AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22630, 23 July 1935, Page 17

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE May Robson, a veteran of the talking screen, is seen in the leading role of “ Grand Old Girl ” which is showing this week on the double-feature programme at the Grand Theatre. She is seen as a teacher who undertakes a campaign against such vices ns drinking and gambling in the community in which she lives. In the state of society as it is in such a place she runs considerable risk of offending vested interests and jeopardising her position, but her courage and devotion to the ideal which she has set before her receive their reward when the President of the United States pays her a personal visit to offer a tribute to the influence of his old teacher. The second picture is “ Red Morning,” in which the leading roles are taken by Steffi Duna, Regis Toomey, and Raymond Hatton. The picture tells an exciting story of adventure in the East Indies and elsewhere. A mutinous crew and a scuttled ship feature in. the events, which lead up to a climax in which the action proceeds at a fast pace to a satisfactory ending. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. VARIED ENTERTAINMENT. Based on both the play and the novel, “ Evensong,” which will Ire the chief picture on the Grand Theatre’s new programme commencing to-morrow, tells of Maggie M'Neil, an Irish girl gifted with a lovely voice whose early romance with an egotistical young musician earned them both to Paris, he to pursue hia career, she to train as a singer. But George’s career was more to him than thd girl, while it was plain to Kober, an impresario, that Maggie’s voice was so wonderful that fame awaited her. He was deeply interested in her, not as a woman, but as a singer, and his counsels prevailed. She was persuaded to cast aside love and the laughter of life and to deprive herself of every pleasure, replacing it all with unremitting study, devoting herself unreservedly to the struggle of gaining her place ns the greatest of operatic singers. ,j3he achieved her ambition, but at a great cost. Victor Saville has directed with his powerful flair for pictorial and dramatic values, using Venetian and other Continental scenes with magnificent effect, and skilfully spinning a web of glamour around the central figure. Through the whole dramatic story, too, music has its place in delightful variety, the numbers ranging from operatic excerpts to the homely songs the soldiers used to sing. In support of tl\e featured player, Evelyn Laye, who holds the screen throughout with her appealing portrait of the unhappy singer, are Fritz Kortner in a finely sympathetic study of her faithful, but sardonic manager; Carl Esmond as the luckless archduke; Emlyn Williams as George Murray, the youthful composer who induced the little Irish girl to go with him to Paris to begin her career; Conchita Supervia as IrelaVeventual vocal rival; Browning Mummery with effective tenor solos; Muriel Aked as Irela’s faithful maid; and Alice Delysia as a vivacious French music mistress. Each and all are said to contribute sterling work. " Mystery Woman,” which will be shown in support of “ Evensong,” ia the story of a woman who dares a life of intrigue for the man she loves. She feels that the life of this one man belongs to her —and recklessly she searches out the secret that has separated them. Mona Barrie, in the leading feminine role, appears as the beautiful and glamorous Other members of a very able cast are Gilbert Roland; John Halliday. Rod Lnßocque, returning to the screen after an absence of three years; William Faversham. Mischa Auer, and Billy Bevan. REGENT THEATRE Wide-eyed as ever, the inimitable Eddie Cantor is seen at his breeziest and best in the leading role of “Kid Millions,’ : which occupies pride of place on the current bill at the Regent Theatre. Ana Sothern, Ethel Merman, Block and Sully : and this season’s collection of Goldwyr girls assist the star in his frantic frollickmgs along;-the Nile in search of buried treasure. Of 60 prize beauties who comprise this year’s crop of Goldwyn girls who prance in and out of the picture ia the lavish song and dance ensembles, 31 had never before appeared in a film Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn, Burton Lane and Harold Adamson, contributed the song hits, which include “ Okay Toots.’ “ When My Ship Comes In,” “An Ear Full of Music.” and “Your Head on My Shoulder,” while Irving Berlin’s “ Mandy ’ is revived in an old-fashioned minstrel number done in a new-fashioned way “ Kid Millions ” is a delicious piece qi absurdity, flowing so smoothly that it if only after the screening is all over that one realises either the brains behind th( production or the brains which go to makt up Cantor’s effortless performance Throughout, the picture goes with a merry swing, and as the rightful heir to a hug; treasure which lies in Egypt, Cantor if given full opportunity to exploit th« whimsical, droll type of comedy which h« has’made peculiarly his own. Two othei claimants for the fortune are also in the field, and, in the beginning, plot and counter-plot create some highly amusing situations. How Cantor eventually wins out makes an hilarious, if somewhat slender, story- It is really the incidentals that make the film the great production it is. and among the more spectacular features are some magnificent ballets, all of which have been produced with meticulous attention to detail. Walt Disney’s latest Silly Symphony, “The Tortoise and the Hare,” is also being shown. This cartoon has just been awarded the gold medal by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the best short subject of the year. In addition several other entertaining short features are shown. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. ST. JAMES THEATRE Undoubtedly one of the very finest films seen in Dunedin this year, “ Naughty Marietta,” is attracting deserved recognition at the St. James Theatre. “ Naughty Marietta ” is a dramatic operetta with a colourful background that gives point to the excellent story which the production gets out to tell. Victor Herbert's music serves to set off the entertainment delightfully. There are many outstanding features in the film, but probably none so striking as the character drawing of the versatile Jeanette MacDonald in the title role. The honours certainly go to this vivacious little actress, but she has a strong rival in Nelson Eddy, a young man whose screen personality has already won him faithful followers in New Zealand. The latter is cast as Captain Warrington, the leader of a troop of French mercenaries in Louisiana, and he rescues Marietta after she has been captured by pirates, and immediatley falls in love with her. The story, first how Princess Mane de la Bonfain, as a protest against an arrangement for her to marry Don Carlos de Braganza, a Spanish grandee, changes clothes with her maid and ships herself to the colony of Louisiana as an immigrant. Her capture by a gang of unshaven pirates brings the debonair captain into the picture, and he, believing Saucy Marietta to be merely a husbandseeking immigrant, treats her with familiarity, and she only pretends to resent it. They sing their way through ,an eventful courtship which culminates in a gallant rescue in the face of heavy odds. There is ample comedy relief, and this is characteristically presented by Frank Morgan in the role of a vacillating colonial governor with a very keen eye for a pretty figure, but a wholesome respect for his wife’s tongue. There is a long list of supporting players to whose work the picture owes not a little of its success. “ Busybodies,” a Laurel and Hardy comedy, has pride of place on the supporting programme, and there are also several other short films of unquestionable excellence. The box plans are at the theatre, the D.1.C., M'Cracken and Walls’s, and Jacobs’s. EMPIRE THEATRE “Living on Velvet,” the current attraction at the Empire Theatre, should be assured of success if only for the reason that the three leading players in the cast are all firm favourites with the public; they are Kay Francis, George Brent and Warren William. The story is a romance of an unusual type, and the peculiar situations are logically developed. There is also another attraction to the film which should appeal strongly to feminine taste,

and that is the fact that Kay Francis wears a succession of strikingly designed gowns. The film opens witji an aeronlane crash in which the pilot (George Brent) is the only survivor, while his mother, father and sister are all killed. The disaster has a profound effect on Brent, who is under the conviction that he, too, should have died in the accident. Time and again he courts death and escapes, and then he meets a beautiful woman (Kay Francis), who changes his outlook completely. The two fall in love at first sight, but only later does Brent discover that the girl is the fiancee of his best friend (Warren William). William’s desire is for the greatest happiness for his friends, and he stands aside and does everything in his power to assist them. Even after marriage the way is not clear, and Kay Francis has to fight to overcome the periodic fits of restlessness that overcome Brent. When he returns to his craze for flying she imagines that she has failed, and leaves him. This action precipitates a crisis in which misunderstandings are cleared away and happiness is finally attained. The film has some exciting interludes, and the producers have successfully avoided the temptation to adopt conventional means of solving the problem of the unusual story. The production has been cleverly conceived and executed, and the result is a pleasing entertainment. There is a varied selection of short films on the supporting programme. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. “WINGS IN THE DARK.” Cast in the role of a dare-devil aviatris who risks life and limb for the sake of the man she loves, Myrna Loy, a screen favourite, heads the cast of Paramount a «Wings In the Dark,” which will come on Friday to the Empire Theatre. Cary Grant—tall, dark, and handsome is coupled with Miss Loy in the romantic leads of the picture as an airman who is a scientist and adventurer. His hie is devoted to making flight safe through the perfection of instruments for blind flying. On the eve of hia transatlantic flight, which will prove the complete success of his experiments, he is blinded by an accident. Despairing of ever recovering his sight and disdaining charity, he retires to a cabin in the woods to brood. But Miss Loy, who loves him, persuades him to return to his work, and even furnishes money which he believes is coming from a series of articles on aviation which he is publishing. Just ns his experiments are nearing completion the airplane is recovered by the company from whom he bought it. Then Miss Loy, in a final desperate effort to help him, undertakes a flight from Moscow to New York for an enormous purse. In a final, gripping climax Cary Grant goes aloft to bring Miss Loy down when she is fog-bound above the landing field at the end of the flight. An accident restores his sight, and the two lovers are happily united.

OCTAGON THEATRE An unusual story is told in "Lest We Forget,” the current picture at the Octagon Theatre. During the war four soldiers on the western front are forced to take refuge in a shell hole. While sheltering there from enemy fire they make the resolve to meet again 16 years later. The picture proceeds from this point to build up an interesting tale round the events which take place at that reunion. One of the four soldiers is dead, but his place is taken by his sou, and at the home of the Englishman of the group the party spends an interesting and happy time. Stewart Rome is excellently cast in the leading role. Another actor who contributes a very fine performance ia George Carney, who is seen as a Scottish sergeant in war time and as a wealthy employer after the war has ended. The supporting propramme is well varied, and a particularly attractive item is a scenic “ short ” dealing with Cornwall and the Soilly Isles. The box plans are at the theatre, M'Cracken and Walls’s, and Begg’s. DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMMEThe beautiful Continental actress, Elissa Landi, will be seen in the drama, “ Sisters Under the Skin,” which will commence a season at the Octagon Theatre on Friday. Miss Landi has been seen previously in “ The Warrior’s Husband, ’ “ The Masquerader,’! and “ By Candle Light.” In her latest picture she is said to handle an exceedingly difficult role with a polish and finesse which stamps her as one of the foremost actresses on the screen. She is ably assisted by such talented players as Frank Morgan, who will be remembered for his outstanding performance as the Duke in “ The Affairs of Cellini,” and Joseph Schildkraut, seen in “Viva Villa.” In “Shadows of Sing Sing.” which will be the other picture on the programme, a typically American problem is presented by Bruce Cabot. As the son of a police officer he falls in love with sweet Mary Brian, the sister of the gangster. How the two eventually resolve their great difficulty occupies several reels of exciting screen story. Complication follows complication as the net of the law sweeps wider to catch the gangsters, and the determination of Mary becomes sterner. Eventually, of course, they find happiness. They are variously helped and hindered by Bradley Page, Claire Du Brey, Grant Mitchell, Irving Bacon, and Dewey Robinson. STATE THEATRE Tuneful music, original dances and plenty ,of comedy form the theme of “ Brewster’s Millions,” which is at present being shown at the State Theatre. A true musical farce, the producers have lost nothing in their efforts to keep intact the strong points of the stage success. The story opens with Jack Buchanan as Jack Brewster, an impecunious young man staying at a boarding house where he is not happy. He breaks with his fiancee, Rosalie (Lili Damita), who prefers to go out alone and make a success

of a stage career. Jack returns to find that he has been left half a million in cash and a house in Grosvenor square by bis grandfather. Then comes another bombshell. He Jearns that he has been left a further £6,000,000 by his uncle, but the uncle stipulates in his will that Jack has to spend the first £500,000 in six months in order to inherit a further £6,000,000. Then begins a career of„financial recklessness, and some highly amusing situations arise before a satisfactory agreement is reached between the lawyer and Brewster. Jack Buchanan gives one of his best performances as the irresponsible Brewster, and his acting is a feature of the filnj. Lili Damita returns to the screen in this vehicle, and she_ portrays her role in excellent style. Nancy O’Neil adds to the success of the picture, and the film altogether is excellent entertainment. The box plans • are at the theatre and Begg’s. ■ STRAND THEATRE That Joe E. Brown is the leading player in “You Said a Mouthful,” the amusing comedy now being shown at the Strand Theatre, is sufficient guarantee that the picture is something out of the ordinary. Brown himself, although he has the assistance of a competent cast, is the principal figure in the show, and he is first brought into the picture as a competitor in a marathon swimming contest for which he has entered to win the hand of a beautiful young girl. That he cannot swim a stroke is. of course, quite beside the point, and when he decides to contest the race, whatever happens, he causes more amusement in a short space of time than has been seen in a film for many a day. Supporting him is Ginger Rogers, who gives a bright and convincing portrayal of the heroine. The supporting film, “A Night at the Ritz,” features William Gargan and Patricia Ellis in the principal parts, and the story centres around a young salesman whose knowledge of cooking is not as great as he imagines. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.i.U MAYFAIR THEATRE A final opportunity of seeing Ben Travers’s masterly farce, “A Cuckoo In ■ the Nest.” will be afforded at the Mayfair Theatre to-night. The picture, which features Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn, Yvonne Arnaud, Mary Brough, and Robertson Hare, is an hilarious comedy, filled with a clever dialogue and replete with some of the most ingenious tions ever invented by its author. The other picture is " Belle of the Nineties, in which Mae West has the chief role. The plot is concerned with the most colourful period ia America’s history, and no effort has been lost to make the setting authentic. The character presented by Miss West is one typical of the time, and her character sketch is particularly clever. From first to iaet the picture is one which reveals the very essence of polished drama, and is original in manv ways. Th c whole programme is one to attract practically every class of patron. The box plans are at the theatre.

“ CHARLIE CHANG’S COURAGE.” Warner Oland, known to movie-goers the world over as the impersonator of that bland Chinese detective, Charlie Chan, once again assumes the role he so intelligently interprets in his latest mystery, “ Charlie Chan’s Courage," which will open a-t the Mayfair tomorrow. Preview reports indicate that the film, which was adapted to the screen from Earl Derr Biggerk* novel, “The Chinese Parrot,” abound* in thrills, blood-chilling mystery and drama. So thoroughly baffling is tls« film that it would be impossible to expound all of its thrilling details m so limited a space. Donald Woods, who helps Chan clear up the mystery, supplies the romantic interest along with th« lovely Drue Leyton. On the same programme is “ Krakatoa," which bring* actual photographs of a submarine volcano in action. This is described by Graham M’Namee.