Amusements Reviewed

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 159, 6 July 1940, Page 15

Amusements Reviewed

"PRIMROSE PATH." CIVIC.

1)1 lie May Adonis Giucer Rogers Kd Wallace Joel McCrea M.imie Adams Marjorio Rambeau fir.nnp Henry Trnvers. '(" n,rr Mllps .Marnier. ' -rarnlin l Queenic Vassal* Direcior: Gregory Cava. . . .R.K.O.

Realistic and strikingly daring in its revciafion of the seamy side of life along the waterfront, "Primrose Path," the new attraction at the Civic Theatre, is a picture „t unusual quality and noteworthy production. To the broad-minded it is a sensational story which reveals what actually happens on any waterfront. It is one of the most unusual and unconventional film plays to bo brought to the screen for a long time. F.\ en to the most prejudiced person the film will undoubtedly find an appeal, nut for its daring, but because it. is an exploration of a life story. A screen version of the stage play, "Primrose Path," tells the story of a girl who laughs her way through dangerous moments as she trod the reckless road. The story is paved it h emotional shocks and comedy surprises. It deals with the story of a family provided for by a mother who get* the provender where and how she tinds it, and ot the daughter, who is rescued, in the nick of time, by a good man, from obeying her grandmother's advice to go and do likewise after a bullet has ended her errant but devoted mother's usefulness.

(iinger Rogers is given a chance to show her acting capabilities, in this dramatic study by Gregory la Cava, of the stern reality of ]i:c on an American waterj'ront. Miss Rogers strives to make a complete characterisation seem realistic and succeeds. Joel McCrea appeass in one of the principal roles and makes his study a telling one. Marjorio Rambeau's portrayal of the mother uan be classed as very good. Henry Travels supplies a hizhly I'fTer Live comedy element, and Miles Mander ha* the part of a scholar who has been brought to the lower depths by drink. All through the story of "Primrose Path" there is clearly depicted the struggle of the girl against her sordid background, but it makes for a grippinc indictment. The picture, while not suitable for children, should have a successful season.

On the same programme there is an excellent array of supporting films. These include a Walt Disnev comedy entitled, "Donald's Cousin Gils." "THE HOUSE ACROSS THE BAY." CK.N'TUHY. Str.vr? Larwltt George Raft. Breoda Bent ley Joun Bennett. Slant Kolni.i Lloyd Nolan. ' Mary Bogalea Olaflys George. Tim Nolan Walter I'ifls^eon. Babe Tune Knight. Director: Archie Mayo. United ArtUte.

•Featuring a highly unusual and exciting gaol picture, "The House Across the Bay," in company with a very strong supporting programme which includes a vivid sketch of Canada at war, portrayed in the very .best "March of Time" style, the new bill, initiated at the Century Theatre last night, made a dccided hit *.:h the large 'house, and should have a prolitaible run. It is one of the outstanding entertainments of the week, with Joan Bennett starring in what has been talked of aa tho 'best performance of her career, , and George Raft adding a dash of humour to empihasiee 'his general toughneas. Different from the crime angle which usually accompanies this type of story, in that it is an act of reminciation by the wife of a get-rich-quick racketeer, who has .incurred the animosity of gangifter clients "Aat £et>da-the. hunWud to fwison for hi* 1 "nie House Across the Bay?' add* the appeal of romance and liumouf to that of thrilling melodrama in the famou* place 'of incarceration, Aleatraz rock. In the role of the wife, wbo betrays her lhtwba»4 .. because she, loves him, Joan Bennett 'rises to gvedt 'heights. Incidentally, «he also rings two songs. George Rait is even tougher than ever' after he has raised a smile or two, while Lloyd Nolan, Walter Pidgeon and Gladys George are also included in a very select cast.

There are half a dozen features of interest and entertainment in the supporting numbers, ranging from war items and the latest tenor find to juggling, and the plan and character of the Great Pyramid, but they arc all overshadowed by "Canada at War." Told in the semi-historical and highly graphic style associated with the "March of Time" productions, the story gives a fascinating picture of Canada as the great industrial and man-power depot behind the immediate defence of Britain in the present war. The impression is left, too, that here, side by side with the United States, might be the sccne of democracy's last stand for world freedom. "THE SHOWDOWN," STRAND.

Hopolong Cassldy William Boyd. Lucky Russell Hayden. Speedy Britt Wood. Hue Jane Clayton. Baron Bendor. •••••> .Morris Ankrum. Harry Cole Wright Kramer. Director: Howard Bretherton... .Paramount. Also: "OPENED BY MISTAKE," starring Charles Buggies. Similar in action pattern to the \>ther films of the series, "The Showdown, which opened at the Strand Theatre last night, shows the evergreen outdoor favourite, Hopalong Cassidy, interpreted by William Boyd, at his beet as the daredevil knight of the range riding to the rescue of a fair prairie ntaid, who is experiencing some embarrassment from taie unwelcome attemtion of a gang of horse thieves. Portraying the other characters created by Clarence E. M'lVford, are Russell Hayden and Britt Wood, with able assistance rendered by Morris Abkrmn, as the villain of the piece, and Jane Clayton supplying the romantic interestDirector Howard Bretherton. noted f& r his direction of fast-moving action films, has excelled himself m this production, making the film vrobaibly the best of the series to date. The main body of the action devolved from a shipment of horses made on behalf of the character interpreted by Miss Clayton, and the fate of this shipment and of the ru«tler gang makes excellent entertainment for those who enjoy a straightforward tale of the West where the six-gun reigns supreme. The associate feature, "Opened By Mistake," shows Charles Ruggles and Robert Paige, cast as reporters, involved in a serio-comic murder mystery in which * misplaced trunk found to contain a cotpse, and another containing a million dollar's, provide the principals with action aplenty. Laughs and thrills follow each other mi swift conclusion until the tangle is finally unravelled and Paige and Janice Log^ n j who supplies the main feminine load, find time to forget murders and think fe* romance. Also seen are William Fraiwley, Florence Shirley and Lawrence Groajmitlh.

ROXY—TIVOLI. With 'Tier usual, knack of Retting in and mat of trouble, tho quixotic Torchy Blanc has fixfliher tlirillinsr adventures 1n "Dynamite Torchy," which is an apt title for the latest film of the series now showing at the bead of the bill at tihe Boxy and Tivoli Theatres. This time the part of the vivacious newspaperwoman is played 'by tho promising yoking star, Jane Wyman, while she has as her , 1 the police lieutenant, Steve Mcßride, Allen .Jenkins. Tom Kennedy PW» Gaihacan, the dumb cop, and Sheila Jyram]ey is also prominent. The story finds a the outset, Torchy in gaol for speeding. There she meets the girl fnend ot a notorious gangster, and the story loreny gets from her leads to a dramatic across the continent to San Francisca. \v-here Galiagan is unwittingly the central figure of a seiuwttional capture of bandit. Action .8 sustained throughout. and Jane Wyman is a perfect Torch*. Also on the bill is a comedy-drama, tree, Blonde and 21," ivhidh stars Lynn BanOthers in the cast are Henry Wikoxon and Joau Pavio.

"FIVE CAME BACK." PLAZA.

Pegrv Chester Morris. Viirp Lucille Ball. Crimp:; Barrle. I'pfo John Carrncllne. V asn '„ • -Allen Jenkins. Director Y i," ' "tV ' übr<? y Smith, uirector . John tarrow 1t.K.0.

All who enjoy a thrilling story, welt aeUxl, lavishly produced with a plot which never allows attention and tension to relax should go and see "Five Came Back," at the Plaza Theatre this week. It opened its season last night. Ten persons crash in an unknown South American jungle. The. pilots repair the ship-to find that the craft can cany only five people. Five came back—but who was to stay behind. It is easy to see from such a plot why j the picture is so good. The film opens on a note of drama, there is the tee ling that something is going to happen. Who has not experienced t" a 't The audience is set in that mood of tense expectancy, and in that mood the sheer drama of the story keeps it. Ihe scenes which will live are many— the crash itself; the desperate efforts of the pilots to repair the machine; the reactions of the people, the men towards the women, and among themselves; the scene where five are chosen from ten. In that moment, the picture rises to <neat heights.

The work of the cast is excellent. There is no other word for their acting. It is headed by Chester Mortis, Lucille Ball and Wendy liarrie and C. Aubrey Smith. So good arc they that the audience is transported to another world, to live and feel temporarily with the pensons in the jungle wilderness. There is not a weak point in the film. The direction and production are good, while no expense has been spared to make the jungle scenes real. For a really good night's entertainment, "Five Came Back" would be hard to beat.

Then there is a deliehtful Walt Disney cartoon, "Wynken, Blynken and Nod." It is one of the best that has come to Ajickland; and all the other supports are in" keening with the high level set by the main picture.

•MY LITTLE CHICKADEE." MAJESTIC. Flower Be-Ue I»ea Mae West. futhbert .T. Twlllie W. C. Fields. Jeff Badger Toseph Calleia. Wayne Carter Dick Fornn Amos Budge Donald Meek. Ermingarde Foster Anne Nagel, I'lrcctor: Edward Cline. ... Universal

If genius can extend to casting, the makers of "My Little Chickadee" certainly possess it. This new Majestic feature stars two of the biggest drawing names in

the industry—Mae West and W. C. Fields. Mae's appeal and personality have dimmed only slightly in her over-long absence from the screen. Her "fans" will remember when "She Done Him Wrong," when she was "The Belle of the 'Nineties," when she admitted that "I'm No Angel." She was not at her best in "Klondike Annie," which because of its mocking of religion offended a number of New Zealanders.

But in "My Little Chickadee" she has

made up for that mistake. She is back in the style of the perfect "come-hither" girl, which she exploited to such monetary advantage that it took a "Snow White" to break the records she set up at every theatre in every country. She is just as dazzlingly blonde, no less as inviting and even more hip-swaying as ever -she was. "Bill'' Fields is at hi* best in this rip-

roaring, actionful melodrama of the unusually wild W«*t. > Mae's glances emit*,. "Bill's" wisecracks bite, guns pop and all Hades break loose in the course of its unfolding. Mae is cast. as a pun-making Chicago cabaret singer, who causes a veritable tornado on her arrival in the

wild and woolly open spaces, while Fields ] is a travelling medicine man and cardsharp, who struggles valiantly throughout the film to win her affections. On the same programme is a pleasant little romantic comedy, "Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!" Featured players are Tom Brown, Peggy Moran and Allen Jenkins. At the end of the show, s*> that squeamish patrons may leave first, _is shown "The Pyjama Girl Case," a police cinematic Reconstruction of a notorious murder committed at Albury New South Wale*, six years ago. Rewards of £1500 are offered in connection with it.

REGENT. Stirring in its dramatic content and Ln the power of its acting, the attraction at the Regent Theare, "Bach Dawn 1 Die, is a film that will live long in the memories of all who see it. Staffed are two seasoned players who are at their best in prison drama —.lames Cagney George Raft. Jane Bryan is seen in the leading- feminine role, and others in t)he cast arc Maxie Roeembloam. former world champion iboxer. Victor Jory, Alan Baxter and George Bancroft, rhe stojy concern* » crusading newspaperman who exposes the rackets of a political boss. The ■boss' minion* frame him and he is sentenced to 20 years in the penitentiary. In caol lie comes im touch with a notorious iangster (played by Raft). What follows is at once an indictment of the worst features of the prison system. Sustained action is the keynote of the dramatic sequences, which culminate in the riot of ■hundreds of desperate men behind bars. It is not a film to be missed. Both Cagney and Raft are su<perb. Also on the programme is a Porky cartoon, a feature on card manipulating and latest news. ST. JAMES'.

The age-old triangle iplot is given a new tiwist in Metre-GoMwyn-Mayer s marital con-ctly, ; "Remember, still dvavmig 3y houses to the St. James' Theatre. Lew Ayrtea, as "Sky Ames, loses hus gul /■freer Garaon, of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips fame) to his best friend, T>toed by R<>|>crt Taylor The two are marned, bat drift apart, "and it is here that the novel touch is introduced. Ayres takes a hand m re■wniting the two, and with the aid of a drtiz causing ap'naaia (loss of memoir), paves the way to a second wedding ceremony. It is sophisticated comedy of a type that should appeal to P majority of picture-goers. the definition Id darity of the photography aiding the wrell-naced direction. Fine support is projL? Billie Burke and Reginald Owen, sloS%rS»n, and a Pete Smith specialty. | RADIO PRO6RABHB- • Highlights from to-day's programmes:— _ m concert programme. 1 V *^ o a r d 1 rl o* 15°,°'m^aem° n aance Anton" s A nd Cy t'jic CO pa e ramo U nt Theatre Orchestra. London. „ _ m j/>anptte Mac Donald and 1YX —8 OPr" - J€ g . ?0 - "The Woman in WWt°e": S O.' "The Cloister and the Hearth." lim-7.0 p.m.. sports session; 8.0, dancc programme. Highlights from to-morroWs radio programmes are:— Franck's B>-mpbony ln D ''^^w'V W wT i 7alainea," by Pedro Calderon de la Bares, famous Spanish dramatist. *va no am. Methodist service, from wesiev Church, Taranakl Street; 3.0 talk. "Pioneering the Walraraps ?_?nic Journeys"; 7.0, Presbyteriar servfee. from Kelburn Church; s.O, symphonic programme. ■ IVX 8.0 p.m.. symphonic programme. | .«■ s 0 V-m., selections rrom the show; tad musical comedies SJJ. concert,

EMBASSY. '"Fi'encfh Without Tears," screen version of the play which caused such, a sensation in England and on Broadway, continues its amazing run of popularity in its season at the Embassy Theatre. It is a fact that it has received better treatment as a screen play than as a stage success. Handsome Ray Miliand had the leading role, while Ellen Drew is outstanding as the blonde who causes all the trouble. David Tree ar.d Roland Culver are two other bright sparks in the show. The story deals with a French professor who aims at putting on a little French polish to the American and British youngsters with ambitions centred on success in the diplomatic service. All goes well until to the establishment comes an Alluring young American blonde, and the havoc she causes among the male alumni makes a highly amusing story that never flags. The show starts with a laugh and continues that way to the hilarious conclusion. Culver's performance as the ultradignified, old-school-tie English naval officer is a gem of acting. Excellent supporting items are also being screened.

OXFORD. The story of a mood, "Rebecca." showing in its fifth week at the Oxford Theatre, has proved itself, by its adroit handling of a difficult theme, to be a picture long to be remembered. A man's faithless wife dies and he marries again, but their married life is continually overshadowed by the mocking abiding presence of "Rebecca," his first wife. This is thii story of Director Alfred Hitclicock has handled with such skill as to make the 'production first and foremost a craftsman's picture. As the mentallytortured principals. Laurence Olivier ami •Toan Fontaine give sympathetic performances, while outstanding portrayals arc also rendered by Judith Anderson. Oeorge Sanders and Reginald Denny. The picture retains an almost verbatim faithfulness to the novel of the same name by Daphne du Manner departing from the story only in that Rebecca's death is revealed as an accident rather than murder. An outstanding selection of short features completes the programme.

AMUSEMENT GUIDE.

TOWN HALL—Wrestling-r Lorty Blomfleld i v. Dan O'Connor. I PICTURE THEATRES J STRAND —-William Boyd in "The Show- , down" and Charles Buggies in "Opened _ liy MlstaKe." ' CENTURY—George Raft and Joan Bennett in "The House Across the Bay." , ClVlC—C.lnger Rogers and Joel McCrea In . "Primrose rath." , MAJESTIC —Mae West and W. C. Fields in ' "My l.ittle Chickadee" and Tom Brown ' in "Oil. Johnny. How You Can Love." ROXY—Jane Wyman in "Dynamite Torchy" and Lynn Bari in "Free, Blonde and 21" BT. JAMES'—Bob Taylor and Greer Garson in "Remember." OXFORD—"Beborca." REGENT—James Cagne.v and George Raft ill "Each Duwu I Dir." PLAZA —Chester Morris nnd Wendy Barrie in "Five Come Bach." EMBABSY —Ray Milland and F.llcn Drew In "Frcnch Without* Tears." DE PARlS—Continental Films: "Proressor Mamlock." ADELPHl—"Blac.kwell's island" and "Over the Moon." ALEXANDRA —"Oklahoma Kid" and "Over the Moon." AMBASSADOR—"The kilning- Hour" and "Spirit or Culver." AVONDALE —"The Hardys Ride High" and "JConga." ASTOR—"The Hardys Ride High" and f" "Blondie Takes a Vacation." BERKELEY (Mission Bay)—" Calling Dr. Klldare." BRITANNIA —"Babes In Arms" and "Four Just Men." BIRKENHEAD—"Union PacWc." CAPITOL— 29" and "Second Fiddle." CRYBTAL PALACE —"Yes. My Darling Daughter" and "A Window in London." DE LUXE —"Here 1 Am. a stranger" and "20,000 Men a Year." DELTA—"Song or the Plains" and "Silver on the Sage." EMPRESS—"Hunchback or Notre Dame." GAIETY—"Four Daughters." GREY LYNN—"Broadway Serenade" and 1 "Society Lawyer." LlßEßTY—"Thunder Anoat" and "This Man Is News."

IWAYFAIR —"When To-morrow Comes" and "In Old Santa Fe." NEW ROYAL —"Nurse Edith Cavell" and "Ambush." PRINCE EDWARD—"Babes in Arms" and "They All Come Out." PRINCEBS—"Park Up Your Troubles" and "Eternally Yours." PEERLESS—"The Lion lias Wing's." PICTUREDROME—"LittIe Miss Thoroughbred." RIALTO—"yes. My Darling Daughter" and "A Window in London." REGAL—"Hollywood Cavalcade" and "Ask a Policeman." REGENT (Epsom)—" Only Angels Have Wings." BTATE (Symonds Street)—"Ninotchka." STAR—"Algiers" and "Homicide Bureau." STATE (Onehunga)—"Swiss Family Bobinson" and "Saint's Double Trouble." BTRAND (Onehunga)—"lsland or Lost Men" and "Coastguard." STATE (Devonport)—"Wings or the Navy" and "Sued For Libel." SOUTHERN CROBB—"The Lambeth Walk" and "The Circus Girl." TIVOLI—"Free, Blonde and 21" and "Dynamite Torchy." TUDOR —"The Wizard or Oz." VICTORIA —"Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever."