ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 1 September 1933, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. “CAUGHT CHEATING” MATINEE. “Caught Cheating” (Charlie MurrayGeorge Sidney), and “The Sundown Rider” (Buck Jones-Barbara Weeks) will both be finally screened at The Regent Theatre, New Plymouth, to-day at 2 and 7.45 p.m. The fourth chaptex’ of “Heroes of the West” will be screened to-night. NEW PROGRAMME TO-MORROW. In “The Conquering Horde,” which commences a season at The Regent tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 and 7.45 p.m., Richard Arlen plays the part of Dan McMasters, Government agent, who breaks up the conspiracy of the crooked lawyers who had -been threatening the homes of Texas ranchers in the days just after the conclusion of the Civil War. The leading feminine role, that of Taisie Lockhart, the owner of a large herd of beef cattle, and the manager of her father’s valuable ranch, is. played by Fay Wray. The fourth chapter of “Heroes of the West” will be screened at the matinee only. EVERYBODY’S TO-DAY. “DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.” Two polished gentlemen—one English, the other French—and their hectic exploits in extracting jewels from wealthy people forms the basis of “Diamond Cut Diamond,” the British attraction which finally screens at Everybody’s Theatre, New Plymouth, to-day at 2 and 7.45 p.m. The all-star cast is headed by Claude Allister, Shayle Gardner and Benita Hume. There is a good supporting programme. “THE MIDSHIPMAID” TO-MORROW. “The Midshipmaid,” which has been acclaimed as the greatest British screen success since “The Middle Watch,” will begin its New Plymouth season at Everybody’s (all-British) Theatre tomorrow at 2 and 7.45 p.m. In technique it is a distinct advance on “Sunshine Susie” and “Marry Me,” and there is not a dull moment in the picture. That it provides the second appearance in films of Jessie Matthews, who made a successful screen debut in “There Goes the Bride,” is the production’s principal claim to 'distinction. Although it was her first film the actress gave a thoroughly satisfying performance in “There Goes the Bride,” a performance which, however, is eclipsed by her acting in “The Midshipmaid.” Jessie Matthews’ appearance in the forthcoming “Good Companions” will be awaited with interest. “The Midshipmaid” is a gay nautical romance, most of the action occurring on board a batleship. Jessie Matthews is given every opportunity to display her singing and dancing ability, and her training in Mr. C. B. Cochran’s revue company stands her in good stead. The story was written by lan Hay and Commander Stephen King-Hall, the joint authors of that entertaining farce, “The Middle Watch,” and Albert de Courville was responsible for the direction. The supporting cast includes Claude Allister, Joyce Kirby and A. W. Baskcomb. The box plans are at Collier’s Music Warehouse. NEW PLYMOUTH OPERA HOUSE. “SWEEPINGS.” It is safe to say that Lionel Baxu-ymore, star of “Rasputin” and “Grand Hotel,” has never been seen in a more impressing dramatic role than in “Sweepings,” the current attraction at the Opera House. Alan Dinehart, Gloria Stuart and William Gargan are also members of the cast. “Sweepings” will be screened finally to-day at the matinee and evening sessions. "DIPLOMANIACS" TO-MORROW.

The fun in the musical comedy, “Diplomaniacs,” which will be introduced to the New Plymouth public at the Opera House to-morrow with the celebrated comedy pair, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in the stellar roles, is really a hilarious jumble of burlesque.. Hilarity begins, according to perview reports, when Wheeler as “Willy Nilly” and Woolsey as “Hercules Glub,” open a bar,ber shop on an Indian reservation. This eccentric stunt by the boys makes the Indians believe they are dumb enough to be excellent diplomats. The Big Chief sends them to the Geneva Peace Conference as Indian representatives. The production then soars into broad burlesque staged in the conference hall. The bickering and innuendo-hurling of diplomatic circles is transposed into actual physical encounters. The proceedings are further enlivened when the peace seeking “Diplomaniacs" plunge the whole affaix’ into musical mirth by staging an impromptu song and patter act. Elaborately staged and set off with delightful and tuneful musical spectacles, the production is enacted by a brilliant cast. For finding laughter in the most improbable places, William Seiter, who directed the film, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Henry Meyers, who wrote it, earn distinguished mention. Phyllis Barry’s impersonation of “the best vampire in all of Paris,” whose kisses make men’s collars smoke and burn, is a delicioxxs bit, while Marjorie White’s belligerent wooing of Wheelei' is a joy to behold, particulax-ly when she site on his chest and makes him woo her with a song. Hugh Herbert as the “Chinaman’ with the Swedish dialect, and Louis Calhern as the villain, are especially funny.

INGLEWOOD TALKIES. “PALMY DAYS." Promised as an innovation in screen musical comedy, Eddie Cantor's newest picture, “Palmy Days,” the successor to the goggle-eyed comic’s inaugural “Whoopee” of last season, will be screened to-night and to-morrow by the Inglewood Talkies. Eddie appears as an unwilling assistant to a gang of crooked fortune-tellers and spiritualists, planning to wreck a bakery 7 by installing Eddie as an efficiency expert. The story was

written by Cantor, Morrie Ryskind and I David Freedman. It is a rowdy comic strip kind of a yam moving blithely from the phoney mystic’s holy of holies to the splendour of a futuristic bakery, one of those Rube Goldberg bakeries, “manned" by an imposing assemblage of Hollywood’s most decorative feminity, to the Ziegfeldian opulence of a swimming pool scene, with a hundred prize bathing beauties competing with proud swans for attention, to a moonlit garden party with young love cooing among the lilac bushes. Many song hits are promised, the first of which is Eddie's ditty, “Yes, Yes.” Most of the songs are the work of those popular music masters, Con Conrad and Cliff Friend. Among them are "Bend Down, Sister,” which has a kind of negro spirituel tenor, and “Goose Pimples,” both of which command the able assistance of Miss Greenwood, and a strictly gag comedy, “Dunk, Dunk, Dunk.” In addition will be screened to-night and to-morrow a “Micky the Mouse" comedy. NEW THEATRE, OP UN AKE. “THE UNEXPECTED FATHER.” Universal’s enthusiastically heralded “The Unexpected Father," will be shown to-night and to-morrow at the New Theatre, Opunake. The film, co-starring Slim Summerville and Zasu Pitts for the first time, concerns the embarrassing situation of a newly-rich bachelor who finds a strange young lady of four years calling him “daddy," and quite adamant about it. The child, played by Hollywood’s newest kid-star, Cora Sue Collins, plays havoc with the scheduled marriage of the bachelor to a scheming gold-digger, while a nurse from the dog hospital, Miss Pitts, is recruited, quite by mistake, by the. millionaire to quell the confusion. Thornton Freeland, who filmed “Whoopee,” directed the film. Dorothy Christy plays the gold-digger, and Claude Allister, Allison Skipworth, Grace Hampton, Tyrell Davis, Tom O’Brien and Richard Cramer complete the cast.