AMUSEMENTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18608, 2 July 1930, Page 6

AMUSEMENTS.

“SALLY.” COMMENCES AT TO-DAY’S MATINEE. “Sally” has everything. First and foremost, of course, it has Marilyn Miller, who was the original unforgettable “Sally” on the stage and now •appears once more in her most triumphant role, set like a jewel in the midst of an all-star cast. There are scores and scores of ballet dancers, chorus girls, show girls, young gentlemen of the ensemble who sing and dance and can wear evening clothes as though it were not an effort. And the picture is entirely in colour. That is a short sentence, but it covers a lot; for the new colour process has been used to bring out the full richness and beauty of such scenery and costumes as neither screen nor stage has ever known before. “Sally” will make her bow to local audiences at the Majestic Theatre this afternoon, and again to-night. Those of us who recall “Sally” as played by Josie Melville on the boards of the theatre have always thought of it as a very elaborate production indeed. But it becomes tiny, even in glamorous recollections, when compared with the sumptuous show with which__ First National has surrounded its glittering star. The stage is limited; the range of the screen is unbounded; and the result of this spacious liberty is a series of scenes which almost take the spectator’s breath away. All the charm of the old “SMly” has been preserved, but everything is on a vaster scale—vaster, but not so vast as to lose the human values of the charming story. It is quite impossible to describe the picture adequately, within reasonable limits of space. There is simply too much to write about! But there are a few outstanding impressions which must be recorded—without prejudice to many others just as delightful Marilyn Miller, of course, was born for musical comedy. Her singing, her dancing, the scenes in which she reveals her delightful gifts as a comedienne, her love scenes with Alexander Gray—well, you simply must make her acquaintance as soon as possible There’s nobody like her. No wonder Broadway is at her feet. Now the movie public all over the world is likely to assume a similar posture. And one recalls Alexander Gray, the handsome young leading man, who once played in the original stage “Sally" with Miss Miller and has made a sensation in Hollywood since he went to the studios last spring. And Joe E Brown, who plays the role originally created by Leon Errol—and makes one forget Errol, which is no mean achievement! And the inimitable Pert Kei ton; and T. Roy Barnes as the neopv theatrical agent; and Ford Sterling (nuf sed); and Jack Duffy; and Maude Turner Gordo”; and E. J. Ratcliffe: and Nora Lane —and dozens and bushels of others! At times it seems that there must be hundreds of people in the big scenes—dazzling girls, tali young men, all sinking and dancinelike nobody’s business. To sum it all up. “Sally” marks an epoch in the history of the screen. John Francis Dillon directed it, and deserves a bow and a salute. So does everybody concerned in the production. Box plans ror “Sally” are at the Bristol.

“THE HOLLYWOOD REVUE.” AT THE GRAND. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer success, “The Hollywood Revue,” is enjoying a very popular season in Timaru, both ' afternoon and evening, sessions being well attended. Marion Davies make: her talking screen debut in a song ant 1 dance number supported by a male chorus of ! six-footers. Conrad Nigel makes his screen debut as a singer and appears in a new role —that of interlocutor in a minstrel number. Bessie Love, now famous for her part in “Broadway Melody,” sings and dances and gives generously of her talents. John Gilbert and Norma Shearer appear in a romantic skit, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and give a modernised version of the play. Joan Crawford sings a crooning melody and is also seen in a dancing number. Buster Keaton, famous screen comedian, who never has cracked a smile and who says he never will, keeps his promise in this picture. William Haines and Gwen Lee appear with one of the famous Haines “gags,” I to which Karl Dane and George K. Arthur put a few deft touches. Marie Dressier and Polly Moran, famous comediennes of the stage and screen, have Bessie Love as their little playmate. Charles King, of “Broadway Melody” fame, introduces another song hit—one of the 20 with which this picture i£ endowed. Gus Edwards, father of the revue type of show, appears in several numbers, to which he contributes four new songs. Six hundred costumes were designed and produced by the* wardrobe department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the short space of a month by a force of 150 seamstresses. Every costume was manufactured on the lot from materials purchased on the west coast and in New York. Much of the material was prepared especially for the revue, for example, the yellow rubberised, transparent material from which transparent slickers were made for the “Singing in the Rain” number. Colour also is featured in the “Orange Blossom” number which was filmed with the technicolour process. The training of the dancing chorus of 100 boys and girls, said to be the largest number ever employed on a stage at the same time as dancers, began several weeks before the arrival from New York of Sammy Lee, veteran stage director of the Ziegfeld “Follies.” George White’s “Scandals,” and others. Sammy Lee has staged the dances for 90 New York productions in the last seven years. Add to the complex group of personalities and properties the problems of the recording department with its multiplicity of technical experts speaking a language of thenown; sound camera crews, electricians, carpenters, property men and others attached to the revue’s sound stage “set,” and some idea will be obtained of the immense production problem tackled and conquered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ROYAL THEATRE. “BULLDOG DRUMMOND.” Mystery and horror are well combined in “Bulldog Drummond,” the famous story by * •Sapper” which made both a successful novel and a successful play, dealing with the operations of a gang of criminals, whose long suit is torturing their victims through the fiendish ingenuity of Dr Lakington, a physician who delights in inflicting pain. Bulldog Drummond is a demobilised British officer, seeking danger in order to escape from the boredom cm peacetime. An advertisement in the newspapers, requesting trouble, brings him to Phyllis, the beautiful niece of a wealthy American who has fallen into the hands of the criminals, and Is being tortured to death in their fake sanatorium. Drummond’s courage

and dare-devil cleverness allow him to outwit the fiends also, single-handed. The picture is also noteworthy because che entire cast has been drawn from well-known English stage players, who speak the King's English impeccably. The role of the charmingly debonair Bulldog Drummond suits Colman perfectly, and Colman is perfect in the role. The entire picture has everything that goes to make an enjoyable evening. The story is delightful, the cast is well chosen, and the direction reveals both intelligence and a sense of humour. A strong programme of supports is shown in conjunction with the main attraction. PIANOFORTE RECITAL. PUPILS OF MRS N. D. MANGOS. * The second pianoforte recital by the pupils of Mrs in. u. Mangos u«.s aem in me fcscouisn Hail last evening, me uan was weii lined, and trie programme, wmch was of a particularly lugh standard, was as fonows:--Double duo, ‘■Galop” (Miiae), Ist piano, misses UiSUnt» n>iin ana riorne Coilins, 2nd piano, Misses riernaaetu. Mangos ana Mary GBnen; soio, ' Papulous” irieroert Dennison), Miss Doiothy. Walton; solo, "11 Rotsignoio (.Etheioert Nevin), Miss Eiieen suiiivan: duo, “Valse Finale’’ (Lacx), Misses Audrey Holdgate and Doreen Andrews; soio, ‘‘Minuet” (Beethovan), Miss Mary O'Brien; solo, (a) “Dedication” (Schumann Liszt), (b) “fireflies” .(Frank Bridge), Miss Marjorie Jones A.T.C.L.; duo, -Polonaise” (Arensky), Miss Marion Hay, L.A.B. and Miss Sheila Mcßride. L.A.8.; solo, “Flying Moments’’ <Leo Liveus), Miss Barbara Bell; solo, “Spanish Dance” (A)bcmz), Miss Jessie Mackenzie; duo, (a) “Berceuse” (Aubert), (b> "Fugue in G Major” (Bach), Miss Margery Gibson and Miss Mary Martin, L.T.C.L. solo, “A Romp" (York Bowen), Miss Meta Greenfield; solo, "Sposalizio” (Liszt), Miss Marion Hay, L.A.8.; double duo, "Andante” from Symphony (Eeethoven), Ist piano. Misses Florrie Conins and Ursula Flynn, 2nd piano, Misses Bernadette Manges and Reliss Buntcer; solo, (a) "Andalouse” (Granados), ib)’ “Melodic” (Macdowell), Miss Dendrah Rhodes; solo, “Liebestraume” (Liszt). Miss Joan Hargreaves; double duo, “Minuet” (Boccherini), Ist piano, Misses Winifred Philp and Essie Doyle, 2nd piano. Misses Una Fitzgerald and Eileen Sullivan: solo, “The Witches dance” (Macdowell). Miss Jean Gilmore; solo. “Poem” (Fibsch), Miss Helen Mackay: solo, (a) “Island Spell” (John Ireland). <b> “Prelude in G Minor” (Rachmaninoff), Mr Roy Harris; duo, "Homage to Handel” (Moscheles), Misses Meta Greenfield and Cassie Hay; solo. “Hungarian Polka” (D’Alfoddy), Miss Florrie Collins; solo. “Sous Bois” (Barratt), Mrs Elisor: solo. “Hark! Hark! the Lark” (Schubert-Liszt), Miss Mollie Bell; duo, “Rhapsody No. 2" (Liszt), Mrs Mangos and Bernadette Mangos.