civic

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 857, 28 December 1929, Page 15

civic

BRIGHT PROGRAMME A wealth of excellent entertainment, brightly varied, is being presented at the gorgeous Civic Theatre. In addition to the outstanding film, “Three Live Ghosts,” a programme of delight to every music-lover is presented by Ted Henkel’s Symphony Orchestra and Stage Band, also by Fred Scholl with on the grand organ.

The dancing attractions include the wonderful work by Ramon, Madeline, and Pedro, Continental acrobatic dancers, also items by the Civic’s own corps de ballet. Then comes the talkie, “Three Live Ghosts.”

Though the picture was produced in America, it is English in every other respect, the setting being in London at armistice time. Th plot revolves round the adventures of three British soldiers who return from a German prison camp after being officially declared “dead.” Every character is well portrayed, whether it is a Cockney, a belted earl, or a Yankee visitor. Each part is made to live, and the speech of each actor is utterly true to type. The reproduction is practically perfect—all the speech is easily distinguishable and understood. Chief honours of the film go to Beryl Mercer, who. plays the part of a talkative Cockney washerwoman. Claude Alister, who made such a reputation for himself as “Algie” in “Bulldog Drummond,” takes the part of a shellshocked soldier, and makes even a greater success of it than he did of that of Algie. Others in an exceptionally well-chosen cast are Claude McNaughton, Robert Montgomery, Hilda Vaughan, and Jean Bennett. The Civic winter garden and tearoom is open continuously from 9.30 a.ra., with dancing each evening after the performance, to music by Ted Henkel’s special dance band.

“Sarah and Son,” Ruth Chatterton’s next starring talkie for Paramount, contains a sweeping emotional story of a mother’s love for her son. Fredric March will have the chief masculine role.