FIRST SHOWINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 130, 4 June 1938, Page 7

FIRST SHOWINGS

OUTSTANDING FILMS

SCREEN SPECTACLE

"IN OLD CHICAGO"

When there is mushroom growth, easy money, bright lights, and quick profits it is usually the case that poverty and vice are to be found just across the street. So it was that in the days when old Chicago was suffering most from growing pains corruption and graft ruled the political field, and the destinies of the city were decided, not in the council chambers, but in the hectic atmosphere of the saloons and other questionable establishments in the other side of the town.

"In Old Chicago," which is now showing at the State Theatre, does for Chicago what "San Francisco" did for that city. Even in plot, sequence, and spectacle, it bears a close resemblance to the former film, and its climax comes, too, when a great disaster sweeps clear the hovels of the slums to make way for a greater, grander, and more dignified city. Having its climax in. the great fire of Chicago, the film contains some awe-inspiring and terrible scenes, scenes which represent human suffering, petty jealousies, and greed, but also provide the opportunity for heroism and self-sacrifice to raise their heads.

The story of the film is the story of the O'Learys. Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Alice Brady, Andy Devine, and Brian Donlevy play the principal roles. Father of three husky young sons, Patrick O'Leary, with his wife Molly, is first seen in his wagon heading for Chicago, there to start anew in the city of hope. But Patrick never sees Chicago, for tragedy strikes the little family,' and the father is killed and buried in a lonely grave. Ma O'Leary (Alice Brady) brings her family to the city, and until they are grown to manhood she ekes out a slender living by washing. One of the boys marries an attractive little German immigrant girl, and settles aown to domestic life, but the other two are fired with ambition. is a struggling lawyer, quickly making a name, and a man with high ideals which he hopes some day to carry out. Dion (Tyrone Power) is more shiftless, and when he falls in love with Belle Fawcett (Alice Faye), a singer in a saloon, his entry into the gay life of the city is assured. Chicago's "Patch" was what the Bowery was to New York. By using his brains and other people's money, Dion establishes himself as a leader of "The Patch," with its immense voting power, and, using bribery, threats, and blackmail, he controls the politics of the city. Dion's romance with Belle does not meet with the approval of Ma O'Leary, but unknown to Ma. Belle, in her way, is a better woman than Dion is a man. Dion, in a contemptible fashion, uses Belle as a dupe for political purposes, and adds the crowning insult when he marries her, confessing after the. ceremony that he did it so that she could not give evidence against him in a forthcoming trial. But Dion's biggest mistake is in having his brother Jack elected Mayor. Jack had great plans to clean up "The Patch" systematically, by rebuilding. His plans are not carried out by him; they are carried out by the fire. The great fire of Chicago is a terrifying sequence in which a great slice of the city is shown wrapped in flames, the efforts of the firemen being hopelessly inadequate to check the blaze. Scenes of panic and pathos are intermingled with sheer spectacle, such as the charge of maddened cattle through the city streets. When at last the blaze subsides the O'Learys, such as are left, are ready to start anew their lives in the city. . Don Ameche, as Jack, is the most admirable character of the film. Tyrone Power gives a fine performance as Dion, but although Dion is a likeable scoundrel in some ways, he commands no admiration. Alice Faye, as Belle Fawcett, plays her part well, and gives a convincing portrayal of the character of the girl. There are several excellent supporting subjects.

"THE FIREFLY"

MUSIC AND ROMANCE

All the glamour and panoply of war as it used to be, and the beauty that was old-time Spain, is recalled in "The Firefly," now showing at the Majestic Theatre. The picture is'noteworthy for many things: for its beautiful lyrics by Friml, its fine and harmonicas settings, and for its simple, appealing plot. The scenes are set in old Madrid, in Bayonne, and among the Pyrenees, and they carry with them a conviction that the screen seldom brings. The picture is one of brilliant contrasts, depicting the struggle of the Spanish people, aided by the Duke of Wellington and his British' troops, against the might of Napoleon's armies. It is one of intrigue behind enemy lines, and of romance which even the grimness of war cannot quell. As Nina Maria, an entertainer whose Spanish parents had been slain in the French invasion 20 years before, and who seeks revenge by playing the part of a spy against Napoleon, Jeannette Macdonald scores an even greater success than she did in "Naughty Marietta." Her talent as an actress of romantic and dramatic roles has never been more apparent than in the tragic scene where, imprisoned by the French in a Vittoria guardhouse after having been arrested for ..espionage, she sees her French lover shot down by British bullets.

In the role of the dashing Spanish cavalier who pursues Nina Maria so tirelessly, and Whose advances are welcomed until he turns out to be Captain Francois Andre, of the French Intelligence, Allan Jones also scores in what is his first major role. He has a difficult role to fill, playing as he does in a part usually filled by Nelson Eddy, but his performance is at least as good as that of Eddy in "Naughty Marietta." Besides this, he has an excellent voice, which, of course, has been heard many times before carrying the musical burden of other pictures. Perhaps the finest settings and direction of any song yet given by way of the screen is that of "Donkey Serenade," that catchy melody which even now has reached a great height of popularity. In the picture it is sung by Diego on horseback to Nina Maria riding in a coach, with the rhythm of donkeys' hoofs, the strumming of a guitar, and the tootle of a tin whistle providing a most appealing land unusual orchestration. Other songs are sung by Jeannette Macdonald and Allan Jones, and of these "Sympathy" I must be ranked as outstanding bocause of the artistry of the two singers and the beauty of the setting. Allan Jones scores a hit with his rendering of an Italian gondolier's song, despite its unusual setting in the barnyard of a Spanish border town.

The picture is a long one, and be- j cause of its many musical interliidesii the action is at times slowed up, but this does not detract from it as ;i picture. The plot is quite a sound one, and has as its background the clash of the opposing armies and the rousing of the Spanish people. The background work has been extremely well done, so much so, that certain scenes in which neither of the featured players take part stand out vividly. Two of these are the proclaiming of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, with his triumphal procession through the garlanded and flower-strewn streets of Madrid, and later the entry into Madrid of Joseph Bonaparte, puppet monarch of the great Napoleon, amid a stony silence. Others in the cast whose act-,

Ing attract notice are Warren William, as one of Napoleon's staff officers, Douglas Dumbrille, George Zucco, Billy Gilbert, and Henry Daniell.

The supports, which include newsreels and a featurette concerning the fate of the Mary Celeste, are excellent.

REGENT THEATRE

BUCCANEERING THRILLS

The public will like "The Buccaneer" which had its initial performance at the Regent Theatre yesterday. The name is enough to recall the story-book heroes of the old days and the public will thrill as Fredric March portrays the role of the good, bad Jean Lafitte, who terrorised the New Orleans coast at the beginning of last century, and will be captivated with • the charm of the naive little Gretchen, played by Franciska Gaal (a newcomer to Hollywood productions). The rich humour of the villainous, but open-fisted Dominique You (Akim Tamiroff) will produce many a hearty laugh. As a Cecil B. de Mille production the picture is marked with all the artistry that this great showman can command. It is good, sound entertainment; with all the thrills of buccaneering days that can be grouped under the name of action, plus romance and roystering comedy. There are intimate touches of humanity and the lavishly spectacular scenes as they merge into the sensational can be expected to produce that tingling feeling at the base of the spine. The viliain of the piece is Britain, only probably because this happens to fit in with the American historical sense. And anyway the historical canvass is pretty wide and Britain as the enemy is not overdone. In any event, too, the picture purports to be nothing other than full-blooded entertainment. After all the times, were crucial, and while perhaps some of the incidents are over-dramatised, everything generally is splendidly done. Romantic'battlefields, gallant figures, lost causes, lone hopes give the producer a generous field. He makes the most of them. The romance is done in the best Fredric March manner, and the fragile-like femininity of Franciska Gaal produces many a heart throb. Lafitte, a free-lance buccaneer, at the beginning of the war of 1812 between Britain and America, decides to forsake his eventful land bloody career by adopting the cloak of respectability as the servant of the Americans. His overtures are declined (he has a price on his head) and his headquarters are destroyed as the result of treachery. But in the Battle of New Orleans (Scotsmen will thrill at toe skirl of pipes and the ranks of falling kilties) Lafitte plays no small part in the defeat of the British. Romance is introduced with the arrival on the scene of Gretchen. the little Dutch girl, and the development of her love for the dramatic figure portrayed by March. Some people may , quarrel with the transformation of Jean Lafitte, a terror of merchantmen and the favourite of the ladies of New Orleans, m all a wastrel, into a figure of some importance, but it is all done in the name of entertainment and Lafitte is leit at the close still an outcast from decent society.

ST. JAMES THEATRE

A RACE TRACK TALE

A tale that carries a universal appeal because the strong, cast represents many facets of racetrack and grandstand life is "Thoroughbreds Don t Cry." now at St. James Theatre. It tangles the destinies of Baronet and grandson, jockey and gambler, honest men and rogues, and as the story progresses each of the characters grows upon the interest until the inevitable faked race has quite a dampening effect on the audience. Sir Peter Calverton, a fine old British sportsman, takes his horse Pookah across the Atlantic with his last shilling, and on his first visit to the course sees Timmie Donovan (Mickey Rooney) ride a winner in what he is told, is his usual style, coming aggressively, frdm the back, and successfully beattng an l attempt to gang him and ride him off. Timmie is a virile youth, and has a swelled head by nature. Pookah's owner knows that he is beyond his pocket, but Roger, his grandson, undertakes to persuade him to ride the horse in the classic evert t. Thenceforward humour takes charge. Timmie fobs off the delicate-looking English boy, but he proceeds to the jockeys' rest kept by-Mother Ralph (Sophie Tucker) and, waiting there for Timmie, he makes the acquaintance of Cricket West (Judy Garland), music and stage mad, but about his own age, and, like Mother Ralph, fully versed in the rough side of life. When all the jockeys roll up to eat, Roger's polished ways soon lead to a rough house, but after he and Timmie have blacked each other's eyes, they become friends. Nothing more unconsciously humorous and incongruous than the contacts in this group could be imagined, but Timmie agrees to ride Pookah. A faked doctor and a crook father feigning the need for an operation to save his life so work upon Timmie that he agrees for the first time not to ride a winner, and pulls Pookah, being warned by the stewards. The shock kills the and the story' would seem to be up, but it is only from the point where Timmie realises that he has left his pal Roger with a horse on his hands he cannot afford to enter for a retrieving race, that it really begins to become interesting, and as the final results of the good work done' by Cricket West and Mother Ralph, l all ends hilariously well. Mickey Rooney has never been half so good or such k likeable bumptious brat. Sophie Tucker is worth hearing when she lets herself go, and Judy Garland presents an inscrutable but delightful mixture. Ronald Sinclair (Ra Hould, a Dunedin boy), who plays Roger, maintains a difficult part with great faithfulness throughout, nothing upsetting his cultured, aristocratic, diction or bearing, even when he rides Pookah to victory. Contrasts in dialogue and repartee give the whole cast distinction. Among the supports are a personality parade of screen stars of the past ana an "Our Gang" comedy.

PROVISION OF WORK .• . I # I GOVERNMENT'S DESIRE A JOB FOR EVERYBODY (Hy Tel egra p n—J 'res* Association.) HAMILTON, June 3. That he was co-operating with the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, and the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, in an effort to arrange work for seasonal workers now unemployed, was stated by the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, when he visited Hamilton today. Mr. Webb attended a conference with engineers of the Public Works Department and county councils. The object of the meeting was to ascertain if there was any suitable work to be put in hand. It was the Government's desire that all men able to work £e provided witli suitable labour.

As a result of the conference, said Mr. Webb, work would be made available for every able-bodied man, the' class of work to be approved by the engineers concerned.

"The unemployment position throughout New Zealand is such that a number of seasonal workers have 110 employment, and our desire, is to provide them with it," said Mr. Webb. "The position is much better than in other years, but we are not satisfied with only an improvement. Mr. Armstrong is investigating the position in Auckland, and when he is finished it is expected there will be no unemployment in that district. In the Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay areas the matter has been attended to most effectively."