AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22053, 8 September 1933, Page 11

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE Entertainment on an unusually lavish scale is promised at the Grand Theatre in to-day's new programme. The principal picture will be "Girl Crazy," in which Robert Woolsey, Bert Wheeler, and Eddie Quillan are the principal players. Mitzi Green, Hollywood's child mimic wonder, plays the part of a pestiferous little sister and the romance and beauty brigade is headed by Dorothy Lee, Arlien Judge, Kitty Kelly, and Lita Chevret. Stanley Fields and Chris Pin Martin play the shoot-and-run villains. Custerville is a small western settlement in the heart of the Arizona desert. It is enjoying its noonday siesta. The streets are empty; a dog sleeps. At the height of this quiescence Danny Churchill (Eddie Quillan) rides into town in a buggy he hired at the railroad station some 300 miles away. Danny brilliantly decides that, his father's ranch is too slow for him, and decides to speed it up as a " dude " ranch with jazz orchestras, show girls, and a gambling concession. He sends for his friend, " Slick Foster (Robert Woolsey), and "Slick' travels west in Jimmy Deegan's (Bert Wheeler's) taxi. Jimmy was willing to make the trip because he had an annoying little sister, Tessie (Mitzi Green), whom he hoped wouldn't be able to find him in Custerville. Slick's wife, Kate (Kitty Kelly), accompanies the party. Meanwhile Danny has fallen in love with a rancher's daughter named- Molly (Arline Judge), and he is painting the sign "Molly-O" over his ranch house porcli when " Slick," Jimmy, and Kate arrive in a wrecked taxicab drawn by a tired and disgusted team of horses. Jimmy falls m love with Patsy, a local beauty, and decides to stay because of her and the 400 dollars " Slick " owes him for transportation. " Slick " is esconced as head of the gambling concession and the show girls are making things merry when Lank Sanders (Stanley Fields),, the local sheriff annihilator, appears on the scene. Lank s pet hobby of killing sheriffs has been temporarily satisfied, and there are no more. Consequently, Lank has developed the situation to where he can stand tor office himself and force Danny to toe the line and pay. The boys find this political problem intolerable, and they, force Jimmy into accepting the nomination against Lank. The rival nominees campaign and during the election lessie. who has mysteriously arrived, turns the tables to Jimmy's advantage by emptying the ballots from Lanks box. The musical numbers are all original compositions of George and Ira Mitzi Green's career started when she was three years old. The urge to be sonicthing took hold of Mitzi one night when she was watching a vaudeville act from the wings. The act was Whit ng and Burt, and Mitzi had watched Sadie Burt every night for a while On this particular night the call of the footlights got the best of her and she toddled out in the middle of the act and did an imitation of Sadie. From then on Miss Burt insisted that Mitzi's mother and father should allow the child to appear m her act. When Mitzi reached the age ot seven she branched out for herself ami clul a "single" with great success until Director Wesley Ruggles saw her and gave her a part in "Honey." Since then she has been featured in motion pictures. She Jim an important part in " Girl Crazy. Mitzi was born in New York on October 22, 1L years ago, and entertainment has been her chief function in life ever since. She weighs POlb now and is 58 inches tall, and" when she grows three more inches she expects to pursue her ambition—that of being a singer. Her 11 years have been packed with perfecting accomplishments—swimming, lawn tennis, dancing, and piano are a few of them. She recently won a blue ribbon for horseback riding. The box plans nrc at the theatre and Chas. Begg and Co.'s.

ST. JAMES THEATRE

Once again Jessie Matthews, who, It will be remembered, appeared in "There Goes the Bride," has made unother firstclass film, this time in "The Midship Maid," bv lan Hay and Commander KingHall, Gainsborough's latest musical comedy, which will be screened at the St. James Theatre to-day. "The Midship Maid" is a rollicking nautical film, and its humour has made it very popular wherever it has been shown. The story of the visit of a naval economist to the fleet at Malta—sent there to keep him quiet—is full of fun and jollity. While the pompous old man is looking around his daughter is setting the hearts of all the officers a-flutter. To flatter him the officers organise an amateur variety show, and a big part of the picture is devoted to the really laughable entertainment provided by the lower deck. Having the appearance of being played by amateurs the show has behind it many of the best names of the English vaudeville stage. Jessie Matthews scores a great success, and Fed. Kerr brings his amusing crustiness to the part of the pompous economist with the beautiful daughter. Concerning "The Midship Maid," which was screened under vice-regal patronage at Wellington recently, the Evening Post writes: "The pretty and vivacious Jessie Matthews, who scored such a success in ' There Goes the Bride/ is even more delightful in Gainsborough's adaptation of lan Hay's whimsical musical comedy, 'The Midship Maid,' which is delighting capacity houses at the Paramount Theatre. Jessie Matthews displays all the personality which has made her famous on the legitimate stage. In the picture she captivates her audiences just as she_ captures the hearts of the otliccrs ot the man-of-war she visits with her father, Lord Percy, who is visiting the ship,as an economy expert bent upon curtailing naval expenditure. As an economy move, the officers stage a ship's concert instead of the customary ball, and tins performance is responsible for a great amount of fun and humour. It can safely be said that Jessie Matthews and her chief confreres, Basil Sydney, Fred Kerr, and A. W. Bascomb, put over a performance that should not be missed." An exceptionally fine array of short subjects will precede the feature. They include: "Birds of River Mere," a Nature study; One Bright Slimmer Morning," views of Wales; "New Guinea," studies of native life; and "Stationary Movies." The box plans are at the D.1.C., Jacobs's, and the theatre.

REGENT THEATRE

The mazes of Sun Francisco's Chinatown, its plots, intrigues, and long battles, and the romance of a Chinese girl who sells herself at auction to aid her countrymen, furnish the dramatic background ot "The Son-Daughter," which will head today's new programme at the Regent Theatre. Helen' Hnyes, heroine of " The Sin of Madelon Claudet," and Ramon Navarro enact the priiicipol roles. "The Son-Daughter." which is based on David Belasco's famous singe play, is a colourful and spectacular drama of the inner workings of Chinatown and the struggle between royalists and revolutionists. Georgcous celebrations, great gambling

•dens, and romances are contrasted with the intrigues of grim hatchetmen in the secret catacombs of the Oriental quarter. Novarro, as the young Chinese prince, is reported to be convincing, and does a number of dramatic scenes with force and power. He also sings a Chinese Eong delightfully. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. EMPIRE THEATRE The lives of the passengers on a liner on its way from Hamburg to New York are portrayed with great realism in " Luxury Liner," which will have its initial screening at the Empire Theatre to-day. The film depicts the drama of the vessel from steerage to first cabin, exposing the intimate lives of the 'men and women bound from Germany to New York. A harassed doctor, trailing his wife, who has eloped with another man; 'a powerful financier, even on the voyage playing with stocks and women; an opera singer; a girl in the steerage exploiting her own charms to get herself into the first class; an elevator operator, posing as a ship's officer before gaping girl passengers; a dying mother, keeping alive long enough to see her son in New York once more—these are among the many whose lives are dissected by the camera. An additional attraction will be a manikin parade arranged by Messrs Brown, Ewing, and Co. The box plans are at the theatre and at the D.I.C. STRAND THEATRE The latest of the widely-read Zane Grey romances to reach the theatre, " Wild Horse Mesa," will commence today at the Strand, and, with its story of brave men, Indians, and wild horses, will be certain to keep audiences at a high pitch of excitement. If is Zane Grey at his best, which means that it is a singularly fine Western. Randolph Scott, who scored such a success in " Heritage of the Desert," gives another fine performance in the leading role of " Wild Horse Mesa." He appears as Chane Weymer, friend of the Indians, who makes it his business to bring to justice Rawlins (Fred Kohler), who has bceu rounding up wild horses belonging to the Indians. Sally Blanc, the heroine of " Heritage of the Desert," is charming in the romantic lead, and Lucille La Verne and Charley Grapewin contribute magnificent characterisations as the mother of the heroine and a retired sailor. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. OCTAGON THEATRE Tlie art of impressing the ladies as practised by renowned charmers of the fair sex has been concentrated into one delightful personality for entertaining movie fare in " The Great Jasper," which will be shown at the Octagon Theatre to-day, starring Richard Dix. The story is said to be a delightful mixture of veiled comedy and powerful drama, culminating in Jasper's realisation that you cannot go through life taking love where you find it without some day having a reckoning. Wera Engels, new to Duncdin audiences, is beautiful and charming, sharing feature honours with Edna May Oliver, who is comical, as always. Otherfl in the cast are Florence Eldridge, the talented wife of Frederic March, Betty Furness, Bruce Cabot, James Bush, Walter Walker, and two clever youngsters —David Durand and Dorothy Gray. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. KING EDWARD THEATRE One of the most laughable pictures that has been seen at the King Edward Theatre for a long time is "Harmony Row," the current attraction, in which George Wallace, the well-known Australian comedian, has the leading role. George is cast as a policeman by the name of " Dreadnought, who is stationed in a particularly rough district, and the adventures that befall him are of the most humorous kind imaginable. Wallace has a style all his own, and he proves in "Harmony Row" that he is just as effective on the screen as in vaudeville. There is a good supporting programme. |