ON THE SCREEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17755, 27 January 1926, Page 5

ON THE SCREEN.

THE THEATRES. A '

r ATTRACTIONS FOR THE WEEK. raiAtll “ THX OPFUSBfBX) ” THE A THE *' MODERN aUTUHOVT ” LZBBBTT HEATRE .. ~ .. “ WHITE KAM ” ZJXSKTT HIATUS .. 11 BE7EN YXAU' BAB LUCK ” QTBIVB THEATRE “ SPOOK RANCH ” QTJBirS THEATRE •« THE DANCERS " * BTERTEODY'S THEATRE . * . . *« HER SISTER FROM PARIS ” GREATER CRYSTAL PALACE .. “ GROUNDS POR DITORCE " GREATER CRYSTAL PALACE .. <> LULLABY '» STRAND THEATRE “ TAMING THE WEST ” STRAND THEATRE •• THE GREAT WHITE WAT ” FULLER’S OPERA HOUSE . . REVUE AND VAUDEVILLE

Guy Bates Post has a young Australian actress, Miss Eileen Sparks, as lis leading lady. Miss Sparks, who ecentlv toured New Zealand with Jaurice Moscovitch, has done sterling fork with various J. C. Williamson ompanies, and for the past few years the was marked for big roles as soon is a suitable opportunity presented itself. Mr Post, who is one of the best riends that ambitious young artists *>uld desire to have, gave Miss Sparks »er opportunity, and the young actress las more than made good. Mr Post’s Christchurch season will open next oonth. k An uncommonly capable musical omedy organisation, J. C. Williamson's Cew Musical Comedy Company, will •pen at the Theatre Royal on Saturlav in the latest light opera success. ‘ Leave it to Jane." in which Miss Dorothy Lena, an English comedienne, nd Athol Tier, will make heir first appearance here. Other lewcomers will be Mona Barlec. Elma iibbs and Levland Hodgson (leading nan and tenor). Old favourites include Jack Cannot, Hugh Steyne. Reita Vugent and Percy le Fre. “ Leave t to Jane*’ has a novel plot dealing rith rivalry between two men's coleges. and is set off with several piqairesque backgrounds. ae % x The Futurists English Revue Com»anv, numbering sixteen performers, vho will shortly commence a short seaion at the Liberty Theatre, in conunction with the usual picture pro;rammc, offer something unique in ’audeville entertainment. In their Tabaret Show and their Cabaret Kit:ens Ballet they present the latest rraze in London and on the Conan ent. This consists of a merry mix.;ure of potted plays written by the rading revue writers at Home. Sandwiched in between these playettes are ;uneful melodies, songs extending from jrand opera to the latest jazz tunes, sxpert solo and ensemble dancing combined with artistic stage settings and gorgeous futuristic frocking.

In “ Girl Shy,” w’hich will be shown it * the Grand Theatre on Friday, Harold Lloyd is seen as a poor, bash;ul tailor's apprentice in a small country town where trnly three things ever lappen—morning, noon and night. H 6 Imagines that he knows women, although he is too abashed in their presence to associate with them. In .'act, the more he tries to study them from afar, the more he fears them. His characterisation in this fun-film is said to be far and away the best and funniest thing he has ever done. There are probably very few people who have never had the privilege of seeing Harold Lloyd in at least one of his successful comedy hits. But still, fii spite of his world wide popularitj-, very few people outside of his family know intimately the spectacled Lloyd is by nature bashful, retiring, modest. Once known in public, he becomes di&dent, ill at ease. f In "Little Annie Rooney,” which will be screened at the Liberty Theatre an Friday, Miss Pickford has evidently found a vehicle that has universal appeal, for not a single community has yet to turn in an adverse report on the showing of the picture. It is popular in both large cities and in smaller communities, and in Los Angeles, home of the movies, it has run for five weeks at the huge Million Dollar Theatre, and the run is still under way. “Little Annie Rooney ’ was a popular song, and its namesake gives evidence of being just as popular a picture. 55 55 55 Great success to date has greeted the presentation of “Scaramouche," the big Paramount-Metro production which comes to Greater Crystal Palace c* l Monday. Those who remember the “ Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ” do not, have to be reminded of the

merits of the production genius of Rex Ingram. who also made “ Scaramouctfb." This is the greatest story of the French Revolution that has ever come to the screen and the cast will bring back a number of very great favourites —Ramon Novarro is in the lead and Lewis Stone and Alice Terry arc co-starred opposite him. “ Scaramouche ” has enjoyed great popularity as a novel and its adaption to the screen has been one of the most successful efforts qf producers in the last decade. :: « In an editorial “Motion Picture News.” This is the era of the motion ! picture theatre: and it is just the be- | ginning of it. When a motion picture | theatre can take in upwards of forty thousand dollars, a week the theatre map is going to change to meet this neiy box-office income. We want big pictures; we need a good many of them. And we positively do not want the ordinary feature picture that is just one of the several hundred a year. We do not want the picture of bulk production. Its day is gone. It won't fill seats. It cannot be made nor distributed nor exhibited, at a profit. The wise producer to-day is the one who aims, with concentration and a solid policy, at either extreme .of the scale—that either big and expensive and showy pictures or at inexpensive ones. The deadly commodity is the. in-between one, not good enough for high prices and too expensive for low prices. When we speak of the movie palace of the great centres of population we are not, of course, forgetting the thousands of frequent change theatres of the smaller communities which will always and successfully exist when they are not swallowed up by the new theatre palaceh of the big centres.