PALMERSTON PICTURE PROGRAMMES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7300, 30 October 1933, Page 10

PALMERSTON PICTURE PROGRAMMES

KOSY THEATRE SALE’S DUAL PERSONALITY A TRIBUTE TO STAR'S ARTISTRY. ■'Chic" Sale is paradoxically one of the best known and one of the least known actors in Hollywood. Upon the mention of his name, everyone instinctively thinks of the gray-haired, gray-whiskered old man, bushy eyebrowed, generally bent over and limping, with a squeaky high pitched voice that is sometimes rollicking and sometimes crotchety. Y r et when a tall, erect, clean-shaven, clear-eyed, youngish looking fellow, with pleasant speaking tones leisurely strolls down Hollywood Boulevard, only his, friends and business associates recognise the descrepit, sage old Civil War veteran, for they are both one and the some person. Chic is an alert young business man scarcely out of his thirties. Yet even without his makeup lie can transform himself instantly into a Grand Army veteran, an octogenarian farmer, or retired railroad engineer of 70, as he appears in "Dangerous Crossroads,” the Columbia film now showing at the Kosy theatre. Sale's ability to portray those elderlv characters with such fidelity is a natural one. He was raised in Urbana, Illinois, a typical mid-western small town. As he grew up among the simple, hard-working country people, he unconsciously absorbed a good many of tneir characteristics. When he attended the University of Illinois, his imitations of rural characters featured the shows held by the Sigma Nu fraternity. This gave him the idea of putting his ability to some practical use, and not long after lie was graduated be was doing a vaudeville act He made a series of six shorts for HKO, i and Warner Brothers thought so highly of liis work that he was brought to Hollywood to play a featured part m "The Star Witness.” His success was instantaneous and he was induced to remain in the film capital and appear in other productions, among them being "The Expert,” "When A Bellow Needs a Friend,” "Stranger In Town, ' Lucky Dog,” "Hurry Call,” “Men of America, and now “Dangerous Crossroads. Ihe Platinum Blonde,” featuring jean Harlow, Loretta Young and Robert Williams, and the eighth chapter of "Clancy of the Mounted” support the feature Dan D ei oils Crossroads.”

REGENT THEATRE. LAUREL, AND HARDY RIOTOUS IN "FRA DIAVOLO” It is safe to say that Laurel and Hardy, in whatever frame of mind they appeal on the screen, will always draw the best or houses that are going:, in "Fra Diavolo,” now showing at the Regent theatre, they have excelled themselves in the art of burlesque and wild comedy. Thenantics, mostly governed by a complacent Laurel leading his compatriot, the pitiful Hardy, into trouble, have never reached such a high pitch of merriment, tilings are bound to take a turn for the worse when the two, having collected then "pile,” start to lake life easily. By the time a bandit has relieved them of then cash and left them in a parlous state they have decided that infamy brings better reward than common virtue, s they become highway robbers. then they meet the Diavolo, an ace in the bandit line, and are confronted with a whole lot more trouble. Things are. looking about as black as they could look in one of these madcap stories when Un ‘’t® saved from disaster by Diavolo them into his confidence. Complication-, however, continue to arise, apparently on the lines that there is no place toi the moderately wicked, and matters are not straightened out until the Pa - nis King, as the Diavolo, is h ®? lr n some really fine singing numbers Thelma Todd plays against him. Uniformly excel lent portrayals are contributed by James Finlayson, Lucille Brown, Arthur 1 lei son, Henry Armetta, Matt McHugh, Ban Chandler and Nena Quartern. The picture has been directed with discernment and a refreshing vlgoi. outstanding and includes the , latePete Smith sporting ?f cla > Cycle Mania,” a real thriller, otfeiing 10 minutes of every sort of f ancy and_ti rick riding ever thought, of, and described by Pete Smith in his usual racy sty - "Cardens In The Carnbean is a beautiful travel film with interesting dialogue ; Metrotone and Graham McNamee Newsreels are also shown.

PALACE THEATRE BE-MONACLED FUNSTER BACK AGAIN! With the opening of the new British and Dominions film, 'Just My Lucl , ■ the Palace theatre on batuiday, an acute sense of humour seems to have pervaded Palmerston North. The irresistib e Ly nn grin is working overtime as fi lend Ralph appears in the funniest pictu e e\ei made as firstly as a music teacher who believes that Dame o , r }" ne „!^ s l i l t pJ?' l as ticular grudge against him and l«it i • the maiVagef of an hotel—who outside of nearly lotting his casliier decamp with the hotel’s takings, finds the worldl » not such a bad place after all. ppo ing the be-monoeled funstei m tins "eduction is another established favoui-itc—-Winifred Shotter— the possessor of "it” "that” and "-everything m the way of'screen personality. Since the ncyer-to-be-forgotten “Rookery Nook, Shotter has enjoyed meteoric screen success Two other important and amufeing acquisitions to the cast is the Mistral.an actress Vera Pearce, who is still as amusing as of yore, and Robertson Hare, the talkie,s best delienntor of the dow - trodden male. All combine in that won dei-fnl co-operative spirit common to British films to provide the gicutest laugh provoker ever produced and jus how- they succeed is obvious as a visit to the Palace will prove. There is also an especially attractive supporting bill including "There s a Catch In It ” a new- edition of the Ideal Magazine ’ "The Coombe Mart n,” interest item- "Betwixt Land and Sea, a mail time’Study; “Prelude,” a musical featurette and a New Zealand Soundscenes Gazette, including the many impiessn scenes 4n connection with the interment of the late Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P.