ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 22489, 25 January 1935, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE REGENT.

“GIVE HER A RING.

BRIGHT, SPARKLING MUSICAL COMEDY.

A sparkling English musical comedy abounding in clever dialogue and with melodious songs and happy choruses is “Give Her A Ring,” the British International Pictures production, which is to be at the Regent, for its final screenings, this afternoon and evening. As with most musical comedies, /‘Give Her A Ring” does not hinge on any substantial plot, but an amusing combination of wrong numbers and the results of snappy exchanges with subscribers by the operators of a rather musical telephone, exchange provide sufficient excuse for some diverting situations in which Clifford Mollison, as the director of the telephone company, and Wendy Barry manage to find romance. Mollison aids his unconventional courting with some tuneful songs, and his scenes with Zelma O’Neal, as Trude, a modiste with a taste for champagne suppers and meeting someone who would keep her in the style to which she had never been accustomed, were screamingly funny dancing and singing, numbers. The story briefly is that two lonely men, one married, each invites out a girl on the strength of a good voice over a chance telephone, and each couple arrange to meet' at the same spot As might have been expected, the girls each meet the wrong man. After the evening, the inevitable happens. Because of the original mistake in meeting, each girl thinks she has been out with the other man, and when the telephone starts to ring the next morning, and the wife of the married one answers, it is an end to romance for the time being. The manner in which the tangle is finally unravelled in the best musical comedy style, is too good to be revealed. The atmosphere created in this picture is similar to that which pervaded ‘‘Sunshine Susie,” a most successful production. The cast is an English one and embodies that degree of variety essential in setting off the many humorous incidents. The supporting programme is an exceptionally good one, with a Maoriland movielogue providing a new insight into several of New Zealand’s famous spots. Lance Fairfax, well-known to New Zealand audiences, sings “The Deathless Army,” and other musical offerings of note are provided by Charlie Kunz, pianist, Jack Simpson, xylophonist of Jack Payne’s band. There are also items of particular feminine interest included in the wide range covered. “ROMANCE IN THE RAIN.” NEW AND JOYOUS ENTERTAINMENT. THE REGENT TO-MORROW. Lilting music, crisp and racy dialogue, piquant situations, and a charming love affair are delightfully blended in “Romance in the Rain,” the comedydrama which comes to the Regent Theatre to-morrow. The film goes with a delightful swing from the start,, there is no hiatus in the hilarious tempo, and the last scene, satisfactory to all con-emed (it is a story of a modem Cinderella), comes all too quickly. As the Cinderella, Heather Angel has never been more bewitching. This young English actress, - whose success in Hollywood has been unusually brilliant, acts with a disarming naturalness and charm. Her essentially English voice is a pleasure to ’isten to. Her interpretation of the role of a pc girl, over-ruled by a termagant stepmother, and a couple of raucous stepsisters, is characterized by a restraint which'merely serves as an enipfiasis to her delineation. She is supported by Roger Pryor, as an enterprising press agent and fiction writer, who, by cunning exploitation and publicity, raises herfrom obscurity to fame in a night. THE MAJESTIC.

“TO THE LAST MAN.” ... A GREAT PROGRAMME. Everyone from the youngest child to the most blase adult will find in the current attraction. at the Majestic theatre a programme of superlative value. The cast is strong while the story, from a. book by Zane Brey, is excellent. A blood feud has existed for generations between the Hayden and Colby families, two old Kentucky mountain' clans. But now, at the close of the Civil War, Mark Hayden determines to call a halt to the killings, for the bloodshed of the War has made him anxious for peace. He decides to leave with a wagon train for the new land of the West, taking with him' his children, Lynn, Bill and Ann. Before preparations for their' trip have been completed, the feud breaks out anew. Jed Colby ambushes Grandpa Spelvin, Hayden’s father-in-law, and kills him. Hayden, still determined to call a halt to the killings, flaunts the Kentucky mountaineer code, swears out a warrant for Colby’s arrest and forces the unwilling courts, to sentence him to prison for fifteen years. Then Hayden leaves for the West, taking Bill and Ann with him, but leaving behind his eldest son, Lynn. With the passing, years, Hayden has built up a widespread ranch in the growing western country. , When Jed Colby gets out of jail at the end of his term, he learns of Hayden’s success from Jim. Daggs, a desperado he’has met in jail, and the two set out for the plains to get revenge. With Colby and Daggs goes Ellen Colby, Jed’s beautiful daughter. Night after night Colby and Daggs make off with a few hundred head of steer from the Hayden ranch. Hayden however, determines to’ bide his time, to wait for Colby to show himself as a cattle rustler and then go to get him through the law, rather than to open the old feud. While Colby merely, seeks revenge, Daggs has been planning to kill off all of the Haydens that he may make off with Hayden’s ranch. He is desirous, too, of possessing Ellen, Colby’s wild daughter. One day, while Ellen is bathing in the river, a stranger sees Daggs going for the girl. Realizing Ellen’s danger, the stranger lassoes a rock that holds a dam in check as Daggs steps into the river. When Ellen and the stranger meet, it is love at first sight. On their second meeting, she finds that , the stranger is Lynn Hayden, eldest son of her father’s enemy. Both are surprised and shocked, and, in anger, separate. But their love is too strong, and they meet again vowing not to. let their families’ feud come between them. They are seen, in this rendezvous, by Daggs from the mountain top where he is laying a dynamite tray for the Haydens. Daggs tells Jed Colby. Infuriated the father determines to kill off the whole Hayden family. He and his henchman ride toward the Hayden ranch-house, and after a terriffic gun battle, they are followed into the mountains by Lynn and the cowpunchers from the Hayden ranch. Just about to overtake the Colby outfit, Lynn and his men are pinned beneath the avalanche which closes lip the mountain., pass when Jim Daggs sets off the dynamite trap.. Then Daggs, knowing he can never win Jed Colby’s consent to a ufiion with Ellen, kills Jed. From this point the story takes a fresh twist ana the audience is caught up in a maze of new thrills before everything works out to a satisfactory conclusion. A budget of “supports” of rare merit make up the quota of an excellent programme.

“TREASURE ISLAND.” ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE. COMMENCING SATURDAY. Everyone who has spent youthful hours of thrilling adventure in reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” will be grateful to the producers of the film version, which will commence a season at the ■ Majestic Theatre on Saturday morning. “Treasure Island” makes excellent film material, and it has been so admirably handled by the director, Victor Fleming, that the entire spirit of the story has been preserved. No liberties have been taken with the story. The sinister Billy Bones strikes the keynote of mystery and danger when he arrives at the peaceful Benbow Inn to terrify the villagers with his ditty “Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Bottle of Rum,” and when the secret of his strange fear of a certain one-legged sailor is soon to be bound up with a story of buried treasure and pirate crews the action never slackens for a moment. Long John Silver is one of the most remarkable figures in the whole of the Stevenson gallery, whose villainy becomes romantic and gorgeously bizarre under, the ’bircumstances in which he . and his motley crew commit mutiny and murder. How- the artful old one-legged man carries out his bloody plot, and how young Jim Hawkins, hidden in the apple- barrel overhears it, and so saves Captain Smollett and his fellowofficers from death, is grimly told. The scenes on the island, with the officers and mutineers in separate camps, are capitally done, and Jim’s meeting with old Ben Gunn, the securing of the treasure, and the marooning of the pirates is vividly depicted. Lionel Barrymore is in his element as Billy Bones, while Wallace Beery is superb as Long John Silver, the smooth-tongued buccaneer, who remains a sympathetic character in spite of his blood-thirsty exploits and his trickery. His characterization must stand out as one of the highlights of this entertaining film. Jim Hawkins is, of course, the hero, and Jackie Cooper makes him a very manly and appealing little figure. Otto Kruger makes Dr. Livesey a strong, intelligent man, dominating every scene with cool self-possession. A similar figure is Lewis Stone’s Captain Smollett, cleverly contrasted with Squire Trelawney, played with bluster and fire by Nigel Bruce. Ben Gunn, the old marooned sailor, is made amusing but pathetic by the clever portrayal of “Chic” Sale. Dorothy Peterson, who plays Jim’s mother, shows ability in a small role, as do William V. Mong as the repulsive and brutal blind man, Pew, and Charles McNaughton as Black Dog. The motley crew of ruffians are all there, and even Long John Silver’s parrot acts well in character. The programme includes a very clever Our Gang Comedy “Mike Fright.” Matinees will be held on Saturday morning and afternoon.

CIVIC THEATRE. LAST NIGHT OF JAN KIEPURA IN “MY SONG FOR YOU.” “My Song For You,” the delightful musical film featuring the noted, tenor, Jan Kiepura, continues to attract crowded houses to the Civic Theatre. The story opens with Jan Kiepura singing, and the film finishes with the same act, the magnificent tenor voice floating over the blue waters of the Riviera. Whenever he sings he gets an appreciative audience, and by a piece of ingenuity on the part of the author, this fact plays an important part in the story. By a coincidence, Kiepura, who is cast in the role of Gatti, a famous vocalist, mets Mary Newburg, a part played with distinction and artistry by Aileen Marson, and falls in love, with her. He pursues her persistently and ardently, but she, although captivated by his voice, is not in love. Gatti, however, is undismayed by her repulses, and continues his wooing in strange ways. Eventually, when one of the schemes propounded by his secretary, Sonie Hale, promises to make him utterly ridiculous, Mary acknowledges him, and saves him, and afterwards comes very neatly out of the embarrassing position into which she was compelled to put herself. Then she has her revenge, but Kiepura retrieves his position at the last minute. The role calls for a superb rendition of Gounod’s “Ave Maria.” and this Kiepura presents with, all the subtleties of expression to which the piece lends itself. Sympathy, clarity of tone, and delicate phrasing as well as the dramatic appeal of the situation make that “Ave Maria” a charming and a moving hymn. The music is supplied by Kiepura and the comedy by Sonnie Hale, who is cast in the role of Gatti’s secretary, and whose resourcefulness, sometimes in the wrong place, is responsible for much hearty laughter. So far as Kiepura is concerned, there is only one thing to be said: he is at his best, both as a singer and as an actor. His theme song, “My Song For You,” is interwoven with various phases of the story.- A strong supporting programme is shown. . The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. COMMENCING . TO-MORROW. “STAND UP AND CHEER.”

Commencing to-morrow at the matinee,'Fox Films present their latest musical attraction “Stand Up and Cheer.” The Auckland Star describing the opening performance in that city says.—A picture made to dazzle as well as delight is “Stand Up and Cheer,” which attracted a crowded house when it was released at the Plaza Theatre last evening. It is a remarkable example of how the Americans can “let themselves go.” Never before has such a vast background been provided on the screen for the lightest of fun and frivolity, and the last reel leaves the impression of endless throngs of cheering crowds, of marching youths, girls, and men, of bands and mass demonstrations on an unsurpassable scale. This comes as the climax of an hour and a half’s entertainment almost bewildering in its variety. Even without the crowds tins picture could not fail to arrest attention. It has nearly a dozen eminent players in the cast, a regiment of shapely chorus girls, singers, and skilled acrobats, Take such stars as Warner Baxter, James Dunn, Madge Evans, Shirley Temple, Stepin Fetchit, John Boles,. Nigel Bruce, Ralph Morgan, and Arthur Byron—here is talent enough to delight the heart of any producer, and the only difficulty is to make full use of it. Outside America the attempt would never have been made, but in this case it was .necessary to impress millions with the success of a simple plan to conquer depression by a spirit of gaiety. At least, that i: the idea, and the film starts with the setting up of Ministry of Amusements, with Warner Baxter in the centre of affairs. From Broadway, where he built up a reputation as a leading showman, he comes to Washington at the behest of the President, and in a -short time his schemes are launched. Then the fun begins. Warner Baxter, surrounded by secretaries and telephones, supplies the stimulus, and is the life of the show. It is he who keeps the plot alive and holds together a motley team. At times he makes way for a battalion of extras; for the quaint antics of a negro (Stepin Fetchit); for fwo comedians in the guise of Senators whose discussions on tariffs to the accompaniment of slaps and acrobatics are hilarious; for a “hilly-billy,” or unkempt backwoodsman, who storms and sings; and for some children’s sequences in which the lovable little Miss Temple is delightful. So with ac-

tion, music, and song the film moves on at a rapid pace, and in the final scene brings back memories of “Cavalcade with the shadowy figure of white horsemen galloping across the skyline. In the supporting programme is a Magic Carpet featuring the strange life of Bangkok, in Siam, and a thrilling newsreel, “Chasing Champions, a topical budget, and a cartoon, The Madhouse.” THEATRE ROYAL, WINTON. “ADORABLE” IS BEST OF SCREEN ROMANCES. Janet Gaynor and Henry Garat have opened at the Theatre Royal, Winton, in the new Fox romance “Adorable, and they Eave more than fulfilled the promise that the combination of two such stars carries. They must be put down as the screen’s most winning and most charming performers. The story through which their talents are revealed is just the thing for two stars of the magnitude and skill of Miss Gaynor and Garat. The plot is a whimsical one, of the variety that has made Miss Gaynor America’s most popular star and Garat the premier player in Europe. With an accompaniment of specially created music and specially written songs, they reveal the best of two distinguished film figures. The music is b” Werner Richard Heymann, with songs and lyrics provided by Richard A. Whiting and George Marion, Jun. The “Adorable 1 Waltz, “My Heart’s Desire” and “My First Love at Last” are the three song-hits that are bound to set the world humming. The supporting cast is an excellent one. It includes C. Aubrey Smith, Blanche Friderici, Stuart Holmes, Albert Conti, Ferdinand Schu-mann-Heink, Barbara Leonard, Herbert Mundin, and Sterling Holloway. GORE REGENT THEATRE. “Rio Rita” with its glorious romance and sparkling with song and beauty with rich humour, will be screened again at the Gore Regent Theatre on Saturday and Monday. It features Bebe Daniels, John Boles, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in one of the biggest and best musical comedies yet made for the screen. There is also an excellent supporting programme.