Round The Shows

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 328, 13 April 1928, Page 17

Round The Shows

NEW REGENT “CHANG” TO-NIGHT With the change of programme today the Regent Theatre will present for a special season the much-discussed jungle film “Chang,” which is having its New Zealand premiere in Auckland. Newspaper critics throughout tho world have hailed it as one of the greatest pictures ever produced. In London the picture played for 1L sensational weeks at the Plaza Theatre, beating the “Beau Geste” record by over five weeks. In New York nearly a million people paid for admission during its nine weeks season. In Paris, Berlin, and Sydney the samestory is told. “Chang” tells no ordinary tale. There is nothing at all stereotyped about “Chang.” It is just one thrill' after another, a whole series of them; one gasp after another, a whole parade of them. A leopard leaps over a high wall into the hero’s home; a tiger hurls itself right into the eye of the camera: 400 ponderous, stampeding elephants attack a native village, leaving nothing but desolation and death in their wake and —that only starts to tell what “Chang” holds In store for moviegoers. It holds one punch after another and one's attention is never allowed to wander. “Chang” will be given a special musical presentation by Mr. Maurice Guttridge and Leslie Y r . Harvey. REGENT DIVING CONTEST MISS D. HAYSON WINS The finals of the diving contest, which has been in progress for two weeks, attracted, a large audience, which saw some splendid diving last evening. Eight finalists competed. The standard of ! diving was exceptionally high, the :■ judges, the chair- |: man of the Auck--1 a n d Swimming Centre, Mr. J. Enwriglit, and two other officials, finding their task a difficult one. The final award was: Miss D. Hayi! son, 96 points, 1; !| Miss M. Bell, 92 | points, 2; Miss E. | Champion, S6pts., | 3. The other final--1 ists were Misses | M. Berridge, L. Gibson, J. Bell, K. Legge and G. TilsI ley. The winner I showed marked I consistency through 1 out the contest and fher win was a i popular one. The prizes, a £ gold cup to the | winner and gold f medals to the next is two, will be pre- ... _. ~ sented at the theM,ss D. Hayson atre Qn Saturday evening. Madge Bellamy, starred in Fox Films "The Sport Girl,” has thrown away her clothes I No. this doesn’t mean that Madge has discarded raiment for all time, but only in one sequence of “The Sport Girl,” where yearning for fine clothes leads her as a little shop girl to the apartment of a man who “buys his pleasure” with gems and gowns, or thinks he can. Madge, seeing the predicament she is headed for, asks for her wrap. The man tells her it isn't her wrap, but his. She hurls it at him. He mentions the jewels. They follow the coat. Then he tells her the dress also is his and Madge, forgetting the result. tears that off too. How she tries to hide her scantily-clad figure in what she believes is an overcoat, only to discover than it is a cutaway coat fy.rjTimany moments of laughter.

‘THE RINGER” PLANS FOR.“THE TERROR” “The Ringer” was again staged before a large audience at His Majesty’s last evening. Edgar Wallace’s most thrilling mystery was thoroughly enjoyed and the audience laughed and shuddered in turnThe baffling situations of the play md the nervous rension were admirably relieved by skilful comedy, for which Nat Madison. George Blunt and Kiove King were mainly responsible. Maurice M o s c ovitch, as Meister, tills one of the most famous roles of his Maurice Moscovitch ca i-eer, and his interpretation of a most difficult charac- , ter was masterly. Box plans opened this morning at Lewis Eady’s for “The Terror,” which will be staged for a season of five nights commencing on Tuesday. The demand for seats already shows that the success of “The Ringer” has whetted the appetites of playgoers to j see Moscovitch in Edgar Wallace’s i latest triumph of mystery. The versatility of Moscovitch is j clearly exemplified by the vastly dif- i ferent characters he plays in the two plays of his Auckland season. Fer- ; dinand Fane, of “The Terror,” is an ! incomprehensible riddle of a man, and | all the thrills of the mysterious action i of “The Terror” centre round his 1 ominous figure. The cast also includes Mr. Patric 1 Curwen. Mr. Ashton Jarry, Mr. Reg- ' inald Newson, Miss Bertha Riccardo, ! Miss Mary Macgregor and Miss Mildred Cottell, who will make her re- ; appearance after a long absence from New Zealand. EMPIRE NEW PROGRAMME TO-NIGHT “East Side, West Side,” starring Virginia Valli and George O’Brien, tho big picture to be shown at the Empire Theatre to-night, is a vast panorama of New York City that baffles all attempt at summary. The reader is captivated by the stupendous spectacle of America’s greatest city. On the same i Priscilla Dean programme i s “The Danger Girl.” an attractive mys- , tery story of love intrigue and crime, featuring Priscilla Dean.

MAJESTIC

LON CHANEY TO-NIGHT With one of the most notable casts of the season assembled for the weird mystery drama, “London After Midnight,” Lon Chaney’s new starring vehicle, will be shown at the Majestic Theatre to-niglit. The new production is an elaborate story hinging on weird happenings in a haunted manor house in England, and the strange belief of “vampires” or “un-dead,” held to by the peasantry in Europe, figures as an important detail in the strange plot. Chaney plays a Scotland Yard detective who employs hypnotism as a means of solving the strange mystery behind the “ghosts” of the haunted castle. Marceline Bay plays the heroine as ward of a strange millionaire, about

Xagel the romantic lead as the capitalist’s secretary- Henry B. Walthall plays the eccentric millionaire, and Polly Moran, Edna Tichenor and others of-note are in the cast. The film, “Britain Mourns the Late Earl Haig,” exclusive to the Majestic, gives a fine impression of a nation’s mourning for a great soldier, who was honoured by friends and enemies alike. The Majestic Magazine, containing topical items of interest, and happenings in other parts of the world, an “Our Gang” comedy, “Commencement Bay,” which is brimful of laughable incidents complete the picture programme. Air. Fred Baker, baritone, will be heard in “Bedouin Love Song,” and “My Blue Heaven.” Air. J. Whiteford Waugh has chosen a specially augmented musical programme, the overture being “Semeramide” (Rossini).

PRINCESS AND TIVOLI

>ILK STOCKINGS' Delightfully refreshing and brimful J of good, clean humour that stamps it I as one of the finest Universal pictures j presented to date, "Silk Stockings,” commenced a week’s season at the Princess and Tivoli Theatres last evening before large audiences. The audience has no time to become dull once Laura La Plante, as Molly, . and John Harr on, as Ham, force the 1 issue and get mar- ; ried. A y o un g couple who tire of j the conventions ! supposed to exist | before marriage, decide to settle things. They fight to get married, and • then they fight the , i 01 a moment the nuptial Laura La Plante knot has been tied . : Molly loves and trusts bam, until a pair of silk stockings is found in his pocket. That is really the start of the picture. Silk -stockings with a run in them, and they cause everyone to run to the divorce courts. As well i as the comedy element, the picture of- j fers an excellent illustration of the j ridiculous divorce laws in America. In this picture Laura La Plante is ; responsible for some fine character act- ; ing. The scene after the finding of j the stockings when she fights with i Sam, rushing up and down the room | making savage bites at a piece of celery, is screamingly funny. The i divorce court scene where Molly tells . the judge how cruel Sam has been, is , in itself well worth seeing. It is a true saying that a person j does not know what he wants until he ! loses it. And so it is in “Silk Stock- j ings.” Molly having obtained her ' divorce, finds Sam indispensable. Molly j prepares her line of action, and it sue- j ceeds beautifully. Do they come to- j gether again? They do. But it is i just that getting together which throws J a new light on the wiles of women. The settings in the final scenes are de- } lightful impressions of a villa on one J of AYnerica’s famous beaches. “The Tiny Toreador,” with Hoot I Gibson, is something different in wild j west stories. There is plenty of skill- i l'ul horsemanship, but there is also | more action among the cast. There are s’ome really funny incidents, which had the audiences last evening in con- . tinual laughter. One of the best scenes ! is that where all the cowboys cover ; their faces with mud, and then fail to i remove it after it hardens. The mud has certain beautifying properties, and this >'s the crux of the whole story. Hojt Gibson is supported by a great cast, including Sally Rand, who makes a charming heroine. An interesting film dealing with the right and wrong way to swim, and the teaching of swimming in schools, a gazette, and a clever comedy complete an excellent programme. The musical numbers played by Mr. C. Avase and .his orchestra at the Princess include “The Rebel Maid,” "The Island King.” “Language of Roses,” Intermezzo Suite (Rosso, and “The Gondoliers,” as an overture. GRAND “BEN-HUR” ' A magnificent picture!” This was the comment made bv j H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, after attending a special screening in London i of the motion picture, “Ben-Hur, which is now being shown at the I Grand Theatre. Xever before in the history of the screen has a picture attracted such distinguished audiences throughout the , world: never before has the criticism of Press and public been so overwhelmingly enthusiastic; never before have the churches of the world been so unanimously in support of a production. That is the power that "Ben-Hur” possesses. It is too big. too massive, too overpowering, for petty barriers of creed and class and colour. It makes an appeal to every human sense—to every man, prince and commoner alike, to every woman and child.