ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 69, 14 December 1939, Page 13

ENTERTAINMENTS

State Theatre Programme

Reviewed

More than half the charm of Edgar Wallace’s stories has been that something happens ou every page. You can read them in tli« train or even when you are seasick. Almost without, thought, scene after exciting scene unravels itself in the mind, moving-picture fashion. ’That if why his books make suevh good “talkies” when they are handled aright—as "The Return of the Erog,” now screening at the State Theatre, certainly is. The characters act and speak in fantastic settings that are the more fantastic because, without the story, without the Wallace touch, they would be baldly realistic.

This time the Frog, unknown to his associate and only guessed at by the audience, is planning a tremendous coup which will put him and his hundreds of associates in Easy Street for life. That, rather, is his plan, but lie has to contend with the versatile Inspector Elk and his not-so-dumb assistant, Sergeant Maggs, parts played with a fine comic sense by Gordon Harker and Cyril Smith.

Mum Oaks and Golly Oaks, proprietors of a river-side pub-club, are there too, with the beautiful gold-digging niece Lila, a girl who would be good and kindly it she had the choice —which, till the handsome visiting American police captain comes along, seems pretty remote. s ,° involved, is the Dutch sea-captain with honourable but rather enthusiastic designs in Lila; a parrot which talks and whistles in code; asserted bearded sailors; and, in the end, a large-sized squad of London “bobbies” to round up the crooks —in fact, all the oddly asserted characters whose very presence lends an eerie quality to the story. Inspector Elik is almost shot in the middle of a crowd in Hyde Park; he is almost killed by a 'bomb in a telephone box; if be had not had a gasmask he might have 'been asphyxiated in Mum Oaks’s cellar. But he survived all the perils that The Frog plants in his way, to confound the wrong-doers and close the film with one of his gorgeous “historical” sayings about “Kiss me, Hamilton.” The plot itself should not be told despite the fact that the thrills depend very little on inside knowledge. But it can be said that it runs along amusingly and dramatically right to the very end. The Jones Family occupies the earlier part of the programme with their assorted naiveties in Hollywood, where Pa Jones has. gone to attend a. convention of the American Legion. He did not want to take the family, but just Ma Jones, but Grandma and the children went along too. Who would miss a chance like that, even if it did bankrupt the Old Man? Pa spends most of his time boop-booping sweatily with a huge French horn in the legion baud, padding his sore feet up and down the sweltering streets, and then, to cap his discomfort, in attempting to get the small fry out of their respective difficulties, he finds himself innocently but embarrassingly involved with a beautiful actress. It is good fooling. Regent Theatre Adapted for the screen from Clayton Rawson’s "Murder in a Top Hat,” “Miracles For Sale” will be released at the Regent Theatre today. Rawson is the foremost amateur magician in America, and the story is laid among a group of professional magicians and clairvoyants. Robert Young plays a master magician with a penchant for exposing fraudulent spirit mediums, who, through plans to expose a mystery woman from Europe, finds himself obliged to turn detective to help the police to find the murderer of a strange dcmonologist. The police surgeon makes his report—and the demonologist was apparently dead four hours before he wns actually seen talking to the police. By turning a trick in magic to account. Young- finds the murderer in a surprise, dramatic climax. Florence Rice is the heroine. Frank

Craven portrays Young's father, a whimsical old man from the Middle West, Gloria Holden is the weird Mme. Rapport, spirit medium, and Henry Hull is a handcuff king, appearing in no fewer than three unusual make-ups. St. James Theatre Full opportunity to get the very utmost from the many dramatic situations m "Rio,” this week at the St. James Theatre, is afforded Basil Rathbone. Rathbone plays the part of Paul Reynard, a financial genius who is not quite clever enough, and is given staunch support by Sigrid Gurie as Reynard’s wife. At the pinnacle of his career Reynard is arrested, following his exposure as a gigantic swindler. Sentenced to a penal colony near Rio, his wife, a beautiful stage artist and passionately devoted to him, goes to Rio to wait an opportunity to help him. Eventually, Reynard effects an escape—Rathbone is horribly convincing in these scenes—only to find that in the interval his wife has fallen genuinely in love with a young American engineer. Maori Choir. The famous Hiruharamu maori choir will present hakas, songs and poi dances on the theatre stage on Friday and Saturday. The ages of members of the choir range from nine to 15 years. Plaza Theatre Lauded throughout the musical world for his bowing and fingering of great compositions, that renowned violinist, Jascha Heifetz, makes his screen debut in “They Shall Have Music,” which is drawing full sessions at the Plaza Theatre. By far the greater part of the acting falls on the shoulders of young Gene Reynolds, and others of the juveniles—apart from the California Junior Orchestra—are Terry Kilburn and Tommy Kelly. With a few superficial differences, the plot is about the same as that of “100 Men and a Girl.” There is the povertystricken orchestra bringing the glories of music to children who cannot afford to pay for tuition; and there is the child (Reynolds) who brings a famous musisian to the aid of the orchestra when its failure, because of lack of finance, is imminent. But the playing of Heijetz is the thing.

Majestic Theatre As Tarzan and his mate, Jaue, Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan are reunited, and as their foster son. Boy, Johnny Sheffield is introduced, in "Tarzan Finds a Son,” which is being shown at the Majestic Theatre. Johnny Sheffield swings through the air on vines with Weissmuller, engages with him in thrills in underwater swimming, is rescued from a rhinoceros, and. figures prominently in other escapes. “Tarzan Finds A Son” deals with the finding of a baby boy in. an aeroplane wrecked in the African jungle. Tarzan and Jane adopt and rear the boy. A safari penetrates the jungle in search of traces of the plane to clear up a legacy, and the adopted child, Boy, becomes the object of a plot by heirs who do not wish his existence known. King’s Theatre The bold era of adventure and turmoil which reigned in the Philippine Islands after the American Army was evacuated following the Spanish-American war and the islands were overrun with religious native terrorists, is dramatized in. that exciting film today ending an extended season at the King's Theatre, "The Real Glory.” "Intermezzo.” Leslie Howard portrays a famous violinist whose frequent tour abroad estrange him from his wife, in “Intermezzo.” which will be released at the King’s Theatre tomorrow. His romance with a woman pianist, young and beautiful. is presented with sympathy and understanding, making it a realistic human experience that lends the film a rare emotional appeal. 'Fhe part of the pianist is taken bv a Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, who makes Iler screen debut. That she successfully maintains the excellent standard

of acting set by Leslie Howard ami Edna Bes-t is proof that this new player is an actress of splendid promise. De Luxe Theatre Melvyn Douglas is a newspaper man into whose hands falls a hundred-dollar bill that is part of a sum of money paid for a ransom and murder, in “Tell No Tales,” the main attraction at the De Luxe Theatre. Step by step his relentless search for the bill’s source leads him to and through every haunt and purlieu of the teeming city, with the menace of death ever at his shoulder till, in a battering climax, he brings the criminals to justice. The smuggling of aliens across the border of America is the theme of the associate attraction, “Secret Service of the Air.” New Opera House “Angels With Dirty Faces,” today ending a season at the New Opera House, concerns two slum boys. Rocky Sulliyan (Janies Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien), who, searching for amusement which they are unable to find in the crowded, filthy district that is their home, attempt to steal some fountain pens. They are chased by the police; Jerry being fleeter of foot, gets away, but Rocky is caught. Sent to reform school, Rocky is bitter about the world in general on his release and immediately treads the path that leads but to crime and its sometimes consequent luxuries and inevitable uncertainties. During this time Jerry has become a priest. Fifteen years after their boyish escapade, Rocky and Jerry meet again—two dirty-faced boys grown up—both fighting for life. Rocky for his own, Jerry for the thousands of slum boys in his parish. How Jerrv tries to mase Rocky an ally in his attempt to make good citizens of boys who could very easily “go wrong,” provides some of the more poignantly dramatic moments. Tudor Theatre The ever-popular Gracie Fields scores vet another film success in “Shipyard Sally,” -the main attraction at the Tudor Theatre. A steady stream of humour leavens “Shipyard Sally’s” more serious moments, and Sydney Howard as Grade’s father, rascally but lovable, is often in the limelight. Expounding the droll idea that there is such a thing as a Mr. Average Man in America and that he would be worth a fortune to the promoter who could handle him, “Thanks For Everything,” a better than average comedy, is the associate attraction.