ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 245, 10 July 1920, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS

. 4 "THREE GREEN EYE'S." "Three Green Eyes," the Maurice Tanguay production screened at the King's Theatre lust night before a large audience, is one of those rare screen stories, which show that there are oc-. casions when love swerves at the crossroads, and gets side-tracked. The young lady in tho case, prettily impersonated by Miss June Elvidge, love; a handsome but impecunious architect. Her motherone of those tcrribio American mothers— insists on her daughter marrying dollars, in the person of a wealthy miller. Tho young lovers have been accustomed to leave their letters to each other under a bronze statuette of the Venue! de Milo. On a fateful day tho architect, in ridingi home, b struck off his horse by the overhanging branch of a tree, and is laid aside with concussion for a few weeks. Consequently lie does not receive his sweetheart's letter telling him to follow her and her mother to the city, and prevent the inarringe she is being forced into. While the architect is lving ill, the mother's scheme takes offect. Two years later the wealthy husband wishes to enlarge his residence, and engages the architect to do the work. Thero are recriminations between the old-time lovers, she accusing him of not having followed her according to the letter. They are about to lift the statuette to imd the letter when the jealous husband appears, and is at once made suspicious by their embarrassment. . Finally the architect obtains tho letters, and some pretty play takes place between him and the anxious wife s Bin friend, who wishes to destroy it. This young lady, in her effort to secure the fateful missive compromises herself, and tho architect, after destroying the billet donx, submits to fate by accepting the hand and heart of this very charming girl. Tho picture has some broad comedy touches' which caused very hearty brighter. During the evening Miss Eileen Driscoll sang "Sing, Joy o } lß Bird," "Down Vauxhall Way" and "The Cuckoo," and amongst some* excellent musio the King's Orchestra played Friedmann's "Slavonic Rhnpsodle, "Three Green Eyes" will be shown-again this afternoon and evening. THE EMPRESS. The impassable barrier between East and West, is the main theme in "Hie Birthright," the principal attraction on the new programme shown at the Empress Theatre yesterday. Throughout the day all sessions wore the picture making a distinct "hit" with the audiences. "His Birthright," which features Scssue Hayakawa, is a story of a Japanese youth with a legacy of hatred against tho father who hud deserted his mother. Tho production is remarkable for beautiful scenes and photography, the Japanese settings being very fascinating. The mother commits harakari and the son determines to kill his father. He goe9 to America and steals an important document from his father, now an admiral. After exciting incidents the admiral, who knows the youth to be his son, tells him he loved l»fl mother and did not return to her beoause he could, not find her. In his rightful position- as the admiral's son, Hayakawa determines to join the army and" fight for the cause in which the United States and Japan are united. The supporting films include the third episode of the serial "Liberty," under the ! heading "Life and Death".and Mi exceptionally pretty coloured scenic film photographed in France. EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. Lovers of melodrama drank- their fill at Everybody's Theatre last evening during tho screening of "The Man They Could Not Hang." Tho picture headed the new bill, and it attracted considerable interest on account of its sensationalism and realism. It tells tho story of John Lee, who was known all over the world as the man the English prison authorities could not hang. Every newspaper in tho world published tho interesting facts concerning the failure of tho attempts to hang Lee. Throo times ho was placed on the scaffold and on each occasion tho gruesome Instrument of death failed to act. Leo's sentence waa then commuted to penal servitude for life, but after having served 23 years in prison for tho crime of another he was pardoned and released. The melodramatic possibilities of tho stary are done'ample justice to in the ulm, the whole forming ono of the most remarkable life stories ever screened. During the screening of "Tho Man They Could Not Hang," Mr. Frederick Haldane,' an eminent English actor-orator, delivered a lecture, which proved very acceptable to the audience The supporting films included the first episode of a gripping serial, "The Mystery of '13,'" of which Francis Ford and beautiful Rosemary Thoby are seen to distinct advantage. MISS RENE GOYDER'S RECITAL. Miss Rene Goyder, the young Wellington contralto, is to give a recital at the Concert Chamber this evening. In the course of a programme of quality, Miss Goyder will sing Goring Thomas's "A Summer Night," "Softly Awakes My Heart" ■ (aria from "Samson and Delilah"), Landfill- Ronald's "O Lovely Night," and Sanderson's "All Joy Be Thine.' Miss Goyder will bo assisted by those charming boy sopranos, Masters John and Cecil Wattere, who sing Irish and other ballads go delightfully. John Witters is to sing "Rich and Rare Were the Gems: She Wore," and together the Hffß Vvill sing tho duet "Charity.'" Others who will contribute are Mr. Reg. Blow, Mr. Cecil Snmllbone, Mr. Harold Whittle, and Miss Dorothy Talbot. The plans are at the Bristol. "MOTHER HUBBARD." Messrs. J. and N. Tait and Bailey and Grant are to present their 1920 pantomime at the Grand Opera 'Houso on Wednesday, July 21. Tho production has had a ihost successful run in Australia this year, doubtless because of the excellont cast of comedians and dancers, and the various specialty acts presented. The combined managements 6et out to make "Mother Hubbard" a real pantomime, and to this end secured tho services of 6ome of the leading pantomimists iu the world. Barry Lupino is already favourably known to audiences on .this side. Ho makes a. first appearance as the Dame, and his skirts do not ham?er in any way his acrobatic abilities, ack Cannot is an able assistant to tho Dame as her "husband," and while the two comedians are on the stage tho fnn never lags. Moon and Morris (the clever simultaneous dancers), the Creightons (acrobatic jugglers), and William A. Hassan (as the Bulldog) are always capable of producing merriment. Dorothy Leigh, the principal boy, is reputed to possess a fine voice, while Daisy Yates is n, dainty principal girl, with many dancing numbers. Elsio Parkes is the premiere danseuss, and is joined in her various numbers by Kelso Henderson. The stage settings are said to be up to the usual J. .and N. Tait standard, and the entire production will come to New Zealand. Box plana open at the Bristol on Monday week, July 19. ORGAN RECITAL. The programme for the weeklv organ recital to be given at the Town Hall tonight by Mr. Bernard F. Page (city ; orgaaist) is as follows:—Concerto in F '' Mat (William Felton. 1713-1769); Hugo Anson's "Pensee (MSS)j Gouvy's "Serenade" (No. 5); Good Fridav music (from Act III). "Parsifal," by Wagner; "Rhapsodic"' (No. 1), Op. 7, Saint-Saens; Knrg-Elorfs "Harmonies du Soir"; and "Choral" (No. 2 in B minor), by Cesar : Franck (1822-90). ; Mias Stella- Carow, a, Melbourne so- ! prano, who is to head a concert company j that is being formed by Mr. John Hopkins, arrived from Melbourne by the Wstralia yesterday en route to Auckland. Signor Lucien Cesaroni, of Wellington, will also bo a member of the ( company.