AMUSEMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 1 August 1924, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS

EMPIRE TO-NIGHT VENUS OF THE SOUTH Si''AS Sk the Southern Seas, far away from the turmoil of civilisation, lies the little island of M-stVea, the Beautiful. Here ttilre owMf of the island, John Royal and 'ids ■daughter, Shona, lived. They were tfoa only white folks on the island—the rvst were natives who spent their days diving for pearls and trading in copra. The most skilful diver in tho South Seas, as swift and sure as any creature in the Waters- was Shona. One day she and her father were out in their yacht, watching the native divers gather the pearl oysters. Below the surface they swam closely together for fear of sharks. One of them, however, had a “find,” and trying to smuggle the pearl, threw the shell overboard, while another native dived for it, to hide it in the secret ■‘■‘■cache.” “Daddy, Beni is stealing pearls again, I will go after him,” and Shona dived into the water. Deep down she followed the native were her knife, and after a fierce struggle, she mastered him and secured the pearl. There would have been no pearl stealing among the natives had it not been for Captain Drake, of the supply ship, who called at the island every three months, and traded with the natives for the stolen pearls, “And some day I will own that island, for I’m going to marry remarked the captain to his' matq, John Royal favoured his suit, but ‘Shona hesitated and so this funny story goes on. New supports.

THEATRE royal, to-night “MERRY-GO-ROUND”

AVliat is love without handicaps? Every philosopher and poet who ever amounted to anything has declared that without obstacles ilt the path of its glorious advance love would bo unattractive. It Would be colourless. Most people who fiXisA much have noticed that in all (powerful love stories the thing that thakes them interesting and thrilling is the final victory over apparently insurmountable handicaps. ‘Merrv-Go-Round’ the Universal Super-Jewel spectacle feature which was in the making for many months and comes at last to the The■Wtro Royal next Friday tells'of the love between a peasant girl of the Prater, the famous Coney Island district of Vienna, Austria, and a young count of the Emperor’s highest staff. In real life a successful consummation of that love in happy marriage would be absolutely impossible, and “Merry-Go-Round” is not P, fairy tale. It docs not try to picture the impossible. But the recent world war knocked the foundation out from under Austria’s proud aristocracy and left a ponderous emptiness where before there had been splendour and pompous idleness. To-day members of noble families work, no better than tire Seasants they onco despised. “Merry-b-Round,” a multiple reel film story, tells this in dramatise form and pictures the social changes that fate made with, a drastic hand in the once proud nation. A. cast of unusual calibre, including Norman Kerry, George Hackathorne, tn t new surprise “discovery” girl, Mary Philbin, Cesare Gravina, Dale Fuller, Maude George, George Seigmann, A 1 Edmundson, Anton Vaverka, Spottiswoode Aitken and Sidney Bracy, Dorothy Wallace, Edith Yorke, Lillian Sylvester. Strong supports- Please note usual prices