ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 19346, 11 September 1924, Page 5

ENTERTAINMENTS

CIVIC PICTURES. ANOTHER STERLING PROGRAMME TO-NIGHT. The management of the Civic Pictures continues to present strong and attractive programmes for the entertainment of patrons. Last night’s programme was well calculated to give the maximum amount of pleasure to all who comprised the huge audience. With a setting that could nowhere be eclipsed—the Sunny South Sea Isles—the premier attraction, “Where the Pavement Ends,” tells of a gripping story of a human combat against Nature, and against what is wrong. Rarely does one find a plot adopted from a novel more suitable for the screen. A beautiful and lonely girl, the daughter of a missioner, is cast out by Fate with her father on a lonely island. The only man there with a white skin, besides her guardian is a blackguard. There is a thrilling climax. The leading parts are in the capable hands of Alice Terry and Ramon Novarro and Harry T. Morey is also in the cast. Rex Ingrain with the proud record to his credit of having achieved a success with every picture, scores again decisively in this story of a strange regeneration worked out among the palms and glistening beaches of th 6 mystic isles of the South Seas. A real “Western,” with all the thrill and excitement of cowboy stories and yet striking a much deeper emotional note is the Buck Jones picture, “Not a Drum Was Heard.” Here is a picture of the real west which is a tribute to a friendship. Two men in love with the same girl one wins her and goes wrong in order to protect her from trouble. The other man then sacrifices himself for his “pardner,” although the latter has won the girl of his choice. All this does not transpire, of course, until wild riding and straight shooting combine with fate, and mix up one of the best western romances ever pictured. Frank Campeau is good in his part as the banker, and the others in the cast do fine work. “Not a Drum Was Heard” can be recommended for everyone in the family. An Al. St. John Comedy and a new round of “The Leather Pushers” are also included on this programme. ALBION TO-NIGHT. • TORMENT,” “THE HEART LINE” AND “COVERED SCHOONER.” Nothing better in the way of entertainment has been seen locally than the allstar programme at Southland’s leading theatre (the Albion) last night. With such an array of companies to choose their programmes from, the Albion management are m a happy position to be able to give their patrons that variety of programme which is always welcome. The three main items received a fine reception from the audience present. Maurice Tourneur’s love for the picturesque, bhe thrilling, and the unusual is again given full sway in his screen production of “Torment.” More. than that, it is the most vivid, fascinating film that he has yet contributed to the silent drama—which is saying a great deal when one considers the consistently good contributions that he has made in recent years, with pleasing regularity. Bessie Love, as the sweet and simple heroine, has the leading feminine role, with that capable actor, Owen Moore, giving a strong characterisation opposite her. Jean Herscholt is to be seen in a similar role to that of his “Servant in the House,” while important parts are taken by Maude George, George Cooper, Morgan Wallace, and Otto Lederer. With this well chosen cast to aid him and his story Tourneur has achieved a splendid result. “The Heart Line,” presented at tl£ Albion Theatre for the first time yesterday, with Leah Baird starred, scored a decisive hit. It is an intelligent and serious picturisation of Gelett Burgess’ daringly frank novel that, in relating the romance of a girl whose heart line disclosed three love affairs, also exposes fake spiritualists, clairvoyants, and palmists. The heart lines of several people are involved, Tbere is Fancy Gray, a “good fellow” sort of girl, who loves her employer, a palmist. He is socially ambitious, and gains his desires through an heiress, who sees the good in him beneath his conceit and beneath the trickery of his profession, and regenerates him. The father of the heiress has sought a missing boy for twenty years. He finally resorts to a last hope—a communication through a psychic medium, with the spirit of his dead wife, with whom the child was last seen. He narrowly escapes a blackmail plot, and then finds the palmist is the one he seeks—the son of his dead partner. A very amusing comedy, “The Covered Schooner,” and the latest English gazette complete this delightful programme. SHOULD A DOCTOR TELL? That an equal moral standard for men and women was a most vit’M necessity was the claim made by Mrs W. Wallace-Quiver, Convenor of the Social Problem Circle of the Women’s Reform League, when addressing a large meeting at the Bathurst branch recently. “It is very desirable,” she said, “that every man or woman should be c T 'liged to produce a clean health certificate from a qualified doctor before being allowed to marry.” "Should a Doctor tell?” is not the world’s greatest film, but it is certainly one of the most needed dramas ever staged. It is so seldom that we hear the truth nowadays that a picture which exposes all the shams and sins of life should be doublj’ welcome. This drama is due at the Albion, commencing Saturday night.