CITY THEATRES

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22656, 10 March 1939, Page 7

CITY THEATRES

CRYSTAL PALACE

“ALF’S BUTTON AFLOAT”

“Alfs Button Afloat,” which -will be ;hown at the Crystal Palace to-day is a comedy with a different quality from the usual run of films. It presents Z further variation of "Alfs Button," which enables its owner to achieve wcnders, and its cast includes some of the most popular English comedy teams.

.At, it:; first showing in England it pH "Vyeff delighted audiences, and was high by critics. The “Daily Skelc /critic ■.’•rote; "During the last four months Gainsborough has shown four pic Lin es. Each has been as good as any pict-.iv of its class ever made in th.s country. Now along comes •All’s Button Afloat.’ and Mr Edward Black can sit back in his chair and consider himseli the most, consistent and best of all British film producers during the last year. ‘All’s Button Afloat’ tells the story of six street buskers who join the marines by mistake. One of them. Alf (Bud "Flanagan!, discovers that whenever he cleans his buttons a genie appears ready to obey fcti-s every command The picture is just one grand excuse to exploit the varied talents of the Crazy Gang. Most outstanding are Bud Flanagan, Teddy Knox, and Chesney Allen, who although he rarely gets the laughs, is a shining example of everything a good ‘feed’ comedian should be. The best sequence in the picture is at the ship’s concert, when the gang, with the aid of some magnificent voices and the genie, sing an operatic aria. The woret thing about ‘Alt’s Button Afloat’ is the title, but don’t let that put you off. It is one of the funniest pictures I have seen.”

STATE

“SUEZ”

The story of the efforts of Ferdinand de Lesseps to bring about the construction of the Suez canal is grippingly told in the film "Suez,” which is drawing full houses every night at the State Theatre. The picture realistically sets out the difficulties that de Lesseps had to overcome to realise his ambition. With its background the political life and diplomatic activity of two of the strongest European Powers in the middle of last century, England and France, the film is skilfully constructed.

The story is of heroic proportions. If tells of the amazing Ferdinand de Lesseps, who dreamed of creating the short route to the East, sought vainly by Columbus and Magellan, by tearing continents apart and joining the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Out of choking sand, from the clutch of the raiding Bedouin, in the face of the terrifying Sahara simoon—with blood, tears, and passion—de Lesseps built his canal, driven by the love of two women to realise the dream men scoffed at.

CHRISTCHURCH CINEMAS, LIMITED 5.” featuring Bette Davis, cj>.. si the Regent to-day. Henry Fonaa and George Brent are also starred. Robert Taylor is the star of “The Crowd Roars,” beginning to-day at the Majestic. Maureen O’Sullivan and Frank Morgan are also starred. iS®6pnd Bgst Bed,” a Ben Travers’s copied!?, begins at the Tivoli to-day. It presents the popular Tom Walls and Jane Baxter. At the Liberty Kay Francis and lan Hunter,_ are starred in “Stolen Holiday’ and Dick Fofan in. “Empty Holsters.” “Park Avenue Logger.” starring George O’Brien, and Peter B. Kyne’s Without Orders” begin to-day at the Grand.

PLAZA

“CRIME SCHOOL”

The problem of reforming bad boys is strikingly dramatised in "Crime School,” which is coming to the Plaza to-day. The famous ragamuffins who were starred in “Dead End”—Leo Gorcey, Gabriel Dell, Bobby Jordan, Bernard Punsley, Billy Halop, and Huntz Hall—are again in the major roles, stealing many of the scenes from the featured adult players Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, George Offerman, jun„ and Weldon Heyburn head the remainder of the large cast, all playing their parts in a most convincing manner.

Apart from the fact that it is a stirring, true-to-life story with wide social implications, this Warner Brothers’ picture would be a success for three other reasons. The first is the fine acting of the group of boys round whom the story is centred. All demonstrate that their acting ability is real, and that their success in ‘‘Dead End” was not mere good fortune. Crane Wilber wrote the story, which gives the cast the opportunity to display its talents. For all its melodramatic excitement and humorous moments it adheres to its important theme—the eV j n^ °f juvenile delinquents under contrasting systems. The first is the old, brutal graft-ridden reformatory, and the second the modern corrective institution. „ A - n , action drama., sen.erou.sly flavcured with comedy, “Telephone Operator,” which will be the second feature, is the story of the telephone linesmen who risk their lives carrying communication to the outposts of civilisation. Judith Allen and Grant Withers have the chief roles.

MAYFAIR

“CAREFREE”

Bubbling with romance and comedy and Irving Berlin’s catchiest songs, RKO Radio’s new “Carefree” reunites Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in what is hailed as the most delightful screen vehicle of their brilliant careers. It will begin at the Mayfair to-day. Brightly modern in theme and treatment, the picture deals with the triangular romance between a popular actress, a distinguished psychiatrist, and a successful lawyer. Like all Astaire-Roger films, “Carefree” sparkles with charming melodies and arresting dances. “The Yam,” scheduled to be the popular dance hit of the season, and which almost any amateur dancer can perform, is featured by the two stars, as is the romantic “Change Partners” routine, a spectacular dance. The stars are supported by a fine cast, including Ralph Bellamy, Luella Gear, and Franklin Paagborn. Astaire plays a psychiatrist who puts Miss Rogers in a trance to try to remove inhibitions from her mind. The trance “goes wrong,” and all sorts of complications enliven the action.

The endeavours of a psychiatrist to play Cupid and marry off his best friend to a noted actress is the theme of “Carefree.”

However, the scheme runs into unforeseen difficulties when the patient falls in love with, her doctor instead of with the man she’s supposed to marry. Hilarious complications, involving hypnotism, a skeet-shooting match, legal injunctions, breaking into a church, and the wrecking of a nation-wide radio programme, are among the comedy highlights 'of the Astaire-Rogers film.

CIVIC

“PYGMALION” “Pygmalion,” the picture version of George Bernard Shaw’s play of the same name, is an unqualified success. It is now beginning its fourth week at the Civic Theatre. A film that can be recommended without any reservations, ‘■Pygmalion” must be classed as one of the most brilliant achievements of the British film industry, and one that equals the best that Hollywood has offered.' The film adaptation of the play has lost nothing in the translation.

The stars are Leslie Howard and the attractive Wendy Hiller. Bernard Shaw’s story, it will be remembered, tells of a Cockney flower girl, who becomes the subject of an experiment to a professor of phonetics—a role which provides Leslie Howard one of the greatest opportunities of his distinguished career to display his unchallenged histrionic genius. The idea from the phonetic expert’s point of view is to prove that it is possible to take a girl out of the gutter and transform her into a society lady of fine speech and ex*quisite manners. The experiment is a brilliant success.

AVON

“RICH MAN, POOR GIRL”

A new kind of heroine is seen in “Rich Man, Poor Girl,” which is coming to the Avon to-day. This unusual type of character is Joan Thayer, played by Ruth Hussey, a girl who not only refuses to marry a man with 1,000,000 dollars, but goes out of her way to get rid of him. And, amazingly enough, the man is tall and handsome, charming, and quite in love with her.

Robert Young plays the role of Ruth Hussey’s suitor, who finally in desperation threatens to give away all his money in order to bring himself down to her financial level. His characterisation is in the same breezy style that earned him so many new admirers in “1 Met Him in Paris,” “Paradise for Three,” and “Josette.”

Others in the cast are Lew Ayres, Guy Kibbee, Rita Johnson, and Lana Turner. Based on the play, “White Collars,” the new comedy was directed by Reinhold Schunzel.

Regardless of the reaction of the public and praise of critics that follow the release of his pictures, Schunzel always has but one comment to make, “Now,” he says, “we’ll direct a good one.” This stringent self-criticism is one of the qualities responsible for Schunzel’s success. Robert Young, who receives his first top solo billing in “Rich Man, Poor Girl,” asserts that the European director has more discernment and ability to tell an actor how to do that which he is supposed to feel than anyone with whom he has ever worked.