ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 21578, 16 December 1931, Page 7

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE REGENT. LAST TWO DAYS OF FREDERICK LONSDALE’S COMEDY “THE DEVIL TO PAY’’ (RONALD COLMAN AND LORETTA YOUNG). ’ With, two shows to-day—matinee and night—and the final screening to-morrow night, a successful season of the English comedy ‘The Devil to Pay” will draw to a close. Few pictures have been so thoroughly enjoyed as Frederick Lonsdale’s gem of sparkling wit, ‘The Devil To Pay” with that dashing English actor Ronald Cohnan in the leading role. The picture has a distinctly English flavour for that brilliant playwright, Frederick Lonsdale, wrote “Devil To Pay’’ for the talkies, and George Fitzmaurice haa directed it in a manner somewhat similar to the Walls-Lynn British comedies. Colman fits perfectly into the role of a devil-may-care young fellow, who, having spent most of the paternal remittances, returns home with only a few pounds in his pocket, and on the way spends this money on a dog that has attracted him in a dog store. The dog proven still another bright spot in a picture that offers plenty to chuckle over. Colman becomes interested in a girl friend of his sister's, who is engaged to a Grand Duke. That engagement is broken when the Grand Duke insults Colman, and the girl's father in a fury, declares Colman is simply a fortune-hunter after her money. Nevertheless the girl becomes engaged to Colman, but stipulates that he must not go to see any of the gifls he knew before he met her. Colman commits a breach of the agreement and his action is reported to his fiancee. Thinking that he is a for-tune-hunter after all, she dismisses him with a cheque for £5,000; but Colman turns the trick upon her by sending the cheque to the Grand Duke, who is the-real fortunehunter. That revelation brings about a reconciliation between the girl and Colman. Lonsdale’s dialogue fairly bubbles with such wit and sophistication as he put into “The Last of Mrs.Cheyney” and “Let Us Be Gay.’’ Those who have not yet enjoyed this gem should not miss the final opportunities—to-day, matinee and night—and to-morrow night. The season cannot be extended any further. ~THE MAJESTIC. 1 “THE BLACK CAMEL.” THRILLING MYSTERY DRAMA. Teeming with thrills and suspense, “The Black Camel,” commences at the Majestic Theatre to-day as a worthy successor to “Charlie Chan Carries On,” and again with Warner Oland in the role of the suave Chinese detective. The director and scenarists of the former picture, respectively, Hamilton MacFadden and Barry Connors and Philip Klein, also have repeated their previous success in transferring Earl Deri Biggers’ exciting story to the speaking screen, but the plot of "The Bieck Camel,”

laid entirely in romantic Hawaii, is a very different one from the round-the-world affair of the preceding film. In the new picture the diplomatic Charlie comes early on the scene when a famous screen star, Shelah Fane, is found mysteriously murdered on her luxurious estate at Waikiki Beach. There is a group of dinner guests, any of whom might have committed the crime, as well as several other suspects, and Charlie’s job of finding the guilty man soon becomes a complicated one. But through this tangled web of plot and intrigue, Charlie steadily makes his way, and eventually, with dramatic suddenness, discloses the two killers. A delightful romance between the actress’ protege and her boy friend is cleverly interwoven with the rest of the story, and the actual filming of all the exterior scenes in Hawaii gives the production a scenically gorgeous and authentic setting. Sally Eders and Robert Young play the romantic leads, with Bela Lugosi as the mysterious fortune teller, Tarneverro, and a splendid supporting cast includes Victor Varconi, Dorothy Revier, William Post, C. Henry Gordon, Marjorie White, J. M. Kerrigan, Violet Dunn, Richard Tucker, Rita Roselle, Mary Gordon, Otto Yamaoka, and Murray Kinnell. Fox Movietone featurettes are in support of “The Black Camel” which includes the latest Australian and New Zealand Movietone News containing scenes of the “City of Bikes” (Christchurch), Fox Movietone News (double issue) and a most interesting travelogue “Over Viking Trails” The box plans for this splendid programme are at the Bristol.