CITY THEATRES

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21991, 15 January 1937, Page 6

CITY THEATRES

CIVIC i "EAST MEETS WEST" j When George Arliss played Disraeli he made a reputation which ensured success for any similar films which he j made, and he has made several since! ihen. Now he has departed from tho • path which he has followed so closely. \ and in doing so he has made an even; better picture. This time he is not so outstandingly solo, and lie gains from having others with him For another week the public will be able to see at the Civic Theatre a George Arliss oicture quite different from anything he has clone before. As the title, "East Meets West," suggests, the clash of nations is involved. Some ot the most common Arliss mannerisms have gone and although he is still a very poor talker and a very good listener he is less dominating in his manner. , . ~ , George Arliss was himself only to a point He did not. make the picture fit himself, but lent himself to the role which he was playing. In this respect he is even more successful than in "The Green Goddess." for he has established a new reputation, one quite different from that which followed "Disraeli," and one mucn better. It is definitely the best picture he has made since his first appearance. , STATE. ! j "LADY »K C\REFUL» j i A brilliant comedy bill will start at 1 the State Theatre to-morrow. "Lady Be j Careful." which is the film version of j the famous comedy stage play. "Sailor Beware." is a most entertaining picture, with sparkling dialogue, rapid action, and a story that holds the attention of the audience throughout. The stars are Lew Ayres, Mary Carlisle. Larry Crabbe. and Grant Withers, a group of players whose success in previous films gives sufficient guarantee that the acting is worthy of the fine comedy. The humour of the picture is cf a very high order, and does not Hag for a moment, and the situations follow one another in easy succession, leading up to a satisfying climax. This film is one of the outstanding comedy successes of the screen, and ■ should not be missed by those who appreciate a bright and amusing film. I CRYSTAL PALACE ! DRAMA OF WILD WEST j A thundering drama of the westj with a new kind of hero who tears i into the great outdoors, creating a| havoc of excitement, action, and ro-; mance, is "Wild Bran Kent," opening) to-dav at the Crystal Palace. j Dismissed from a polo team en route! to the v.-est coast, and stranded pen- j niless in the little desert town of Hope-; ville, Ralph Bellamy gets into trouble} with a gambling ring, is knocked un-1 conscious over a river bank, and falls j into a small boat, which drifts away j with him. His rescuer, Mae Clarke,! confides that her ranch is in financial difficulties and Bellamy promises to j aid her. He goes into town and ar- 1 ranges a 30-day mortgage with Stanley I Andrews, unscrupulous real estate pro- | moter, who for a long time has cov-1 eted the Circle V ranch. Andrews then i prevents a sale of cattle by the Circle V in order to foreclose. Bellamy is | accused of conniving with Andrews, j cannot satisfactorily explain his asso-1 elation with the crook, and is ordered ! oil the ranch. j Mae Clarke enters a crass-country' race, hoping to obtain the mortgage payment, but a trick by Andrews ■ forces her cut while throwing the; blame on Bellamy. In a thrilling dis- j play of horsemanship he wins the race j and 500 dollars. ' \ Many more troubles follow before ; there is a happy reconciliation which ! leads to a happy ending. i AVON "MY AMERICAN WIFE" Everything that goes to make a ; highly successful comedy-romance is < possessed by the new attraction which i will start to-day at the Avon Theatre, i '•My American Wife" has been heralded as possessing the qualities of that most delightful of European-American comedies. "Ruggles of Red Gap." and it fully lives up to expectations. It must be accounted one of the most fascinating and amusing romances to be seen this year. In it Francis Lederer, the Czechoslovakian actor of whom little has so far been seen in New Zealand, plays a feature role with such natural and enjoyable ability that it will not be surprising if he soon takes his place among the most successful of the romantic leads. With him is Ann Sothern, who also gives a firstclass account of herself. The story is of a European count who marries a rich American girl, of ranching descent, and then astonishes and chagrins all those domcratic Americans who were expecting to make him a social lion by giving his attentions instead of the pursuits of the founder of the family fortunes. It is a story that is made for the kind of j romantic comedy that can alwavs be I counted on for drawing full houses. ! Francis Lederer shows fine taste for j the light-hearted kind of role he has ; been given and is responsible for a I great part of the picture's merit. Ann ! Sothern, as the girl who is at first fas- ! cinated and then appalled by the false i position in which her ambitious mother [ seeks to place her. is at once a very j good character study. I MAYFAIR "THE CRIME OF DR. FORBES" A startling drama, based on a theme that made large headlines in the newspapers recently, "The Crime of Dr. Forbes," a new Fox picture, will start to-day at the Mayfair Theatre. Gloria Stuart. Robert Kent, Henry Armetta, J. Edward Bromberg. Sara Haden. and Alan Dinehart head the cast of this drama, and their exceptional performances are said to enhance the tension and suspense that exist throughout, reaching a climax in the totallv unexpected denouement. J. Edward Bromberg. a noted physician seeking a cure for a fatal spinal disease, hears of the discovery in Arizona of prehistoric skeletons that bear unmistakeable evidence of the ailment. He departs for the scene of the excavation leaving his laboratory—and his pretty young wife. Gloria Stuart—in the charge of "Dr. Forbes." played by Robert Kent. Kent and the doctor's wife fall in love. Suddenly, word comes that Bromberg has been seriously injured in a mine cavein. Kent and Miss Stuart rush to the scene and find Bromberg enduring harrowing Dain. made more unbearable by the realisation that it cannot be cured. Facing days of endless torture, Bromberg can only wait for death to release him. Suddenly he dies —and the swiftness of death prompts Sara Haden to instigate an investigation which reveals that Bromberg met his death by an overdose of poison. OTHER THEATRES "San Francisco" will start its fourth week at the Regent Theatre to-day.

The stars are Jcannette Mac Donald and Clark Gable. Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea are the stars of "Adventure in Manhattan." which will start at the Majestic Theatre to-day. "Three Live Ghosts." starring Claude Allister and Beryl Mercer, will be shown for the first time at the Tivoli Theatre to-day. The new double-feature programme at the Liberty Theatre is Jack Buchanan in "Brewster's Millions" and "Hopalong Cassidy." Edmund Gwenn in "Java Ahead" and Tim McCoy in "Speedwings" are the new attractions for the Grand Theatre. The bright British comedy, "First a Girl," starring Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale, will start'at the Metro. Sydenham, to-day. Claude Hulbert has the lead in "Hello, Sweetheart," which, with "Straight from the Shoulder," is the r>ew attraction at the Theatre RoyalHerbert Marshall and Gertrude Michael are the stars of "Forgotten Faces," which is the main picture of | the double-feature programme at the 'Plaza Theatre.