ENTERTAINMENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 25 January 1927, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS.

A YOUTHFUL ENTERTAINER

DIMINUTIVE -‘JACKIE” HARRIS

To have won 40 gold medals in dancing and character* song contests at musical, elocutionary and dancing competitions held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Masterton and other centres is the excellent record of the eleven-year-old Wellingtonian “Jackie” Harris, who recently left the amateur for the professional platform, and who, with Mr Claude E. Sander at the piano, contributed a popular portion of the entertainment provided at the Hawera Opera House last evening. The audience filled the buildng to overflowing, and received each of the youthful performer’s items with enthusiastic approval. Commencing his brief programme with a pleasing rendition of the wellknown “Come to the Pair,” “Jackie” followed with an accomplished exhibition of a Dutch character dance in th© picturesque national costume and the plaintive melody of “The Old Folks at Home,” the latter sung to the* accompaniment of the indispensable banjo. His concluding number was a conventional step dance, in which he revealed his forte and, in response to an insistent encore, he reappeared - in a Lancashire clog dance. “Jackie,” who was among the best pupils trained by Mrs G. _M. McCaskill (nee Miss Gwen Gibbs, formerly of Wellington), has the. proud distinction of being unbeaten in step dance competitions, even though in his recent appearances he contested the under 16 years of age classes. His performance last evening showed mm as the possessor of marked versatility and. exceptional ability for such a youthful entertainer. His present tutor, Mr Claude E. Sander, proved an. excellent accompanist, and gave further demonstration of skill as a. pianist in the solo number “Lieberfreud,” the pianoforte arrangement of Kreisler’s well-known violin solo.' “Jackie,” with his tutor, will appear nightly at the Opera House this week.

GRAND THEATRE, TO-NIGHT.

“ROLLING HOME.”

A, speedy farce comedy is “Rolling Home,’ ’Reginald Denny’s latest picture which will he presented at the Grand Theatre for its final screening to-night. Its natural wit is delicious, its furious pace is redolent of mirth, its whole delightful construction is effective, amusing and realistic. This oomedian, alone among his fellows, can play in a picture which is, from the story-telling viewpoint, just. a flight of fancy, play in it and instil into 1 it an element which immediately, converts it into an eminently convincing comedy. It is a pleasant trick of pea - sonality and brains, and that is the primary reason why Denny's pictures are so favoured of the picture-going public. He leads one to think that, although the story is frankly farcical, it could quite easily happen to- him,. And ,so he proceeds along his riotous course of merriment. No situation is too ludricous, no? motive too nonsensical, no comic “gag” too funny for this happy-go-lucky actor. In “Rolling Home” he has a role which, is peculiarly suited to him. It is primarily funny, then at is humorous, its purely comic aspect [appears last; it is even faintly -touched with drama, and at as hilariously, vociferously thrilling. The supporting films are an keeping with the diverting Character of the big picture and include an amusing Century comedy “George the Winner. ” .