ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 20208, 20 June 1927, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS

ALBION TO-NIGHT. FRED THOMSON IN “THE WILD BULL’S LAIR,” ALSO HOOT GIBSON IN “THE DENVER DUDE.” An unusual and startling type of western drama, in which an element of the supernatural has been caught and sustained with fine skill, provides Fred Thomson with his latest starring vehicle for F. 8.0. entitled "The Wild Bull’s Lair,” which opened at the Albion on Saturday. One of the most spectacular scenes that was ever shot for a picture is that in which Thomson engages in a hand-to-hand, or rather hand-to-horn struggle with the wild bull, to save the life of the heroine and her father. "Bulldogging” a bull is no child’s play, even for an athlete of Thomson’s reputation; and the picture plainly proves the oft-made assertion that the master of Silver King will not permit a double to do his work for him. Indeed it is doubtful whether Thomson could get a double to do the stunts that he is able to do himself. “Silver,” Fred’s famous horse, has a fine part in the current production, which bears all the earmarks of Thomson’s best picture to date. The photography is superb, and the shots of the big bull silhouetted against the sky-line as he gazes down challengingly on the domain which he terrorises are gorgeously staged. The cast and direction is excellent throughout. Hoot Gibson's in town again! Smiling, fighting Hoot, laughing and battling his way in and out of situations both comic and dangerous, again held the screen on Saturday at the Albion Theatre in "The Denver Dude,” his latest Universal-Jewel production. “The Denver Dude” might easily prove to be the most popular picture the star has made in many a day, for although the others have set new high marks of popularity for him, "The Denver Dude” possesses all the qualities his previous productions have boasted and some added attractions that will give you new enjoyment and entertainment. Following his lead of the past few years in breaking away from the conventional straight “western” story into the new path of comedy, Gibson and his director, Reaves Eason have turned out a picture guaranteed to jar you into laughter no matter what tangled state your financial or marital affairs may happen to be. In addition to the comedy element of the picture, Gibson is his old personality, too, with plenty of riding and fighting, in which he can hold his own with any luminary of the screen. The large supporting cast includes Blanche Mehaffey, Robert McKim,

■'Slim” Summerville, Glenn Tryon, Harry j Todd, Howard Truesdell, Rolfe Sedan, • j Mathilde Brundage and others. Earle Snell j wrote the story on which "The Denver Dude” was based and Carl Krusada and William Lester collaborated on its adaptaj tion to the screen. ALBION TO-MORROW. "THE BETTER ’OLE” A RIOT OF LAUGHS. Syd. Chaplin’s latest comedy classic, the Warner adaptation of Bruce Bairnsfather’s I ! world famous story of the funny side of the 1 I war, "The Better ’Ole,” comes to the Albion 1 Theatre to-morrow. It is with no small amount of pride that we make this announcement. "The Better ’Ole” is the lat- | est of the Syd. Chaplin laughter classics, ' and on its performances to date, looks like ! being the greatest. The laughs come thick ' and fast during the entire ten reels of the film,: the antics of Old Bill, Bert and Alf ' behind the German lines in the disguise of a horse, and later as Fritz soldiers, being absolutely the funniest episodes ever recorded ! by a camera. A big cast of funmakers sup- i ports Syd., including Harold Goodwin, Theo- ! dore Lorch, Ed. Kennedy, Charles Gerrard (all of whom appeared in "The Man On The Box”), Doris Hill, Tom McGuire, Jack Ackroyd, Hank Mann and Tom Kennedy. CIVIC PICTURES. ADOLPHE MENJOU IN "THE ACE OF CADS,” BUCK JONES IN "THIRTY BELOW ZERO.” With the story by Michael Arlen, the direction by Luther Reed and the cast headed by the one and only Menjou, "The Ace of Cads” at the Civic is an outstanding picture. This is the second Arlen story seen on the screen, a story out of "Mayfair,” his latest publication, and is characterised by that whimsical, independent, markedly European touch which has placed him in the front, literary rank to-day. "The Ace of Cads” is a brilliantly-told story, dramatic and concisely cut, written so true to life that the audience is kept wondering all the time. Arlen’s stories are always full of a thousand surprises, leading up to a climax that leaves one with the impression that he has played a trick on the sentimentality well as on the intelligence of his reader. What will happen will happen, and no other picture features this so well as "The Ace of Cads.” The action is spread over two generations, with Capel Maturin, living out an existence that is like ashes to him until a glorious finale is accomplished with that magnificent gesture that only Menjou and Arlen, between thelfi, could effect. A tinge of well-timed humour, flashing in upon the drama and the broken threads of romance and youth, is but another instance of the searching humanness of the picture. Menjou has the artistic support of Alice Joyce in this film, one of the most self-possessed and intriguing personalities on the screen, while Norman Trevor, seen with Miss Joyce in "Dancing Mothers” and "Beau Geste,” completes the stellar trio. It is Adolphe Menjou, however, who imparts that delightfully easy and faintly cynical atmosphere that is inseparable from an Arlen romance, and in the character he so perfectly plays is seen his most polished work on the screen. Buck Jones at his best and a story of the Canadian snow country which is crammed full of fun and action, is the latest Fox Films release, "3Q Below Zero” which had its first showing on Saturday. Whether you prefer thrills to laughs or laughs to thrills does not make much difference, for you will get plenty of both in this story of a wild young man spoiled by a father with too much money. Without telling you too much about it, for that would spoil the fun, the picture concerns Don Hathaway, Jr., a part hilariously and thrillingly played by Buck Jones. Don has a strong desire to have a gay and reckless time. His father sends detectives to bring him home. Rather than go he takes flight in an airplane piloted by a half-mad scientist, who takes him to thjb polar regions. Here at the worst possible moment they lose control of the plane and plunge to what looks like certain death. A snow bank breaks the force of their fall and they come struggling for breath from the white depths badly shaken but uninjured. Then come a series of amazing adventures for Don and the eccentric scientist that makes him forget he ever had any trouble in New York. The supporting items round off a most attractive programme. J. C. WILLIAMSON’S ATTRACTION. RENEE KELLY. TO-NIGHT AT MUNICIPAL THEATRE. Renee Kelly, the famous English actress with J. C. Williamson’s new English Comedy Company, will make her first appearance before Invercargill theatre-goers tonight at 8 at the Municipal Theatre, in London’s big comedy success, "Polly with a Past,” a comedy in three acts, by George Middleton and Guy Bolton. The play is light and bright, and has a story of outstanding interest. The Evening Post, Wellington, in describing Miss Kelly’s opening performance in New Zealand, says—"At the Opera House a large audience was entertained by the performance of "Polly with a Past.” The play introduced Miss Renee Kelly. First seen as a cook-housemaid to two bachelors in a New York flat, and wearing the cap and dress of servitude, Polly interests her employers by certain little words she lets drop about her antecedents. As Polly the domestic she is to change to Paulette, the "wrecker of thrones, the breaker of homes,” a bold, bad French woman. The part gives Miss Kelly all the .opportunity she could reasonably ask to dis- 1

play her rare ability as an actress, her attractive personality, and her consummate taste in wearing clothes that make the ladies in the audience tremulous with delight. As both Polly and Paulette Miss Kelly was equally successful, and the house took her, figuratively speaking, to its bosom. It also called for a speech on the fall of the curtain. The keynote of that speech was gratitude for her cordial reception.” “Polly with a Past” will be followed to-morrow night by another of Miss Kelly’s great successes, "The Last of Mrs Cheyney,” by Frederick Lonsdale (the author of “Aren’t We All?”). "The Last of Mrs Cheyney” caused a tremendous sensation in London. It is full of witty sayings and has a dramatic plot that grows more and more striking as the play proceeds. Miss Kelly will conclude her Invercargill season on Wednesday with the delightful comedy, “Brown Sugar,” which takes its title from the description of the heroine, who is "coarse, but sweet.” She is a very delightful, very frank, very unique young person, full of the joy of living; but positively hair-raising to the aristocratic family into which she has married. The box plans for to-night, to-morrow and Wednesday are at The Bristol, where tremendous booking is being recorded-