AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 308, 29 December 1937, Page 9

AMUSEMENTS.

ROXY-TIVOLI. Elmer Lane .......... Joe E. Brown Doc Waddington Guy Kibbee Betty Harrison Florence Bice Harvey Schumann .. Vinton Haworth Bill Hilton Anthony Nace Also: "WESTERN GOLD," romantic melodrama, starring Smith Ballew and Heather Angel. This is the season for merriment and theatre patrons are well catered for in the matter of hilarity in "Riding on Air," latest Joe E. Brown comedy, which had its first screenings at the Roxy and Tivoli Theatres to-day. In "Riding on Air," Brown introduces to the screen the famous fiction character Elmer Lane, whose adventures have been _ made famous in the "Saturday Evening Post." Elmer is the one-man staff of a little Wisconsin paper and he takes on the job of correspondent to a big Chicago daily. While serving in this . capacity a gangster killing occurs practically under his nose, and he "scoops ' himself by unwittingly helping his rival to get the story. Ridiculed, he decidcs to run to earth a gang of perfume smugglers. Before he can carry out these plans he is pursued by angry citizens who believe that he has embezzled their money in a radio beam company organised by Guy Kibbee, Chicago confidence man, who has used him as a pawn. With the use of the projected radio beam, an invention of a friend, he sets out after the smugglers, engages in a thrilling mid-air dog fight and shoots down the enemy 'plane with a shotgun. Needless to say, he returns home a hero.

A romantic story full of action and delightful* singing, based on fact and photographed on sites appioximating its actual happening is the screen version of Harold Bell Wright's "Western Gold," the second attraction. Smith Ballew, tall singing cowboy of radio fame, appears in the leading role opposite Heather Angel. The film re-enacts bandit raids on gold coaches during the Civil War in the States in 1862. Ordered by President Lincoln and his Cabinet to thwart the bandits, Ballew heads at once for the trouble centre. The special agent stirs up plenty of excitement. by offering to drive the next gold coach through. In a series of daring adventures the central character succeeds in rounding up t]je outlaws, but not until a pitched battlfe between citizens and bandits has added to the thrills. Ballew, cast as a fighting and daring son of the Western plains, brings a new and vital personality to the screen. CIVIC THEATRE. The "resliness and charm .of Sonja Henie, combined with her unique skating ability, makes "Thin Ice," now screening at the Civic Theatre, an entirely enjoyable show. In the first film she has made since "Girl in a Million," Miss Heme appears opposite Tyrone Power, dark and handsome young leading man. The story moves at a fast pace throughout. It gets off to a fast start when Tyrone, cast as a prince who has come to an Alpine winter resort to escape the bickerings of statesmen, meets Sonja while 6ki-ing and introduces himself as a newspaper reporter. A case of mistaken identity sends rumours about that there is a romance between the prince and the skating instructress. She thinks she has never met the prince and after many complications things are straightened out. Three dazzling ice-skating sequences, with Sonja Henie as central figure, are interwoven in the story. Joan Davis is highly amusing as the orchestra leader, and Arthur Trencher makes an admirable butler. Raymond Walburn has an important part, and also featured are Alan Hale and Sig Rumann. EMBASSY THEATRE. Anthony Hope's classic tale of intrigue and adventure, "The Prisoner of Zenda," has been made into a thoroughly enjoyable film, with Ronald Colman in the principal role. Colman plays the dual role of Rudolf Rassendyll and King Rudolf V., and an outstanding cast appears with him. Madeleine Carroll is cast as Princess Flavia, C. Aubrey Smith as Colonel Zapt, Douglas Fairbanks, jun., as Rupert of Hentzau, and Raymond Massey as Black Michael. The plot will be familiar to many. It concerns an Englishman who comes to the kingdom of Hentzau for a fishing trip. He is a distant cousin of the king and the two bear a remarkable resemblance to each other. When the king is drugged, Rassendyll is persuaded to step into the breach to defeat the objects of Black Michael and his men. Excitement is at high pitcn throughout and the final scenes of the storming of the castle are outstanding. Photography in this film is done in a new sepia toning that is pleasing to the eye and enhancing to the beauty of the outdoor sequences.

ST. JAMES' THEATRE. The long-awaited "100 Men and a Girl," Deanna Durbin's latest picture, will have its Auckland premiere at St. James' Theatre on the morning of New Year's Eve. There will also be a special mid-! night matinee that night. There appear to be many reasons why this picture should provide unique entertainment for theatregoers. First there is Deanna's singing. Her lovely voice is said to give famous songs an added beauty. She sings Mozart's "Alleluja," the aria "Libiamo,"' from Verdi's "La Traviata," the new popular song, "It'a Raining Sunbeams," and several other tuneful and popular numbers. Another reason for the entertainment value of the picture is said tQ be the performance of Leopold Slokowsky, world famous leader of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, who conducts the orchestra of 100 musicians through several offerings- of stirring appeal. Adolphe Menjou is said to give an . enjoyable performance as Deanna's father, and a giddy society matron is played by Alice Brady. The story concerns the troubles of penniless musicians. Mischa Auer is said to be responsible for much gay nonsense in his part. REGENT THEATRE.

For the first time, France's most eminent man of letters, Emile Zola, comes to the screen in "The Life of Emile Zola," which is drawing large houses of holiday theatre patrons at the Regent Theatre. In the natae part Paul Muni is responsible for a wonderful performance. His own dynamic personality is entirely submerged in that of Zola, and he lives his part. The, film runs through the entire life of the great reformer. First he is seen as a struggling author. Then he meets a girl of the streets, Nana (Erin O'Brien-Moore) and her life inspires him to write his first iconoclastic novel, "Nana," which lifted him to fame and success. But most of the plot concerns the famous Dreyfus case and depicts nis defence of Captain Dreyfus, the army officer who was "framed" by the army clique on a false charge of treason. The film shows Zola writing his smashing article "J'Accuse . . ." and being charged immediately with libel. His fight, as most know, resulted in Dreyfus' reinstatement. Joseph Scliildkraut, as Dreyfus is outstanding, and Gale Sondergaard as his wife also has an important part. PLAZA THEATRE. Enjoyable entertainment for this time of the year is provided in "Make a Wish,"' the latest Bobby Breen singing attraction, at the Plaza Theatre. With the boy singer are associated Basil Rathbone. Marion Claire and Ralph Forbes. A boys' summer camp in which the greater part of the story i 6 enacted, lends itself to a setting of glorious lake and mountain scenery and provides ample scope for the comedy which arises when a community of boys are living together. The story concerns a composer (Rathbone) who comes and lives near tbe camp, and finds that he has lost touch with his work. He meets Chip (Bobby Breen) and tbe pair have a mutual liking at once. When Bobby's widowed mother comes to visit him, Rathbone meets her and falls in love. He wishes her to sing some of his songs and take a part in an operetta, but she prefers to marry a rich suitor. Mays (Ralph Forbes). The composer pops away, leaving instructions for his operetta to be given to a publisher. It is lost and Chip and his mother, knowing the music, help him to produce the work. Miss Claire lias a pleasant voice and Breen has never sung better. MAJESTIC THEATRE. "The New Adventures of Tarzan," screen version of one of the many Edgar Rice Burroughs' tales about the famous jungle character, will be shown first in Auckland at the Majestic Theatre on Friday (New Year's Eve). Appearing in the name part is a Tarzan who is entirely new to Aucklanders, Herman Brix, a famous athlete who is also a veteran "Tarzan." Brix has been appearing in Tarzan pictures as long as Johnny Weissmuller, but this is the first of his films to be released in this city. Added interest is given this film because of its authentic photography and location. It was screened in the jungles of Guatemala. Central America, where some of Burroughs' tales are actually laid, by the Ash ton Dcarholt expedition. Tarzan in this film has adventures that are many and varied. He is seen in a battle with

a ferocious lion; fighting hordes of savages; pulling his friends from the clutch of giant alligators; plunging into a river of fire; swinging, across a waterfall on a liana while bullets are humming all around him.