THE NEW PROGRAMMES

Evening Star, Issue 22442, 12 September 1936, Page 20

THE NEW PROGRAMMES

SHAKESPEAREAN FANTASY •MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM « FOR HIS MAJESTY'S Shakespeare, with a splendour and faithfulness which has never _ before been possible: Shakespeare, with not one line of the test altered! Nearly three • and a-half centuries after he wrote his famous fantasy, ' A Midsummer Night's Dream,' to be commenced! at His Majesty's Theatre on Wednesday, the ' greatest _ dramatist comes into his o,wn. Science, art, the storied culture of centauries,., and finally the stage supplied Professor Max Reinhardt, the famous Continental producer, with the means to interpret this wholly _ delightful play, packed with whimsical and human emotion for mankind through Warner Bros., who spent over £250,000 upon it. Giving freest rein to his astounding and creative imagination and sense of humour, Shakespeare baffled the stage and the finest actors, the Alleyns and the Garricks, the Irvings and the Holloways, for the size of any theatre' severely restricted both directors andl actors. But with all the world for his stage, and not confined by physical dimensions, Reinhardt's genius for the superlative in presenting the immortal playwright has achieved alike the incredible -and the impossible in his films. Distinguished people who have had the privilege of seeing the film and are intellectually in a position to. sing either its anthems or its anathema, are universal in unanimous praise of its general excellence and the happy assignment of the roles. There is an excellent cast of players,- including James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell, Jean Muir, and Anita Louise. 4 STIRRING MELODRAMA 'RIFF-RAFF' AT ST. JAMES High-class entertainment which caters for a wide diversity of tastes is presented in the programme which commenced a season at the St. James Theatre yesterday. The main film, on the programme is ' Riff-Raff,' a stirring melodrama of waterfront life on the Pacific Coast. Thig is a down-to-earth drama of vital Iniman emotion in a setting as robust as it is new. ' Riff-Raff' is the story of two workers in the tuna fishing industry—elemental, vital, earthly people. They live and work on the- waterfront, and that is their world. What they lack in book education they mak.e up in wisdom taught in the world's greatest school—the streets. The girl, Hattie, is the belle of the waterfront, a " wise-cracking," hardtalking, soft-hearted, vital girl, who has her own strict standard of morals and her own unique method of retaining them. This is the role enacted by Jean Harlow, who is seen. as a " brownette " for the first time. She has previously been seen as a striking platinum blonde, but the transition has in no way impaired her ability to enact the warmly-human type of role at which she excels. Spencer Tracy's part is that of Dutch Miller, _a bombastic, egotistical fellow, who thinks he can become the political saviour of his fellow-workiUs, but realises in the end that he is only the best fisherman on the Coast. Hattie and Dutch fall in love, and when they fall in love the fireworks begin. Hattie, knowing intuitively that it would make Dutch completely impossible, has to conceal from him the fact that she is blindly, dumbly, madly in love with him. She masks this adoration by fighting with him every time she feels herself " going soft." They have a romance as unusual as it is elementally sincere. Every scene

which begins in a fight ends with a sincere, if embarrassed, demonstration of affection.

This. is not a society drama, not polite badinage of the drawing room. It.is a love story without a word of love, a romance as savagelv elemental as the environment in which it takes place. The emotional depth which Harlow demonstrated in ' China Seas ' has even greater outlet in this new picture, Tracy, one of .the best actors on the screen, plays_ this difficult part magnificently, especially in the mo 4 ments in which he faces ridicule and failure. His performance is one of redblooded intensity, being one; of the greatest of his career. Joseph Calleia, who will be remembered for his distinguished acting in ' Exclusive Story' and 'Public Hero No. I,' shows his versatility by giving a clever and amusing sketch of a Greek cannery owner. The atmosphere contributes to the general vitality of the picture. The teeming waterfront, the grubby tenements, and the bare buildings and workshops are all so faithfully reproduced that, the result is a realistic background against which the characters move naturally, with the air of belonging completely to the scene. ' Riff-Raff ' is a, picture that definitely should not be missed. A Metrotone newsreel includes striking pictures of the Herzogin Cecile aground on the Devon coast, and is followed bv an hilarious Charlie Chase comedy 'Vamp Till Ready.' TheseChase comedies are invariably bright and clever, and this is one of the smartest. The programme will be shown tonight and during next week, •ROBERTA' RETURNS MUSICAL SUCCESS AT OCTAGON Two pictures that established themselves as definite successes with Dunedin audiences when shown here previously deservedly merit their return to the Octagon, where they opened a season yesterday. They are ' Roberta,' that exceptional musical production, and ' Murder on a Honeymoon,' a mystery film of unusual merit. 'Roberta' is in one respect, although largely from the point of view of womenfolk, a fashion cocktail in celluloid and sound 1 , with Fred. Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the pair with the amazing dancing feet, supplying the pep, and Irene Dunne and others the softer ingredients. Together they make a delightful confection with qualities calculated to please all tastes. The story tells of an American football pla3'er who inherits from his adorable old Aunt Minnie the very fashionable " Roberta " gown salon in Paris, to which the best people go. In this situation there is ample room for some good comedy, and the one-time football player and his bosom friend, the leader of an orchestra, exploit the possibilities thus presented very well indeed. In the salon is Stephanie, really a Russian countess, and with Aunt Minnie's nephew she provides the romantic touch so necessary in a musical romance. As much of the action takes place in the salon there is every excuse for a lavish display of the latest in feminine attire, and such is the display that there is every justification for feminine envy. Fast, neat, graceful dancing is expected of Fred. Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and they Jive up to their high reputation. Irene Dunne, as Stephanie, has an excellent role, and her soft, beautiful singing voice is heard at its best. Edna May Oliver and James Gleason, that inimitable screen team, mix hilarious comedy with tense melodrama while solving the answer to R.K.0.-Radio's latest mystery thriller. ' Murder on a Honeymoon.' Miss Oliver pla3*s an angular, snoopy schoolmarm of the 1890 vintage who is suspicious that every death is a murder, while Mr Gleason portrays a fast-talking, but rather obtuse, police ' Murder on a Honeymoon ' is a rapid-action mystery melodrama played out against the beautiful background l of the blue Pacific and lovelv Catalina Island. The mystery of who killed a man in a seaplane flying between Los Angeles and Catalina is solved by Miss Oliver and Gleason in a series of laugh-provoking episodes that alternate thrills _ and chills with the comedy. The solution of the crime comes in a surprise denouement. And before the final scene every

passenger in the death plane has been caught in th web of suspicion, even the officious Miss Oliver. She had given the dead man a whiff of smelling salts. Another passenger had given him a drink, another had preferred some chewing gum, and the. victim smoked a cigarette. Lola Lane, as an ambitious Hollywood extra, gives an excellent performance, and Dorothy Libaire and Harry Ellerbee are delightful as the honeymoon couple. George Meeker is convincing in a rather thankless role, and Morgan Wallace is good in a heavy part. RICHLY-COLOURED ROMANCE GAY PAST LIVES AGAIN AT REGENT The refreshingly .. light touch of Jeffery Farnol is by no means lost in its transmission to the screen—in tact, in some respects, it is enhanced. ' The Amateur Gentleman ' is one of his most entertaining works, and the screen version, which opened at the Regent yesterday, receives skilful treatment from Douglas Fairbanks, jun., Elissa Landi, and Gordon Harker. The film is not only a vivid pageant of London, Bath, and the beautiful English countryside in Kegency days, but it is also a fullblooded drama,' gloriously coloured with Farnol's evergreen romance. The rustic beauty of that part of the English countryside which has been associated with the Quakers since the days of the Pilgrim Fathers and with the name of the immortal Milton, was the setting chosen for the exterior scenes of this production. Chenies, Chalfont St. Giles, and Latimer, Old World villages in the loveliest part of Buckinghamshire, have remained almost unchanged for the past two centuries. Here Douglas Fairbanks, jun., and Gordon Harker played their parts in surroundings exactly appropriate to their characters of Barnabas Barty and Natty Bell in the Regency period of the story. There is the flavour of maturity in these old houses, mills, bridges, and streets which no studio sets could supply. Douglas Fairbanks, jun., plays the role of Barnabas Barty, the educated son of an innkeeper, who enters London society in an effort to clear his father of a false charge of theft for which he has been sentenced to death. Accompanied by Natty Bell, a faithful servant from the inn, Barnabas installs himself in fashionable rooms; and, following a chance meeting with the Prince Regent, he becomes a leading member of the " smart set." He falls in love with Lady Cleone, but his romance is endangered when he wins large sums of money from her brother Ronald at the card tables. He suspects- Ronald of the crime for which his father is being punished, but his suspicions are allayed, and he turns his attention to one Chichester, whom he hopes to trap, but the latter forestalls him by having him arrested. Barnabas escapes and drives Lady Cleone to tho inn where his father is hiding, and there follows a thrilling chase before the exciting denouement when Barnabas turns the tables on Chichester and reveals him in his truo colours. ' The Amateur Gentleman ' is sterling entertainment, splendidly acted by an excellent cast. Douglas Fairbanks, jun., is perfectly cast as the hero of these varied escapades. Ho looks the part, has a virile and romantic air, natural ease of bearing and speech, a dash of chivalry, and the ability to suggest an underlying strength of purpose. An excellent performance is also given by Esme Percy, as Townsend, a precious dandy' and friend of tho Prince Hegent. Elissa Landi, as the Lady Cleone, wears botli tho Regency gowns and the Regency manner most effectively. Basil Sydney, as Chichester, performs the difficult feat of making a double-dyed villain a credible human being. Gordon Harker's Cockney humour affords light relief against the more serious vein of the story, and as Natty Bell, Barnabas Barty's best friend, he gives a lifelike characterisation.

In support of the main film there is a programme of short features well up to tho high standard set by ‘ Tho Amateur Gentleman.’ Heading tho shorts is a Walt Disney silly symphony, which can he classed as one of the best yet produced, while also on the programme is a Lindbergh travelogue and an entertaining comedv, ‘ Smart Work.’

'THREE LIVE GHOSTS' DELIGHTFUL COMEDY AT EMPIRE Seldom has a funnier of more completely entertaining picture been presented than ' Three Live Ghosts,' which was screened yesterday at the Empire Theatre. Giving Richard Arlen one of lu's finest opportunities at the head of a notable cast, the picture moves with lightning speed through a series of adventures which are at once hilarious, thrilling, and romantic. ' Three Live Ghosts ' is a story of three soldiers—an American, a Cockney, and a titled Englishman " queer " from shellshock —who return from the war after imprisonment in a German camp., to find themselves officially listed as dead." For varying reasons they decide to remain hidden behind this official cloak of anonymity. Their adventures _as they, move through London as living dead men, without names or identity, provide moments of hilarious comedy. ' Three Live Ghosts ' has a London setting, and the story opens on Armistice Day, 1918, when three war-wearied soldiers, who have been reported as " dead," arrive back in England after having escaped from a prison camp in Germany. One of the trio is a shellshocked officer, who is suffering from loss of memory and whose identity is a mystery. He is called " Spoofy " by his companions, and he has developed a distressing habit of " stealing " anything he can lay his hands on, greatly to the embarrassment of his friends. This failing results in all sorts of awkward situations and is the souce. of much of the mirth in which the picture abounds. The other soldiers are a typical Cockney and an American, who had fled from his country believing he was " wanted " by the police and who had enlisted in the British Army under an assumed name. The role of the American is played by Richard Arlen and that of the Cockney by Charles M'Naughton. " Spoofy " is portrayed by the inimitable Claude Allister, who never fails to raise a laugh. He makes a delightful English " Johnny " and in this new version of ' Three Live Ghosts ' he surpasses all his previous achievements. As Mrs Gubbms, the Cockney's mother, whose ambition in life is to make " easy money," Beryl Mercer is admirably cast. Other parts are enacted by Cecilia Paker, Nydia Westman, Dudley Digges, Jonathan Hale, Lillian Cooper, and Robert Greig. The supporting pictures also set a high standard of entertainment. They include an attractive Colourtone Revue, 'La Fiesta de Santa Barbara,' and an instalment of the ' Empire News Service,' giving graphic glimpses of important events on the other side of the world. EXCELLENT BILL WESTERN AND MARITIME FEATURES AT STRAND Comprising a bracket of two excellently presented films, both of the action-filled type, but each an entertaining and first-class feature, the new programme at the Strand offers amusement of fine standard. Colourful and impressive, a powerful tale of thue deep and the men wJio earn their livelihood upon the sea, ' Hell ship Morgan ' is the first presentation, having as its principals George Bancroft, Ann Sothern, and Victor Jory, all past masters in the art of dramatic characterisation. Cast as Captain Ira Morgan, the master of the tuna fishing ship Southern Cross, George Bancroft is given an outstanding opportunity to portray a most finished performance in the role of the man who takes everything by right of conquest, beating those who dare oppose him into submission. That he takes advantage of it to perfection is shown by the fact that he provides the best performance he has given to date, his powerful and robust physique making him ideal for the part. Ann Sothern is cast as a penniless girl whom Bancroft marries and brings, to his ship to live. It is around her"that the plot is woven, as she realises that .she had married Bancroft only through a senso of duty as a return f.,r his financial assistance. She later falls in love with the handsome Victor Jory, who is the first mate of the Southern Cross, The clot weaves through finely

arranged sequences to the ultimately happy ending. Bancroft, who fears no man and subdues his mutinous crew single-handed, is remarkable. Ann Sothern's portrayal is refreshing and capable, while Victor Jory gives his usual excellent performance. Some of the shots at sea are particularly impressive, and the photography is brilliant throughout. The second attraction is ' Justice of the Range,' with Colonel Tim M'Coy in the stellar role. M'Coy) consistently pophlar, and the screen's outstanding star in this type of melodrama, gives a performance entirely in keeping with the spirit and vigour of the film. His " gun draw," which is said to _ have established a record for speed, is remarkably evident in the film, and his daring riding adds many thrills to a film crammed with excitement. The story itself is logical, proving easily the best of a long line of Western films. Starting with quick action, tho plot immediately concerns itself with a range war. One rancher, attempting to save his property, loses some money vital to his campaign through the murder of one of his riders. Tim M'Coy, in an effort to help, gathers together a herd of cattle for the market, intending to turn the proceeds over to the rancher in time to save him. His move being wrongly read, he is accused of both tho murder and the " rustling" of the cattle. He is forced to disappear. The action becomes very fast, and then reaches' a startling and unexpected climax. Romance is capably infused by the lovely Billie Stewart, who is featured as M'Coy's leading lady. This beautiful young actress shows a talent that bids fair to have her in starring roles In the near future. TALENTED JUVENILE SHIRLEY TEMPLE HEADS STATE BILL One of the brightest, happiest, and most delightful films the screen has presented for months, ' Captain January ' is having an extended season at the State. Its success is largely due to the inclusion in tho cast of the ever-popular Shirley Temple, but all round it reveals a very high standard in entertainment value. Shirley's popularity with theatregoers appears to be undiminished if one can judge from the warm reception which the film has received. A genuinely dramatic story underlies the song, dance, and eomed.y delights of ' Captain January,' in which Shirley Temple plays the part of the muchloved' friends of two old sea salts. Guy Kibbee, in the .principal supporting role, plays the part of the lighthousekeeper, the man who had rescued the child from the sea years before, and now fears that someone will take her from him. Due to the efforts of Sara Haden as the truant officer, this almost comes about, but in the end Slim Summerville, Buddy Ebsen. and June Lang conspire to make Shirley and her foster father happy. The film contains a number of catchy tunes and l delightful dances. ' The Right Somebody to Love ' is the song hit of the new picture, composed by Jack Ycllem and Lew Pollack. There are, however, two other delightful tunes sung by Shirley, as well as a fascinating series of new tap steps, many of which are danced in company with Ebsen, a former star of the Ziegfeld Follies. Rummerville and Jane Darwell are outstanding in their comedy characterisations in this picture, which is ably . and humorously directed by David Butler. BORIS KARLOFF BRILLIANT 'INVISIBLE RAY' AT GRAND Boris Karloff and Behi Lugosi have the leading roles in ' The Invisible Ray,' which heads the current programme at the Grand, and it is safe to say that these two character actors far surpass any of their previous efforts in such pictures as ' Dracula,' ' Frankenstein,' ' Tho Jiavcn,' and 'The Black Room.' Karloff docs not rely on a terrifying make-up as in some of his previous films, but he is just as repulsive as the scientist who discovers an element more powerful than radium. Unfortunately he becomes affected with this dangerous sub-

stance, and his hands and face are luminous at night, while his touch will kill. His friend, Dr Benet (Lugosi) makes an antidote, which has to' be used twice daily to _be effective, but when the doctor claims that the discovery of the element was his own, and his wife falls in loye with' another young man, the scientist plans a horrible fate for all the members of the expedition which travelled into the interior of Africa to find the radium " X." He kills of his victims, and is only prevented from concluding his gruesome task when he is consumed by his own discovery. Frances Drake and Frank Lawton are also included in the cast. The second film, ' We're Only Human,' is a dramatic story of crime, in which Preston Foster plays the part of a young policeman who brings a dangerous criminal to book, only after he has learnt the meaning of the word' fear. THREE EXCELLENT FILMS DIVERSIFIED FARE AT MAYFAIR Three attractions will make up today's programme at the Mayfair. The first film is .' Star of Midnight,' with William Powell and Ginger _ Rogers starred. The picture is strong in story, brilliantly enacted, expertly directed, and handsomely mounted. Sparkling dialogue adds greatly to its thoroughly rounded entertainment. Powell, as Clay Dalzell, a brilliant _ attorney who is drawn into the solution of a perplexing mystery, and Miss Rogers, as Donna Mantin, a wilful young society beauty, who knows the man she wants to marry and how to get him, are seen at their best. Jackie Cooper is the star of ' Peck's Bad Boy,' and he will be Been as a boy who is nearly crowded out of his father's life and affections through the plotting of an unprincipled aunt and her no less unprincipled son. Adults will find particular appeal in ' Peck's Bad Boy,' it is believed. Every mother will see in young Bill Peck her own son. Every father will see himself. The programme will be concluded by the appearance of the popular child star, Shirley Temple, in the eomedj ' Pardon My Pups.' POPULAR DICK POWELL ' SHIPMATES FOREVER ' AT LAURIER The thrill and romance of naval officers in the making, men who, in peace or in war, heroically brave death for their country in their line of duty, is colourfully depicted in the new drama with music, ' Shipmates Forever,' which commenced yesterday ,at the Laurier, Port Chalmers. Dick I'owell and Ruby Keeler head the cast. Dick personifies the raw cadet, somewhat spoiled, but with the makings of a man, who is whipped into shajje as a gallant officer through the rigor of the Naval Academy training, and Ruby, the loyal daughter of the navy. While the picture is not a musical, several new songs are introduced by Powell in his role as a night club entertainer. The chief of them is a marching song, 'Don't Give Up the Ship.' In addition to these, Dick sings a number of famous old sea ballads, among them ' Abdul Abulbul Amir ' and ' Anchors A weigh.' There is a talented su; iing cast headed by Lewis Stone. ENTERTAINING BILL COMEDY AND DRAMA AT MUNICIPAL Warner Oland's latest screen appearance as that genial and philosophical Chinese sleuth, Charlie Chan —one of the most completely captivating detective heroes in tho historv of book or screen—takes place to-night at Green Island, when Fox Film's latest vehicle for the inimitable Oland, ' Charlie Chan in Kgypt.' begins an engagement there. In this picture, the eighth of the famed Chan series, Fox Film has produced an ingeniously thrilling and baffling mystery, which met with hearty applause from this reviewer, as well as last night's audience. 'Charlie Chan in Egypt' is the biggest and most pre-

tentious Chan picture ever made and carries the interest from sequence to sequence, with Stepin Fetchit adding much well-received comedy. ‘ Stormy Weather,’ the Gaumont-British comedy in support, is one of those hilarious farces for which Ben Travers has become famous. Four of the old Aldwych players are in the cast, Yvonne Arnaud appearing with the Walls-Lynn-Hare trio. There is an abundance of amusing dialogue and a series of diverting situations. It is a real “ laugh vehicle.” _ The coniically absurd story and its bizarre Chinese underworld settings and atmosphere are a departure from the situations usually expected in a Travers farce..