CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 97, 21 October 1938, Page 4

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE,

"Letter of Introduction," now in its second week at the Regent Theatre, continues to attract the attention it deserves. . The plot, which allows for many dramatic situations and comedy undertones, makes "Letter of Introduction" a picture out of the ordinary. The letter of introduction which gives the title to the film.leads to some amazing situations. When Andrea Leeds, as Kay Martin, takes it to John Mannering, screen and stage idol, whose powers are waning, and who is played to.ithe. life by Adolphe Menjou, Manneping discovers that Kay is his daughter,, whose existence he had never suspected. George Murphy, Kay's swee'tKear.t, is' not told of the relationship between Kay. and Mannering, and , misunderstands it, a lover's quarrel thus arising. The letter also serves to introduce- Bergen and "Charlie McCarthy," a really amazing ventriloquial turn. Thanks to i the very fine directing- by John M; Stahl, of "Magnificent , Obsession" and other screen masterpieces; the. story of how the letter of introduction brings tragedy into some lives and happiness into others is' worked out smoothly and in a very interesting manner. / "Letter of Introduction" is splendid entertainment. '■- '■ '■". ■'■ ■ ' I ;..>:' MAJESTIC ;THEATRE. Jfeahette Mac Donald and Nelson Eddy are co-starred in singing roles in "The Girl,'of the Golden West," which is showing at the Majestic Theatre. In the-'adaptation of the famous Belasco play, the picture has been enhanced by one of the loveliest musical scores heard ■on the screen in some time. Among the numbers that will not be forgotten are "Senorita," "Who Are We to Say," "Shadows on the Moon," "The Wind in the Trees," "From Sun-up to Sundown," "Soldiers of Fortune," and "Mariachie," a lavish Spanish festival that includes Madame Rasch's dancers. Miss Mac Donald plays Mary, the orphaned owner of the Polka Saloon. Jack Ranee, gambling sheriff, is in love with her, but Mary falls in love with Ramerez, romantic bandit whom she believes is a young army officer. A jilted sweetheart betrays Ramerez to Ranee, but the bandit escapes, wounded, to Mary's cabin, where he is captured. Mary promises to marry Ranee if he frees Ramerez, and a very ingenious climax- reunites the lovers. Contributing outstanding performances in a distinguished supporting cast are ; Walter Pidgeon, Leo Carrillo, Buddy Bbsen, Leonard Perm, Priscilla Lawson, Bob Murphy, and Olin Howland. ST. JAMES THEATRE. Texas in the turbulent days following the war between the States forms the exciting background of Paramount s ■ epid drama of the reconstruction period, "The Texans," which is showing at the St. James Theatre. With Joan Bennett, Randolph Scott, and May Robson heading a huge cast, the picture tells of the Souths struggle to attain self-rule and find a new way of life after the ravages of. the war. Miss Bennett, playing a fire-eating Dixie belle who refuses to admit that the "great cause" is lost, and Scott, a returning soldier who advises a policy of conciliation, symbolises the dilemma > of the entire South during this period. •Although goaded by the corrupt car-pet-baggers and scalawags who took over the government and ran it for their own profit, wise Southerners guided the destiny of the State with gitience. Scott's triumph over Miss ennett and their decision -to march their cattle to the Kansas market thousand miles away mirrors .the Souths decision to join the rest of the Union in building a vast empire in the great south-west. The supporting cast includes some of the screen's bestliked'character players. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. Errol Flynn, that handsome young Irish actor who leaped to fame over*night in "Captain Blood" a couple years ago and then carried on with "The Charge of the Light Brigade," "Green Light," and "The Prince and the Pauper," comes to the Paramount Theatre in a modern comedydrama called "The Perfect Specimen. ■ The Story deals with an eccentric old lady possessed of many millions who has an ambition to see her grandson raised as an altogether perfect young man, and who for that reason supplies him with an abund.ance of tutors but keeps him confined to the limits of the family's vast estate. A young village girl—Joan Blondell-- manages to break into the virtual prison and meet the young man. She succeeds in getting him outside of his bounds, and he begins to understand and love the world without, A thrilling race track drama. Wine, Women, and Horses," featuring Barton Mac Lane and Ann Sheridan, is the supporting attraction. ROXY THEATRE. Mystery that will baffle the most ardent solvers of detective stories, provides the thrilling action and drama for Jack Holt's new picture, Suspicion," which is showing at the Roxy Theatre. . It is a stirring story of an assassination plot aimed at a wealthy motor-car magnate because he suddenly turns Philanthropic. Edgar Rice Burroughs s thrilling adventure romance, "Tarzan . Escapes," featuring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan, is the second/feature.' TUDOR THEATRE. Gracie Fields rises to new heights in "We're Going to be Rich, the comedy film of gold-rush days, which has been transferred to the Tudor Theatre. Still she has opportunity to sing her inimitable songs and give her laughable character skits, as she is cast as the showgirl wife of a ne'er : do-well roisterer, and it is by her singing that she keeps, the home fires burning. Victor McLaglen is splendidly cast as the tough,: shiftless husband of Gracie. "Sweet Devil," with Bobby Howes and Jean Gillie^ is the supporting film. EMPIRE THEATRE, ISLAND BAY. "Dead End," Samuel Goldwyn's film production: based on the Broadway stage hit by- Sidney Kingsley is showing at the Empire Theatre, with Sylvia Sidney and Joel McCrea in the starring roles. This powerful drama .of a day in the lives of a handful of humans> ' who inhabit a "dead end" city street, where fashionable apartments rub elbows with the squalid tenements of the waterfront, which set records m its Broadway run, reaches even higher heights in the film version. "Sally, Irene, and Mary," an uproarious musical film, is the second feature. REGAL THEATRE, KARORI. Based on Baroness Orczy's bestselling novel, "The Return of the 'Scarlet Pimpernel" is showing at the Regal Theatre. Barry K. Barnes, a new- ' comer to the screen, plays the title role. Barnes is seen as Sir Percy Blakeney, an intrepid young Englishman, whdse main occupation is snatching French aristocrats from under the guillotine, His narrow escapes from the clutches of the tyrant Robespierre come to a brilliant, smashing climax that is both thrilling antf spectacular. "Life Begins at College," starring the Ritz Brothers, is the supporting feature. OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN. "Kidnapped," the thrilling adventure romance co-starring Warner Baxter and Freddie Bartholomew, is the main attraction at Our Theatre. ' Arleen Whelan and C. Aubrey Smith head the featured cast. The story tells how Alan Breck leads the clans in revolt against the union of the north country with George Ill's domain.. David Balfour is the lad with the unscrupulous uncle who tries to'keep the boy's rightful estate4 by having him kidnapped and shipped to America. The lives of Alan Breck and David Balfour cross at the point where the girl, fiancee of a lesser rebel, falls in love with Breck. Claire Trevor and Michael Whalen are starred in "Walking Down Broadway, the second attraction.

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

PLAZA THEATRE,

s Bringing the world-famous team of '■, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to- - gether once more, RKO-Radio's "Carec free," which is showing at the r Plaza Theatre, presents a glittering, - ioyous. and song-studded film romance 2 embellished with Irving Berlin melo--2 dies, startling dance routines, and a = deftly-handled story. Because Ginger s keeps breaking off her wedding date - with Ralph Bellamy, the latter asks! - Astaire, a psychiatrist, to fix up any j i lurking inhibitions the lady may have - on the subject of marriage. The pretty - patient complicates matters by falling c in love with Fred instead of with 3 Ralph. When the psychiatrist fails to - respond, the actress starts a hectic 1 series of madcap adventure, the doc--1 tor meantime falling in love with her > himself, only to find that he has a - new resistance to overcome. How the I seemingly lost cause is won at the last - moment makes for the uproarious t climax of the picture. The two stars, - with cleverly-drawn roles to enact as £ the psychiatrist and the actress, have - unusual opportunities to display (the 'talents that made them the world's r premiere dancing duo, and Ralph Bel- ■ lamy as the lawyer forms the third corner of the tumultuous triangle in what is perhaps his finest role to date. r STATE THEATRE. i America's effervescent No. 1 mischief ; maker, Jane Withers, is seen at i the State, Theatre in an appropri- > ately-named 20th Century-Fox pro- - duction, "Rascals." This dimpled ; imp has been a jockey in a recent picture, an orphan in another —but not [ until "Rascals" has she pulled all of \ her juvenile jack rabbits out of the ; hat at once. Aided by Borrah Mine- ; vitch and his refugees from a musical madhouse, the harmonica gang, Jane 1 cavorts through the picture with the ■ skill of a seasoped trouper while Rob- ■ crt Wilcox and Rochelle Hudson un- ! tangle the skeins of a love that is ham- ■ pered by a jealousy-and a title-seeking ■ mother. Rochelle, fleeing marriage to . a titled fortune-hunter, stumbles into •■ the camp where Wilcox, a college ■ youth, -is seeing the world from the i romantic atmosphere of Romany songs • and dances. Matchmaker Jane goes, to work in this situation and anyone with ■so much as a nodding acquaintance . with her technique can judge the result. A riotous climax is the rascal : band barging into a society wedding to break up the ceremony ... so that everything can end happily, if not hysterically. DE LUXE THEATRE. A combination of thrills and laughs . and romance is the Warner Bros, mys- ; tery-melodrama "The Invisible Men- : ace," is showing at the De Luxe 1 Theatre, with Boris Karloff as its star. The picture made from the successful Broadway stage play of the same name —deals wth a murder in a , Government arsenal, and cuts away, part of the time, to the island Of Haiti, , with its revolutions, voodoo jungle ; rites ,and the like. Eddie Craven, im- ; ported from New York to play the ; same part he did on the stage, and pretty, blonde Marie Wilson provide the romance and most of the comedy. Cy Kendall, Regis Toomey, Eddie Aucuff, and Frank Fayden have important roles. John Farrow directed ', the picture. Joe E. Brown :' as a ; wrestler pits his strength against that , prince of the "mat" game, "Man Moun--1 tain" Dean •in "The Gladiator," , which is the second feature. So realistic were the actual. \ wrestling scenes in this film that the-* comedian I had to be treated- for an internal in- ' jury' contracted by trying to lift this ', "mountain of flesh" during the bout. ; "The Gladiator" is undoubtedly the , funniest comedy yet. NEW OPERA HOUSE. > "Little Tough Guy," which has been ■ transferred to the Opera House, fea- ! tures the "Dead End" Kids in a grip- [ ping story of modern youth's fight ' against its environment. Sweeping in its scope, and filled with stirring emotional moments, the picture is a com- ; pelling human document. Billy Halop, who captured wide favour in "Dead End," and" again in "Crime School," again delivers a dramatic portrayal that rivals1 the best efforts of skilled i adult performers. Huntz Hall, Gab- ' riel Dell, Bernard Punsley, and the '• other "Dead End" boys are equally ■ outstanding. The sister role is played by Helen Parrish, who scored as the ■ "meanie" with Deanna DurbinJn "Mad About; Music." She is the girl who 1 struggles to save her brother from the influence of his hoodlum friends. 1 The associate feature is "Young Fugitives," another thrilling drama based on the eternal triangle theme, in which Robert Wilcox and Dorothea Kent are co-starred. NEW PRINCESS THEATRE. A new challenge to the amusementseeking public's risibilities is now on ■ the motion picture screen in "Bringing Up Baby," fast-paced modern comedyromance, which is showing at the New ' Princess Theatre, with Katharine Hepburn playing mad pranks as an heiress animated with mischief, and Gary Grant in an equally bizarre but contrasting role as the victim of her tor- ■ ments. The associate feature is R.K.O. ■ Radio production, "The Rat," starring Anton Walbrook. The Paris under- ■ world is the background for this new i dramatic thriller. The central charac- . ter is an elusive jewel crook who charms his feminine victims and is thus able to keep out of prison. His exploits are dramatically portrayed, with the story's climax a sensational murder trial in which the Rat, following his own code of honour, pleads guilty to a crime he did not commit. REX THEATRE. A story as dramatic and thrilling as its background is sweeping, "The Texas , Rangers," now at the Rex Theatre, outlines the work of the band of fearless men who brought order to the Lone Star State. Fred Mac Murray and Jack Oakie, cast in leading roles, appear as outlaws who join the rangers, taking part in the daily work of daring undertaken by. America's first organisation of State peace officers. The plot of Universal's "State Police," the second feature, with John King ' and Constance Moore in the leads, was gleaned from a number of recent newspaper headlines. It is a story of the > way a force of State police drive on racketeers who prey on working men. GRAND THEATRE, PETONE. • "San Quentin" will be shown finally tonight at the Grand Theatre. Bringing to the screen one of the gayest and most exciting romantic comedies of the .year, "The Lone Wolf in Paris," with its colourful background of Continental intrigue, proves an ideal vehicle for the charm of Francis Lederer and the beauty of Frances Drake. In this sophisticated adventure story, which opens tomorrow, Lederer is offered a role that fits him like the proverbial glove, and he brings to life Louis Joseph Vance's famed gentleman crook most successfully. "There's Always a Woman," starring Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell, is the supporting film. STATE THEATRE, PETONE. "Wings of the Morning" concludes tonight at the State Theatre. "Big City," which opens tomorrow with Spencer Tracy and Luise Rainer, is a pretentious I picture in that it sets out to paint a canvas of life as it is in the whirling maelstrom of crowded places. It is a simple, beautiful thing because it accomplishes exactly that. Tracy becomes a taxi driver. ' Unshaved, larconic, and suspicious of everything that walks on two feet or rolls on four wheels ; he typifies the species which flourishes in spite of hardship, in every city. PALACE THEATRE, PETONE. Joan Fontaine and Allen Lane are co-starred in "Maid's Nights Out," a comedy-drama with music, which is the feature attraction at the Palace Theatre. The second attraction. "Mountain Justice," is a dramatic film of the mountains. Josephine Hutchison and George Brent are starred.

TIVOLI THEATRE. Presented against the glamorous background of the gay city of Budapest and alternating between moments of sparkling romance and fast-moving comedy situations, Universal's "Prescription for Romance" is showing at the Tivoli Theatre. Wendy Barrie and Kent Taylor furnish the love interest, while the übiquitous Mischa Aver and Frank /enks provide the main comedy relief. Others in the cast who give notable performances are the seductive Dorothea Kent, Gregory Gaye, and Henry Hunter. A brilliant cast headed by one of the most popular and talented personalities on stage and screen today, Jack Buchanan, the sensational screen debut of a fascinating Russian singer. Mara Losseff, six lilting new musical numbers, two intriguing new dances, a gay story of love and laughter, abounding in sparkling repartee, uproarious situations, and novel dramatic twists—such are the pleasing ingredients of "The Sky's the Limit,' the second attraction. RIVOLI THEATRE. The daring exploits rf a hero who essays to wipe out the gangster overlords of a great city after the police have proved helpless to punish them, forms the thrilling theme of "The Saint in New York," which is showing at the ■ Rivoli Theatre. With Louis Hayward in . the top role, the film strikes a novel note in screen entertainment. Hayward plays "The Saint," a mysterious and . resourceful Britisher who goes about the world inflicting his own brand of justice on evildoers, and who is finally called in to rid a city of six racketeer barons whom the police cannot touch. The latest adventure tale from the pen of that master of mystery stories, H. C. (Sapper) McNeile, is the second attraction. It is "Bulldog Drummond's Peril," a picture of. the war waged by a powerful diamond syndicate to prevent a chemist from manufacturing synthetic jewels in his laboratory. John Howard again plays the action-loving amateur detective. KILBIRNIE KINEMA. Dad's running for Mayor, Mother's running Dad, Roger's running a scandal sheet, and Jack's running after a blonde! In fact, the whole Jones Family runs wild in their most uproariously human hit, "Hot Water," Twentieth Century-Fox picture, which is showing at the Kilbirnie Kinema. "Somebody ought to clean up. this town," shouts Dad Jones m a burst of civic-conscious indignation and the kids immediately hand him the broom by tossing his hat in the ring during the big race for Mayor of Maryville. "Navy Blue and Gold,' colourful and spirited story of life at the United States Naval Academy, with a timely emphasis on the football activities of the famous training school, is the second feature. Robert Young heads a cast sharing honours with James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, and Florence Rice. CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. "Big City," starring Spencer Tracy and Luise Rainer, is showing at the Capitol Theatre. Here is no crude attempt to reveal the machinery of a metropolis as a whole. On the contrary, it is a cunning unique story of a single slice of life in a great city, [ and the adventures of a taxi driver in a struggle to survive. When the college she attends tries to throw Gracie Allen out, she turns around, takes over the place, and runs it to suit her own taste, in Paramount's "College Swing," which is the supporting film. LECTURE ON BOTANY. An interesting lecture on world botany will be. given by Professor Carl Skottsberg, of Gothenberg, Sweden, at Victoria University College on Monday evening. The lecture will be delivered at 8 .o'clock in room C 3, of the physics department, and students and members of the public are invited to attend. TRENTHAM RACES. Particulars of the train services to and from Trentham races tomorrow will be found in the advertising column of this issue.

The Railway Department advertises in this issue particulars of their bus service from Wellington to the Trentham racecourse in connection with the Wellington Racing Club's Spring Meeting. .'■•■■ - -