NEW STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Age, 10 August 1935, Page 5

NEW STATE THEATRE

BRIGHT & ATTRACTIVE HOME OF ENTERTAINMENT. OPENING ON FRIDAY NEXT. NOTABLE LIST OF FILMS TO BE SHOWN. “The policy Amalgamated Theatres are going to adopt in the case of the Slate Theatre is that of a popular house screening exceptionally high grade films," stated Mr. Michael Sayegh r Business Manager for Amalgamated Theatres Ltd., in the course of an interview yesterday. “The company" added Mr. Sayegh, “have contracted with the five leading film, services for their supplies and -the public of Masterton and districts can rest assured that only shows of particular merit will be screened. rT

Mr. Sayegh stated that the new State Theatre would be opened next Friday, the premier attraction being the “Little Colonel," starring Shirley Temple. There will be a matinee at 2.15 p.m., but the grand gala opening will take place at the evening session, commencing at 8 o’clock. During the past four months, Mr. Sayegh said that he had opened' six new theatres on behalf of the company and during that time he had seen practically all the modern theatres in the Dominion. The new State Theatre at Masterton, however, was about the most attractive he had seen. He was particularly impressed with the circular foyer outlined in scagliola. In the centre of the foyer the first thing that attracted the eye was the illuminated fountain. The base of each tier was enclosed in coloured glass and cleverly hidden lights gave the required colour effects. The theatre followed on the one floor principle so. popular in America and England. The floor was designed on the parabolic principle giving a maximum of undisturbed vision from every seat. Originally the theatre was designed -to provide a seating capacity of 1000, but later it was decided, in order to give increased comforts and convenience for patrons, to reduce the seating capacity, which would now be just over 800.

COMING ATTRACTIONS. Referring to the policy of the company with regard to the screening of pictures at the State Theatre, Mr. Sayegh stated that only exceptionally high grade films would be shown. Amalgamated Theatres Ltd., had contracted with the following five leading film services for their supplies: Fox Films, with which 20th Century were now incorporated, R.K.O, Radio Pictures, Columbia, Pictures, Gaumont British Pictures and Gainsborough, and British Dominion Films productions. According te Mr. Sayegh, in the aggregate films contracted for by the company run into about £300,000. The entire releases by the film services mentioned would be at the disposal of Amalgamated Theatres. The immediate attraction at the State Theatre would be the ’ ’ Little Colonel, ’ ’ featuring Shirley Temple,-the biggest draw card of the year. Other pictures, all top-liners, which would follow in sequence would be as follow: “Roberta,” a great musical fashion extravaganza de luxe, with Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; “Under the Pampas Moon,” with Warner Baxter and Ketti Gallian in the stellar roles; the R.K.O. picture, “Ann of Green Gables,” starring Ann Shirley; the first gentleman of the screen, George Arliss in “The Iron Duke”; “Brewster’s Millions,” with Jack Buchanan as the head-liner; “My Heart is Calling,” a Jan Kiepura vehicle; Katherine Hepburn in the “Little Minister”; Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn in “Fighting Stock”; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the premier dance team of the world in “Gay Divorcee,’’; Grace Moore in the big Columbia special, "One Night of Love”; Frank Capra’s “Broadway Bill,” starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy; Shirley Temple and James Dunn in “Bright Eyes"; William Powell and Ginger Rogers in "Star of Midnight,” a super detective thriller; “Charlie Chan in Paris,” with Warner Oland; Clive Brook and Madeleine Carroll in the Gaumont-British production, "The Dictator”; Janet Gaynor in "One More Spring.” Special feature attractions, the actual screening dates of which had as yet not been fixed would, stated Mr. Sayegh, include the glorious full-length technicolour R.K.O. picture "Becky Sharp,” which took four years in the making. The technicolour in this picture is said far to surpass anything of a similar kind hitherto seen on the screen. "Our Little Girl,” starring Shirley Temple, which is at present screening to record houses in Auckland; "D’ye ken John Peel,” featuring John Garrick and Winifred Shotter; "Ten Minute Alibi” with Philips Holmes and Aline Marson in the stellar roles; "The Last Days of Pompeii”; "The Rocks of-Valpre”; "Mary Queen of Scots,” with Madeleine Carroll and "Soldiers Three,” after Rudyard Kipling’s famous novel.

HISTORY OF COMPANY. With the official opening of the State Theatre in Ma.sterton next Friday, observed Mr. Sayegh, the company would be unfurling its banner for the 67th time, in its relatively short history. In his opinion no other company in New Zealand to-day had experienced such a meteororic rise as Amalgamated Theatres. He would definitely say that no other company had contributed so much towards the relief of unemployment in the Dominion as Amalgamated Theatres. The company had really only been in existence for 15 years, but its relative growth had been so great that in the last four months alone Mr. Sayegh had personally opened six new theatres, two in Christchurch, one in New Plymouth, two in Auckland, one in Wellington, and the opening next Friday of the State theatre in Masterton would bring the total to seven in four months. During the last three years the company had opened about 10 theatres a year and at the present time had several theatres in the course of construction. Outside of the sixtyseven theatres directly controlled by the company, eight others were indirectly affiliated, so that with two in the course of construction, the sixty-seven on hand and the eight indirectly controlled, the company was associated with 77 picture theatres. It was because of this huge chain of theatres that the company had been able to secure such an excellent supply of films.

PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT. The policy of the company which was rigidly adhered to, was wherever possible, to purchase equipment and other necessary materials locally and where a theatre was. opened it was its policy

to buy as much as was possible locally. The whole of the profits accruing from the operations of the company were kept within the Dominion. The profits had not been allowed to accrue to any degree, but had been used in the financing of new theatres, and thus assisting materially in reducing unemployment in New Zealand. The company was responsible for the direct employment of 1100 people, while in addition some 900 were indirectly earning their livelihood as a result of its operations. Last year the capital value of the land, buildings and equipment of the new theatres opened by the company was estimated at £250,000. The governing director of Amalgamated Theatres, stated Mr. Sayegh, was Mr. Michael Moodabe, and the managing director his brother, Mr. Joseph Moodabe. Mr. R. H. Allen was the general secretary and Mr. R. A. Keenan was New Zealand Screen advertising manager. 'The screen advertising section of the company was th© biggest concern of its kind in Australasia. Mr. Sayegh expressed appreciation of the work of the joint architects responsible for the design of the State Theatre, Messrs G. E. Tole (Auckland) and F. E. Daniell (Masterton). He also referred with pleasure to the manner in which the contractors, Messrs C. E. Daniell Ltd., had interpreted the achiteets' drawings of the buildings.