AMUSEMENTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18234, 1 November 1933, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. An unusually well-worked*out thriller opened at the Regent to-day, -entitled “The Secret of the Blue Room.” The plot is intelligently constructed, and events lead to a feasible conclusion which show up the murderer as the least suspected of all the characters. The story opens on a wild and stormy night at an old castle. Gloria Stuart, her father, played by Lionel Atwill, and her three admirers (played by Paul Lukas, Edward Arnold and Onslow Stevens) are quietly chatting in the baronial hall, until the young journalist asks the owner to tell the story of the supposedly haunted blue room, it seemed that about 20 years ago a woman was found dead in it, and a detective who had volunteered to stay the night there was also found dead in it next morning. Since then the room had been locked. Onslow Stevens offers to sleep the night in the blue room. Nothing is heard during the night, but in the morning lie has disappeared. The journalist next night decides to get to the bottom of the mystery —but it would spoil the enjoyment of the picture to give any further details of the story, which holds one’s interest from beginning to end. Unexpected answers to questions that occur are found at the end of the very oujoyablo and thrilling entertainment at the Regent Theatre. Strong supporting features gio with the main picture, inostj interesting of which is Crawford’s sensational victory for Australia over the American champion, Ellsworth Vines, for the final of the Wimbledon championship. MAJESTIC THEATRE “The Billion Dollar Scandal,” featuring Robert Armstrong, Constance Cummings, Olga Baclanova, Frank Morgan, James Gleason, Irving Uichel and Warren Ilyiner, is the new feature at the Majestic. The. story, briefly, deals with the sensational expose oi a gigantic swindle, brought about by a masseur named Partus as an act of vengeance against a powerful financier. Being particularly skilful as a masseur, Partos has beon hired to work for the financier. Overhearing several stock rips, lie suddenly finds himself rich enough to realise his ambition for his brother to mingle with the “best people.” The brother becomes infatuated with the financier’s daughter, and to halt their marriage, the financier “breaks” Partos. However, when a newspaper editor induces Partos to tell all he knows, relative to an immense swindle, headed by the financier, he accepts, as a means of revenge upon his former employer. The events which happen, as a result, of this expose, bring the picture to a startling climax. An artistic musical treat is provided by tin 1 short feature, “Moonlight and Romance,” in which Rosita Moreno and Nino Martini sing artistically and dance to enchanting music. The settings and moonlight effects form a background of rare beauty. An advertisement in this issue calls attention to the fact that the Y.M.C.A. final gymnasium social takes place tomorrow night at 7.45 o’clock. Ail members are invited to attend this function, and they are also reminded that the summer class commences to-night at 7.30 o'clock. Visualising the world 10 years hence in a very forceful play in four acts, entitled “Tlie.se Things Shall Be,” tire authors, Messrs. Leonard Hines and Frank King, have daringly walked a prcvioulsy untrodden path in playwriting. * This strikingly modern drama will be given as a play-reading to-morrow evening in St. Andrew’s schoolroom, Oobdcn street, at 8 o’clock, under the auspices of St. Andrew’s P.W.M.U. There are 17 characters in the play, and the parts will be rendered by a strong team. Admission will bo free, but a collection will be taken to defray incidental expenses.