AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21980, 15 June 1933, Page 14

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE “ Marry Me,” the latest product of the Gainsborough studios to be screened in Dunedin, is attracting excellent, houses to the Grand Theatre. The film features Renate Muller, the popular star of “ Sunshine Susie,” and its variety and gaiety i giyes this talented and personable young player ample opportunities for demonstrating that her striking success in “Sunshine Susie” was the result of solid ability and worth rather than mere good fortune. Renate Muller has the leading role in “ Marry Me,” and she more than confirms the high opinion which was formed of her as an entertainer by Dunedin audiences when she made her first appearance here at Christmas time. “Marry Me” is a- gay musical show, excellently produced and directed, and offering a maxynum of clean, wholesome, and enjoyable entertainment. Its song hits have become very popular, especially the featured numbers such as “ Early Bird,” “ Will Somebody, Somebody Marry Me? ” “ You’re So Wonderful to Me,” and “A Little Sunshine.” Supporting the feminine stare are two noted English comedians, both of whom -acquit themselves with special distinction. George Robey, the favourite of music hall audiences ail over England, makes his debut on the sound screen, and succeeds in making a profound impression. He takes the part of a rough-and-ready Hungarian farmer, and plays excellently opposite the fascinating and charming Renate Muller. Harry Green, the other prime English favourite, has the part of a shrewd but very excitable and temperamental Jewish marriage broker, and he gives a very fine delineation of an entirely interesting and amusing character. The rest of the cast, do everything that 5* asked of them excellently, and. the result is a film that all classses of audience will enjoy to the full. “ Marry Me ” is a film that should not be missed. The supporting programme is comprised of a British scientific production 'entitled “Northern Lights,” which deals in graphic and picturesque detail with the operation .and activities of the British Arctic Air Expedition which recently carried out valuable scientific work in Greenland and other parts of the Arctic Circle. The bos plans for 1 the season are at the theatre and at Messrs Chas. Begg and Co;’s. ST. JAMES THEATRE “ Men of Steel.” which is the current feature at the,St. James Theatre, is an unusual type of film, which has attracted widespread attention and been generally enjoyed by large audiences. It has been arrestingly produced and directed. and has its origins in a graphic and powerful story of industry and achievement. The great British steel industry furnishees the background against which a fine selection of. talented players enacts a gripping, drama. The cast includes John Stuart, Frank Dyall, Benita Hume, and, Heather Angel. There is a strong supporting programme of sound shorts of particular interest, and the box plans for the season will be found at. the theatre, at Jacobs’s, and at the Bristol. “IN THE WAKE OF THE BOUNTY.” Travelogues and dramas have drenched the screen with the spray* of South Sea beaches until the filmgoer imagines that he knows every angle from which a palm -can be photographed. Then an Australian, Charles Chauvel, makes “In the Wake of the Bounty/’ and presents the Pacific under a strange and. cloudy beauty such as has never before been.filmed. This picture will begin at the St. James Theatre to-morrow. Chauvel is most concerned with the savage languor of the tropics; he masses the brilliance of wild dances and flowers to'show the pathetic contrast between the islands which link that famous. mutiny—Tahiti and Pitcairn. The first part of the film is a glafhorous reconstruction of history, with, young Errol Flynn playing the part of Fletcher Christian, Mayne Lynton that of’ Bligh, and Victor Gouriet that of the, blind fiddler who tells the tale. The scenes aboard ship are effectively, done. Drama as well as beauty has been caught by the film; human romances, swift tragedies, interludes as exciting as any fiction enthrall the audience. REGENT THEATRE “ Madame Butterfly,” the film adaptation of the story of the opera, which is being shown at the Regent Theatre, provides entertainment of a_ particularly appealing character. Sylvia Sydney is responsible for an attractive portrayal of the part of the over-trustful Cho-Cho-San, and playing opposite to her Gary Grant acquits himself with distinction in a role which suits him admirably. Prominent among the supporting players Is Charles Ruggles, who gives another of his characteristically'-competent portrayals. It is a delightfully-told love story, in which the original theme is adhered .to fully. There is an attractive supporting programme. The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol. “ROCK A BYE.” , -They were so much in love. Up to the moment they met their lives had been a sequence of tragedies. Now they wanted a home together,-but there came the other woman, out of his past, a woman with a claim neither could ignore. So runs the theme of RKO-Pathe Pictures’ “Rockabye,” Constance Bennett’s latest picture, which will commence at the Regent Theatre to-morrow. In it Miss Bennett has one of the most colourful and appealing characterisations written for the screen, according to critics; a sensational actress, suddenly projected into fame and headlines from an unfortunate girlhood, unwilling and unable to break the links that chain her to her past, desiring the experience of domesticity and motherhood more than anything else, in life. The picture, from Lucia Bronder’s play of the same name, was directed by George Cukor. Joel M'Crea and Paul Lukas are featured in Miss Bennett’s support. y EMPIRE THEATRE Another of the_ popular Cohen and Kelly series of farces is at present the feature of the programme at the Empire Theatre. The latest production of these two popular buffoons is entitled “ The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble,” and the celebrated pair give full measure in the way of nonsense and burlesque. Charles Murray and George Sidney have made a name for themselves in this class of comedy work, and their reputation is not likely to suffer from the shape and character of the work they do in their latest film. There is an excellent supporting programme, and the box plans for the season may be seen at the theatre and the Bristol. “THE BIG BROADCAST.” “ The Big Broadcast,” which will ■ be screened for the first time at the Empire Theatre to-morrow, will linger long in the memory. It is the ideal musical film. It has drama, romance, and comedy. Fof its music alone it is worth seeing and hearing. Six new musical numbers were composed for “The Big Broadcast”: “ Please,” “ Here Lies Love,” “ Okay, Colonel,” “ Calloway Calling,” “ Stop the Traffic," and “Soliloquy.” The production introduces to the Dunedin public a galaxy of American radio musical talent, some of the artists well known, others not so prominent, although their performances merit their inclusion. Bing Crosby, the singer, Herds no introduction, and in “ The Big Broadcast ” he acts splendidly and siiigs delightfully. A feature of the film, which is primarily musical, is the powerful story played against the background of the radio station. Leila Hyam’s supplies the romantic interest as the girl who is secretly, in love with Bing Crosby. Among the artists who appear in the film are Burns and Allen, Kate Smith, the Mills Brothers, the Boswell Sisters, Vincent Lopez and his orchestra, Cab Calloway and his orchestra, and Arthur Tracy. OCTAGON THEATRE “ The Sign of the Cross,” the spectacular and lavishly-staged film dealing with the trials and martyrdom of the early Christians in Rome, continues to attract large audiences to the Octagon Theatre. Some of the scenes in Nero’s court, where riotous extravagance and debauchery held sway, and in the arena where the gladiators fought to death, are amazing in their conception and execution, while the performances of such players as Fredric March, Elissa Landi, Claudette Colbert, and Charles Laughton enhance the value of the production as a whole. The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol.

“ PARIS.” The most beautiful and expressive eyes on the stage are Irene Bordoni’s, and thousands who have seen her in her stage plays will never forget them. When “ Paris ” comes to the , Octagon Theatre to-morrow these famous eyes will be seen on the silver screen. Miss Bordoni is famous for her French characterisations, for her quaint Parisian accent, and her catchy songs. The talking screen has “ caught ” all these details in “ Paris,” which w’as adapted for the screen from her latest and greatest stage success. “ Paris ” is a story of the “ city of light," and concerns a French stage star and an English musical comedy favourite. The latter is portrayed by Jack Buchanan, idol of the London and New York stage, and star of “ Monte Carlo ” and “ Goodnight, Vienna.” Others in the cast are Louise Glosser Hale, who played in the stage version of “Paris”; Jason Robards popular screen player; Zasu Pitts; and Margaret Fielding. ;-v • STRAND THEATRE A thrilling mystery story, ig embodied in “The Face at the Window,” the cutrent attraction at the Strand Theatre. In its adaptation from the famous stage play of the same name, this production presents the story with added .conviction, the thrills which abounded in the original production having been intensified in its transference to the screen. The cast is a particularly strong one, and is headed by Raymond Slassey, Claude Hulbert, and A. Bromley Davenport, all of whom give finely-delineatqd characterisations. The supporting programme is an exceptionally interesting one. The box plans: are at the theatre and the Bristol.; “HOT PEPPER.” Strikingly contrasted are the characters of Flagg and Quirt in “ Hot Pepper,” the uproarious new comedy depicting the latest adventures of. the famous marines as portrayed by Edmund Lowe and Victor M'Laglen. In this hilarious film, which will commence at the Strand Theatre tomorrow, Lowe appears as a suave, urbane, and smooth-talking fellow, while M'Laglen is excitable, savage, and rough. Their activities in “Hot Pepper” find them out of-uniform and in civilian dress—fashion plates with top/ hats. Though in an entirely new atmosphere as ’ night club owners, .they are still the fighting Flagg and Quirt of “ What Price Glory” and “The Cock-eyed World,” the characters originated by Lawrence Stallings and Maxwell Anderson. They battle principally for the affections of “Pepper,” a brownlegged little firebrand, discovered stowed away on one of Flagg’s rum boats. This role is portrayed by Lupo Velez. El Brendel, the Swedish dialect comedian, also plays a featured role* and others prominent in the cast are Lilian Bond, Boothe Howard, and Gloria Roy. The night club scenes are'brightened by the introduction of several singing and dancing numbers. Miss Velezfappears in one of them, being assisted by a chorus and a bevy of “cam can” dancers, , ir . KING EDWARD THEATRE . “The Rich Are Always With Us " with Ruth Chatterton in the principal role, is the latest attraction at.the King Edward Theatre. Assisting Miss Chatterton are such fine players as Bette Davis. Adrienne ■ Dbre, John Miljan. Mae Madison, John Wray, and Robert Warwick, to mention but a few, the, competence of: their performances assisting materially towards ; the success of the production. .The story deals with the domestic activities .of one of the wealthiest women in the, country, who,, shortly after her marriage, loses her husband through the interference of another woman. She later picks up the thread of a romance which had its origin long before her marriage; arid, eventually finds happiness with a young author who had long been in love with her. The production'is staged with lavishness and a close attention to detail which make it singularly attractive. There is a good supporting programme. The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol.