MANY GOOD FILMS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20509, 10 January 1935, Page 10

MANY GOOD FILMS.

Outstanding Productions for Christchurch. AMALGAMATED THEATRES' LIST. When the State and Mayfair Theatres are opened in Christchurch, the New Zealand circuit of Amalgamated Theatres, Ltd., will have been augmented to a total of sixty-two theatres. In the last twelve months alone, the company has opened ten new theatres, an activity which has released £250,000 in capital value, represented by buildings, land and equipment. This information was given by Mr M. Sayegh, business representative of the company, who arrived in Christchurch this morning. He stated that the Mayfair Theatre would be opened about, the middle of next month, and the State Theatre soon after. The 4 policy of Amalgamated Theatres in other centres had been to buy all their requirements locally as far as possible, and to employ local staffs. That practice would be followed out in Christchurch. Amalgamated Theatres have contracted for the supply of films from four leading services, and have bought the entire product for 1935 of the following companies: Gaumont-British and Gainsborough Films. Fox Film Corporation. R.K.0.-Radio Pictures and Columbia Films. The contract recently signed with Columbia involved an outlay, it is said, of £60.000. “ Most of the studios from which Amalgamated Theatres have bought * pictures have adopted the newer policy j of producing films which have story J value, and not just star value,” said Mr Sayegh. “The stories have been | carefully selected, and the question of cost in production does not enter so much now as a factor in a quality film compared with the story behind it.” Well-known Artists. ' Some outstanding productions featuring such well-known stars as George Arliss. Katharine Hepburn. Ann Harding, Madeleine Carroll, Jan Kiepura, Janet Gavnor and Warner Baxter, have been booked to be screened in the State and Mayfair Theatres this year, according to Mr Sayegh. Gaumont-British productions for these two theatres include “ The Iron Duke,” which stars George Arliss as the Duke of Wellington, and two other films in which this famous actor will portray historical characters. Jan Kiepura, the singing star of “ Tell Me Tonight ” and “My Song for You,” will appear in “My Heart is Calling.” while Betty Balfour will be seen in “ Forever England.” a picture which has some remarkable scenes of the Royal Navy. Madeleine Carroll will | be the star of one of the biggest films of 1935—“ Mary, Queen of Scots.” Gau-mont-British will also produce Rudyard Kipling’s famous novel, “ Soldiers Three,” the cast for which has not yet been allotted. Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn will also appear in several productions, the first of which is “ Dirty Work.” Probably one of the biggest Fox productions for this year will be the 1935 edition of George White’s “ Scandals,” which will be produced with practically the same cast, but on a more lavish scale. Janet Gaynor and Warner Baxter, who co-starred so successfully in Daddy Long Legs ” and “ Paddy the Next Best Thing,” will be together again in the screen version of Robert Nathan’s delightful novel, “ One More Spring.” “ Music in the Air ” will feature Gloria Swanson and John Boles, while Shirley Temple, the child star of “ Baby Takes a Bow,” will appear in another charming picture called “ Bright Eyes.” More Thrillers. Fox will release another series of the popular Charlie Chan thrillers specially written for the screen by Earle Derr Diggers, with Warner Oland once again playing the part of Charlie, the Oriental detective. The first of these pictures to be shown in Christchurch will be " Charlie Chan in Paris.” Other Fox productions are a screen version of the well-known novel, “ Peck’s Bad Boy,” starring Jackie Cooper and Thomas Meighan, who returns to the screen; “ Gambling,” produced by Harold B. Franklin, and featuring the famous Broadway stage producer, George M. Cohan; “ The White Parade,” a story based on the lives of student nurses, and starring Loretta Young and John Boles; and a series of outdoor action pictures with the popular George O’Brien as the star. One of the brightest musical comedies of the year, “ The Gay Divorcee,” which has just completed a record season at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, will be released by 1 R.K.0.-Radio. It stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and has some fine musical numbers, including Cole Porter’s “ Night and Day.” Outstanding Productions. Two of RKO-Radio’s outstanding productions are “ The Little Minister,” starring Katharine Hepburn, and “ The Last Days of Pompeii,” Merian C. Cooper’s version of the famous novel by Bulwer Lytton. Also to be released are "Anne of Green Gables,” from the book by L. M. Montgomery; "The Rocks of Yalpre,” by Ethel M. Dell; Rider Haggard’s "She”; "Kentucky Kernels” with Wheeler and Woolsey; “ The Fountain.” from the great novel by Charles Morgan, starring Ann Harding and Brian Aherne; and “ Roberta ” which has been adapted by Otto Harbach and Jerome Kern from the novel by Alison Miller, and will star Irene Dunne. One of the finest musical pictures ever produced is first on the list from Columbia. It is “ One Night of Love,” starring Grace Moore, and features grand opera numbers which were enthusiastically applauded by a special preview audience at Auckland recently. The film has been recorded by a special process which gives full scope to Grace Moore's beautiful voice. “ Carnival,” a story by Robert Rishin, who wrote "It Happened One Night,” “ The Black ; Room Mystery ” with Boris Karloff, ; “ Lady Beware," and "The Girl Friend,” . a bright musical comedy featuring . Lupe Velez and Jack Haley, are in- . eluded in the list from Columbia. . " Broadway Bill ” starring Warner , Baxter and Myrna Loy, will be the t first of two Frank Capra productions, > while Jack Holt and Edmund Lowe i will appear in two unnamed attractions. Other artists who will appear in - Gaumont-British and Gainsborough, 1 and Fox productions to be screened in f Christchurch include Jessie Matthews. Jack Ilulbert, James Dunn and Sally - Filers, and Cicely Courtneidge. RKO- > Radio has William Powell, Miriam - Hopkins, Francis Ledcrer and Irene Dunne,