AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22741, 29 November 1935, Page 18

AMUSEMENTS

OCTAGON THEATRE Characterised by thrilling air action, intrigue, and a romantic love story, Columbia's new drama, "Air Hawks," opens at the Octagon Theatre to-day, with Ralph Bellamy, Wiley Post, and Tala Birell in the leading roles. Bellamy's stalwart characterisation as the head of an air transport company is said to be one of his best, while Tala Birell has one of the finest opportunities since her arrival in Hollywood to show, her versatility as an actress. The story deals with two rival air lines, one headed by Bellamy, who are competing for lucrative air mail contracts. Bellamy's opposition will stop at nothing to gain their goal. Through an underworld character, portrayed by Douglass Dumbrille, Bellamy's rival hires a crazed scientist who has perfected a death-ray machine, which can cause destruction from almost any distance. Placed at a strategic point, the machine wreaks havoc with Bellamy's planes, bringing them to earth in flames. Tala Birell, at first the unwitting tool of Dumbrille, then finally the instrument of his doom, finds a sincere love for Ralph Bellamy during the trying days of the search for the executioner of the skies. Together, they battle until victory is won. Suffice to say that when they discover the source of the infamous murders, there is speedy retribution. Wiley Post, famous round-the-world flier is seen as one of Bellamy's pilots. Extremely interesting scenes are presented when Post flies a stratosphere plane across the continent. The action is splendidly maintained, due to the brisk direction of Albert Rogell. For lovers of thrilling action, tinged with genuine romance, "Air Hawks" is described as a real treat. STRAND THEATRE Dashiell Hammett's "The Glass Key," a successor to his phenomenally popular The Thin Man," will be shown at the Strand Theatre to-day. With George RafJ; jn the starring role and Edward Arnold, Claire Dodd, Rosalind Keith and Charles Richman featured, the picture finds an ingenious solution to a murder that threatens to blow up the political structure of a big city. Edward Arnold, the city's political boss, is supporting Charles Richman for a senatorial poet when the latter's son is killed. Rumour lays the responsibility for the murder at Arnold's door. To find the murderer, Raft pretends to co-operate with Arnold's enemies, is caught and subjected to fiendish torture. He escapes without solving the murder. The climax of the film shows how Raft traps the criminal into a confession, clears Arnold and wins the love of his daughter. The ever-popular team of Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland stars in the new Paramount comedy of domestic manners, "People Will Talk," which will also be shown at the Strand Theatre. The two stars who have been cast as husband and wife in eight previous comedy hits cut new marital capers in "People Will Talk." which is set. in a suburb where anvorie's business is everybody else's. It all starts when Leila Hyams and Dean Jagger, playing the roles of daughter and son-in-law, engage in a bit of domestic squabbling themselves. To show them the evils of battling. Mary and Charlie stage a bout themselves. Unfortunately, the staged bout develops into a real one. The climax of the picture, in which everything is finally ironed out, is said to be highly amusing. GRAND THEATRE " Passport to Fame," which heads the double-featured programme at the Grand Theatre this week, is a gripping film concerning the adventures or a quiet, inoffensive clerk in a big city office, and of a ruthless gangster whom he closely resembles. As both Arthur Jones, the clerk, and " Killer " Mannion, the criminal, Edward G. Robinson achieves a triumph. As " Bill," the adventure-loving girl working in Jones's office whose fortunes become tied up with those of the two principals, Jean Arthur is very convincing. The story is briefly that when Mannion's photograph is published in the papers consequent on his escape from prison, Jones is mistaken for the criminal. When having lunch with " Bill," Jones is seen, " recognised," and arrested. He is saved for the time being by Mannion, who robs a bank while Jones is in custody. As a result of this episode Jones becomes very popular with his employer. As a result of his unfortunate resemblance to the criminal, Jones is given a passport by the district attorney confirming his identity. Jones goes home, to find Mannion waiting for him in his room, and Mannion demands the use of the passport during the night. Mannion continues his career of bloodshed, terrorising Jones into silence. Such a state of affairs cannot last for long, and soon a rapid succession of events occurs which leads to a fitting climax. The second film, "Heat Wave," is an hilarious comedy of the musical variety concerning the adventures of an insignificant seed salesman in South America. Cyril Maude has the leading role. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg's. EMPIRE THEATRE Hailed 6s the brightest and best musical film of the year, r ' Dance Band " comes to the Empire Theatre to-day. With everything that makes for good entertainment, the film has novelty and a touch of something different to make it outstanding. Ibis English production has not relied to ruch a great extent on its stars, good as they are, but has drawn talert from the stage to put over delightfully new and entertaining acts, and it is this feature that predominantly stamps " Dance Band " as a new departure in the world of musical films.' Buddy Rogers, who starred in several of the early musical shows with P great deal of success, makes his return to the screen in this vehicle, and is partnered by charming June Clyde, who has deservedly won great populauity. T*>{ <-ther they make a splendid romantic team. The action never drags, and the film is turned out to a nicety. A quick succession of clever turns leaves the audience wondering what good thing v/ill come next, and the finish of the film will i.-'ave them wanting more. Wherever " I 'Mice Band " has been shown it has been acclaimed as a triumph for British studios, f,nd is well worth seeing. Outstanding en +re supporting programme will be "On the Ball," a film dealing with the All. Blacks. They are seen in play, and a further touch of interest is added by views taken in the various towns from which come the members of the team. ST. JAMES THEATRE 1 "It is no exaggeration to say that 'Bright Lights' is the best of a score of pictures in which Joe E. Brown has appeared since he first came on the screen in 1925," writes a critic of the First National production which comes to the St. James Theatre to-day.' The star reveals hitherto unsuspected powers of entertainment. In his own way he has always been an excellent comedian, but in " Bright Lights" he also proves himself as a dancer, a comic singer, a mimic, and an acrobat, and, perhaps strangest of all, a dramatic artist. The film is a genuine comedy, into which exciting action, romance, and a little pathos have been woven. There are also four lively songs, for the story is one of the theatrical life, and the songs come in naturally. The best of them is, perhaps, " She Was An Acrobat's Daughter," which, both for music and words, is said to be likely to prove a rival to the ever popular "Man on the Flying Trapeze." An hilarious scene, in which Brown as an acrobat himself falls into the clutches of the Maxellos, one of the greatest troupes of tumblers in the world, and is tossed about all over the place.' Ann Dvorak, Patricia Ellis, William Gargan, and Joseph Cawthorn are in support of the star. Only one star could possibly have done this film justice, and that is Joe E. Brown. Joe possesses mannerisms and a face that have made his fortune through his ability to make people laugh, but never before has he been seen to such good advantage. The reason for this is not far to seek, as he has been given a strong supporting cast and a story that could not fail to be a success. The supporting films include a bright musical film, "Moving Melodies," a humorous cartoon, " Buddy s Express," an hilarious comedy, " Get Rich Quick," and a beautiful colourtone revue, " Romance of the West." The box plans are at the D.1.C., M'Cracken and Walls's, and Jacobs's.

REGENT THEATRE " Our Gracie "isat it again. This time it is in "Look Up and Laugh," whieh will begin a season at the Regent Theatre to-day. The screen play was written specially for her by J. B.' Priestley, and racy dialogue, incongruous situations and catchy tunes give her amole opportunity to display her many talents to the full. The market of the small town of Plumborough was threatened with being closed by the town council owing to the machinations of the owner of a large department store when Gracie arrived on the scene and took things in hand. She decided that, rather than submit, she and all the stallholders in the market place would defend their rights by locking themselves in, which they did. A few of them made a sortie on the afternoon that a new wing of the department store was being opened with some ceremony, locked up the prima donna who had been engaged to sing and dressed Gracie up to impersonate her, which she did to the riotous amusement of the whole audience—except the owner. At last after several days of siege in the market with their gas, power and water cut off, Gracie brought the affair to a triumphant conclusion by descending on the council meeting in an autogyro and proving her point. It is Gracie Fields's abounding vitality and effervescent personality that carries the film along with such a swing. She seems to have the gift of transmitting her joy of living to other people and this largely accounts for her immense popularity. The song from which the film takes its title is a particularly tricky one, but it-needs the " lassie from Lancashire " to sing it as it should be sung. In this film, too, 6he gives a fine rendering of a straight sentimental number, "Love is Everywhere." Apart from the humour provided by the star herself there is an excellent comedy team composed of Douglas Wakefield, Billy Nelson. Harry Tate and Tommy Fields, while Robb Wilton, as the Mayor, plays a small part with conspicuous ability and refreshing sincerity. An excellent supporting programme includes a colour cartoon. The box plans are at the D.I.C. and the theatre. , STATE THEATRE A picture which has been shown to their Majesties, " Sons of the Sea," opens at the State Theatre to-day. This is a picture which merits the high honour paid to its producers, Gaumont-British. Essentially a heroic picture, it is a drama of a young British sailor who was responsible for the capture of a German warship in the Great War at one of the lonely Galapagos Islands. But the picture is far Jnore than this. The drama lies deeper than in the action. Brown is the son of a naval officer, and a young woman caught up in the maelstrom of leave excitement some years before, and it comes to pass in the end that the man who receives the belongings of the dead Brown of Resolution ie the youth's father. The acting of Brown, in this 1 case John Mills, of whom much more cannot but be beard, and of Betty Balfour aa his mother, is one of the strongest features of a tremendously moving picture. The film is a plain, unadorned tale of duty bravely carried out in the exalted spirit of naval tradition. A model of straightforward story-telling, the picture, by virtue of restrained treatment which further enhances its power, may well go down in the history of screen entertainment as the measure by which analogous productions are judged. Romance touches the earlier development of the story. John Mills plays the lead, and with him are Betty Balfour, Jimmy Hanley, and Barry Mackay. MAYFAIR THEATRE The present attraction at the Mayfair Theatre, "Happiness Ahead," is one of the gayest entertainments to be screened in Dunedin for some time. It is a romantic drama in its best sense, with a good leavening of bright humour. Three of the players are outstanding—Dick Powell, Josephine Hutchinson, and John Halliday. Powell is well enough known for his singing, and in this picture he has plenty of opportunity for it, but it is not overdone, and the continuity of the story does not suffer. It is the best role in which he has yet been seen. Josephine Hutchinson has a lot to do, and acts easily and convincingly. John Ha'lliday hag been in a number of pictures recently, but his role in this is more onerous than usual. It is his work as much as that of the others that is responsible for the success of the picture. He is cast as a wealthy business man, of simple tastes, whose wife has social aspirations which she tries to realise by making a wealthy match for their daughter. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. VARIED ENTERTAINMENT. Two excellent films will form the programme for the Mayfair Theatre to-mor-row when "You're Telling Me" and "After Office Hours" will be screened. " You're Telling Me" features W. C. Fields, one of the leading and most popular comedians on the screen to-day. He plays the role of an optician in a small town, who, possessed with the idea that the seed of genius lies within him, spends most of his time witb various peculiar inventions. When he tries to interfere with his daughter's love affair with the local banker's son the result is hilarious in the extreme. Fields is ably supported by Adriqnne Ames and Joan Marsh. Sparkline dialogue, romance, and mystery are admirably combined in "After Office Hours." Clarke Gable and Constance Bennett are the principals in this story, which is said to combine all that is best in motion picture entertainment. Newspapers, a society scandal, and a murder all figure prominently at one stage or another. The action alternates between Park avenue, Park row, and a boathouse on Long Island Sound. The final desperate plan which reveals the murderer caps a thrilling picture which could only be made possible through the medium of Clark Gable and Constance Bennett. The humorous element has not been neglected, and has been placed in the capable hands of Stuart Erwin. .