ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 20011, 27 October 1926, Page 7

ENTERTAINMENTS

ALBION THEATRE. “STELLA DALLAS” AND PHONOFILMS. Manager Carlton Max who usually maintains a strict silence about the silent drama that plays at his Albion Theatre, promises m enthusiastic terins that the super-attrac-tion, “Stella Dallas” which opens at his house to-night for a run of three nights is as distinctive and as out of the ordinary a brand of entertainment as ever thrilled the patrons of any theatre. “Stella Dallas,” by Mrs Olive Higgins Prouty, first appeared as a serial story in the American Magazine; later as a best seller novel, and then 75 newspapers throughout the country ran it, and Mrs Leslie Carter starred in it as a stage play. It has been broadcast over the radio and now Samuel Goldwyn sponsors “Stella Dallas” as a Henry King production, adapted for the screen by Frances Marion. “Stella Dallas” on the screen is an exact pictorial translation of the novel, according to the producer. It unfolds a story of a typical American girl, in whose heart tumult rages and seeks romantic expression. Stella’s love-life, her rise to the heighths and her fall to the depths, is a dramatic X-ray, full of emotional climaxes and coloured with vivitLrealistic revelations. Plenty of laughter intersperses the action, while youth and beauty conspire to make of “Stella Dallas,” a production which not only plumbs the feelings and lifts the spirit high, but in ite thrilling progress, a brand of entertainment is unfolded that for sheer unalloyed pleasure has seldom been equalled on the screen. To reproduce sound as well as movement on the screen at the picture theatre, to give voice to the hitherto “silent drama” has been the ambition of many inventors the world over. All early attempts failed owing to the difficulty of synchronisation. Dr. Lee de Forest the

eminent American scientist has solved the problem by photographing both sound and action simultaneously. The phonofilm, which will be demonstrated at the Albion Theatre to-night for the last time, represents what might be termed "The photography of sound.” No gramophone is used, the principle involved in phonofilms is something entirely new and something which astound all who see aud hear it. The items to be shown include speakers, singers, orchestras and vaudeville items. Patrons are advised to book their seats early and not miss seeing and hearing this demonstration. CIVIC PICTURES. DOUGLAS MACLEAN, LEWIS STONE AND ANNA Q. NILSSON. The inimitable Douglas McLean, with his immaculate appearance and rather inquisitive face, makes another appearance at the Municipal Theatre to-night in his latest Paramount comedy, “Introduce Me.” The faintest praise one can give to this picture is to say that it is a pure riot of laughter, the best that McLean has yet done. He has been given a story of boundless possibilities for humour and been told to go ahead, which he has done to the profound joy of movie patrons. He appears first as a globe-trotter in Paris, and seeing a girl at the station, demands an introduction of his companion, and on learning that she is bound for the Alps, hastily changes his tickets. After a plethora of setbacks and misfortunes he is mistaken for one Roberts, a famous mountaineer. To make a hit with father, ,who does not like him, Jimmy permits the deception and is instantly lionised. Then Roberts appears, and being a decent fellow tells him that he can only only use his name if he enters for the mountain race, the alternative being a confession to the girl. Jimmy enters. He is getting badly beaten by the champion when a mountain bear takes a violent liking to him, and assisting him to the top by sundry and playful attentions to his now thoroughly alarmed person, follows him down the other side with a view to further pleasantries, and this enables the perturbed hero to win the race and win the girl. So hurried a resume cannot do full justice to this mirthful picture, which McLean has invested with a thousand little touches of humour which go far towards its enjoyment. Anne Cornwall appears in support. One of First National’s most brilliant society dramas will also be shown on this programme—“Too Much Money,” in which Lewis Stone and Anna Q. Nilssdn are starred. The hero was not a millionaire, but his income was large enough to permit of his wife devoting her entire leisure to the hectic and exacting

e demands of New York society. Conse--1 quer.tly he saw little of her, and he evolved , the ingenious idea of temporarily signing 1 away his money to a friend. Men in love - do .strange things. He then announced to - the beautiful butterfly that he was pennii, less. She was giving a pyjama party at s the moment, and surrounded as she was by g beauty and luxury, the announcement hit e her hard. But she rose to the occasion, i, moved into a cheap flat, secured her pseuejos penniless husband a job in a grocer’s shop 1 and simple happiness reigned supreme. Then . the “other man” told her the truth. Then there was trouble. She stormed and ranted and threatened to go home to mother. In the delightfully old-fashioned words of the Victoria regime, she "ran away” with that other man, and then with all a woman’s 2 charming inconsistency, went back to hubby, but only after he had punchel the other fellow’s jaw several times. There are some x delightful comedy bits in “Too Much . Money,” and the society sequences are worth ; going a long way to see. This entertaining 3 programme is rounded off by interesting ’ supports including a Mermaid Comedy. s f