AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21196, 29 November 1930, Page 19

AMUSEMENTS.

EMPIRE THEATRE. Brilliant dialogue, an intriguing plot, jnd, above all. perfect English fully spoken by an all-British cast, are toe essentials which go to make “ Loose Ends, . which had its initial Dunedin screening at the Empire Theatre yeaterday a veritable triumph of British filmSF a j% .It, has been said that “Loose a ii-British picture yet produced, and after witnessing it one S a ° e A dl Kbeheve that the claim is well founded, for certainly nothing exactly like «rr| f V Y ,f r bee n shown in Dunedin before! “L I *.” equally certain that from the point of view, of actios and general orohardly be if* 48 ® R ay from which the Mitrd f be l n ada Pted is admirably 8^j 8d for transference to the screen, and thl3 iMbe all-important fact ® nt l d by f Perfectly-balanced Th2;«“ en ?l ,er . of w bich is a star. 0 s iv e ,Baues *° distract the / fa t *be main theme—the plot +hn„«t“ e^ t c-J tra l l8 b tforw erd, and althpugh at first \ there are, aa it were several;^loose ends ” these, after the first eethc? l^ 68 ’ ar ® neat, y gathered tof d int ° a Powerful, human. mS. - rt is ‘be story of a -• >han who, after serving a lengthy term of Servitude /for what would appear iim fl Aif‘ P p er lj otl i v J “ Bt,fia bie homicide, finds ' ? brought into the whirl ot present-day London society. His history unknown, he falls in love with, and -ffSST £ he set/ only , to find that their ways do not lie along , < ibe same lines, and that in 15 years a ha A come over, the world he.psed to know. He is appalled at what loose ways of bis ’ a s. d Btdl more upset to find that she .takes them quite in the natural rSSfitt ' H i, e - vent ?- Tnen comes the cxrrnno of 15, years ago, 'and ' uH a , re , bla tni e friends, a dia--wTwbL b i cb u leadß to a, somewhat surKirL^ 8 4j p ut sitogether satisfactory climax. vtoi fiarai, in the leading role has a. frvum icb i 1 !- 5 * 8 118 naturally ..aa a“ d bis portrayal of Mai“an who loses hspiouH OM of fi fl d V fc Kain ' ia Without aZ wli i® finest pieces, of character T n A«f ß p„Tr h b A B - ever been seen on the Hls P, art calls for a porwayaL sueffi as could be presented only but he is equa? to •very difficulty, and although at times ~.'“0 has .to rise to dramatic heights K™fp rained ’ and displays any tendency , to , over-act. Edna Best nlavs opposite to him in the role of his wife - vary convincing, although Adrianne .. dually good in the partof* the sophisticated yet sincere society woman CMthrop is-also well east.' Apart from d^aToOT? Pblßt -+S ted at times daring dialogue with which • the . production 4{^'^i dfl ’ - tb !i. m<? ? t ' notewo rthV feature of - of t?L a^vt?le demand cultured diction f n fc pnnclpa fe- is a sbeer delight t° hear, pure English perfectly snoken and the pleasure In this featare i «S----siderably enhanoed by the fact that the : thar > «nfi°v l J'broughout is everything « he desired. It is, for instance! a toeat to heaq ; once : more “good-bva"' spoken clearly and .crisply, instead of a F^‘ lEton e d . “good-Dyee," iea f b honestly . recommended as worth seeing. Another Woß^w h^ ,ct 4 r ®’ Quiet on the the supporting •feature, and, it also, as comedies go indi<>f. perfection to which list' studios have brought their nst, it is an hilarious comedy, which is one, long laugh from beginning to end f Ipcluding sqme dancing and tune^ . M songs, - it is , an .intensely humorous S r En2w Fuller, one ■ “A'l, Bland s bast-known comedians ’ is in Ss aubaidiary parte !£?- by a capable cast. An interThf 5? “ 8180 shown, an inSS Orchestra has become i ; with music lovers and SSjT lb® direction of M. de Rose it proiwur fra week:—Overture, selentinn 0 f (S&ii)” 5 ' Bpd . ent^? ct ,®' “ Semiramide ”• ■ . - PRINCESS THEATRE in motion picture prbdue?!second place only to tKe introduction of .sound ia P XteSphy In uow-a “talld^' le a l bnost , av - ery Picture 13 a few are coloured. e , atre *** bad a large’ fet w° P !j^ ctu T, es ’' and the B H °ld Everythingwhich had ua ..first, screening yesterday. It ia a ? yp * , ?® der “ American Mmedy, en* . b “A ed , ft by # spectacular scenes “ f ad ? da “bly attractive .by. the . brilliance - veoch the perfection that producers have • been .seeking for so : long, but ft liaß a , attractiveness which is- well ' & *** fil“ a as Everything. The picture, however, has other claims to-the attention of theatregoers, amonk which are the Inclusion in • to®. C S- of - such noted comedy players as inme Lightier. of “ Gold Diggers of ?„ raa 4 wa y. fame; and Joe E. TBrown* one of the most famdiar figures of sUent Terhaps.even more intereatac that Carpehtier, the once-famoua boxer,, ia included in the ' c“ ter I s oho - of the most in- > hr^^S 8 fi*“, r . es , whom modern boxing hae brought to light, and it waa not-long : a _7 er b l ® retirement that he became an actor. • Aa the picture: deals mainly with testers, was a natural choice .*’) to® leading role, and those who have read of hia .doings in the ring will, enioy him in a typical screen bout, short and willing. “Hold Everything,” of . course, is primarily a comedy, and the w -provided almost exclusively by , 4 Wumie liightner and Brown. Miss Light“a.r, to.so well known that little need be said of her performance. She has seve“Umbera, and her conversation is I’"* 1 ? -to “so while the spirit and energy which she'infuses into her part v ? re astonishing..-Brown is always amus- ' tr, u * bird-rate pugiiiat, with an nn^ BK O eC i . ldea of bis pwn capabilities asleep while he is supposed to be training. Ole partioular fight in’ which he is featured i» pic *” e « a delightful piece of nonsense, and while it is in progress the -with laugW It ’ kmd J° f mcident in which the dT r Prod^ er is at hia ; best. - Carpentier, as the hero of ' bas several songs to contribute, and as an actor he is quite ebn- • , A boxing role is one in which w/ fu be. expected to be quite at home, ' h?« d '% n° th A n r?r amateturish about b £™ rk - .Sally O’Neill also ha a an imrole. There is no lull in the witty dialogue and broad comedy of the picture - except when spectacular scene! we oa-woßiilly The sum ports vary cons derably in style, and open o 8 tU eketc mL on bathing fashions to to® nineties. There is a short story dqahng with a daring robbery in which four persons are concerned. All the • action takes place in one room, where * amons the Parsons ind Tk Up a t( ? ta ly ““expected "to I®* 1 ®*- There is a cleverly-illustrated song-dealing with the Mississippi flood, Bhort co “ edy item, as wefi as the usual news reel, STRAND THEATRE. . An enthusiastic audience greeted the ' Tito Furies" at to! Strand Theatre last night, and it .was quite evident that the audience was imd rt bjr tbe fact thattoe productfon is one of toe most remarkable shown in Dun- - to^ so to e tfin® paflt - Tense and weird v . oven for the audience that at the same ifc*- tb« k biti ng satire of to! . P? xhe Furies has a powerful dramatic appeal- It is many-sided. It i B some- , toing that will- intrigue and entertain 1 almost anyone, regardless of his or her taste in film entertainment. Although a mnrder mystery film,/'The Furies" tells at the same time a poignant and dramatic riory of New YorkVsocial elect. It is a First National and VTtaphone all-dialogue production, in which superb performances on the part of the featured players—H. ;B. Warner and Lois Wilson—contribute , m no small measure to its success. There is. also uniformly fine work by the talented supporting cast. . The acting of Theodor \ y° D Jr? 2 ’ Natalie Moorehead, Jane Wintofi, Tyler Brooke, Alan Birmingham, and . others leaves notoing to be desired in this direction. The plot begins in such a convincing way that one learns of a millionaire husband trying to divorce his wife, f ; -. and_ that an.mtrigue is being schemed by another man to get possession of both the ■wwnan and her alimony. Then comes the V death of the husband. He heroine finds

herself in a vortex of evil purposes, schemes, and conspiracies. Men make love to tuft woman* but under the circumstanced 5 ot r dec !u 6 vbo to trust and who to In st^ y > J °bn Sands is a man. His affairs with women are common talk In New York and result in constant embarrassment for his 1 wife, played by Lois Wilson. She does not love totoi but is prevented from securing a divorce by Oliver Bedlow, Sands’s lawyer. Who time and again interferes when it seems that she had sufficient evidence to support a divorce action. The part of Bedlow is played by H. B. Warner. ba “as a wife loves Owen M'Donald, her childhood sweetheart. He and Bedlow. are very • antagonistic towards each other A dinner is given in the apartment of Harvey Smith in honour of Sands’s wife. When the guests are about to sit down to dinner. ?. anc to?, SOn rushes in with the news that hia father has been murdered. Bedlow tries indirectly to accuse M'Donald of the murder. Sands’s wife tells the district attorney the truth about her relations with M Donald. The woman feels that in the mind of her son she is being tried for complicity in the murder of her husband, one realises that the only way she can clearherself in the' eyes of her son 'is to ask Bedlow to take over the case and prove that M'Donald is innocent. At first Bedlow is deaf to the woman’s entreaties, put consents to take the case when he learns,that she no longer loves M'Donald. J-liere follows a strange scene in which the woman finds herself alone with Bedlow. He then confesses that he has long loved her, and admits that he murdered her husband. Bedlow suggests a suicide pact, flu© calls for help, and when an entrance to the room' is made by Dr Cummings and Sands’s son, they find that Bedlow has meat his death by leaping to the pavement below. The new programme also contains an excellent assortment of short films. A New Zealand Government publicity film- entitled “Sunshine Sands” to both interesting and instructive, as it gives an majght into the attractive places' of the Dominion. The talking News reel is of the usual* absorbing nature, and a good selection of'talking and singing features adds greatly to toe attractions.. OCTAGON THEATRE.A torilling melodrama in which events move quickly occupies the principal place on the current programme at the Octagon Theatre. The story oM'Temple Tower” has no dull moments, and from the very outset Jfche attention of the audience ia nvetted-on. the .screen as, the action diacloses _ BulldoK * Drummond fighting to save the woman with whom he has fallen in love* There ia, for instance, the se-quence-where the girl is seen inside the tower, prisoner of a criminal and a halfmad jewel thief, with the intrepid Drummond outside,-baffled-by the' spiked walls and barred windows. Neither Drummond nor the girl knows if the other is still pvesor not.. AM behind them both lurks the sinister figure of the masked strangler, .with murdA in his heart. Temple Tower" can be described as a . a startlingly new • kind, but it ia a talking picture as entertaining “ original in treatment: ■ro a iit. w ,, • own screen actor, Henry B. Walthall, gives, one of his best performances as Blackton, the man who hTs tol o^roS^ d toe other .members of toe gang. The, comedy work is capably supplied friend in the toaracter. of Peter Darrell. Kenneth “fu®^ aTlc . e 8 his reputation altoto y ®? ta bhshed in many notable ecreei ?b?af QC » 10n - 8, - and Day has the role i . aß th e mysteriou! tab?« snPPortmg programme contains some subjects. The list includes a Fox-Movietone News a Pathe comedy, entitled- " So This l! fi ar ria Ke " screen snapshots, and another Horoscope senes'concerning " People Bom in m!!?’ ■ REGEOT THEATRE. WMS Ce a«j Xt V^ r fi several weciM ago, Mr Alec Regan's Regent Rpvnette has come-to be one of toe'most popular entertainments in town, and the new programme which was peered last n JIH by tb“ talented company of local arfisto seryeAonly to make Its popularity !f«rf 89l i d I,^ right and breezy from ® pisb ’ toe- revuette—which is described as^. a pot-pourri of the Regent nfT® lt - consists of-some of Ran* n „ numb era in the previous presentations—has some excellent song numbers, graceful dancing and hauuv din°ffer * re “ava ls members hi x-L vov. t of . them comprising “ toe title of the Rockets, ’ adds a flavour to the mass numbers and also presents one or two items of its own which are more than accepttole. He first of these is “Cheer Up, m which..the Rockets" introduce too revuette with some' spirited dancing. Miaa Tur Northcy and Mr Jim Maofa?imf! he f r » iH I,m “ Training ’* fad the Rockets” are again to the fore "A Rhapaodv to of a ' Rfrw IVer ' f To toe mellow strains jL Steauss s eevr-famous " Blue Danube," the dancers, beautifully frocked in blue and . ail X er j. vender what is probably the priff tlV Thi em / f * be “ w bich ar! presentecu ino • dancing is excollPTit throughout, and the stage effects provide toe very necessary atmosphere in! manner calculated to please all. Miss Amta Wmfcel an<i Messrs Alee Regan and calkd " Th° P n r sent Jt. Wtle g sketch i- .-pqnare Triangle," which B ft a neW hßh the burning question of .toe ages. The players are all that could be desired, and the sketch £ mo!t Vida Mackenzie and 3fs. a dt"hd u Mr c; svs spssS z popularity .that is his/-toiA item prove! enjoyable, ‘'ifs Tulip T?me iff Messrs Stan La^soS d ß w? *r? ane ““ opportunity to snow what tbey can do in the way of clog dancing while-the “Rockets" provide a dainty background. Miss Rifn Holmes and Mr BrlSdon FinSn are Rompo e « rd ftoe pianos in "Ragamuffin Romeo and there is a short humorous interlude in which Mr Regan and Mr Sten Lawson are heard. The revuette is brought to a conclusion with-; a series of old-time fff 8 ! b X jb® T b^f J c 2, mpany * Such favourites as Doves Old Sweet Song,” "If You were the Only Girl in the World." and Pack Up Your Troubles" are included and the curtain falls on the last song. The whole production is staged in a manne! TOnrerned^ 6048 CoDSlderable cr edit on all tain. b nl& r *u Pr 4 gramme 5a no. less entertaining than the stage presentation, Ramon Novarrehas toe leading role in “ In Gay an 4 pla ys the part of the selfish,, conceited lover, of high life to perfection. Novarro has played to many notable pictures, but his most outetaS Rpn® P T T QW k was pvobably that ofHur in the picture of that name. It can safely be said that his work in his newest production is of an even higher standard than m the other picture. 'He has the support of Dorothy Jordan as toe heroine of the story, Lottice Howell as the vamp, and Claude King as the father of the here. The scene of the picture is the gay city of Madrid, centre of the highlife,of modern Spain. Ricardo, leader of the younger set, is in one of his favourite haunts, a night club of not very good reputation. Goyita, the vamp, sings, and Ricardo goes to meet her afterwards. ■ Rivas, _ a famous bullfighter, appears, and there is a quarrel over the girl. Ricardo t ®nnceal the escapade from his latheri fautthe newspapers have the story and his father is not to be denied. He decides that a quieter atmosphere would be more smted_to one so high spirited, and he informs Ricardo that he will go to coHege in . Santiago. The boy is appalled at the idea of living in such a place, hut he takes v heart when he is introduced to hia sdiool fellows and to the sister of his mend, Ernesto. His adventures in the town g.re related to toe' romantic twang of serenading guitars amidst the old-world glory of provincial Spain, and the story leads up to a climax of the sort which is the delight of every theatregoer. There is no lack of romance in the production, and drama and comedy are so closely, yet judiciously, interwoven that there is not a dull moment in toe wholepicture. The supporting films include a Hearst Metrotone news reel and a Hal Roach comedy. ROXY THEATRE. The prominent picture in the list screened for the first time yesterday afternoon a t the Roxy Theatre was “ Atlantic," which, as its title indicates, is largely a .story of toe sea. “ Atlantic ’’ is a British International picture, and has been well directed by E A, Dupont. The story is founded upon Ernest Raymond’s popular novel, _ The Berg,” and, amongst those assuming leading characters are John Dongdou. Monty Banka, Donald Calthrop, Ellahne Terns, Madeleine Carroll Sydney Lynn, and Franklyn Dyall. The picture represents & wreck at sea. In connection

with which the cynical John Rool disgreater mind, and heart, than otnere from whom much more might have been expected. The opening scene 'is the aecJr of an ocean liner. It ia moonlight, and a dance ia in progress, and everything is bright and happy. Here there is introduced to s notice John Rool, a famous author, who is paralysed, his wife Alice, a clergyman, and Monica and Lawrence, a newly-married couple. Suddenly there is a hint of approaching danger, but this ia very properly kept from the passengers. An iceberg is sighted, there is a terrific impact, the hold is flooded, and the S.O.S. sent put. This particular scene ia extremely well depicted. The lifeboats are being filled with women in an excited and exhausted condition, helpless children are hurried into the boats, while in the stnokr£oln Lanchester. the second officer, tells Rool that the ship may keep afloat for three hours, and that there is no hope for anyone who may be left on board. The wireless calls for v assistance have been picked up, and there is a prospect of help arriving in time to avert a disastrous loss or life, but there is serious trouble owing to the fact that the boats will accommovery ew . mo *‘ e than the women and children. During the wait 'for assistance the true nature of the principals becomes prominept. In the end it is John Rool who dominates the situation, and arranges cii young husband Lawrence shall ““his place in the lifeboat. It is a case of greater love bath no man than this.” A rather- strong contrast 'is drawn between his action and that of others. Lanchester, the second officer, has a chince of escape from the ship, but his fate is never known. The last few moments are reached, and, in an awful scene of panic, the liner sinks. Of course, that is not the complete “ nls h of the story. Amongst the supports are Trooping the Colours" (a pageant), an amusing comedy, and a very fine New Government scenic, in which some of the beauty spots of New Zealand are to be seen. KING EDWARD THEATRE. “To-night at Twelve," Universal’s sensational and daring all-talking screen production of Ewen Davis’s famous stage p!ay, will open to-day at the King Edward Theatre. The picture, which was directed by, Harry Pollard, who directed Show Boat," has an all-star caist, including Madge Bellamy,' Robert Ellis. Margaret Livingston, Vera Reynolds, Norman Trevor, Hallam Cooley; Mary Doran, u e? r Be Lewis, Madeline Seymour, Josephine Brown, and Don Douglas. The very mixed nature of the cast' is remarkable when one considers that it contains a girl froma little town in Texas, a tea merchant from Calcutta, a Salt Lake City high school girl, a boy from Brooklyn, a college girl from New York, a girl from old Virginia, a lad from London, a Chicago woman,. a man who played opMexido L City an Ellssel1 ’ and a boy fr <>ni OPERATIC CONCERT. In response to numerous requests Signor Giovanni Stella will present Signorina Graziella. Rossi in a concert at the Town Hall, on December 13. Signorina Rossi was very favourably received at the recent Soyal Dunedin Male Choir concert, and will again be heard, in operatic arias. Critics consider .that Signorina. Rossi’s +w e I s °. ne vi extraordinary promise, and that she is likely to prove one of the most outstanding vocalists that the Dominion ba ®/ e * produced ‘ .Signor Stella will also render some operatic excerpts, SKATING. ’ REGAL RINK. Prophecies of those who. when the first skating rink was opened “ ■ P“nedm, voiced the opinion that the popularity of the sport .would be short lived m _th!s city, attendances continue to be entirely satisfactory at the Regal Skating Rink. Th 6j floo/has stood % nrLp l he ear ’ a “ d the high-class skates 1 naW d e 7f r F satisfaction to patrons, men added, to this the memthe staff do all in their power to thnfif T>,i, oUrteoU j and. efficient service to those who .spend an hour or so on the the^tot 6 h B not - tO 4. be ™ nd ered at that the public** 8 maintai n® d lts favour with KING’S RINK. cent l al fjtuation and smooth ‘.King’s Skating Rink Jr RTtS Btree \ hld3 / alr to become one of the most popular places of amusement ;w- olty a S? DS devotees of the sport pvnluil 1 ? 8 ’ The artistic decorations and exceHent appointments add greatly to the pleasure of. patrons, and careful attenfew B lve “ by the staff to all skaters, whether experienced or mere novices. For the latter special classes are held, and it wjllnot be the fault of the managemeilt U tney do not speedily become proficient. MINIATURE GOLF. The sport of miniature golf has rapidly grown in popularity in Dunedin, and the SVTI i n .tig city-are the scenes a hard-fought and scientific game between those who have acquired protb? art of piloting the Tali f au “ d deceiving corners and tricky about d thp Ther f e - is a c | r tain fascination about the pastime, and when the links thJ e Jip e added attraction of being out in if k° P J n A 1T l } WOU - Id be strange indeed The F,.H d p n ?* re ?f l y. e liberal oiT ? ut t golf links in King street should during the long, evenings of the tatorrw ° r be a centred enter! asfe golfed * large number of enthusiLAURIER THEATRE. b Cbalmert is 6 “ii he * colo L Ur “ this production is a notable feautre. Th* j* i S.M.* Co | mt, - any M branded performers song hits are mint, in 4.1, •' Many famous .i«|rlu” l iff to Your Twolins ” “ Juleps “Welcome Home." Sffi « My Dreams “ TKn * . Me Have Attto Late Liu, 81 Brown, and. Sam Hardy Them ‘ a beauty ballet of 100 girls.' als °