PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 22974, 3 June 1938, Page 14

PICTURE THEATRES

ST. JAMES A colourful, tuneful production containing a wealth iff humour, ‘ Artists and Models.’ which commenced at the St. James to-day, is a film that should appeal. A bright, fast - moving comedy, the film is_ interspersed with musical and staged items, among them beluga specialty number by Connie Hoswell, a turn by the Yacht Club boys, Andre Kostolanetz and his orchestra, Peter Arno, A. W. Brown, and John la Gatta. The players are headed by Jack Benny. Ida Lupino, Richard Arlen, Gail Patrick, Ben Blue, and Judy Canova. The story opens with Jack Benny, head of an advertising agency, torn between, the fires of approaching bigamy and a breach of promise suit. He has promised to marry Ida Lupino, beautiful model whom he has “ sold ” to .Richard Arlen for use in Dick’s advertising campaign. But in the meantime Jack has fallen in love with Gail Patrick, Dick’s fiance. And just to give him a few additional headaches Jack remembers that ho has promised both Ida and Gail that he will have each of them elected queen of the artists and models’ ball, of which he is chairman. Arlen, who is now in love with Miss Lupino, is hurt by what he considers a he from her. and goes to Europe to try to forget. He cannot, however, and returns just before the ball. The night of the ball arrives, and all four—Jack, Ida, Gail, and Dick—join the festivities. Jack decides to spend his time hiding from the two girls, but to his great surprise finds that it is not necessary, because Gail, by clever manoeuvring, has straightened out the tangle. The picture introduces six new songs—‘ Whispers in the Dark,’ ‘ Public Melody No. I,’ ‘Pop Goes the Bubble,’ ‘Stop! You’re Breaking My Heart,’ ‘ Sasha L’asha,’ and ‘ Mr Esquire.’ EMPIRE In ‘ Topper,’ which commenced a season at the Empire to-day, Constance Bennett and Cary Grant are presented as the rollicking madcap ghosts who involve Roland Yomm in astounding adventures and ribald escapades in their conception of doing a “ good deed ” in changing the normal life of a sedate bank president in order that they can escape a spiritual prison. Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Eugene Pallette, and others give admirable support to the co-stars. ‘ Old Man Moon,’ a new song hit by Hoagey Carmichael, who has written such outstanding tunes as ‘ Little Old Lady,’ ‘ Star Dust,’ ‘ Lazybones,’ and ‘ Rocking Chair,’ is sung in the Seabreeze Resort Hotel sequence to the music of an orchestra directed by Marvin Hatley. Captivating Constance Bennett, carefree Cary Grant, rollicking Roland Young, bantering Billie Burke—they’re all together in ‘ Topper.’ It deals with the ultra-modern and futuristic realms of entertainment. Luxury and richness provide the background for the fast-moving, action and hilarious humour of the new picture, based on Thorne Smith’s delightful novel ot whimsy Wit and satire. Entertainment seekers should not miss this film on any account. Miss Bennett in the role of Marion Kerby, the uninhibited wife of the irresponsible George Kerby, gives the finest performance in her entire career. She is lovely in this whimsical and sophisticated comedy role. Cary Grant is ideal as Connie’s screen busband, while Roland Young perfectly fits the requirements of Cosmo Topper, the president of a Wall Street bank, whose dignified wife moulded and repressed his life. It is Young’s stellar role, and he scores with flying colours. Alan Mowbray gives a polished performance as Wilkins, the Topper’s proper English butler. As Aloysius Casey (the house detective) Eugene Pallette is another prominent contributor to the merriment.

GRAND Brought together for the first time ns co-stars in the romantic comedy, • ‘ Breakfast For Two,’ now showing at the Grand, are Barbara Stanwyck and Herbert Marshall. They are supported by a quartet of fumnakers, including Eric Blore, Glenda Farrell, Etienne Girardot, and Donald Meek. ‘ Breakfast For Two ’ is based on David Garth’s novel of the same name, which was published in Red Book. This comedy-romance, directed by A 1 Santell, deals in sprightly fashion with a rich girl’s efforts to make a man out of a charming idler. Herbert Marshall, as the last of the ship-owning Blairs and president of the Blair Steamship Lines, takes no interest in the affairs of the company and prefers night life in a big way, while the lines are rapidly going into bankruptcy. Barbara Stanwyck is an heiress from Texas who meets Marshall during a hectic tour of the New York night clubs and escorts him home, only to discover he is practically engaged to Glenda Farrell, as a golddigging actress whose career he is financing. Undaunted, Miss Stanwyck decides to make a man of Marshall whether he likes it or not, and proceeds to buy control of the lines from under his nose. Enraged by what he considers her trickery, Marshall prepares to light back, but, practically penniless, is in no position to do so. Miss Stanwyck makes him vice-president of the company to build up his morale—and learns he intends to marry Miss Farrell. How the heiress and Marshall’s faithful valet, Eric Blore, team together to prevent this and to stimulate Marshall into putting up a fight for his firm and his name, leads to the exciting climax. STRAND A new line in murder plots makes ‘ Under Suspicion,’ which commenced at the Strand to-day, one of the most baffling mysteries that has ever been screened, while a first-rate cast, headed by Jack Holt, Katherine de Mille. Luis Alberni, Rosalind Keith, and Esther Muir, ensures that the utmost is made of the dramatic values of an outstanding story. Jack Holt plays the role of an automobile magnate who decides to hand over his plant to the employees and retire. The two principal shareholders raise strong objections; so do the manager of the factory, the owner of a subsidiary spare-parts factory, and his own wastrel nephew and heir. A motor car collides with that in which the magnate is riding, and his aero-

plane crashes ns it is taking olt. both •‘accidents” being, apparently, deliberate attempts to kill him before be can carry out his altruistic purpose. Which one of the objectors is trying to murder Dim P Not only do the detectives called in to solve the problem find themselves baffled, but one of them loses bis life at the hands of the plotter before the latter is unmasked in a gripping scene at the millionaire’s mountain home. The fourth film in the popular series featuring the adventures of a typical American family, ‘ Off To the Races,’ retains the players who have made the Jones family one of the country’s favoured households—Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane, Spring Byington, Kenneth Howell, George Ernest, June Carlson, Florence Roberts, and Billy Mahan—and adds, as a new heart interest opposite Shirley Deane, personable young Russell Gleason. When Slim Summerville arrives with a mean-tempered little niece of seven, and a horse which seems to be all appetite, the even tenor of the Jones life is thrown, for a hilarious loss. Russell Gleason and Shirley Deane find their engagement prematurely announced, Mrs Jones finds that hay and oats have become the biggest items on her marketing bills' and Mr Jones finds himself unexpectedly tossed from a sulky. Despite all this, Slim, who has his eye on the big country fair race, gets the family to back his chances. When Slim is unable to drive in a crucial heat. Mr Jones volunteers to drive Jerry B. himself, the most hilarious conclusion seen on the screen in some time.

REGENT The most successful colour film that has yet reached the screen is the first technicolour sea story, ‘ Ebb Tide,’ which opened to-day at the Regent. There has been no setting so far which shows itself so perfectly adapted to technicolour photography as the South Seas locale of this story by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne. The lush tropical vegetation, the bright blue of Pacific skies, and the water shading of the South Pacific all needed to be filmed in colour, and in ‘ Ebb Tide ’ all their beauty is recorded to the best possible advantage. The result is a film of unique beauty. ‘ Ebb Tide ’ tells the story of four strangely assorted lives that are entangled on a little South Sea island as a result of a death outside the group, and are separated at last by violence and murder in a forsaken trading post run by a sadistic madman. Homolka, a broken sea captain, Milland, an expatriate Englishman, and Fitzgerald, a conniving Cockney, all go aboard the schooner Golden State when her captain dies at sea. Frances Farmer is the daughter ot the dead captain, who is aboard the ship when Homolka decides to steal the boat and cargo. Milland protests, but is overruled by his companions. The ship is almost lost in a storm before the quartet lands at a little island where Lloyd Nolan holds sway. Nolan attempts to keep Miss Farmer on the island, and kills Homolka and Fitzgerald when they attempt to rob him. Milland overpowers the maniac, and puts to sea again with Miss Farmer, planning to start a new life for the two of them. Oscar Homolka. whose first fame came from his appearance in two Englishmade pictures, ‘ Rhodes of Africa ’ and ‘ Sabotage,’ makes his American debut.

STATE Rider Haggard’s thrilling story, ‘ King Solomon’s Mines,’ is brought to the screen in highly convincing manner in the Gaumont British production of the same name, which opened a season before large audiences at the State Theatre to-day. The outstanding player is Paul Robeson, and his performance is notable both for his singing and his acting. His numbers include ‘ The Wagon Song ’ and ‘ Climbing Up.’ He sings the latter twice, once with a remarkable echo effect that is particularly suited to the impressive mountain setting of the sequence. As the intrepid hunter, Allan Quatermain, Sir Cedric Hardwicke gives a masterly portrayal. The popular English screen comedian, Roland Young, is particularly effective as Commander Good, and his quaint remarks provide welcome comedy relief in the-highly dramatic sequences of the film. A romantic interest is provided by Anna Lee and John Loder. The party set out across the desert in search of the girl’s father. The latter has gone in search of King Solomon’s mines, and the expedition, after facing the tortures of thirst amt sandstorms in the desert, ultimately reach the mines. Here they are taken prisoner by a tribe of hostile natives. It is only the timely arrival of an eclipse of the sun that saves the white people from a horrible death. There follows a battle between two factions of the tribe, one led by Robeson and the other by the brutal chief. Robeson’s army is victorious, and the party is at last at liberty to enter the historic mines. Here they find the girl’s father, and, after escaping the attentions of the local witch doctor and a volcanic eruption, they escape with a small fortune in diamonds. There is an attractive supporting programme. OGTAGOM With a strong cast of players, headed by such polished actors and actresses as Tyrone Power, Don Ameche, Alice Pay, and Alice Brady, and presenting a spectacle such as is seldom seen on the screen, ‘ln Old Chicago,’ which opened a season at the Octagon to-day, provides outstanding entertajnment. The picture develops with interest through the saloon life of Chicago from 1860 onward, the O’Leary family life, the politics, and the lawlessness of the city before the great fire of 1871. As Mrs. O’Leary, Alice Brady is a grand type of Irish woman, sincere and unforced, and the Academy award for the best supporting role was richly deserved. Don Ameche. as the eldest O’Leary boy, the mayor of the town, also gives a fine characterisation. Tyrone Power, playing opposite Alice Brady as part owner of a saloon and dance hall, is offered the biggest assignment of his screen career, and s the most of it, giving a consistently subtle and imaginative interpretation of the character of the second son. The role of the third brother of the O’Leary family is ably taken by Tom Brown, while Andy Devine gives a truly humorous portrayal as Pickle Bixby. This production is also interesting for an additional reason, in that it records a milestone in the film career of Alice Brady. For nearly four years, until she became Mrs O’Leary of ‘ In Old Chicago,’ this famous actress has always appeared in films as the fluttery woman of wealth, whose antics were always good for spontaneous laughter from the audience. Casting heads and producers, sensing her flair for the comic, seldom permitted her any other roles They forgot, it seems, that she had a long and arresting history on the stage as a dramatic actress. The role of Mrs O’Leary gave Alice Brady an opportunity once again to demonstrate her unquestioned dramatic talents.

MAYFAIR ‘Tall Timbers’ and ‘Armoured Car’ are the two films which comprise the programme which concludes to-night at the Mayfair. Complete with thrills,

romance, and spectacular scenes, ‘ Tall Timbers,’ an Australian production, presents a high standard in entertainment value. There is a robust story running through the film, the leading players in which are Frank Leighton, Shirley Ann Richards, and Frank Harvey. The second picture deals with a new phase of the constant battle between the law and the underworld. Romance is interwoven with tense excitement in this gripping drama. DRAMA OF INTRIGUE. Annabclla and Conrad Veidt are featured in ‘ Under the Red Robe,’ which will be shown to-morrow at the At ayfair. Based on the unforgettable story by Stanley J. Weyman and the play by Edward Rose, the Twentieth Cen-tury-Fox release pictures one of the greatest adventures of an adventurous era. In this tale of intrigue that threatens a throne Conrad Veidt, acclaimed as one of the greatest actors Europe ever produced, plays the dashing, audacious adventurer Gil de Beraut. whose sword strikes terror to the hearts of men and whose smile brings love to the hearts of women. Annabella. the lovely actress who created a sensation in ‘ Wings of the Morning,’ wins new laurels as the radiant and charming Lady Marguerite, rapturously in love and unaware that her ardour can destroy a throne; Joan Crawford, William Powell, and Robert Montgomery are starred in ‘ The Last of Mrs Cheyney,’ the second film. To this triple-star east Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer also has added an outstanding supporting cast that includes Frank Morgan, Jessie Ralph, Nigel Bruce, Colleen Clare, Benita Hume, Ralph Forbes, Aileen Pringle, and Melville Cooper. Based upon the famous Fred-, eric Lonsdale play of a few years ago, Leon Gordon, Samson Raphaelson, and Monckton Hoffe completely modernised the story with a deft adaptation, that promises to establish the screen version as an outstanding riot of laughter and complicated situations.