STAGE AND SCREEN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 March 1928, Page 18

STAGE AND SCREEN

In “The Circus,’! to be released shortly in New Zealand, Charlie Chaplin is supposed to be very jealous of .another performer in the circus named Rex, who is a tight rope walker, and when this rival one day is absent from a performance, Charlie volunteers to take his place. He arranges .to have a belt around his waist, which will be suspended from the air unseen by the audience, and for a while is highly successful, despite the fact that by accident the belt comes undone and dangles in the air over his head. But as soon as poor .Charles' looks up and sees that he is no longer being artificially suspended there is a sad result.

“Two Girls Wanted” is Janet Gaynor’s starring vehicle for t)ox Films, which screens at the Opera House tonight.. Since her sudden rise to stardom as “ Diano” in “7th Heaven,” clitics, producers and the public have been, waiting to see whether or not this brilliant young actress would live up to the record she sot in her first big picture. Those who have followed her career through the less important features had no fear at all for her future, ana( according to the reviews on “Two Girls Wanted, ’ ’ those in doubt may put their fears aside.

“It is the greatest work of epic and ■dramatic fiction which, has- ever been ! created or conceived by the human t brain,” says the Encyclopedia Bri- | tannica of Victor Hugo ’s “Le» Miserable®. ’ ’ It would be conservative to | use the same language in. describing the ! colossal motion picture production of j“Les Miserables, ” which comes on { Monday next to the Opera House, for I the Universal Film do Franco triumph • is. without doubt, a surpassing cinema i achievement. This majestic drama of i humanity striving under the yoke of I ignorance and- unjust power has had, in its book form, more readers than, any other work except the Bible. As a motion .picture production it has made new attendance records in every European country and has been acclaimed by two continents as the greatest film triumph of the Old World. The story is told us of a young lady who visited the office of a theatrical .producer for the first time, a little nervous because of the stories she had heard of the wickedness of Broadway. Nothing happened, of course, but she rather felt it up to her to indicate that, she knew just how gay the. producer was. Her eye fell upon a framed panel of ten or twelve pretty heads hanging above the gentleman's desk. “And those,” she said in her most sophisticated manner, “are the great loves of your life, I suppose.” “No, dearie,” said the producer. “Them’s ’all Julian Eltiuge.” Mae Murray, dainty heroine oi dozens of screen romances, has never appeared to greater advantage than in her latest picture, “Altars of Desire,” in which Conway Tearle plays opposite her in the featured.male lead. “Altars of Desire” is the type of screen romance that has found favour with film fans. In’ it comedy is flavoured with romantic sophistication. In this Alctro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, coming to the Opera House, Friday and Saturday next. Miss Murray plays the part of Clare Sutherland, cine that, is said to compare favourably with her “Merry Widow” in opportunities for the star. (“It’s risky ■ business being ritzy,” j declares Betty Bronson, Paramount j star. “You never know when you’re going to ritz the. wrong person. In j ‘Ritzv,’ Madame Elinor Glvn makes me i a modern girl who craves a title. Then ! I ritz the only duke I know and become; madly infatuated with a masquerader, j Of course, I get my title in the end,! but it was a risky business being; ritzy.” “Ritzy” is Elinor Glvn’s, latest Paramount comedy. It comes to > the Grand Theatre next Wednesday. .Tames Hall enacts the featured- male role. I

| Mr Leon Gordon, who is appearing in ; 'Australia in “The Trial of Mary j Dugan,” writes to a friend in New! Zealand that he is awaiting with con- 1 siderable impatience the opportunity to meet some of the. many .friends < he made while on a previous visit to I the Dominion. “The play is a drama. | rather out. of the common,” he writes, I “and I hope New Zealanders 1 will ap-1 predate it.” I

PICTURES, PLAYS AND PEOPLE

OPERA HOUSE. ' GRAND THEATRE. - To-night.— • To-night—- “ Two Girls Wanted” (Janet. Gay- “The Temptress” (Greta Cafbo), nor), Fox Films. - Mctro-Goldwyn-Mayer. March 19-20 - March 21— “Les Miserables. ’ ’ Universal Special. “Ritzy” (Betty Bronson). J March 22 March 21-22: — i “Ritzv” (Paramount Film). “It” (Clara Bow). [March 24 March 22-24 — “Tumbling River” (Tom Mix), Fox “Alters of Desire”' (Mae Murray),' Films; also “The Return of thc-Metro-Goldwvn-Maver. BicUlle Rider.” ATTRACTIONS BOOKED FOR HAWERA. March 31— . April 11-12-13 “The Gay Retreat” (Ted McNamara [ “The Flag Lieutenant”. (Paramount and Sammy Cohen), the comedy j Special British production), team of “What Price Glorv.” ; April 4-5 ' * * [April 17-18 . “’Seventh Heaven” (Fox Films j “That’s My Daddy (Reginald Special). Denny), Universal Special.

Ted McNamara and Sammy Cohen, the pair who caused' so many of the laughs in “What Price Glory” are teamed together in . “The Gay Retreat,” Fox Films comedy version of the late war. This picture is said to give this happy team the best roles of their career, and is due to be screened at the Opera House for a limited season of one night only, Saturday, March 31.

“Whispering Smith Rides,” the ten episode chapter play released by Universal, is based on the novel “Whispering Smith,” written by Frank H. Spearman, one of the best known serial authors. “Whispering Smith” is a story of the early day operation of railroads in the sparsely settled west, and while in novel form was read by thousands of readers' and printed in seven different languages. J. P. McGowan, a veteran actor, director and writer, who created the screen role of “Whispering Smith” in the first picture ever made of the Spearman stories, appears in .the same role in the new production and shares honours with Wallace MacDonald, who plays the leading role of Jim Macklin. The first episode of “ Whispering Smith Rides” will be shown at the Grand Theatre on March 31.

[Supported by an. excellent cast and supplied with one of the most thrilling novels of the west, Tom Mix as Tom Greer gives a performance with plenty of thrills in “Tumbling River,” new Fox Films production, coming to the Grand Theatre on Saturday next. Mix is ably supported by Dorothy Divan, Wallace MacDonald, Ed’ Peil, sen., Elmo Billings, Harry Gripp and many others. Lew Seiler directed the production from the novel by J’. E. Grinstead. -

One of the pluckiest performances ever seen on the London stage was that j at the Q Theatre, of Mr Wallee Geoffery, when he read from typescript the J principal part in the new play, “The Lonely Road,” by Michael Orme. It was known only that night at 6 o’clock that, the leading actor, Air Robert Harris, who had injured his leg, would be unable to appear. There are no understudies at the Q Theatre, and it was impossible at the last moment to find an actor who could hope to memorise a long and difficult part. Air Geoff ery, who played a small part in the piece, happened to be; the first to arrive at the theatre, and lie was asked by Mr d'e Leon if lie would read the part. Ho agreed .to do so, although, as he told a “Daily Chronicle” representative just before the play began, he felt “terrible.” The position was explained to the audience by Air de Leon, who | asked that as much help as possible should be given not only to Mr Geoffery, but also to Air Walter Schofield, who had to read Air Geoff ery’s part. The ordeal' of having to read a paTt the script of which he had not even seen was overcome magnificently by Mr Gooffcry. There were moments when a less sympathetic, and intelligent audience would have laughed. “I am the king of your dreams,” he had to say, with one eye on the script. “Every foot of the way is torture.” He had to cry while turning over the page, and while making passionate love to Helen Vercker, played by Aliss Ethel Irving, his eyes could not long be away from the lines which lie had in his hands. The audience, after the first act, gave him a great ovation, and .there was also much applause for Air Schofield, who had not even- the advantage of having seen the play before. The entire cast, keyed up for the occasion, gave dn extremely good performance, finding the audience responsive and sympathetic throughout. Sir Harry Lauder was the guest of honour at a dinner in Dunoon recently prior to sailing for America. During the evening Baillie W. Thomson (Glasgow), said: “ Sir Harry owes -one ” Sir Harry (interrupting): “Willie, I owe you nothing.” Baillie Thomson: ‘‘ He owes me an apology. ’ ’ Sir Harry: “Willie, ye’ll get it. There’s nae money attached. ’ ’