AMUSEMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 31 March 1923, Page 12

AMUSEMENTS

THEATRE ROYAL "MOONSHINE? ALLEY" Admirers of William ftirnum will be afforded a rare treat at the Royal to-night, when "Moonshine Valley," with Fnrmun in the star role, will be shown. The picture is one of the best seen for many a. day. Farnum holds the centre of the stage throughout and his personality is always in evidence. Ho is afforded admirable support by the petite and captivating Dawn OTJay, the three-year-old comedienne, who plays the part of the lost child and effects the bad man's (Farnum) reformation. Sadie Mullen, a new face on the screen, and Hplmes Herbert, an old favourite, are also in the cast. Jean, the famous moving picture dog, is also featured. Th.e storj- is that of a man whose .wife elopes with a doctor. A child is born to them. Later on she becomes lost and is found by Farnum, who takes her to his mountain home. Farnum, then a thoroughly "bad man," since his wife's elopement, is reformed by the little one and becomes a model citizen, A fight between Farnum is one of the. best ever screened ,Probably no living actor has played more parts than William Farnum. His mother wr :• the famous actress. Adele La Gros, and when 12 years old he made ]va first appearance -with her in "The French Spy." "T. was a boy soldier," said Mr Farnum, "and when my mother returned in a scene and looked at me, I was so awed by the magnificence of her acting that 1 could not speak. I had some line, but I never spoke them. The usual fine Saturday night supports are included, and prominent among these is the current episode of the fascinating chapter-story, "The Perils of the Yukon," featuring William Desmond and Laura La Planto. EMPIRE THEATRE "THE GUTTERSNIPE" "Ihe Guttersnipe," starring Gladys Walton at the Empire Theatre tonight is a story of life in New York's infill "Ghetto." Mazie O'Day, a shopgirl, longs for expensive clothes and the romance associated with the. In the magazine, "Sloppy Stories," she reads "Lord Lytton's Love," a serial oi the continued in our next variety, giving her a vision of life among the elite of English society and also a vision of a handsome lord for a lover. Li a transport of dreams she is walking down an alley of her district and se'js a man resembling "Lord Lytton" being beaten up by a gang of roughs { because he has on dress clothes. Being Irish Mazie wades in and helps ; the dress-suit hero extricate himself. ( He.turns out to be a soda fountain clerk —but he looks like Lord Lytton would anyway—so Mazie permits his attention's. When her beau is arrest-' ed as a counterfeiter —a crime of which he is innocent —Mazie turns to th the latest episode of the "Sloppy Slories" tale for advice, and through this step an ending to her love epic is achieved with the release of her lever from gaol. Adequate supports complete a first-class programme. MONDAY—A GRIFFITH SPECIAL The big D. W. Griffiths special pictitrev "The Love Flower," will be initially shown at the holiday matinee at the Empire on Monday, and again in the evening. For the final scenes of this "Big Four' 'production, the locale of which is the South Seas, Mr Griffith took his entire company to the Bahamas. Deceived by the apparent, placidity of tropic waters, not sufficient care'was exercised in selecting the vessel. The yacht proved quite incompetent to breast the heavy waves kicked up bv the N.E. gale into which they ran. The story of that tempestuous voyage has already been told. After two days of beating about in the open sea, land was sighted and the boat ran into a little cove on the lee side of Whale Key. Mr Griffith and his party landed half-drowned and nearly exhausted, and made their way to a tiny bit of beach. The men scattered, searching for fresh water, and succeeded in finding a brackish ■pool that served, but no food. The plot is on quite unusual lines, and the leading roles are played by Carol Dempster and Richard Barthelmess. PARAMOUNT TO-NIGHT

CECIL B. DE MILLE'S "MANSLAUGHTER" Cecidl B. De Mille has created the greatest motion picture of the age, and it is the pleasure of the Paramount Theatre management to present it for a short season of three nights and a special matinee on Easter Monday if the weather should prove to be wet. It is known that our seatinig accommodation is limited, so it will be wise to book seats The plan is rapidly filling for this feature. 'Manslaughter' will go down in the memory of every man and woman as the greatest\lesson and most stirring thing of beauty ever created for the screen. An intensely dramatic romance of to-day, showing up society's jazz life and produce don a scale that ex- ' coeds in lavish spectacle anythinge Do Mille has ever done. Lydia Thome (Leatrice Joy) is a proud, beautiful young society girl—the leader of her fast Long Island set—who has always had more money and adulation than were good for her. She is selfish and headstrong. Evans (Lois Wilson), Lydia's wjaid, steals a necklace from her misiiess to save her (Evan's) baby's life, and Lydia, without investigation, has . the girl sent to prison. This is despite ihe pleading of Dan O'Bannon (Thomas Meighan), the young district attorney of tehe county, who is secretly in love with Lydia>. Shortly afterwards Lydia, driving lier racing car in her usual reckless fashion, crashes into a motor-cycle policeman ana kills him. O'Bannon— 'grimly, determined to do his duty —prosecute* Lydia for manslaughter and sends her to prison. She is bitter, against him. In prison a new outlook dawns upon Lydia, and she conies out a changed woman—unselfish, eager, to help out the poor. Meantime, O'Bannon, regretting ' having sent the girl ho loves to jail, goes steadily downward. At last he has a big chance to get upon his feet'again. Ifc is within Lydia's power to spod this, and at first she determines upon reyeoge. But in a strongly dramatic scene love proves too strong for her, and she conies lb O'Bannon's arms. It is a lengthy, thoroughly enjoyable story, and it is impossible to give a account of n in these columns. The popular 'Thomas Meighan plays the leading male role. It's a picture story which will clutch your heart, and its spectacular features will make you wonder with .amazement. It is a Paramount Super production greater than "Forbidden fruit" or "The Affairs pf Anatol." No words describe the wonderful creation. Patrons note that it will only be possible to screen this attraction for three this week. Special prices: Circle 2s 6d, down stalls (back seats) 2s, front seats Is6d. All plus tax. Plan at the theatre 'Phono 530 for late reserves. No reserve can be kept after 8.15. Cars 10.3 U

"SCANDAL" The Sydney Sun «aid of Cosmo Hamilton's play, which comes to the Theatre Royal for three nights, commencing on Easter Monday, under the direction cf J. C. Williamson, by arrangement with

Harry 1. Cohen, Lhat enormously interesting comedy. Cosmo Hamilton has .written with a sense of style and verity. It, is easily the most workmanlike of all the bedroom comedies of the last ten I years and always produces a genuine, dramatic thrill. ' ou rarely leel the ! piecing of situations. it is beautifully t'nd audaciously wrought. Virtually the whole third act. is made with wit, sense and skill. There is more than a scare in (••Scandal.*' They are human characters brilliantly composed of nerves, brains, 'and humour. ••Scandal" aroused much 1 controversy in Sydney and the four New Zealand centres'owing to the nature of the play. This did not, however, mitigate against the success, but rather tended to increase the interest on the part of the pftblic to see. it. The opinion was that in staging "Scandal" popular taste had been evidently accurately judged. The piece is wonderfully acted and has an exceptionally strong cast. Besides, Doris Duane. the leading lady, an actress specially imported for the production, ami Eric Harrison, whose work is always of the highest order. There are in the cast, the following: Charles Morse, Harold Moran, John Gahvay, Eric Harrison, Doris Duane, Graham Newton, Arthur Ellis, Lucy Carter, Mary MacGregor, Clifford Miller. The box plan is open at the Empire TheaVe. Arrangements have been made whereby a 'bus service from Wakefield, Richmond and Tahuna will run during the season.