THE TALKIES A HUGE SUCCESS AT MAJESTIC.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 166, 15 August 1929, Page 2

THE TALKIES A HUGE SUCCESS AT MAJESTIC.

As the advent of tho talkics to Napier bas been the maia topie of coiiversation in and around ihe town for tlie past few days, it was only to bo expected that a lairly lajge audienco would gather at tho 31ajestic lor tlie opeuiug of the talkies regunc at tliis popular house of entertainnicnt. In tlieir wiklest dreams of imagiiialioii, liowever, tlie linuiageiiient liad not prepared for tlie rusli that ensued last eveuing, when tlie liard-worked iiisliers liad a trying time haiidling the big erovrd that lilled tho auditoriuni and finding seating acconmiodation lor all. Napier picturegoers liad come en musse to puss judguionfc 011 tlie 31a]estic talkie equipnient and at ihe conclusion of last night'.s pertormance there could not bc tlie sligbtest doubt that that judgment was entirelv favourable. As the last bars of tlie opcning overture, carricd tbrougb tlie big speakers witb a pleasing niellowne.ss of tono, died down, an expeotant busb lilled tlie auditoriuni wbicb was continued throughout a silpnt- vcrsion of a Fox newsreel aiul reacbed its zenitli when tlie opening captioiis of the brst talkie item "I11 A 3Ionastery Cellar" were flasbed on the silvcr slicet. Four cowlod moiiks were discovered sitting around a beticli in a typical okl wine cellar and as soon as tlieir images appeared 011 tlie sereen, tlie four, actually oue of tho -finest- vocal quartettes in America, broko into a typical old drinking song. As tlie glonous voieos, blending perlectly, lilled tlie auditoriuni, the singers niiglit have been 011 the btago iu person — in fact so realistic was the iinpression eroated tliat a bursfc of clopping grceted the end oi each item. Following tliis fca ture, a Scottish eomediau, of tlie Harry Lauder persuasion, deligbtcd tho audiencc witb a description of a lass trae Glasga' toon and then came a really splendid patter tuni by two lirst-class i comedians, 3 al aiul Ernio Stanton, wlio liad ihe audieiiee convulsed with laugliter for some fifteen miiuites. Tliis eoiiipleted the all talkie portion of the prograimne and after a sliort intcrval, the big feature of tlie eyening, a C'olumbia sound syncbronised feature, " H 11 b marino," starring Jack Holt, Ralpli Graves and Dorothy Revier, commenced. It sufiiccs to say that never bas realism been captured bcfore in tho maniier iu wbicb ib is eapiu'red in a sound syncbronised feature of tliis sort. In tliis breatb-tak-ing epie of tlie submarine service as last night'.s audiencc sat tensc in their seats with exciteinent tbev were able to liear tlie sibilant hiss of the escapt ing air as the submarine submerged, the pulsating drone of tlie seaplano engines, the clankiug of tlie air winch on-tbe diving pontoon, the tap-tap of tho hammer of tlie rescuing diver 011 the walls of the sunken submarine, bringiug its message of hope to tbose entombed within and the cbeerful whistle of the air from the air line wbicb was let down as a.rcsult of tlie rescuers' activitics. Beliind all was tlie never-ending roar of the sea. The pictuve was magnificeiifc entertainment ancl. if it was an example of what can be expected in tliis class of feature in the futuve then a new ora iu screenic •entertainment has been usliered in in Napier and ifc lias assuredly come to stay. The 31ajestic management is to be beartily congratulated on tlie success of last night's premiero.