ENTERTAINMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17977, 24 March 1930, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

STRAND THEATRE. • The record-breaking “Three Live Ghosts’’ came to Hamilton on Saturday night, and delighted a very large audience at the Strand Theatre. Three British soldiers escape from a German prison camp and return to their former haunts in London, only to learn that they are legally dead in the eyes ol‘ the Government ami their friends. One of them, an American, foiled in his hope for death on Die battlefield to expiate a crime he had committed in his native land, finds himself the object of a search by the police. The second member of the trio has lost bis reason, a victim of shellshock. His mind clears following a blow from a policeman’s club and he discovers he has kidnapped his own child! The third wages a battle of wits with his gin-soaked stepmother, who, dazzled by the reward offered for the American, connives to bring about his arrest. A dramatic and humorous story develops. Brilliantly acted by an all-star cast, “Three Live Ghosts” introduces several new anw magnetic personalities lo the screen as its absorbing story unfolds. Prominent among them is Beryl Alercer, who, as “Old Sweetheart,” a product of London’s slums, gives one of the finest characterisations ever j seen on the screen. Charles AlcNaugh- i ton, Claud Allister and Robert Mont- ■ gomery, as the "Three Live Ghosts,” I give delightful and convincing perform- j naces, as does Shayle Gardner, the New j Zealander, as the detective. The less | important parts are capably handled. j

TALKIES AT CAMBRIDGE.

“Flight,” a film of thrills and spectacle, attracted a large audience to Cambridge on Saturday night. “Flight” has a great advantage over previous aviation films in that it is made throughout with dialogue, hut it is not just another screen drama of the air appearing in “talkie” guise. For one thing, it does not deal with the war. It has a refreshing story, which moves at a cheerful pace from start to finish, dealing with the adventures of a young man who carries a penchant for being unconsciously different into his life in the flying branch of ’ the United States Marine Corps. The j whole thing is packed full of exceli lent comedy, and is acted by a brilliant | cast. Jack Holt, who appeared with j success in “Submarine,” has a leading {role, and he is ably supported by | Ralph Graves and Lila Lee, both of i whom give outstanding performances. ! Other members of the cast include j Alan Roscoe, Harold Goodwin, and • Jimmy De La Cruze. The story, combined with the acting, is quite suffici- ; ent to make a film of exceptional strength, but then there are the magnificent flying scenes. A whole flight of nine machines, gleaming silver in the sunlight, is seen looping the loop; the instructor takes his young pupil aloft, and, shouting lo him through the ear-phones shows him everything an .aeroplane will do, almost, it.seems, up to the point of crashing. There is a brilliant piece of shadow pholography, showing an aeroplane taking off, and the film is brought to a close with about five minutes of most daring “stunting,” culminating in a landing on one wheel. THEATRE ROYAL. Saturday night’s change of programme attracted a large audience to the Theatre Royal. In “Dangerous Curves,” the “It” girl of the screen, Clara Bow, made her re-appearance, and created a deep impression. It is a story of the circus, in which the popular Clara is seen at her snappiest. “The Waggon Master” tells of the adventures of the waggon freighters who carried supplies to 'the isolated mining camps and army outposts in the early pioneer days of the West. The picture, which, is all-talking, stars Ken Maynard, who, with the aid of his famous horse “Tarzan," performs many of the daring riding stunts which have made him so well known to local audiences. As the “Waggon Master,” Maynard strives against great odds to break a monopoly that is starving out the mining camps in the region. The singing of several cowboy songs by the principal adds much to the enjoyment of the production. FRANKTON’S OWN. “The Night Flyer,” featuring popular Jobyna Ralston and William Boyd, will head the programme at Frankton’s Own to-night.