ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 20897, 5 October 1929, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE REGENT. THE FIRST ALL-LAUGHING TALKIE “GIVE AND TAKE” (GEORGE SIDNEY, JEAN HERSHOLT, GEORGE LEWIS, SHARON LYNN).

It is always interesting to look forward to the apjiearance of old favourites in the new talkie. There is always a certain amount of speculation ae to how their voices will record and reproduce. In films in which comedy predominates there also enters the query as to how the best comedians of silent days will measure up to the new standards. One thing is certain, there will be no feeling of disappointment when George Sidney and Jean Hersholt are heard in “Give and Take,” the new comedy drama which is due to open at the Regent to-day. They both record splendidly and so do the juveniles—George Lewis of “The Collegians” and Sharon Lynn also do exceedingly well. Jean Hersholt and George Sidney, two of the greatest character actors on the screen to-day, are well teamed m “Give and Take.” The story deals with John Bauer, owner of a fruit canning factory, who waits with eagerness his son’s return from college so as to make him a member of the firm. Young Jack arrives in due time and tries to install a system giving the workers a share in the profits of the factory. He calls it the “Give and Take” plan. Albert Kruger, life-long friend of Bauer, senr., and young Jack, together install the new system to the utter disgust of the senior Bauer and his secretary, Marion Kruger, daughter of Albert. The new regime includes singing hours for the employees and other innovations. There is a “constitution” which gives titles to the various employees under the new system. When the time comes to share the debts of the factory, trouble arises. Jean Hersholt, as the manager of the factory, as always, gives a perfect characterization. George Sidney has a new set of laughs for each turn of the reel. Sharon Lynn and George Lewis are extremely well cast as the young people who had been engaged to be married until they disagree over the best method of running a factory. There is also the usual excellent selection of talking short subjects in addition. Vincent i Lopez and his famous night-club orchestra make merry music; Barnum and Bailey, coloured comedians, are also featured, and the Sound News and Andio Review contribute their quota to the variety of an excellent evening’s entertainment. THE NEW TALKIES. BIG SUCCESS. OF THE MAJESTIC . . PROGRAMME. Another tremendously successful programme was screened through the now famous “Humanatone” talkie equipment at the Majestic Theatre last night when that

lovely cyclone of sauciness, Sally Eilers was seen in a picture, the story and action of which make “Flaming Youth” look like an advertisement for Frigidaire. This feature is entitled “This Marriage Bond,” and is adapted from the Saturday Evening Post story by Elizabeth Alexander. In “This Marriage Bond,” Sally Eilers is seen as a wild, wild woman in the dizzy whirl of rampant youth, a gilded flapper, who tries everything—once, but pays the price of her folly in the wildest party imaginable. Most people believe in marriage, but matrimony has become like a dance where everybody changes partners. In “This Marriage • Bond” Sally says: “All right, I’ll marry you on condition if either is unhappy at the end of six montlis, we part as friends,” surely a strange “Marriage Bond.” There is some excellent acting by the leading stars,. Sally Eilers, Norman Kerry, Rosemary Theby . and Naomi Childers, and through, it all one sees and hears wonderful jazz scenes accompanied by. wonderfully synchronized music and song. In addition the talkie short subjects were most entertaining and included such items as Mary Lewis, America’s Nightingale, Eddie Peabody and his troupe of highly trained Banjo’s, also Vai and Ernie Stanton, the two irrepressible jokers in “Cut Yourself a Piece of Cake.” There was also a most interesting Majestic Gazette of World events, and another of the deservedly popular “The Collegians” series. This programme will be repeated for two more nights and to-day’s matinee. Plans are at the Bristol and Majestic Theatre, or ’phone 738. CIVIC PICTURES. MUNICIPAL THEATRE. “SPITE MARRIAGE,” (BUSTER KEATON) “GIRLS GONE WILD,” (SUE CAROL, NICK STUART.) “Spite Marriage” the newest Buster Keaton release is the best picture Keaton has made since his two reeler days. The picture i is packed with laughs, with one sequence particularly that creates a continual roar for over half a reel. By the way, it is one of the best pieces of comedy business ever developed in a picture, and will be ranked with Chaplin’s “overhanging house” stunt in “The Gold Rush.” In this sequence, Keaton attempts to put his inebriated wife to bed. Explanation is impossible, except to say that the entire sequence is one continuous roar. In starting, the picture plants Keaton as a pants presser who falls in love with th : star of a legitimate show. He attends every performance of the drama —in a front row seat. Finally Keaton gets back stage, and takes the place of a super. It looks as though the picture will develop into one of those grand old Sennett two reelers but it quickly veers when the star is spurned by her leading man. For spite, she turns to Keaton and says she will marry him. After the ceremony she imbibes too freely of champagne at a cafe with Buster and Keaton finally carries her out. [Then the roar sequence of the newlywed

putting his wife to bed. Later, finding that his wife only married him for spite, Keaton leaves, turning up as a sailor on a rum-runner’s boat. From there he transfers to a yacht, and finds his wife and the stage troupe aboard. A fire breaks out, and all hands abandon the boat with the exception of Keaton and his wife. The rum-runners come along and take charge—Keaton saves his wife from attack; succeeds in capturing the outlaw crew, and takes them back to port. Then the final clinch with his wife realizing her love for her “spite” husband. With such a title as this, a plot which has plenty of pep in it, from the first scene, and two such gloriously red-blooded youthful actors as Sue Carol and Nick Stuart, the picture, “Girls Gone Wild” could not help being good. Add a generous dash of humor, appealing drama, and numerous scenes of nifty new dance steps with Sue shaking a wicked leg, with the total result—bright and snappy entertainment, which is a sure blues chaser. Sue Carol is as much an “It” girl as Clara Bow, which is saying a lot for her acting ability. Nick Stuart has a delightfully breezy personality, considerably enhanced by a dazzling dental ad. smile. Nick’s father is a speed cop who tickets Sue for speeding, and, because he rigidly enforces the law, loses for his son, whatever chance he may have had of winning a varsity scholarship, as Sue’s father, who is on the college award committee is decidedly incensed at Nick’s father’s procedure. From this, the plot jumps into a feud between gangsters, and it is here that Nick proves his worth by rescuing Sue from their clutches. With the last chapter of "Tarzan the Mighty” and an interesting News Reel, this programme is one of outstanding merit.