PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 22798, 5 November 1937, Page 16

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE Skilfully directed, _ handsomely mounted, and enthusiastically played, the latest Metro-Goklwyn-Mayer film version of H. hi Harwood’s comedy. ‘ The Man in Possession,’ which opened a season at the Empire to-day, is a piece of sparkling entertainment. The first film version, produced in 1931 with Robert Montgomery in the leading part, was justly regarded as one of the most exhilarating comedies ever produced for the cinema. . The picture is notable in another respect, for it is the second last completed in Hollywood with the late Jean Harlow in a leading role. The many film-goers who read of her death two months ago with sincere regret will have at least this'satisfaction, that her performance in this picture is easily the best of all the members of a talented cast. She is excellent. She speaks her lines with such point, and acts her part with such exuberance that she inspires the remaining players individually to surpass any brilliant performances in comedy that they have previously achieved. This scintillating comedy presents Robert Taylor as tho highspirited member of a correct English family. On the pretence of being a bailiff’s officer, he insinuates himself into the household of Mrs Crystal Wetherby (Jean Harlow), an American widow in financial difficulties. While posing as a butler in a social emergency, he contrives to prevent her marriage with his elder brother. But this object is not attained before many complications have been surmounted and much fun provided by the antics of the false brother, the consternation of his self-righteous relations, and the odd characteristics of the other players. Many farcical moments are owed to the work of members of the supporting cast, which includes such amusing actors ais Reginald Owen, Una O’Connor, Forrester Harvey, and Barnett Parker. An excellent series of supporting items includes newsreels, tho latest issue of the ‘ March of Time,’ with a fascinating record of the history of Turkey since the Great War, a musical film featuring Deanna Durbin, star of ‘ Three Smart Girls,’ and an hilarious Our Gang comedy. , STATE The story of an heiress who turns the tableij on a journalist who has been making her life a misery by the publicity which dogs her every footstep is told in ‘ Love Is News,’ which opened this afternoon at the State. Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, and Don Ameche take tho chief roles. Surpassing his brilliant role in ‘ Lloyd’s of London,’ Tyrone Power plays the lead opposite Loretta Young, who brings a new grace to a portrayal that is engagingly different, with Don Ameche. the radio Star of ‘ The First Nighter, outstanding in a vigorously exciting characterisation. Because he has just tricked her into another front-page story, an heiress (Loretta Young) swears revenge on Tyrone Power, who is the star reporter of a New York paper,, which has Don Ameche for managing editor. Determined that he shall know just how it feels to be a newspaper “ goldfish-in-a-howl,” with as little privacy as he has allowed her, Loretta announces to the papers that she is engaged to Tyrone, and adds that she has presented him with 1,000,090 dollars. In a flash the former newsgatherer is news himself, and Tyrone becomes the target of a host of linotypes and twice as many salesmen. To force Loretta to admit the hoax he chases her out to the country, only to find himself in an adjoining cell when they are arrested for speeding. Riotously confusing and amusing, the story moves to a stirring climax in which the widely publicised hoax becomes the private truth as the modern pair find themselves really in love. Slim Summreville, Dudley Digges, Walter Catlett, George_ Sanders, Jane Darwell, Stepin Fetchit, and Paulino Moore are featured in the cast, while Tay Garnett directed. Tyrone Power and Don Ameche are two friendly enemies who are unable to get away from each other. Their paths first crossed in Chicago at the time of the World’s Fair, and there has been scarcely a radio or screen assignment since in which they have not competed. Their chief trouble was that the more, each saw of the other the more they liked each other, even though it meant that one had to be defeated each time, until finally both were featured in ‘ Ladies In Love.’ OCTAGON The heights to which men may rise in moments of supreme danger are stirringly depicted in ‘ Draegerman Courage,’ which heads the new bill at the Octagon. Scenes of this film are laid in imaginary goldfields. The plot is woven about the everyday lives of the men who delve in the earth for tho yellow ore. It reveals their hates and loves, their successes and failures, and their surpassing valour in those catastrophic times when the real man comes to the surface. Jean Muir has the leading feminine role, as the sweetheart of the leader of the Draegermen. She lives in hourly dread lest he ie killed in pursuance of his duty, but fights valiantly by his side when a dn aded cave-in really comes. Barton Mac Lane plays the part of the rough-md-ready lover, a young giant who laughs in the face of danger when it becomes necessary that lie risk his own life to save his comrades. Ho is said to give a grand performance as tho Iwo-fisted toughened mine boss and rescue worker, ready at any moment to do battle with man or with the elements. ‘ Blonde Trouble,’ featuring Eleanor Whitney and Johnny Downs, is tho second film. REGENT The story of a poor working girl who gets a £I,OOO sable coat as a gift and then has to live up to it, brings Joan Arthur, Edward Arnold, and Ray Milland to the screen of the Regent in ‘ Easy Living,’ a smart comedy by Preston Sturges, which opened its season there this afternoon. Tho coat settles about tho shoulders of Mary Smith, a stenographer who is a long way from payday with one penny in her pocket, riding to work atop an open bus. She alights, angrily, and seeks the owner. “ Keep it,” he says. “Oh!’’ she answers. “How about my hat —the feather’s broken!” .“All right. I’ll buy you a new ono,”?‘says the Bull of Bond Street, Ho does" , . . and tongues begin to wag. Tooknowing Broadway deceives itself. Word flit’s around that Mary Smith—who now has lost her job because of her fearfully weak story of how she got the coat—can get tho ear of the Bull of Broad Street. In about three turns of a merry-go-round Mary Smith finds herself showered with attention. She’s presented with a suite. Sho’s sent dogs and finery on approval. A broker offers to open an aecount for her, seeking market tips at second hand from the Master. With her cash on hand still only a penny, she goes into a restaurant to dine. A waiter— John Ball, jun , seeking to make good on his own—takes pity on hery and

gives her a free beef stow. He’s dismissed—ami invited by Mary to her palatial dream-suite. That clinches matters with the hotel manager, Louis Louis. The Bull’s son on hand—! They got royal treatment. And meanwhile, Mary’s account with the broker makes money. Her brother asks her what “ that certain party ” thinks of stool. Mary asks J.B. jun., who’s enjoying breakfast. He says it looks like rain—steel probably will go down. The tip is relayed to the broker, whispers fly—and steel tumbles! With it tumbles J. B, Ball, who’s been playing it to rise. He’s frantic. Then Mary learns why heaven showered blessings on her. She rushes to Bali’s office, straightens matters out by a whispered ’phono call to the broker. Steel soars; Ball recoups; Mary and John embrace. All’s well—but Ball spies the fatal coat on Mary, fie bellows, seizes it and hurls it from a window. It lights on a young girl who’s passing, and breaks the feather on her hat. ST. JAMES Described as a “ marital drama,” ‘ The Dominant Sex,’ which is continuing for a second week at the St. James, deals with the problems of a young married couple, both of whom are “ modern ” and both hold firm ideas about each other’s rights. As a play this drama ran for an extended season on the London stage, and there is no reason why it should not be a success on the screen. Leading roles are taken by two of England’s foremost players, Diana Churchill and Philips Holmes, with Romney Brent, Carol Goodner, and Hugh Miller heading a strong supporting cast. Women, it is said, will sympathise with Angela Shale, the young wife who starts her married life intending to keep thy independence of her single days, and who finds herself in perpetual conflict with her husband as a result. Mon will understand the problem of .the young husband who hankered after an old-fashioned wife, a real home, and a baby. In ‘No Limit,’ the spirited Florence Desmond gives a really dashing performance with George Formby. The locale of the film is interesting. It is the beautiful Isle of Man, the story being written around the famous T.T. bicycle races which are run on the island every year. The hilarious story was written by Walter Greenwood, who wrote the phenomenally successful play ‘ Love on the Dole.’ And it is treated in brilliant style by that “ ace ” of comedy directors, Monty Banks. GRAND The beautiful Australian actress Jocelyn Howarth, known since she went to Hollywood as Constance Worth, has the leading role in a thrilling mystery drama, ‘ China Passage,’ which is at the Grand. The story opens in Shanghai, where two American adventurers, one played by Vinton Haworth, are convoying a valuable diamond, the property of a Chinese war lord, to safe keeping. In spite of their precautions, the diamond is stolen, and, among the suspects is a beautiful girl, Jan© Dunn, whose part is taken in the film by Jocelyn Howarth. In order to trace the whereabouts of the diamond, Jane follows up a clue which leads her to a ship bound for San Francisco, where, to her surprise, she finds most of the other suspects had preceded her. Jane is warned not to embark on the vessel, but defies the secret enemies who are in pursuit of her, and, when the ship commences its voyage to America, it carries all the clues to the mystery. The trip is not without incident; there are two murders, and several other attempts that do not succeed. The efforts of the investigators finally prove successful, and, by thb time the vessel reaches port, the mystery is almost solved. The film record of the LouisFarr fight is also shown. STRAND Comedy and unusual drama are combined on the new programme at the Strand. The chief attraction is ‘ Night Key,’ in which the famous Boris Karloff for once abandons make-up and horror roles to play a sympathetic part and to furnish what one might have thought impossible, a gangster st-my that is completely new and, of course, absorbingly interesting. Karloff has the role of an old scientist who has been robbed of the fruit of his creative work by an unscrupulous partner and and who is robbed for a second time. He has invented an alarm system, but he has also invented a machine which negatives the old alarm system out of which his partner has made a fortune, and when the second wrong is committed lie sets out to have his revenge. The result is amusing and adventurous and different. The film includes in its cast such favourite players as Warren Hull, Jean Rogers, and Hobart Cavanagh. Also on the bill (one cannot say “in support ” because the merits of the film are very nearly equal) is ‘ Motor Madness.’ This exciting story of rackets, racing and romance was directed by the action director, D. Ross Lederman. Supporting Miss Keith and Brook m the cast are Marc Lawrence, Richard Terry, J. M. Kerrigan, Arthur Loft, Joseph Sawyer, George Ernest and others. Fred Niblo, jun., and Grace Neville wrote the original screen play. MAYFAIR Two pictures which, though widely different in character, both afford firstclass entertainment are * Dark Journey ’ and ‘We Have Our Moments,’ which comprise the bill ending to-night at the Mayfair. ‘ Dark Journey ’ is based on a- story of international espionage, and Conrad Vcidt is east in the lending role. PAUL ROBESON TO-MORROW. Two films differing widely in type but both offering excellent entertainment will be screened at the Mayfair to-morrow. Ono is' the British LionHammer triumph, ‘ Song of Freedom.’ This dramatic film of throe continents gives Paul Robeson an opportunity of portraying his histrionic abilities on a scale never before seen in motion picture entertainment. Paul 'Robeson slugs four now songs in this picture, which wore specially written for him by Eric Ansell. They are ‘ Lonely Road,’ ‘ Song of Freedom.’ ‘ Sleony River,’ and ‘ Stepping Stones,’ When Laurel and Hardy unknowingly have their sailor twin brothers coin© ashore to their quiet seaport town the plot is set in their latest Hal Roach-M.G.M. feature comedy, ‘ Our Relations,’ the second film, to create 'the most involved situations. Laurel and Hardy play dual roles for the first time in a feature. Naturally, they portray their twin brothers, and it affords doable the opportunities for their whimsical pantomime and fantastical action. TWO FILMS FOR GREEN ISLAND ‘ The Country Doctor,’ which will bo shown to-morrow night at the Green Island Cinema relates a story bristling with drama, comedy, pathos, and adventure that presents the Dionne quintuplets in their first feature length picture roles. Joan Hcrsholt is the hero, as the doctor who dedicates his life to a tooth-and-claw battle

against pain and ill in a Canadian far settlement. ‘ Our Relations ’ will be the other film. It presents the famous laugh-making team of Laurel and Hardy in a feature comedy, rated surprisingly different, more elaborate, and funnier than their many successes which have extended over the past 10 years. For the first time portraying dual roles in a full-length feature—each a twin brother—Laurel and Hardy have double the opportunity to display their syreen talents.