AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 34, 10 February 1937, Page 10

AMUSEMENTS.

REGENT THEATRE. i er a;'" t ' t ' es are ® themselves box office guarantees, such as "The Golddiggers, "The Broadway Melody" and , e J Ra , dl °. Para <le." One of the most individualistic and perennially successful , f" ese ' 8 the "Big Broadcast" series, of which.vthe third, "of 1937," is running currently at the Regent Theatre. With * Plot, which, although slender, is considerably stronger than are most themes of musical films, the picture is bright from end to end. Actually the film is in the form of a glorified' vaudeville- show, with the performers some of the best artists in the world to-day. The cast is a long list of names that people in New know well, dancers, singers, comedians (and comediennes), musicians and orchestras. Although many of them do not enter the plot their items combine to provide an hour and a half of enjoyment. There are solo items by such famous JLarry Adler, known all OY9T the Wftrld as "the mouth-organ yirtuoso"; -'3B%anore Whitney, fastest "nancer • owlhvthe . screen to-day j Louis Dapron, eccentric dancer; Shirley Ross and Frank Forest, and Bob Burns and Martha Raye.

MAJESTIC THEATRE. Against the romantic background of a seaport on the North African coast and the neighbouring Sahara, Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper and Charles Laughton enact a dramatic story of love and jealousy in "Devil and the Deep," which opens at the Majestic on Friday. Miss Bankhead is seen in her latent film as Pauline Sturm, beautiful wife of the commander of a submarine stationed on the Mediterranean. This man, genial and likeable to his friends, is really obsessed to the point of insanity with'a conviction that his wife is unfaitLful to him. Faced with proof of his suspicions, Sturm's method of revenge carries the film into a melodramatic climax aboard a sinking submarine. Miss Bankhead as Pauline, Cooper as the lieutenant, and Laughton as. 'the crazed husband give performances of tare distinction, and help to make the one Of«the most dramatic and exciting. pictures in many months. Almost • every 'outstanding film sooner or later is re-issued from Hollywood, and "The Devil and the Deep" comes within this category. It is re-issued at a time when the names of Cooper and Laughton rank among the first three of four world favourites. New lustre has been added to that of Miss Bankhead* but not per medium of the screen. Latterly she has been devoting all her time to the stage, appearing at the moment of writing in one of London's most successful plays. ST. JAMES' THEATRE. The modern demand for amusing entertainment is well catered for in the main attraction on the bill of the St. James' Theatre, the screen's version of a popular novel by a popular author, "Piccadilly Jim. ' The picture does not follow the book closely, but it has a true Wo<le''oiise flavour and is cosmopolitan enough to appeal to all tastes. The acting is excellent and the comedy is bright and entertaining at all stages. Robert Montgomery, who plays the part of Piccadilly Jim, is extraordinarily likeable, and gives the impression that he is the man Wodehouse had in mind when he wrote the book. Piccadilly Jim, the cartoonist, makes the mistake of picturing the family of the girl he loves as the "Richswitch Family" of his cartoons, and the picture reveals how he faced up to the situation after discovering his mistake.- Eric Blore, Frank Morgan. Robert Benchley, Madge Evans and Billy Burke are others in the cast. AMALGAMATED THEATRES. Current attractions at cinema houses under control of Amalgamated Theatres, Ltd., include the following:—Shirley j Temple's "Dimples" (Civic); Jane Withers' "Pepper" (Plaza); "Without Orders" and "Revenge Rider" (RoxyTivoli): "The Man I Marry" and "Conflict" (Strand): ''The Girl on the Front Page": and "One Exciting Adventure" (National). .

AMUSEMENTS GUIDE. MISSION BAY — Miller and Davey's Carnival. PICTURE THEATREB. ST. JAMES' — Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans In "Piccadilly Jim." MAJESTlC—Gertrude Michael and Sir Guy Standing in "The Return or Sophie Lang." LONDON—PauI Robeson and Leslie BanSs In "Sanders of the River." REGENT—Jack Benny and Burns and Allen in "The Biff Broadcast or 1937." EMBASSY—Ksy Francis and George Brent in "Sweet Aloes." AMBASSADOR—Guest Night. ABTOR-*- Guest Night. AVONDALE—"The King Steps Out." BIRKENHEAD—"Coronado." BRITANNIA—"Three Gwifnthers." CAPITOL—"The Ex Mrs Bradford." OAIETY —"Mary of Scotland." GREY LYNN—Ouest Night. KINGSLAND—Guest Night. MAYPAIR—Guest Night. PRINCE EDWARD—Guest Night. I f™ w (Newton)—" Roberta." BT * T * <8»mond« Street) —"Anna Kare- - nlna." (Onehonga)—Guest Mght. r *i bltrnum Grove." * "ICTORIA—Guest. Night.