AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22504, 23 February 1935, Page 10

AMUSEMENTS

ST. JAMES THEATRE By her. performance in “ As the Earth Turns.” winch wag shown locally a few weeks ago, Jean Muir won a definite place in the hearts of local theatre patrons, and she will certainly extend the circle of her admirers by her charming portrayal in the aptly-entitled film “ Desirable,” ■which was shown locally for the first time at the St. James Theatre yesterday. In her previous film Miss Muir was seen as an unsophisticated girl in quiet, homely, and, for the most part, rural surroundings. It was not a “ costume” role, and her naturalness created the impression that she was best suited for this type of character. It would appear, however, that' she does not intend to allow her parts to become stereotyped, as has been the fate of several promising young stars in the past, for in “ Desirable” she is seen as a debutante in very fashionable circles, and she has an opportunity to demonstrate that her lack of sophistication can survive, and, indeed, be enhanced by very sophisticated dressing. Miss Muir is genuinely youthful m appearance and manner, and she possesses a clear, pleasant voice. In short, she is a charming personality, and one hopes that it will not be over-long before she is seen again. But “ Desirable is by no means a. one-star picture. I he cast is a strong one, including as it does George Brent, Veree Teasdale, Charles Starrett, and John Halliday. The first three of these players are all well known for their consistent performances, and John Halliday is a good character actor who here fills a small part_ in an admirable manner.' The story is not an involved one; in fact, its climax becomes apparent at an early stage, but there is some elusive attraction about it which holds the interest of the audience. Helen Walbridge (Veree Teasdale), after long years of struggling, has at last won a leading place in the theatre. “he is beautiful, but the years have made her hard and selfish so that, rather than risk the ridicule which attaches to ageing stars who refuse to yield gracefully to the passage of time, she compells her growing daughter, Lois (Jean. Muir) to remain at a secluded private school. Circumstances bring Lois to town .in an unexpected manner and there she meets Stuart M'Allister (George Brent), one of her mother’s admirers. M'Allister immediately falls in love with the young girl and encourages her to fight for her independence. Her complete ignorance leads her into an engagement with a wealthy young man l (Charles : Starrett), whose claims are urged by the jealous mother. Lois is unhappy with her lover and teels the need of a confidant. In her unhappiness she "turns to McAllister and thereby precipitates the crisis from which they emerge happily united. It is an attractive story which is excellently acted and skilfully produced.. The. supporting programme includes a British and an Australian newsreel, which include views of the Scout jamboree at Melbourne, a radio novelty number, and an abridged version .of the musical play “The Song of the Flame.” The box plans are at the theatre, M'Cracken and Walls’s, the D.1.C., and Jacobs's. “RIPTIDE.” Norma Shearer is said to reap new laurels as the gilded heroine of Riptide,” which is to be screened at the St. James Theatre next Friday. In a daring role reminiscent of her triumphs in “Divorcee,” “Strangers May Kiss, and “ A Free Soul,” Miss Shearer plays the part of Lady Rexford, an American girl who married a title and found, to her dismay, that she had sacrificed the freedom and good times she loved so well. The appearance in her hour of marital discontent of a former New York, sweetheart provides the triangle upon which the film story is based. Robert Montgomery and Herbert Marshall are the leading men as the sweetheart and husband respectively. Included in the cast are Mrs Patrick Campbell, Skeets Gallagher, Ralph Forbes . and Lilyan Tashman. REGENT THEATRE .“The Song You Gave Me,” the leading picture in the new programme at the Regent Theatre, serves to introduce Bebe. Daniels in a most fascinating study This famous artist has all the requisites, of a finished actress. She can not only act" with the greatest artistry, but she can sing, and sing, too, with finish and effect. She has the confidence associated with a long and successful career on the stage and also the talent which enables her to present her impersonation in a most convincing fashion. The setting of the story is Vienna and here we have the famous Mitzi Hanson, charming, insouciant, popular with young and old. The actress is the guest of three of her most ardent admirers at a dinner, and she is prevailed on by them to sing. Imagine the consternation .of those present when a young man at the salon rises abruptly from his table, and leaves the room before the song is finished.. This is an insult which the spoilt Mitzi cannot at first forgive, and neither can her admirers, but the act of the handsome, impecunious ex-guard’s officer, as he turns out to be, has the ultimate effect of so intriguing Mitzi. that she takes steps to his acquaintance. In due course, ‘therefore, we see him installed as Mitzi s secretary, and his courteous, but manly, attitude to his employer results in the pampered actress at first looking on him with a kindly eye and then falling deeply in love with him. . The impecunious officer, however, maintains a strictly aloof attitude to his employer, although it soon becomes quite apparent that her love is returned. He is determined nevertheless that he, a poor man, cannot meet the advances so winhingly made to him, and it would seem that there is every possibility of the course of true love ending in a complete break. Then, ot course, comes the turn of events which everyone in the audience desires, and all ends happily. Victor Varconi takes the part of the guard’s officer, Karl Linden, and gives a thoroughly satisfying study, and Iris Ashley, a glittering' cabaret star; Walter Widdop, famous British operatic singer, and Claude Hulbert, Lester Mathews, and Frederick Lloyd also present their parts in a capable manner. Among the songs which Miss Daniels sings are “Th e Captain of the Guard,” “The Song You Gave Me,” and “Good-bye,” from “The White Horse Inn.” The first part of the programme is of a particularly attractive character. It includes Regent Review of World Events, Pathetone Varieties, Sketchy Skiing, and a Nature Study (“Fit to Boil’). The plans are at the D.I.C. and, the theatre. EMPIRE THEATRE It has become a tradition among picturegoers that every picture in which George Arliss appears is a good picture, and it is certain that those who saw the great character actor in- his latest production, “The Last Gentleman,” which opened its Dunedin season yesterday at the Empire Theatre, will agree that his performance in this film is one of the finest things he has ever done. Whilst, perhaps, the plot is somewhat slender, it includes much that is novel and refreshing, and blended with the more dramatic passages of the story is some delightful comedy that is in, its way as important a factor in the make-up of the production as the more serious side of the narrative. Arliss has the role of Cabot Barr, a crotchety, domineering old New Englander, who amus-es himself by keeping his relatives on tenterhooks as to how he will dispose of his money. In . his own eccentric fashion he takes a delight in bringing every member of the family to heel, but deep in his heart is an underlying fear that the gallant line of Barra will die out. To him anything modern is anathema; all his life he has been used to the solid furniture, the dullness, and the prudery of the early Victorian period, and old as he is, he can see no reason for any change. Strong himself, he despises weakness of character, and looking through his long list of relatives, he can see only one—his grand-dgughter i —who in his opinion measures up to the 1 high standard of the house of Barr. ! Unfortunately his only son is a thorough- ! paced scoundrel who, having done his best [ to break the old man’s heart, worries himi self into a fever of anxiety over the fact that his ancient and stubborn parent ! steadfastly persists in living. With all j hi s apparent ill nature, however, the oifi j man is a very lovable character, and ] while he is drilling and bullying the family and imposing on them an almost j military discipline, he is all the time in j his quietly mischievous way, extracting a good deal of humour from their efforts i to please him. A memorial service to ins 1 sister forms an excuse for him to gather them together, and this, with the many 1 humorous incidents which creep in here

and there, forms one of the most entertaining sequences of the film. It is not until the mourning ig all over that the real reason for the gathering becomes apparent. All the time the patriarch of the Barr s is quietly and shrewdly studying his flock, and by the help of an action here and a word dropped there, is gradually sifting the chaff from the wheat. Having successfully managed this, he arranges for the disposal of his wealth. With totally unexpected cunning, he arranges, for his young niece, whom he considers the only authentic Barr in the family to develop an affection for his sister’s adopted son, and thereafter tries to persuade the boy to change his name to Barr. Until the final scene, the audience is adroitly led to believe that the ingrate son will get the fortune, but surprisingly, it is found that the lovable, mischievous spirit of Cabot filarr is still able to protect the ancient name, and the story reaches an unorthodox but entirely satisfactory climax. Perhaps the .most surprising feature of the production is the facility with which the grand old man of the screen handles the many delightfully humorous situations which are called for in his role. With . a really ingratiating gaiety he drops into this featherweight comedy with all the ease that he displayed in some of his heavier parts, and throughout it all he displays a versatility and command of stagecraft that makes the merging of actor and character almost perfect. >,He is crochety, he is funny; he is he is charmingly sentimental, and he speaks his lines to perfection, giving each word and phrase its maximum expression. In addition to the refreshing humour of line and character which fills the picture, “ The Last Gentleman ” employs several vastly entertaining incidents, which, while having no actual bearing on the story, link, as it were,, one incident to another. Some first-class actors portray the relatives of the quarrelsome old gentleman. Edna May Oliver as his sister and Charlotte Henry, both handle their respective parts capably, and Edward Ellis plays the part of Barr’s ex-convict butler with distinct ability. The supporting programme of short subjects is unusually varied and entertaining. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. GRAND THEATRE • . Two entertaining pictures, each vastly different from the other, form an outstanding programme at the Grand Theatre this week. “She Was a Lady,” the featured film, is an adaptation of the magazine serial by Elizabeth Cobb, and presents a forceful and true-to-life story in a convincing manner. Like the novel the screen version traverses a girl s struggles to live down the disgrace brought upon the family by another.'The heroine, Sheila Vane, is born of mixed stock. Her father is an English nobleman, who has married the family servant, been cast out by his parents, and finally settled with his wife and children on a Montana ranch. He has realised the mistake of marrying beneath his own station, and as a balm for his sorrow, he takes to drink; but even in his most drunken moments the blood of his high birth is apparent. After hig death Sheila has the problem of facing, the world alone, of overcoming the handicap that has. been forced upon her, and of. finally winning the right to life and love in decent circles. Helen Twelvetreeg gives a sterling performance as the heroine, Sheila Vane, her emotional.acting being excellent and of, a restrained character. Donald Woods has a difficult part as the carefree son of a wealthy society man, but he handles it in masterly fashion, while the large supporting cast lends valuable, assistance. George O’Brien has the leading role in “The Dude Ranger," the second film on the programme. Adapted from the story by Zane Grey, it is an exciting drama of the West with plenty of action and thrills. Learning from his lawyer that he has inherited a ranch in Arizona, Ernest Selby, a sophisticated but muscular city man, decides to live on his newly-acquired property, but before going out he learns that-several hundred head of cattle have disappeared. Arriving at the ranch, be is mistaken for a cowboy seeking a position, and before be has the opportunity to reveal bis identity, the manager of the ranch-engages him as an ex,tra hand. By keeping his eyes and ears open, he clears up the matter of the mishandling of the ranch, and incidentally wins for himself a charming wife. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s, STRAND THEATRE Something of an innovation in the way of motion picture production, “Death on the Diamond,” which ia this week’s attraction at the Strand Theatre," portrays a carefully worked-out mystery drama of American life with a large element of comedy reaching at times almost to the point of satire. The story concerns the death on the diamond before an attenddance of about 80,000 people of a famous baseball player, as the result of which more than 30 persons are suspected in turn for murder. The unravelling of the mystery provides everyone, with a task of no small difficulty. In the dosing scenes of the picture the culprit is apprehended, chiefly through the agency of a clever newspaper reporter, but this not before two other great players have been done to death. Some good ball play is seen by 25 famous players and the St. Louis Cardinal team. The principal roles are in the hands of Robert Young, Madge Evans, G. Henry Gordon, David Landau, Nat Pendleton, Ted Healy, Edward Brophy, and Paul Kelly. “ Straight Is the Way” has Franchot Tone leading a capable cast; He is seen as Benny Horowitz, an ex-convict, who determines on his return to his home to break his former criminal associations and lead an honest life. The way in which he succeeds not only in stopping the operations of a band of crooks but also in bringing about their undoing provides a story full of interest and surprise, which rises to a climax in a dramatic struggle between Benny and a former rival on the roof of a high New York building. Karen Morley, as the friend of the family who is to some extent the inspiration of the son’s endeavour, acquits herself with credit through the many difficult situations of her role. The fine acting of May Robson in the part of Benny’s mother, cannot fail to appeal. The box plans are at the theatre and at the D.I.C. 'OCTAGON THEATRE No better vehicle for the expression of the versatile talent of Florence Desmond could have been selected than the screen adaptation by Charles Bennett of A. and G. Garten’s play, “Gay Love,” which opened its Dunedin season at the Octagon Theatre yesterday. Leslie Hiscott, who directed this production at Beaconsfield, and who has more than once previously distinguished himself by the creation of realistic atmosphere behind the scenes, has spared no effort to give his principal every opportunity in this bright romance of the London theatre. Picture-goers will remember Miss Desmond for her work in “Sally in Our Alley,” when she made her debut before the moving camera, but here she appears almost a different person, her role of Gracie Fellows, the star of a successful revue company end a leading London actress, providing abundant scope not only for her brilliant mimicry, in which she has achieved world fame, but also for the genius of her own acting. So skilfully has the picture been planned that the sensation of a “play within a play ” is barely noticeable, the story moving with a unity seldom attained in a work of this nature. The plot at first sight appears comparatively simple, but the adventures which befall the characters before its denouement lack nothing in unexpectedness and interest. Miriam Hopkins, a sister of Gracie, who has just returned from the Continent, where she has spent a large part of her time gambling, announces to her by telephone the fact of her engagement, but agrees to wait till seeing her to say to whom it is. Meantime Gloria is preparing for the first night of a new show and is searching everywhere for someone to take a short part opposite her in the final scene. She is expecting a Mr Murray for this, and no sooner has someone appeared at the door of her flat than she leads him off to try the lines. The visitor is more than proficient, exceeding both her and his own expectations, but is hardly permitted to explain that he is merely there with a view to leasing the flat. The arrival later of the real Mr Murray plunges Gracie into confusion; but, nevertheless, it is the “ bogus Mr Murray ” to whom she is attracted. Her sister tells her that her fiance is Lord Eaton, a sporting peer, and one of the richest men in England. Miriam continues to gamble in London and falls into debt with a notorious card player. Despite the fact that Gracie learns that her “bogus Mr Murray” is none other than Lord Eaton and that Miriam has not told him anything of their own family, Gracie decides to supI press ber own emotions and to help her

sister to pay her debts without, the knowledge of the peer. The final solution of the difficulties comes from an unexpected quarter. Splendour of scene has not been forgotten, and a New Year’s Eve ball provides Miss Desmond with an opportunity to introduce some of her impersonations. As the aloof Greta Garbo, the forlorn, fluttering Zasu Pitts _ and Mae West, the seductive, she givetuhighly typical, amusing, and extremely well done caricatures which alone make the picture outstanding. Sophie Tucker, the noted music hall artist, makes a successful screen debut in some of the revue items introduced, her singing being noteworthy. Ivor Maclaren is very suitably cast as Lord Eaton, and gives an excellent characterisation. Enid Stamp-Taylor is much at home in the same role as she played in the original stage version at the Lyric Theatre. London. Others pronnnent in the, cast include Sydney Fairbrother, Garry Marsh, Ben Welden, Leslie Perrins and Davy Burnaby. A particularly interesting and varied programme of short subjects includes scenes at the Melbourne centenary celebrations _ and a beautiful study of the Australian lyre bird. The box plans are at the theatre, Messrs Charles Begg and Co.’s, and Messrs M'Cracken and Walls’s. STATE THEATRE That “ One Night of Love ” is one of the most popular pictures to be screened in Dunedin for many months is illustrated by the fact that last evening it commenced its third week at the State . Theatre. It is a film which is well worth seeing more than once, if only for tue reason that the principal part is taken by Grace Moore, who is possessed of a glorious soprano voice, and for once the producers have given a real singer a chance to sing some real music. Extracts from a Carmen” and “Madame Butterfly” follow one another, sung as only a star of the ferand opera can sing them. “ One Night of Love ”is the story of an American girl who failed to win a radio competition which would have enabled her to travel to Europe and become a pupil of the most famous maestro of Italy. Undaunted by her failure, the girl goes to Italy on her own initiative. There, when her chances of ever winning recognition seem the most remote, her singing in a cafe attracts the attention of the maestro himself. Thenceforth the film is a description of the manner in which pupil and master play at cross purposes the while she is being moulded into a grand opera star under the guidance of the great Italian. The masterful Italian dominates her life completely, shutting out all thoughts of everything but work and a career, and when she is once fairly launched into the world of grand opera that domination continues. Along such unusual lines the romancethat has sprung up between them, unrealised at least to one of the two, gradually develops with many a humorous twist and turn. But always as a background v for that romance there is the singing of the star. Time comes when master and pupil separate, she with a great bitterness in her heart, and in the opera house at New York the story reaches its climax. There on the night when the performance of “Madame Butterfly” is threatened by the nervousness of the new prima donna the two are reunited, and La Barrett sings “One Fine Day” a s she had never sung it before. It is on this note of triumphant love and triumphant singing that the curtain falls on “ One Night of Love.” The leading role opposite Miss Moore is splendidly played by Tullio Carminati, whose maestro is one of the most life-like things that could be imagined. Then there is Luis Alberni, who is unfailingly humorous as the Italian, accompanist; Lyle Talbot, as a sympathetic but prosaic American lover of the singer; and Mona Barrie, who has the unenviable role of the- jealous operatic star who nearly wrecks the happiness of several people. Technically the picture is a wonderful achievement. The recording of Miss Moore’s voice, even on the most delicate notes, is nearer perfection than anything previously heard from the screen, while the orchestral accompaniment comes through as though the orchestra were in the theatre. There is a complete change of supporting subjects. The box plana are at the theatre and Begg's. GREEN ISLAND THEATRE Of the three types of love —friendship, the love of a woman for a man, and the love of a mother for her child—psychologists claim one will have the predominating influence in a woman’s life. In “Gallant Lady,” which will be screened at the Green Island Municipal Theatre, Ann Harding, who plays the star role, is faced with the necessity of making a decision as to which of the three shall rule her life. The triangle almost becomes a quadrangle when a romantic Italian nobleman makes desperate love to her in an old garden in the moonlight. The story is woven around the experiences of a young woman who becomes the mother of an illegitimate child, which she is forced to assign for adoption immediately after its birth, agreeing never to. see it again. Heriinward battles to down the insistent call of motherhood and yet to play fair with the man she loves form some of the most dramatic sequences.