ENTERTAINMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17973, 19 March 1930, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE CIVIC. TO-NIGHT’S PROGRAMME. Conrad Nagel, whose talking voice is recognised as without peer in the screen world, now bursts Into song. He makes bis singing debut in “The Hollywood Revue,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's musical and talking extravaganza now crow-ding the Civic Theatre nightly. Conrad sings „ “You Were Meant For Me,” one of the big song hits of “The Broadway Melody,” in imitation of Charles King. He plays his own accompaniment while singing this hit ballad to Anita Page. “The Hollywood Revue” is endowed with more than twenty song hits, as well as a great cast of principals. It also has a huge dancing chorus of beautiful girls. Besides Conrad Nagel the cast includes Marion Davies, John Gilbert, Norma Shearer, Bessie Love, Anita Page, Joan Crawford, Charles King, “Ukelele Ike,” Buster Keaton, Gwen Lee, William Haines, Marie Dressier, Polly Moran, Jack Benny, the Brox Sisters, Gus Edwards, Natacha Nattova, the Albertina Rasche Ballet, the Rounders, Karl Dane and George K. Arthur, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and many others. THEATRE ROYAL. Charles “ Buddy ” Rogers, who made such an outstanding success .in his first all-talking picture, “ Close Harmony,” with Nancy Carroll, will be seen and heard in his second audible screen drama-romance. “ The River of Romance ” at the Theatre Royal i'onight. As the star of this romance-drama based on the famous Booth Tarkington story, “Magnolia,” Rogers plays the youth who comes to the south from Philadelphia and is branded as a weakling until he changes his Identity and forces the belief that he is a gallant gambler-fighter. Mary Brian plays the principal supporting role. The picture was directed by Richard Wallace.

Others appearing in the distinguished cast are June Collyer, Henry B. Walthall, Fred Kohler, Mrs George Fawcett, Walter McGrail, Anderson Lawler, and George Reed.

TALKIES AT CAMBRIDGE. “Sunny Side Up” continues to delight large audiences at Cambridge. This picture, produced by Fox, written by de Sylva, Brown and Henderson, the three musicians who here reveal that they have as happy a knack with the pen* as with the composer’s manuscript, and starred by Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, is one of the most successful talkies ever screened. In “Sunny Side Up” there is a bright, romantic story, hilarious jokes, tuneful. merry music and some of the most spectacular and costly ballets ever staged for the sound screen. Who will ever forget “Turn on the Heat”? As sung by Sharon Lynn and her ballet it is unforgettable, ranging from Esquimaux igloos to the palm-fringed beaches of the South Seas. Then the three comedians, Messrs Richardson and Brendell and Miss Marjorie White, are always saying or doing something that is calculated to set the house in a roar. As Eddie Raferty, the obscure song writer, who is at all costs ambitious, Frank Richardson is a perpetual joke with his persistent “That gives me a great idea for a song,” and his clever burlesquing of well-known hits. Then Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell are a show on their own, lost in their own story of Cinderella and the Prince. It is a wholly delightful picture. STRAND THEATRE. Artistically effective costumes, rivaling in splendour of design and gorgeousness of fabric the creations displayed in the large metropolitan revues, are a feature of Columbia’s musical comedy sensation, “Broadway Scandals,” coming to the Strand Theatre to-night, with Sally O’Neil, Jack Egan and Carmel Myers in the leading roles. Five varieties of “Blue” dancing numbers, with fifty girls in each, gave Jaron de St. Germaine, designer, plenty of opportunity to exercise his artistic fancy and he took full advantage of it. Blue tulle and silver for the “St. Louis Blues, black velvet, in futuristic designs for the “Hesitation,” silver and rose taffeta for the “Memphis” and a net nude effect embellished with silver dragons for the “Limehouse” are the fabrics Germaine used to carry out the striking chorus costumes for this big number. , Especially outstanding arc the costumes of the women principals, Sally O’Neil and Carmel Myers. Because of the nature of her part. Miss O’Neil’s gowns are artistically simple, hut Miss Myers’ are surpassingly elaborate. & 4 FRANKTON’S OWN. “ Celebrity,” an interesting drama, will head the programme. A funny comedy and a Gazette are also included.