ENTERTAINMENTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2734, 12 February 1910, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS.

PATHE PICTURES’. Another large and enthusiastic audience greeted the Pathe Pictures last night, all the items being well received. The artistic singing of Miss Eva Brady was grealy enjoyed, and the tunr given by Air. Tom McNaughton was loudly applauded, and an encore demanded. Air. AlcXaughton is a capital mimic, and gave imitations of a man sawing wood, roosters crowing, the starting of a motor car, and several other amusing sketches, finishing up with a good representation of an old gentleman taking snuff. This afternoon a special matinee will be given at 2.30 p.m v when an entirely new programme is to he shown, including a film depicting the arrival and reception in Sydney of Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener, the hero of Khartoum. Although the series is rather short, it gives a splendidly clear view of this important function. Another sensational set of the Nick Carter series will also be shown, depicting this famous detective in 'exciting and mysterious luggage exploits. A film of the Lord Aiayor’s Show on 9th November. 1909. shows this old historical and gorgeous pageant, to which Londoners attach so much importance. “The Slave” is the title of a lengthy dramatic- subject of great emotional interest. This series is by the American Alutoscope Company, and is well up to thenusual high standard of excellence. The English Clock-making Industry is a splendid educational series, depicting the intricate and wonderful machinery employed in the manufacture of an ordinary clock. “Leather Stocking, or the Last of the Aloliicans” is another film from the Alutoseope studios, and is described as a veritable triumph of cinematography. Other good films to be shown include “The Rulers of Europe.'’ “Hunting in South African Jungle,” and the usual hatch of comics. This programme will be repeated tonight apd again on Tuesday. The Theatre being engaged on Alonday no pictures will be shown on that evening.

CARTER THE MAGICIAN. Charles J. Carter, the American magician, who will open for a limited engagement in Gisborne at His Majesty’s Theatre on Wednesday evening, lias had a varied career. He says thattouring the world one sees and hears much more as a public man than otherwise. “A magician’s life is sometimes fraught with all that is strange and amusing” said Mr. Carter in an interview. “For instance, when I was in Mani’a, Father Finnegan, the chaplain of the fann'i;. Bilibid Prison, arranged for me to present an entertainment for the 3000 or more native and white prisoners in this wonderful penal institution. Imagine these unfortunate men and women who like a small army marched out and squatted on the groiipd like so many children, with a handful of guards over them, and cannon trained on us all from the walls of the prison. When I treated them to any kind of a drink beverage from the same bottle, and afterwards broke the bottle and found therein a live guinea pig, their amusement and consternation know no bounds. Just in the middle of my performance a rain storm began, but these men and women laughed at the simple wonders they saw, and were drenched to the skin. 1 was told before I left Manila that the performance was still the great theme of conversation among the prisoners. In Chicago. Warden Whitman, of the county gaol, often invited me to the prison to entertain his charges, and I remember, on one occasion, that I presented my entertainment, on tlio gallows, and my most attentive and enthusiastic auditor was Johan Hoch, who was awaiting sentence of death, and who was hanged from these samo gallows three days later. Having been a student of law and a practitioner in Chicago, which profession I adopted as a diversion and as a help to the subtlety of magic, much opportunity was accorded me to delve deeper into magic and ‘trickery” than I should have had otherwise. This remark is not meant to he facetious, but you know that really ‘there are tricks in all trades’ but mine. Sometimes I cannot resist the temptation to have a little fun with .some unsuspecting being, and while, during my last tour, I was in New Zealand, at Rotorua, which by the way is one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen, an old chieftain I met had a collie dog of which he seemed quite fond. I admired the canine one day, and casually extracted a sovereign from his tail. Without seeming to notice the incident, I inquired whether he liked his dog or not. and before he had time to reply I extracted another gold piece from puppy’s ear. I remarked that the dog was a very valuable animal, apparently, and stroking his tail, at the samo time showered a handful of sovereigns into my cap. This was too much for the Maori, who, upon my

offer to buy the dog,, shook his b«|| wisely and led doggie into his hut * where I learned afterwards, he killed and dissected poor Rover thinking that h” was filled with gold Hie box plans are now open at Aliller's-corner.