Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Tuesday 25 August 1925, page 10


AMUSEMENTS

"THE BRIDGE OP SIGHS."

SCREEN DRAMA AT HIS MAJESTY'S.

' An outstanding screen production, "Tho Bridge of Sighs," commenced a three days season at His Majesty's yesterday, heing. portrayed by an admirable cast, in-cluding Dorothy Macfaull, Creighton Hale, Ralph Lewis, Alec B. Francis, and others. Thc. programme included "Love of Wo-men, a powerful domestic drama, fea-turing Helen Chadwick. Thc story deals in a novel manner with the prevalence of divorce and a method of combating it.- Numerous laughs wore caused by an amusing Aesop fable, "Hermann, the Groat Mouse," while of great interest was a charming scenic, "The Five Fingcr Lakes." "The Bridge of Sighs" was adapted from thc song classic, by Charles K. Harris, who also gave the world "After tho Ball," "Break thc-News to Mother," and other popular numbers. The picture

possesses great human appeal, parti of it

being extremely emotional. Tho story deals with thc regeneration through a giriwa pure love of Billy Craig, a rich spoiled young man, who has got into deep difficulties through gambling debts. He steals a inrgo sum of money from his father's office, confident that, thc trusted employee.will be sent to prison for thc offence. And so it transpires. When Billy Craig, stung with - remorse, con-fesses to his father, and asks to be sent to gaol, the father, knowing that the boy's confession would kill his invalid mother, has Billy shanghaied, to spend a year on board ono of his own ships. The life on sea docs something to Billy, and lie returns a changed man, and tho innocent victim of his rashness, knowing that his .daughter loves the boy, forces Billy to remain silent of his past. On Thursday William Fox's eight-act dramatic special, "Tho Painted Lady," featuring George O'Brien, will bc tho principal attraction. Most of the scenes arc laid in the South Sea Isles. Eva Novak and William Fair-banks will be starred in "Thc-Fatal Mis-take," while next Monday is announced the release of thc remarkable photo-play dealing with the whaling industry, "Dowu to-the Sea in Ships."

"THREE WISE FOOLS."

The great success achieved by Mr. A. Brandou-Crehiei'S company of dramatic and comedy players in "Tilly of Blooms'bury" nt tho Theatre Kovnl s-.^p

to bo eclipsed by "Three Wise Tools," the second presentation of which drew uuutiicr very full house last night. The piece ii of a gripping . character, with very fine and excitiug situations. Tho exactitude of the three wise fools in their mode o! living is capitally portrayed by Messrs. BrandonrÇremer (an irascible old gentle-man). Mr. John Trevor (Dr. Raunt, anr. Mr. Bertie Wright (Hon. James TurnTjull). To these three artists is entrusted all the comedy of thc play, and it is fault-lessly carried out. Miss Gertie Cromer, as Sydney Faircliild and Mr. Leslie A. Jones as Cordon Schuyler, enact, a very pleasing love, romance, which elves an excellent ending to the play, filero is a good amount of dramatic work in "Three Wise Fools," and the second act, when an escaped criminal forces an entrance into the living-room of the triumvirate with the intention of murdering Judge .Turn-bull. He meets there thc Fairchild girl,! whose father has also escaped from prison, and after a struggle tho giri gives the alarm to ' the police, and afterwards en-ables the criminal to escape from thc house. How the three wiso fools believe the girl guilty of being, au accomplice of tho criminal and tho subsequent provins of her innocence make a very interesting

climax.

CITY MISSION' CONCERT.

A (inn. concert was given at thc City Mission-hall, Barrack-street, last evening in the presence of a large attendance, the nroceeds being in aid of thc minsion'funds; The following programme was greatly en-joyed:-Overture. "Remembrance," Miss Una, Shelby; "The Sands of TUne" . and "Toulon,"'by the school choir; reci'tatiou, "Papa's Letter." Miss Joyce Dowding: songs, "The Fairies," "Little Tommy Went a-Fishing," School Choir; folk song, "My: Man John." Jack Bcllette. Winston Limb. Dorothy Kay; trumpet duet. Mas-ters J. and C. Tatterson: folk son?, "Oh, No. John!" Winston Limb and Oiga Mansfield; recitation. "The Torch of Life," Dulcie Turner: solo. Dorothy .Kay; recita-tion, "The White Man," Olga Mansfield: (al "Scots Wha Hac." (b) "Thc Harp," School Choir: and n nlay. "The Pitier ol' Dreams," with tue_ following cast of char-acters:-Vera McKellar. Joyce Dowding. Mona McDcvitt, and Dorothy Kay.

. .STRAND THEATRE.

"SO BIG."

There are some delightful touches of comedy in Colleen Moore's new picture. i'So Big," which opened at thc Strand yesterday. Edna. Ferber, the novelist, who'wrote the. story, laid the scenes in thc old Dutch colony which settled in Chicago, and. through the antics of thc stolid old Dutch types, has. imparted a great deal of humour into an otherwise serious drama. Wallace Beery has no use for laundries; ho wears thc same shirt year in, year out. Also there is Phyllis Haver, of Keystone comedy fame; Ford Sterling as a Dutch far,« hand, and Dot Farley as a small town gossip. The supporting attraction is "The Lost Chord," from the song of the same name by Sir Arthur Sullivan. On Thursday Betty Compson will be seen with Theodore Roberts in » Paramount eight-act production, "Locked Doors/' »nd on the sanie, programme ls the oat

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door actor Jack Hoxic, wtih the assist-ance of the Universal ranch riders in "Ridin' - Thunder.'! . Commencing ntxt Monday, and continuing air thc week, is Zane Grey's "Thc Thundering Herd.

"THE THUNDERING HERD."

Just. as "The Covered -Wag-gön" held the palm as the greatest outdoor picture for thc year 1924, so does thc palm for the year 1,925 go. to "The Thundering Herd," Páramount's picturisation oí Zane Grey's newest and finest novel. To those who have read the book, it will be easy to imagine the thrills one. can ex-pect from this, thc greatest romance of thc West. The dreaded stampede of buf-falo, a surging, hurtling mass of thun-dering hoofs; thc girl's plight; and ride for life before the maddened monsters. The attack by the Indians; the'thrill, of battle, amid vistas of blizzard-bound prairie and .snow-capped mountains,

make "Thc Thundering Herd" one of the swiftest moving pictures to be screened. Tho action is described as tense and

thrilling air the time, and the_ produc-tion is enhanced by the genius of the director, especially noted for these action scenes. Several well-known players aro cast in prominent roles. Lois Wilson has a similar part to that of "The Covered Waggon," and again charms in her por-trayal of a Western girl. Jack Holt is thc hero. Raymond Hatton is cast as the pioneer hunter, and provides many mannerisms, characteristic of Hatton. Noah Beery, as the brutal Jett, is said to make another admirable portrayal, while playing prominently in the cast are Charles Ogle and Eulalie Jenson. This romance of the West is showing at the Strand Theatre for an extended season of one week, commencing next Monday.

COONAH COON COMPANY.

A large and appreciative audience wit-nessed an excellent performance given by the Coonah Coon Company at St. Jamce'shall on Saturday night. The performance commenced with an overture hy tho or-chestra, under 'tho capable baton of Mr. Alec Watt, and was followed by vocal and humorous items which were enthusi-astically received; A clever one-act com-edy brought the first half of thc pro-gramme to a close. Mr. Alec Gurney, the well-known caricaturist, delighted the audience with impersonations of well known people. Harmonised coon items, solo dancing, and Scott Gatty"* plantation songs, together with a one-act sketch en-titled "Mother o' Pearl,"- concluded the programme. Lighting effects and. appro-priate settings added to the success of the evening. Mr. P. P. Bowden, under whose direction the entertainment was given, is to be congratulated on thc high stan-dard of. the performance. This pro-gramme is to be repeated at the Lyric Theatre, Glenorchy, to-morrow evening.

BIJOU THEATRE-THE FUTURISTS.

The Governor, Sir James O'Grady, and suite are to be present at the performance to be given at the Bijou Theatre this evening. The company this week is seen in a very bright and diversined programme, which introduces a most enjoyable finale "Songs of Old London." Each song is rendered to an appropriate street or vil-lage scene, which gives it a real flavour of old London. A scene "Literal Eng-lish" is responsible for much hilarious i laughter, and the company mukes a big I hit with "Keep on Smiling." Mr. George

Gorelli still wins favour with bis robust tenor voice, and Messrs. G. W. Desmond, Keg. Harrison, and Gus Dawson make bright contributions. The Harmony Quar-tette were again loudly recalled last even-ing, and Eily Dalgleish, Ira Love, and Ivy Davis aro all warm' favourites in a pro-gramme that is distinctly away froni the

beaten track.

The Cananorc Junior Football Club's ball is to be held to-night, when dancing will Lake place from 8 o'clock until 12 to music supplied by Miss Ruby Piesse's or-

chestra.

The OM Virgiiians' bali is to be held in the City-hall on-Septcmber 9.

A euchre tournament and dance with prizes is to be held by thc. Lefroy Foot-ball-Club in the Masonic-hall to-night.