PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 20057, 24 December 1928, Page 6

PICTURE THEATRES

BEQENT _ .Vaudeville one! pictures are blended in delightful proportions at the Regent Theatre this week, where the puiitominio, ‘ Dick Whittington and His Cat,’ and ‘tho. .latest mirth-pro-voker by Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton form the chief attractions. The well-known and popular, 'pantomime, ‘ Dick Whittington and His Cat,’ which has been specially condensed and produced by Ed. ■ Warrington (who takes the part of the dame), should find speciijT favour with children. The whole show is elaborately staged, and the principal characters perform their parts judiciously and with _ decided verve. Comedy, song, dancing, and music are mingled in appealing fashion in this successful little play. Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton . are stilll gaining in popularity as a comedy team, >nd' their latest effort wins them many new admirers. Californit lulls and canyons, near Hollywold, furnishe the background for their new melodramatic comedy o’ mountaineer life, ‘ The Bik Killing.’ liu selecting tho exteriors care was taken to choose scenery similar to that of’the mountain locale portrayed. The log cabin homes of tho warning fainlies'were constructed with great attention to detail, and arc said to be perf°ct reproductions of homes in the section of the inauntainous United States in which the picture is laid, T he story denis with an interfainily feud in 4 this backwoods section, a love-affair which is its cause, and a pair of circus performers, posing as sharpshoters, who are its cure. Good supports are -also included on the bill, while tho orchestra plays a big part in bnhnncing tho enjoyment of the evening with a. good selection of music. EMPIRE ' ■ Johnnie Hines is considered to have the best role of his career in ‘Chinatown Charlie,’ the premier attraction at the Empire Theatre. In this new inctnre Johnny Hines is a guide on a sightseeing bus conducting a tour of New York’s Chinatown, the Lower East Side, and the Bowery, stoppinig at the Old Bowery Mission, the famous Waxworks. aiid other placesof interest during..the secpiences, which arc said to he filled with fast and hilarious action, 'A splendid east supports the star in this film, which is an adaptation from the famous melocomic extravaganza by Owhn Davis. ‘Code of the Scarlet,’ with the popular outdoor actor Ken Maynard, is the second main feature. The story is one of the Royal ■ North-west Mounted I’olico. with the locale laid in the Canadian North-west. The theme is very human, and yet has the swing of an historic epic in showing the effort and hardships endured by this body of men in maintaining law and order n the vast stretch of land under their jnris- ■ diction. It deals with the protection offered the settlers in heir new home; the gradual removal of the Indians farther north, foiowinig the invasion of the white men; thet rappers, and the aw’s efforts to protect them from thieves. An additional atrnction is provided with the appearance of Mnnel Hyman, the dancing violinist, who is scoring a remarkable success nightly. OCTAGON Lon Chaney provides further evidence of his amazing versatility in ‘ The Big City,’ which is now drawing capacity houses to the Octagon Theatre. ]t affords the celebrated star an opportunity of proving his undoubted.,wprth in the dramatic fields. .A glimpse into the “ invisible city ’’ that apparently exists in every big American city, the strange manifestation of social life known as the “underworld” is provided in this graphic and enthralling production. Chaney again gives a masterful demonstration of his amazing versatility in playing the role of a rather unorthodox detective. Hie story, ’which has a charming romance in the background, abounds with thrilling moments and mysterious happenings, and intrigued the audience vastly. , Marceline Day, in the role of the little shopgirls enmeshed in an underworld of intrigue, gives a most appealing delineation. James Murray, us the younger gangster who attains regeneration through her love, plays a difficult role with a well-balanced sense of artistry Betty Compson, Matthew Betz, Virginia Pearson, and many other'notable personalities are included in an exceptionally strong cast. . lod Browning,’ who Was responsible for sevoral - of tho star’s ■ previous successes, directed the production from his own script. Several other pictorial attractions are • included in a strong programme. The Octagon Orchestra, under M. De Rose, is in excellent form, and its playing constitutes an attractive feature of the entertainment. STRAND One of the most popular photo-plays screened at the Strand Theatre lor 3iiany months is Mary 1 ickiord s Mj Best Girl.’ This is the kind of picture that only Mary P.iekford could make, combining the tenderness of a moving love* story with the rollicking joyous- ' iic&s that made her the “ world’s sweet- \ lie ‘*My Best Girl ’ is a perfectly simple story adapted from a novel by Kathleen Norris. Its theme is by no means new, but somehow these old situations never quite lose their fascination. Mary, / the stock girl in the Mernl lu-ceiit ' store;, finds that she has to work in company with Joe Grant, a young man making his first appearance in com- ‘ merce. Joe, of course, is really the son of old man Merril, and he is in the > store !for the purpose of proving that he can win advancement for Jnmselt without the aid of paternal influence. Time goes on, and Joe begins to see that" Mary has qualities lacking in the society girl his mother .has chosen for his bride. The climax comes when the parents propose to give a dinner party at which the desired engagement is to J be announced. . Joe, .however, decides I to have'a little unanticipated celebration- of bis own. The part of Joe Grarit’is attractively played by Charles Rogers., and Hobart, Bosworth is a complete success as an American father. Lucieno Littlefield, Maggie’s father, can be described as a “ character a species of Bairnsfather’s Old Bill. He contributes.... a goodly share of the '' comedy. Excellent supporting films are m- - eluded on .the bill, while an item of distinct musicM interest is a violin solo,* ‘ Canzonetta, played by Miss Mario Ravel, who introduces all the necessary qualities for a successful rendering. Another enjoyable feature of tho bill is the music played by the Strand Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Mr L. D Austin. EVERYBODY’S ‘ Hangman’s House,’ Fox Films version of Donn Byrne’s great novel, made under, tho direction of John Ford, is the big pictorial attraction at thes’Everybody’s Theatre, and is-scor-in->- a tremendous hit with patrons and critics of tin's city. Victor M‘Lagien repeats ■■ his histrionic triumphs of ‘ What? Price Glory,’ ‘ A Girl in Every Port,’, and 1 ‘Mother ■ Machree;’ In fact, Jyj surpasses the roles that made

him famous, with his characterisation at Citizen Hogan, the avenging soldier of the Foreign Legion, in this gripping romance of Ireland. But M‘Laglan is not the only actor in this production, June Col Iyer, Larry Kent, Earle Foxe, Hobart Bosworth, among others of this veritable; all-star cast, give performances that ‘lielp to make this production one of the outstanding screen entertainments of the present season. Ford has perhaps never reached the heights of direction which lie achieves in this production, even though his ‘ Iroi Horse;’ ‘Three Bad Men,’ and ‘ Mother Machree ’ are remembered;. For it was this young genius who directed them all. But in ‘Hangman’s House ’ ho has a production that, in tho opinion of many, surpasses all his previous efforts. Decidedly a picture no one should miss. The second attraction is ‘ The Heart of Maryland,’ tiie picturisation of David Belasco’s great Civil War melodrama. Dolores Costello lias the featured role in this production, and is said to give her best performance to date. The supporting cast is splendid, and includes many well-known screen artists. GRAND AND PLAZA A holiday programme of special interest is being screened at the Grand and Plaza Theatres. The ‘outstanding attraction is ‘ Lone Hand Saunders,’ featuring .the popular Western star, Kml. Thomson. He plays the part of a ranch owner, whose past life is a .mystery. A characteristic of the ranchman, Saunders, is that he always keeps his rigid, hand in his pocket, using his left hand for everything. He helriends a crippled hoy and places him under the care of Alice Mills, the assistant matron at the town orphanage. Shortly afterwards several holdups occur, and it is said that a man answering to Saunders’s description has been concerned in the robberies. The town is infuriated, and the sheriff, through a friend of Saunders’s, mathers a posse, hoping all the time that his friend is not the culprit. Meanwhile, Buddy’s condition becomes critical, and Saunders goes to town. It transpires that he has been a doctor, and ho is determined to save the life of his little friend. With the aid of Alice he commences to operate on the boy, and when the posse arrives lie ;icrsuadcs the .sheriff' to wait until he has completed the operation. When it is oicr Saunders, assisted by Alice, traps the real bandit into a confession, and a satisfactory conclusion is arrived at. ‘ More Pay, Less Work ’ is the other film. It is one of Peter B. Kync’s famous “Gappy Ricks” stories, and tells of "that funny little man’s last partnership and his daughter’s love tor his greatest rival. The principal roles are filled by Mary Brian and Buddy Rogers. KING EDWARD Amateur vaudeville trials and a film entitled ‘Hard Boiled Haggert ’ comprise the bill to he presented at the King Edward Theatre to-night. In the vaudeville trials artists possessing talent of all varieties are to be seen in action this evening, the performance beginning at 9 o’clock. The pictorial attraction is ‘Hard Boiled Haggerty,’ which is a story of thrills and laughter, of "the life of a wartime aviator. Milton Sills is_ the star, ’this picture provides a unique characterisation for Sills. Grim, relentless, and heroic “ ace ” in sky battle above the German lines, he goes back to Paris to celebrate each victory. And in Paris—what a difference environment makes! It is behind the linos in the colourful, war-frenzied city of joy that Sills practsics “ unbecoming conduct.” He is pranksome and humorously insubordinate, and gets into no end of trouble,'until he meets romance in the ■ person of, a mysterious French girl. slolJy O’Day enacts the leading feminine role.