STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 808, 31 October 1929, Page 14

STRAND

“FOX MOVIETONE FOLLIES” A 1 Jolson's tine picture, “The Singer,” wil close its long season a; the Strand Theatre this evening, a n( j be followed tomorrow by the tuneful dancing show. “Fox Movietone Follies of 1929.” New Fork’s Great White Way is to be brought to the millions of residents of other cities and towns, large and small, through the William Fox Movietone Follies of 1929. This Follies is a gigantic musical comedy, produced by talented men who have given Broadway its fame as th® home of the world's greatest shows ©! this type. And the production which Fox Movietone has made possible, not only for Broadway itself but for thousands of other cities as well, is said to lack nothing of the outstanding excel, lence of its rival stage productions Widely known stage and screen fig. ures head a long list, of players; th® numbers were written by men preeminent as popular revue authors: the music was composed by writers who have scores of popular successes to their credit and the picture was directed and staged by men acknowledged leaders in their fields. Included among the principals are such entertainers as Sue Carol, Frank Richardson, Stepin Fetch it, Lola Line. Sharon Lynn, Dixie Lee. David Rollins. John Breeden. David Percy, De Witt Jennings. Arthur Stone, Archie Gottler, Muriel Gardner, Carolynr>e Snowden —but the list is too long to begin to offer here. There are 200 performers in all, including adagio dancers, chorus and show* girls, ballet and principals. In addition, there is an orchestra of some 40 pieces. The songs were written by Con Conrad. Sidney D. Mitchell and Archie Gottler, among the foremost of the composers of popular hits. The ensembles were devised by Gottler and Fanchon and Marco, noted dance masters. The story, which concerns the ups and downs of folk back stage, was provided by David Butler, who has been actor and director on the screen and who also directed the Follies. The dialogue was written by William K. Wells. Marcel Silver was director of revue, while Arthur Kay served as musical director. From the way the Fox Movietone Follies is heralded, it would seem to take precedence as a definite innovation of screen entertainment. Fox Movietone officials, zealously working to preserve leadership in the production of audible pictures, are said to have spared no expense or effort to make their Follies as nearly perfect as possible.

The new programme at the Strand will include a number of bright talking and siixging featurettes.