CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 126, 30 May 1941, Page 4

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE. By rights, a report of "Gone with the Wind," which is showing at the Majestic, Theatre, should be merel.v the statement: The greatest picture ever made—in every detail. "Gom With the Wind" is the most taithfu almisation oi a novel the screen haevei attempted It contains undoubt _jdly the most beautiful technicoloui photography conceivable. Clark GabU is naturally a perfed Rhett Butlei Vivien Leigh is wholly Scarlett. Leslie Howard is outstanding, and Olivia dt Havilland surpasses anything she's evei done. PRINCESS THEATRE. "Green Light," starring Errol Flynn and Anita Louise, and "It's Love I'm j After," with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, head the programme at the Princess Theatre. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. The thrilling melodrama, "Black Legion," is showing at the Paramount Theatre. The story concerns a young car mechanic, played by Humphrey Bogart, who joins the Black Legion— purportedly a patriotic order —in a fit of bitterness over losing the foremanship of his shop to a foreign-bdrn fellow-worker. The Legion, of course, is portrayed as a racket, enriching its promoters. The young mechanic takes part in house burnings, floggings, tortures —all vividly shown, and finally kills his best pal, Dick Foran. He loses his wife and child —Erin O'Brien-Moore and Dickie Jones —and has to stand trial for murder. Universal's musical farce, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby," is the second feature. REGENT THEATRE. An unusual story which incorporates many of the outstanding episodes in the first year of the present war, including the invasion of Poland and the torpedoing of the liner'Athenia, is unfolded in Paramount's romantic comedy "Arise, My Love," which has commenced a season at the Regent Theatre. The principal players are Ray Milland , and Claudette Colbert, who are teamed for the first time since their appearance in "The Gilded Lily." No better combination of actors could have been found for the leading roles and both Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland give delightful performances. Hollywood is always on the lookout for something new, and when they brought this story to the screen they certainly added something to-, their score '.for, originality. An up-to-the-minute newsreel, a Popeye cartoon, and a "sportlight" on motor-cycle stunting complete the programme. TIVOLI THEATRE. "Dad Rudd, M.P.," which is showing at the Tivoli Theatre, is a modernised story of the adventures of the popular Rudd family. Whilst comedy is the predominant note of the film, it is also rich in real Australian sentiment,- with delightful romance and drama introduced as part of the political angle which revolves around a great national necessity, water conservation. The associate film is "Street of Memories," starring Lynne Roberts, Guy Kibbee, and John McGuire. REX THEATRE. Two feature-length films, "Wings of the Navy" and "Valley of the Giants," are showing at the Rex Theatre. ,' ROXY THEATRE. j "Flowing Gold," with John Garfield and Frances Farmer, and "The Farmer's Daughter," starring Martha Raye and Charlie Ruggles, are showing at the Roxy Theatre.

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

KING'S THEATRE. "The Thief of Bagdad," which, is showing at the Icing's Theatre, is a brilliant fantasy in the spirit of the Arabian Nights. Its producer, Alexander Korda, has achieved a reputation for unusual and striking productions, but there is no doubt that "The Thief" is his best yet. The use of technicolour, which brings out the full beauty of lavish Eastern settings, is little short of a stroke of genius. The film is a fascinating one, as much for the splendour and novelty of its settings as for the .weird and magical situations unfolded in its plot. STATE THEATRE. A highly-imaginative conception of I the possibilities for injustice in trial by jury upon circumstantial evidence is presented at the State Theatre in "Stranger on the Third Floor." The stranger is Peter Lorre, and John McGuire heads the supporting cast. "Wildcat Bus," the associate film,, is a tale of crooks who try to wreck the reputation of a popular line of buses by arranging smash-ups with regularity. TUDOR THEATRE. Hal Roach's latest comedy production, "Road Show," which has been transferred to the Tudor Theatre, has a cast which includes Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, John Hubbard, Patsy Kelly, George E. Stone, Charles Butter worth, Polly Ann Young, Margaret Roach, and James Arthur. In addition, "Road Show" introduces for the first time on the screen "The Charioteers," the popular radio team. The associate feature is "Millionaires in Person," a new kind of screen drama featuring Lee Tracy. PLAZA THEATRE. Frequently motion pictures endeavour to make a famous fictional character come to life on the screen. Rarely are such endeavours as successful as they are in R.K.O. Radio's academy award "Kitty Foyle," which is showing at the Plaza Theatre, with Ginger Rogers doing a scintillating job of creating Christopher Morley's salty "white collar girl" in the cinematic flesh, and with a fine cast, story, and direction. As the many readers of Morley's widely-discussed novel will recall, Kitty is a forthright, spirited Irish girl from Philadelphia who sets out to carve herself a career as a business woman, after her hectic romance with a well-meaning but weak young socialite proves something of a failure. DE LUXE THEATRE. Merry tunes keep apace with the new 1941 fashions and dance ensembles of the timely Republic picture, "Hit Parade of 1941," which Kenny Baker, singing star of "The Mikado," and Frances Langford, famous contralto, steal the spotlight in five captivating songs. The film heads the new programme at the De Luxe. Inspired by the song hit of the same name Republic's "Rancho Grande," thrilling action show, starring Gene Autry, singing star of the saddle, is the associate film. AUTUMN EXHIBITION. <*. Many of the leading artists of the Dominion are represented at the autumn exhibition of the New Zealand Academy now open daily at the National Art Gallery, Buckle Street. An interesting feature of the exhibition is the group of paintings sent from the Middle East by A. A. Deans, a member ! lof the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The exhibition closes on June I 8.

ST. JAMES THEATRE. Deanna Durbin is seen in an-Ameri-can small- town setting for the first time and has her first real romance in Universal's "Nice Girl?" which heads the new bill at the St. James Theatre. "Nice Girl?" has its setting in the fictitious New England town of Stillwater, Connecticut, where Deanna, Ann Gillis, and Anne Gwynne are daughters of a high school principal and scientist, the latter played by Robert Benchley. Franchot Tone, appearing with Deanna for the first time, portrays a young New Yorker who comes to Stillwater as representative of a scientific foundation interested in Benchley's discoveries. In the story, Deanna has an amusing and romantic trip to New York with Tone, and she thereby becomes subject of a home-town scandal. SUBURBAN THEATRES. Grand (Petone).-—"Dreaming Out Loud"; "Gambling on the High Seas,' Wayne Morris and Jane Wyman. Palace (Petone).—"Topper Takes a Trip," Constance Bennett, Roland Young, and Billie Burke. Prince Edward (Woburn).—"Men Without Souls," John Litel, Rochelle Hudson; "Murder in the Air," Ronald Reagan, Lya Lys. Vogue (Brooklyn).—"Too Many Husbands,"/ Jean Arthur, Fred Mac Murray; "The First Rebel," John Wayne, Jane Wyatt. Empire (Island Bay).—"Foreign Correspondent," Joel McCrea; "Champion Chumps," Joe E. Erown. Martha Raye. Capitol (Miramar).—"He Stayed For Breakfast," Loretta Young, Melvyn Douglas; "Till We Meet Again," Merle Oberon, George Brent. Ascot (Newtown).— -"Andy Hardy Meets a Debutante," Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone; "Hell's Kitchen," "Dead End" Kids, Margaret Lindsay. King George (Lower Hutt).—"My Son! My Son!" Madeleine Carroll, Brian Aherne. Kinema (Kilbirnie). —"The Lion Has Wings," Ralph Richardson, Merle Oberon; "Forty Little Mothers," Eddie Cantor, Judy Anderson. Rivoli (Newtown). —"Flight Angels," Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan; "Diamond Frontier," John Loder, Ann Nagel. Regal (Karori). —"All This and Heaven Too," Bette Davis and ( Charles Boyer. De Luxe (Lower Hutt). —"Continental Express," Rex Harrison. Valeric Hobson; "Stage to Chino," George O'Brien, Virginia Vale. - State (Petone). —"My Love Came Back," Olivia de Havilland and Jeffrey Lynn. I = 13TH BATTERY REUNION. ♦> r—' Tomorrow members of the 13th Battery ("The. Devil's Own"), N.Z.E.F., will hold their annual reunion dinner. Over 50 members have advised that they will be present and the committee requests that any member who has not received a notice regarding the reunion will parade.