NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 671, 24 May 1929, Page 17

NEW REGENT

LON CHANEY ON MONDAY Only this evening and tomorrow evening remain for Aucklanders to see and hear the talking picture, “The Shopworn Angel,” now at the New Regent Theatre. Nancy Carroll and Gary Cooper have the leading roles in this story of the love of a New York chorus girl for a young soldier. The short talkie features the songs by Ruth Etting, and the two Chinese girls will also be heard. On Monday the New Regent will present a sound-synchronised version of Lon Chaney’s latest picture, “West of Zanzibar.” Chaney has the role of Flint, the magician, the cheap headliner in the vaudeville theatres of the Limehouse district in London. The love of his life is his beautiful wife, who is also his partner in the act. When an ivory trader fiAmi Africa, in London for a visit, sees her, the two become Infatuated, and plan to elope. Flint meets the robber of his wife’s j affections in the theatre dressing I room, and a fight takes place between them, in which Flint is hurled over the banisters to the stage beneath. The Impact of the fall causes permanent paralysis from the waist down. From then on ho drags his way painfully about in a wheel-chair. His wife dies in child-birth some time later, and her baby is sent to Flint. He accepts it, believing it to be the daughter of his rival, and then starts in pursuit of his enemy, invading Africa, where he leaves the child in the care of the mistress of a Zanzibar cafe. He locates his enemy, who is row I trading in ivory, and himself penetrates the jungles of Zanzibar to carry out his revenge, aided by three henchmen, one being a renegade doctor whom Flint retains to attend occasionally to his spine. For years he robs his enemy’s carriers of their ivory by terrorising the natives at night, until Crane is furious. When the right time for the denouement has arrived, Flint sends for the girl, none the better for her Zanzibar experiences, then gloatingly invites Crane to visit his jungle demesne. Crane sees the light about his missing ivory when he recognises Flint, but the latter is struck dumb when Crane tells him that the girl is his daughter. Bewildered, Flint forgets to call his henchman off Crane as the latter is leaving, and he is killed. “HONEYMOON FLATS” AT ROYAL George Lewis and Dorothy Gulliver, who are remembered for their “teaming” in “The Collegians.” have the leading roles in “Honeymoon Flats.” now at the Royal Theatre, Kingslarid. Jim and Lela Clayton were an ideal couple until the girl’s mother arrived “to make her daughter happy.” The mother was not satisfied with their cosy little flat, and began to furnish it according to her own ideas. Naturally Jim wanted to live within his income, and set up his own home. Pretty Lela persuaded him to accept the furniture, but when mother-in-law proposed that the pair should have a second honeymoon in Europe, the tireworks started. The picture is of the smile-a-minute variety: if should appeal to young and old. “Homesick,” which will also be shown, is an hilarious comedy starring Sammy Cohen in a big bicycle race. HUGE SUIVTFOR RESEARCH “TALKIES” WILL BENEFIT In an address recently delivered in ; Hollywood, J. J. Lyng. Vice-President of the Bell Telephone Company, j announced a contemplated expenditure iof £250,000 in behalf of Electrical ! Research Products Laboratories during J 1929 for research work in sound recording and reproduction. A substantial part of the revenue from theatres and • producers during the coming few years will be applied to research in the field of sound recording and reproduction principally in talking pictures.