AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22720, 5 November 1935, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS

OCTAGON THEATRE Alexandre Dumas’s immortal classic, •‘The Count of Monte Cristo,” has been made with remarkable accuracy and brilliance into a film which is at present being screened at the Octagon Theatre. So well has the film been produced that 10 a little over an hour and a-half the audience is treated to all the exciting incidents of this great historical romance. The story of Edmond Dantes, a young officer on a French ship, who is accused of treason and imprisoned in the gnni Chateau DTf on a false charge, is one that will long be remembered. Doomed to a living death and separated from his sweetheart, Mercedes, .Dante’s plight i& a terrible one, but when be has almost abandoned hope he is assisted to escape by the old Abbe Faria, who gives him the secret of the lost millions of the Count of Monte Cristo. The story changes with dramatic suddenness to Dantes s return to European society as the Count of Monte Cristo seeking vengeance for the cruel treatment he received many years before. How he achieves his ends and strikes down those who had tried to destroy him makes dramatic and exciting entertainment. The acting is little short of brilliant, with Robert Donat as Dantes and EUissa Landi as his sweetheart, Mercedes. Of a strong supporting east. O. P. Heggie is outstanding as Abbe Faria There is an interesting support intr programme. The box plans are at the theatre, M'Crackcn and Walls s, and Begg’s.

STRAND THEATRE

Capably acted, and based on an unusually interesting and human story, ‘ M'Fadden’s Flats,” an amusing comedy, forms the principal attraction on the current bill at the Strand Theatre M'Fadden is the boastful Irish-Amencan who, true to national type, remains always carefree and happy. By dint x>t solid toil and largely by good fortune, lie becomes wealthy enough to send hig hignsnirited daughter to a “finishing school. Consequently, there are the inevitable barriers of class to militate against hi mony in the home, but these are smoothed over by the natural good sense ot tidaughter and her mother. M lavish, the Scottish hairdresser, on the other hand, is as canny as his friend is careless, bu, he proves that he has a heart more precious than gold, when, unknown to M Hadden, he helps the latter out of his monetary difficulties. The frequent misunderstandings between the two friends, their timid advances in making up a quairei. and the bland irony of the Irishman in scoring a hit off the Scot’s careful habits, combine to make , the film a most entertaining comedy. A romantic interest is provided by the love of Sandy M Tavisu for the pretty daughter of the Irish contractor. Richard Cromwell, who will be remembered for his performance in Hie, Lives of a Bengal. Lancer, is seen o advantage as M'Tavish s son. Andy Clyde gives an outstanding performance as M'Tavisb. The other feature on the programme is a fine Pmtm’g of adventure entitled “Hell and High Water. T o box plans are at the theatre and tlie D.I.C.

GRAND THEATRE “Oh! Daddy,” starring Leslie Henson and Robertson Hare, will receive its final screenings at the Grand Theatre to-day. It is a delightful comedy in which plenty of opportunity is given for the two comedians to indulge in their distinctive types of humour, and the story, although slight, goes with a swing from start to finish. Francis Day, in the leading feminine role, dances and sings charmingly as a cabaret dancer. The dance sequences in. the film are spectacular in the extreme and provide welcome diversions. The second film on the programme is a.fast moving story of a young journalist. James Dunn has the chief role. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME. “Fighting Stock,” with Ralph Lynn, Tom Walls, and Robertson Hare, a Ben Travers’ story, and “The Rocks of Valpre,”' with Winifred Shotter and Jonn Garrick, from Ethel M. Dell’s famous story, are two strong attractions which will be presented in a double-feature programme at the Grand Theatre to-morrow. “Fighting Stock” tells of how Brigadiergeneral Sir Donald Rowley, a fruity baronet, rents a country cottage with Sydney, hia asinine nephew, but falls foul of Rivers, a neighbour, over the fishing rights, while Sydney adds to the trouble by making a play first for Mrs Rivers, and then for Rivers’ step-daughter. There are further complications when Riverss niece, Diana, arrives on the scene chased by a blackmailer. The two families soon get into a hopeless tangle in which Duck, Rowley’s timid secretary, plays an important part. However, everything conies right in the end. In the other film the storv is that of an English girl, played bv Winifred Shottdr, and a captain in the French array, played by John Garrick. Misunderstandings and accidents bring unhappiness to nearly every member of the cast —imprisonment for supposed treachery for the hero, escape from a French convent to the house and a strict husband for the heroine and a journey through the hells of gambing ami blackmail for the villain. But in the end the hero dies in the heroine’s arms after saving her honour with the last of. his failing strength. There is enough brightness in the picture—supplied mainly by Lewis Shaw —to relieve the general air of pathos. EMPIRE THEATRE Those who like their entertainment seasoned with creeps and thrills will find “ The Werewolf of London/’ which heads the current programme at the Empire Theatre, very much to their taste, for it embodies such a series of blood-curdling and horrifying sequences as has seldom before been seen in Dunedin. Henry Hull appears as Dr Glendon, an English scientist, whose great interest in life is the collection of rare plants from various corners of the earth. During a visit to Tibet, where he hopes to find a werewolf flower, the only antidote for a werewolf s bite, he is bitten by one of the unpleasant creatures, and periodically is compelled to become a werewolf himself. He at first fights desperately against ms affliction, using the antidote with some success, but the action of a thief, who enters his laboratory and steals the flower, sets a seal upon his doom. London is thrown into a turmoil by the activities by a strange creature who commits nocturnal murders and then disappears, but at last the police suspect Dr Glendon, although they cannot accept seriously the suggestion that he should _ turn ino a werewolf at night and commit the crimes, and then be quite sane again in the mornin" His mad homicidal tendencies when under the influence of the bite cause him to try and murder his beautiful wife, but the arrival of her lover brings the story to its climax, in which the slavering Glendon is shot. There is an entertaining programme of short subjects. The no.*, plans are at the theatre and the D.I.G. “GO INTO YOUR DANCE." If the merit of a film were to be judged solely on its success in holding the interest of the audience, “Go Into lom Dance, which will begin a season at the Empire Theatre on Friday, would, it is claimed, receive very high marks. To most people such a standard of judgment is as good as any, and those are the ones who will enjoy this picture most. A 1 Jolson is the star. To American audiences he has a greater appeal than to English audiences, but even in the estimation of the latter he had qualities that place him high among entertainers. Yet, if he were not so well known, the success of the picture would stiff be unimpaired. The producer has not gambled on Jolson’s reputation to carry a mediocre story handled in a stereotyped manner. Humour, drama, singing and dancing Have been so excellently combined that it is possible to imagine a much lesser light than Jolson enhancing his reputation by appearing in this picture in his stead. Films of its type are not uncommon, and producers and directors have always to counteract any tendency on the part of the public to become surfeited with so much entertainment of the same nature. Some are more successful than others, and the director in this case is said to have done very satisfactory work. Essentially there is nothing different in this picture from those of its class, but it has been so handled as to be more swift-moving, richer in contrasts, and more elaborately staged than most—the general effect of this variety being to provoke a fuller interest among the audience. Supporting Jolson is Ruby Keeler, a 8 his stage partner, her

dancing being outstandingly good. Patsy Kelly, a comparatively minor character, takes honours ns a comedian, her scenes with Jolson being full of laughter. Others in the cast include Glenda Farrell, Helen Morgan, Barton Mac Lane, Sharon Lynne, Benny Rubin and Gordon Westcott. ST. JAMES THEATRE The outwitting of a gang of racketeers by an unsophisticated young girl from lowa forms the theme of “ Times Square Lady,” which is now being shown at the St. James Theatre. Robert Taylor and Virginia Bruce appear in the leading roles and are supported by Helen Twelvetrees, Isabel Jewell. Nat Pendleton, Pinky Tomlin. Henry Ko'lkcr and Raymond Hatton. “ Times Square Lady ” is an exciting story, full of action, and tells of the coming to Broadway of a simple country girl who inherits from her deceased father a series of sporting enterprises which include a dog-racing course, a hockey team,'a restaurant, and other activities. The managers of these various concerns band themselves against the girl and endeavour, by. all manner of unpleasant devices and tricks, to persuade her to sell out to them at next to nothing, but the first symptom of disaffection in their ranks comes when the handsome young manager of a restaurant falls in love with the girl and fails out with the gang. Although of country upbringing, the pretty_ young lowa miss is no simple village maiden, and takes immediate steps to discountenance those who would rob her of her birthright. Armed with two fearsome automatic pistols, and assisted by three friends in a fast car, she successfully outwits the. racketeers, and enters into her heritage, the climax providing a highly satisfactory conclusion to an entertaining film. The supporting programme is a varied and interesting .one. The box plans are at the theatre, Jacobs’s, M'Cracken and Walls’s, and the D.I.C- 1 “MR DYNAMITE.” “Mr Dynamite,” starring Edmund Lowe, will be screened at the St. James Theatre on Friday. The story by Dashed Hammet, who will be remembered for his “ Thin Man,” offers a neatly-con-structed plot, involving no fewer than three murders, and at no time is , there a lapse in interest. Lowe plays the ro'e of “Dynamite,” a reckless, black sheep detective, who is given a police escort out of every town he enters. He is called in by private, interests, to solve the mysterious murder of a young boy who i« shot down as he is leaving the grounds of the Casino gambling resort. While Lowe endeavours to pick up the threads of a clue around this murder, two more murders take place, to which the police refuse to give him access. How Lowe eventually gets round these difficulties makes a most absorbing picture. Lowe is said to be excellent, while Jean Dixon, as his wise-cracking secretary, is also good. Miss Dixon is n product of the stage who bids fair to increase her popularity on the screen. Others in the cast are Verna Hillie, a newcomer who shows plenty of talent and personality; Victor Varconi. Esther Ralston, and Robeii decider.

REGENT THEATRE Few pictures merit the praise that is undoubtedly being given to “ Sanders of the River,” which heads the current programme at the Regent Theatre. It can only be described as extraordinary in the true sense of the word, and as an enthralling and completely satisfying entertainment. They are a minority in the English-speaking world who have not read, the late Edgar Wallace’s graphic tales of Commissioner Sanders, who, with a couple of assistants, ruled 2,000,000 African natives by his friendly yet dominating personality. In the screen story he is shown as a peacemaker among the warlike tribes, most reliable of whom are the Ochori, under the trusted leadership of Bosambo, ex-convict turned Government ally. Sanders goes on leave, and simultaneously illicit dealers in gin and rifles pnter his territory to spread the tale that “ Saudi is dead. There is no law on the river.” Five years of peace and prosperity give place in a week to pandemoniac bloodshed, and Sanders speeds by aeroplane to quell the disturbance. The rebels’ last stronghold is thought to be impenetrable, but thither goes Bosambo alone in search of his wife and Sanders in his paddle steamer to keep the British King’s peace. Both find success in as thrilling a climax as has yet reached the screen. The principals arc Paul Robeson as Bosambo, Leslie Banks as Sanders, and Nina Mae M'Kinney as Lilongo, the wife of Bosambo. Robeson takes foremost honours. His splendid physique and organ-like voice “ make ” the picture, especially in the sequences in which his wonderful singing is superimposed upon the weird chanting of the natives, actually recorded and photographed in the wilds. The impression of dramatic action in the barbaric settings of mid-Africa is difficult to convey in words. Suffice to say that “ Sanders of the River” reaches practical perfection in acting, photography, and sound recording. A Mickey Mouse cartoon depicting his antics in a service station is the highlight of the supporting programme. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. STATE THEATRE Although now in the third week of its Dunedin season, “ Roberta,” the delightful musical comedy featuring Irene Dunne, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, continues to be a popular attraction at the State Theatre. The scene is laid in a modiste’s shop, Roberta, the great Parisian designer, is assisted with her business by Stephanie, exiled Russian princess, whose cousin, a former Grand Duke, is now her doorman. Into this dignified and gracious scene bursts abruptly a gauche, graceless. simple American. Roberta’s nephew,'fresh from the States. He has come over with a jazz band, engaged by a restaurateur, who refuses to employ them when he finds they are not Indians but Indianians. The leader of the band is, of course, the inimitable Fred. He discovers an old flame, when it transpires that the brilliant dancer who is the rage at the moment is actually a little American girl, played by Ginger Rogers. She easily obtains an engagement, for the musician—with the very cafe that had previously turned them down. Meantime Roberta’s nephew, John (Randolph Scott), falls deeply in love with Stephanie (Irene Dunne). Roberta dies, leaving John the business, which, of course, he is quite unqualified to manage. He offers it to Stephanie and they become partners. Unfortunately, when everything is going well, and indications are for a wedding, John’s one-time fiancee arrives, and spoils everything. How a reconciliation is effected occupies the rest of the film. The supporting programme is of an appropriately high standard of quality. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s.

MAYFAIR THEATRE Two excellent films are at present being screened at the Mayfair Theatre—- “ Broadway Bill ” and “ Society Doctor.” The former is an exciting stox’y of the racing track, in which Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy are cast in roles that suit them perfectly. The theme is a new one, and deals with the way Baxter’s love of the sport leads him to desert his mundane business life, and, incidentally, his wife (Helen Vinson). His wife's charming younger sister (Myrna Loy) helps him to achieve the success he desires on the turf, and the events that lead up to one of the most exciting finishes seen m the screen are delightfully natural and entertaining. There is plenty of humour in the film, and the horse, Broadway Bill, contributes greatly to its success. The other film is “ Society Doctor,” which features Chester Morris and Virginia Bruce in a powerful successor to “ Men in White.” It is a dramatic and exciting story of the medical profession, and contains many unusual incidents. The supporting cast is a strong one. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.T.C. “ THE MIGHTY BARNUM.” “The Mighty Barnum,” which will receive the initial screening of its return season at the Mayfair Theatre to-mor-row, is in the nature of a centennial celebration offering. For it was 100 years ago that P. T, Barnum, played by Wallace Beery, left his grocery store on New York City’s Bowery, and launched his career as the world’s greatest showman by exhibiting Joice Heth, an aged negress. claimed to be 160 years old and to have nursed George Washington in his infancy Lucille La Verne, who plays the aged negress in the film, spent eight hours being made up for the role. General Tom Thumb, the world’s smallest man, the Cardiff Giant, the Woolly Horse, the Fiji Mermaid, the two-headed calf, and all the rest of the freaks with which Barnaul amazed contemporary New Yorkers are also present in the film, which Walter