AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21988, 24 June 1933, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE Owen Nares, who is on this occasion seen with Winifred Shelter, again gives a splendid characterisation in “ The Love Contract," which commenced a season at the Grand Theatre yesterday. Nares has been starred with some of the finest actresses on the talking screen to-day, including among them Renate Muller, but it is doubtful if he has had a more attractive and capable pai'tner than Miss Shotter. The pair of them swing their way through the story with a naturalness and ease that make their performance a real delight, and give to the film a genuine distinctiveness. The somewhat unusual title is' derived from the theme of the story, which is centred round the decision of Antoinette, a society girl who has lost her money, to act as chauffeur to Neville Carrington. They draw up a contract of service with a side bet that if this is broken within three months Antoinette has no option but to accept her employer’s offer of marriage. She manages to see the three months out until the nnal hour, when she tears up the contract, with the inevitable ending. Into the picture, which never seems to strain the probable too far, the supporting cast manages to introduce a great deal of delightful comedy. As the chauffeur who never succeeds in understanding the intricacies of a motor engine, Gibb M'Laughlin gives a particularly enjoyable rendering. He has a cast of features which is of itself almost sufficient to make the role a .success, and his every appearance is associated with a laugh. These three carry the burden of the acting, and carry it in a manner with which little fault can be found. In the course of the story Winifred Shotter introduces one song number that is quite as successful as those which were sung in that other Owen Nares’s picture, Sunshine Susie,” and it seems a pity that provision had not been made for the introduction of several more. A word must be said of the manner in which the picture has been produced. This la in keeping with the best standards of the British film industry, and contributes materially to the enjoyment which the film gives. ‘The Love Contract" is a picture that should prove more than usually . popular with Dunedin audiences, and will almost certainly create a demand for further productions by the two featured players in opposite roles. The supporting programme this week is well up to the standard which has been set at this theatre. Two particularly interesting short features are those , dealing . with British moorland birds and curiosities of bird life. These have been filmed in such a manner that the audience is enabled to obtain an intimate glimpse of the habits of several of the most peculiar of English birds, including among, them that parasite, the cuckoo.. A series of views of Wales, accompanied by several charming Welsh songs.; makes, an attractive short subject, while life, in the Australian Navy is depicted in the film, “Australia’s Jolly Jack Tars.” In pi ace of a gazette is “A Few Coppers,” which deals with various aspects of life in many lands. The box plans are at the theatre and Messrs Charles Begg and Co.’s.

STRAND THEATRE Whimsical as ever, the inimitable comedy team, Bert Wheeler .and Robert Woolsey, are seen at their brightest and beat ia “Peach o’ Reno,” a sparkling and diverting comedy that had its initial local screening yesterday at the Strand Theatre. Although a thread of romance runs through the story, the production is mostly sheer farce, but is farce of a very delightful kind, and with their droll foolery and clever cross-talk, the two stars are in their element in the. ludicrous situations with which the picture is replete. Reno, the home of divorce, is the novel setting chosen for the production, and it is here that the pair are seen as the partners in a firm of lawyers whose divorce business is so thriving that special buses are required to bring their clients from the railway station. A uniformed crier, huge placards, and nattie-garbed female attendants are only a few of their methods of attracting business, and to add to their income they have a wonderful office much can be converted in a few minutes into a night club. With such material to work om the two irresponsible comedians are given every opportunity to exploit the particular brand of comedy that they have made peculiarly their own, and from the opening sequences until the somewhat surprising finale, they maintain the action so that there is not a dull moment. Dorothy tee has the principal feminine role. _ An entertaining programme of short subjects includes two interesting news reels, a mystery drama, and a. comedy. The box plans arc at the theatre and at the Bristol. , REGENT: THEATRE It was a happy thought that prompted the producers of “To-day We Live” to enlist for the leading roles the services of two players of, the calibre of Joan Crawford and Gary Cooper, for whilst both are prime favourites with picture-goers, this is the first occasion on which their admirers have had the opportunity _ of seeing them both in the same production. That the opportunity is appreciated by film patrons is evident by; the large audience that witnessed the initial screening of the picture at the Regent Theatre yesterday. As a picture, “To-day We Live has much to commend it. Apart altogether from the superlative acting of the principles, it is based on a powerful and unusual plot, which, although it has as its theme the eternal triangle, is dealt with in such a manner as to make the film one of the most striking screen productions that has been shown locally for many a day. It is a war story, but in it the war has been approached from an entirely new-angle, and instead of stressing all its horrors the author has attempted to show, and with considerable success, the wonderful influence on the life of the soldiers, of the_ "women behind the lines.” It is as Diana, an English society girl who has joined a British ambulance unit, that Joan Crawford is given every opportunity to display her amazing flair for emotional acting. Diana, bored with remaining at home while her man-folk ore fighting, joins up with an ambulance corps, and on being despatched to France soon becomes one of the vast army of voluntary workers risking their lives to aid and succour those who are fighting. At the same time, her brother and her childhood sweetheart are detailed for service with the “mosquito” squadron, while a young American to whom she has given her heart joins the air force. With the report that her lover has been killed in a crash, Diana, caught up in a mad desire to let everything go, gives herself to the man who loved her as' a girl, and who, in the meantime, with her brother, is engaged in the deadly and nerve-wracking task of patrolling the coast in all weathers in his tiny craft. With dramatic suddenness the man she loves, and whom she has believed to be dead, reappears on the scene, and here Cooper is responsible for some convincing when, hearing of what has transpired during his absence, he precipitates a quarred with his rival, and, .as a result of his hints that the men of the mosquito fleet live easy lives, is taken on a trip in one of the patrol/ craft. How he is disillusioned is one of the most thrilling sequences of the picture. How the two, the Englishman and the American, make a mutual attempt at self-sacrifice for the sake of the girl they both, love is told in exciting manner in the latter stages of the picture, and a dramatic and unorthodox, though wholly satisfactory climax, is reached. For the role of Diana no better choice than Joan Crawford could have been made. Always convincing, she merges herself so perfectly in her character that it is difficult at times to realise that she is acting, and her portrayal of the emotional girl who forgets to-morrow and thinks only of the present is a magnificent piece of acting. Ip the scene where her lover makes his dramatic reappearance she vises to great heights, and all through her characterisation is probably one of the finest she has ever given. Cooper depicts the care-free aviator in a manner that is peculiarly his own, and, although he is cast in a part that bristles with difficulties, he scores a distinct success. An added attraction is the appearance in the first half of the programme of the Roland Sextet, a talented family of juvenile instrumentalists, _who present several concerted numbers with admirable balance and precision, and in a manner that stamps them as a musical combination of drcidedlv more than average merit. These clevfr young musicians play with an interpretative ability and skill that is altogether pleasing, and the enthusiastic applause that greeted their turn last evening was | evidence that their playing was very 1

much to,the taste of the audience. A news reel and a “Mickey Mouse” cartoon are also shown. The box plans are at the theatre and at the Bristol. EMPIRE THEATRE “State Fair” is the type of film that may lie relied upon to do its own advertising. It is a picture in a hundred, and those in search of good, wholesome entertainment of a refreshingly new and original character need not go further than the Empire Theatre for the ensuing week. “ State Fair ” measures up to all standards and should be the most popular attraction p£ the week. It is so humanely and sentimentally attractive that it is difficult to conceive the kind of audience that could not be extravagantly enthusiastic about it. It is without doubt a film to be remembered. Its atmosphere no less than its delightful story will be recollected lona after the performances of the principals are forgotten. Janet Gaynor has the leading role, and she handles it with that charming and convincing competence which is always the keynote of her portrayals. She_ is an actress who allies remarkable ability to special personality. She never over-acts, although the parts which are usually assigned to her offer endless opportunities for such a mistake. She is at all times the entirely satisfying and sincere ingenue, and in “ State Fair ” she excels herself. Her decorative sedateness of manner is an everlasting delight. She seems to know and understand every quality and facade of the character she is asked to portray. In i short, hep interpretation of the part pres, bents a living and vital picture of a wholly delightful and convincing character. But I her attraction is not confined solely to the excellence of her rendering of the part of the pig-breeder’s daughter. It gains a great deal of its attraction from her appearance with a new partner. Lew Ayre a suits Janet Gaynor far better than Charles Farrell ever did. They work infinitely better together and the result is a far more convincing and_ entertaining interpretation of an absorbingly delightful tale which is woven around the hectic and colourful doings at a great county fair. Nothing Janet Gaynor lias done has suited her special capabilities better and that large section of the picture-going public which has delighted in her previous performances will find in her present characterisation much that will divert them, but a very great deal more that will surprise them. She literally excels herself and presents new facets of her character and genius that were little suspected by those who saw her in the very best of her previous productions. , Lew Ayres is an attractive and capable type of player whose abilities seem to present the true complement of those which Janet Gaynor displays, and for that reason the combination is so much the better. But apart from these two leading performers there is Will Rogers, one of the most popular players in America, who has also earned a great reputation with New Zealand audiences. He has a part of particularly generous opportunity in o| a .t e Fair,” and he makes the very most of it. He is a comedian with a style all. ms own, and in this film he sets an entirely new standard of excellence. Altogether the film is one that should not be missed by young or old. It has al] the elements of the best entertainment and should prove one of the most attractive offerings of the coming week. The supporting programme of news and other shorts with which the Empire Theatre management has sought to build up its major feature comprises one of the finest set of incidentals that has been screened in Dunedin, and those who contemplate a visit to the Empire Theatre during the coming week may expect something out of the ordinary in the way pi diversion. The box plana are at the Bristol and at the theatre. OCTAGON THEATRE Another of the double-feature programmes which in the past have proved so popular is now being screened at the Octaeon Theatre. The first picture is SecondHand Wife,” which has been adapted from Kathleen Noyris’s novel. Sally Silers, Ralph Bellamy, and Helen Vinson are cast in the most important parts, and they tell the story in a manner which must call for the admiration of all who see the picture. The principal film is “ The Face in the Sky,” starring Spencer Tracy and Marian Nixon. The latter, baa the role of a farm girl and Tracy is a likeable, if swaggering, young fellow who comes to Vermont painting sign boards. Stuart Erwin blunders his. way through the picture as Tracey’s assistant, supplying a wealth of comic relief. Sara Padden and Sam Hardy are the more important members of the supporting cast. A children’s programme will be presented at the matinee to-day, including the first episode of the serial, “The Jungle Mystery.” ■ The box plans are at the theatre and the Bristol. ST. JAMES THEATRE Those who attended the first screenings at the St. James Theatre yesterday of Pat Hanna’s “Diggers in Blighty’ were treated to a feast of entertainment such as they will have difficulty in finding again for a long time. The picture is a series of laughs from start to finish. Hanna appears as Ohio Williams, n lanky Australian private, Joe Valli is seen as Corporal M'Tavish, and George Moon baa the role of Private Joe Mulga. There is not a great deal of substance to the plot, but there are many humorous situations, and the three comedians make the most of their opportunities with the result that the audience is kept in the best of spirits until the final scenes when the most solemn must give way to loud laughter at the figures cut by three thirsty soldiers served with buttermilk. The supporting programme includes a really hilarious comedy entitled “ What a Night,” in which the well-known comedian, George Wallace, presents 16 minutes of bright and sparkling entertainment. The box plans are at the theatre, the Bristol, and Jacobs’s. KING EDWARD THEATRE Robert Armstrong has the lead in “ Big Money,” which will head the doublefeature programme at the King Edward Theatre to-day. Armstrong literally fought his way on to the screen. It was while he was playing the pugilist in “ Is Zat So ” in Los Angeles that William K. Howard, director, offered him the principal role in “ The Main Event." This was followed by another fight role in " Celebrity," and in one of his most recent pictures, “Be Yourself,” with Fanny Brice, he again donned the gloves. Besides these roles, Armstrong has been called upon to put up his hands many more times in informal set-to’s involved, in his other characterisations. The feminine members of the cast of “ Big Money ” are Miriam Segar, Margaret Livingston, and Dorothy Christy, The other film is “ Penalty of Fame,” in which the popular Lew Ayres is associated with Maureen O’Sullivan, Walter Catlett, Allan Dinehart, Nance O’Neill, Henry Armetta, and others. SKATING MURRAY’S RINK. On Saturday last spectators at Murray’s Skating Rink were treated to a brilliant display of hockey by the A and B teams. To-night the Rovers will play Murray’s A team at the rink, and the game should prove very exciting. Early next month the Canterbury hockey team will play at Murray’s, and sport lovers should make sure of witnessing this thrilling indoor sport. On Thursday next a monster skating party will be held, commencing at 10.30 p.m. and terminating at 2.30 a.m. Tickets are now procurable at the office. Novelties will be arranged to suit all. A Half-mile Handicap has been arranged for men, the first heat of which will commence this evening REGAL RINK. On Thursday night a very successful gathering of the Dunedin Skating Club was held. A large amount of routine business was transacted, and officials for the season were appointed. Those intending to join are requested to enrol at once. On club nights special attention , is devoted to learners, and all the latest ! steps are taught by courteous attendants, j