ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 85, 4 January 1940, Page 10

ENTERTAINMENTS

State Theatre Programme Reviewed

"Coast Guard," now screening at the .Slate Theatre, is a lively story full of spectacular thrills and excitements, well produced and very well acted. Randolph Scott is pleasant ami convincing in the leading part, that ot a husband who doubts his wife's fidelity ; 1 ranees Dee is natural and attractive as the wife; Ralph Bellamy is good as the "other mini ; and th.' inimitable Waiter Connolly, apopleetively active, is as entertaining us ever. The tale is about Ray Dower, a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard Service, and "Speed” Bradshaw, a reckless lull likeable air pilot in the same service. Rav falls in love with Nancy, but, when lie 'is called away oil duty, Nancy and "Speed" see so much ol each oilier that suddenly, they find they are ill love. They seem ideally happy; but, alter the honeymoon, "Speed" takes up Ins old erratic habits of life, ami all too often leaves Nancy to entertain herself, alone. After enduring "Speed's’ neglect toi several months, Nancy returns to her grandfather's home, where she is visited bv Ray, still quietly devoted to her. “Speed'’ now believes that his old friend is trying to win his wife away from him, not realizing that her love tor her I'lxrkless, .carefree husband is too deep tor tnat to happen.. . . lip in the frozen north, where be ha-? been sent on rescue duty, Ray becomes lost in a blizzard and, after some persuasion by Nancy, "Speed” flies through many dangers to find him. Tins he accomplishes ; and, going home with the belief that his wife will !> e j 01 ’ f SO .b! from him, ho discovers instead that s is waiting for him, and for him alone. Many films have been produced with a State's penitentiary as their principal background, but few have been to such convincing effect all round as 'Beilina Prison Gates,” the associate full-length feature. Life in the penitentiary is revealed—more than three-quarters ot flu film takes place within the guarded walls of a large cell-block —and, though n° longer a mystery to the law-abiding citizen, be he an American and/or an enthusiastic picturegoer, it is done tn such a wav that more than cursory and instructive notice is taken of it actually interfering with the flow of the story. -xi Brian Dunlevy, as Red Murray, the pose which lie, as a member of the State Attorney-GeneraTs office, must adopt in the trailing of bank robbers, is well worthy of his place at the head of the cast, and that is no light praise, for .he acting of Paul Fix, Joseph Crehan, George Lloyd and Jacqueline M ells—in. that order —reaches such a standard that, in parts, it ceases to appear as acting. Crehan is the perfect conception of a warden, and it would probably not be difficult to find criminals very similar to the types represented by Fix and Lloyd. As the sister of Red Murray, deceased, Jacqueline Wells does all that is expected of her in aiding the man from the Attor-ney-General's office in the successful completion of his case. . The bank robbers of Behind Prison Gates” are particularly crafty, getting themselves placed in cells till the hue and cry following their raid has quietened down. But they have reckoned without an even more crafty detective, one who is prepared to become a prisoner m an endeavour to learn about the robbers. He receives a set-back, however, when, one of the prisoners recognizes his real identity ; knocking out the man on the spot silences him for the moment, but when he regains consciousness in his cell he taps out a message on a pipe running through that cell and several others that an ‘undercover man” is among them. Suspicion has been roused, and finally comes to a head when one of the robbers and Red are putting into, effect a plan to escape. . . . Both pictures this week come from Columbia Pictures, and both are worthy of “big-picture” position on any programme. Regent Theatre A breezy and gripping murder mystery, “It’s a Wonderful World,” will tie shown at the Regent Theatre for the first time today. With amusing situations tumbling over one another and sprightly dialogue rattling off at almost machine-gun pace, the principals are Claudette Colbert and James Stewart. Stewart is a private detective hired to keep an irresponsible oft-married millionaire playboy out of trouble. When the millionaire is accused of murder, Stewart becomes involved; and, in attempting to escape to seek a solution to the murder, is caught in the act by Claudette, poetess. Together they proceed to track down the real murderer. Claudette is most scatter-brained and delightful, and Stewart gives one of his more engaging comedy performances. To him, much-tried and hard-tested amateur sleuth, the poetess, with her unaccountable vagaries and unpredictable whims, is an even greater mystery than the murder. The trail of the story sweeps with unremitting energy from elaborate nightclub scenes to an apple orchard, from trains to yachts, from theatre ’to "hot dog” stand, and from auto camp to railroad trestle, (motor 'boats, and even Sing Sing prison. De Luxe Theatre Jimmy Cagney, though he wears the sombrero, buckskin jacket and highheeled riding boots of the frontier gunfighter of tile nineteenth century, though he carries a brace of old Colt six-shooters on his hips instead of a modern automatic in a shoulder holster, and discloses that he is a real hell-for-leather horseman is fundamentally the same type of character as thrilled audiences in such productions as “Angels With Dirty Faces” and “Public Enemy,” in “Oklahoma Kid,” the main attraction at the De Luxe Theatre. At the outset of the story Cagney is a bandit, but: not just a conscienceless robber and killer; rather, an adventurous -youth who has become a Robin Hood of the south-west of America. Eventually he is enlisted, in effect, on the, side of law and order—actually, he takes the law into his own hands. However, he performs a necessary service of public vengeance so bravely and so completely that he is forgiven alt his past misdeeds. Rosemary Lane, lovely and vivacious brunette, plays tiie romantic lead opposite Cagney. A singing policeman who marries the producer of the film in which he has appeared, is the pivotal character of “She Married a Cop.” the associate attraction. Jean Parker, Benny Baker and Phil Regan head the cast. “Dodge City.” . “West of Chicago, there's no law. west of Dodge City, no God” —such was the tab affixed to the wildest town in the West, a town founded on the highest of ideals! Into tliis maelstrom rode a devil-may-care figure; and he it was who destined to tame Dodge City. The vigorous Western which will be the main attraction at the Do Luxe Theatre from tomorrow, "Dodge City,” incorporates tlie foregoing details, and it is not: without romantic interest. Errol Flynn is the town-tamer, and he is given staiiiieh acting support by Alan Hale, Olivia de Htivilhtitd. and Anu Sheridan. St. Janies Theatre Renowned for her singing and lor her I acting. Deanna Durbin plays the orphan girl who is forced to live with an aunt and uncle a lid two cousins of her own age in "First: Love,” which will today end the second week of a season at the St. James Theatre. These immediate relations of the girl are a rich and snobbish family, and never let her forget that she is poor and is accepting their benefits. Great interest develops, therefore, when the girl and her female cousin (played by Helen Parrish) both lavish their affection on the same object, the young Robert Slack, bachelor.

Plaza Theatre Maintaining their reputation as the perfect. Sherlock Holmes-Dr. Watson team, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce ar,, together agaiu iu "Sherlock Holmes,’ presented by the management of the Plaza Theatre. George Zucco, as Professor Moriarty, the cunning and fiendish' one who pits himself against the brilliant and tearless Holmes, is the foremost of the supporting players, among whom are Ida Lupine and Alan Marshal, iu the romantic leads, Henry Stephenson, Terry Kilburn, as the pageboy protege of Holmes, and E. E. Clive. To reveal the plot would be unfair to the theatre management and to prospective audiences'; sufficient is it to mention that among the ballling clues that confront Holmes there is a strange chinchilla fetish and a mystery about the 'Traitor's Gale in the Tower of London. The British crown jewels—replicas of which are on view at the Centennial Ex-hibition—-are no insignificant inspiration to Moriarty’.s schemes, “Stanley And Livingstone.” Introducing Henry M. Stanley as he was in 1869, a reporter of bulldog tenacity who willingly risked his neck to get his story, "Stanley and Livingstone,” the Darryl F. Zanuck production which will be released at the Plaza Theatre tomorrow, follows him through all the thrills and dangers of his great adventure and shows willt great dramatic force lire influence on his character and on his whole life of his meeting and subsequent friendship with that fine missionary-ex-plorer Dr. David Livingstone, who had buried himself in tlie black heart of unknown Africa to serve humanity. Spencer Tracy, twice winner of an award by the American Academy of Moticn Picture Arts and Sciences, plays Stanley, and Sir Cedric Hardwieke Dr. Livingstone. Walter Brennan is successful as the old Indian scout who accompanies Stanley; Charles Coburn is splendid as Lord Tyce, the pompous publisher of the "Globe,” London; Henry Hull brings James Gordon Bennett back to vivid life; and Henry Travers is convincing as the English consular agent whom Africa has aged before his time. The romantic interest is safe with Nancy Kelly, daughter of the consular agent, and Richard Greene, fever-racked son of Lord Tyce. King’s Theatre The story of Scotland Yard's desperate efforts to track down ‘ a nation-wide espionage ring'is told in “Clouds Over Europe,” which, with Ralph Richardson, Valeric Hobson and Laurence Olivier in the leads, is being shown at the King’s Theatre, The works of the world-famous police agency are revealed, as well as the ingenious intrigues of enemy agents. “Clouds Over Europe” reaches a smashing climax in which a number of aviators wage a desperate hand-to-hand struggle in order to capture the ship on which they have been imprisoned, while a gunboat, whose commander is unaware of his countrymen’s plight, fires upon the embattled vessel. Majestic Theatre The screen version of Frank L. Baum’s fantasy, “The Wizard of Oz,” describing how a little Kansas farm girl gets caught in a cyclone and btdieves she is carried to Oz, where she meets a Scarecrow who wants brains, a Tin Woodman who wants a heart and a Cowardly Lion who seeks courage, and how they all go' to the Wizard to ask him to grant their wishes seems destined for a third week at the Majestic Theatre. The farm girl wishes to go home again, and her return to ordinary life after her delirium is given an unusual dramatic twist. Tudor Theatre Describing how a millionaire shocks his apathetic family into taking some notice of him, “Fifth Avenue Girl” is enjoying great success at the Tudor Theatre. The scheme the millionaire adopts to achieve his object involves the “adoption” of a young girl, she to pose aS a ‘‘gold-digger.” The millionaire is Walter Connolly and the “gold-digger” Ginger Rogers.

Highlights of “Career,” the associate film, are the two romances, the conversion of a drunkard to respectability and a near-lynching.