ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 255, 24 July 1936, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

Two Films on New Programme at De Luxe

‘The Widow from Monte Carlo,” heralded as one of Warner Bros.’ most hilarious comedy romances of the year, comes V> the De Luxe Theatre to-day. The picture is based on the rollicking play by lan Hay and A. E. W. Mason, and concerns the highly-spiced adventures and love affair of a duchess, a warm-blood-ed South American beauty who has married into an English family of the nobility, and whose search for diversion after the death of her husband quite shocks her highly proper British “in-lawe,” Warren William and Dolores Del Rio have the romantice roles, with Colin Clive playing the part of the discarded diplomat and Louise Fazenda that of the new-ly-rich, woman. The second attraction is the Warner Bros.’ production “Boulder Dam,” which colourfully exploits the exciting incidents connected with the construction of the mighty power project, with Ross Alexander, Patricia Ellis and Lyle Talbot in the leading roles. Miss Ellis adds a colourful touch to the picture by singing two songs specially written for the production. An additional feature is the Orchestra De Luxe, under the leadership of Mr. L. D. Austin, and the Wurlitzer organ. “Sutter’s Gold” Commences at St, James To-day The most dramatic era in the development of California, leading to the great gold rush of 1849, forms the background of “Sutter’s Gold,” which opens at the St., James Theatre to-day. Edward Arnold is starred as John Sutter, who established the “empire” of Ne\v Helvetia in California. On his land was discovered the gold which brought 100,000 wild-eyed treasure-seekers to the Golden State within a year. The opening scene finds Sutter in his native Switzerland. Then the story follows him to America, across the continent to Oregon, to the Sandwich Islands and finally to California, where most of the action takes place. The frenzied lawlessness of the gold rush brings ruin to Sutter, When his spirit has reached its lowest ebb, his wife gives him new courage. Dramatic events follow in swift succession, and the final sequences show Sutter in Washington, D.C., carrying on a long campaign to secure redress from the Government. Heading Arnold’s enormous supporting cast. Lee Tracy is seen as'Perkin, Binnie Barnes as the Russian countess, and Katharine Alexander as Mrs. Anna .Sutter. “The Ex-Mrs. Bradford” at Plaza Theatre A murder mystery story which combines excitement with romantic comedy, after the fashion of the famous “Thin Man,” “The Ex Mrs. Bradford,” which is to continue its season at the Plaza Theatre, brings together a new screen team in William Powell and Jean Arthur. As the exwife of Dr Bradford, who becomes involved in a series of murders in high sporting circles, Jean Arthur gives a vital portrayal as the authoress who sees life as a continuous mystery thriller. She decides to win back her husband, and their united stand against the enemy brings back romance.

Quintuplets and “Escape From Devil’s Island” at King’s

Raising the already famous Dionne quintuplets to screen stardom, “The Country Doctor” will commence a return season at the King’s Theatre to-day. The story, prepared for the screen by Sonya Levien, peers into the adventures and pathos of a back-country doctor (Jean Hersholt), who sacrifices his life to the people who are dependent on him. Old. discouraged, facing defeat at the hands of politicians, he finds a new lease of life when a miracle brings five tiny bits of humanity into his care and focusses the world’s spotlight on his career, A harrowing tale of the French Devil’s Island penal colony, “Escape From Devil’s Island,” featuring Victor Jory, Florence Rice and Norman Foster, will also be j screened. The film’s drama is set against a background of death-infested swampland and alligator-ridden rivers, nature’s own barricades against escape from this desolate penal outpost. Jory enacts the role of an adventurer-spy condemned to this tropical .Hades after a thwarted attempt to (Steal some military secrets. Together with Stanley Andrews, his compatriot and father of Florence Rice, and young Foster, serving a sentence for a crime he never committed, Jory strikes for freedom across the trackless, marshy jungle. Unbeknown to each other, both Jory and Foster fall in love with the lovely Miss Rice. With freedom imminent at last, the romantic triangle engenders a tragic denouement which reverts the scene of action back to the prison eamp from which the convicts had just escaped. Elizabeth Bergner’s “Escape Me Never” at Paramount A great actress, Elizabeth Bergner, has her greatest role in “Escape Me Never,” which comes to the Paramount Theatre to-day. “Escape Me Never” offers the tiny star in the role of Gemma Jones, the lovable little waif found wandering abou* Venice with her new-born son and given shelter by Sebastian Sanger, a penniless young 'composer. She haggles and steals that he may have bread, and eventually the self-centred young man develops a genuine affection for the strange little creature.. However, in the romantic atmosphere of the Dolomites Sebastian becomes infatuated with his brother Caryl’s aristocratic sweetheart Fenella. Gemma runs away and returns to London, whither he follows and marries her. He continues seeing Fenella, however, although he knows she has become engaged, to Caryl, 1 and to the end of the story it is Gemma wjw guffigr§ for his jmsdeawawfi*

“Little Miss Nobody,” With Jane Withers, at State Theatre Jane Withers returns to the lovable harum-scarum type of role that first brought her screen fame in “Little Miss NobV ; ,” which will open at the State Theatre to-day. The story of “Little Miss Nobody” is concerned with a mischievous orphan whose antics and pranks are the bane, and at the same time the joy of the orphan asylum’s heads. Jane is continually in hot water When she tries to be “very, very good” .and do her bosom pal a good turn, Jane really gets into trouble and is committed to the reformatory. How’ever, she goes with a joyous heart for her trick has succeeded and Betty Jean, her pal, has been saved from being adopted by an arrogant, newly-rich woman, and instead has been taken by Jane’s own father I En route to the reformatory, Jane escapes and finds refuge in the pet shop of an escaped convict who is being blackmailed by another criminal. Jane manages to get everybody—herself most of all —into trouble before the climax, but she then just as skilfully extricates them from their difficulties. Majestic Theatre Screens “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” Assessed as one of the year’s outstanding comedy romances, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” at the Majestic Theatre, has proved so popular that it has been held over for a further week. In the film Gary Cooper is at his best, and opposite him is Jean Arthur, who io fast working her way to the top of the ladder. Cooper, a small-town young man, inherits 20,000,000 dollars and goes to New York. In a race for the news of how he is spending his money, Jean Arthur, a bright young journalist, gets the “copy” ahead of her paper’s rivals; but she realises, too, that she loves him. The girl writes up Mr. Deeds’s escapades, but a crook lawyer, Douglas Dumbrille, schemes to defraud Mr. Deeds. The high spot of the story is a sequence in a court of law whither Mr. Deeds has been taken by his enemies who seek to prove him insane because he nas allocated 18,000,000 dollars to developing a small-farm scheme for the unemployed. “Show Boat” to Continue at Regent Theatre The new “Show Boat” has been welcomed .to Wellington seven years alter the first film based on Edna Ferbers novel

was shown here by audiences which fill the Regent Theatre, and as a result is to continue its season. The modern film has in a leading part the beautiful Irene Dunne, who sings “Let’s Make Believe, ’ “After the Ball,” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ that Man” adorably, while Allan Jones, gifted with a glorious tenor voice and extraordinarily handsome in person and polished in manner, makes an ideal Ravenal. To cap all there is the famous bass Paul Robeson singing “Ole Man River” and "Ah Still Suit Me” as never heard before, besides playing the lazy role of Joe artistically. Helen Morgan is notably good as Julie, Partby Hawkes is inimtiably played by Helen Morgan, and Charles Winninger is ideally cast as Captain Andy Hawkes. The acting of an oldtime melodrama on the show boat is one of the big laughs of the picture. The story has been extended to bring it right up to modern times, and the new ending is most impressive and artistically ooneeiied.