PLAYS, PICTURES, PEOPLE

Northern Advocate, 21 December 1929, Page 7

PLAYS, PICTURES, PEOPLE

By A.T.B.

The Season’s Greetings are very heartily extended by the writer of this column to all readers. i! ii m i Lyceum Theatre. Extensive alterations to the dress circle, and adjustments in other parts of the theatre are now in progress to make provision for opening “The Talkies” in Whangarei early in the New Year,

a ss is a The New Majestic Theatre. The prospectus has been issued for The Majestic Buildings, Whangarei, to include shops, offices and the longI needed new and thoroughly up-to-date ■theatre. The block plan of the new [theatre shows a well arranged auditorium, ample stage accommodation, and all the modern advantages of theatre craft. It will be the first provincial theatre built in New Zealand to embody all the recent discoveries that have been tested out and found to enhance the reproduction of talkies. Talkies are going to be the big thing of the future, and this theatre, while fully providing for everything else, will especially offer ideal conditions for the enjoyment of the Talkies and Sound Synchronised Pictures.

is ■ is ns a William Boyd, always handsome and dashing, does some great work in the “Skyscraper,” and those who saw him in “The Volga Boatman,” will be interested 1 to see him in this absorbing drama. He has with him Alan Hale, Alberta Vaughan, and dainty, likeable, vivacious Sue Carol.

si m is -a “King of the Rodeo,” with Hoot Gibson as the ace, is based, on a recent Chicago Rodeo and it presents some new and quite thrilling sequences. Universal signed B. M. Bower, noted novelist, to write the story. It puts Hoot in the role of a, Montana youth who comes unheralded to the big. Rodeo. He falls in love with an Eastern girl who doesn't rate cowboys very highly. Nevertheless, 'she fails in love with him. Hoot wins most .of the events at .the Rodeo and then Captures a thief who had robbed the cashier. Kathryn Crawford makes a pretty heroine and heads one of the finest casts the star had had. It includes Charles K. French, Bodil Rosing, Hdrry Todd, Joseph W. Girard, Slim Summerville, Jack Knapp and Monte Montague.

IS S B , ® “Fashions for Women.” “Smiles and styles! Romance and thrills! With a gorgeous gown show of Paris fashions! And displaying these mar-' veHous creations are fifteen of the most 'beautiful girls in Hollywood." This is how a press review describes “Fashions for Wompn," in which Jjeautiful Esther' Ralston isi starred-' Raymond Hattoif and Einaf Hanson, the handsome Swedish actor whose fame is spreading from success to success. This picture .was brought to the screen by Dorothy Arzner, one of the few women directors in film history; Can anyone better be thought of to direct a picture of * Paris and beauty and gorgeous gowns?

K El ,0 ® “The Lady Owner,” with Violet Hopson and Warwick Ward, is a Nat Gould racing story, and full of excitement. He was a millionaire and tired of friends who fawned on him for what he was worth. He hired a neat cottage on the English Downs and posed as,a villager. Nearby lived “The Lady Owner,” who ran a stable of . good horses and bad jockeys. Taken advantage of by these ruin' faced her, until the millionaire's son came, and “The Lady Owner” discovered that it took a man to judge a man. It's worth while to see the thrilling rate in,which a crook spoiled a good horse and helped a bad one to win. A British film with British actors, staged on a British racecourse. It’s a winner all the way.

“Take Me Home.” “Off to Buffalo” is a term used in the dancing profession to denote a little foot-crossing hop that chorus ladies sometimes use to make their exits while in ’line, shoulder to shoulder. Bebe Daniels had to learn this in her new starring Paramount picture, “Take Me Home,” which is a dramatic romance spiced with plenty of comedy dealing with the back stage of life of a Broadway musical comedy theatre. The Paramount star plays the role of a chorus girl and spent several weeks under the tutelage of Fanchon, noted originator of dance ensembles, Bebe was not alone in her studies, for Neil Hamilton, her leading man, also had to learn a difficult routine of dance steps for his part of the picture. Lilyan Tashman and Doris Hill are featured in support of Miss Daniels and the production was directed by Marshall Neilan.

British Pictures. We are British and we want to see the British picture industry go ahead, and the recently noted advance in British picture stock goes right along with the noted improvement in British pictures. Some who don’t see eye to eye with us, and arc a bit too prejudiced to be quite' fair to the remarkable advance British pictures are making, ask:_“Why do they show these British pictures?” Well if the reason above given is not sufficient, here is another: The Government of New Zealand, bent on encouraging Empire resources, brought into operation on October Ist of this year, 1929, an Act requiring every picture theatre to screen a percentage of British pictures. m si is 0

Did You Hear This?: “These American pictures Would be all right,” remrked a dear old lady to Jones, the neighbour, on their return from the Talkies, “if only these American actors and actresses would speak good English.” “Yes,” replied Jones, “but then, you know, most of the American audiences wouldn’t linbw What they were saying.”