AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21216, 23 December 1930, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS.

EMPIRE THEATRE. "Love Among the Millionaires,” a comedy-drama featuring the vivacious Clara Bow is. the current attraction at the Empire Theatre* The plot is by no means a new. one, but. it is so skilfully dressed and contains such a wealth of novel and entertaining passages. that it does not suffer on that score:' Clara Bow appears as . Pepper Whipple, a waitress in a railroad cafe owned by her father, played by Charles Sellon. A chance meeting with Jerry, Hamilton (Stanley Smith), a son of the railroad president, paves the way to romance, aided by the fact that Jerry is masquerading as a brakeman in order to learn the fundamentals of the business. Pepper's father, who in his earlier days had once come to, blows with Jerry's father and had been subsequently disny®sed from the railroad service, learns of the deception and attempts to separate the pair, but Jerry, aided by Pepper’s precocious little sister Penelope (Mitzi Green), whirls her off to his home at Palin Beach. His father, however, is strongly opposed to the match, and when Jerry is disinherited Pepper makes a desperate effort to turn him against her, one pretends to be drunk and insults the guests right and left and succeeds in shocking Jerry, Whipple, followed by a bodyguard of disappointed suitors to Peppers hand, arrives on the scene. The precocious Penelope discovers Pepper’s Meme, which has been sponsored by ..Jerrys father, and Whipple, when he learns’the true facts-of the case, makes a complete volte face, and becomes greatly incensed, finally' clashing with his old enemy,' Jerry’s father, -once more. This time, however, he 'is ’ numbered amongst Vanquished, and from then onwards the tide turns in the young lovers' favour. Tn addition there, is a strong supporting programme. The box plans are at the Bristol and at the theatre. “THE CUCKOOS.” ■ “ The Cuckoos,” Radio Pictures’ riotous comedy, will open at the Empire Theatre' on Friday. “The Cuckoos” is a new type of screen musical play. .• It is not a revue, >_and it is not a musical comedy. • The film is based on a welldeveloped plot, and has a pleasing little romantic story running throughout. The comedy is of prime importance. Those two inimitable comedians. Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, of “Rio Rita” fame, clown their way through the show. The picture is, completely theirs—a delirious concoction of delightful nonsense. “The a,“ir°5 S -it a l avist Production. It is dressed with extraordinary settings and costumes; the cast includes seven featured players in addition to Wheeler and Woolsey,. and hundreds of singers, dancers, musicians, and extra, players. A large portion is filmed in teehnicolour. Ten melodious song Kits give it a most impressive musical score. Among the most son ?®’ composed by Bert Kalmar- and Harry Jluby, are “I Love You So; Much/* “All Alone Monday,” _D the Devil Away,” “ Wherever You Are, Laugh To-day and Crv Tomorrow.” and “ OaliforniZ Skies.” Wim some June Clyde and Hugh Trevor carry nor^K m T nCe l n most effective style e ‘ e p-? a 4 e s H ch an outstandH Rj *a Wlth Wheeler and Woolsey, has the choicest part of her film then* Te * lB S^r° W ’ Ivan Lebedeff, MitTol 1 Ln L w rl -' S i Margnerita Padlua, and 5 d i effectively round o nt the cast. Ihe box plans for the entire season STRAND THEATRE. Youn£ M nnrl An n eß,, i Loretta young and Douglas Fairbanks, W ia, the principal, film ’ at present the Strand Theatre. ■ S 1 ® ■ numerous-.v-sequences• Ankleß ,w, "a; merry fnixture .of r™ an 4 romance. Miss_ Young and Doug-trn-ij^air^aphs. jun., give excellent poras.tlle y°?ng lovers. Miss Young fi^!° s IVA r i resistll ? le charm, iand is a little actrefes. The veherable and j Harlan . also Daphne Pollard and Eddie Nugent, are also very •PP' > Tnez Courtney gives a very clever performance, as the girl friend of e Louise Fazenda, is dressed c!t' v. er : us hal fashion in “Loose Ankles.” She swearß^the old-sty 1 e clothes and eyeglasses .which helped her to reach such heights, on the screen. There I are several ycry .tuneful .numbers in the produe,f?cn. ,; .The : _twq; idngs . j which will come into; popular,;favour- are ‘f Whoopin’ It F?, and Loose They are both fox-trote,;.and were written by the well-known team of Meskill and Wendling. .There ■is an - excellent supporting’ prortamme of short-films-' eHildren, as well as adults -mil End much to’ amuse in an Aesop fable,.These fable subjects never fail to provide entertainment, and the present one is equal- to,; if not. even • better than,' those -_ shown previously. . “ Laundry ■“‘Oea is another very-amusing film, and a New, Zealand Government scenic is not only entertaining, but is also of an educational nature. Several talking and singing features and a talking News reel complete an attractive programme. The pox. plans ;are at the Bristol, s' . OCTAGON THEATRE. The Golden-, Calf,” one of‘-’the two feature pictures bn the current programme at the .Octagon Theatre, is a comedy purely .and simply, in which the to am .-burden of the work falls'upon the shoulders of Sue Carol, Jack Mulhall and Marjorie White. _ The story tells of the efforts of two artists and their, secretary to make brush and pencil draw, through the medium of poster advertising, some of the -wealth of the business world into their own coffers. A great deaT of laughter is produced fey the work of Sue : Carol, who, first seen as- a prim, ■; old maidish secretary, converts herself -by a metamorphosis as striking as it is unexpected into an artist’s model, and in the process gains the desire of her heart. Tp “ A ' Rough Romance,” which is the . other film, the first scene shows Marha. Reynolds, who lives with her father in a .lonely' cabin in the far north. She idolis.es Billy West, ; a young bush worker. From his work -in a high tree Billy, sees, two men stealing a silver fox from a trap, and he sees one kill the trapper who catches them at work. The picture shows the downfall i V . ain aDd the stirring events which lead up to the clifaax, which is of j e J ype nsna!lly associated with stories of the north: There is a'short but very strong supporting programme.... The box Bristol are at the theatre . and at the

“AROUND THE CORNER." A policeman and a pawnbroker, two cronies, battle ■ through seven reels of clever comedy in " Around the Corner," the Columbia all-talking production with George Sidney and Charlie Murray in ♦ fww* rol *rrk which will be screened at the Octagon Theatre on Friday. Things begin to happen when O’Grady and Kaplan, a policeman and a pawnbroker respectively, become foster-fathers of a foundling. When the little girl grows up, the two old friends almost come to blows about the choice of her husband. Kaplan picks Moe Levine, an insurance agent, and 0 Grady picks Callahan, a prize-fighter. Rosie, the girl, keeps the two hanging-on until the prince of her dreams comes along in the person of Tommy Sinclair. How matters are amicably settled for all concerned and how Rosie marries the man of he r dreams supply the rest of the action for this tarce. The two inimitable comedians —- CharUe Murray and George Sidney—have the leading roles. Early in 1923 Martin and Usa Johnston, young and intrepid big : garae hunters, set out from Abysinia, into the trackless miles , of East Africa With native bearers, a train of donkeys and camels, and with their cameras they covered over 1000 miles of dense jungle before they reached their final destination, 1 aradise Lake, their headquarters tor four years of thrills, adventure, and excitement. From there they have covered the four points of the compass, travelling for weeks at a time across veldt and jungle to procure the pictorial record of their adventure, “ Simba/-’ which will be screened at the Octagon in conjunction with Around the Corner." One sees the veldt, with its stray feathery trees, its pathless grasses swept by flattening winds, and far off the . hemming ridge of Mount; Kenya. A swift little figure moves, loping across the desert. It is Simba, the lion, hunted by the Lumbwa. who have declared war* on the king of animals. Twice the lion retreats before their upraised spears, but the third time he turns and attacks, fighting to the end. A writhing:, twisting animal flings up the of the veldt, eight spears embedded in his body. A little beyond a

young native lies bleeding. One sees a giant nerd of elephants commencing their trek into the hills, hundreds of giraffes moving m pack formation across the open plain or feeding in a grove of trees, feels the beauty of the community water-bole where thousands of zebras, gazettes, camels, and gerenuks come down to quench their three-days’ thirst. REGENT THEATRE. What is really the screen adaptation of the musical comedy “Floradora” is at present being shown at the Regent Theatre «nJ’i le^ 1 ' mc i offering on the' programme. The Gay Nineties.” The plot concerns the love of a chorus girl, Daisy, for a young man about town, Jack Vibart, whose racing ventures turn out anything but successfully, and who, his parents have determined, must marry for money. Determined that he shall not be hampered, JJaisy tries by every means to convince nim that she no longer loves him, but Jack refuses _to believe her, and eventually Wo ytbl ?£ end l 4 a PPHv- This is but a bare outline of the theme, and to appreciate it thoroughly the picture must be seen, Ihe humour with which it abounds is one of its most attractive features, and, moreover, it is all perfectly natural humour, Marion Davies as Daisy is seen in a role which suits her admirably, and her portrayal of the unsophisticated chorus ®-i r i lB on ? of the best characterisations she has yet gwen. Lawrence Gray makes a dashing hero, and the part of Fannv, Daisy s friend, is convincingly rendered by Ilka Chase. The comedy relief falls of Jed Pronty and. Claude Allister, both of whom are responsible for some droll and clever humour. The box plans are at the Bristol and at the theatre “ ALF’S BUTTON.” The first of our new season’s British productions will be presented at the ReTheatre on Friday in “Alf’s But- |° n - ~ Reports regarding this picture from the northern centres of New Zealand have been extremely laudatory; and the fact that the silent version which was seen here some years ago made a tremendous impression has helped to make the talkie a success. In Christchurch recently its success was so great, it is said, that the management decided to cut the season allotted to “The Rogue Song” m half, and bring back “Alf’e Button" for a further three nights after The Rogue Song ” had concluded. All previous records were shattered, and the manager of the Theatre Royal in Christchurch has stated that he had never heard such laughter in the (theatre before. The picture, which is a British production, contains music, song, comedy, dialogue, and dancing The immense popularity of the original story of “Alf’e Button" and the tremendous success of the silent film version, are well known. As those who have read i the story of “ Alf’s Button ” will readily, understand, the “talkie” medium offers great scope for the preS * nta J»? Buch a subject. The . story of Alf's Button,” written by W. Darlington, revolves around. Alf’s discovery of one of his tunic buttons which has the power of creating, to use an expression typical of Alf, “a spook who will do anything the blinkin’ master of the button likes to bid.” “ Alf’s Button ” ia said to he another concrete proof that r , Britis h film industry,:in the matter of story selection and general production technique, is going ahead : in leaps and bounds. The roles of Old Bill and Alf ar ® played by Alf Goddard and Tubby Edhn, while' the,large English supporting cast includes Polly Ward, Nora Swinburne, Humberston Wright and Cyril M’Laglen, brother of Victor M'Laglen, _-ot • Cock-Eyed World." fame. A special matinee will be shown on Saturday morning at 10.30, including a “ Mickey the Mouse cartoon and “Alf’s Button.” AU children will receive a- free sheet of Mickey the Mouse " transfers. PRINCESS THEATRE. of unusual worth entitled " Spring, I s Here ” forms the principal attraction at; the Princess r f A hls «,‘ nre . ek - v There are’ few portions of the film in which there is not eomev2f au sh at, and the humour is often *?? ver too broad. There is no doubt that if any other person but Ford sterling had been chosen for the main comedy- role the picture would not. have been nearly so successful. This well-known player of silent picture dajrs proves him“°rf . than equal to the demands of the . .talkie, and, he seems likely to gain considerably in popularity as a result of his performance in this - picture. He, is particularly successful in roles, which re- °. ln l t 0 hh funny while preserving, a kind of false; dignity, and as the father who vvantsto be f flie head of his own home, but finds himself foiled at every turn, beds really, inimitable, and on him largely rests the credit for,fhe entertaining value of the picture. Louise Fazenda meets with her PlafiL ndd eß * S 8 fe > a “d Bernice ;r,2^ ds c t 0 her ..laurels as the daughter J? o ®? arc A of romance. With Alexander shares. the responsibility for most ot the. song numbers, several of which are unusually attractive. She: has P. lcasan t, soprano voice, and in capable as an actress. Gray en R i featured J a number of prominent films, and in this one, aided uu vo }ce, gives a convincing ?u e role .°, f tke rejected lover. , are others with more or less'important parts who are concerned mainly with the amusing side of the picture, which is one of the best efforts of the American comedy producer seen in Dun-: edm for some time The supporting programme; which includes a film depicting the English Grand National, is a really fine one. The box plans are at the Bristol.

“ THE house op THE ARROW." Special interest attaches to the first appearance in the “ talkies" at the Princess Theatre on Boxing Day, under, the Of Sir Benjamin and Mr John Fuller, of Dennis Neilson Terry, a’ distinguished English player, who has graced the London stage for a period of over 20 years. Mr Terry 'is -regarded as' ?- n ? ■, 4 “ e accomplished living Englieh and when his ancestry is considered it is not to be wondered at. He is a son of the celebrated Julia Neilson and the equally famous Fred Terry, and he is therefore the nephew of ' the : un-' forgettable Dame Ellen Terry. The aseoqiation of the two families with the Lnglisn stage runs back into centuries. Dennis Neilson Terry will be seen on Boxing Day in. the part'he created in the London production, Hanaud, the fascmating detective created by the brain of A. E. W. Mason, the writer of the popular book, <f The House of the Arrow/* After winning success as a novel, this was transferred to the stage as a successful play, and under its original title will be introduced to the Dunlin public on . the screen. All the players concerned in the 1 stage version take part in the picture presentation, and these include the English favourite, Benita Hume, Barbara Gott, Richard. Cooper, who is regarded as one of the finest light comedians on the English stage, Stella Freeman, Wilfred F. Fletcher, Toni de Lungo, ■ Oliver Carter, and; Betty de Malere. The Daily Mail briefly criticised the “House of the Arrow ” as it “perfect detective drama, which will convince anyone who doubts the supremacy of the English speaking voice as a vehicle, for talking drama that his misgivings were unfounded." The first part of the programme will consist of Martini’s Band, the Terrytoon cartoon, “ Hot Turkey,” the famous English “ Saxa-five ” from the Empire Music Hall, London, and “The-Bride’s Relations,” a diverting two-reel comedy. The box plans arc at the Bristol, ROXY THEATRE. Ken Maynard assumes the, leading role in “The Wagon Master,” the”'featured attraction at the Roxy Theatre. Briefly, the story tells of the efforts of two men to break the freighting monopoly which has been established in a remote corner of the American west by an unscrupulous character, who aims, by crushing. out all opposition, to enrich himseli at the expense of several lonely mining settlements which are dependent on the wagon trains for their food supplies. How in spite of his utmost efforts one of these men, the other having perished in the attempt, eventually succeeds in surmounting the last obstacle and reaching the desperate miners just when defeat seems inevitable forms the theme' of the picture. Interwoven in this tale of the early days of American history is a love story, which has the usual happy ending, and gives to the hero at one stroke the ambition of his life and the girl of'his dreams. In addition to the main picture, there are a number of short films, outstanding among which is one depicting the scenic glories of the longariro National Park in a setting of mid-winter snow, where against the background of icy peaks gay throngs of pleasure seekers enjoy the thrill and exhilaration of mountain air and mountain sports.

" SENOR AMERICANO.” , , ® e ° o . r . . Americano/' Ken Maynard’s latest talking picture for Universal, which opens at the Roxy Theatre on Friday, has its action laid in the colourful days just preceding the admission of California to ■ the _ Union, It deals largely with events in beautiful. Southern California, I“5 e most romantic period of its hiswten the traditions of old Spain at.U Ken Maynard gives an ideal performance in the role of a young Amencan cavalry officer, who falls in lovi with a beautiful Spanish Californian girl. Kathryn Crawford makes an appealing ♦ A graduate of the musical 6t 81 1 18 especially effective i?, rendition of old Spanish love songs. rwrf?£ ong r s, s? p ™j? g cast deludes Gino Corrado, J. P.-M Cowan, Frank Yacontrh.’t F v. ank e ’ and Ma y na rd's famous trick horse. Tarzan. On Friday and Saturday mornings next the management will give the children a treat in the form ot special matinees. KING EDWARD THEATRE. Treason,” the spectacular British mm which .has aroused considerable interest since its originalproduction, is the feature of the • current programme at T th fu Kmg Edward Theatre. The principal theme depicts the forces of P peace struggling with the interests which com“l e tlr a e being a decade hence. Spectacle abounds; but it is seasoned with fvWn a T tIC lov ®, Btor y. in the portrayal of which James Thomas and Benita Hume figure to advantage. There is an entertaining programme of supporting films. _ " SENOR AMERICANO.” i Q+ I Q n /‘ + S i e , nor Americano” Ken Maynard’s latest talking for Universal, which will open at the King Edward Theatre tomorrow evening, the action is laid in the colourful days just preceding the admission of California to the Union. It deals largely with events in beautiful Southern ijalitqrn.ia. m the most romantic period of its history, when the traditions of . old bpam etill flourished. Kathryn Crawford makes an appealing heroine. A graduate nii,r e « 1U +- oal ? om !, dy sta B e - she is especially effective in- the rendition; of old Spanish love songs, .The strong supporting xTon Gino Corrado, J, ' P M^°T? an ’ Yaconelli. Frank Beale, and Maynards famous trick’horse ,rTarzan. . SKATING. KING’S RINK; , * f kat “K Rink in Dowling street, although comparatively a newcomer to the city s places of attraction, has established itself firmly with the rX S T ent i se J ek l in fs public. The artistically decorated hall, the smooth floor, and + capa ¥ e and courteous management are to a large extent responsible for the popularity of the ri s k. The’provision ol fo“i:aters emenCe i 8 an added attraction ■ MOULIN ROUGE RINK. ■ T}* 6 MU suburbs are According steady S‘" T °iv, age to_ the Moulin Rouge Rink, Roslyn, the residents of the district finding a P®nt on the roller! is well worth the time. In addition to the good floor and the smooth, running skates at the . disposal of patrons, novelty features and competitions are provided, attracting large- attendances of spectators as well as skaters, ,