CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 117, 20 May 1939, Page 15

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE.

The exploits of Robert Montgomery as Joel Slqane, a dealer in rare books and sometime amateur detective, and his charming wife (Rosalind Russell) provide the action for "Fast and Loose," now in its second week at the Regent Theatre. It is the second picture of the same kind with these play-; ers, and is also in similar vein to previous productions featuring William Powell and Myrna Loy The story is concerned with the disappearance from the home of a wealthy collector of a priceless manuscript, followed by the murder of the collector and one or two. other people who are about to clear up the mystery. The real murderer is cleverly hidden right to the last moment, and this without drawing any too conspicuous red herrings across the trail. Mr. and Mrs. Sloane trip through the story as an engaging couple with a wealth of brilliant and amusing dialogue. The first half of the programme is in keeping with the good main attraction. DE LUXE THEATRE. A merry troupe of theatrical artists, stranded in France's gay city with no money but great capabilities for getting in and out of trouble, are the cause of many laughs and thrills in "Stranded in Paris," which is showing at the De Luxe Theatre with two other films. The daughter of an American million- • aire (Joan Bennett), tired of her staid young fiance and society life, joins the troupe and is soon followed by her father, also posing as a down-androut. The leader (Jack Benny) gets them all jobs in a fashion parade, under false pretences, and his scheme would have worked out had not the millionaire borrowed a,piece of Valuable jewellery from the house to get it copied for his daughter. \ The • troupe is arrested, but the old man/has left them. They prove their innocence, the millionaire iz found -and exposed (as a millionaire), and eventually everything turns out *yelL The second feature "Pirates of the Air," is-a thrilling film about an irresponsible young pilot who joins the U.S.A. flying police to make good and prove himself in the eyes of the woman he loves. . It is. a story of bandits who use the air as a means oi escape, but who do it once too often. Kent Taylor and Rochelle Hudson^are starred. The third picture is the first chapter pi the serial, "The Lone Ranger,"-in which' a Texas Ranger swears to avenge the callous murder of a number of his .fellow troopers. ST. JAMES THEATRE.. Comedy of a very high standard is contained in "Cowboy from Brooklyn,' which is-.. showing at the St. James Theatre, ibick Powell in his time has made some fine pictures. But this is easily his finest. In fact, it is a gem of a thing, notably performed by a cast which includes Pat O'Brien, DickForan, Priscilla Lane, Ann Sheridan, and a host of minor characters of great talent. The story concerns a struggling musician-singer from Brooklyn, who gets tossed off a freight train somewhere in Wyoming, while on his way, with two companions, to Hollywood, fame, and fortune. They arrive at a dude ranch and the singer's life |s in constant peril, for he suffers from a hereditary phobia against all livestock, and a ranch is scarcely the place to avoid them. A theatrical magnate from New York hears the singer; the magnate is on vacation, but he signs up the singer and rushes him back to New York billed as "Wyoming Steve." The Cowboy is a good singer; but unfortunately a poor cowboy. There are complfc«f^?SS~d^c^^^ fun before the end. Supporting shorts make the programme one that can be recoram.eMed.jto, anyone for a bright, entertaining evening. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. First-rate entertainment is provided by the double-feature programme at the Paramount Theatre this week. One of the main, attractions is "Keep Your Seats, Please," one of George Formby's latest Efforts. This English funmaker has quickly earned- well-de-served'fame for his work in "It's in the Air" and other successes, and again in the new picture he is at his funniest.arid best as a workless concert hall performer with a wealthy aunt. When-his aunt dies George is invited to attend the reading of the will, but the large gathering of' relatives is disappointed ■to find that the fortune has been left to charity. George, however, receives" a- privateYnbte adyising him fo buy the dining-room chairs, in one of which a fortune is hidden. George attends the auction, but has no money, arid the chairs are knocked down to half a dozen bidders. Most of ,the fun of the picture is provided by the hero's endeavours to find the right chair... There are many hilarious moments, particularly "when George thinks- that a goat-has, swallowed his fortune. , The second main attraction is '»No Parking," in which Gordon Harker gives a remarkable.character study as a dQjwnVand-out.. car-park attendant, who accidentally impersonates a fam- ■ ous American,gang .leader and gunman. : ,'....'. ....... ...,; ■ ' A "^ovfe" jini the 'real -sense of the word, / so, packed, with' motion and action--that, it keeps * the- audience on the edge :of its: seats-throughout, is "The .proyird.Roars," "Robert • Taylor's latest stellar triumph, which is showing at the Kilbirnie Kinema. An ultramodenv story :of a -four-sided romance, Man-Propf;" is the-;associate film, with a cast headed by Myrria Loy, Franchot Tone, Rosalind Russell, and Walter Pidgeoii. STATE THEATRE, PETONE. Via .the genius of David O. Selznick and the magic of technicolour, Mark Twain's famous characters step from the pages of his immortal story and on to the screen of the State Theatre where Mr. Selznick's inspired technicolour production, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," is showing. Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Joe Harper, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, Injun Joe Muff Potter, and all the rest come to vivid life again in this entertaining film. • • N PALACE* THEATRE, PETONE. "Annabel Takes a Tour," starring Jack Oakie, Lucille Ball, and a cast of comedians, is showing at the Palace Theatre. The second feature is "Telephone Operator," with Judith Allen, Grant Withers, Alice White, in a thrilling story. GRAND THEATRE, PETONE. With the most exciting arid glamorous spot in the world as its locale and the greatest aggregation of entertainers from both the East and the' West in the cast, Walter Wanger's "52nd Street," which 'is showing'at the Grand Theatre, makes a' powerful bid for popular acclaim. "Swing Your Lady," a Warner Bros, farce-comedy dealing with life among the hilibiijles of the U.S.A. mountain country, is£ the -second feature. Humphrey :Bogart and Frank McHugh are starred; ;: ', KING GEORGE THEATRE, LOWER HUTT. "The. Adventures of Robin Hood," a Warner Bros, technicolour version of the famous story, is the main attraction at the King George Theatre. One of the,most important pictures of the year, it has been acclaimed by critics and audiences as a masterpiece of screen entertainment. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland head a large and impressive cast.

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

KING'S THEATRE

The picturisation of Rudyard Kipling's stirring poem of patriotism and devotion, "Gunga Din," is now in its second week at the King's Theatre. The film is a vigorour one, with stirring battle scenes on the Indian frontier, spectacular charges by mounted Indian cavalry, accompanied, for a great part, by the rumble of guns. The three soldiers of the Queen whose adventures form the bulk of the plot are played by Cary Grant, Victor McLaglan, and Douglas Fairbanks, jun. There are many comic sequences, largely as a result of the friendly bickering among the three comrades. Fairbanks wants to leave the regiment .to marry, the reason being Joan Fontaine, but his comrades conspire against him to stop this. Finally foolery way to drama. Gunga Din, the humble water-carrier, who, in his last hours of life, reaches the highest peak of heroism and is in death honoured with the title of soldier, is played by Sam Jaffe. PLAZA THEATRE. Although sequels are often inferior to the original productions, "Topper Takes a Trip," second of the films dealing with the adventures of Topper, has managed to recapture the same spirit of hilarious fun which made the first film such' a popular favourite. Possessing the same characters as its predecessor, "Topper Takes a Trip" merely carries on the story where the other left off, and the film, which is showing at the Plaza Theatre, carries the frivolous yarn to a very satisfactory conclusion. Roland Young, who reappears as Topper, is at the top of his form, and his comic bewilderment at the scrapes into which Constance Bennett, as the "playful ghost, leads him is a feature of the film. Topper is first seen in,the" divorce court with his wife, played by Billie Burke, but the feminine ghost and her pet dog, set upon doing their good deed, decide1 to reunite the pair, and the trail leads them to the Riviera, where some very awkward and amusing scenes take place in one of the leading hotels. Altogether, the film is a lighthearted frolic, well put together, and well acted. Supports include newsreels and a colour feature dealing with foxhunting. STATE THEATRE. Jane Withers, the child star who has created more trouble per foot of film than anyone of her own weight, trumps all her catastrophic adventures in "Always in Trouble," which is showing at the State Theatre. The prosperity of her family does not amuse Jane; the investment worries of her father (Andrew Tombes), the "socialities" of her mother (Nana Bryant), and the love difficulties of her sister (Jean ROgers) are so much annoying hindrances to the natural fun of life. Jane decides to save her father from the nagging of the family, but her brilliant scheme, as usual, has its drawbacks, although ultimate success. Away on the family yacht goes the family, with a new-found friend of Jane masquerading as the father, and that is where the mix-up starts. An impressive sequence in "Melody and Romance," the main supporting film, is the famous Crystal Palace fire. The film is a fine musical comedy. ■-. TUDOR THEATRE. Bernard Shaw's masterpiece, "Pygmalion," which is shattering long-run and gross receipts records in all Eng-lish-speaking countries, .especially in America, has returned for another Wellington season at the Tudor Theatre. Thus "Pygmalion" establishes a new record^ for 0f..,,, run "made by any talking picture in Wei-, lington. The popularity of the film is unbounded. "Pygmalion," outstandingly acted by Wendy Hiller, Leslie Howard, Wilfrid Lawson, and Marie Lohr, and a long cast of distinguished players, is splendid entertainment. REX THEATRE. That incomparable trio of Western players, William Boyd, George Hayes, and Russell Hayden, again heads the cast of Paramount's latest "Hopalong Cassidy" action film, "Sunset Trail," which is showing at. the Rex Theatre. The Mulford plot revolves around the efforts of "Hopalong" and his pals to crush a notorious gambler and outlaw. The associate attraction, "Savage Gold," is the authentic,record of Commander George M. Dyott's encounters with the savage head hunters in the wilderness of Ecuador whilst in search for Schweitzer, the German gold prospector mysteriously lost in the wilds of the Amazon Country. ROXY THEATRE. "Say It In French," Paramount's sparkling new comedy starring Ray Milland and Olympne Bradna, is showing at Dfa'e Roxy Theatre. The story is a masterpiece of Parisian wit and sophistication. Wayne Morris, the sensational newcomer to the screen who became famous overnight for his work in "Kid Gallahad" and "Submarine D-l," appears in the supporting feature, "The Kid Comes Back." NEW PRINCESS THEATRE. With William Powell and Myrna Loy back in the farcical type of roles which have made them famous as the most amusing co-starring team on the screen, "Double Wedding" heads the programme at the New Princess Theatre. The associate feature is New Universal Films'' riotous screen entertainment, "Little Tough Guys in Society," starring^ Mischa Aver, Mary Boland, and Edward Everett Horton, in addition to the "Little Tough Guys." REGAL THEATRE, KARORI, AND EMPIRE, ISLAND BAY. ■ "Jezebel," a colourful and exciting romantic drama of the South of the U.S.A., shortly before the Civil War, is showing at both the Regal and Empire Theatres. Bette Davis is costarred with Henry Fonda, George Brent, and Margaret Lindsay. Bette plays a wilful, spoiled, tempestuous young Dixie belle who achieves the name of the wicked Biblical character Jezebel because she defies Southern tradition. "Dead Men Tell No Tales," the screen adaptation of Francis Beeding's thriller. "Norwich Victims," is £he associate film. It is a thriller that really thrills. Heading the cast is Emlyn Williams as a pedantic Norwich headmaster at whose school a series of mysterious deaths occur, commencing with the school mistress, who disappears immediately following the announcement that she had won a big prize in a Continental lottery. OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN. "Young Dr. Kildare" heads the double-feature programme at Our Theatre. Lew Ayres, Lynne Carver, and Lionel Barrymore have the principal roles. The story presents an ambitious interne in a metropolitan hospital, in love with his boyhood sweetheart. He wins the interest and friendship of a veteran surgeon, portrayed brilliantly by Barrymore. However, the young doctor encounters difficulty in h", profession, first when he protects a fellowinterne who fails to save the life of a prominent politician and again when he disagrees with a superior. "The Big Show," starring Gene Autry, is the second attraction. CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. 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 Capitol Theatre, the two funsters persevere in their wellmeaning way, but fortunately for a world that likes to laugh, the. obstacles are almost insurmountable. Spencer Tracy and Joan Crawford head the cast in "Mannequin," the associate attraction. There is also an outstanding array, of short subjects.

TIVOLI THEATRE. No dramatic picture ever to reach the screen has equalled in the variety of its far-flung scenic backgrounds Walter Wanger's "Trade Winds," which is showing at the Tivoli Theatre, with Fredric March and Joan Bennett in the starring roles. This thrilling and yet light-hearted screenplay tells the story of a detective chase that leads halfway around the world, and authentic scenes are shown in the seven different countries in which portions of i the action take place. The screen play! for "Trade Winds" was written by the practised pens of Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, and Frank R. Adams, which explains the continuous flow of sparkling dialogue and crackling wit as well as the convincingly dramatic situations which make the film rich in suspense, drama, and humour. The associate film is "Convict 99," starring Will Hay. Without a doubt it is the funniest film this popular English comedian has ever been seen in. RIVOLI THEATRE. | Night, the air laden with the chill of ■death; a girl, wanted for murder, sits nervously in her roadster on the front end of a San Francisco ferry; a police car is driven on to-the boat, and two officers alight to peer into every car; without a moment's hesitation, the girl drives crazily into the water—and the darkness; the swirling fog silently cover's the splash. This is" one of the first thrilling scenes in "trade Winds," Walter Wanger's adventure romance, which is shoving, at the Rivoli Theatre, with Fredrip March and Joan Bennett in the starring roles. A few days later the San Francisco police are notified that the girl has pawned a ring in Honolulu. Thus begins achase that extends halfway round the world. The cards were all stacked against young Larry Kelly when he accidentally ran into the law. "He must be guilty, his" father's a gangster," the authorities said, as they put the boy behind the bars. But when it came to a fight, the big-hearted youngster proved that he could fight cleaner than them all. Loyalty is the powerful theme of "Gangster's Boy," starring Jackie Cooper, which is the associate film. ———— i REPERTORY THEATRE. Bernard Shaw's play. ''The Apple Cart," which Mr. L. dv Chateau is producing for the Wellington Repertory Society, again attracted an enthusiastic audience to the Town Hall Concert Chamber last night. In this play, which is one of his wittiest, Bernard Shaw takes a peep into the not too fa*- distant future and depicts the development of the political system. There is a king who, possessed of ability and common sense, really rules and puts to confusion his popularly-elected Ministers, and how he does it provides over two hours' entertainment. The play for its' success on the stage depends entirely uoon the dialogue, there being practically nq action. Hence it is an exceedingly difficult one to present successfully,, and it is greatly to the credit of all those in the cast of the present production that the interest of the audience is captured at the outset and retained until tin end. The mounting and production are sufficiently futuristic to carry out the author's ideas without detracting fr6m his obvious desire not to be too far removed from politics of the present day. "The Apple Cart" has been one of the most enjoyable of the Repertory _ Society's many good productions and it will be repeated tonight fdr the last time. KIRCHMEYER y. MARTINEZ. Two of the tallest wrestlers who have ever met in a New Zealand ring will come to grips at the Wellington Town Hall on, Monday night. They are Rollend Kirchmeyer, of Oklahoma, 6ft 7in, and Ignacio Martinez, of Mexico, 6ft 4in, and, incidentally, there will also be plenty of weight in the engagement, Martinez vreighing 17£ stone and Kirchmeyer a little under 17 stone. Kirchmeyer has had two bouts,in Auckland since he arrived, dropping a points decision to Blomfield and then holding the New Zealand . champion to a tfeaw. Reports of^the matthes agree that if the points had been counted over the whole eight rounds Kirchmeyer would have won comfortably in both instances. He has not only proved himself as a wrestler of merit but has also made himself a warm favourite by the spectacular ' and unorthodox measures he has employed. Martinez, who will, be making his New Zealand debut, is a native of Barcelona, but has travelled ■widely. About a year ago he won the Latin title off Vincent Lopez, arid, among other notable successes, he has beaten Henri de Glane, former world champion. . , SUNDAY CONCERT. Tomorrow evening at the King's Theatre a special concert programme will be presented.' Mr. Gladstone Hill will act as master of ceremonies and Mr. Eric Bell, well known as one of New Zealand's leading pianists and accompanists, and Miss Leslie Hall will contribute special items. Quite an array of new talent will be presented, one being a recent arrival in Wellington from Bucharest. He is a gifted piano-accordionist and will render some special gipsy music. The concert is being presented in aid of the new uniform funds of the Band of the Legion of Frontiersmen ("I" Squadron), and the band will play two numbers. The conductor is Mr. Chas. Forrest, for many years New Zealand tenor-horn champion. For the first time the band, will appear in their new and distinctive uniforms. Seats may be reserved by telephoning 17-660 or at the King's Theatre from 6 o'clock tomorrow night. The telephone number at the theatre is 52-212. SUNjDAY PICTURES. "The Big show" will be screened at the De Luxe Theatre tomorrow night. Gene Autry, Hollywood's newest and most popular star according to box office records, heads a powerful cast in this picture, which is described as the mightiest musical Western ever filmed. The background is- the great 25,000,000-dollar Texas Centennial Exhibition with a thousand new thrills. Gene Autry introduces two. new hits, "Mad About You" .and "Lady Known as Lulu," whilst other vocal numbers are "Old Faithful," "Nobody's Darling," "The Martins and the Coys," and "The Wild and Woolly West." Four orchestras, "The Sons of the Pioneers," "The Jones Boys," "The Beverly Hill Billies," and "Light Crust Dough Boys," take part in this lavish production. Included in the cast are Smiley Burnett, Kay Hughes, Sally Payne, Mary Russell, Max Terhune, and Rex King. Proceeds are for the funds of the TElegimental Pipe and Drum Band. Reservations may be made by telephoning the theatre (53-080) after 6.30 p.m. tomorrow. AUSTRALIAN CLUB DANCE. The inaugural dance of the newlyformed Australian Club is to be held in the Peter Pan Hall, Cambridge Terrace, on Thursday, starting at 8 p.m. The music will be in the hands of Messrs. A. Shand and G. Farrell, and a popular programme of dancing will be provided. BAND PERFORMANCE. The Wellington City Salvation Army Band will give a performance at the Home of Compassion tomorrow commencing at 3 p.m. LECTURE AT KILBIRNIE. Considerable interest is being taken in the lectures which are being given by Pastor N. E. Burns, world lecturer and traveller, at the Kilbirnie Kinema. The title for tomorrow's lecture is "Russia in Prophecy—Friend or Foe in Coming Storm?" A sound film will also be shown. Particulars are advertised. SONGS AND MUSIC. Three women who have achieved success in their art, singing, will be heard in a recital arranged by. Miss Vera Moginie, and which will be given next Monday night, beginning at 8.15 o'clock, in Nimmo's Hall, Wellington. Miss E, Moon, Taranaki, will be the accompanist. Associated on the programme,with the singers will be a pianist, Miss S. Craig, whose playing of Chopin received favourable comment last year. »