AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21266, 21 February 1931, Page 18

AMUSEMENTS.

REGENT THEATRE. Invigorating comedy and sparkling wit are the features of the new programme at the Regent Theatre, which had its initial screening last evening. “ Queen High ” is the principal attraction, and in it Charles Ruggles, Ginger Rogers, Stanly Smith, and a very competent supporting cast acquit themselves in the most pleasing fashion. “ Queen High ” has been adapted to the screen from a stage play which enjoyed phenomenal popularity in both London and New York, and in transferring it to the sound screen the producer nas kept a wary eye on the many gems of satire and humour that illumine its amusing story. Nothing is lost in the adaptation, and every line is clearly audible. Charles Ruggles, who will be remembered for the delicious comedy of hia performance in “The Lady Lies,” has the leading role, and gives an exceptionally pleasing account of himself, presenting to his audience a cheerful loser who is content to wait for opportunity to present itself and give him a chance to compass the discomfiture of his hated rival. What an asset a face is! Everything revolves around the remarkable facial gestures of this _ singular comedian. The emotions and ideas • he can express with the contortion of his countenance are amazing. And always he is resorting to a different artifice. Ruggles is a comedian of whom we could see very much more. His style is refreshingly original, and, given even moderately convincing lines to ln J'C r P r et, he is an entertainment in himself. He plays the part of the second partner in the firm of Nettlefold and Johns, women’s outfitters, who cannot agree, and eventually decide upon the dissolution of the partnership. Nothing could be better than his demeanour when the fatal hand of show poker is being oealt, unless it was the manner in which he Picked up his cards and sorted out the hand. It was true comedy, and his audience appreciated the fact. Ruggles would adorn the best of comedy. . Stanley omith plays the romantic part of the sweetheart of the niece of one of the partners in naive fashion, never convincing, but quite satisfactory. One mistake the producer made was in ever allowing him to sing. Ginger Rogers is a personable and very fascinating little lady, with a brogue that savours quaintly of Ireland, ana a smile that' always pleases. As the niece of one of the quarrelling partners she is especially good, but the romantic issue of the whole tale hangs upon her every action and word. When she sings one thinks instantly of rippling water riming cheerily over shining stones. She is an actress who will undoubtedly find general favour in her subsequent appearances, and one can only hope that her next featured picture will be not long in coming. Frank Morgan in the role of George Nettleton, the partner who wins the poker game, is excellent. He also is an actor with a most expressive face, but at no time is he half as effective or one-quarter as amusing as Charles Ruggles. The members of the supporting cast all fill their posts with engaging competence, and the result of the combined _ efforts of the principals and supports is good entertainment of a most acceptable variety. The film is one that should certainly be seen, and all who see it in the coming week will agree that they have seen good comedy and excellent acting. There is a very fine supporting programme of pleasing variety. It includes one of those ever-interesting Rathe news gazettes. The subjects deajt with are all good, and the recording is characteristic of the Rathe studios. “ Plastered ” is one of the real old custard pie variety of comedies, and for that reason it cannot fail to make a general appeal. It is all the most arrant nonsense, but one must . laugh. ■ Tom Waring’s song selections at the piano are very American, but at the same time they present the true spirit of ragtime, and for that reason will find ready acceptance in many quarters. The screen song novelty, “ On a Sunday Afternoon,” is excellent fun, and can be looked forward to. The incidental music presented by the unseen orchestra includes “The Lost Chord” and Landen’s “Eldgaffeln. The entire programme is one that may safely be commended to one’s friends. PRINCESS THEATRE. Audiences seldom show their approval of a picture so unmistakably as did that which saw “Lightnin’," shown at the Princess Theatre last night. The feeling that it left in the minds of the audience may not have been one of intense enthusiasm." That, in these days of “super productions, ” can be inspired by few films, but it was certainly obvious that those who watched this interesting commentary on divorce were well satisfied. A satisfied audience is a pleased audience, and it is safe to assume that large attendances will be the rule at the theatre during the coming week. If there has been any fault in the American producer’s work since the introduction of the “ talkies ” it has been that he has been slow to break new ground. In the reproduction of plays he has certainly not had the opportunities that have been -within the reach of the English producer, but the American legitimate stage has had its great successes, with, no doubt, a greater appeal to the American than to the Englishman. One can readily realise why “Lightnin”’ was so enthusiastically received when it was first played on the American stage. Its story is essentially American, but all the world enjoys a good character study, and it is Will Rogers’s performance in this picture which makes the production all that it is. He is not yet well known to Dunedin audiences, but this portrayal will increase his fame, for he possesses that quality of originality which is the hall mark of a true actor. This picture has the pathos which is inseparable from the American film, but one remembers it for the fun that it provides, particularly because its wit has a sharper edge than one usually finds in an American comedy. Only a good actor can play the simpleton without appearing a fool, but, perhaps, simpleton is too- strong a term to apply to “Lightnin”’ Bill Jones, for the very essence of his character is the shrewdness which underlies the apparent simplicity. It has been indicated before that the film breaks away from the great mass of pictures, and one of its most refreshing characteristics is the fact that its hero is not of the immaculately dressed, handsome type. Bill Jones is a sluggard and a tipler, but he is a loveable character, kindly and honest. He is seldom off the screen, and while he is before the audience he keeps it in a continual state of merriment with his dry witticisms. There are many situations packed full of good fun. The picture provides romance, a clever commentary on divorce, a well constructed story, but, above all, bright, wholesome comedy. Played by an excellent cast, among charming settings, it is entertainment which will have a very wide appeal and which is sure to achieve popularity. It is introduced by an excellent supporting programme, short but incresting from the first to the last item. The gazettes carry one through a quick succession of enjoyable tit-bits from all over the world, but the outstanding contribution is a “traveltalk” picture, in which the spectator becomes for the timebeing a tourist arid is transported through the wonders and the beauties of Egypt. This is the typo of picture which makes one think of the great advantages that “ talkies ” are going to bring in the coming years. The box plan is at the Bristol. STRAND THEATRE. Evidence that durance has its Jess vile aspects is to be found in plenty in “ Up the River,” the principal picture on the nc\v programme which was screened at the Strand Theatre last evening. “Up the River,” as Edgar Wallace or any other writer of crime fiction will explain, is simply a synonym for the penitentiary, but it is ddubtful if the prison life, as depicted in the film, would serve to remind a hardened lawbreaker that crime does not pay. Admittedly the picture simply discloses the lighter side of life in “ the pen,” and, indeed, it is gratifying, from a humanitarian point of view, to learn that mirth can find its way behind “ the cold prison bars ” where, as a one-time popular song assured us, the convict’s head reposed on a pillow of stone. From beginning to end the picture maintains its standard of high class comedy, with here and there a delightful touch of farce, and it is with genuine regret that one realises that the moment has come to reach under the seat for one’s hat. The incorporation of a women’s penitentiary with a men’s prison may, perhaps, strain the credulity of a New Zealand audience, but it certainly does present all the elements for a touching prison romance. The love interest is introduced by the advent of Judy to the female institution, where she finds a sweetheart in the form of a young prisoner who is given re-

sponsible duties as_a "trusty.” Both are the victims of circumstances, and, in spite of prison regulations, they find many opportunities to communicate with each other. The other prisoners seem to be a bunch of good fellows, whatever their misdemeanour may have been, and are as ready as anyone to enjoy a game of baseball with a team from a brother institution (keeping in mind, however, that their opponents are‘nothing but a bunch of crooks. Various humorous sidelights are introduced, such as the women social workers, the most dignified of whom is the unwilling carrier of messages from the women’s institution to the men’s. Then there is the arrival of the noted gaol breaker, St. Louis, who is welcomed with roars of delight from the other inmates — an ovation which he smilingly acknowledges as though he were a champion boxer entering the ring. Happily the comedy never descends to burlesque, which has been rather overdone in past years, and, in spite of the occasional tinge of farce, there is nothing that is manifestly ridiculous. The sterner discipline has been omitted, although there is a dramatic scene when St. Louis is persuading his young protege not to resort to firearms in administering justice to his enemy. He draws a vivid picture of his incarceration near the condemned cells, of the whirr of the motor and the dimming of the lights as the electric chair does its grim work. His peroration has the desired effect. St. Louis’s friend is a typical Bowery tough,'who calls girls “goils,” and he provides many laughs. One of the brightest spots in the film is the benefit concert, in the course of which St. Louis and his partner stage another sensatbional escape, with a philanthropic object in view, only to return voluntarily when their work is done, to be welcomed by the warden just in time to save the honour of the prison in the baseball match against the rival gaol. “ Up the River ” is a first-class comedy. Spencer Tracy and Warren Hymer have the roles of the gaol breakers, and Clare Luce and Humphrey Bogard are the lovers. There is also an attractive programme of supports, including Fox featurettes, a news reel, and a song cartoon entitled “ London Bridge is Falling Down.” The box plans are at the Bristol. EMPIRE THEATRE. “Double feature” is generally a misnomer when applied to picture theatre programmes, for in most such cases there is one picture which is obviously the feature, while the other is far below it in quality. The new programme at the Empire Theatre, however, is an exception. Last night’s audience was favoured with an entertainment that for dramatic power, artistry, and in a word, realism, inits truest sense, has seldom been surpassed. Certainly the title of the first picture, “ Sweethearts and Wives,” is not impressive, but the title is perhaps the only weakness. “Courage,” the second picture, has, on the other hand, the only title possible. Both pictures are representative of the talking picture at the height of its present-day advancement, and the field exploited by_ the producers is undoubtedly that to which the talking films are ideally suited. “ Sweethearts and Wives” (to deal with the. pictures in the order of their appearance), a First National production, has Clive. Brook in the leading role, that of a society divorce detective, Reginald De Brett, whose wits are pitted against an astute young mystery woman (Billie Dove). Brook is admirably, suited to the part, his elegant, exquisitely-tailored _ figure, his supercilious eyebrow, and his expressive cigarette holder, all combining to produce an electrifying effect in the tense atmosphere of the whole play. His duel of brains with Miss Dove, whom he suspects of complicity in an intrigue in which, he is professionally interested, is a brilliant contest that holds the spectator breathless, and even although the lady does win in the end one_ must doff one’s hat (hypothetically speaking) to the man who is so great in defeat. . The scene opens, somewhat melodramatically, in a lonely French inn to which Anthony Peel (Sidney Blackmer) has brought another man’s wife. Their motor car disabled, they are compelled to seek the protection of the inn, and its air of mystery terrifies the woman. Screams and the sound of somebody being done to death in an adjacent room verify'their suspicions that the inn is no place ■ for them, and just as they decide to retire their car is stolen. The woman is desperately anxious to avoid compromising herself, and when the gendarmes arrive she changes places with the femme de chambre, Billie Dove, who poses as Anthony’s wife. That is the beginning of the contest of wits between “ Mrs Anthony Peel” and the divorce detective, who seeks to recover a diamond bracelet which he suspects his_ opponent to possess. “Courage” deals with what, has been called- that most sublime human characteristic, the love of a mother for her children. Here indeed is a drama of love and hate that will hold future audiences .as it held last night’s audience-y breathless and spellbound. It is the pitiful fight of a one-time wealthy mother to hold her seven children to her side in the face of poverty and in defiance of a sister-in-law who, moved by a cruel hatred, seeks to-rob her of her children. The death of her husband was a happy release to Mary Colbrook (Belle Bennett), but it was then that her financial problems began. Not by any means a business woman, her investments failed, and her children—all except the youngest; Billydiscontented and ambitious, were apparently easy game for the wicked woman who entered their lives with the glittering promise of‘a career. Then began a marvellous fight on the part of Mrs Colbrook to bold her children, and with the aid of her last-born, her dream-child,' she won her happiness. The picture is not a miserable one; it is a drama of a high order, and it is not lacking in rich humour. In Leon Janney, who plays the part of Bill Colbrook,' the screen has a child actor of outstanding ability, and he and Belle Bennett are the salient figures in the story. An interesting Fox Movietone news forms the balance of the programme, together with the orchestral offerings, “Joy and Sorrow” (Enoch) and “The Merry Wives of Windsor’ (Nicolai) . The box plans are at the Bristol and the theatre. OCTAGON THEATRE. “ Common Clay,” now so well-known to theatre-goers in this city, entered upon its second week of screening at the Octagon Theatre yesterday. Its fine drama, unusual plot, earnestness, and sincerity make it a picture in a thousand. Constance Bennett is magnificent, and gives probably the finest performance she has ever given in a career full of important, well-handled parts. Intelligence in pictures is always at a premium, and when such an admirable film as “ Common Clay ” reaches this country it is evident that the best “ talkie ” products can handle what is basically good material in an altogether intelligent way. No one could fail to be impressed by this excellent story, so wonderfully told. It grips the audience from the first scene, and moves at a fast pace to the end. Such is the standard of the acting that the film may safely be classed as one of the best yet produced. The director was Victor Fleming, _ and his skilful hand had excellent material under it in a cast remarkably free frotn any sign of weakness. The theme is a fairly strong one —not altogether for the young —but" at nq stage does the story betray any “heaviness.” Moods change rapidly, the spirits of the principal characters are subjected to many stresses, and the audi- ■ once, it is safe to say, becomes vitally concerned in the outcome of the storyThis participation of the audience, so to speak, is brought about only by drama of the highest standard. The thread, of the tale is unbroken, and there are no inconsistencies. so that the film is artistically satisfying. Playing opposite Alisa Bennett is Lew Ayres, who was given his first featured role in “ All Quiet on the Western Front,” and in his latest part ho infuses such an ingenuousness and freshness that his performance has an instant appeal. Beryl Mercer, of “ Seven Days Leave,” and “Three Live Ghosts” fame, is again seen in a role which gives her every opportunity of displaying her talents as a character actress. Tully Marshall and Hale Hamilton are also strongly cast. The action of the film is first set in a.“speakeasy,” which is raided by the police. Amongst those captured is an 18-year-old girl, and when the trial is heard the | Judge sees that she is of a different stamp | from the others. He advises her to lead j a new life, and in an effort to do this she j obtains a post as a housemaid. She,, is j employed by a wealthy family, the son j and heir of which begins to take an em- | barrassing interest in her. She rejects , his advances for a time, and then, believing that be is genuine, she gives .way, only to find that she has been deceived. From this point the story works up to a poignant climax, in which the dramatic nature of the situations calls for the best acting of which the players arc capable. “Common Clay” is a picture'which will

remain long in the minds of those who see it. There is a strong supporting programme, which includes an interesting sound gazette, and a very amusing comedy entitled “ Social Sinners." The box plans are at the Bristol and the theatre. ROXY THEATRE. Since the advent of the talking picture, placing a premium rather on clever dialogue and sympathetic character portrayal than on fast-moving action,_ there has been to a certain extent a falling off in the popularity of western films. This in turn has reacted on those players who during the years in which the “ silent® ’ were in vogue devoted years of training and specialising to meet the particular demands which pictures of this type made upon the cast. Anyone who has been conversant with the motion picture industry during the last 10 years could name half a score of players who, unable to adapt themselves to a new order of things, have quietly, one by one, disappeared from the notice of the public. One actor, however, appears to have discovered the secret which has enabled him, while playing roles of the type which delighted audiences of a decade ago, to maintain his popularity with a large section of the devotees of the screen. The acid test of a player’s ability, is, after all, the measure of favour with which he is regarded by the average theatregoer, and, judged by this standard, Maynard may safely be acclaimed the most successful actor of his class in the studio lots of America. With all his clever rope-throw-ing, his riding, his dare-devil displays of half a dozen varieties, Maynard is seen again this week at the Roxy Theatre in the Universal film, “Parade of the West.” The story, which has to do with the days when the western States of America were as yet in the making, differs to no. very great extent from others of the - type which have been seen before in Dunedin. There is the small travelling show and the great “ wild-west ” entertainment, with its trick riding, knife-throwing, and straight shooting, and running through it all a simple love story, without which no such film would be complete. Comparatively easy as these western roles may seem, they call for ability of a special kind allied with no small measure of courage and resolution, and it must be admitted that Maynard meets these requirements with more than ordinary distinction. He gives a display of riding which is nothing short of wonderful, and caps it with a spectacular fall beneath the feet of Man-killer, the vicious buckjumper. In “ Parade of tho West ” there is really one major part, with the result that Maynard is very much to the fore. He has. however, excellent support in Gladys. M'Connell in the only feminine role in the picture, while the well-known juvenile actor, Jackie Hanlon, also gives a convincing rendering. Those who appreciate a quick-moving western story, , with no disconcerting side twists, will find in “Parade of the West” entertainment of an enjoyable type. In addition to the principal picture there is an unusually lengthy and varied supporting programme, including, gazettes, short films, and comedies. The box plans are at the Bristol and tbe theatre.' KING: EDWARD THEATRE. Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook have the leading roles in “ Slightly Scarlet,” which will be screened at' the King Edward. Theatre to-day. The- story is polished and E elite, yet there is a sinister menace overanging the pleasantness which adds spice to the story and quickens the action. Miss Brent is seen in gorgeous clothes. Brook is always his delightful, suave, whimsical self. The settings, are beautiful and rich always. *’ • SKATING. KING’S RINK. Despite the warmth of the weather conditions during the past week,, roller skating still remains a popular pastime at the King’s Rink, where conditions are such as to render the exercise, pleasant. The excellent floor presents an admirable surface for . roller skating, and the general appointments of the rink add considerably to its attractions.