ENTERTAINMENTS.

Southland Times, Issue 21198, 26 September 1930, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

THE REGENT. LAST NIGHT OF CECIL B. DE MILLE’S "DPNAMITE” (CONRAD, NAGEL, . CHARLES BICKFORD, KAY JOHNSON). “Dynamite,” Cecil B. De Mille's first talk, ing production, will be seen for the last time at the Regent to-night. More important than any other De iviille production of its type, “Dynamite” is said to have been a year under way. The results more than justify the time expended. The picture is intensely colourful, packed with glamour and thrills, and leading up to one of the most thrilling climaxes ever devised for any photoplay. It is scarcely fair to reveal the basic theme on which “Dynamite” is based, because it is so strikingly different from any other picture plot tnat patrons have a right to get the whole story as a surprise on visiting the theatre. It is sufficient to say that the story deals with a young society girl and her relationship to a polo-playing dilettante and a stalwart, twofisted coal-miner. The climatic scenes, which are said to have taken six weeks to make, occur in a mine a thousand feet under the earth. Charles Bickford, as the coalminer, Kay Johnson as the society girl, Cynthia Crothers, and the redoubtable Conrad Nagel in the part of the dilettante, contribute some of the best performances the talking screen —or the silent—has ever seen. Bickford and Miss Johnson came to the coast from the Broadway stage, and it is to be hoped that the talking screen will sec much more of them. The balance of the cast, including Julia Faye and Robert Edeson, is uniformly good and deserves a special plaudit. “THE AVIATOR.” HILARIOUS COMEDY AT THE REGENT TO-MORROW. The laugh of a lifetime will be enjoyed at the Regent to-morrow —matinee and night—when Warner Bros, will present this big laugh special, “The Aviator,” for the entertainment of Invercargill audiences. To anticipate slightly some of the joyous incidents try to imagine how you would feel in an aeroplane which was being stunted all over the heavens under the guiding hand of a man who had never been in a plane before. Can you imagine how the “pilot” himself would feel? This is the position in which Edward Everett Horton, famous comedian of the stage and screen, finds himself. His aerial antics furnish a swift succession of gasps and thrills as well as laughter. A good laugh is what most of us need these days, and you will certainly get it if you patronize the Regent tomorrow. MAJESTIC. LAST NIGHT OF BUDDY ROGERS IN “HALFWAY TO HEAVEN.” Youth and experience is the rare combination that Paramount has assembled for Charles (Buddy) Rogers’ newest starring picture, the all-talking roniantic-melodrama “Half Way to Heaven,” which will show at the Majestic Theatre for the last time to-night. “Half Way to Heaven” is an adaptation of Henry L. Gates’ best-selling novel, “Here Comes the Bandwagon,” and, in it, Rogers has Jean Arthur, lovely heroine of “The Greene Murder Case” and “The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu” for his partner. Rogers, himself, is the youngest star in motion pictures to-day. Yet, he has a long string of outstanding successes to his credit. . “Wings,” “Abie’s Irish Rose,” “Close Harmony” and "Illusion” are only” a few of the pictures in which he played leading roles and which have brought him universal favour. Jean Arthur was recently seen with Clara Bow in “The Saturday Night Kid.” Another youthful player whose fame extends across two continents is Paul Lukas, popularly known as “the Barrymore of Hungary.” This programme includes some excellent short subjects. “ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.” Erich Maria Remarque, the youthful German author of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” was offered the leading role in the motion picture produced from his record-breaking novel and —he turned it down! The offer was made by Carl Laemmle, president of Universal Pictures, shortly after Mr Laemmle purchased the picture rights of the book that has been hailed as the greatest human document of the war. “All Quiet on the Western Front” was largely' autobiographical. The leading character, “Paul,” was Remarque himself who went at eighteen from school to the front. He experienced it all. Mr Laemmle’s natural conclusion was that Remarque would be ideal in the role. “But I am not an actor,” said Remarque, simply. “I would rather do other things. I am going to write another book.” Whereupon Mr Laemmle promptly purchased the picture rights to Remarque’s forthcoming story. Remarque wrote “All Quiet on the Western Front,” from which Universal made, its super picture which opens to.-mor-row at the Majestic Theatre, in two months, during his idle time. “I -wrote it to free myself from something,” he says. “That something was my memory of the war, my thoughts and those of my companions. It was only after I had completed it that I thought of trying to sell it.” His book went begging for more than a year after he wrote it. “The first publisher to whom I submitted it kept it a long time,” Remarque explains. “Then I offered it to the Vossische Zeitung to run as a serial. They hesitated. They felt there wasn’t enough action in it, too little suspense. Finally they decided to take a chance.” What happened made history in the publishing world. “All Quiet” has far outstripped in sales the best sellers of the past ten years. It has been translated into fifteen languages including Japanese. The sales in Germany climbed to the 950,000 mark, in England to more than 400,000 and, in the United States where it is still breaking records, the sales ran quickly to 325,000 in a few months. The role of “Paul” in the picture is taken by Dewis Ayres, a youngster of twenty. Others in the cast arc Louis Wolheim, John Wray, George “Slim” Summerville, Russell Gleason, William Bakewell, Scott Kolk, Walter Browne Rogers, Ben Alexander, Owen Davis, Jr., Harold Goodwin, Richard Alexander, Pat Collins and Yola D’Avril. Universal has produced the picture version on the most elaborate scale ever known in the history of the screen—and the picture is the book itself. Plans_are at the Bristol or ring Majestic Theatre, 738. THE CIVIC TALKIES. LAST NIGHT OF THE MUSICAL ROMANCE “LORD BYRON OF BROADWAY.” W’ith several spectacular ballet scenes filmed in technicolour, and the introduction of several catchy songs during the course of the story, the latest M.G.M. production at the Civic, “Lord Byron of Broadway” has been proving' a popular attraction. 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,” the first musical comedy of the screen. William Nigh, known for his many Lon Chan'ey 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. The story of “Lord Byron” concerns a handsome young song-writer, whose attraction for women continually gets him into hot water. It is said the,picture brims with hilarious situations and 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. This is the last night of the season. “HER UNBORN CHILD.” POWERFUL AND APPEALING STORY. AT THE CIVIC TO-MORROW. Not until the talking picture version of "Her Unborn Child” flashed across the screens of this country, electrifying movie audiences with its poignantly human dialogue and tis smashing dramatic situations, its tremendous moving story—a page brimming with humour, pathos and realism, torn from the daily life of an average family, has there been a picture which has exercised such a tremendous appeal to audiences of all classes. As a play, ‘‘Her Unborn Child” enjoyed lengthy sessions in many of the legitimate theatres in the United States. And now, the powerfully dramatic and pitilessly revealing story of “a boy and a girl in love, forgetting everything else” is presented as a talking picture, with a cast of Broadway stage notables enacting, in some instances, the roles they portrayed in the stage vehicle. The pungent, outspoken dialogue, the thrilling unconventional situations, the smashing dramatic power and delightful comedy relief, the agonizing terror of a girl who loved, not wisely, but too well, the heart-stabbing picture of a mother faced with the terrible knowledge of her daughter’s shame, the frenzied, desperate effort of a boy and a girl to avert the terrible consequences of unguarded love, and the satisfying, unexpected climax which turns tragedy into happiness—they all make of "Her Unborn Child” a talking picture which will linger long in your memory-. You’ll laugh—you’ll cry—you’ll love it. This picture will be shown at both matinee and night sessions to-morrow. The Censor has given it an “A” certificate—that is to say it is recommended as more suitable for adult audiences. REGENT THEATRE, GORE. “NIX ON DAMES.” “Excellent entertainment,” is the phrase which best classifies the latest Fox production, “Nix on. Dames,” movietone comedy, which opened last night at the Regent Theatre, Gore. It is a tuneful, sparkling story of two women and two women-haters, filmed against the colourful background of an-actor’s boadringhouse. The gentlemen with anti-feminine complex are acrobats. In practising a new “stunt,” one of. them, has his shoulder -broken, and they decide to rest-up in New York. Two young ladies appear on the scene and life becomes quite complicated. All ends as happily is could be ex : pected. It is • a cimple but splendidly done story, and the noteworthy cast and Messrs Gilbert and Baer’s catchy song numbers make it thoroughly enjoyable. Mae Clark Robert Ames and William Harrigan have the principal roles. Donald Gallahger deserves commendation for his masterful direction, . ■ , ■