ENTERTAINMENTS.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1339, 9 January 1923, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

" THE SON OF WALLINGFORD." Heralded as one of the season's big attractions, "The Son of Wallingford" heads the bill at tbe Empire on. Thursday. A story of human interest and spectacular scenes, the latest of the " Get-R'ich-Quick Wallingfo'rcl " series made popular by Mr and Mrs George Randolph Chester presents the son of J Rufus as the hero, and he is surely a chip of the old block. .However, he has paugs of conscience, for he tries to make a fortune honestly and at the same time prevent his father from carrying out a scheme of crookedness. Wallingfortl, internationally famous, stages a big pageant to launch a fake building boom in the town where his son is drilling for oil and the heart of a girl. One of the most exciting scenes ever filmed shows the hero and the heroine in a boat'on a lake of burning oil from which escape seems impossible. The sixth round of " The Leather Pushers " is of considerable interest; these short stories are very much appreciated by all sections of picture patrons - THE FAMOUS DIGGERS." ' I There is no doubt about the popular- | icy of the real girl show which the I Famous Diggers management has pre- I pared for its Te Awamutu audience J to-morrow night. When an advertise- j menl was published for chorus girls there were 178 applications from the North Island alone, and from these the j Diggers picked six lovely ballet girls j who are now known as " the superb j six." Already they have danced their way into popularity. Superbly dressed and sumptuously mounted, the show, with its tein beautiful girls, takes quite a different aspect from,. that which it had when its warrior performers first returned from France. It is of course i a far more delectable show, and the experience gained during the past three years has stood the management in good stead. Of the comedy, one may say that the best sketches and satires of the latest London and American shows are packed into the two and a half hours' programme, interspersed, of course, with the very latest from song-land. Miss Claire Gooley, who is French, nevertheless sings her songs in delightful English, and she has been described in Australia as ''the Gladys Moncrieff of revue." It is seldom given to the lot of New Zealanders to hear two such fine comedians on one bill as Messrs Joe Valli and Jimmy Norton. Eily Dalgleish is a glad little person who dispenses cheers whenever she is on the stage. Gus Dawson, who has produced all the ballets o fthe show, has found wonderful material for his own songs and dances. Stan Lawson who 1 has received a fine offer from America, is soing to remain a few months longer with the Diggers, and will he I seen in both man and girl parts. i Claude Bell is sure to be a great fav- ! ourite; his voice is as clear and resonant as his name. Other members of the companv are Lois Brierly, Zelda Bayly, Connie Middleton, Diana Tabor, ! Leah Wilson, and Sheila Barrow. The Diggers' orchestra will as usual he a I feature of the show. KOKO ISLAND. I VISIT OF SCOUT ENTERTAINERS, j The visit of the First St. Michael's ! Troop of Boy Scouts, of Christchurch. j to Te Awamutu yesterday did much to further the interest in the Boy Scout i movement. The troop conceived the I bappy idea of foregoing their annual i camp and substituting it with a tour ! of the North Island under the name | of "The Fun and Frolic Players," and ! in each town visited presented a farj cical revue entitled "Koko Island." to defray expenses. Headed by their Bugle Band, and banner bearers, the boys paraded the streets in the afternoon and created a good impression by their smart appearance. In the evening the Town Hall was packed to witness the performance of ''Koko Island," and the audience showed apj preciation of the boys' efforts throughout by unstinted applause. The production reflects credit for those responsible for the training of the entertainers, while the scenery, painted by two of the Scouts, was of a very high order, and displayed the hand of a real artist. The storm scene in the second acts deserves special mention, the effects and lighting making the storm very realistic. Catchy choruses, war dances, witty dialogues and songs were interspersed throughout the revue, which held the interest of the audience from rise to fall of the curtain. The troop was under the leadership of Scoutmaster A. Froggatt.