NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 680, 4 June 1929, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE” Jimmy - Valentine, the famous cracker of safes and breaker _of hearts, comes back again with "Alias Jimmy Valentine,” a motion picture starring William Haines, now at the New Regent Theatre. The greatest of all crook plays, written by Paul Armstrong, went round the world after its phenomenal stage success <?n Broadway. The film version was directed by Jack Conway with a strong supporting cast, and is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talking picture. llaines plays the title part, and is assisted by Leila Hyams, Lionel Barrymore, Karl Dane and Tully Marshall. For the first time on the screen, Haines assumes, a role that is more dramatic than comedy. The star as the safe cracker extraordinary goes to a small town to rob the bank, and, with his confederates, pulls off the job, but as he is leaving town, meets the daughter of the bank president and falls in love. He resolves to return the money and start all over again. tie does so, works his way up from a lowly position to cashier of the bank, and has pretty well atoned for his past when Doyle, his detective enemy, finds him, and exposes him. Valentine outwits him, but a young sister of his sweetheart becomes locked in the new vault, and Valentine is confronted with the decision of opening the door through his burglarious skill, and revealing who he is. The romantic and dramatic ending to this climax is both unusual and satisfying. A strong and brightly varied programme of short talkie features is also presented. They include songs and vaudeville items such as Barnado de Pace, wizard of the mandolin, playing “Thais,” “Ramona,” “Morning, Noon and Night”; Gus Edwards, in “Songs of the Roses”; also two special numbers by Johnnie Marvin, the famous H.M.V. recording artist, who sings “Old Man Sunshine” and “Heartbroken and Lonely.” Finally, there is Bob Nelson in entertaining vaudeville sketches, and a review introducing the latest in songs and dances in technicolour. Billie Dove is being hailed as a new and greater screen star by virtue of her work in “Careers,” which is being made as a 100 per cent, all-dialogue Vitaphone feature.