AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18650, 20 August 1930, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

“THE DELIGHTFUL ROGUE” AT THE MAJESTIC TO-DAY AND TO-NIGHT. Rod La Rocque. the famous screen star, is featured with pretty Rita La Roy in Radio’s new production. “The Delightful Rogue.” The story revolves around a comic-opera pirate (hero) who is feared by everyone. He is supposed to be a woman-hater. With the knowledge that he will be killed if he should go into the waterfront town, he seeks entertainment where he meets the heroine, half owner of the cabaret, and its chief attraction. He falls in love with her but she is in love with a well-to-do American, who wants to take her back home with him. He is sort of caddish, in that he is brave only when there is no danger. He informs the troops that the hero is to meet the heroine on the beach, and has him taken to gaol. But the hero’s men who had entered the gaol, led the troops into the river and take the young American to the hero’s ship. Later the heroine comes to ask him to free the young man, and he takes the heroine away from the ship. She swims back to the ship and agrees to go with the hero. Featurettes will embrace Clark and McCullough, in a laughable comedy, “In Holland.” The Fox Movietone News is an excellent edition. Seats may be reserved through ’phone 651. A matinee will be given this afternoon. “PLEASURE CRAZED” COMES TO THE THEATRE ROYAL. Built around a novel plot, abounding in thrills and yet never descending to the level of sheer melodrama, “Pleasure Crazed,” the Fox Movietone production which will be screened this evening, is undoubtedly one of the outstanding all-talking pictures of the year. A screen version of the play, “The Scent of Sweet Almonds,” the picture is a realistic reproduction of the original. Some of the scenes present a vista of riotous beauty in Southern California, where the action of the story takes place, and not only do the swift changes switch one with bewildering suddenness from the glory of a quiet Californian garden to the excitement of the polo field, but there are also presented some very fine interior settings. The story concerns the activities of a gang of jewel thieves and their endeavour to steal a valuable collection of emeralds, the property of a young author. Their unwilling accomplice is left with the owner of the jewels as housekeeper by a cunning subterfuge, but love enters into the chain of events, and besides spoiling the plans, brings her happiness. To recapitulate the plot of the story would be fair neither to the producers nor to those who wish to witness the pic/ - e, but it is sufficient to say that from first to last the production provides splendid entertainment. The cast is an all-star one, and although it is a small one, every member is an artist. Marguerite Churchill, as the unwilling tool of the jewel thieves, is excellently cast, and gives an excellent characterisation. She sketches her part surely and deftly, and to her undoubted dramatic talent, she adds a clear and wellmodulated speaking voice. Kenneth M’Kenna has a difficult role to sustain as the young novelist whose wife, with her everlasting craze for pleasure, is really the means of his finding happiness, but he gives a very convincing rendering of his part. The outstanding portrayal, however, is that of the wife by Dorothy Burgess. Abounding in charm and vivacity, she is the erring, wilful, pleasure-loving wife to life, and although one must of necessity condemn her as a character, one cannot but be filled with admiration for her superlative acting which brings a very real personality to the screen. The roles of the two jewel thieves ‘"Gil” and “The Colonel,” are cleverly handled by Campbell Gullan and Henry Kolker, who, without being to obtrusive, succeed always in keeping their characters before the audience. A feature is the clear and cultured diction of all the principals, and. moreover synchronisation of sound and action is perfect. Supporting pictures are excellent.

“ GUILTY ” AT THE GRAND. Circumstantial evidence is never conclusive. This fact is generally conceded to-day by law experts all over the world—especially in America—where the practice of convicting a man on such flimsy proof has been discontinued almost entirely. In fact, few States now give serious consideration to information unless it is presented by eye-witnesses or persons in a position to have first-hand knowledge of a crime. The reason is obvious. Given a thread to work on, the human imagination can distort it beyond recognition. Upon a basis of vague suspicion, a case can be worked up against a man, who is actually innocent. This fact is illustrated in an interesting and entertaining fashion in “Guilty?” —the Columbia all-talking drama based on the fallacy of circumstantial evidence, coming to the Grand Theatre, to-night, with Virginia Valli and John Holland. The hero of the story falls in love with the daughter of his father’s worst enemy. Although he regrets the situation, he does not share his parent’s hatred. Yet, when his sweetheart’s father commits suicide, circumstantial evidence is brought out that seems to prove that he had committed the murder. He is arrested, convicted of the crime and sentenced to pay the death penalty. The evidence is very flimsy. Yet a case based on the supposition that he planned to marry the girl for her fortune and wanted her father out of the way, so influences the jury that he is convicted of a crime he never even thought of committing.