NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 133, 26 August 1927, Page 15

NEW REGENT

CHANGE OF PROGRAMME For the first time since he has been playing on the screen, Reginald Benny has opportunity to play one of his own countrymen in “The Cheerful Fraud,” the Universal-Jewel farce comedy feature which will be the chief attraction at the New Regent Theatre to-night. Although Benny is probably the most typical Englishman in Holly-

wood, with an accent that is as typically British as a London fog, he has never before appeared in any of his farce comedies as anything but a young American. “The Cheerful Fraud,” however, is all concerned with E n g la n d and Benny’s name in the picture is Sir Michael Fair 1i e.

Benny delighted with the idea of making, for once, an English picture with real English atmosphere and worked with William A. Seiter, the director, on assembling sets and props which would be entirely in harmony with the locale of the story. “The'Cheerful Fraud” is based on a popular humorous novel by K. R. G. Browne, and was adapted to the screen by * William A. Seiter and Harvey Thew. Ciertrude Olmstead, who played opposite Benny in “California Straight Ahead,” one of the most popular pictures, portrays the feminine lead. Emily Fitzroy, Gertrude Astor, Otis Harlan, Charles Gerrard and others are prominent in the supporting cast. The vaudeville portion of the programme will be contributed by Bertini, the “vagabond-composer-violin-ist,” who will appear in a musical novelty entitled “A Night at the Club.” The New Regent Operatic Orchestra, under the leadership of Mr. Maurice Guttridge, will render “If I Were King” (A. Adam) as the overture. New numbers will be played by Eddie Horton on the Wurlitzer organ. ORGAN RECITALS MUSIC FOR CHILDREN Two organ recitals were given by the city organist, Mr. J. Maughan Barnett, on Monday and yesterday afternoons to the children of the Auckland primary schools. These recitals were exceptionally well attended and were greatly appreciated by the children. Mr. Barnett included a short address on the objects of the recitals and said ho hoped they would create a love of good music. Mr. Barnett played eight pieces, concluding with Rubinstein’s Wedding March. Two violin solos, “Liebesfreud” and “Rondino,” were played by Miss Isobel Langlands. Mr. Barry Coney sang “Young Bietrich” (Henschal), “Tally-Ho” CLeoni) and “The Christening” (Fisher). VILLAIN AND HERO AN UNUSUAL ROLE A new twist to an old formula is being developed in the Paramount screen version of the Zane Grey story, •‘Brums of the Besert,” whereby the apparent lead becomes the heavy and the presumable heavy proves to be the lead. Wallace Macßonald, who is cast in the role of the heavy, points to this unusual phase of motion picture construction. “I am the romantic : in the opening sequence of the 1 ..re, and Warner Baxter is the heavy,” Wallace Macßonald said. “I play my role clean-shaven and with leading man gestures. Baxter plays his with a moustache and circumstances point to his being the one responsible for the dirty work. I turn Vaut to be the bad man who does all the villainy and loses the girl to Baxter Jb the en£.”