AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21348, 30 May 1931, Page 10

AMUSEMENTS

PRINCESS THEATRE The sparkling and melodious musical comedy, “ Sunny,” which was presented on the legitimate stage in Dunedin with such success a few years ago, loses not. one whit of its charm in its adaptation to the talking screen, as last night's audience at the Princess Theatre can testify. The bright music, witty and entertaining dialogue, and unrestrained gaiety of the original production have, in fact, been given broader scope in the latest presentation, whilst the narticipation of an outstanding cast of pfayerg tends to enhance the inherent worth of the comedy. The principal attraction is the appearance of Marilyn Miller in the title role, for this actress is superbly cast and trips her way light-heartedly through the romantic nonsense in a manner such as might suggest that the part had been created for her. Her appealing personality and charming and petite stage presence alike captivate the audience, whilst she is the possessor of a singing voice of rich quality, a voice which, unfortunately, is too seldom heard during the production. Miss Miller, however, makes the most of her vocal opportunities, and in addition proves that she is a dainty and artistic dancer with a fine sense of comedy values. A great deal of the wholesome fun and captivating nonsense in the production is the result of her efforts, for which her vitality and charm she gives a performance which is the essence of vividness and feminine charm. Lawrence Gray, who fills the' principal male role, gives a distinctly satisfying performance, whilst Joe lionalme is eminently successful as the principal fun-maker of the production. Inez Courtney is also well to the fore as “Weenie,” the delightfully absurd little girl whose trust is apparently betrayed by her beloved, another sterling performance being given by that veteran comedian, 0. P, Heggic, whose characterisation of Sunny’s father, replete with checked suits of the most startling appearance, is delightfully funny. The story, in brief, tells how Tom, who is already betrothed to Margaret, unexpectedly meets Sunny, a little dancer in a circus, after they had not seen each other for some time. The old romace re-awakens, but Tom is compelled to leave England for America almost immediately. Sunny, however, determines to see him off at the steamer, but through a strange twist of fate, becomes an unwilling stowaway on the boat, and is carried away to sea. She hides in the cabin of Tom’s friend, Jim, who lias recently parted with his sweetheart, Weenie, after the most affecting of farewells and protestations of undying love, but when Sunny is discovered there is the threat of a scandal. It is also realised that Sunny will be unable to land in America as she is not the possessor of a passport, and the decision _ that Sunny should marry Jim on board, in order that she might be privileged to land, and then set about securing her divorce, is arrived at. Torn, not realising that he is in love with Sunny, is torn between his duty to his financee and his affection for Sunny, but nevertheless assists in the marriage ceremony in order that Sunny will have the rights of American citizenship, and therefore be allowed to leave the ship. The forsaken Weenie, seeing that her sweetheart has deserted her, flies to one, Mr Wendel-Wendcl, for comfort, and together they sail to America to confront the erring Jim. Hilarious complications ensue, but finally tbe tangle is .unravelled, and order is once more restored. There is a strong supporting programme, which includes two interesting.gazettes and several entertaining variety numbers. The box plans are at the theatre. Hall’s fruit shop, and the Bristol. EMPIRE THEATRE Since the advent of the moving picture the eternal triangle lias proved a fruitful theme for scenario writers, but it is an unfortunate fact that few of them have been able to deal with the subject without emphasising its grosser aspects. Thus, the delicate treatment of the ages old theme in “ The Passion Flower,” which had its initial screening at the Empire Theatre yesterday, comes as a refreshing surprise to 'picture-goers, for the producers, through tlie medium of the plot of Kathleen Norris’s novel, and a carefully balanced cast, have succeeded in telling a powerful and very human story convincingly, and without at any stage of the picture stressing to the point of melodrama the inevitable question of sex which must enter into such a theme. It is a simple story of three very delightful people, and its charm lies in the fact that its simplicity has been carefully preserved, There are no extraneous issues to detract the attention from the main plot; none of the situations even gets out of hand, and leaves the audience wondering what will happen next; there are no complexities in the natures of the characters; everything is = perfectly straightforward. Although in parts the picture is highly emotional, the story is clean and wholesome, and, apropos of this fact, it seems rather a pity that the production could not have had a more attractive title. The cast is a small one, but every member of it is a star, with the result that every part is a perfect sketch from real life. Beginning with the marriage of a daughter of a wealthy father to the family chauffeur, the picture traverses the many vicissitudes the young couple encounter before they get a home together, and then comes the formation of the triangle by the advent of the girl’s cousin, whose liking for the young husband she succeeds in keeping within reasonable bounds until the situation becomes too much for her. Her wealth enables her to lift the young fellow, despite his fierce independence, from the ruck into which he has fallen, to the managership of her ranch, an arrangement which is eminently satisfactory to both parties, for, whilst he has succeeded in bringing his wife to the home of her dreams, the owner of the ranch has the satisfaction of always having him near her. Constant propinquity proves dangerous, and the position Jevelops until the .husband and wife are parted, and the other woman takes the young follow off to Europe with her. A letter from his wife brings him to jus senses, and, although lie is still under the spell of the other w< • nil. common sense prevails, and he goes back to America. Here be find ß , that his wife lias never lost faith in him, and a happ- climax is reached. It is this climax, that does much towards enhancing the attractiveness ot th- picture. There are no heroics, passionate love passages, or tragic avowals; the parting between the man and jiis mistress, and her renunciation of him m favour of his wife, are carried out in an eminently common-sense manner which is thoroughly in keeping with the rest ot the picture, and avoids any possibility ot an unpleasant anti-climax. The part ot Gassy, the young wife, is taken by the clever young emotional actress, Kay Johnson, who gives a strikingly convincing yet restrained characterisation, without at any time displaying any tendency to overact. Added to a charming stage pre senee and a keen sense of dramatic values, she possesses a mellow, cultured voice, and her performance is one that stamps her as an artist distinctly above the ordinary. Kay Francis, although a comparative newcomer to the talking screen, gives a polished performance as “ the other woman,” and her vivacious personality and intelligent interpretation of a most difficult part are particularly pleasing. Charles Bickford, although his features are anything but those of a matinee idol, makes an ideal hero, and as the rugged uncompromising and independent husband lie scores a distinct triumph. The veteran Lewis Stone lias a small part, but be is none the loss impressive. A delightful little cameo of comedy is provided by Zasu Pitts, whose cleverly drawn sketch of the pessimistic maid who is always expecting the worst stands out clear as one of the gems of the picture. A juvenile actor, little Dickie Moore, is thoroughly at home in the part of the child, and, youthful though lie is, lie handles his role with an intelligence that is nothing less than remarkable. The supporting programme includes two interesting gazettes and a Burton Holmes travelogue, “ Barcelona.” and in addition there is screened a clover parody of “ The Big House ” entitled “ The Big Doghouse,” which is acted entirely by a company of canine actors. An harmonious interlude is provided by Mr Leslie V. Harvey at the concert organ, his offering this week including Schubert's “ Serenade,” “ You x\re the Melody,” and “ Old-fashioned Girl.” The box -plans arc at the tiieatre and the Bristol.

STRAND THEATRE It is the boast of the management of the Strand Theatre that there is always a good programme and {mother good one coming, and this was borne out last night when a double-feature programme of unusual excellence was screened for the first time. There were only three pictures on the programme, an American comedy of the English nobility, one of the e.ver-popular Aesop’s Fables cartoons, and the main feature picture, “ Reno.” The cartoon is entitled “Western Whoopee,” and it deals with the adventures of a bold, bad man of the great outdoors and the triumph of law over lawlessness in an extremely humorous manner. “Are You There?” is the title of the first of the big pictures, and Beatrice Lillie has the leading role. The quality of the picture is indicated by the nature of the cast, which includes such outstanding figures in the screen world as John Garrick, George Grossmith, and Olga Baclanova. Beatrice Lillie is not particularly well known to Dunedin audiences, but her work in “ Are You There? ” stamps her as an artist of the first rank. It is a farce with a touch of musical comedy, and the story concerns the methods adopted by a young man to save his father from being imposed upon by an adventuress. A lady detective plays a great part in the picture, and many diverting interludes are introduced. “ Reno,” the other feature; is a story about “ tlie loosest community on the globe,” and a woman who goes there to get a divorce from her husband. And old favourite in Ruth Roland is seen in the principal part, and she has tlie support of Kenneth Thomson, Montagu Love, Douglas Scott, and others. It is a story of a New York woman, who, disappointed with her husband’s conduct, goes to the famous Nevada divorce town —five blocks of shops and 200 lawyers—to get a divorce. She has a little son, and she cannot bear the thought of losing the boy. She meets an old sweetheart on the train, and this chance meeting proves the pivot on which the whole of her life turns. Hgr husband follows her to Reno, and engages an unscrupulous woman detective to catch liis wife and her former lover in a compromising situation so that he may plead that she is not fit to have the custody of the child. The court scenes provide Miss Roland with plenty of scope for the exercise of her talents as an emotional actress, and she makes no' mistake in the manner in which she grasps them. Montagu Love, as the somewhat brutal husband, is in.excellent form, and Thomson is eminently suited to the role of the hopeless lover. Miss Roland is possessed of a very sweet contralto voice, and she use it to decided advantage in tlie two song numbers of her part. The settings are on a lavish scale, and the costuming is a feature of the production.' “ Reno ” is not so much a protest against the modern divorce courts as an example of “how it is done” and, if regarded from' this point pf view, the picture becomes all the more entertaining. The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol. REGENT THEATRE There are probably many who thought that the advent of the “talkies” definitely spelt tlie doom of such screen players as Harold Lloyd, who a few years ago delighted thousands of picture patrons on the silent films of the day. Lloyd had a definite type of humour—a type whibh exercised at the moment a very definite appeal, and made him one of the most popular and highly-paid film actors of the decade. Thei-e are probably few, however, who, with the introduction of sound into this class of entertainment, and its consequent premium on the spoken work, would have credited Lloyd witli the possession of abilities which would enable him to repeat his successes after so long a period of what has practically amounted to a total eclipse. Those who saw “Feet First ” at the Regent Theatre yesterday will agree that Lloyd has done what few of his contemporaries of the old regime have succeeded in doing—for his performance yesterday was greeted with burst after burst of laughter, which at times completely drowned the voice of the principal and left the audience guessing rather from his gestures than his words what was tlie purport of his remarks. For Lloyd is still the man of many gestures. Those who saw those inimitable productions of three or four years ago will remember just how convincing, how expressive those antics of his could be, and will not require to be told any more than _ that the Harold Lloyd of the “ talkies ” is substantially the same in technique and type of humour as the Harold Lloyd of “ Safety First.” Lloyd, of course, is very much the principal player. The others are there merely to provide him with the essential background, and to feed him with chances off which to score his riotous succession of laughs. Nor is the story of any importance. The producers have evidently decided that humour of tlie calibre which Lloyd possesses required something utterly farcial, something from which, while of the most wildly improbable nature, it would stiii be possible for the comedian to extract tlie greatest mirth if only by the very absurdities of the situations. The spectator who goes to the theatre in a critical frame of mind will, it is possible, be disappointed, unless, like Omar Khayyam’s true believer, “he be overtaken unaware.” For one must not take the situations too seriously, and yet, whether one will or no, this ridiculous comedian, this indiarubber gymnast who tumbles about in a manner which would break tlie necks of most people, compels one to laugh. Briefly, the story tells how Lloyd, as a young man employed in a shoe shop, becomes most violently enamoured of a girl whose station in life, as he thinks, places her beyond the ambition of a mere shopman. He, however, is not to be dismayed by any such obstacle, and, intent upon improving his position in life in the shortest time possible, he takes up a course in personality. The training he receives in the course of a few months apparently has tlie desired effect, for lie is speedily promoted to the position of salesman, where his flow of language has the most astonishing effect upon the customers, who succumb readily to his suggestions, and order not one but three or four pairs of shoes. Chance lias by this time thrown him once more across the path of the girl of his dreams, and an encounter with her upon the deck of a steamer about to sail, and upon which he has come merely to deliver a pair of shoes to a customer, results in his being still aboard as the gangway is taken up, and the vessel pushes off from the wharf. How Lloyd, stranded among what proves to bo - a very stylish company, without suitable clothes and with no ticket, arrays himself in the dress suit of another passenger, makes himself very attractive to his fellow-travellers, not forgetting the girl, is suspected of being a stoivaway, and finally makes good bis escape, and incidentally saves his employer an important contract makes up the balance of the story. This forms, of course, the barest outline, for Lloyd has managed to include innumerable interludes which convulse tlie most hardened of spectators, and, while without having any bearing on the main current of the action, serve the purpose for which the whole production is intended —that of making those who see it lose themselves in a hearty laugh. Lloyd, as has been said, has the action almost to himself, the only other figure of importance being Barbara Kent, who is cast as the girl in tlie case, and who makes a very good foil for Lloyd. Those who like uproarious fun will find in “ Feet First ” a picture very much to their tastes, one which easily surpasses anything of its type seen here recently, and one" which will well repay a visit to the Regent Theatre during the coming week. In addition to the principal picture there is a varied supporting programme of more than usual merit, consisting of two short comedies, and several travel and news gazettes. The box plans are at the theatre and tlie Bristol. OCTAGON THEATRE Memories of 80 years ago, memories from which tlie passing years have robbed much of their bitterness, are stirred by the picture which received its initial Dunedin screening at the Octagon Theatre last evening. Three-quarters of a century has passed since a despatch rider’s tragic error sent a brigade of cavalry —destined to live in British history for ever as {lie Light Brigade of Balaclava —charging up a Crimean valley to death, to glory, and to immortality. But the length of tlie years has robbed nothing from the lustre which clings round the deed, and to every British person the story of that incident, so gallant on a day when many were gallant, is as familiar as' anything in the history of our race. The producers of “ Balaclava,” therefore, had already a big initial advantage when they set out to bring to the screen this episode of the past. By its title alone

the picture was almost bound to arouse interest, while its theme practically ensured it a sympathetic reception. And yet by this very fact the picture laid itself open to the danger of a certain amount of criticism, for, where good things are expected as by right, the public is inclined to express its opinion very definitely if its anticipations are not realised. Moreover any failing to treat the subject with that good feeling, almost amounting to reverence, with which the British people traditionally regard such events, where the tragic is relieved by the glorious and the mistake by the courage and high resolve, would almost certainly arouse not mere criticism but very real resentment. No such charge can be laid against “ Balaclava,” for from the opening scenes in the messroom of the officers of the 93rd Highlanders until in the evening of the day 190 troopers—“ all that was left of them ” —line up against a skyline to answer the roll call, there is nowhere in evidence anything but a true realisation of the requirements and the atmosphere of the story. The fact that the production was a British one would alone ensure this, while the co-operation which was given by the British Army authorities in the filming of the picture makes it certain that correctness of detail is not lacking. To Cyril M'Laglen has been allotted the principal part, that of John Kennedy, an officer in the 93rd Highlanders, who, deprived of his commission by a court-martial as the remit of a due] in which his opponent died with a wound in his back, starts life afresh under a new name as a trooper in the ranks of the 17th Lancers. Playing opposite to M'Laglen is Benita Hume, who is cast as Jean Macdonald, the heroine of the piece, and the girl with whom Kennedy falls in love. Upon these two falls the principal burden of the acting, though a great deal of comedy relief is provided by Alf Goddard in the role of Nobby, a trooper with a decided Cockney accent and a very care-free outlook on life. Those who see the picture during the coming week, however, will find their interest held not so much by the story as by the scenes dealing with the attack of the Russian cavalry upon the British position at Balaclava. They will remember long after the rest of the picture is forgotten the sight of the Russian horse movipg down in compact body upon the “thin, red line” of the waiting Highlanders, the thunder of hoofs and the crash of artillery, as the Light Brigade flings itself upon the enemy’s guns, and those final shots when, broken and battered but undefeated, those 100 odd men ride slowTy back to their original position and to that place in history which their deeds have forever assured them. These are things which lift the picture out of the rank of ordinary productions and make it one well worth seeing. The supporting programme includes- a screen song and cartoon, a Rathe news gazette, and a comedy entitled “Hullo, Russia, in which Summerville, who will be remembered for his work in “All Quiet on the Western Front,” has a prominent part. The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol. ROXY THEATRE The leading picture on the new programme shown at the Roxy Theatre terday is entitled “ Golden Dawn ’ -a splendidly acted and sung operetta, in technicolour. The producers of the film have had a very heavy task, as the tropical scenes depicted must have required much painstaking photography, and effort. The scenes are indeed magnificent, and they form an excellent background for the story. The picture has, to do with an encampment in an African jungle, where a handful of white soldiers hold precarious authority over the natives, whose chief is a ferocious-looking person called “ The Whipman.” There has grown up amongst the natives a white girl, but the natives believe that she is really one of themselves, and what is termed a “ Moon ” girl. The girl, of course, as 'is discovered as the plot is unfolded, is really of white parents, and has grown up with the natives since childhood. She is regarded as a goddess, and is to be dedicated to the gods. This dedication necessitated her being left alone in the forest all night, and this is the plan by which The Whipman hopes to secure possession of her. Golden Dawn is led into the forest, but the machinations of the villain came to naught, as a whits officer who loves the girl makes an opportune arrival. The white man and the native have a terrific battle, but the white man conquers, and in due course the lovers are united. Noah Beery takes the part of The Whipman, and he gives a realistic piece of acting. He makes up welly and dominates the scenes on his every appearance. Mr Beery has one or two vocal numbers, and he sings them well. Vivienne Segal is Golden Dawn, and she acts charmingly and sings the numbers alloted to her with fine effect. Walter Woolf makes a manly hero, and his duet with Golden Dawn is nicely sung. Other well-known screen artists in the production are Alice Gentle, Lupino Lane, who is responsible for some amusing comedy work, Lee Moran., Marion Byron, Nigel de Bralier, Otto Matieson, Dick Henderson, and Julanne Johnston. The dancing by the natives is most realistically done, and these particular scenes are barbaric in their splendour. In the first half of • the programme a thrilling story is depicted of gangster life, in which the heroine arrives with the police just in time to save her lover from being hurled from a high building by the gang which he has betrayed. Some fine filming is done in the opening stages where the members of a theatrical company arc seen in a room while the rain streams down outside. One of the girls, “Goldie,” receives a telegram to say her lover, “Jimmy” Thomson, has been arrested and imprisoned, and she flies to his rescue. Jimmy has only committed some minor offence, and Goldie finds on her return to her home town that he has been released and has secured a position with the manager of a cabaret, which is, however, only a cloak for the sinister work by a gang. Goldie is seen in some fine dancing, and she also sings. It look as if both Jimmy and Goldie are going to get into the toils of the leader of the gang—a well acted part—and so they do, but they throw them off in the finish. KING EDWARD THEATRE In “The Storm,” which will be commenced at the King Edward Theatre today, the story tells of Burr Winton, owner of a silver mine, and Dave Stewart, a wartime friend, who prepare to spend the winter in Burr’s cabin in the wilds of Western Canada. They are joined by Jacques Fachard and his daughted Manette—Fachard suffering from an injury inflicted in escaping from the Canadian mounted police who had arrested him on a fur smuggling charge Fachard soon dies of his wound, after making Burr promise to look after Manette. Dave, a suave and polished city man, makes himself very agreeable to the naive Manette. Burr suspects Dave’s intentions, and, when he surprises Dave making love to Manette he insists that the girl set out with him immediately for her aunt’s home in Calgary. They are trapped by an avalanche and forced to return. The men come to blows when Burr finds Dave in Manette’s room. Bun- • comes to the conclusion that Manette loves Dave, and sets out alone into the blizzard, as there is not enough food in the cabin + o last the three until spring. Manette follows Burr, and the two eventually return to the cabin. Dave, convinced that Manette really loves Burr, himself sets out alone.