walters, and Ernest Sefton. George Gee spent many years on the stage before succumbing to the lure of the silver screen, and has several times visited Australia and New Zealand. The slipporting programme is of unusual interest, and includes pictures of the late King Albert and the new King Leopold of Belgium. REGENT The entire resources of Universal Studios were thrown behind the production of ‘ Only Yesterday/ John M. Stahl’s absorbing love drama which is screening' at the Regent. In the matter of cast alone, the picture enlisted the services of more than ninety well-known Hollywood players, headed by Alargaret Sullavan, John Boles, Billie Burke, and Reginald Denny, and including scores of others in addition to more than 4,500 extras. More than three months were consumed in filming the picture, which abounds in lavish scenes, including a gay New Year’s Eve celebration at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, Wall, street, on the day of the great market crash, the wild frenzy of Armistice Day, and parade of the first contingent of soldiers up Fifth avenue on their return from France. In spite of its panoramic splendour, the story of ‘ Only Yesterday ’ is continually centred on the tragic love affair of Alargaret Sullavan and John Boles. A story of heartbreak and "courage unsurpassed in screen history portraying a vitally poignant love story which has never been equalled for sheer emotional quality on the screen. Even Stahl’s own ‘ Back Street ’ is unimportant beside the romance of Alargaret Sullavan and John Boles, the handsome, thoughtless officer. Aliss Sullavan, making her movie debut straight from ‘ Dinner at 8 ’ on Broadway, will also make screen history by her brilliant performance. This picture is preceded by excellent supporting subjects. STRAND The mysterious and, to a large extent. secret workings of that division of the police department which records the cases of kidnapped men and women, and those who vanish under extraordinary circumstances, are brought to light for the first time in pictures in ‘Bureau of Alissing Persons/ which is drawing large audiences to the Strand Theatre. Bette Davis, Pat O’Brien, and Lewis Stone are the featured players in this thrilling mystery drama. In every large city thousands of people disappear yearly. A fair proportion are found, but many disappear completely. Every class and age is represented among the missing, as sboivn in the picture. The cases in the film are based on actual fact. They parallel some of Jjie most famous disappearance cases America has known. The story also gives an accurate and graphic picture of the methods employed by the police. Robert Presnell, who wrote the screen play from a book by Captain John H. Ayres and Carol Bird, relating the captain’s experiences as head of the New York City Bureau of Alissing Persons, made an exhaustive study of the police departments in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities, in order to get accurate data for the production. Attractive supporting features, including all the latest gazettes, complete an enjoyable programme. KING EDWARD The double-feature programme at King Edward Theatre at the present time includes ‘ Alcn Alust Eight,’ in which is featured Diana Wynyard. Others in the cast are Lewis Stone and Phillips Holmes, both of whom give vigorously lifelike characterisations of strongly contrasting roles. ■ Arizona to Broadway ’ is the second feature, and in this entertaining production the main feminine role is taken by Joan Bennett, who is ably supported by James Dunne and Herbert Afundin. The two films comprise a highly enjoyable and well-balanced programme, which includes several topical features.