ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 21196, 24 September 1930, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

BUDDY ROG~RS IN "HALFWAY TO HEAVEN.” MAJESTIC MATINEE AND TO-NIGHT. Every corner of th? world has come to know Charles (Buddy) Rogers as a great dispenser of joyful entertainment, and in his latest Paramount action-romance, “Half Way to Heaven,” which will show at the Majestic Theatre commencing at the matinee to-day, he has a part which gives him all the opportunity he needs to amuse and thrill. "Half Way to Heaven” brings Rogers to the all-talking screen as a youthful trapeze performer in a carnival. In this daring role, he falls in love with Jean Arthur, his feminine partner, whose charms have also captured the heart of the third member of the act, Paul Lukas, a dangerous character whose fiery jealousy threatens even Rogers’ life. Rogers’ own skill and daring alone save him from Lukas’ rage but Lukas vows to kill him while the trio are performing under the "big top.” The story comes to a smashing, hair-rais-ing climaxt when Rogers,, evading Lukas’ ‘attempt on his life, turns on the villain, beats him so severely that Lukas leaves the show and Rogers and Miss Arthur are free to continue their interesting romance. This programme includes a first part of really good short subjects. Book at the Bristol, or ring 738. "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.” “Ail Quiet on the Western Front,” the best selling story in the world, now transferred to the talking screen in all its power and pathos . . . depicting in towering passages of realism and romance the story of a generation lost unto itself. Thundering in crackling dialogue the world’s greatest story of youth’s blind struggle' for happiness . . . Flinging in piercing flashes of life in the raw the story that made governments pause . . . bringing home to you with a strength never before captured an emotional storm that will shake you to the very roots of your being; One sees and hears Louis Wolheim as Katczinsky; Lewis Ayres, as Paul Baumer; John Wray, as Sergent Himmelstpss; Slim Summerville, as Tjaden; Russell Gleason, as Mueller; William Bakewell, as Albert Kropp [ Scott Kolk, as Leer; Walter Brown Rogers, •as Behn; Ben Alexander, as Kimmerich; Owen Davis, Jr., as Peter. See Detering, Haie Westhaus, Hans, the French girls from across the canal; Paul Baumer’s mother — all of the characters you have read about “All Quiet” commences a season of fours days only at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday next. Plans are on view at the Bristol, or reservations can be made over Majestic telephone, 735. THE CIVIC TALKIES. “LORD BYRON OF BROADWAY.” MUSICAL ROMANCE TECHNICOLOUR SCENES. “Lord Byron of Broadway,” Metro-Gold-wyn-Mayer’s musical romance with technicolour, will be at the Civic to-night. The picture is distinguished by big names of both stage and screen, the stage player cast being headed by Charles Kaley; Ethelind Terry, of “Rio Rita” and “Kid Boots”; Cliff Edwards, of “Ukulele Ike” fame, and Marion Shilling. Supporting roles are played by Gwen Lee, Benny Rubin, Drew Demorest, Rita Flynn, Hazel CraVen and others. Inasmuch as the story centres about a song writer who later becomes a matinee idol, the musical numbers play an important part in the production. That the songs are of a hit calibre is indicated by the fact that they were written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, composers of the popular “Singing in the Rain,” “Wedding of the Painted Doll” and other first-rate melodies from M.G.M.’s “Hollywood Revue” and “The Broadway Melody.” Success of the musical attractions of the picture is further assured by the fact that this end of the production was supervised by Harry Beaumont, director of the long-run “Broadway Melody,” first musical comedy of the screen. William Nigh, known for his many Lon Chaney productions, co-directed the picture, dealing chiefly with narrative, plot and characterizations. As a final attraction, “Lord- Byron” contains a number of dance ensembles created by Sammy Lee, former Ziegfeld dance director, which were filmed in very striking technicolour and which employ a large Albertina Rasch ballet. Miss Terry, whose voice is considered to be one of the finest on the musical stage, sings a lilting tune entitled “Should I?” and also “The Woman in the Shoe,” a song adapted from the old nursery rhyme and around which is built one of the spectacular technicolour sequences. Kaley has a solo called “Only Love Is Real” and also sings a ballad with Cliff Edwards called “A Bundle of Old Love Letters.” An interesting item of the picture is the fact that it contains the song which first brought Cliff Edwards into the theatrical limelight, namely, “A Japanese Sandman.” The story of “Lord Byron” concerns a handsome young songwriter whose attraction for women continually gets him into hot water. It is said the picture brims with hilarious situations but leads up to an emotional climax, which stamps it well above the average musical film. The supporting short subjects include several vocal numbers by the Revellers, a fine male quartette, an Our Gang comedy, news reels, etc.THE REGENT. EXTENDED SEASON OF CECIL B. DE MILLE’S DRAMATIC MASTERPIECE —“DYNAMITE.” Scheduled to play an extended season the big Cecil ®. de Mille. production "Dynamite” will be screened at the Regent again to-day (both matinee and night), and until Friday, thus affording an opportunity to those who have not yet seen this thrilling spectacular film. “Dynamite” is aptly named. It is difficult to recall a more dynamic subject. - The story deals with a young society girl and her relationship to a polo-playing dilettante and a stalwart, two-fisted coalminer. A youthful heiress who is going 'the pace, is left a fortune on condition that she is married, and living with her husband on her twenty-third birthday. This modern girl does nothing by halves. She first of all agrees to buy a husband from another woman for 100,000 dollars, and then, in order to get the fortune, marries a murderer a few hours before he is due to be hanged. Everything might have gone all right had not the condemned man been pardoned, and returned to his wealthy wife. The mingling of both sides of life is very cleverly done in this remarkable motion picture which talks. The convict arrives at the fashionable home to find a modern wild party in full blast, and hei cleans up the house in real caveman fashion, and then tells his wife that she is not fit to live with. Scorning the spoilt child of fortune, he returns to his work as a coalminer, but has just settled into the old routine when his wife appears,' and pleads with him to stay with her for a week in-order that she may win the fortune. The miner refuses to go back to society, but finally agrees to allow the girl to stay the week in his humble home in the mining village. Before the week is up, the bearlike character of the miner is 100 much for the wife, and she calls upon a former lover to come and take her back to civilization. The polo-playing society man duly arrives but refuses to take her away before he has explained things to the husband'. The pair visit the mine, and descend to the level where the cave-man is working. While here, an explosion occurs, and the trio are trapped. The sequence of scenes here are thrilling in the extreme. The picture is intensely colourful, packed with glamour and thrills, and leads up to a thrilling climax. Charles Bickford as the coalman, Kay Johnson as the society girl, ,Cynthia Brothers, and the redoubtable Conrad Nagel as the dilettante, contribute some of the best performances the talking screen —or the silent —has ever seen. “Dynamite” will surely leave its mark as one of the outstanding talking pictures.

REGENT THEATRE, GORE. NORNLA SHEARER, ' “Their Own Desire,” starring Norma Shearer and Lewis Stone, is an interesting and unusual picture of elders with youthful ideas, and what happens when young blood takes a hand. After viewing it, one feels inclined to ask: “Are the parents of to-day the problem instead of the younger generation?” Norma Shearer, well known for her acting of the drama “The Last of Mrs Cheyney,” is seen to advantage in a picture which leading critics of to-day declare to be finer than the latter production.