PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 21751, 20 June 1934, Page 13

PICTURE THEATRES

OCTAGON'S NEW PROGRAMME Probably one of the best double-fea-ture programmes that has been shown to Dunedin audiences commenced at the Octagon Theatre to-day. Eight persons, friends, enemies, lovers, trapped in a penthouse high above New York City, battle against a hidden and ruthless foe in the Columbia production. ‘ The Ninth Guest,’ the first attraction. The eight are invited guests to a mysterious party high atop a large down-town skyscraper. When assembled they are told by a voice over the radio that they are in rapid succession to meet death. Escape is impossible. The doors are electrified. The nearest help is forty stories below, on the street. Before the action of the picture is finished six of the eight guests have been murdered or driven to suicide. The glamorous Carole Lombard is starred in ‘ Brief Moment,’ the second feature, and with her is Gene Raymond, whose screen success has been little short' of sensational. Miss Lombard has a part to suit her peculiar type of acting abilities very well, and her performance is one of the best in her career. Enacted against a backrgound of Park avenue apartments, smart night clubs, and the luxurious life of tho idle rich, ‘ Brief Moment ’ provides fine entertainment. Women will find this new film, particularly appealingIt delves romantically into the strained matrimonial venture of a hard-working night-club singer and a wealthy ne’er-do-well. ‘ Brief Moment ’ is an adaptation of the piny of the same name which ran for several months last season in New York. Carole Lombard is starred in the role of Abby Fane, with Gene Raymond as Rodney Deane, the pampered playboy. Monroe Owsley has the role of “ Sig,” while Donald Cook, Florence Britton, and Arthur Hold are seen in other prominent roles. Briefly, it relates the story of Abby Fane, cabaret singer, who falls in love with and marries Rodney Deane, scion of great wealth and a dissipating idler. The latter persists in his worthless activities, to his wife’s disgust. It is reported that ‘ Brief Moment ’ stands out among the releases ns a brilliant modern entertainment. There is an attractive supporting programme.

EMPIRE Fifty beautiful chorus girls,' a cast which includes such popular screen players aS James Dunn, Lilian Roth, Cliff Edwards '(“ Ukulele Ike ”), June Knight, Charles (“Buddy”) Rogers, Lilian Bond, Dorothy Lee, and Lona Andre; a battery of song writers and lyricists, and expert direction combine to make 4 Take a Chance,’ the new musical extravaganza at the Empire Theatre, one of the delights of the current season. 4 Take a Chance ’ must not he classified as “ just another back-stage romance.” Its scenes range all the way from a carnival side show, through a lavishly-appointed gambling club, out to the homes of the socially elite on Long Island, and back to Broadway. Beautiful music, beautiful girls, outstanding work by the all-star cast, and a strong story full of thrills, laughter, and nonsense are carefully blended into a picture that is reported to be a pleasure, to sit through, not once, hut several times. The supports include a picture showing the arrival of Miss Jean Batten at Sydney, and there are also novelty numbers and a cartoon. ST. JAMES A number of well-known radio artists, as well as a particularly strong cast, appear in ‘ On the Air,’ the picture at the St. James Theatre to-mor-row. Roy Fox and his band, known to many wireless enthusiasts in the British Empire, also give _ a fine performance. The production is essentially a series of individual items by talented players, and Herbert Smith, the producer, has enhanced his excellent reputation by weaving a slight story throughout, • which links up the acts. The introduction commences with Roy Fox and his hand at Broadcasting House. Two popular artists, Dave Burnaby and Reginald Purdell, are starting on a holiday. They arrive at a country inn, where Betty Astell is file barmaid.. They are recognised as the' two celebrated players and asked to give items at the village concei t. It is an extremely well-balanced picture, which caters for a wide diversity of tastes. The production is technically excellent, for while the settings are artistic and convincing, the photography is beautifully clear and the recording as good as in any picture that lias come from British studios. The supporting programme includes ‘Tambi,’ an excellent picture of a journey of 2,000 miles through equatorial Africa.

GRAND The film ‘ Romantic New Zealand,’ which will conclude at the Grand on Thursday, alter a rery successful season, has a dramatic opening depicting the early Polynesian voyagers obtaining their first sight of the long white cloud stretching along the dim ocean_ horizon. This is followed hy the coining of Captain Cook's Endeavour, the historic vessel being shown sailing along the wild uncharted coastline of New Zealand. Then in rapid sequence the full pageant of the dominion’s life and history is brought to life. Pioneering, whaling, goldsecking, the romance ol

rail and road building, and a thousand and one picturesque items appear in the full beauty of colour, sound, and bright descriptive talk. The colour photography of this picture is of exceptional artistic merit, and gives it the hall mark of excellence. The conclusion is reached to the accompaniment of the plaintive song of farewell of the Maoris, sung by a Native choir. Throughout the screening a running commentary is provided which makes the picture all the moi'e enjoyable. There is an excellent programme of short pictures in support of ‘ Romantic Now Zealand.’

STATE Beautiful Dolores Del Rio enacts the most thrilling romance ever experienced by a girl in ‘ Flying Down to Rio,’ at tiie State. Loved by two handsome screen heroes. Gene Raymond as an American and Raul Roulien as a LatinAmerican, she is first virtually kidnapped by Raymond, who soars aloit with her in his “flying piano,” and woos her with original compositions. Later she is spirited aloft by Roulien. but Raymond gets aboard the same plane, and in the climax Roulien is bested at love, and Dolores and Raymond are married far above the clouds by the plane’s pilot. The lyrics in the extravaganza are credited to Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn, two of America’s most noted lyricists. Eliscu wrote the words for such late hits as ‘ Without a Song,’ and for Ruth Etting’s popular new number, ‘ W© Couldn’t Do Better Than That.’ Among Kahn’s hits arc ‘ I Wish I Had a Girl ’ and ‘ Guilty.’ The ships, with some 105 girls strapped to wings, struts, and braces, soar through thd air over beautiful Rio de Janeiro ill the production’s spectacular climax. ..Other girls perform dances on the wings, making the production the first musical show, ever staged in midair.

RESENT Tlie goggle-eyed Eddie Cantor’s fourth annual musical-comedy spectacle, 4 Roman Scandals.’ continues on its popular way at the Regent. In this picture Eddie gets into every kind of scrape that .ravishingly beautiful girls and the gorgeous barbarism of the Romans., under the Eipperor .Valerius can suggest. The comedian has that happy knack of getting off . really original 44 gags ” in the most humorous manner possible. 4 Roman Scandals ’ is a pageant of splendour, comedy, sophistication, thrills, and excitement, and, above all, is the effervescence of Eddie Cantor. Pretty girls there are in plenty, and in their garlands of flowers and glittering costumes they make a pleasing sight as they strut in a martial dance in the slave market. Eddie Cantor sings three songs, 4 Keep Young and Beautiful,’ 4 Build a Little Home,’ and 4 Tax on Love.’ The picture is one long laugh, and no other film of recent times has equalled it. Walt Disney’s latest Silly Svmphony in colour,. 4 The China Shop.’ heads a - first-class supporting programme. STRAND . The story'of 4 Tlib Bombay Mail,’ the attraction at the, Strand, will afford the fullest gratification to the patron who eiijbys the thrills of mystery and intrigue. A luxurious express train, roaring its, way, between Calcutta and Bombay, provides the ‘Unique, if restricted, setting for the plot. The problem of exposing the perpetrator is none the less easier because of this fact,, for adequate incentives are shown to exist in the case of several of those involved. A .’fascinating girl, who has difficulty in establishing Jier b.oua tides, an American' iff possession of valuable rubies, a revolutionist who had', been expelled bv the murdered governor, and a Eurasian of dishonest principle along with his equally rascally, henchman, form the company from which Edmond ’Lowe, in the character of Inspector Dyke, has to pick his culprit as the express rushes on its way. KING EDWARD Ann Harding and Leslie Howard are again co-starred, this time in 4 The Woman in His House,’ which will commence to-day at the King Edward Theatre. It presents a searching study of modern life. It shows, with almost clinical insight, that men’s mistresses do not necessarily live out of wedlock—that many of them arc those who preen themselves under the title of 44 respectable' wife.” Miss Harding plays the mistress who turns out really to deserve the name ,of wife. Leslie Howard is, of course, the husband. Myrna Loy plays the seductive wife. Others in the cast are Neil Hamilton, Henry Stephenson, Leni Stengel, and Donald Dilloway. Edward H. Griffith has directed ; The Animal Kingdom ’ irom the script by Horace Jackson. The picture has been beautifully staged, and, with four beautiful women in the cast and the background one of culture and wealth, the gowns are something to enthuse about. There will be a good supporting programme.