ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 111, 4 February 1941, Page 10

ENTERTAINMENTS

State Theatre.—"lnternational Crime” is an exciting comedy-thriller with Rud La Rocque at his best as a newspaper crime specialist. Astrid Alhvyn plays the part of his nitwitted but eventually successful assistant with vivacity and humour. William Frawley. Thomas Jackson, Oscar O'Shea ami others supply a good all-round supporting cast. The second film, "Tlie Rangers' Round-Up,” is Sttin Laurel’s first essay at production and has an attractive new Western singing star in Fred Scott, whose baritone voice is heard to great advantage in some new and catchy tunes. Scott, who is a star of the New York Metropolitan Opera Company, is in a class of his own among singing cowboy stars, and it is a treat to hear him. "Devil On Horseback.” a natural-colour musical feature, will open at the Stale Theatre tomorrow. The stars are Lili Damita, the dainty little French star, Fred Keating of the New York stage, and Del Campo, the magnetic Chilian baritone, who has been called the “Valentino of the Air.” The story, which introduces with elaborate dance ensembles, colourful romance and thrills in a picturesque tropical setting, deals with the alleged abduction of a famous movie star by a gallant, love-smitten young Caballero, wlycli turns out to be only a press agent fiction. The associate feature, “Outlawed Guns,” stars perhaps the most famous cowboy actor on the screen, Buck Jones, with his equally famous horse Silver.

St. Janies Theatre. —"Texas Rangers Ride Again” is a Western film of the most modern type. It is a story of mechanical warfare on the ranges, with the Texans battling for their rights against modern rustlers. The cast includes John Howard, Ellen Drew, Akim Tamiroff, May Robson, Charley Grapewin and Anthony Quinn. The first half of the programme includes a remarkable film by the Australian camera unit of the capture of Bardia.

King’s Theatre. —Adventures in the colourful life of a young Irish girl struggling for recognition aud fame as a dancer form the basis of “Dance, Girl, Dance,” a spectacular romantic drama of backstage life. Vicki Baum wrote the story. Maureen O’Hara is cast as the dancer, Lucille Ball plays . a golddigging chorine, and Louis Hayward portrays a wealthy playboy who falls in love with Maureen, marries Lucille while on a spree, and then bounces back to his divorced wife, played by. Virginia Field. This production presents a lavish ballet number featuring Maureen O’Hara, and two song-and-dance offerings by Lucille Ball. One of the majo r elements in Hitler’s war of nerves has been the use of the famous Nazi propaganda film “Feuratufe” (“Baptism of Fire”) to demoralize leaders of countries he planned to invade. The March of Time has taken sequences from this Nazi “terror picture” and used them as the ending fo r “The Ramparts We Watch” to show how Hitler’s armies operate with their parachute troops, panzer divisions, fifth columnists and other features of the total war they wage. When shown in this manner, however, audiences are roused against the Nazi rather than “softened,” and the German Embassy in Washington has threatened suit against the film company for its use of the Nazi film, which was obtained after it had been confiscated by British censors in Bermuda. “The Ramparts We Watch” will be seen at the King’s on Friday.

Majestic Theatre.—Though “Night Train to Munich” must of necessity take its theme of Nazi terrorism and intrigue seriously in some sequences, it is punctuated with refreshing humour, introduced mainly by’ the Basil Radford-Naunton Wayne team that enlivened the proceedings in “The Lady Vanishes.” The costars are Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison, while heading the supporting cast are Paul von Hernried and James Harcourt.

“ ‘Forty Thousand Horsemen’ is destined to make the Australian Light Horse in Palestine live again.” This foregoing endorsement was recorded by Frank O’Loughlen, Sydney writer who attended the preview of this production, which will begin a season at the Majestic Theatre on Friday. “This daring and capable production of something entirely different in motion pictures’ is capable of repeating the brilliant deeds of the Australian Light Horse with another invasion —this time the foreign film market, toward which the youthful film industry in Australia has been turning with eager eyes and hopeful hearts,” he commented as part of an article in the “Country Life” newspaper. Old Light Horse campaigners of the last great Wn r were among those priviliged to see the preview, continues the article, aud, as Major A. D. Reid, Minister for Agriculture, and himself one of the Light Horsemen of Palestine fame, remarked: —“That charge of the Light Horse at Beersheba was so realistic that «t one stage of it I nearly swung my long, right leg on the person in the seat in front of me.”

Opera House.—No film in recent years has so gripped the imagination of the people as “Convoy.” With a canvas crammed with thrills, desperate adventures, resounding naval encounters, acts of individual heroism, and adorned with the bluff, sardonic humour of the British bluejacket and men of the Merchant Service, this production fulfils every demand for a topical drama extolling Britain’s command of the seas.

Plaza Theatre. —Capturing all the danger, romance and thrills of Old California’s most exciting days, “The Mark of Zorro” offers Tyrone Power the roost famous of all screen roles. This new production from the 20th CenturyFox studios stars Power in his most colourful role to date. Linda Darnell and Basil Rathbone head the brilliant featured cast of “The Mark of Zorro” which also includes Gale Sondergaard, Eugene Pallette, J. Edward Bromberg and many others.

Regent Theatre.—Errol Flynn, swashbuckling hero of so many thrilling screen adventures, has his most glorious role in “The Sea Hawk." Leading his men to the four corners of the earth, swooping down on the gold cargoes of mighty galleons like a savage bird of prey, Flynn is superb as the daring Sea Hawk. Featured with him are Brenda Marshall, as his Spanish light o’ love, Claude Rains, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, a group of names which speak for themselves. and a supporting cast of thousands.

“I Take This Woman,” a dramatic romance of New York life and society, brings Spencer Tracy and the glamorous Iledy Lamarr together as an unusual and interesting romantic team. The picture will open on Thursday nt the Regent Theatre. It is Miss Lamarr’s first modern American film.

De Luxe Theatre. —The “Dead End” Kids and the Little Tough Guys share honours with Nan Grey and au excellent supporting cast in “You’re Not So Tough.” “Three Men From Texas” is another “Hopalong” Cassidy film. Also screening is a newsreel of the capture of Bardia, showing the gallant Australian and New Zealand Forces advancing tinder heavy shellfire, British waships bombing the town and the capture fo thousands of Italian prisoners. Tudor Theatre.—Revealing the amazing experience of a beautiful wife witli rhe husband she thought she know, “The Man I Married” is an unusual drama. The associate film, “The Bride Wore Crutches,” is a hilarious comedy, SUBURBAN THEATRES Ascot (Newtown). —“Golden Boy,” Adolphe Menjou, Barbara Stanwyck; “Forged Passport,” Paul Kelly, June Lang. Empire (Island Bay).—“South of the Border,” Gene Autry. Smiley Burnette; “Return of the Frog,” Gordon Harker. Tivoli (Thomdon). —“Edison the Man,” Spencer Tracy, “Blondie Brings Up Baby,” the Btimstend Family. Kinenia (Kilhirnie). —“The Man From Dakota,” Wallace Beery; “Tropic Fury,” Richard Arlen, Andy Devine. Rivoli (Newtown). —“Anne of 'Windy Poplars,” Anne Shirley, James Ellison; “The Defence Rests,” Edward Ellis, Anita Louise.

Vogue (Brooklyn).—“The Westerner,” Gary Cooper, Doris Davenport; “La

Conga Nights,” Constance Moore, Hugh Herbert. Capitol (Miramar). —“We Are Not Alone,” Paul Muni and Jane Bryan; “Village Barn Dance,” Richard Cromwell and Doris Day. Regal (Karori). —“Foreign Correspondent,” Joel McCrea, George Sanders, King George (Dower Hutt). —“The Roaring Twenties,” James Cagney, Priscilla Lane. De Luxe (Lower Hutt). —“Sherlock Holmes,” Basil Rathbone and Ida Lupine; “Shooting High,” Jane Withers and Gene Autry. Prince Edward (Woburn). —"Military Academy,” Tommy Kelly, Bobby Jordan; “Chasing 'Trouble,” Frankie Darro, Marjorie Reynolds