ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 22948, 22 July 1936, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

STATE THEATRE-

DOUBLE FEATURE PROGRAMME

Trapped by a temptress out of the night; trapped by the woman of a hundred aliases! Behind her smile lurked mystery. Who was she? What was her game? Richard Cromwell, playing the role of a clever young lawyer, is faced with this perplexing situation in “Unknown Woman,” a thrilling and exciting drama glorifying the famed Federal undercover agents and revealing new secrets of the Secret Service, which is one of two brilliant features to be shown at the State Theatre to-day. Through an eloquent plea in court, Cromwell attracts the attention of Douglas Dumbrille, a night club owner and leader of a band of bond thieves. Dumbrille contrives to have Cromwell secrete a million in “hot” bonds in the belief the packet is a legal document. That same night Cromwell meets and befriends Marian Marsh, who has been arrested in a gambling house raid. Miss Marsh immediately proves to be a woman of mystery who later schemes to accompany Cromwell to Dumbrille’s office where she is observed rifling the desk and files. From that point the story bursts into fast action which continues to the final fadeout. Unexpected I developments during the unfoldment of the plot provide many breathtaking surprises. Henry Armetta has a delightful comedy role as a sorely troubled merchant for whom Cromwell is acting as attorney. Small-town scandalmongers—both male and female—who devote their lives to listening in on parfy wire telephones and spreading the news of other people’s business, form the theme ox the second picture, “Party Wire,” a delightful comedydrama, which co-stars Jean Arthur and Victor Jory. Jory, a native son, returns to the village of Rockridge after a seven-years’ absence and discovers that the telephones are buzzing as viciously as ever. His romance with Miss Arthur is seriously complicated by jealous mothers who had hoped to ensnare him for their daughters. He finds Miss Arthur’s young life ruined by untrue scandal until he dares to expose the private lives of a whole town in a brilliant climax. THE REGENT. “THE WAGON AND THE STAR.” INTEREST MAINTAINED. Southland’s first talking picture, “The Wagon and the Star,” continues to attract large crowds to the Regent Theatre, where it is showing for an extended season. There can be no doubt that it is the intention of almost every resident of Invercargill who is interested in his province to go and see this picture. Many will undoubtedly go, and have gone, out of idle curiosity. This section of the community will be agreeably surprised with what it sees and hears. It will be forced to admit that it compares favourably with more expensive, more elaborate and more highly-boosted films produced overseas. The camera work is excellent, and the most has been made in this direction of plenty of wonderful material. The picture will be an education of their own province to many Southlanders. The, story is not a heavy one, which is just as it should be. The first aim of the picture was to illustrate the natural beauties of Southland, and this object could not have been attained as fully as it has been if too much attention had been focused on the story. But it is by no means flimsy; there is no suggestion of disjointedness. It is logical and runs smoothly from the opening sequence until the curtain. There is no ground for serious criticism of the performance of the actors and actresses. Mr John Peake and Miss Faye Hinchey, > hero and heroine, sustain their parts well, and their diction is excellent. Mr W. Buchan has a happy time as the camp cook, the romance between him and Miss Moira O’Neill is great fun. The late Mr A. F. Grenfell plays the good-natured, gruff landowner, the father of the heroine of the story. Mrs A. C. Mac Ewan, the heroine’s charming aunt, and Mr T. R. Vanity, the pompous lawyer who is the villain of the piece, also give accomplished performances. In the supporting Southland featurettes there is much of interest and one magnificent ploughing scene. MAJESTIC THEATRE. EUGENE O’NEILL’S COMEDY, “AH! WILDERNESS.” “Ah! Wilderness!” Eugene O’Neill’g great stage comedy-drama, brought to the screen in elaborate form by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is the current attraction at the Majestic Theatre. A smashing triumph for both Wallace Beery, who stars as the lovable, alcoholic Uncle Sid, and Lionel Barrymore, who plays the father role enacted on the stage by George M. Cohan and the late Will Rogers, “Ah Wilderness!” tells the story of a family in an intensely human manner and with characters every person in the audience can recognize. There is hilarious comedy in it, charming romance of both youth and middle age, and moments of dynamic drama that holds the audience in its spell. In it O’Neill has brought to the screen a great comedy drama, and a literal cross-section of life. Barrymore rises to dramatic heights in the scene where he tells his son what every father must inevitably tell his boy on the threshold of manhood. Beery’s love moments with Aline MacMahon add poignant pathos to a genial comedy characterization. The youthful romance is charmingly carried out by Eric Linden and Cecilia Parker, and Mickey Rooney, Spring Byington, Charles Grape win, Frank Albertson, Edward Nugent, Bonita Granville and Helen Flint are others who deserve mention for excellent performances. The supporting programme includes an excellent Technicolour Revue, “The Pirate Party,” which features some of the leading acts in vaudeville to-day. EMPIRE PICTURES, RIVERTON.

“Death at Broadcasting House,” the most unusual and entertaining mystery story to come from a British studio, will be screened at Riverton to-night. All the secrets of what happens behind the microphone are brilliantly demonstrated in this high tension story of a murder broadcast to the world. It is a baffling mystery with a sensational, smashing climax.