Real Mystery Thriller At Palace Theatre To-day

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7106, 15 March 1933, Page 5

Real Mystery Thriller At Palace Theatre To-day

RKO Radio Pictures’ “The Phantom of Crest wood” will come to tho Palace today. Blonde, vibrant-voiced Karen Morley plays Jenny Wren, a girl with a beautful body and an ugly soul, whoso sense of the ironical prompts her to stage a house party in a spooky ow mountain mansion to which she has invited the men who have supported her in the stylo to which they accustomed her. She is about to extract a final sum of money from each of her former supporters and to arrange the marriage of her young sister, played by Anita Louise, to a scion of wealth and position, when a feathered dart punctures her brain. From then on unusual situations, full of compelling interest, follow one after the other, pointing suspicion and guilt at practically every member of the party. Deft direction prevents this becoming confusing. The “flash-back” technique of telling tho story has been utilised more cleverly than ever before in a picture of the same type. Ricardo Cortez is seen in the role of a criminal who steals into the house party intent on acquiring Jenny Wren’s jewels and is with licr when sho is murdered. lie gives his usual suave and polished performance and the role will strengthen his position among moviegoers. H. B. Warner plays a smug, pillar-of-society banker; Pauline Frederick, who was seen on tho stage in Palmerston North in “Spring Cleaning” in 1927, is the haughty, proud dowager of fanatical family pride, who would save tho ‘ ‘ last of the Andos” from marital alliance with the Wrens; Ivan Simpson plays the father of the boy, Tom Dquglus, who commits suicide for love of Jenny Wren; Matty Kemp plays the young scion of wealth; Robert McWade, a grand character actor, plays the hypocritical politician, who fears exposure through the letters lie has written.