PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 22363, 12 June 1936, Page 4

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE Luise Rainer is a talented young "film star from Germany, whose acting in ‘ Escapade,’ her first American picture, which opened to-day at the Empire, is sufficient to make the most indifferent picturegoer realise that there is no telling when some new artist may appear to give an audience the pleasure of seeing a dramatic role taken in an unexpectedly original and stimulating maimer. Moreover, she is supported by William Powell, whose suave nonchalance, as complete as ever, makes an enjoyable contrast with the ingenuous fascination of Miss Rainer. A group of able players completes the cast —Virginia Bruce, Mady Christians, and Frank Morgan. This is one of those pleasant sophisticated plays in which romance ends by triumphing irresistibly and charmingly over sophistication. It is set, with admirable appropriateness, to the voice and manner of the heroine, in pre-war Vienna. William Powell is a successful artist who becomes involved in a mild scandal, the outcome of a trifling escapade. He has used the wife of a prominent doctor as his model, and by an unfortunate mischance the drawing gets into the newspaper. The part of Miss Major, the young girl who has to pass_ herself off as the model, is a most suitable one for Miss Rainer, and is acted w-ith outstanding subtlety and appreciation of the art of interpreting character and portraying emotion without overacting. Powell also has a port which suits him; he has to mix cynicism and sincerity in the character, and he does it in a most convincing way,.. REGEHT ’ ‘ Anything Goes,’ which opened at the Regent to-day, is a jolly, tuneful, entertaining picture. Bing Crosby is the featured player in this- songstarred Paramount presentation of the popular Broadway musical comedy which broke records during its New York run. He is assisted by such favourites as Ethel Merman, Charlie Ruggles, Ida Lupino, and Grace Bradley. All the famous Cole Porter songs ■which were universally popular are heard in this mirthful picture. He has provided a number of others which are equally as good as ‘ You’re the Top,’ ‘ Anything Goes,’ and ‘ I Get a Kick Out of You.’ Additional songs by other music makers are included. Outstanding in the lyric line are the parodies on ‘ 1 ou’re the Top, 3 which Crosby and Miss Merman sing. ‘ Anything Goes ’ can be best described as a musical, comedy of errors. The story presents Bing Crosby aboard an ocean-going liner with the borrowed passport of a prominent criminal in his pocket. He must elude the ship’s officers while searching for a beautiful stranger whom he believes to be in distress. Charlie Ruggles assists him in his various disguises in order to keep out of the clutches of the law and within speaking distance of his charmer, played by Ida Lupino. The wrongful possession of the passport which lie is carrying is responsible for many humorous interludes, and gives Crosby ample scope to display his acting and comedy ability, GRAND A double-feature programme, which should prove highly popular with theatre patrons is at the Grand. The two films are ‘ Your Uncle Dudley,’ featuring that clever comedian, Edward Everett Horton, and ‘ Whispering Smith Speaks,’ a thrilling tale of railroading adventure from a novel by the well-known Western writer, Frank H. Spearman, in which the star is George O’Brien. ‘ Your Uncle Dudley ’ is a clever comedy on the them© of “ a worm who turned.” Uncle Dudley did all the good works, and the other men got all -the benefit; his business ran to seed, and his romance went on the rocks because he was so busy helping other people out of the tight spots. Then something happened, . and the worm turned to become a roaring terror. That gives an inkling of the possibilities of a role which is on© of the most sympathetic that Horton has had in recent years. The second film, ‘ Whispering Smith Speaks,’ tells how Gordon Harrington, jun. (George O’Brien), the son of a railroad magnate, tires of the useless existence in his father’s office and strikes out to do something for himself. The lure of the railroad life is too great, however, and he finds employment as a trackwalker on a small branch line which is managed by a charming young lady. How he eventually solves the complications that ensue provides excellent entertainment. ST. JAMES What is described as one of the smartest comedy romances of the year opened at the St. James to-day. ‘ The Bride Comes Home ’ stars Claudette Colbert and Fred Mac Murray. In a day when it is difficult to get away from the patterned story, this tale of a modern boy and girl who cannot spend five minutes together without fighting, yet who find they cannot stay away from each other, is reported as being refreshing as a spring breeze in the bill country. Miss Colbert is the daughter of a Chicago financier who had gone distressingly ” broke.” Though reared in great luxury, the girl nevertheless has plenty of pluck, and decides to go to work. Robert Young, a childhood sweetheart, has just inherited 3,000,000d01, but Claudette feels she would prefer getting a job to marrying him. She does go to work, as assistant editor of the magazine Young publishes, where she is made assistant to the editor, Fred Mac Murray. Mac Murray is a hard-boiled, rough-spoken fellow who resents Miss Colbert’s presence. They fight from the moment they meet. Both the boy and the girl seem to have been born with a liberal quantity of the Old Ned in them, and they find it exceedingly difficult to speak a civil word to each other until they happen to fall in love. An excellent programme of short features contributes materially to the success of the film, STATE Shirley Temple, in her fifth picture. ‘The Littlest Rebel,’ which opened today at the State, once more charms her audiences with her bright and natural manner, her lively tap dancing, and her singing. Sceptical people have prophesied that this very young actress would soon, become spoiled by the publicity that inevitably accompanies star acting; they had thought that all childish charm would disappear and that Shirley Temple would become an unattractive, forward little prodigy; yet this has not happened. For the fifth time this child has made a successful picture, and for the fifth time she lias made a picture in which she appears as an unsophisticated, refreshingly simple little girl playing her part with naive spontaneity. There is not the slightest suggestion that this young actress has been given her lines to learn by heart; she has the happy gift of speaking her part as if she had just that moment thought of the words she meant to say. Tt is the same with her actions and with her singing. She

settles* herself quite naturally and announces that she will sing to her audience ; the result is unstudied and therefore most pleasing. The story of ‘ The Littlest Rebel ’ comes from the American Civil War. Shirley Temple plays the part of Virgie, daughter of Captain Cary (John Boles), of the Confederate army; her mother (Karen Morley) and father have tought Virgie never to tell a lie. But as the trouble between North and South becomes more acute and Captain Cary has to take graver risks for his army, things become very unhappy for the people who live at the Cary home. OCTAGON * Millions in the Air,’ the new attraction at the Octagon, most successfully exploits the “ amateur hour ” radio craze which has swept America. The film abounds in talent and is a very pleasant entertainment. This is the first full-length feature to be devoted to this subject, and the producers have certainly found a very productive entertainment medium. The plot of the story lends itself to the introduction of many novel turns, and this opportunity has not been overlooked. Willie Howard, veteran star of the Broadway stag© and a first-class comedian, takes a prominent part as an Italian vegetable salesman whose efforts to sing ‘ Rigoletto ’ raise hilarious situations. Catherine Doucet, as a middle-aged would-be prima donna, provides another superbly funny characterisation. Harry Semels, “ the Greek Houdini,” and Benny Baker, his laughable manager, also add much to the riotous comedy in the picture. The main parts, however, are most capably taken by Wendy Barrie and John Howard, who are contestants for honours in the radio hour. Swiftmoving action, drama, comedy, and song are the ingredients that make up life in a forest camp, which is the them© of Paramount’s ‘ It’s a Great Life.’ More than 500,000 young men populate the forest camps in America to-day, and the scope of their activities, at play as well ns at work, forms the background of the picture, which has Joe Morrison, Paul Kelly, Rosalind Keith, and William Frawley in the principal roles. STRAND Paramount’s 1 This Day and Age,’ the great spectacle of modern times by the master of spectacle, Cecil B. DeMille, opened at the Strand to-day. In the large cast are Charles Bickford, Richard Cromwell, Eddie Nugent, Ben Alexander, Harry Green,' Fuzzy Knight, Bradley Page, and George Barbier. Miss Judith Allen is a new discovery by DeMille. Tho story concerns the battle of the youth of an average community against a city’s subversive influences after all efforts of the adult community have failed. When Boys’ Week of tho city comes along students at the high schools are appointed to the town’s executive, administrative, and judicial positions. One of the boys, appointed to the position of district attorney, has seen the murder of a merchant by one of the town’s criminal identities. Zealously he comes to the witness stand at the trial only to have the defence attorney take advantage of legal technicalities ami win an acquittal for his client. Undaunted, the boys go after more evidence, and in securing that evidence one of their number is killed by the criminal, and tho murder is planted on one of the boys. The story reaches its height when a mob of 5,000_ indignant youngsters kidnap the criminal and drag him off to an old abandoned quarry, where they hold a tribunal and, use their own expert methods of forcing a confession from him. The second picture on the programme is ‘ Green Eyes,’ a mystery thriller with an Oriental murder angle, which has- Shirley Grey, Charles Starrett. Claude Gillingwater, and John Wray in tho chief roles.

LAURIER, PORT CHALMERS Grown into a) tall, bronzed, and handsome young man, Jackie Coogan, of ‘ The Kid ’ fame, returns to the screen for liis first adult role in ‘ Home on the Range/ which opened to-day at the Laurier, Port Chalmers. Fully accoutred with Stetson hat, high-heeled boots, and six-shooters, Jackie Coogan proves as hard-riding and straightshooting a Western star as Randolph Scott, Addison Richards, Fuzzy Knight, or any of the other 300 famous cowpunchers who appear in the film. With Evelyn Brent and Ann Sheridan providing the feminine interest, ‘ Home on the Range ’ is the story of the deadly feud between a gang of crooks and the rancher brothers, played by Coogan and Randolph Scott. The new W. C. Fields picture, ‘ It’s a Gift,’ presents the droll genius of comedy in a story that fits his peculiar talents better than anything he has done. Supported by Baby Le Roy, who has learned to talk and utters his first dialogue lines in this picture. Fields has incorporated tho best of his hysterical gags, and some of the funniest routines he has ever perpetrated, in this film. MAYFAIR Heading the programme at the Mayfair is I My Heart is Calling,’ in which Jan Kiepura’s fine voice is heard in several excellent numbers. Whether rendering operatic aria or lilting popular melodies, Kiepura. the famous Polish tenor, is wholly delightful. The main feature is supported by the dramatic and enthralling screen story, The Pay-off.’-