AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22816, 27 February 1936, Page 7

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE I A wealth of variety and first-class entertainment is provided in the programme which commenced yesterday at the Grand Theatre before large audiences. The principal feature, "Dressed to Thrill," is notable for the appearance of a new European star, Tutta Rolf, who has been acclaimed by overseas critics as one of the greatest "'finds" in the films for some time. Seen in a dual role, both parts requiring careful study, she acquits herself with credit. She is certainly fortunate in having the support of dive Brook, who further enhances his reputation as a character actor of considerable ability. The minor parts are filled by players of distinction, and from the dramatic point of view the film leaves very little to be desired, lne story is a simple enough tale—one m which the double identity of the heroine produces a number of intriguing situations but it 13 invested with a wealth ot detail that keeps the spectator thoroughly amused and entertained throughout the length ot the screening. The opening scenes are laid in a small town in Northern France, and it is here that the audience is first introduced to the demure little dressmaker, who becomes ,infatuated with the handsome stranger who comes to the village, lne infatuation is, however, rather a onesided business, for the handsome stranger goes awav and forgets all about the simple country girl in whose heart he caused such a flutter. But he does not get away with it. The girl is not so sweet and' simple that she cannot think up a bright plan to teach him that he cannot " love and leave her " with impunity. And she is assisted by the fact that she has blossomed from a dressmaker into a famous actress. On the- eve of his. wedding to another woman she lures him away from her, breaks up his business, and leads him a tortured life. Alternately, she portrays the fascinating coquette and the simple sweetheart of old, and at last loads linn to acknowledge that it is.to the simple sweetheart that he should give his affection. Miss Rolf sustains her part admirably, singing several musical numbers in captivating style, and Brook shows himself to be just as much at home in comedy as he is in more serious roles. The other feature on the programme is "Strangers All," in which the principa roles are in the hands of May Robson and Preston Foster, while minor parts are capably sustained by William Bakewell, Flo'rino M'Kinney, and James Bush. It is a story of a mother's efforts to meet the problems that are perpetually raised for her by her family' of four. The programme gains added interest from the showing of a fine film of the late King George V's funeral. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg's. EMPIRE THEATRE The screen play based on Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven," will have its final showing at the Empire Theatre to-night. With Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the lending roles, the portrayal of a story telling of a renowned surgeon's all-consuming desire to bring torture and suffering to others is in capable hands, and in their new characterisations the two actors even surpass their previous "horror" presentations. Lugosi plays the part of the surgeon and Karloff the role of a hunted criminal wh» falls into the hands of the mad doctor. Karloff finally rebels against the surgeon and tries to rescue the heroine, her father and her sweetheart from the madman's vengeance. An exciting climax is witnessed, in which the intended victims escape from the tortures that the doctor's crazed brain had designed for them. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. "THE MURDER MAN." For breath-taking speed, suspense, mystery and romance, few pictures are said to have equalled " The Murder Man," which presents Spencer Tracy and Virginia Bruce ou the screen at the Empire 'Theatre on Friday. In a way its title is misleading, for it has nothing to do with gangs or gangsters. Instead, "The Murder Man" is the star reporter of a powerful New York" daily newspaper who has won the nick-name through his success in solving crimes that have baftled the police. The role is played by Tracy. Miss Bruce is the paper's " sob-siste.r,' who is adept at giving advice to the lovelorn through her columns, but who cannot control her own heart. A mysterious crime shocks the city, and through bis alert detective work Tracy is able not only to give his paper "scoops,.' but to give the police clues which lead to the arrest and conviction of the alleged murderer. And then, at the height of new success, Tracy suddenly amazes the police by tearing down the story which has sent the alleged murderer to the brink of the gallows! Speed, suspense, drama and romance are said to be the keynotes of the picture. The cast includes Lionel Atwill, Harvey Stevens, Robert Barrat, James Stewart, William Collier, sen., Louise Henry and others. STRAND THEATRE "Atlantic Adventure" and "Half-a-Sinner," the two entertaining pictures which will have their final Dnnedin screening to-day at the Strand Theatre, have provided a first-class double bill full of interest, and sufficiently varied to suit the taste of every picture-goer. The former picture deals with the hectic career of a newspaper reporter, who, though paying too much attention to his sweetheart, and not enough to his work, finally loses his position. He becomes a stowaway on a transatlantic liner, and the adventures that befall him while on board make an engrossing story. " Half a Sinner " is an entertaining comedy drama, of which the plot is laid in a back-country town in Kansas. The story tells of a cardsharper who arrives in the town, and instead of, as he anticipates, making a " clean-up," becomes involved in a romance and more excitement than he has ever dreamed of. Berton Churchill, J°el M'Crea, and Sally Blane are the leading players. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME. Tim M'Coy, Sue Carrol and William Bakewell have the leading roles in " Straightaway," which will head the double-feature programme at the Strand Theatre to-morrow. The story tells of Tim Dawson, acknowledged king of auto racing drivers, who is tired from the employ of Turnberg, maker of racing cars, for the manufacturer is jealous of the fact that Dawson consistently beats -Turnberg's sin, Carl, on the track. Turnberg has bribed a driver, Rogan, who races for Reeves, Turnberg's nearest rival, to lose races —which Rogan does. Reeves hires Tim to captain his squad of racers. Tim's younger brother, Billy, has beem his mechanic in all of Tim's races. Reeves has. just completed a car which Tim insists that Billy drive. He is proud of his kid brother and is eager to make him a champion. Ann, Reeves's daughter, who loves Tim, is disappointed in the way Tim is pushing his brother to the front, letting liim take all the glory. Billy loves Ann—and Tim is always singing ' his praises to her. With Billy in the new car, Turnberg is defeated in race after race. Rogan promises to keep the Reeve entry out of the next race. When Tim foils Rogan's plot to get Billy drunk the night of the race, Rogan tries to disable the Reeves car, but fails. Rogan plans to box Billy in while racing and force him to the fence—which would mean sure death to Billy, at the same time appearing accidental. Tim's clever driving averts the tragedy, and Rogan is fatally injured. Before he dies he accuses Tim of trying to kill him. A detective overhears the charge. Just before the big race the detective tells Tim he is going to swear out a warrant on a manslaughter charge—but if- Tim will make Billy lose the race the evidence Will be forgotten. The film then works up to a startling climax. Hilarity vies with romance in "The Girl Friend,' which is the second film. Gay, lighthearted and brimming with tunes, The Girl Friend" is a friend indeed. Ann Sothern sings and dances her way through the film with charm and vivacity. Jack Haley, one of the merriest comedians ot them all, goes through many antics, and Roger Pryor, the third of the main triumvirate, is the leading man. STATE THEATRE Many people are inclined to look on child actors or actresses with disfavour, and to say that the child in question is nothing more than a conceited and precocious infant.' But no one is likely to come awav from Shirley Trmple's latent film. "Cu'rlv Top." which is at present being screened at the State Theatre, without thoroughly enjoying every moment of it, and they' should not be afraid to

admit it. She undoubtedly is a most remarkable child, and anyone that can amuse an adult audience in the way she amused the audience at last night s crowded house is no doubt an artist, lne story deals with the adventures of an orphaned child who is removed from an institution by a millionaire who is attracted to her. The romance in the film is engineered by the child between her older sister and her 6elf-appointed guardian. The latter part is taken by John Boles, who sings several songs, and his partner is Rochelle Hudson. Shirley Temple also sings two delightful numbers. There is a good supporting programme. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg's. REGENT THEATRE To-day will afford tbe final opportunity of witnessing "The La-t Outpost," which for the past week has proved a popular attraction at the Re-,'ent Theatre. Caiy Grant. Claude Rains and Certrude Michael have the leading roles in a romance with the dramatic background of Arabia. Filmed by the same company that made "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer," this picture deals with the live? of a handful of men who control the destinies of many and keep in abeyance, often at great personal risk, hostile native tribes. A soldier falls in love with a nurse at the Cairo Hospital, where he is a patient. Later, he learns that she is the wife of the secret service agent who delivered him out of a tight corner when he was captured by Kurds. Since the commencement of the war three years previously, wife and husband have not met, and on their reunion complication? arise which are eventually solved between the two men in a manner which brings this excellent film to a satisfactory conclusion. Claude Rains, who has developed into a screen actor of more than ordinary merit, is admirablv suited to the leading role, which he plays to perfection, and Gertrude Michael is also well cast. Included in an entertaining supporting programme are a Grantland Rice Sportlight. an amusing screen cartoon and a musical feature. At the evening sessions the Regent Orchestra, under the baton of M. tie Rose, presents the overture Orpheus. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. "HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE." A programme that should take the prize for quality will be presented at the Regent Theatre to-morrow, when the Paramount comedy "Hands Across the Table," starring Carole Lombard, J) red Mac Murray and £alph Bellamy, will be coupled with "At the Bottom of the World," the pictorial record of Byrdfl second expedition to Antarctica. Hands Across the Table" is a picture . which, because little publicity has been given to it during production, has not yet attracted much attention among film fans. Judging by the reaction of audiences overseas, however,'the situation is likely to be reversed when the film is screened. It is a semi-sophisticated comedy-drama marked by witty dialogue and clever acting. The title of the film is explained by the fact that the heroine is a manicurist. She wants to marry money, and could realise her ambition—if she could see it—in the person of Allan Macklyn (Ralph Bellamy!, a kindly, crippled and very wealthy customer. But she prefers to chase the handsome Theodore Drew (Fred Mac Murray), only to learn that he has lost all his money in a stock market crash. Carole Lombard is said definitely to establish herself as a sprightly comedienne, and the acting of the others is in keeping with the verve of the storytelling. "At the Bottom of the World, the screen record of Admiral Byrd's expedition to the Antarctic., is very .much more than a mere travelogue. Scenes which would have been interesting enough in themselves have been pieced together with such clever showmanship that the resultant entertainment contains spectacle, thrills, drama, comedy, suspense and even musical appeal. ST. JAMES THEATRE Undoubtedly one of the finest pictures depicting the activities of American gangsters ever produced, "Dr Socrates, which is now showing at the St. James Theatre, continues to draw good houses. The story as told in the film deals with the struggles of a young doctor whose fiancee dies as the result of an operation he himself performs, and who breaks down in health., finally curving himself in a small country town, where he endeavours, without much success, to establish a practice. It is at this stage that the gangster element is introduced, and the young surgeon, in an endeavour to rescue a girl from a gang ot bank robbers, finds himself suspected ot complicity with them. From this period on thrills follow thrills, and the concluding stages of the film are exciting and spectacular. The principal rote, that ot Dr Socrates, is played bv Paul Mum who gives an excellent portrayal, and he is ably supported by Ann Dvorak in the feminine lead. The supports are all good, and the box plans arc at the theatre, M'Cracken and Walls's, and the D.I.C. "SHADOW OF DOUBT." Arthur Somers Roche's baffling mystery story', "Shadow of Doubt," which has created more comment than any story of its type since " The Thin Man, has come to the screen heralded as one of the most novel of all tilmdom's detective jams. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer it opens to-morrow at the bt. James Theatre, with Constance Collier, successor to the late Marie Dressier, Ricarclo Cortez, Virginia Bruce, Isabel Jewell, and Arthur Byron heading the cast. As in " Penthouse," by the same author, " Shadow of Doubt" deals with the interesting people of both Broadway and Park avenue, and those more sinister characters who haunt the streets between. Instead of the usual suave and fearless amateur detective, this story deals with a picturesque elderly woman, possessor of millions, a recluse in Americas biggest city, who ejnerges from obscurity to solve a'"perfect crime." Pitted against the cunning of the city's best detectives and the power of its police, this remarkable character creates something entire y new to both the films and fiction. While the actual commission of the crime is not stressed, and dramatic and comedy situations predominate, the story deals with the mysterious murder of a Broadway playboy. Under suspicion are the three women in his life—a screen star. a.torch singer and a society girl. The acting is said to be excellent, and there is a startling climax. OCTAGON THEATRE An entertaining double-feature programme will be screened for the last time to-day at the Octagon Theatre. The two films are " The Silence of Dean Maitland" and "The Return of Bulldog Drummond." The first production is based on the popular story which has on several previous occasions been adapted for the stage and screen. The story tells of the consequences of a .man's error in his youth and how it preys on his conscience until he confesses from his pulpit the deed he had committed and for which he' had allowed an. innocent man, his friend, to undergo 20 years of imprisonment. The climax of the story, which is ably presented by a cast including John Longden, John Warwick, and Charlotte Francis, is a moving one. The second film is a thrilling adaptation of one of Sapper's stories dealing with the encounters between Bulldog Drummond and the evil Black Gang. Ralph Richardson is an admirable Drummond. The box plans are at the theatre, Begg's, and M'Cracken and Walls'6. MAYFAIR THEATRE Gay, tuneful and interpreted by a cast of players of rare ability, "Naughty Marietta," one of the finest and most spectacular pictures ever seen in New Zealand, is having a return season at the Mayfair Theatre, and heads the new programme which began yesterday. Wherever it has been shown, "Naughty Marietta" has created an impression which will ever remain fresh in the memories of picturegoers, and those who did not get the opportunity of seeing it on the previous occasions on which it was screened in Dunedin undoubtedly will welcome its return. Heading the eas* is the talented and popular b.intone, Nej son Eddy, whose alo'ie is well worth going a long way to tear. But he does not rely on his voice alone to capture his is an actor above the average, and in this picture he scores the greatest triumph of his career. Playing opposite him is the beautiful Jeanetto MacDonald, about whom little need be said. She is one of the most talented actresses on lik screen, and as the lovely Princess do la Bonfain, about whom the story revolves, she has plenty of scope to display hegreat versatility. The box plans are at the D.I.C.