AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21987, 23 June 1933, Page 11

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE Owen Nares and Winifred Shotter have the leading roles in “ The Love Contract,” which will be commenced at the Grand Theatre to-day. “The Love Contract’ telle how Antoinette (Winifred Shotter) loses all her money in a Stock Exchange crash. The man unwittingly responsible for her ruin, Neville Carrington (Owen Nares), comes with his friend, Mrs Savage (Sunday Wilshin) to take possession of Antoinette’s house. Antoinette shows him the house, and he falls in love with her. They make a bargain. Antoinette has no money, so she will accept the position of chauffeur to Carrington. It she can hold the job for three months) she gets her house back. If not, she accepts Carrington’s proposal of marriage. Her appointment is greeted at first with disfavour by Hodge, Carrington’s regular chauffeur (Gibb M'Laughlin), and by the butler, Peters (Miles Malleson), but sne wins them over. Mrs Savage is also displeased, since she has planned an elopement with Carrington, whose enthusiasm for it wanes quickly after his meeting with Antoinette. Nevertheless, Mrs Savage holds him to his half-promise and the elopement begins—but Antoinette, at the wheel of the eloping car, soon finds a way to spoil Mrs Savage’s plans. Carrington tries his utmost to prevent Antoinette from winning her bet, for every time he orders her to clean the car she makes him late for his appointments. His last grand effort fails, and Antoinette wins the wager. Then she accepts his proposal. For the first time Wimfied Shotter appears in a star part. Ifie etory of her rise to fame is an interesting one. When it wae decided to present “ Rookery Nook ” at the Aldwych Theatre, the second farce by Ben Travers to be presented there, a search was made for a girl who would be able to’express the innocence and naivete of Ben Travers s heroine. The search ended at the Winter Garden Theatre, when Leslie Henson introduced to the Aldwych management a girl who was in the chorus of, the show he' was presenting. The girl’s name was Winifred Shotter. She made a successful debut in “ Rookery Nook, and then appeared in an unbroken succession ot Aldwych farces from that time onwards. When “ Rookery Nook ’ was brought to the screen by British and Dominions. Winifred Shotter appeared with the rest of the Aldwych cast. Once again she was a success, and she was seen m further o. and D. pictures, including Plunder, * On Approval,” "The Chance of a Light Time.” “Mischief,” and “A Night Like This ” Soon after the completion ot A Ni-rht Like This ” . Miss Shotter was offered a contract with British and Dominions. She accepted, and The Love Contract ” is her first film under the ucv arrangement. ST. JAMES THEATRE ■Wholesome, human comedy predominates in the Australian film production, “Diggers In Blighty,” which will commence to-day at the St. James Theatre. The appeal of pictures of this kind is natural to New Zealanders, for the sentimerit is wholly British, and it is a comedy first and last. Diggers m Blighty ” is a Pat Hanna production, and” he appears as Chic Williams, an Australian private. _ His fnends ar ? Lance-corporal M’Tavisli (Joe Valli) and Private Joe Mulga (George Moon). The three, although they have a reputation for gallantry in the field, get up to much trouble behind the lines, and a good deal of fun is provided with the proverbial war-time sergeant-major. _ Their commanding officer is Captain Jack Fisher (John D‘Arcy), and the love interest of the film is sustained by him and the nurse at the hospital (Iza Crossley). In the opening portions of the picture there is considerable drama, dealing with the work of the secret service, and Norman French stars in this. Thelma Scott is cast as his secretary. The supporting programme will include A Night Out.” an hilarious comedy, featuring George Wallace, the popular Australian comedian, and more fun with Downie and Henderson, radio entertainers, in addition to interesting news reels. The box plans are at the Bristol and Jacobs’s. STRAND THEATRE Mixing a new assortment of comedy “gags” with music and the ludicrously funny situation of two lawyers in the midst of the Reno “divorce mill,” Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, that inimitable pair of comedians, will be seen again at the Strand Theatre to-day in their latest laughter film, “ Peach o' Reno.” The picture is the first humorous screen treatment of the Reno divorce situation, and provides the comedians with two of the most uproarious comedy roles in their varied stage and screen careers. As in former Wheeler and Woolsey comedies, Dorothy Lee provides the romantic interest in a story that is filled with budding romances and young wives seeking release from marriage. The. studio lias made the picture more elaborate than is usually the case in comedies. Particularly is this true of the settings which include a courtroom with hundreds of extras, a bizarre law office in which Wheeler and Woolsey handle the hundreds of divorce cases that come their wnj), and an unusual night club and office. The" secretaries in the office, incidentally, are the prettiest models on the Pacific Coast. REGENT THEATRE The first joint appearance in a film play of Joan Crawford and Gary Cooper will be made at the Regent Theatre toclay. “To-day We Live” is a happy event for picture-goers, _ for here is a picture which combines romance of a stirring order with a clear-cut, forceful story of the war with the em-

phasis laid on the part played by the commanders of the dangerous British two-man torpedo boats, known as the “ skeeter fleet.” Miss Crawford, who seems to grow mordj exciting in appearance with each 'succteding vehicle, has a striking role as the {aristocratic English girl who cannot stani remaining at home while her brother aid the two men who love her are at the front. Franchot Tone, the brother, and Robert Young, the childhood sweetheart, are members of the torpedo squad, while Gary Cooper, who is closest to her heart, enrols in the flying forces. In order to be near these three, Miss Crawford becomes a member of a British ambulance unit. It is when Cooper is reported killed that the hysteria of the war forces Miss Crawford to give herself to the man who has loved her from childhood. Cooper’s unexpected return precipitates a stirring dramatic climax. In “ To-day We Live,” Miss Crawford offers what is probably the finest work of her entire career, and she is ably seconded by Cooper, the scenes between these two rising to a new height in the way of fervid romance. Robert Young, as the lover who loses, offers a distinctive and sympathetic portrayal, and Franchot Tone, as the brother, proves to be a new “ find.” Excellent performances are contributed by Roscoe Karns, the inimitable Louise Glosser Hale, Rollo Lloyd, and Hilda Vaughn. This is the first story to come to the screen by l William Faulkner, the much-discussed author of “ Sanctuary ” and “Light in August.” unexpected touches of this remarkable writer are prevalent throughout the picture. Considerable credit also must go to Howard Hawks, who has given “ To-day We Live” the same intelligent direction which marked this director’s previous success, “ Scarface.” f EMPIRE THEATRE Sincere interpretations are contributed by the accomplished cast of “ State Fair,” the Fox production, which will open a season at the Empire Theatre to-day. A critic comments: —“If it is possible to produce a film of universal entertainment —a film which will appeal equally to every member of a given family—then ‘ State Fair’ is that film. It is difficult to imagine man, woman, girl, or boy who could not find in it something very beautiful, wonderfully true to life, and at the same time highly enjoyable. This rare quality of universal appeal is achieved by the combination of a simple, yet holding theme, with a fascinating background and perfect characterisation. There are_ no ‘ characters ’ in the film in the theatrical sense; no one obviously labelled ‘hero,’ ‘ heroine,’ or ‘ villain.’ Every person might have stepped straight from the rural district in which the story is set. And, although the people and places are typically American, they might just as well belong to any country in the world. Abel Frake has nothing on his mind but the serious business of winning the championship of the State fair with his pet hog, Blue Boy. Melissa Frake, his buxom wife, is determined to carry off the prize for the best pickles and the best mincemeat in the county. Wayne and Margy Frake, the son and' daughter, ask nothing of the fair but that it shall give them their first taste of life outside the narrow confines of a lonely farm. They want romance and excitement. Against the kaleidoscopic background of the big fair, with its raucous sideshows, its temptations, its rivalries, and its humours, the -whole family set out to realise their various ambitions. The adventures they have and the emotions they experience form the- whole story of the' picture.” The members of the cast are Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, Lew Ayres, Sally Eilers, Norman Foster, and Louise Dresser. OCTAGON THEATRE The leading attraction at the Octagon Theatre, commencing to-day, will be “ Face in the Sky,” which revolves around a whimsical romance between two dreamers—one a little country girl, the other a swaggering young signboard artist who meets her on a Vermont farm. Airy and at times almost fantastic, the story has been handled in an utterly flawless manner that immediately places Harry Lachman in his first American screen effort, among the foremost _ directors. Spencer Tracy turns in what is possibly his finest performance as the self-assured “artist,” with Marion Nixon, the sweet little lady of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” is a perfect contrast as the heroine. Kathleen Norris’s sparkling tale of a banker’s charming secretary who steps from his office into his heart, only to find that her husband’s first wife and their daughter present unforseen obstacles to her happiness, is the theme of “ Second Hand Wife,” the other feature. Adhering with fidelity to Kathleen Norris’s brilliant novel,' this offering is distinguished by its exceptional entertainment qualities. With Sally Eilers in the title role, Ralph Bellamy as the banker, and Helen Vinson as the selfish wife; the cast is a notable one, and lends much realism to Mrs Norris’s characters. KING EDWARD THEATRE Marian Nixon has a pleasing role in “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, which is at present being shown at the King Edward Theatre. She is cast as an impulsive and enthusiastic country girl who goes to stay with her straight-laced, maiden aunts, who have very definite ideas as to the manner in which she should conduct herself in a community in which the family has long been held in high respect. Although not wilfully inclined to go counter to their wishes, Rebecca finds so much in the people around her to interest her that frequently she places herself in a position that is certainly not approved by her guardians, and the result is a series of complications for the girl. Into her life their comes the village doctor, played by Ralph Bellamy, and the romance that arises between the two forms the basis of the story, which has the proper ending. A well diversified supporting programme is also shown.