CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 6

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE

Clever comedy and all the excitement of a first-class murder mysteryare blended by an expert hand in "Fast and Loose," the new feature at the Regent Theatre. It stars Robert Montgomery as Joe Sloan, an expert on books, who possesses a flair for a little amateur detecting on thrt side, and Rosalind Russell, as his wife. These two make a wonderful team, their sparkling domestic interludes providing highly amusing relief from the serious business- of murder. There are three murders. All the bother starts o^r the attempted sale of a Shakespeare manuscript by a collector who is in financial difficulties. Sloan is commissioned to do the job, and in the ordinary course of business his activities lead him from one extraordinary situation into another, from a tough gambling saloon to the boudoir of a blonde who causes him trouble with his wife. The position is complicated by the existence of a clever forgery of the manuscript, and everyone, including the audience, is adroitly baffled until the final showdown. The dialogue abounds in delightfully witty repartee, and Montgomery reveals himself as a first-class comedy actor, with a 'charming partner in Rosalind Russell. The shorts include a cartoon and an interesting news reel. MAJESTIC THEATRE. "Boys' Town," starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, is how in its third week at the Majestic Theatre. Based on the story of Father Edward J. Flanagans Boys' Town, located twelve miles outside of Omaha, Nebraska, the role of the priest whose mission in life is to give home and shelter to needy boys affords Spencer Tracy an opportunity for one of the sincere, natural portrayals for which he has become deservedly famous. Seldom has Tracy found a role more suited to his personality than that of his quiet idealist, Father Flanagan, whose contention that "there is no such thing as a bad boy." leads him to build a monument of faith to boys the world over. Sharing honours with Tracy as Whitey. tough, unmanageable, and non-conform-ing is Mickey Rooney, cast in one of the most dramatic roles of his career. ST. JAMES THEATRE. The progress of aviation from 1903 to 1938 is vividly depicted in technicolour in "Men With Wings," which will be shown for another week at the St. James Theatre. Aviation's forward march is exemplified in the picture by its effect upon three young Americans, who ,came in "on the ground floor" when the Wrights flew at Kitty Hawk in, 1903 and retained their practical interest in the years of boom and depression which followed. Fred Mac Murray typifies the pilot, now almost old-fashioned, who flies by instinct and extricates himself from many a tight corner by sheer audacity. Ray Milland is a perfect foil as the man who can design a new plane as well as he can fly one, but takes no needless chances. Louise Campbell takes the leading femmme role, as the wife of Mac Murray, and she is largely responsible for the success of the picture. NEW PRINCESS THEATRE. "Gold is Where You Find It," a Warner Bros.' all technicolour production starring George Brent and Olivia de Havilland, is showing at the New Princess Theatre. An outdoor drama based on the colourful war between the ranchers and the miners of UvGalifornia: in the 187Q's, "Gold Is Where You Find It" is an adaptation for the screen of Clements Ripley's best-setting novel by the same name. The associate feature is "Disbarred," Paramount Films' dramatic blast at an American racket. Featured players are.Gail Patrick, Otto Kruger, Robert Preston, and Sidney Toler. ROXY THEATRE. Foremost musical picture of the year and probably in screen plays, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's adaptation of Rudolf Friml's operetta "The Firefly" is screening at the Roxy Theatre, with Jeanette Mac Donald starred, and Allan Jones and Warren William in featured roles. "The Daredevil Drivers," a Warner Bros, melodrama, is the supporting feature. It is the story of a bitter rivalry existing between two bus companies, one of them headed by a girl, Beverly Roberts, and the other by Gordon Oliver. , REX THEATRE. Modern Spain is the dramatic background for "Love Under Fire," starring Loretta Young and Don Ameche, which is showing at the Rex Theatre. Vivid scenes behind the lines, the bombardment of Madrid, the secrecy and military strength surrounding a principal airport provide marked contrast for the romantic story. George Formby joins the R.A.F. in "It's In the Air," the second feature. George finds himself "accidentally" in uniform, subjected to a bewildering discipline, and, as usual, making a hopeless mess of everything. STATE THEATRE, PETONE. "Say It In French" concludes tonight at the State Theatre. "The Adventures of Robin Hood," a Warner Bros. Technicolor production, opens tomorrow. Heralded by critics and audiences as the outstanding adventure film of all time, it stars Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, this newest version of the famous outlaw's adventures is filmed in the new, soft-tint Technicolor. GRAND THEATRE, PETONE. "Ih Old Mexico" and "Illegal Traffic" conclude tonight at the Grand Theatre. Lew Ayres returns with Lionel Barrymore in M.G.M.'s "Young Dr. Kildare," which opens tomorrow. It is a thrilling hospital mystery-drama full of adventure and romance, with Lynne Carver in the feminine lead. PALACE THEATRE, PETONE."*" "City Streets" and "Fugitives For a Night" conclude tonight at the Palace Theatre. Carole Lombard plays the female Ananias, and Fred Mac Murray her "I cannot tell a lie" husband in Paramount's "True Confession," which opens tomorrow. John Howard, as the handsome amateur sleuth; Heather Angel, as the fiancee who can never get her wayward sweetheart to the altar; H. B. Warner, Reginald Denny, and E. E. Clive head the cast of "Arrest Bulldog Drummond," the second feature. KING GEORGE THEATRE, LOWER HUTT. A new screen team is introduced to audiences at the King George Theatre where Wallace Beery and Mickey Rooney appear in their new starring vehicle, ■ "Stablemates." Beery is seen in the role of a once brilliant veterinarian who changed to a race-track hanger-on because he was framed into a murder charge. Rooney plays the part of the stable boy and jockey who befriends Beery in order to get the latter to operate on his injured horse. The two join forces and tour the country with the racehorse. DE LUXE THEATRE, LOWER HUTT. A breezy comedy-romance, depicting American college life, is brought vividly to the screen in "Freshman Year,' starring Dixie Dunbar and William Lundigan, which is showing at the De Luxe Theatre. The associate feature. "Love is on the Air," is a novel picture, combining mystery, comedy, and thrilling drama. The stars are Ronald Regan and June Travis.

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

KING'S THEATRE.

Romance and adventure, comedy, and thrills emerge in a whirlwind of impetuous, headlong action throughout the colourful scenes of "Gunga Din," sensational screen drama of British army life in India, which is showing at the King's Theatre. The picture's vigorous appeal is voiced in the resonant crash of field guns, the dazzling glitter of polished steel, as bayonets and native blades cross in deadly hand-to-hand fighting, all etched in unforgettable detail against the exotic atmosphere of the mysterious Orient. The R.K.O. Radio feature is adapted from Rudyard Kipling's famous poem of the same title, its central figure being a bhisti, or regimental water-carrier, who develops from a humble servant into a heroic fighting man, and makes the supreme sacrifice for the sake of his comrades. Dominating the adventures of Gunga Din are three sergeants, portrayed by Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks, jun, with Sam Jaffe cast as Gunga Din and ,Joan Fontaine as the girl in the drama. PLAZA THEATRE. Hal Roach's "Topper Takes a Trip," which is showing at the Plaza Theatre, is one of the most uproariously funny comedies to reach the screen this season. The cast includes Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke. Alan Mowbray, Verree Teasdale, Alexander D'Arcy, Franklin Pangborn, Paul Hurst and Armand Kaliz. Roland Young again plays the role of Cosmo Topper, the bewildered bankqr. who is about to lose his prim and conventional wife, played-by the ever delightful Billie Burke. Constance Bennett, beautiful and glamorous, portrays again the ghostly Marion Kerby, who is anxious to assist the unhappy Toppers in regaining marital happiness. Topper Takes a Trip," which is a sequel to last year's successful "Topper, swings its action from New York to the pictorial brilliance of the French Riviera, where Topper proceeds to race from one jam to another under the stage management of Marion and her phantom hoaxes. DE LUXE THEATRE. A Mississippi River showboat of the present day forms the romantic setting for Paramount's new drama with music, "St. Louis Blues," a story based on one of the world's best-loved songs, which heads the new programme at the De Luxe Theatre. With Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guizar, Mary "Punkins" Parker, and Maxine Sullivan playing the top roles, "St. Louis Blues" recounts the tale of an entertainer who rebels • against her manager's insistence that she always pose as a South Seas native and finds sanctuary—and love—on a picturesque showboat. A thrilling exposure of the fake injury racket, whereby insurance associations have been robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars in America, is given in "Accidents Will Happen," which is the associate film Ronald Reagan, the youthful new star who, until a few months ago, was a radio news commentator, is featured as an insurance adjuster who exposes such' gangs. . Another newcomer in the picture is Gloria Blondell, younger . sister of the famous Joan. RIVOLI AND TTVOLI THEATRES. In "The Lady Vanishes," which is showing at both the Rivoli and Tivoli Theatres, there is really witty comeay to balance the thrills; and in every scene there is evidence of intelligence and imagination. "The Lady Vanishes is very nearly the perfect blend pt excitement and fun, and is certainly unexpected entertainment. . Michael Redgrave's debut marks him immediately as one of the coming men ot. English films; Margaret Lockwood is a thoroughly charming heroine; Dame May Whitty a most endearing and surprising figure as the lady who vanishes; and the Test match enthusiasts, Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford, two very English Englishmen, returning to England for the cricket when they unwillingly find themselves mixed up in a political intrigue of international import. "Holiday," starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, is the associate film at the Rivoli Theatre. Miss Hepburn appears as Linda Seton, young socialite who rebels against the gods of wealth and stodginess. Trite is the phrase "nothing new under the sun," but Hollywood sent the theatregoers something new when they produced "Port of Seven Seas," the associate attraction at the Tivoli Theatre. Starring Wallace Beery, and with a splendid cast including Frank Morgan, Maureen O'Sullivan, John Beal, and Jessie Ralph, the picture presents an entirely novel theme. STATE THEATRE. Two bright, fast-moving units form the double-efature bill at the State Theatre. The main production, "Peck's Bad Boy With the Circus," is a rollicking story of schoolboy pranks, enriched by some fine circus adventures. Tommy Kelly, the boy star of "The Adventures oi Tom Sawyer," adds to his popularity in the main role, and allied with him is Ann Gillis, again his little girl friend. The Pecks have a hard time keeping young Bill Peck in order, but trouble just seems to be his permanent companion. There is not a dull moment in the whole film, and the acting is excellent. "Annabel Takes a Tour," the second full-length production, brings Jack Oakie and Lucille Ball back to the screen, she as the "personal appearance" film star and he as her Press agent. Nothing very much seems to go right, but it is all very right so far as the audience is concerned. Also on the programme, apart from newsreels",- is a bright cartoon showing Donald Duck's efforts with golf. TUDOR THEATRE. "Just Around the Corner," which has been transferred to the Tudor Theatre, has a plot which is based on a small girl (Shirley Temple) mistaking her playmates "Uncle Sam" —a tall, lanky, chin-whiskered old banker —for the Uncle Sam of the United States of America. Her father has just lost his job and fallen upon hard times, due, he says, to "what is happening to Uncle Sam these days," so his young datighter feels it her duty to -try to help the old gentleman if she can. Screening for the first time in New Zealand, "Arizona Days" is the associate attraction. The story of "Arizona Days" deals with the mishaps and adventures of an old-time minstrel troupe which gets stranded in an Arizona cow town and falls foul of a gang of rustlers. "Arizona Days" gives Tex Ritter, the star, one of the best vehicles he has had to show how he can ride, shoot, and sing. KILBIRNIE KINEMA. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy again leave behind them a trail of hilarious disaster. In "Block-Heads," their new Hal Roach-M.-G.-M. comedy which is showing at the Kilbirnie Kinema, the two funsters persevere in their well-meaning way, but fortunately for a world that likes to laugh, the obstacles are almost insurmountable. Far from exhausting their bag of tricks, the ample pockets of Stan and Laurel bulge with a supply of new ones. Heralded as one of the year's most exciting pictures, "The Vampire Bat," starring popular Melvyn Douglas, is the second feature. CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. In "The Boy From Barnardo's," showing at the Capitol Theatre, Mickey Rooney is teamed with Freddie Bartholomew. It is a story of boyhood that touches every human heart and at the same time thrills with its high courage and its depth of understanding. Modern piracy sets the theme for Paramount's thrilling new adventureromance, "King of Alcatraz," which is the associate film. The cast is headed by such screen favourites as Lloyd Nolan, Gail Patrick, J. Carrol Naish, Harry Carey, and Porter HalL