AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22203, 5 March 1934, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE Dunedin theatre-goers have been quick to realise the entertainment value of Gracie Fields's latest vehicle, " This Week of Grace," which has now entered upon the second week of its season at the Grand Theatre, with the result that the theatre has accommodated capacity audiences practically since the season commenced, t " This Week of Grace'' is musical comedy of the better type, and by reason of the high musical standard which the picture attains it does not require to rely solely upon the theme of its story to carry it along. The picture, however, has the added advantage of a plot of substance. The intensely amusing and arresting personality of Gracie i ields permeates the .film© throughout. With her alertness to every humour and her whole-hearted, spontaneous acting she has given the production high artistic merit. Possessed of a charming voice, Miss Fields sings her way through the picture in the most tuneful and happy: fashion, featuring no fewer than six song numbers — "My Lucky Day," "Happy sEnding," "Heaven Will Protect an Honest Girl," "Mary Rose," "When Cupid Calls," and " Melody at Dawn." The reproduction of these and of the dialogue throughout, leaves nothing to be desired, while the beautiful scenic effects introduced play an important part in the success of the film. Miss Fields has.the support of a large and competent cast. Frank Pettingell is particularly pleasing, while Douglas Wakefield, who gives.a highly humorous characterisation in the part of the faithful helper, Joe, is a player of whom Dunedin theatre patrons will wish to see more. The theme of " This Week of Grace " is based upon the struggles of a poor work' ing girl who has been raised t« unexpected wealth, to take her place in a stratum of society to which she is wholly unaccustomed. The Duchess of Swinfprd has been heartily disgusted with the manner in which her nephew Clive and his mother have allowed a fine old castle in their charge to run to ruin. Qne day she accidentally meets Gracie, and as a grim jest, decides to put her in charge of the estate, taking the girl and her family from the slums, and installing them in the caßtle. Things soon take a. turn for the better, for the. tenants become more contented and the castle and estate are run like clockwork. Later, a misunderstanding occurs between Gracie, and Clive, and the family returns to its home in the slums. There is an excellent supporting programme. The box plans are at. the theatre and at Messrs Charles Begg and Co.'s. ' \. ■»

. REGENT THEATRE ' Seventy thousand pounds was lavished on the production of British International Pictures' sparkling comedy romance, "Heads We Go," which is at present being screened at the Regent Theatre, Charming Constance Cummings was " stolen '" from Hollywood for the starring role; Frank Lawton (of "Cavalfame), Binnie Barnes, Gus M'Naughton, and Claude Holbert were selected to head the great supporting cast; and the result is a bright comedy romance, radiating laughter and happiness. It is a piece of brilliant and delightful entertainment from beginning to end. Laughter, romance,," beautiful girls,. gowns that will gladden every feminine heart, every ingredient of popular entertainment is to be found/in this really outstanding screen gem. The romantic story of "Heads We Go" stars Constance Cummings and Binnie Barnes as two manikins who.toss a coin to decide an adventure. "Heads" wins, and they decide to " blue" Conny's £3OO legacy from an aunt in Canada and Binnie's ii, 17s 4d on one wild visit to fashionable Deauville. Constance, or Betty Smith, as she/appears in the film, has a' romantic reason for choosing to visit Deauville. At this pleasure resort of the idle rich she is mistaken for Dorothy. Kay, a famous film Star, and everybody is at her feet. Millionaires send flowers; newspaper men haunt* her hotel. Proposals come every day and twice on Sundays, until a gay yachtinjj; week-end exposes the deception-—-and doubles the delight fof the audience; While in Deauville two weird individuals 'in Otis Dove and Reginald Coke,, more commonly known as " Fishface," practically break in upon the girls and proceed to entertain them. These two roles are taken {by Gus M'Naughton arid Claude Hulbert, who provide much of the comedy of. the production. The stage settings play an impoftant part in the success of the film, the scenes depicting the harbour "at Deauville being exceptionally pleasing. One of the song numbers, "Whistling Under the Moon," ia sure to achieve popularity. For its rare entertainment value "Heads We Go" is a picture which should not be missed. Among the supporting pictures there is a short subject, entitled "Murder at the Bridge Table," in which Ely Culbertson, the eminent authority on contract bridge, demonstrates his mastery of the game, The box plans.for the season will be found at the theatre and at the D;r.c. •.:,

EMPIRE THEATRE Spectacularly staged and based on a distinctly novel plot, "The Mystery of the Wax Museum," which is now showing afc the Empire Theatre, can safely take its place as one of ,the most gripping productions of-its kind that have ever been screened locally.- , Dealing with the activities of a strange mono-maniac and the mysterious disappearances of «corpses as well as living persons,' the picture is full of incident, and go deftly has the element of suspense been sustained, that it is not until the final scene that the audience becomes acquainted " with / the terrifying secret that lies behind, the doors of the museum. The story opens with the destruction by fire of a waxworks conducted by two Russians, one of whom, anxious to collect the insurance, has set fire to the building. The younger of the partners is, severely burned in his effort to save some of his beloved images, and the" scene then changes to New York where he is seen as a seemingly harmless cripple, who has opened another museum in that city. Coincident with the establishing, of this waxworks, many mysterious disappearances of, well-known people occur, and several corpses are stolen from the morgue. From this stage, the story moves through a series of breath-taking incidents, in which a shrewd newspaper woman, who takes it on herself; to solve the mystery, is the leading figure. How, through her perspicacity, the author of the disappearances is run to. earth brings th'e picture to a thrilling climax. As the Russian sculptor, Lionel Attwell gives a subtle and fascinating performance/that ranks with the best characterisations of his career. Fay Wray, Allen Vincent, Gavin Gorden, and Araiur Edmund Carewe are among the supporting cast, and all' handle their respective roles capably. The supporting programme is a strong one, a particularly attractive feature being a delightfully funny screen cartoon. Miss Iris Mason presents a programme of enjoyable organ selections. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. "ANOTHER LANGUAGE." Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery are co-starred in " Another Language, filmed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from the stage success which ran for more than a year on Broadway. The picture will be shown at the Empire Theatre on Friday. As a play, "Another Language" proved to be the most popular comedy-drama to reach the stage in several years. Its story concerns the oppressive effect of a middle-class family upon the happineas of a young girl who marries into it, a stranger to the customs of the household. Edward H. Griffith, who directed the screen version, is noted for such successes as "Holiday," "Rebound," and "The Animal Kingdom." Miss Hayes as Stella, the young bride, has a role strikingly different from her recent portrayal in " The White Sister." Montgomery, who comes to this picture direct from his success in "When Ladies Meet," plays the young husband who is unable to shake off the influence of his selfishly-adoring mother. ST. JAMES THEATRE

When a footman ip an artistocratic English household becomes heir to a dukedom, there are infinite possibilities for such an entertaining sequel as is provided in "His Grace Gives Notice," the Radio Pictures production, which is now showing at the St. James Theatre. Arthur Margetson appears as the footman and Viola Keats interprets the role of the daughter of the house, who rejects the advances of the footman—a little too nonchalant for his station in life—and, against the dictates of her family, becomes engaged to a man-about-town with

a chequered past, and also a wife. Thus the stage is set for film entertainment of dramatic possibilities. On his unexpected inheritance of the dukedom, his grace gives notice, as a footman, and, under expert tutelage, enters society, not without qualms. Everything goes according to plan until the erstwhile footman discovers that the daughter of his former employer is.planning to elope from London with her questionable fiance. However, the duke also has a plau. Exploiting his experience as a footman, he becomes the valet of his unwitting rival, and a sensational climax is reached when the pair come to blows in a Paris flat. One of the most entertaining aspects of the film is the delightful comic relief by S. Victor Stanley, as the duke's valet. Arthur Margetsons performance as the footman-duke is excellently done, and Viola Keats makes a really charming heroine. Included in the cast are Dick Francis, Edgar Norfolk, Lawrence Hanray, Barrie Livesy, and 0. B. Clarence. There is an entertaining series of shorter films, including an amusing Charlie Chaplin comedy, synchronised with sound. The box plans are at the theatre, the D.1.C.,- Jacobfl'e, and M'Craken and Walls's. OCTAGON THEATfcE "The Man Who Dared," the first feature on the double bill of fare at present being screened at the Octagon Theatre, is an original screen play by Dudley Nichols and Lamar Trotti, which hot only tells an impressive story of a' roan who rose from a miner to the position of Mayor of Chicago, but also throws into relief many of the major problems with which. America has been beset during the past half century. In 1871, when Jan Novak first arrived in America as a small boy, the country was very different from what it is to-day, and Jan's father found work in one of the mines. When he loses his father in an accident Jan, , too, is forced to work in the mine in order to support the family; but his subsequent dismissal and the memory of his dead father's advice send him step by step along the road that, leads to success.; Preston Foster, in the leading role, gives an excellent characterisation, and he is ably supported by Zita Johann. The main picture, " Broadway Bad," combines the music, dancing, and gaiety of Broadway with an intensely dramatic story. In this production Joan Blondell, as Tony Landers, the Broadway actress who never to smile before the public despite the secrets of her inner life, is responsible for a very understanding interpretation of the leading role. After a sensational divorce from Bob North, the son of one of the leading families of Broadway, Tony, capitalises the publicity she has gained in order that she may lavish her devotion on the little baby boy who is born to her unknown to her former husband. The action gradually works up toU dramatic climax in a court scene, in which a mother's love triumphs over all else. The first episode of " Clancy of the Mounted," a new, thrilling serial, is also shown. The box plans are at the theatreVand at the D.I.C.'?

STRAND THEATRE A sophisticated story of a distinctly modern type is told in ■" Walls of Gold, the screen adaptation of Kathleen Norm's well-known novel, which is at present being shown at the Strand Theatre. The plot is a very unusual one, and the parte, are portrayed to the fullest advantage by a large and competent,cast, headed by Sally Eilers, Frank Morgan, and Norman Foster. One of the central figures' of the story is Jeanie S a terlee, an efficient young business woman who manages a successful 'employment agency. She is introduced to a rising young engineer, Barnes Ritchie, and, after a short acquaintance, the two fall in love, Only to have the.ir romance rudely .disturbed when the young man introduces Jeanie to his uncle, a millionaire, who is a confirmed- philanderer.. He immediately begins to pay attention to the girl, who succumbs to the extent of accepting an expensive present from, him, and,', thoroughly piqued at this, Barnes imagines that he has lost Jeanie's affection, and immediately rushes off and marries her younger sister. Jeanie repents her foolish action, but finds i that. it is top late, and marries the millionaire uncle for the security that, his wealth offers. She finds, however, that he. is not so sincere as he had seemed, and after a series of complications arise the Story is brought to a thoroughly satisfactory There is, in addition,! a sripp/Srting programme of unusual merit' including several newsreels. a cartoon, and another of the popular Cinemagaziries: The box plans are at the theatre, and the D.I.C.

KING EDWARD THEATRE There was a large and- appreciative audience at the King Edward Theatre dp Saturday night when the new doublefeature programme, comprising "Street of Women - and " Sailor's Luck" was presented for the first time. Kay. Francis, who-has appeared in many notable films, has the leading role in the former picture, and makes a thorough success of it, as usual, while the supporting cast is also one of outstanding ability. James Dunn and Sally Eilers. one of the most popular " teams" on the screen to-day, have the principal roles in "Sailor's Luck," which describes in rollicking, carefree fashion the progress of a romance between a. happy-go-lucky sailor ; and a girl who is down and out. It is good fun all the way, with the action never hesitating for a moment. Others in the cast are Sammy Cohen, Frank Moran, Victor Jory. and Esther Muir.