AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22903, 10 June 1936, Page 15

AMUSEMENTS

STRAND THEATRE A romantic drama, “ One Way Ticket,” which is the chief attraction on the current programme at the Strand Theatre, is adapted from the novel of the same name by Ethel Turner, and tells of the adventures of a young convict who falls in love with the daughter of the prison guard. He escapes from gaol by hiding in the girl’s trunk when she leavea for college, and when she discovers him the two run off and get married. This action results in a police search for the young couple, but everything works out satisfactorily in the end. " The Thrill Hunter,” which completes the programme, has Buck Jones, the popular Western star, in the leading role, and the film is replete with exciting action and bright comedy. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME. "This Day and Age,” the first modern spectacle of the screen produced by B. P. Schulberg for Paramount, will open a season On Friday at the Strand Theatre. The film depicts the fight of a community’s youth to combat its city’s subversive influences after all legal efforts by the adult members of the community have failed. The picture is announced as a true De Mille epic, revealing the same masterful handling of mobs, the same realistic touches that brought fame to his previous classics, “ The Sign of the Cross,” “The Ten Commandments,” and “The King of Kings.” "This Day and Age ” reaches surging heights when it presents a mob scene in which 5000 college students have put a criminal on trial for his life. Kidnapped by the youngsters, the criminal is taken to an old, abandoned quarry and there forced to sign a confession. Then he is ridden on a rail back to town, where the mob breaks into the home of the judge who has once acquitted their captive of a murder charge and forces the jurist to witness the confession. De Mille has assembled a “ youth ” cast to portray the characters in his story. Prominent are Charles Bickford, Richard Cromwell, Juditn Allen, and Harry Green. The supporting picture is “ Green Eyes,” a murder drama, featuring Shirley Grey, Charles Starrett, Claude Gillingwater, and John Wray. STATE THEATRE Warner Baxter, who enacts the role of that pitiful figure Dr Samuel Alexander Mudd in the dramatic and moving production entitled "The Prisoner of Shark Island,” which Is at present being screened at the State Theatre, gives a performance that must be the best of his career « The Prisoner of Shark Island tells the story of the stormy period which followed the American Civil War. After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoin the murderer prevails upon a physician (Dr Mudd) to set his broken leg. Hearing of this, the doctor is regarded as an accomplice in the murder of the nation’s idol, and, though he fights against the rising tide of mob hatred, he is .eventually transported to a dreary island prison under life sentence. On this island the real drama begins its course. With the aid of a negro guard, the gentle., unworldly man who has undergone intellectual starvation manages to escape from the prison. He swims a shark-infested moat to reach a boat in which his wife is waiting for him off the island. Recapture follows swiftly, however, and when fever strikes the island Mudd is given a chance to regain his lost manhood, and he forces the authorities to allow him to take charge of the epidemic. As a result of his noble and unselfish labour, Mudd is granted a pardon by the President, and a happy reunion between he and his wife is at last accomplished. Opposite Baxter, Gloria Stuart plays a sensitive and appealing role. The box plans are at the theatre and at Begg’s. “ THE LITTLEST REBEL.” Irresistibly decked out in crinolines and pantalettes—sweeter, happier, and funnier, it is reported, than ever before— Shirley Temple returns to play her first dramatic role in “ The Littlest Rebel,” a Fox picture, which will be shown at the State Theatre on Friday. Adapted from the never-to-be-forgotten play, “ The Littlest Rebel” presents Shirley Temple with the opportunity to act scenes of genuine pathos and drama which the child actress carries of! in her usual easy manner. The songs Shirley sings include that favourite, “ Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms ” and “ Polly Wolly Doodle,” which was especially composed by Sidney Clare and B. G. DcSylya. A series of tap dances, performed with her old partner, Bill Robinson, are among the features of the picture. John Boles, Jack Holt, and Karen Morley are prominent in the supporting cast of the picture, directed by David Butler. REGENT THEATRE Eddie Cantor’s annual musical extras vaganza " Strike Me Pink ” is proving a popular attraction at the Regent Theatre thi s week, where it is being screened with an outstanding associate programme. The little comedian is superb in the role of a timid young man who takes a course in personal magnetism. Conquering his shyness. he undertakes the management of an amusement park, and fights the efforts of a gang of ruffians who wish to install .fraudulent slot machines, with a resoluteness that is humorous in the extreme. With all the paraphernalia of a Coney Island at his disposal. Cantor is at his best as a comedian. Farcical situations, “ wise-cracks ” and smart repartee follow in startling succession, and with the elaborate backgrounds and beautiful ballets which are invariably part of a Cantor .film, "Strike Me Pink” bids fair to prove. one of the best of the popular comedian’s productions. The climax comes when Cantor is pursued through the park by his enemies, A thrilling "switchback ” railway ride and some highlydiverting foolery in a balloon bring the story to an hilarious conclusion. Sally Eilers plays opposite Cantor, and the Goldwyn girls are featured in the ballet scenes. A splendid selection of shorter films is also shown, the outstanding feature being a new type of newsreel, “ The March of Time.” The box plans will be found at the theatre and the D.I.C. "ANYTHING GOES.” "Anything Goes ” has just concluded an amazing run of 12 months on Broadway as a stage play. A few weeks back Sydney was treated to the play, and it was sensationally received. Now comes the news from. Paramount Pictures that, after spirited bidding by major motion-picture interests, they were successful in securing the screen rights. The film has been completed, and is now in New Zealand for release at the Regent Theatre. The stars of the film version of this grand musical picture are Bing Crosby, Charlie Rugglcs, Ethel Merman, Ida Lupino, and Grace Bradley, and it is important to note that the music was written by Cole Porter, who wrote “ Smoke Gets In Your Eyes ” and other “ hit ’’ numbers from “ Roberta.” New York critics say: ‘“Anything Goes,’ that smart musical comedy which kept the ticket-sellers busy for a year and upward at the Alvin and 46th Street Theatres, has been effectively adapted to the screen by Paramount Pictures, and it is now crowding the Paramount Theatre to standing room. This show is up to The hilt in rhyme and rhythm.” “Anything Goes” will open at the Regent Theatre on Friday. Plans are at the D.I.C. and the theatre. ST. JAMES THEATRE It is interesting to try to discover the root reason for the appeal of a picture. In many, perhaps most, it is love, which, they say, makes the world go round. In some it is drama, or action, or perhaps again, singing. In few, too few, it is a gripping sense of the presence of _ companionship. It is this which constitutes the appeal of “ O’Shaughnessy’s Boy,” which is now enjoying a successful season at the St. James Theatre. It is the friendship between a man and a boy. Wallace Beery ig the man, in this case the father; hi s son is Jackie Cooper. Many will go to see this picture because they will remember the brilliant success of another picture in which these two wore starred together, “ The Champ,” which was one of the best pictures of that year. That also held predominantly a warm feeling of friendship, almost of hero worship, between a man and a boy. This picture is inevitably different, if only because the boy i s older and more mature. Yet one cannot see “ O’Shaughnessy’s Boy” and not realise that Jackie Cooper is still a boy, a very human boy, a very natural boy, and a clever actor, because his acting leaves the definite impression

that it is not acting at all, but a page out of life. In this picture vv allace Beery gives a first-rate performance as an animal trainer. There is an excellent supporting programme which in. eludes some interesting screen snapshots. The bos plans are at the theatre, the D.1.C., and Jacobs’s. “THE BRIDE COMES HOME.” The story of a modern girl with a decided temper, who meets and falls in love with a man with fighting instincts, comes to the screen in “ The Bride Comes Home, which will open on Friday at the St. James Theatre, with Cjaudette Colbert and Fred Mac Murray in the featured roles. The film is reported to possess a thoroughly amusing story, skilfully presented, and with a popular appeal. The spectacle of a young woman and a young man who disagree on everything from spinach to toothbrushes, but manage in their impetuoua way to work out their heavy problem, would be difficult to present without being entertaining. iet “ The Bride Comes Home ” is more than that. The picture, perhaps, could not have been better cast. Lovely Miss Colbert is superh ag the society girl whose father has lost all his money and who decides to go to work, while Mac Murray is cast as the hard-boiled, two-fisted newspaperman, who turns magazine editor and finds Miss Colbert working as his assistant. Although they battle from the moment of their meeting, the magnetic force of love conspires to bring them to the threshold of marriage. But it is not until after many more quarrels that the two are united. OCTAGON THEATRE Although it has, had probably longer seasons in Dunedin than any other picture for many years, “ Naughty Marietta, which heads the current programme at the Octagon Theatre, still continues to attract considerable attention. The haunting melodies, delightful story, and brilliant singing by the two principals, Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy, are the outstanding features of the production, while the support lent by the minor characters does much to raise the picture to the high level of screen entertainment it has reached. Although principally a romance, there_ is much bright comedy, contributed mainly by Frank Morgan, as the harassed governor of the French colony of Louisiana, and Elea Lanchester ns his wife. The second film is “Looking Forward,” which features Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Benita Hume in the leading roles. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. DOUBLE-FEATURE PROGRAMME. At the Octagon Theatre on Friday first picture to be shown will be “ It’s a Great Life," described as_ a drama of youth finding its place in the world. “ Millions in the Air ” will also be shown. It is a comedy-romance with new dances and songs. GRAND THEATRE In the role of a small-town booster who was nice to everyone but himself, Edward Everett Horton offers a delightful variant on his recent screen roles as the star of the Fox comedy “ Your Uncle Dudley,” which is to bo shown at the Grand Theatre to-day. It is Horton’s fate, in this picture, to be one of those people who are always so involved in civic affairs that they have no time or energy left to live their own life. For a time silver loving cups and adulation feed his vanity, but soon he begins to look for something more substantial. With his business falling off, his girl friend threatening to walk out. and his parasitic sister clamouring for money, Horton takes stock of himself am' decides to change his course. What happens when this new personality bursts on this horizon is revealed in the chucklefilled climax of the picture and in its happy, romantic close. Lois Wilson is the charmer cast opposite Horton, with John M’Guire and Rosina Lawrence the principals in a minor romance. Directed by Eugene Forde, " Your Uncle Dudley ” features 'Alan Dinehart and Marjorie Gatcaon in the chief supporting roles. “Like father, like son,” must apply to writing, too, when the career of Gilbert Wright, scenarist, who helped to adapt the George O’Brien picture, “ Whispering Smith Speaks,” the supporting feature, is considered. Wright is the son of the famous author Harold Bell Wright, and, like his father, is specialising in clean, virile stories of America. Irene Ware. Kenneth Thomson, Vic Potel, and Spencer Charters fill the important featured roles in “Whispering Smith Sneaks,” which was directed by David Howard The picture, adapted from the story by Frank H. Spearman, !s a red-blooded, vigorous tale of railroading adventure. The box plana are at the theatre and Begg’s. EMPIRE THEATRE Joan Crawford and Brian Aherne head the cast in “I Live My Life,” which is the current attraction at the Empire Theatre. Joan is the spoiled darling of wealthy society; Aherne is an archaeologist, and both have done nothing except what they wished to do. Joan, on a yachting tour, meets Aherne in Greece, and under the influence of moonlight they fall in love. Their different natures, however, result in discord, and the picture tells how they eventually decide to arrange their difficulties. Though they wish to marry, neither wishes to make the necessary sacrifice of individuality. The man gives up his hobby to become a business man, but that does not last long, and the girl regards his refusal to work as pure selfishness. Even when he is on his way to the church he does not believe that the bride will be there. The climax comes with a wealth of dramatic incident, and is presented in a manner worthy of the picture. The minor roles are capably filled by well-known players. There is a strong programme of short pictures in support of the main feature. The box plans are at the» theatre and the D.I.C. “ESCAPADE.” The golden voice of Enrico Caruso, greatest of all tenors, lives again. Two arias, recorded during bis life time, are reproduced with modern extended range and amplified orchestration in “Escapade,” Viennese romance, which will come on Friday to the Empire Theatre. The Caruso numbers are heard in a sequence reproducing hie premiere in Vienna in “ at the Imperial Opera. “ Questa o Quella ” and “La Donna e Mobile,” Verdi’s two great arias, which were held among Caruso’s greatest renditions. were utilised. The original records, furnished through arrangement with the Victor Phonograph Company, were used. From these, greatly amplified with orchestration specially arranged to give a grand opera volume, the filmed sound track was made. The new picture is a brilliant comedy romance with William Powell as its hero, and introduces Luise Rainer, brilliant Viennese stage star, as his leading lady. Robert Z. Leonard directed, with Frank. Morgan, Virginia Bruce, Reginald Owen, Mady Christians, Laura Hope Crews, Henry Travers, and others of note in the cast. Though not a musical picture, “ Escapade ” has several elaborate musical sequences. The opera is one of them, being used as a setting for a highly-dramatic scene between Morgan and Miss Rainer, in which the music rises to a climax on the stage as the drama reaches its climax in the opera house corridor. Another musical interlude is in the Vienna Concert Hall, where Powell makes love to Miss Rainer while a vaudeville performance goes on. and during which Lorraine Bridges, sensational discovery at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, singe the key song, “You’re All I Need.” Technical developments add outstanding effects to the new picture. One is the “■Waltzing Camera” which follows Powell and Miss Rainer through a Viennese waltz in the grand ball sequence. The camera took the place of a dancer on the floor, watching the other dancers as through the eyes of a fellow-dancer in motion. MAYFAIR THEATRE “My Heart is Calling” will be shown at the Mayfair Theatre to-day, starring Jan Kiepura, Marta Eggerth, and Sonnie Hale. Opera syndicates were unkind to Rosee’s opera company, preferring old, tried stars to youth. The South American season had been bad, but promise of an engagement at the Monte Carlo Opera sent them light-heartedly across the Atlantic. The gayest and most talented of Rosee’s artists was Mario, the good-looking young tenor. He discovered Carla, a pretty young Hungarian, stowed away in his cabin, fell in love, sang to the first-class passengers, and collected sufficient money for her fare. The Monte Carlo engagement was cancelled by radiogram. When they arrived the resourceful Rosee took Mario to sing to Arvelle, director of the opera. Mario wap never in better voice,

but he had sung to the secretary, not to Arvelle, and Rosee pleaded in vain for an audition with him. Learning that the director was at the Casino, Mario slipped inside and burst into song. Arvelle offered him a star engagement. Mario insisted upon the engagement of the whole company. Arvelle declined. That night, while the opera was packed to hear “ Tosea,” Rosee*s company singing the same opera outside, emptied the house and Arvelle capitulated. Mario hugged Carlo with delight. The supporting feature is “The Pay-off,” a etory of a sports writer on a newspaper, starring James Dunn,_ Claire Dodd, Patricia Ellis, and Allan Dinehart. The box plans are at the sweet shop next the theatre and at the D.I.C.