ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 181, 29 April 1938, Page 7

ENTERTAINMENTS

Majestic Shows “Broadway Melody Of 1938” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s "Broadway Melody of 1938” opens to-day at the Majestic Theatre. Oh sound stages themselves larger than the greatest Broadway theatre, the picture has been furnished with a lavish splendour that could never be approached elsewhere. The cast has names that would Hash individually in the lights of a dozen Broadway houses. Here they are assembled in a single show. Robert Taylor and Eleanor Powell costar. With them are George Murphy, Binnie Barnes, Buddy Ebsen, Sophie Tucker, Judy Garland, Charles Igor Gorin. Raymond Walburn, Robert Benchlev. Willie Howard, Charles Grapewin. Robert Wildhack, and a chorus of lovely dancing girls. Roy Del Ruth directed the picture, which was produced by Jack Cummings. Dave Gould, who won the Academy award for bis direction of dancing, was in charge of the chorus, and the elaborate musical score is the work of Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. The songs are assured hits. Eleanor Powell and Murphy have a number. "I’m Feeling Like a Million.” Gorin sings “Suu Showers.” and Taylor joins Miss Powell iu "Yours and Mine.” Miss Powell offers “Pair of New Shoes” and then appears with Murphy and Ebsen in "Follow in My Footsteps.” The plot of the story is real and substantial. As the daughter qf a horse breeder gone broke, Miss Powell backs the last of his, racers by working in a night club. Taylor, as a struggling young playwright, buys the horse foil her out of sentiment. The horse wins his race and everyone is repaid. King’s Theatre Shows “Credo” And “Command Performance” "Credo,” the official film of the Roman Catholic centenary celebrations in the Auckland district this year, which will be presented at the King’s Theatre today, will give the thousands who coulu not attend one of the most important New Zealand ecclesiastic events an opportunity to see and hear its most spectacular parts. Among the events which are pictured are "Credo,” the play in which four thousand players, a choir of 200 and an orchestra of 100 took part, tne eucharistic procession of 30.000, the rally at the Auckland Domain, the mass at Western Springs, the celebrations at Totara Point, the garden party and the civic reception to the overseas delegates. The second feature is a romance with melody, "Command Performance,” with Arthur Tracey and Lilli Palmer. It provides an ideal musical and dramatic starring role for Arthur Tracy—the Street Singer. Based on an original story by the director the film shows him as an overworked star 'suffering from nervous exhaustion, who flies from his manager and contracts to the peace and quiet of the country. “Wise Girl” Begins At State Theatre A fast-moving comedy drama with crackling dialogue, unfolding one of the most original romances presented on the screen, is “Wise Girl,” co-starriug Miriam Hopkins and Ray ■.Milland, which begins to-day at the State Thehtre. The novel romance involves two natural enemies—a tempestuous Park Avenue beauty and a defiant Greenwich Village artist. The girl has promised to aid her wealthy father secure custody of his two orphan grandchildren, who live with their uncle and legal guardian, a youth with a precarious income. Upon this premise' are built the story’s dramatic and laughprovoking situations, chief, of which is the hectic love affair between Milland and Miss Hopkins when the latter, posing

as a destitute actress, meets the artist with the idea of double-crossing him, but suddenly finds herself in love with him. Tense drama arises when the grandfather, despite the girl's protests, carries out his scheme to gain custody of the youngsters, whereby .Miss Hopkins’s real identity and her apparent treachery are .revealed to the artist. “Theodora Goes Wild” Begins At New Paramount Described as the funniest comedy of this or any other year, ‘‘Theodora Goes Wild.” with Irene Dunne, the story of a girl who wrote a racy novel and then had to live up to it, comes to the New Paramount Theatre to-day. It is by ‘•Theodora Goes Wild” and “The Awful Truth” that Irene Dunne has demonstrated her versatility, for her previous roles have been dramatic or singing. There is an attractive supporting programme. Fourth Week Of “Mad About Music” At St. James •Mad About Music,” Deanna Durbin’s latest film, which to-day begins the fourth week of its season at the St. James Theatre, excells either of her previous pictures, although it departs entirely in theme and structure from “Three Smajj: Girls” and “100 Men and a Girl.” Her~’new production is almost entirely comedy-drama, but with a story that lends itself to several highly emotional passages. bringing tears in their wake much as did the finale of “100 Men and a Girl. The tears are immediately followed by comedy sequences, forcing smiles. It is this proe_sion of smiles and tears which 'makes ”.~ad About Music” a great picture. Deanna is east as a fatherless girl, attending a private school in Switzerland. Her mother is an American screen star, famous for her ingenue roles. Her manager has convinced the star that her future on the screen would be ruined if the public knew she was a mother; hence she cannot write to Deanna, nor can the child admit who her mother is. The child keenly feels her plight and invents a 'fictitious hunter-adventurer father. “The Awful Truth” Continues At Regent Irene Dunne, having forsaken her former stately roles, has apparently entered into the spirit of comedy, and in “The Awful Truth,” which :s continuing for a third week at the Regent Theatre, she easily surpasses her performance in the delightful “Theodore Goes Wild.” Miss Dmine is teamed with Cary Grant, and this union produces a comedy which will not easily be forgotten. The fun really starts when the couple apply for a divorce, and the only point which holds up quick settlement is the custody of the pet dog, “Mr. Smith.” The judge eventually decides that Miss Dunne shall have the dog. but Grant is permitted to visit it twice a week. Many of the best scenes in the film take place when these visits occur (usually when the young lady is entertaining a suitor), and, the comedy is really exhilarating. Mr. Grant announces his engagement to a pretty and wealthy young lady in a good social position. His ex-wife, however, still as much in love with him as he is with her,.decides to win him back, and, posing as his sister, attends his engagement party—with remarkable results. De Luxe Screening “The BigShow” & “The Headline Woman” “The Big Show,” which begins at the De Luxe Theatre to-day, is the first picture to introduce to New Zealand audiences Gene Autry, the singing cowboy sensation. Filmed against the background of the Texas centennial exhibi-

tion, the picture gives Autry opportunity to present several new song hits in Ins inimitable style. ” Numbers he sings in the picture are two new hits, “Mad About You" and “Lady Known as Lulu, ’ while he also sings the popular number "Ohl Faithful” and two comedy numbers. The second feature is “The Headline Woman. “Paradise For Two” Showing At Plaza A millionaire who does his dam-i n- i a bank instead "of in a theatre, and who attends to finance in the theatre instead of in the bank, is the amusing cor. <-<iy theme of “Paradise for Two," Jack Hu - bort’s latest offering, which is to begin at the Plaza Theatre to-day. It i History of a millionaire banker—with a mania for dancing—and a chorus girlOnly in this case the girl does not know the banker, biit gets run oyer by Jiis car and driven to the theatre in it. The incident sets rumour flowing and she finds herself a leading lady with Spnlimite'l credit. But all the bills get sent to .laek. The millionaire rails on the chorus girl t" find why he has to pay her bills. But she is expecting a reporter and that starts one of the most hilarious incognito romances the screen has ever presented. The chorus girl is the bejiutiful singing and dancing star, Patricia Bllis, and Jack Hulbert has further splendid comedy support from Arthur Riscoe as the theatrical manager. “Lancer Spy” And “Interrupted Honeymoon” At Tudor “Lancer Spy,” an engrossing story of espionage activities in Germany, heads the double-feature programme to begin at the Tudor Theatre to-day. Its cast is headed by George Sanders, Dolores del Rio, and Peter Lorre. The other attraction will be the merry matrimonial adventure, “Interrupted Honeymoon,” with Claude Hulbert.