AMUSEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1916, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS.

EMPIRE PICTURE PALACE. The now programme, shown to a good house hist night at tin; Empire Picture Palace, proud a splendid scries of varied photoplays. Tin- luuiu item was a. recruiting drama by the popular London Film Company entitled "You," or ''What are you doing for your Country." The scone opens with an old veteran in his library. The portrait of his old comrade, Field-Marshal Earl Huberts, recalls the days of the Afghan eompaign and he reverently salutes the great soldier. Recognising the great sacrifices that are required for the welfare of the wounded soldiers, he writes to his son, intimating his intention of turning his country house into a hospital, and adds as a postscript: "What are you doing for vonr country?" The letter is opened by (he son on the morning following a gay (veiling with the boys, and his father's laudatory offer does not find favor and he tears' the letter up in disgust. That portion containing the query "What are you doing for your country is carried bv a gust of wind, out of the window and alight? on the breast of a coster who has just refused the solicitation of a recruiting sergeant to enlist. The messaue to the coster seems supernatural, and lie decides to "do his bit." His wife ties the paper to the collar of a fashionable lady's poodle dog. and the message is carried to the butler, who declares his intention of "doing his duty." The lady of the house, whilst fondling the dog, also finds the paper and decides to devote her spare time to Red Cross work. The piece of paper, once more cast to the winds, finds its way into a munitions factory where the men are on the eve of a strike, and the all-im-portant question it contains decides them to forget their differences, and turn to. We next see the itinerant scrap of paper pursued by the breezes, brought up in the gutter beside the old veteran's son, who lias been stopped by a recruiting official, "What!" the young man replies. "Me a common Tommy'; Oh dear no!" and he indignantly drives his stick into the mud, and the action impales the magic paper. In endeavoring to disengage it.: he recognises the handwriting and is so deeply impressed that he goes oh" with the sergeant to register. The final scene depicts him in uniform, receiving the congratulations of his father, who, with tears in his eyes, expresses his profound admiration. Other films are "A Pair of Queens" (two-reel Vitagraph comedy), "The Little Angel of Canyon Creek" (three-reel Broadway feature drama), and the latest Topical Budget of war scenes and incidents. The same programme will be reptated tonight and to-morrow night. VIOLA DANA IX "GLADIOLA." Miss Viola Dana, a charming Edison actress, will be seen at the Empire on Saturday in a play that allows her to display that sympathetic, emotional acting wiiich made her such a favorite when she appeared with such success in "The Stoning" and "Children of Eve." In the part of a country maid (who married for money and not for love) in the fourreel feature play "Oladiola," Miss Viola Dana surpasses herself, and newspaper Clitics r.ssert that she rises to unexpected dramatic heights in her interpretation of ' the principal character. I FINAL AT THE THEATRE ROYAL OF "TREY 0" HEARTS" TO-NIGHT. The serial drama "Trey o' Hearts" ivill be finally shown to-night at the Theatre Royal. ' This is the only occasion on which ibis interesting photoplay will be screened in Xew Plymouth. The three remaining instalments are to be grouped all in one making practically a full evening's entertainment. Episode 13 is entitled "The Flooded Mine," episode 14, "Judith's Heroism," and episode 15 and f.nal "The Last Trump." This should make a thrilling series and the serialites will doubtless be in attendance in strong ioree. To-morrow night an entire change of films will be presented, the main feature of which will be the new WorldFquitable Corporation five-reel sensation "The Dragon."