ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1930, Page 7

ENTERTAINMENTS

“THE DESERT SONG." MONSTER MATINEE TO-DAY, 2.P.M. The management of Everybody’s, New Plymouth, announces with pleasure that they have secured at considerable cost the talking version of. the celebrated musical comedy “The Desert Song,” to ' commence screening to-day at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.,. and thereafter daily at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. until Friday next. “The Desert Song,” Warner Brothers’ latest Vitaphone novelty —a complete screen operetta, with music, songs, choruses, dances, dialogue —scored a magnificent success wherever it has been played. It is a povelty, but an enchanting one, and points the way to still greater triumphs for talking and singing pictures—the S reduction of entire grand operas upon ,ie screen. The variety and magnificence which have been introduced into the production make “The Desert Song” its a film even more attractive than it was as a stage play. The reproduction of voices and music is perfectly done. In this production the play is transferred to the screen almost in its entirety, and is presented exactly as if it were indeed a stage play. The most striking feature of the production is the superlative quality of the singing,* whilst an advantage over the legitimate stage is gained by the almost limitless facilities in the matter of effects and settings. Beautiful and striking scenes in technicolour combine with gorgeous settings to give an indication of the lengths to which picture producers can go to provide the necessary atmosphere for the story being portrayed—a matter in which many stage plays are severely handicapped. Romberg’s delightful airs have been recorded to perfection in this production, and John Boles, in thy leading tenor role, sings his way into the good graces of his audience in just the same way as he must have done when he stood before the footlights on Broadway in the actual stage production. Carlotta King, who acquits herself in the role of a lyric soprano, is a singer of the first water while Marie Wells and Robert E. Guzman also contribute largely to the success of the vocal part of the production. The concerted numbers are also magnificent. There is a Fox Movietone News to open. ; PEOPLE’S TALKIES. MATINEE TO-DAY, 2 P.M. Spines will tremble and hairs will ’ stand on end at the People's Talkies. New Plymouth, to-day at 2 p.m. and ; to-night at 8, when “The Hole in the Wall,” an all-talking melodrama of ’ crooks and spiritualism, will be present- • ed Claudette Colbert, as a beautiful ■ small-town girl, who plunges into the ' mazes of metropolitan gangster plotting and intrigue, and Edward G. Robinson, • “The Fox,” genius of the gang, have the; principal roles in the picture. The story | ’ deals with the fortunes of the crafty; crooks and their wealthy victims upon whom they prey through the use of I ' fake spiritualism, gaining the confidence of the well-to-do folk, and later, armed vvith personal information blackmailing or robbing them. Alias Colbert, darkhaired and slender, supplies a plentiful amount of eye-interest as the uncanny “Aladame Alystera,” a spiritualistic medium. She is also seen in a number of ap pealing love scenes with David Newell, who plays Gordon Grant, a keenwitted newspaper reporter who finally aids the police to strip the crooks of their deceptions. An excellent talkie

| supporting programme will include Abe Lyman’s Orchestra, “Kisses” (an alltalking comedy), Willie and Eugene Howard (vaudeville headliners, in a sketch, “Between the Acts of the Opera”; comedy dialogue, singing and imitations make this a comedy gem), and “My Pony Boy” (a Paramount Novelty Singing Cartoon). NEW PLYMOUTH OPERA HOUSE. TWO BIG FEATURES TO-NIGHT. ■ At the Opera House to-night, “Prisoners,” a First National attraction, starring Corinne Griffith, and ■.“ The Lost Patrol,” a fine British production will both be screened. Corinne Griffith, whose recent First National pictures, “The Divine Lady,” “Outcast” and “Saturday’s Children,” have all met with poj rlar acclaim and established this star as exceptionally versatile in character delineation, will play a peasant girl for the first time in “Prisoners.” The heroine becomes a thief and is sentenced to seven months in prison, but though she steals it is only for love, and her soul is so much bigger and her character so much finer than the petty natures of the pillars of Society who have never given her a chance. Full of action and hearttouching pathos, the story of ‘“The Lost Patrol” is particularly unique in that no woman figures in the definite story. Briefly, the picture deals with the adventures of an English cavalry patrol of ten, which subsequently become lost in the African desert after the death of their officer, who has not divulged his orders or their destination. Victims of Fate, they one by one succumb to the awful desert conditions and the terrible Arab foe; and the amazing way in which the various characters react to their awful circumstances is one of the features of the film. Cyril McLaglen heads the big cast. There will be a gazette to open, and the Opera House Orchestra will be- in attendance. THEATRE ROYAL TALKIES. JIMMY. VALENTINE AT WAITARA William Haines’ latest picture, “Alias Jimmy Valentine,” made from the famous stage play, will be screened at the Theatre Royal Waitara, this afternoon at 2 p*m. and at 8.15 to-night and Monday. The picture is of interest because it gives the star another real chance at a dramatic role. Hitherto, his name his been associated with roles of the smartaleck type, and the comedy angle has predominated. In “Alias Jimmy Valentine,” while there are a number of funny moments, the dramatic interest has been emphasised first of all. Noted players in the supporting cast include Leila Hyams, Karl Dane, and Tully Marshall. Jack Conway directed. An excellent programme of talkie shorts will also be screened. Matinee admissions I will be adults Is. Gd., stalls and chil- | dren 9d., evening admissions being D.C ' 3s. (plus tax), and stalls 2s. and Is. Gd. “’WHOOPEE” AT NEW PLYMOUTH. • 1 MUSICAL PLAY SUPREME. “Whoopee,” the big American success with which J. C. Williamson, Ltd., will inaugurate a three-night season of musical plays at the Opera House on Wednesday night, is full of vim and “go” from curtain-rise to final -fall. It attracted crowded houses nightly at Hie Majesty’s Theatre, Auckland, and should seize on here. The play embraces- clever

comedy tuneful music, gorgeous dressing and one of the most striking features is the novelty of the ballets. Some of them are distinctly quaint and novel, such, for instance, as the shoe ballet and the hat ballet. In the shoe dance the girls squatting on boxes, go through movements with their red-shod feet, the motion following down the line as in a slowmotion film, punctuating the music with knocks on the floor like a nigger breakdown, and afterwards they dance with their black-shod hands, which sounds ridiculous, but the effect is striking.- In the hat ballet the girls come out dressed as musical comedy cowboys, and pass their big, white sombre- s over and under each other’s arms in a hunt-the-slipper style and distinctly pleasing efl’ects are the result. The most artistic tujfn. in the dancing department of the show is that of Pat and Terry Kendall, two of the cleverest dancers ever seen in New Zealand. Full of dash, yet the acme of grace, their dances entrance the audience. “Whoopee” is to be presented for one night only, as two other big musical attractions in “Lilac Time” and “The Maid of the Mountains,” are to be staged on the second and third night respectively. A charming young actress, with a good voice, in Miss Lilian Crisp, plays the principal female role. Mr. Don Nicol, a brilliant young Australian comedian, is entrusted with the chief comedy part. The box plans open at Collier’s on Monday morning. LEO CARRILLO IN LOMBARDI, LTD. One of the greatest personalities in the English-speaking world to-day is Mr. Leo Carrillo and this brilliant star will make his first and only appearance under the direction of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., at the Opera House, New Plymouth, z on Wednesday, February 5, in the world renowned comedy triumph “Lombardi. Ltd.,” which has just finished a record run of just on six months in Sydney and which achieved a sensational success in Wellington recently. Leo Carrillo's career has been one of the outstanding romances of the stage. At one period of his career Mr. Carrillo was an enterprising newspaper man, who spent his limited spare time in drawing cartoons of the many interesting characters he met in the course of his journalistic work. Developing this flair for character presentation, - Air. Carrillo performed at club functions and amateur productions. find soon became noted for the wonderfully realistic manner in which he portrayed many varied and interesting types. His friends became more and more enthusiastic as his powers of mimicry and characterisation strengthened. “You are a born actor.” they raid, “and your place is on the stage.” His undoubted merits made him a much-sought-after.person, and he was engaged by one of the leading theatrical entrepreneurs for important parts. His success was immediate, and he became a popular favourite. His characterisations gave undoubted evidence of his histrionic ability of the highest order, close and intelligent study, and a spontaneity of humour that was highly infectious. Success after success was scored and authors offered him their best. There are over 40 people concerned in the production of ‘‘Lombardi, Ltd.,” including a number of charming girls who take part in the mannequin parade at the fashionable, dressmaking establishment of “Lombardi, Ltd. The box plans will open at Collier's on Monday, February 3.