CINEMA PROGRAMME

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1935, Page 10

CINEMA PROGRAMME

SHIRLEY TEMPLE AT HER BEST. “CURLY TOP” AT STATE. THEATRE. The crowded audiences at the four Saturday sessions were convincing evidence of the appreciation accorded any Shirley Temple film. “Curly Top,” the picture of which the New Plymouth season at the State' Theatre is now proceeding, shows the child genius at her best. In mischief, in play, in performing as a singer or a dancer the little lady is charmingly natural and exhibits enough “devil” to remind her admirers that she is only a. child after all. Shirley is an inmate of a' large orphanage when the story opens, one of those “Homes with a capital H,’ that were so bereft of anything that made them like real homes. Shirley and her older sister Mary were always in trouble and it was a fortunate day for both when one of the trustees visited the institution and fell in love with the two sisters. John Boles takes the part of the young and handsome benefactor, and when he transports the orphans to a home of luxury and kindliness Shirley has every chance to radiate her winsomeness.' Even the exceedingly sedate man servant falls a victim to her charm, while the Volatile French cook is her slave from the time he sees her appreciation of good food. It takes their guardian some months to make up his mind that he is in love with Shirley’s I sister Mary, and the process is quickened by her engagement to a young aviator. However, Shirley has a fin§ er i n that pie and the picture ends with happiness all round. Shirley sings some catchy songs, dances prettily and a picture with John Boles in the cast is also sure to have some tenor singing that is well worth listening to. The associate programme is good. An amusing revue about an elopement up-to-date, and an exciting picture of the final for the American amateur golf championship, and an amusing Terry Toon comedy are amongst the items.

EVERYBODY’S BRILLIANT PLAY.

“NO MORE LADIES” BEGINS.

Behind the unpromising title of “No More Ladies” lies a film entertainment of particular merit. It has a brilliant cast of popular players and polish is its keynote. No picture has presented brighter dialogue—it bubbles with humour from start to finish. “No More Ladies” is ultra-modern. The people who provide most of the action are of the younger and smart set, but they are no more modern than grandmother, a part that is played with outstanding success by Edna May Oliver. The story concerns the philanderings and subsequent marriage of a magnificent young heart-breaker, played by Robert Montgomery, with conspicuous ability. The girl is Joan Crawford, who realises the danger of the marriage but suffers accordingly and subsequently brings about the reformation of the man. Franchot Tone, Charlie Ruggles and Reginald Denny take prominent parts, Ruggles being particularly amusing in his bibulous moods. That cast would ensure the success of any film, but it is the cleverness of the dialogue that must be emphasised as the chief appeal of the play. Tire mutual recriminations of the players and the witty interpolations of Grandmothe. kept Saturday’s audiences at Everybody’s Theatre constantly chuckling and occasionally bursting into unrestrained laughter. But the comedy is tempered with heart tugs as the young couple and their friends work out their life’s drama. The tenderer moments are exceedingly well played by Joan Crawford and Montgomery, but they are never . allowed to drag. Sentiment and trasedy are ■ Quickly disbelled "by some

bright incident that comes like sunshine after a spring shower. “No More Ladies is assured of a highly successful season at Everybody’s; It is supported by an excellent selection of short subjects which include a Charlie Chase comedy, a phantasy, “Two Hearts in Waxtime, in magnificent colour, thrilling scenes of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s recordbreaking at Utah, and popular newsreels. REGENT THEATRE. COMEDY AND DRAMA. One of the strangest and most baffling murder mystery dramas is now showing nightly at the Regent under the title of I “The Man With TWo Faces.” Edward G. Robinson has the role of a noted ■ Broadway actor and director, while Mary ' Astor plays the part of his sister, one of the most beautiful and talented actresses of her time. Ricardo Cortez, : usually the villain of the piece, has the heroic role in this picture, being the 1 theatrical producer who is in love with his star performer, Miss Astor. She, however, is married to a worthless scamp, a part enacted by Louis Calhem, who has not only caused her physical and mental breakdown before, but is is again holding her under a hypnotic spell, and swaying her to his will in order to reap the benefits of her current success. Then the husband is found murdered. Several persons are suspected of the crime, including Miss Astor, Robinson, the brother, and Cortez, the lover. The police are completely baffled until a strange coincidence reveals the slayer. The supporting feature, “The Church Mouse,” is a screamingly funny comedy drama starring Laura La Plante and James Hunter. The fun centres in Laura as a demure private secretary, who turns siren to win the affections of her employer. SHIRLEY TEMPLE AT THE PLAZA. “WILD CARGO” TO-MORROW. I ’ Acclaimed as Shirley Temple’s best film yet, “Bright Eyes” will conclude a two-day season at the Plaza Theatre, Stratford, to-day. Hollywood and New York have previewed this newest of ■ Shirley’s films and have voted it a story ideally suited to the extraordinary talents of this child star. From more than 100,000 feet of film, the salient footage covering Frank (Bring ’Em Back Alive) Buck’s thrilling jungle exploits were edited into a .sensation-packed motion picture, “Wild Cargo,” produced for RKO-Radio by the Van Beuren Corporation. The film will be seen at the Plaza : Theatre to-morrow and Wednesday with ! a matinee each day. “Wild Cargo,’ based ■on the book of the same name by Buck, j written in collaboration with Edward S. 'Anthony, follows Buck through the Asiatic jungles as he hunts rare wild animals to execute orders for zoos. Two photographers with still and motion picture cameras followed Buck’s every move and succeeded in recording scenes depicting the hazards which attended him as he sought his prey. Buck faced death twice and almost approached a point of never seeing himself on the screen in “Wild Cargo.” DOUBLE FEATURE AT THE KING’S. MYSTERY DRAMA; GOOD COMEDY. “The Dragon Murder Case,” which heads the double feature programme at the King’s Theatre. Stratford, to-day is pure melodrama, but so excellently handled that even the suggestion of the supernatural is plausible. It will be enjoyed even by those who pride themselves upon their ability to solve screen mysteries at the end of the first reel. Hre is one that will fool them. The story is weird enough to please the most

avid collector of screen thrills.. A toan dives into a swimming pool from which there is no outlet except through a very fine grating, and disappears. Even draining the pool fails to disclose the body. But there are found strange tracks like those that might have been made by the talons of a prehistoric monster. Into this situation come the police and Detective Philo Vance, in time to prevent two other murders and to solve the first. The second feature, “Mr. Whats His Name,” is a bright comedy concerning the matrimonial tangles of a millionaire sauce manufacturer, an impoverished woman hairdresser, the millionaire’s wife and the manager of his firm, which are started by his losing his memory while on a trip to Paris, Sir Seymour Hicks, Olive Blakeney and Garry Marsh take the principal roles.