PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21822, 11 September 1934, Page 5

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE Charles Farrell, who was co-starred with Janet Gaynor for several years, heads the cast of the Charles R. Rogers’s picture, ‘ Girl Without a Room,’ which is screening at the Empire. In the picture, a comedy romance of the Parisian art colony, Farrell portrays an artist with Marguerite Churchill as the other half of the love interest. Charlie Ruggles, Walter Woolf, and Gregory Ratoff also have important roles in the picture. Farrell, as a young Tennessee mountaineer, who masters the art ot painting, wins a scholarship to a Paris art school, and arrives in Montmartre bewildered by his sudden success. One girl, beautiful, kind, and appealing in spite of her recklessness, is infatuated with the. young artist. The romantic race she runs him, “ pepped ” up with haunting songs and hilarious comedy,* makes Girl Without a Room ’ lively and spicy entertainment. There are two very catchy tunes featured in ‘ Girl Without a Room.’ These are entitled ‘ You Alone ’ and ‘ Rooftop Serenade.’ Walter Woolf, a recruit from Broadway musicals, makes his debut in this picture, and proves an attraction in himself lor countless _ feminine movie fans. An attractive list of short subjects completes a most entertaining programme. BT. JAMES In ‘ You Can’t Buy Everything,’ the St. James’s current attraction, Mae Robson, known for her good performance in ‘ Lady for a Day,’ is cast as Hannah Bell, a miserly woman who thinks more of money-making than the love of her only son, Don, The caute of this is her brief and unhappy marriage. She nearly marries again, but her lover, John Burton, for some unaccountable reason, disappears on the eve of the wedding. This affects her mind, and she gradually amasses the largest fortune in the country. She is known as the Wizard of Wall Street. Her unfaithful lover returns to take over the presidentship of a local bank. She swears revenge, and through stock manipulation crushes Burton’s bank, only to find that Don is going to marry Burton’s daughter, _ In the closing scenes Don makes his mother repent her foolish ambition, and in a dramatic climax the four lovers, young and old, are brought together. Lewis Stone gives a good account of himself as John Burton, while Jean Parker, as Burton’s Tad Alexander as young Don, and William Bakewell as elder Don, all give good performances. BRAND ‘ Charlie Chan’s Courage,’ another of those delightfully absorbing and well-thought-out detective thrillers in which Warner Gland exploits the character of Charlie Chan, the - Chinese sleuth, will conclude at the Grand Theatre to-night. From the opening, the picture works up to a logical and satisfying conclusion, and. serves to once again testify to the splendid character portrayals of Warner Gland, who is supported by a uniformly strong cast. The unusually lengthy supporting subjects fully eclipse the main feature, and include excellent views of the recent third cricket test, a remarkable picture' dealing with volcanoes .(perhaps the best picture on the programme) , besides several topical films. STATE The exploits of one _ of Australia's most colourful personalities, a bandit who feared neither God nor devil, form the basis of ‘ Stingaree,’ at the State, and provides an ideal role for Richard

Dix, who is seen once more in the type of characterisation which first brought him to the forefront. The film, however, _ is also notable for the fine and restrained portrayal of Irene Dunne, who again shows herself to be one of the most attractive and intelligent actresses on the screen. As Hilda Bonyorie, the great singer who was responsible for Stingaree’s most famous recorded exploit, she is also given the chance to demonstrate the great beauty and power of her singing voice. The story opens at the homestead of the Clarksons, on the eve of the arrival of Sir Julian Wade, a great musical impresario. Hilda Bouverie is a companion to Mrs Clarkson, who is jealous of the girl’s voice and tries to prevent her from being heard by Sir Julian. In the meantime Stingaree has arrived in the district, and the way in which the bandit eventually forces Sir Julian and a fashionable assemblage to listen to Hilda’s singing is a masterpiece of recklessne-s and genius. The young singer’s rise to fame, her faithfulness to the memory of the far-distant outlaw, and their eventual reunion provide the threads of a fascinating and exciting tale. ICTABIN Jack Buchanan is a star whose popularity has increased at every appearance, until to-day he is recognised as the screen’s most versatile and cleverest entertainer. Testimony to his magnetic appeal is being seen at the Octagon, where he appears in * That’s a Good Girl,’ his latest production, adapted from the famous stage success which ran for over a year at the London Hippodrome. The London ‘ Mornisg Post ’ regards it as the merriest musical comedy of the day, and the best yet made in England. Buchanan’s charm of manner, his pure English speech, and his incomparable dancing and easy singisg, get free scope in this production, which is an endless chain of humour mingled with really clever work enacted before a background of beautiful Riviera scenery. At the head of a supporting ensemble of 100 artists stands the clever Australian stage comediense, Vera Pearce, and Elsie Randolph, both of whom will be remembered tor their work in * Yes, Mr Brown.’ The story concerns a young man who, in order to inherit money, has to marry his pretty cousin to some eligible bachelor. After various adventures of a nature that provoke unalloyed laughter, a tangled skein is unravelled, and the picture proceeds to a satisfying conclusion. RESENT A woman of remarkable beauty, a personality of compelling attraction, and an actress of great talent—such is Anna Sten, the Russian star of * Nana,’ at the Regent. In Anna Sten is revealed a new star of the first magnitude. She has voice, face, figure, and that strange and • unexplainable thing, “ screen presence.” Anna Sten is seen as Zola’s character of the “ Lady of the Boulevards,” but the story is handled in a much more subdued way. The woman of the streets rises to fame, triumphs and passes on, without the sordid side of her life being emphasised. In this production the charm and elegance of Paris in the years immediately preceding the Franco-Prusian War are recreated. The Paris of the Second Empire did not worry unduly over strife with foreign Powers, money was outwardly plentiful, the streets were gay and bright, and the open was a fresh delight. The tale and the settings are convincing, made so by the wonderful actress who is the chief character, by the fine portrayals of the men who come under her sway, and of the two loyal friends of her early days, whose strange and misguided devotion leads to her downfall. These chief supporting roles are superbly played by Phillips Holmes, Lionel A twill, Mae Clark, and Muriel Kirkland. There is an excellent supporting programme. STRAND A newspaper story dealing with an aspect of sensational journalism which has not previously been fully treated —the life of the photographer—forms the theme of ‘ Picture Snatcher,’ at the Strand. This is the sort of character which was hound to attract the film producer’s attention, and James Cagney, the bad boy of the screen, was obviously the man for the part. James Cagney has been assisted to screen fame by his practice of faoe-slapping. In this filin Alice White is the recipient of his attentions, and is twice severely slapped by him and onoe by his com-panion-in-arms (Ralph Bellamy), Cagney is seen as the Press photographer, full of energy and devoid of scruple. His qualifications for the part are that, as Denny Keane, he is a “ reformed ” gangster who is endeavouring to make an honest living. He is undeniably one of the most virile young men on the screen to-day, and he wins interest and admiration in a part which few could make sympathetic. Playing opposite him is Patricia Ellis, a young actress who previouly appeared in company with George Arliss, while there >s a strong supporting cast.