AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20702, 27 April 1929, Page 11

AMUSEMENTS.

REGENT THEATRE. An entertainment lasting for two. hours and three-quarters- is offered this week at the Regent Theatre and not one moment of that time is devoid of interest, while the greater part of the period is fraught with thrills of the most gripping kind. The programme is commenced with an ochestral overture—the prelude Act 111 of “Lohengrin” (Wagner). This is tastefully rendered by the Regent Orchestra under the capable baton of Mr Neville RaveJ. A Government publicity him entitled “ Sunny Napier ” is the first picture. It shows some really interesting views of the capital of Hawke’s Bay, mostly taken fay the sea. Next comes a Pathe Gazette with the weekly summary, of the world’s happenings, and a comedy interlude featuring Charley Chase in “Is Everybody Happy,” completes the supporting programme for the first half. It must be mentioned in passing that Chase proves himself to be a funmaker of the first degree, and there is no doubt that everybody is happy during the Screening of this film. “Midnight Madness ” is the title of the first feature picture. It is a British Film Service production, with Jacqueline Logan and Clive Brook in the chief roles. A strong supporting cast includes Walter M'Grail, Emmet King and other well-known players. Theie have been increasing numbers of British films shown in Dunedin recently, but it must be generally admitted that "Mid night Madness ” is at least one of the very best of them. Briefly, the story tells how Norma Forbes is tired of the life she has to lead with her drunken father in the squalid rooms which are the best they can afford. She accepts Michael Bream’s proposal at a dinner at midnight and sails with him to Africa the next day. Before they leave, however. Bream hears her tell her previous employer, Childers, &hat she* is manviug him for his money, and he decides to teach her a lesson. ILjw ho does this in the wilds of Africa and how love comes to her at last, make an interesting story. After the interval, the orchestra again contributes an item. Perty Fletcher’s “Woodland Whispers” is the and in this the orcuestra is again heard at its best. A local product is the nest film to be presented and it depicts the dancing pupils prastising for the forthcoming Chinese carnival, gome excellent scenes are included in tin; i,.flW- - I . n®' gem of the programme :s undoubtedly the picture which is kept to the last. Laurence Gray and Louise Uor--1 aine appear in Metro-Goldwyn Mayer’s recent release—“ Shadows of the Night.” is one of tlie ever-popular underworld stones in which the police of a big city are pitted against a dangerous gang of cut-throats. The story opens in a police station. News comes to hand tfiat one of Feagan’s gang has been capo U u ed by _, Ser B eant O’Flaherty.. Ji mmy bherwood’ a newspaper man, and his dog, filash, are quickly on the scent of a big story Feagan plans to kill the sergeant that night as he phones headquarters at midnight, and he uses Molly, one of the dancing girls at the “DreamlaDll M a decoy. One of the constables is shot, however, by mistake, and Jimmy goes after the killer. The latter Imocks him out, but the dog ru.ns after hi s car and wrenches off the number plate. With the aid of this Jimmy is able to trace the gang to the cafe, where he obtains employment. He befriends Molly, with whom he falls in love. Once again Feagan decides to make an attempt on O’Flaherty’s life, and to make Jimmy, whom he has recognised, the goat. Molly warns him, and he, in turn, gets the news to the sergeant by means of the dog. The policeman comes w the cafe, where he attempts to arrest fieagan, who shoots him. Jimmy tries to hold him till the arrival of the " flying squadron,” but the lights go out, and, in the confusion, the gang escapes. A genera! search is made, but Feagan and ms satellites,- who are hidden in the place next door to the cafe, cannot bo traced, blash, however, succeeds where the others au, and -a finally leads his master to the place. Both are captured by the gang and tied*up. A man has died in the place, and it is arranged for Feagan to escape m the coffin, the gang appearing dressed as pall-bearers. Flash escapes j ta J*y, an d the two get out just in time to see the "funeral depart- !.? S ' A f ar is obtained, and all give t , J,he , d °S ca tches the hearse and , driVer ’ 60 ttat he losea c°ntrol of the hearse, which crashes into a post. As Feagan escapes, the doc aS e L-D lth u- him ’ and before the P° liaa mine kills him. All the tangle s are MM]/ I 3 *® °, Ut ’ and Jh ™y and ine fs - ln lapp:,lGES - ' rhe actg IS excellent in every department of the picture, and that of the dog is particularly noteworthy. S P OCTAGON THEATRE. Judging by the enthusiasm which greeted the third Fox Movietone programme at the Octagon Theatre yesterday, the talkies ’’ have come to Dunedin to stay, and are by no means merely a passing phase. This week’s programme °“ e to suit all tastes > and anges from grave to gay; and, with perit s S diffi u‘ S / tlo r. ° f , Snund £lnd scene > It is difficult for the listener tie believe that he is not actually on the spot. From a comfortable chair one listens to his £ t- ne -,, GeorßG '* last speech prior to his illness. The occasion is the opening of the huge new. bridge at New-castle-on-Tyne, and his Majesty, accompamed by Queen Mary, is not only seen, but heard performing the ceremony. For a full two minutes his Majesty speaks every word coming from the reproducer with astonishing clarity. So perfectly is the voice synchronised with the movements and gestures of the speaker that the whole scene is brought before the audience, su that they might actually be attending a similar event in their own city. The cheers of the immense crowd present and all the incidental sounds are also reproduced with startling fidelity. Another . Bhort . wll ich is almost litelike in its realism is the representation of General Godley welcoming a contingent of visiting Americans to the. famous fort of Gibraltar, and here again the words of the general’s speech come out strong and clear, and with complete naturalness. Further realism is added to the scene by the fact that one hears tho_clatter, of traffic and the blending of voices of people of all nations assembled on the quay in tne cosmopolitan Pert. “ In a Music Shoppe ” is a novel movietone feature, which depicts an incident in the life of Stephen Collins Foster, the composer of “ My Old Kentucky Home” and many other American folk-songs, it is really a charming little musical playlet, in which song and dialogue are cleverly blended, and it shows, perhaps, more clearly than any of the features, the immense possibilties of the “ talkies.” The programme, however, has more to offer than merely talking films. These, of course, are its most interesting aspect, but at their conclusion the audience is treated to another unusual feature in the shape of the Roxy Theatre Orchestra, a wonderful band of 110 performers, which accompanies a sound-sync.hronised picture, “ The Red Dance.” Apart from the accompanying music, which is exceptionally well played, the theme of the picture itself is cleverly worked out, and the acting is excellent. Dolores Del Rio and Charles Farrell are seen in the leading roles. The plot centres round incidents in the Russian Revolution, and Miss Del Rio takes the part of Tasia, a Russian girl, whose mother and father were tortured by the Cheka for no other reason than that they taught the villagers to read. The mother dies, the father is thrown into prison, and Tasia swears revenge. Then comes into the picture the Grand Duke Eugene, a haughty aristocrat, who, by all the laws of the Soviet, should be her deadliest enemy. And so he is until his charm and gallantry and the fact that his sympathies are really with the people, completely overcome the girl’s

enmity, with the result that she loses her heart to him-—an affection which is reciprocated. On the outbreak of the revolution Tasia’s personality and talent win for her a, part at the Moscow Theatre, of Sbe eventua Hy becomes the star. She is still, however, fiercely independent, but, although she does not waver from her revolutionary principles, her love for the duke remains as firm as ever. She meets him secretly, and they are happy in each others love until the secret committee of the revolutionaries discover their love affair and decide that the duke must be killed. Ivan, an uncouth giant of, a man, who was formerly a private in the Imperial Army, but who has now risen to the position of a general in the revolutionary forces, offers to see that the execution is carried out, and, to make sure, decides to do the shooting himself. Here, however, Tasia steps in, and by her wiles manages to get Ivan to become a party to a plot to save the duke’s life. Ivan, fascinated by Tasia’s personality and almost believing her assurance that the duke’s sympathies are really with the people, sees that blank ammunition is used when the proposed execution takes place, with the result that the duke, who has been warned beforehand, feigns death, and with the aid of Ivan eventually escapes. Ivan Linow takes the part of Ivan, and gives a splendid characterisation. In fact, it may be said with truth that his acting capabilities are in proportion to hia bulk —which is huge. Miss Del Rio has a role w'hich suits her beauty and vivacious ! personality to perfection, and Charles Far- ' rail gives a restrained but striking rendering of the part of the duke. The musical score, played by the Roxy Orchestra, is altogether delightful, although there is a curious feeling of unreality as the music appears to issue from the screen. A charming melody, “ Somewhere, Sometime, We’ll Meet Again,” forms the theme of the score, and at the conclusion of the film the Roxy Male Choir sings the number feelingly and with admirable clarity. EMPIRE THEATRE. Delightful artistry was the key dominant of the stage entertainment which was given its initial presentation at the Empire Theatre last evening. The two entertainers, Martin Macduff and Ivy Jermyn, delighted the audience with a tastefully arranged and flawlessly executed selection of vocal and instrumental numbers, and at the conclusion of their turn were forced to respond to insistent demands for an encore. The opening selections were provided by Martin Macduff, who possesses a pleasing tenor voice, his “ Mother of Mine ” and “ Charmaine ” being well received. Miss Ivy Jermyn then showed that she was a violinist of more than average calibre, and rendered “ Hejre Kati” (Hubay) with excellent spirit. The remainder of the entertainment was a clever arrangement of operatic airs which the vocalist delivered with good effect. Miss Jermyn providing a sympathetic violin accompaniment. Among the operatic selections were “La Donna e Mobile” (Rigoletto), the prologue from “ I Pagliaoci,” and the “Miserere” from “II Trbvatore.” The principal feature on the picture programme, which is essentially of a light character, is “The Gate Crasher,” with Glenn Try on and Pq,tsy Ruth Miller In the leading roles. In his latest starring vehicle, which is a comedy of the most hilarious type, Tryon proves himself to be a comedian of the first flight, and his inimitable drollery combined with his remarkable flair for getting himself into the most ridiculous situations, provides an abundance of humour that is absolutely irresistible. Patsy Ruth Miller, who plays feminine lead, gives a delightful portrayal of the part of a stage star with whom the hero falls in love, and also supplies a brand of humour entirely t a ? d t .* 3e com kined performances of the two loading players go to make one ot most laughable comedies seen in this city for some considerable time tryon is seen as Dick Henshaw. an amateur country detective, who meets Mara Di Leon, a stage star, while she is returning to New York. He falls in love with her and accidentally saves her jewellery from being stolen by her maid and press agent, who are in league with each other. He follows her to New York, and arrives on the scene when she discovers that her jewels have been stolen again. In spite of all obstacles that are put in his way" by Maras rascally press agent, Dick persists in his endeavours to locate the stolen jewels, and in the course of his peregrinations arrives at the theatre where Mara is acting in a Roman play. After an amusing interlude Dick finds himself in a prominent position on the stage, and his antics in a burlesque Roman costume are irresistibly funny. He is ejected finally, but is still determined to discover the missing jewels. He catches the maid and the press agent plotting, and perceives a way m which to secure possession of the necklace. At a night club he disguises himself, as a performer and seizes both the money which Mara is - paying the thieves and the jewels which the thieves are returning. Then ensues a series of thrilling and hilarious adventures, which concludes witli the arrest of the thieves and the culmination of the romance between Dick and Mara. “The. Butter and Egg Man,” the second featured film, is a comedy in which Jack Mulhall jind Greta Nbsen fill the leading roles. The two principals give excellent portrayals of their parts, and provide some very bright comedy work. The story deals with a young man from the country who is induced to put his money into a theatrical show for which the producers cannot provide sufficient capital. The show proves a failure, but, mainly for the sake of the leading lady, the new financier buys the production outright for a mere song and changes the character of the plot from a drama to a comedy. The new production ,is an instantaneous success, and the former producers, realising that they have’ been hoist with their own petard, attempt to buy the play again. The story then takes an amusing and unexpected turn, in which the former producers, who had used the young man to their own ends, are again outwitted, and the hero finds happiness with his leading lady. The Empire Orchestra, under the baton of Mr C. Aves, provides an excellent programme of incidental music, the musical entr’acte being the overture from “William Tell.” GRAND AND PLAZA THEATRES. A double-feature programme of outstanding merit is being shown at the Grand and Plaza Theatres. Heading the new bill is the British Dominions Films’ latest release, “ A Woman iu Pawn,” which is a thrilling melodrama of a London business man’s combat with a financial rival. The picture is based upon the inviolability of the marriage bond. One man secures another man’s wife in pawn, and the crux of the drama is the discovery of the body of the murdered philanderer under peculiar circumstances which throw suspicion on both husband and wife. The mystery surrounding the crime develops into a strong situation between the two. The play is somewhat melodramatically treated on the screen, but it remains essentially a drama in which the characters dominate the strong and intriguing situations. This combination of treatment ensures that “ A Woman in Pawn ’’ carries an irresistible appeal for students of humanity and those who are entertained by the interplay of circumstance and plot. Two British stars are featured in John Stuart and Gladys Finninga, who give a polished display of acting. The plot of the picture revolves around’ an, unscrupulous financier who measures feminine reputations in cash terms. Adhering to this theory, he precipitates a double domestic crisis, and is murdered. The murder further complicates the crisis, which affects two homes, and the reactions of widely divergent : types to the circumstances provide enthralling study and entertainment. The second feature picture is “ A Lunatic at Large," with two popular players in Leon Errol and Dorothy Mackaill in the lead- : Ing roles. Buried beneath a heap of '

sand, gravel, and clay for sis hours was one of the unpleasant experiences of Leon Errol during the filming of exterior scenes for the picture. In the production Errol is tricked into a private sanatorium for feebleminded men of wealth. He escapes in a series of most amusing adventures, and finally he confronts a quartet of guards. A headlong plunge over a stone wall lands him in a gravel pit just in time to be picked up by a steam shovel and dumped into a huge pile of sand, gravel, and clay. Mingled with the hilarious comedy arc plenty of thrills, including a mad leap from a dirigible by Errol and Dorothy Mackaill, and an explosion that blows Errol through a wall. It i e an ideal story for. Errol, and he puts forth lus finest work. The picture is a riot of fun from the opening to the final scene. In addition, the latest British News is screened, and also a new series of comedies entitled “Walter the Sleuth.” EVERYBODY’S THEATRE. Bright comedy with fast-moving action, .good society background, and plenty of situations which cannot fail to . appeal to picture patrons are furnished in “Golf Widows,” the Columbia production which heads the new programme at Everybody’s .theatre. The complications which arise over the foursome are cleverly worked out, the laughs are new and amusing, and particularly pertinent to golf. Men will be sympathetic toward the two harassed husbands, who go to extremes to keep their game, while the women will understand the psychology of the wives, who seek, adventure and get more thin they bargain for. “Golf Widows” relates the adventures of an insurance salesman, who is always ready to write policies on every possible risk. He has two clients who prove very profitable. These men insure their games against rain, themselves against losing their wives, and their homes against damage from a misguided ball in golt practice matches. The insurance agent learns that big profession is at times dangerous, and frequently leads to embarrassing complications. The two golf enthusiasts find that infatuation for the game is a certain cause of domestic troubles and also a very expensive pastime. Their wives realise that it does not pay to go hunting for adventures if one is married to a golfer. The plot revolves around the persons who are neglected because of the game, and the complications which arise when wives revolt. The action is fast all through. A beautiful home is nearly demolished through an indoor practice game. The insurance agent becomes involved in an airplane thriller and a gambling resort in Mexico is all but wrecked when two angry husbands try to find their wives, and a fiery girl seeks her sweetheart in the place. The cast includes Vera Reynolds, Harrison Ford, John Patrick, Sally Rand, Kathleen Key, Vernon Dent, and Will Stanton. The supporting picture is “ The Plastic Ago,” featuring Clara Bow. It is a story of youth of fast-moving phases, but the picture holds just as .much interest for adults. " The Plastic Age ” has a definite moral to depict, which necessitates the showing of life which youth is apt to follow when it breaks away from the family circle for the first time. The story is logical. It has romance and action that is spurred by a youthful gaiety that is always colourful. It is an American college story, and Mies Bow and Donald Keith have the romantic leading parts, and their work is of a bright and finished order. The entire picture is full of dramatic action and sparkling comedy that make up college life. Several wellknown screen players are in the cast. An excellent selection of supporting pictures completes the new programme. KING EDWARD THEATRE. Two very fine pictures head the new programme at the King Edward Theatre. “ Kit Carson,” which features Fred Thomson and his wonder horse, Silvel- King, is the principal production. It is a Western story of more than usual merit. The spectacular backgrounds, mass movements of white men and Indians, together with struggles between trappers and red men, all combine to make “Kit Carson” one of the outstanding pictures released for some time past. Fred Thomson and his horse are well-known to picture patrons, and in this latest production-the cowboy and the horse are seen at their best. There are two love stories threaded into this fast-moving Western drama. One love story concerns an Indian girl and the other a Spanish woman. Nora Lane plays the latter role, while Dorothy Janis, a new screen artist, takes the part of the Indian girl. “ Golf Widows ” is the title of the second picture. The production can be described as light farce. Vera Reynolds and Harrison Ford arc the featured players. “Golf Widows ” is a story of the links, in which lively golfers and wandering wives become entangled in a web of most amusing complications. The picture is notable for the unusual situations, spontaneous humour, and remarkable photography. Several good supporting pictures complete a very entertaining programme. MOSGIEL PICTURES. The plot of “ Man, Woman, and Wife,” a picture with an underworld theme, to be shown at the Mosgiel Municipal Theatre to-night, concerns two women and three men. They are all inextricably tangled in the web of fate, and are dependent on one another for success or failure. Norman Kerry, Pauline Stark, and Marion Nixon are featured in this intriguing drama. FLOOD RELIEF ENTERTAINMENT. "Ups and Downs,” which will be presented at Burns Hall to-night and on Monday, promises to be a delightful entertainment for young and old al’ke. The programme consists of some of the best new comedy playlets and a scene from “ Hypolytus,” by Euripedis, in which the staging and dressing is said to be very picturesque. The name of Miss G. Helen Gard’ner as producer should be sufficient guarantee of an excellent show. Included iu the caste are such well-known performers as Miss Madge Yates, Sheila Neilson, Nancy Abernethy, Tui Bowman, Margaret Seelye, Mr Harold Bain, Mr Norman West, and many others.