CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 132, 1 December 1941, Page 4

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE. He-man Clark Gable does a little bit of everything in "They Met in Bombay," which is showing at the Majestic Theatre, and decorative Rosalind Russell finds him a bit of a handful at times. He starts oft' as an international crook, blossoms out as a detective, does quite well as an able seaman, and finishes up as a commissioned officer in a British regiment and gets the V.C. Like all Gables pictures, there is plenty of action and excitement, with a good leavening of humour. REGENT THEATRE. The ' year's most unusual picture, "Hold Back the Dawn." which is continuing at the Regent Theatre, stars Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, and Paulette Goddard in a romantic melodrama replete with excitement, thrills, and comedy. Boyer has the most colourful role of his career as a suave, cynical, worldly-wise Euro- j pean emigre who weds a trusting American girl just to get into the United States. OPERA HOUSE. A further tribute to the courageous work of Father Flanagan of Boys Town. America, is paid in the screening of "Men of Boys Town," which has been transferred to. the Opera House. Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan and Mickey Rooney as Whitey Marsh, Mayor of Boys Town, join forces in this film, and by their joint acting the picture maintains a high entertainment value. ST. JAMES THEATRE. For romantic adventure, with thrills of the sea and stirring incident after the setting out of an expedition to secure furs from the Indian trappers, "This Woman is Mine," now showing at the St. James Theatre, has a strong appeal. But it is not only in story and background that it has fascination; there is quality of cast that gives this film presentation exceptional strength. Leading" the cast is Franchot Tone, John Carroll, Walter Brennan, and the newly-discovered Carol Bruce contributes notably to the stirring and dramatic entertainment. - DE LUXE THEATRE. Thrills of big city racketeering, homely, human drama on a country farm, and a poignant romance, are well blended in "I'll Wait For You," the main attraction at the De Luxe Theatre. Robert Sterling and Marsha Hunt have the romantic leads. Virginia Weidler is also starred. The companion , feature is "Raiders of the Desert," which stars Richard Arlen and Andyj Devine. Episode II of "Sky Raiders") completes the programme. j PARAMOUNT THEATRE. Entertainment to suit all tastes is provided by the double-feature programme at the Paramount Theatre, and of the two features, "Marked Woman" and "Another Dawn," it is difficult to say which is better. Bette Davis, probably the screen's most accomplished dramatic actress, gives the best performance of her career in "Marked Woman," which reveals the extensive night-club racket in the United States. "Another Dawn" stars Errol Flynn and Kay Francis. ROXY THEATRE. "Buck Privates," Bud Abbott and Lou Costello; "Doomed Caravan," William Boyd. PRINCESS THEATRE. "Unfinished Business," Irene Dunne j and Robert Montgomery; "Men of the Timberland," Richard Arlen and Andy Devine. , TIVOLI THEATRE. Presenting the Marx Brothers^Groucho; Chico, and Harpo—in their first ''period picture," "Go West," a wild and woolly comedy laid in the 1870 outdoors, is showing at the Tivoli. "20-Mule Team," starring Wallace Beery, is the associate film."THE MESSIAH." » ' / Once more comes "The Messiah," the grandest oratorio ever written. It is probably the most remarkable evidence of pure inspiration, for nothing else | can account for the production of such a majestic work in so short a period of time. Some might say it was the work of a genius. Genius was, of course, necessary, but genius has been described many times as the capacity ; for taking pains, and the limited time which Handel occupied on composing and scoring this mighty work hardly i points to the deliberate exercise of pains. The Royal Wellington Choral Union will give its annual performance of the work in the Town Hall on Saturday next, for which occasion a very fine quartet has been secured: Soprano, Mrs. Merle Gamble; contralto, Miss Molly Atkinson; tenor, Mr. Robert Wilson; and baritone, Mr. Harold Williams. The box plan will open at the D.I.G. tomorrow. MEETING IN KELBURN. ♦ Although the medical first aid section of the E.P.S. in Kelburn has been provided with commodious premises for its post, in the matter of supplies and equipment it is badly off. The kiosk contains an emergency cabinet, but the section has no gear for training purposes, no bedding, and very few of the things necessary to maintain such a post on a scale suitable for an entire suburban district. A public meeting (advertised elsewhere in this issue) will be held in the Training College Hall on Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. in order that residents may discuss with members of the section ways and means of acquiring the necessary equipment TONIGHT'S WRESTLING. : * ; John Katan. noted Canadian wrestler, will meet Fred Atkins, Australian champion, at the Wellington Town Hall tonight. The close of a most successful season in Australia finds Katan in the pink of condition, and his nickname of "Iron Man" has never been .better deserved. Atkins realises that Katan will give him the toughest bout he has had yet, but he will go into the ring with plenty of confidence. The preliminaries, which will commence at 8 o'clock, will include a five-round professional bout. MAORI CONCERT. _«. Tomorrow and on Wednesday the Wellington public will have an opportunity of seeing the finest that can be produced in the way of Maori entertainment. On those nights concerts will be given in the Town Hall by the Ngati Poneke Young Maori Club, probably the best-known Maori entertainment party in the Dominion at the present time. This party will be remembered for its well-sustained performances in the Maori Court during the Centennial Exhibition and for the successful concerts staged in Wellington during the last six years for various charitable and patriotic purposes. Like many other organisations, i%s efforts are devoted to war work, especially in the way of entertaining the boys whenever the opportunity arises. ' The entertainment •on these nights will be the result of much constant practice and special study in the matter of keeping it as pure Maori as possible, and at the same time there will be plenty of variety. "SPRING COMES LAUGHING." Laughing because so many feel falsely secure. Sudden changes mean sudden chills. Don't let a spring cold cramp your style. Get busy with Baxter's Lung Preserver. "Baxters" quickly soothes irritation, stops the cough, and with its tonic action puts you right again. Get better, get "Baxters."— Advt.

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

STATE THEATRE. A documentary film of exceptional [interest, "The Conquest of the Air," heads the bill at the State Theatre. [Produced by Alexander Korda, it contains a talented cast, including LavI rence Olivier as the colourful 18th cen- | tury balloonist Vincent Lunardi. The many historical sequences are most convincing, from those of the early birdmen, who donned weird wings and [ then jumped to messy deaths from | high buildings, to those of Bleriot, I the Wright Brothers, and their contemporaries. The second picture, "Our Town," billed as "the strangest picture of the year," lives up to that statement. KING'S THEATRE. "Somewhere in Germany now there is a man with a precision rifle stalking his quarry. It may take him months, it may take him years. . . ." This is the spoken epilogue to "Manhunt," showing for a second week at the King's Theatre. The quarry referred to is Adolf Hitler. "Manhunt" is the story of an English big-game hunter, who amused himself once by training a telescopic-sighted rifle at Hitler froiji a; height overlooking Berchtesgaden and for years after was hounded by the Gestapo. Walter Pidgeon is starred. PLAZA THEATRE. One of the comedies of the year, it seems, is "That Thing Called Love," in which Melvyn Douglas and Rosalind Kussell, individually popular, are teamed, and which is at the Plaza Theatre. This contribution to the history of marriage needs no outline to make its plot understandable to the moviegoer; it is audacious, slick, and very funny. Some of the scenes, including the dinner party, the "poison oak" rhumba, and the return of the cowboy from Cheyenne will be remembered and provoke chuckles for months. TUDOR THEATRE. "New Wine," Ilona Massey; "Naval Academy," Freddie Bartholomew and Jimmy Lydon. SUBURBAN THEATRES. State (Petone).—"Love Crazy," William Powell, Myrna Loy. Kinema (Kilbirnie).—"My Son, My Son," Brian Aherne, Louis Hayward; "Cross Country Romance," Gene Raymond, Wendy Barrie. Empire (Island Bay) .-r-"City for Conquest," James Cagney, Ann Sheridan: "The Man Who Lost Himself," Brian Aherne, Kay Francis. Rivoli (Newtown).—"The Black Cat," Basil Rathbone, Hugh Herbert; "Moon Over Burma," Dorothy Lamour, Robert Preston. j Vogue (Brooklyn).—"Penny Serenade," Irene Dunne, " Cary Grant; I "Come On, George," George Formby. j Regal (Karori).—"Sunny," Anna Nagel. King George (Lower Hutt).—"Raffles," David Niven, Olivia de Havil-I land. Ascot (Newtown). —"Boom Town," Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable; "She Loved a Fireman," Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan. Prince Ed-vyard (Woburn).—"Under Your Hat," Jack Hulbert. Cicely Courtneidge; "Gold Rush Maisie," Ann Sothern. De Luxe (Lower Hutt).—"Swanee River," Don Ameche, Andrea Leeds; "The Round-up," Richard Dix, Patricia! Morison. i Palace (Petone).—"The Wife of General Ling," Griffith Jones, Wong Leer "No Place to Gp." ; Grand (Petone).—"Magic in Music," Susanna Foster; "Rangers of Fortune," Fred Mac Murray. Capitol OMiramar).—r"The Stars Look Down," Michael Redgrave, Margaret Lockwood; "Where Did You Get That Girl?" Leon Errol, Helen Parrish.