ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 20111, 23 February 1927, Page 10

ENTERTAINMENTS

ALBION TO-NIGHT.

VIOLA DANA IN “THE BEAUTY PRIZE,” ZANE GREY’S “FIGHTING FINS,” AND “THE NEWLY WEDS QUARANTINED.”

“The Beauty Prize” has the dual merit of brilliant cleverness and startling originality and an immense topical interest that will interest everyone but the blind and the absent. Take a brief glance at its piquant story. A pretty manicurist wins a national beauty contest, and is hailed on all sides as a wealthy society girl. She allows the deception to continue: gifts and fame are lavished upon her: spicy comedy riots throughout, and laughs come like a whirlwind: and the climax is unusual and racy. New r Zealanders will be intrigued with this prize-winner. As a “Red Book Magazine” story it fairly begged to be transferred to the screen—and here it is, with its fast action, fun, thrills, and great topical appeal. There is tremendous interest in the national search for “Miss New Zealand.” And there’s a big selling point in the fact that “The Beauty Prize” features the actual contests at Atlantic City, where Fay Lamphier was chosen as Miss America. It shows the scenes where our own Beryl Mills recently visited. The beauty parade here featured is the screen’s most dazzling array of shapely femininity. Viola Dana, vivacious and beautiful comedienne of “Along Came Ruth” and “The Great Love,” is as fascinating and intriguing as ever in the leading role. And in support is Pat. O’Malley. Pat. O’Malley is at the height of his popularity as a result of his work in the recent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pictures, “The White Desert,” “Proud Flesh” and “Bread.” The role he enacts here is vitally different, but is one that enables him to reveal his talent for light comedy, which has had no outlet in his intensely dramatic productions. Could you hold a runaway train with a bent pin at the end of a piece of cotton? That’s what it feels like to be hooked to a giant swordfish off the Bay of Islands, and find him running out to sea at a speed that keeps the launch singing through the water, turning and twisting like an All Black in attack, and dropping plummet-wise down, down into the green soundless depths, whence only hours of back-breaking “pumping” will entice him, unless that cunning brain elects to streak off like a flash of greased lightning to some distant part of the horizon, sending the line screeching through the block as fathom after fathom rushes out to sea. One of these monsters took Captain Mitchell’s bait off the Cavalli Islands, and man and fish fought each other for five hours before the end came. Was there ever such a fight since the world began? One thousand pounds of fighting fury at the end of a silken thread, and the art of the angler at the other. The Government Publicity Office’s film is a thrill from start to finish. ‘The Newly-weds in Quarantine/’ featuring “Snookums,” the baby comedian, screen snapshots, and an International News reel complete a programme of unusual interest. CIVIC PICTURES. “BEHIND THE FRONT’ AND ANNA Q. NILSSON IN “MISS NOBODY.” “Behind the Front” is the most mirthful, most care-free, most infectious comedy ever screened, despite the fact that the scene of action is France in wartime. There is a lot of humour to be got out of war, so reasoned Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton in their roles of two bewildered heroes, and when the drill sergeant belaboured them with eloquent invective, they agreed that he was doing his best to make the war unpleasant, and decided it was their duty to counteract his fell designs, and that is how the comedy of “Behind the Front’? arises. “Behind the Front” makes no attempts to be ■ philosophical about war, for the two gallant heroes refuse to accept war seriously. Every incautious explosion from the sergeant is twisted by this naive pair into -a word of kindly wit, the comedy of which proceeding is all the more apparent when one has met this same sergeant. Their truculence at having to perform the most menial tasks is converted into more up-

roarious comedy when their confidential remarks are furtively exchanged. But it is in more than talk that the humours of war find expression. In the lines and behind the front, these two make themselves a general nuisance; >as that friendly sergeant bawled, “To send you to the front would be an insult to the enemy.” Imposing chiefs and their own colleagues receive all the same treatment from them, scant respect at any time and a confiding friendship always, and the occasions on which these lordly chiefs receive the full force of the heroes’ misdirected wit are occasions of most exhausting laughter. A leading Australian journal has said: “ ‘Behind the Front’ is all -brilliant comedy shot with flashes of unexpected pathos which always end up with an unexpected twist that sends the audience into howls of mirth.” The acting of Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton is truly remarkable. Unaccustomed as they both are to comedy roles, their splendid work is ail the more praiseworthy for that, and by their work together in this picture they stamp themselves as the best comedy team appearing to-day.” The beautiful First National star, Anna Q. Nilsson, plays the leading role in “Miss Nobody,” the other big attraction. In externals this picture is strikingly similar to “Jonjola,” in that the star again wears masculine attire and launches out on a career of careless adventure. “Miss Nobody” is largely a romantic picture, being delightfully spiced with a graceful order of comedy and an element of logical excitement. Miss Nilsson plays the role of a bankrupt society girls who, in disillusionment, takes to the road. Her adventures, sometimes precarious, sometiems romantic, always amusing, constitute as delightful a piece of dramatic entertainment as this brilliant artist has been seen in for a long time. Walter Pidgeon is her leading man, and in situations of comedy, and drama alike reveals a pronounced ability as an actor. In addition a Felix the Cat cartoon and a Monty Banks comedy, will be screened which with a News reel complete a most entertaining bill.