CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 132, 1 December 1938, Page 15

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENI THEATRE. More vivacious and likeable than ever, Deanna Durbin scores another hit:in her latest picture, "That Certain Age," j now drawing large audiences to the Regent Theatre. As the daughter of a wealthy newspaper proprietor Dearimi embarks upon a troubled romance when, although regarded by everyone as a child, she makes an unwilling; hero of a returned war correspondent, a part admirably played by Melvyn Douglas; Jackie Cooper, r.s her boy friend of her own age, is ruthlessly rejected in favour of the sophisticated Douglas, and the climax of the picture is provided by the efforts of Deanna's parents and Douglas himself to talk Deanna out of her infatuation Action sparkling comedy, and music are about equally blended in chis bright picture which teems with memorable incidents There is a ghost scene which is far better than the average and other wellBroduced interludes are those in which le unsuccessful suitor talks with his mystified rival. Altogether it is a picture than can truthfully be said to suit all tastes. Included in a strong supporting programme is an illuminating review of Britain's troubles in Palestine, and a New Zealand 'tmovielogue" full of interesting glimpses of the Dominion. MAJESTIC THEATRE. "The First 100 Years" will be shown finally tonight at the Majestic Theatre. "A Slight Case of Murder," starring Edward G Robinson, opens tomorrow. ST. JAMES THEATRE. "Sing, You Sinners," will be shown for the last time tonight at the St. James Theatre. "Wives Under Suspicion," starring Warren William and Gail Patrick, commences tomorrow. TIVQLI THEATRE. ■"The Perfect Specimen" and "Bull* dog Drummond in Africa" conclude tonight at the Tivoli Theatre. A comedy with lavish backgrounds, "Beg, Borrow, or Steal," featuring Frank Morgan, Florence Rice, and John Beal, opens tomorrow. "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" is the story of an American tourist guide who promotes a chateau on the Riviera to carry out a bluff to his family in America. The idea is to use the place for his daughter's wedding, and he calls on his crook pals to pose as nobility. With one eye on the police, Morgan manages the plan all right up to a certain point. But the daughter, being a chip off the old block, upsets things by marrying the wrong man. The picture is filled with laughs, furnished by a cast of experts. Sylvia Sidney and George Raft are the stars in "You and Me,' which is the second feature. The film has the background of a large department store owned by a philanthropist who gives jobs to ex-convicts. Raft and Miss Sidney are two of his employees who try to find happiness together, going straight, after . serving prison terms. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. Tvmcal Australian characterisations are clearly and humorously drawn m "Dad and Dave Come to Town, tne film noV screening at the Paramount Theatre Bert Bailey has always been Sre screen Dad, but he has; mellowed Sd SfSd a smarter, quizzical outlook. Fred McDonald rivals the amous old stage actor in his own line, and the almost animal gurgle of delight when he is Pleased 1S strictly .exclusive. ••■_•>.. 3 ; ROXY THEATRE. 'Tougn" Guy* "and "Gr#n Li^concffi: tonight: at the Hoxy Ti TherRepubiic production, "Call of the Yukon," adapted from James Oliver Curwood's popular novel, Swift Lightning," which opens tomorrow, is a thrilling epic of the frozen north. ■s Woven into the narrative are many \ delightful incidents depicting the mateship between a -collie and* savage half-wolf, half-Alsatian dog. Richard Arlen as the trapper and Beverly Roberts as the novelist are excellent in the main roles. Ralph Reader and Gena Malo play the leading roles in the supporting feature, "The Gang Show," Herbert Wilcoxs delightfully, different film of the attempts of a Vgang" of talented youngsters to stage a revue. NEW PRINCESS THEATRE. "Little Miss Roughneck" and "You and Me" conclude tonight at the New Princess Theatre. Blending all the romance, fun, and heartache of two young people in love, UniversaPs new drama that gams power from the simplicity of its theme, "Youth Takes a Fling," commences tomorrow at the New Princess Theatre. Joel McCrea and Andrea Leeds register the best performances of their.careers in the picture. McCrea is a Kansas farm youth fired with an ambition to go to sea and Miss Leeds is a department store salesgirl whose one hope is some day to wear one of the wedding gowns she sells. The associate feature is' United Artists' "52nd Street," a gay musical romance, starring Leo Carrillo, Pat Paterson, and a large cast. KILBERNIE KINEMA. Gayer than a Mardi Gras, and merry with new song hits by Gordon and Revel, 20th Century-Fox'? gay comedy triumph, "Josette," is showing at the Kilbirnie Kinema, with Don Ameche, Simone Simon, and Robert Young co-starred. Featured in the cast are Bert Lahr and Joan Davis, the latter fresh from her victory in a New York newspaper's nation-wide poll which voted her the screen's No. 1 comedienne. Paul Hurst, William Collier, sen., and Tala Birell are included in the film. "The, Sheik Steps Out,"' with Ramon Novarro and Lola Tiane. is'the associate attraction SEASIDE THEATRE, LYALL BAY. The lawless North Country, vibrant with romance and drama, once again flashes across the screen in "White Fang," Jack London's thrill-laden sequel to his "Call of the Wild," which is showing at the Seaside Theatre. /'Secret Agent" is the associate attraction. STATE THEATRE. PETONE. Debonair William Powell . . . lovely Annabella He's the perfect butler and she's the perfect lady. They are co^ starred in "The Baroness and the Butler," DarryJ F. Zanuck's newest 20th Century-Fox hit production, which is showing at the State Theatre. "The Baroness and the Butler" provides a gay situation within a few seconds of ■the opening of the picture and carries the light tempo through the entire story. PALACE THEATRE, PETONE. Rudolph Valentino, admittedly the "Great Lover" of all times on the screen, will be seen again in the role which brought him his greatest fame, "The Sheik, now showing at the Palace Theatre. In "The Sheik," adapted from E. M. Hull's sensationally successful novel of the early 19205, Valentino plays a proud Arab sheik who kidnaps the European beauty whom he loves, planning to win her in his desert kingdom. Agnes Ayres. film beauty, rated the loveliest star of her day, portrays the part of Diana Mayo, the girl whom the sheik lovesGRAND THEATRE, PETONE. An outstanding double-feature programme will be shown tonight at the Grand Theatre. "The Longest Night" adapted from the Cortland Fitzsimr mons mystery thriller. "Whispering Window," which is the main attraction, teams for the second time Rob' crt Young and Florence Rice, who appeared together to such advantage io *Swqrn Enemy." "Our Relations." starring Stan Laurel and ' Oliver Hardy, is the second feature. i

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

KING'S THEATRE. "The Goidwyn Follies" will be shown finally tonight at the King's Theatre. "My Lucky Star," starring Sonja Henie. commences tomorrow. 1 PLAZA THEATRE. "Having a Wonderful Time" concludes tonight at the Plaza Theatre. "Strange Boarders," starring Tom Walls, v .. commences tomorrow. The strange* boarders are a. motley crew from whom Tom Weils, in his role of Secret Service agent, hopes to discover the identity of an international spy who has been clever enough to obtain copies of new aeronautical plans from the stronghold of a Government office. The Palace Crescent (the locale of the boarding-house in this picture) is one of those thoroughly respectable thoroughfares just off the Bayswater Road where old ladies, retired colonels, and dull business men spend their days in bored contemplation of each other. One scene in "Strange Boarders" shows the star hopping nimbly from kerb to kerb of the crescent. Seven taxis, three vans, two horse-drawn vehicles, and four private cars, including Tom Walls's own Rolls Royce were used in this scene. After the first shot, when he was nearly run over by his own car, he ordered it off the set. Supporting Tom Walls in this picture is Renee Saint-Cyr, who, appears as his wife; Googie Withers as a vampish maia-of-all-work; Ronald Adam as a blind man; and Leon M. Lion in the role of a .Cockney laundry manager. DE LUXE THEATRE. "The Call of the Yukon" and "The Gang Show" conclude tonight at the I De Luxe Theatre. "Personal Secretary" and "The Man Who Changed His Mind" open tomorrow. STATE THEATRE. . "Alfs Button Afloat" will be shown finally tonight at the State Theatre. : A drama of world-famed Ellis Island is "Gateway," the 20th CenturyFox starring vehicle for Don Ameche and Arleen Whelan. The production, which opens tomorrow, is tense with violent emotions and keyed-up suspense; bright with the lightness of hearts buoyed up with hope, and colourful with its people from all lands. Don and Arleen are thrilling with the strong, young romance of two who feared they had met too late. Their support is a cast of actors and actresses worthy of such a stirring story in the most dramatic place in the world. Don is a homecoming newspaper correspondent. Arleen is a young lass in the second cabin, who is to meet her fiance in America. Her beauty has attracted not only the newspaperman but a gangster (Gilbert Roland) = and a politically-minded mayor (Raymond Walburn). A famous divorcee (Binnie Barnes) has aided the romance between Don and Arleen. Below decks are the political fugitives and expatriates of many lands who now seek refuge atAmerica's "Gateway." Tense, human drama rises to compelling heights m the babel of tongues and the terror of people in an unknown land. TUDOR THEATRE. Sketched in bold strokes against a colourful background where the desert meets the sea. "Border G-Man," RKORadio's outdoor drama, which is showing at the Tudor Theatre, casts George O'Brien in the type of fast action role that made him a universal favourite. As a Federal agent, O'Brien receives a dangerous assignment to track down a-gang of smugglers shipping arms, munitions, men, and JEibrses to a foreign nation in violation of America's neutrality laws. "Crime Ring," featuring Allan Lane and Frances Mercer, is the associate feature. REX THEATRE. Comedy and dramatic thrills aboard a luxury liner bound for Havana fill the sixty minutes of entertainment offered by "Here Comes Trouble," the Fox picture which is showing at the Rex Theatre.- Paul Kelly and Arline Judge are starred. Will Hay. whose "Boys Will Be Boys" was a phenomenal success, stars again in a Gains-. borough comedy, "Where There's a Will," which is the associate film. Will is one of the most versatile comedians living, and has twenty-five years of music-hall experience to his credit. He is also a very popular 8.8.C. identity, and is the type of actor liable to raise a laugh wherever and whenever he pokes his face round the corner.; OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN. Loretta Young and Richard Greene head the cast in "Four Men and a Prayer." which is the main attraction at Our Theatre. George Sanders, David Niven, and C. Aubrey Smith are also featured in the cast. The theme is an inspiring departure from the usual. Four stalwart young men, with a grand old soldier-father, are bound by a gallant pledge to rove the world to avenge his dishonour and death. That great love pervades the entire story. Phyllis Brooks and Ricardo Cortez have the principal roles in "City Girl," the associate feature. REGAL THEATRE, KARORI. All the beauty, colour, and swashbuckling adventure of the famous Anthony Hope romance comes to the screen at the Regal Theatre where David O. Selznick's magnificent film production, "The Prisoner of Zenda," is showing, with Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, and Douglas Fairbanks, jun., playing the leading roles. Colman plays the dual role of King Rudolf V and the adventurous Rassendyll in this tale of love and intrigue among the Courts of Europe. EMPIRE THEATRE, ISLAND BAY. The troubles that beset a night club bride and a studious repressed groom when they return to his conservative home town, form the basis of /'Vivacious Lady," starring Ginger Rogers and James Stewart, which is showing at the Empire Theatre. The crash of a big transport plane in an Alaskan wildernes while mapping a new air route to Europe, and the efforts of its crew to reach civilisation and safety, offer -much of the drama of "Sky Giant," starring Richard Dix. Joan Fontaine, and Chester Morris, which, is the associate film. CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. Rafael Sabatini's immortal tale of piracy on the high seas, "Captain Blood," is showing at the Capitol Theatre. Heading a cast as unusual as the production itself are two young players. These are Errol Flynn, who is Captain Blood, and Olivia de Havilland. "Hopalong Cassidy" turns detective in his latest Paramount screen adventure, "Borderland," which is the associate attraction. He matches wits with a border desperado who nas eluded the combined forces of the Texas Rangers and the Mexican secret police. INTERESTING RECITAL. In the Concert Chamber on December 5 a recital of an exceptionally interesting type will be presented by six' pianists who are studying with Miss Valeric Corliss. Misses Dorothy La Roche, Isa Anderson, Kate Jourdain, and Dr. Arthur Fieldhouse, Mr. Lionel Harris, and Mr. Bryan McMillan will provide a programme which will dehght all lovers of good pianoforte music. These pianists are already well known to New Zealand audiences by their broadcasting and recital work, which is of a very excellent quality. The programme ranges from delightful compositions by Scarlatti and Bach to Chopin, Schumann, Brahms. &nd modern British, French, Russian, and Spanish groups. A feature of the programme will be the presentation of five attractive compositions for two pianofortes.

RIVOLI THEATRE. "The Perfect Specimen" and "Action for Slander" will be shown finally tonight at the Rivoli Theatre. "Beg, Borrow, or Steal," which opens tomorrow, is one of the laugh hits of the season. With a cast running over with comedians, the picture offers Frank Morgan an excellent vehicle for his first top, billing under the banner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Florence Rice and John Beal are featured with him. "Beg. Borrow, or Steal" is the story of an American in Paris who promotes a chateau on the Riviera to carry out a bluff with his family tn America and to give his daughter a wedding in the manner to which she is not accustomed. Surrounded by crooks posing as nobility, Morgan gets into one difficulty after another and the climax is reached when the girl, being a daughter of her father, upsets things completely and marries the wrong man. The tangled lives of convicts on parole and forbidden to marry are told in the powerful story of Paramount's new Sylvia SidneyGeorge Raft film, "You and Me," which is the second attraction. Last ?4 c. n. together several years ago in Pick Up," the two are co-starred again in roles similar to the ones which won them screen fame in their original venture. Harry Carey, seen in the part of a philanthropical department store owner, heads-a long list of supporting players. "I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE." How many people believe they have been on earth before? Possibly quite a number. But how many people know they have been on earth before? It is written: "He that increaseth knowledge mcreaseth sorrow"; but a visit to the Repertory Society's performance of J. B. Priestley's play (now playing at the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall) will hardly have the effect of increasing their sorrow by increasing their knowledge, because the gap between knowing and believing will remain. "I Have Been Here Before" will continue to be the title of a clever play, not a statement that anybody can advance with convincing reason. And, after all, that is the whole point of Priestley's effort. If everyone knew he had. been here before there would be no mystery about it, therefore no play. The elderly German professor, sublimated by sorrow, would not need to "intervene" in the affairs of a "triangle" (a whisky-drinking industrial "captain," his wife, and the other man, who is a school teacher) if the members of the "triangle" already knew that temptation represented merely the mental pressure of a "triangle" past, avoidable by a mental effort. It is because nobody knows anything about this mental pressure of the shadowy past (and knows less after seeing "I Have Been Here Before") that Mr. Priestley is able to write a successful play. It is a play requiring much of the actors; and Mr. G. H. A. Swan, as the whiskydrinking industrialist-husband, and Mr. Cedric Gardiner, as the elderly German mystic, deserve congratulation. A rediscovery of the art of speaking—so long unfashionable both on repertory and professional stages— is a brilliant feature, rendering it unnecessary (for once) to read the play before seeing the performance. It runs for the rest of, the week and deserves popular support. DODGEM CARS. Miller and Davey are opening tonight in Main Street, Lower Hutt, for a two weeks' season with their fleet of dodgem cars. These midget cars were recently brought from England where they are now very popular. Patrons drive their own car. The price is a popular one. Is per car for one or two persons. In addition, there is a chair-o-plane, the great aerial thriller. The price for this novelty is 6d.