PALMERSTON PICTURE PROGRAMMES

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7296, 5 August 1930, Page 8

PALMERSTON PICTURE PROGRAMMES

DE LUXE THEATRE. ‘ 1 DEVIL-MAY-CARE, ’ ’ ALL-TALKING AND SINGING ROMANCE Ramon Nova.rro, dressed in the handsomo uniform of a lieutenant of Na* poleon Bonaparte, making his escape from a firing squad; climbing into a beautiful young woman’s boudoir in th 0 dead of night; masquerading as a footman; duelling his way to famo and fortune—these are some of the sequences of “Devil-May-Care,” Novarro’s all-talking musical romance which is showing finally this evening at the De Luxe Thetre. The new picture, adapted from the French play, “La Bataillc dcs Dames,” is said .to bo a perfect vehicle for the romantic Novarro. The story tells of tho adventures of Armand, the exiled Napoleon’s. trusted lieutenant who schemes to bring back his liege to the throne of France. When he falls in love with Leonie, ardent Royalist, complications begin. Tho supporting programme includes a special selcetiou of talking and singing featurettes, and episode 9 of “Tho Aeo of Scotland Yard.” “Behind the Make Up.” While Robert Milton directed the Paramount all-talking picture, “Behind the Make Up,” the author, Mildred Cram, was,in Hollywood and was an interested spectator. Miss Cram has the honour of not having one other stories returned, something of which a writer lias reason to bo proud. Telling of betrayed love and friendship now comes to the screen with a trio of popular and talented stars in the three principal roles. The happy-go-lucky, Hap Brown, vaudeville entertainer, is Hal Skelly. Tho girl whom he loves, and who becomes fascinated with the Italian Gardoni is Fay Wray. Gardoni is played by William Powell, a strange, fascinating man who takes and breaks tho love of tho girl, and yet keeps. Hap Brown his friend. “Behind the Mako Up” will bo the attraction at the Dc Luxe Theatre to-morrow night.

PALACE THEATRE. “A SONG OF KENTUCKY.” Aside from the exciting and colourful Kentucky Derby sequence in “A Song of Kentucky,” the Fox Movietone all-talking and singing romantic comedy drama concluding at the Palace Theatre to-night, the action surrounding the playing of Jefry Reovis’s symphony, w'hich tells the story of his life from the time ho meets and falls in love with Lee Coleman, is most dramatically thrilling. The music tells a modern love story. A promising young song writer and composer loves a girl much above his social strata. On the eve of his marriage another woman engages in a plot to convince his fiancee that he is unworthy of her. Tho plot succeeds and the lovers are parted. Meanwhile, the society girl is brokenhearted, and stakes her marriage to Kane Pitcairn, another suitor for her hand, on the winning of her colt, Dixie in the Kentucky Dcrbj’. The horse loses and Jerry, having knowledge of the wager, goes back to New York determined to forget the past and live for his career alone in which the birth of the rhapsody is born. Lois Moran, beautiful and talented screen actress, enacts the role of Lee Coleman, the girl, and Joe Wagstaff portrays tho character of tho young composer with whom she falls in love. The supporting programme includes a delightful musical revue, entitled “Syncopated .Trial”; tho Royal Hawaiians, in songs of the South Seas,” and a Fox Movietone News. William Haines’ Initial All-Talking Picture. A screen star may have to work hard, but at least they feed him fried chicken once in a while. William Haines consumed six orders of fried chicken while filming the Y.M.C.A. entertainment scene in “Navy Blues,” his first all-talking vehicle coming to the Palaco Theatre to-morrow night. In the now picture Haines had to eat his own plate of chicken and Anita Page’s too. There is dialogue in between; there were many rehearsals, and poor Haines by the time tho scone was finally completed, had eaten so much fried chicken that he could hardly walk. Tho Y.M.C.A. scene in which the entire crew of a dreadnought arc entertained while on shore leave, is only one of the many humourous scenes in the navy picture which depicts the life of a, sailor on deck, in the fo’castle, and in a number of other musical spots. Miss Page as the heroine of Haines’ exploits and Karl Dane as his buddy, contribute to the film’s many laughs. Others in the cast arc Edytho Chapman, J. C. Nugent and Wade Botcler.

KOSY THEATRE. “CHANG” A TRIUMPH. Undoubtedly, “Chang,” showing finally to-night at tho Kosy, is a magnificent screen triumph. In this story of the wilds, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack have given the w r orld a picture that is nothing short of marvellous. The ■whole drama of the picture is played in the jungle. It is the soul of the wild. Here is a little fain-

ily—father, mother, children, and an almost human monkey. They carve from the jungle a tiny clearing, build a house on stilts, to bo protected from tko wild animals. It is all marvellous melodrama, a human story, set against the pitiless jungle background, with intimato of wild animals that balflo description. “Chang,’ ’ taken by the intrepid Cooper and Schoedsack in tho jungles of Siam, reposes in the British Museum. After a number of expert scientists and zoologists had seen this production, they declared that in fifty years' time many of the animals seen therein would havo become extinct. “The Loves of Carmen.” The girl with the heart of a wanton, the mind of a child and the soul of a woman, “Carmen,” at last will be depicted by one who understands the emotions of the famous character b:/:n from the prolific pen of Prosper Merrimee. Probably for tho iirst time the celebrated story of the little gipsy girl with tho -flaming eyes and fiery emotions will be portrayed by a -reai Spanish beauty, one who doesn’t need a vivid imagination to coneeivo of the proverbial passions of Old Seville, for through her veins courses the blood of Spain. She is Dolores Del Rio, reared in romantic Mexico by parents of Spanish nobility. Like “Carmen,” Miss Del Eio has found herself precipitated from her own circle of friends in the Mexican capital to stardom in films as a result of her unique beauty and emotional power. THE REGENT. LAST NIGHT OF DELIGHTFUL “ROOKERY NOOK.” After enjoying a very prosperous season at “the Theatre Beautiful,” the brilliant English play, “Rookery Nook” will make its final appearance on the silver sheet this evening. “CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD” FIRST REAL DRAMATIC MUSICAL SPECTACLE STIRRING SUPER-PRODUCTION OF FRENCH REVOLUTION. STARRING JOHN BOLES, MARKS NEW SCREEN FORM. A now kind of sound and talking picture will be revealed when 'Captain of the Guard,” Universal super-pro-duction starring Laura La Plante and John Boles comes to the Regent Theatre to-morrow. The blending of music, drama and the spectacular in this epic of the French Revolution marks a new screen form unlike light opera, musical shows or any existing classification. “Captain of the Guard” is the first dramatic musical spectacle of the lilms. Thero have been elaborate musical shows, employing large casts and choruses; there have been light operas; there have been other sound pictures in which the spectacular, cither in scenic backgrounds or big sets, was stressed.

But "Captain of the Guard" is unique. The story, by Houston Branch concerns the birth of the song which fanned the flames of the French Revolution. The chief male character, Rouget de Lisle, played by John Boles is the composer of the “Marseillaise." Dramatic music is thus of the essence of the picture. In the vital situations where Bolen sings the beautiful lovo songs espcci* ally written for tho production by Charles Wakefield Cadman, and Ilex Rochmeld, or the inspiring Marseillaiso song, the dramatic effect is carried by the very music itself. In the climax, great mobs of extras, numbering thousands, are photographed against the background of vivid drama, with tlicir battles, the crackle of their muskets, the booming of their cannon, and their mighty sweep to victory singing the great song which has just been born to them. The songs and other music in "Captain of the Guard" arc not incidental to the picture; they are its life blood. A matinco is being held to-morrow afternoon, and scholars should take advantage of attending this brilliant historical entertainment.