AMUSEMENTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18502, 14 September 1934, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

OPERA HOUSE

TO-MORROW’S TWO ATTRACTIONS Three hours of thrilling and amusing entertainment- will he presented at, tin? Opera House on Saturday night in “The Ring of Wild Horses'’ and "Tlie Phantom President.” In addition, there will be Walt Disney’s “Three Little Pigs’' and “Danger Island” serial. For the benefit of Majestic patrons who prefer double feature programmes, the Majestic serial, “Gordon of Ghost City,” featuring Buck .lonea, will be screened at the Opera House- as well as the Majestic on Saturday night.

In “King of the Wild Horses." the lasi of the thundering herds <>l’ wild horses and Hex, the wonder horse, are seen in a drama of the unfenced plains. Among the thrilling incidents are the great battle of rival stallions, stampedes of thousands of horses, and many dangerous adventures. On the. ruse that he is a Government inspector instructed to kill diseased wild horses on the Navajo Indian Reserve. Clint Bolling and his gang of outlaws lay a. trap to steal thousands of head of Navajo horses which, led by Rex. roam over the great plains of the •reservation in northern Arizona. The Xavajos meet in high council to celebrate the coming of age of Rod Wolf, son of Big Man, The feat of daring Big Man diooses for his son is the capture of Bex, the wildest- stallion over known on the reservation. The clash between outlaw and Indian makes an exciting story. “The Phantom President” is a delightful comedy-drama with Music. starring Claudette Colbert, George M. Cohan, of

“Gct-Rirh-Quiek Wallingford” fame, and the mirth-provoking comedian Jinmiv Durante.

KING’S THEATRE

TO-MORROW; JESSIE MATTHEWS IN GAY “EVERGREEN”

Another Gaumont-British musical phiv, released by Fox Films, is ‘‘livergreen,” based on C. B. Cochran’s successful stage show of a few years ago, and starring Jessie Matthews, who has thus played Harriet Green both in the stage original and the talkie. “Evergreen” commences its three-dav Gisborne season to-morrow, when there will lie four sessions—at 30.3(1 a.m., 2 p.m., f> p.m., and 8 p.m. -The idea of making the picture was born when Jessie and her husband, Bonnie Hale, together with Victor ,Seville, the director, were travelling from London to tlie Midlands for a provincial premiere of “The Good Companions.” That excellent production was already little more than a mellow memory to them because -busy stars and directors live not in the cinematic present, but away on the horizon of pictures-to-be. All three, knew that “1 Was a Spy,” “Friday the 13th,” and “Waltzes from Vienna” were coming near, on the Gaumont-British production schedule, each signifying important work for one or other of them. But what they wanted to know was what was likely do come afterwards. “Why,” wondered Jessie aloud, “don’t we make a picture of ‘Evergreen’?” “Yes,” exclaimed Saville. “Why don’t we? Jt had a grand theme.” And that is how it all began, as soon as Yictor Saville got buck to London and had a talk with Michael Balcon, the Gaumont-British production child. The “grand theme” of the Cochran show was the great ‘ ‘ C.B’s ’ ’ own excellent, thoroughly cynical idea. He commissioned Ben Levy, in conjunctiop with Rodgers and Hart, the American song-writers, to work it out. The idea was that a young actress, in order to become famous, impersonates her mother, a famous variety artist of 3(1 years before, who had suddenly disappeared and as suddenly, rot,urns. I.n spite of her supposed GO odd years, the apparently evergreen old-timer once again has London at her toot. The public sit and marvel at the minder of it all.

Under Victor, Sa.vi.lle’s direction. Jessie Matthews, Bonnie Hale, Betty Balfour, and Barry Maekay, an accomplished young actor who makes his screen debut, head n splendid cast. Clever direction and development ot the. original story have lifted it, right out of the ordinary musical-comedy class into the realm ef spectacular, musical plays. It is romantic, and in the unfolding of its w.cll-dofinod plot, there are, beside a wealth oi sparkling comedy, many strong drama* tic touches. —Last Night of “It’s A Boy’’— One of the amusing' features of “It’s a Boy," the Gainsborough picture, which concludes its season at the King’s Th/atre to-night, is the sight of Leslie Henson in female disguise. To placate the irate father of the girl Dudley Leake (Edwarrt Everett Horton) desires to marry, the bridegroom and his best man, Jimmy Skippett, have to produce John Tempest, a popular novelist. It suddenly transpires that John Tempest is a woman. Skippett decides to impersonate her. The popular novelist (Heather Thatcher) is one of the wedding guests, and, .is quite interested, not only in the appearance of John Tempest, but in the tale lie pitches.

MAJESTIC THEATRE

“ALICE IN WONDERLAND’’—A MARVEL OF INGENUITY To how- many countless millions has Lewis Carroll's" “Alice in Wonderland” been a delight that never loses its savour? How many adults —dignified, businessmen and jaded housewives—turn back its charming pages and chuckle again as the Walrus and the Carpenter beguile the oysters fro»V their ocean bed. It was the rather shy mathematician who gave us the bizarre characters that live in memory, but it< is the screen that has released them; from the bondage of printer's ink. and paraded them before the delighted eyes of their admirers. Paramount’s film version of the great tale of make-believe is a triumph for the screen world. The reception given the picture wherever it Ims boon screened shows that most men and women are but children at heart. The child mind with ns capacity for make-believe and its appreciation ol simple nonsense —that Lewis Carroll knew so well - is never lost. It may be bidden beneath the stress of lighting in the battle of modern life, but it is there sleeping, and Carrol! s story expressed in admirable terms by the screen, wakes for it a brief hour or two. Alice’s wanderings in the land of phantasy and topsy-turvydom are faithfully recorded and the strange creatures she'met on her journey hove come td life. They are not merely clever characterisations. They are Sir John Temiiel’s pictures stepped from the pages of the book. Everyone will remember bow Temiiel’s illustrations and Carroll’s story went as well together as Tweedledeo and Tweedledum, The characters in

the picture have also caught this spirit, and it is this that makes the success of the production. A magnificent east has been assembled for the film. No reference to the cast could be made without a word of praise for the marvellous acting and make-up of W. 0. Fields as Humpty Duniptv. This, is Alice in Wonderland come to life. The setting of "The Walrus and the Carpenter,” as recited by Tweedledeo (Roscoe Earns), with a clever background of animated cartoons, is also a marvel of ingenuity. | "Alice in Wonderland” will commence to-morrow. To-night is the last opportunity of seeing ‘Tlinrlle Wakes."