AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21646, 17 May 1932, Page 14

AMUSEMENTS

OCTAGON THEATRE The principal picture on the current programme at the Octagon Theatre, “ The Beloved Bachelor,” is a romantic story woven round the love of a young sculptor for a beautiful society girl, and the fact that Paul Lukas is seen in the leading part is sufficient guarantee of its quality. The supporting picture, “ Heaven on Earth,” is based on the struggle of an ignorant boy who is thrown on his own resources, and this part is brilliantly portrayed by Lew Ayres, who scored such a triumph in “All Quiet on the Western Front.” The box plans are at the theatre and at the Bristol. “THE ROAD TO RENO” AND “ COMPROMISED.” “The Road to Reno” is the starring feature of the programme to be presented on Friday at the Octagon Theatre, and has a stellar cast including Lilyan Tashmau, Charles (Buddy) Rogers, William Boyd, Irving Pichel, Peggy Shannon, Wynne Gibson, and Sheets Gallagher. Pichel is the quiet, home-loving husband of Lilyan Tashman, an ultra-modern woman who is seeking a divorce at Reno for no less a reason than that it seems to Jbe a smart and fashionable thing to do. ‘Peggy Shannon is their daughter and “ Buddy ” Rogers is the young college graduate who falls in love with Peggy. Comedy honours of the production are captured by Sheets Gallagher, the young man who has made laughter ring in several recent productions. “ Compromised,” the second feature, is a story packed full of human interest and with some delightfully humorous as well as tense situations and scenes, and starring Ben Lyon and Rose Hobart. Supporting artists include Claude Gillingwater, Juliette Compton, Bert Roach, and Delmar Hudson. EMPIRE THEATRE Undoubtedly one of the funniest pictures that has been seen in Dunedin for many a day, “ Mischief,” which is based on Ben Travers’s laughable farce of the same name, is the principal picture on this week’s bill at the Empire Theatre. The inimitable Ralph Lynn, in the role of the somewhat addle-headed friend who attempts to unravel a complicated matri ; monial tangle, heads the cast, and the subsidiary parts . are also capably handled. A strong supporting programme is screened, and Mr Paul Cullen presents an harmonious interlude at the organ. The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol. " THE AGE FOR LOVE.” Howard Hughes’s widely-proclaimed picture, "The Age for Love,” which, among other significant features, marks the return of Billie Dove, wd l be seen at the Empire Theatre on' Friday. , This promises to be a signal event for local picturegoers, as metropolitan critics have acclaimed “/The Age for Love ” one of the outstanding productions of the year. It reveals a new Billie Dove in the finest performance of her career, and in a sensational vehicle which was more than a year in preparation before it was filmed. “ The Age for Love ” is based on the sensational novel by Ernest Pascal, with dialogue by Robert E. Sherwood, the famous movie critic and playwright. The cast includes such brilliant players as Edward Everett Horton, Lois Wilsori, Mary Duncan, and Charles Starrett. “The Age for Love,” a United Artists picture, while it arouses controversial problems, has an all-round appeal to. picture patrons. ST. JAMES THEATRE “ Over the Hill,” this week’s loading feature on the bill at the St. James Theatre, tells, a poignant story of a mother’s love for her children in the face of adversity. The picture contains all the elements of simple direct drama adroitly blended with romance, comedy, and pathos, and the acting of the principals leaves nothing to bo desired. Mae Marsh. James Dunne,, and Sally Filers are seen at the head of a strong cast, and all of them give competent renderings of their respective parts. An entertaining supporting programme is shown. The box plans are at the theatre, at Jacobs’s, and at the Bristol. " THE CHAMP.” Two outstanding charcaters of the screen, one a veteran, the other filmdom’s latest child “ discovery,” are teamed in “ The Champ,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s vivid drama of sporting life below the Mexican border, which will start on Friday at the St. James. Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper .share honours in the new picture, which King Vidor directed. Thrills, comedy, and heart-throbs mingle in the drama, and much authentic detail was actually filmed in Agua Caliente and Mpxican border locales. Beery plays a broken-down prize-fighter,, rearing his small son amid the surroundings of the border while attempting to “ come-back.” The love of the two is great. ■ Finally the boy’s mother, who has married a rich man, seeks to take the boy that he may have better advantages. Despite his great love for the child, the old prize-fighter resolves to make the sacrifice. But the child runs away from his mother and returns to him. “ The Champ ” then makes his great resolve and stages an attempted “ come-back ” for money to send the child to school. Others in the cast are Irene Rich as the mother, Rosco Ates, and Edward Brophy as the comical fight handlers. The box plans are at the Bristol. REGENT THEATRE Marilyn Miller and Ben Lyom have the leading roles in “ Her Majesty Love ” at the Regent Theatre this week. “ Her Majesty Love ” has a strong cast of accomplished actors such as Leon Errol, Ford Sterling, Chester Conklin, and W. C. Fields, all thoroughly experienced in comedy roles. The story begins with a wager by Ben Lyons that he will conquer the heart of the aloof barmaid of a Berlin cabaret. An unusual and highly diverting climax is evolved. The supporting pictures are of a varied character. The' box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol. “24 HOURS.” With a cast featuring Clive Brook, Kay Francis, Miriam Hopkins, Regis Toomey, and a number of other stage and screen performers equally talented “24 Hours,” which will open at the Regent Theatre on Friday, is destined to succeed. “24 Hours ” shows how several people, within two 12-hour turns of the clock, suddenly find themselves embroiled in a dangerous situation which threatens their lives. From the moment these people are introduced at a fashionable dinner party, to that tense moment 24 hours later, when one of the men finds himself unjustly accused of inurder —with only his estranged wife willing to believe him innocent —“24 Hours” creates and maintains suspense with compelling effect. Not only is “24 Hours” a first-class dramatic story, but it also boasts of effective atmospheric touches, which add materially to the picture’s enjoyment. STRAND THEATRE Patrons of the Strand Theatre this week are well catered for in the matter of humorous entertainment, the main feature of the programme being “ Flying High,” in which Charlotte Greenwood apd Bert Lnlir have the principal roles. “ Flying High ” is entertainment of the musical comedy variety, and the fun is fast and furious throughout. Dunedin audiences know the ability of Miss Greenwood as a comedienne, and when it is stated that Lahr is equally good in bis own way no further recommendation for “ Flying High ”is needed. There is an excellent supporting programme. The box plans arc at the theatre and the Bristol.

“BUSINESS AND PLEASURE.” Booth Tarkington’s famous comedy, “ Business and Pleasure,” will provide hilarious entertainment for Strand Theatre patrons, ‘commencing next Friday. The character of Earl Tinker, razor blade manufacturer, has been transcribed almost in toto from the book. Tinker embarks on a Mediterranean cruise with his jealous, nagging wife and resentful daughter, ostensibly on pleasure bent, although he actually has a very shrewd

piece of business in mind. Wife and daughter are promptly laid lo,w by mal de mer, and Tinker baa a good'time roaming the boat without hindrance. How he averts the tribal war, wins a coveted contract, and makes peace with his family supply one of the most hilarious situations ever filmed. A splendid cast includes Will lingers, Jetta Gouclal, Joel M'Crea, Dorothy Peterson, Peggy Ross, Boris Karloff, Cyril Ring, and Jed Prouty, KING EDWARD THEATRE Two pictures of excellent merit are heting screened at the King Edward Theatre at present. The first is “Their Own Desire,” in which Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, and Lewis Stone have the leading roles. An uncongenial home, the story tells, has had its effect on a young fjirl’s, life, and the dramatic situations which occur in her career make an unusually interesting picture. The other film is “Man of the World,” featuring William Powell and Carol Lombard.