PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23094, 21 October 1938, Page 13

PICTURE THEATRES

OCTAGON Those who thought that Son] a Henie, the skater, would prove but a fleeting attraction should be convinced to the contrary by her work in ‘ Happy Landing.’ In this Twentieth Century-Fox production; now showing at the Octagon, the piquant and altogether enchanting little Norwegian has not only developed her own particular art, but her screen technique as well. She emerges as an actress of no mere superficial ability. Not only does she_ entertain as the little girl who foil in’love with romance and was sadly disillusioned, but she also convinces one in her role, It is the admiration and sympathy which she creates for her character, combined with the acting and bonhomie of Don Amcche, that gives the film much of its appeal as a narrative. For * Happy Landing ’ is not only an engaging romance lavishly mounted ancj permeated with excellent comedy; it is also a story that develops definite strength of character in the two leading roles. This is due as inuch to the histrionic ability of Miss Henie and Mr Ameche as it is to the naturalness and excellence of the Although Miss Henie made a big impression when she first appeared on the screen, her success in ‘ One in a Million’ was not greater than it is in ‘ Happy Landing.’ In this the skating sequences especially the superbly-presented 1 Snow_ Maidens’ Ballet ’■—surpasses anything Sonja Henie has. done. The great surprise of the film is the comedy of Cesar Romero as an impassioned, persistently adventuring philanderer, a famous band leader and composer, who gets fresh inspiration with every victory he gains over a woman. Mr Romero makes his role one of the chief joys of the production. Gesture and grimace are excellently conveyed and never to .the , point of burlesque. Jean Hersholt, Ethel Merman, Billy Gilbert, and numerous other outstanding artists contribute to a picture that cannot fail to delight and satisfy everyone who sees it, Some of the specialty numbers are magnificent. ST. JAMES Espionage, murder, and murky in’igUte mingle with a homely comedy>mance in the entertaining double bill hich is» naW being presented at the t.; James. * You’re Only Young nee,! another of the popular Judge lardy series, takes the featured place n the programme, and deservedly so. amily. life, amusing adventures, and dolesoent romances are worked into he plot of this bright, film of the intimate story or ah American family on lolidjay. Lewis Stone takes the role of the judge in this production, but otherwise the cast remains unchanged, including as it does Cecilia Parker, Mickey Rooney, Sate Haden,. Fay Holden, and Frank Craven. The film tells of a. holiday postponed for 11 years, and of a man’s ambition to catch a swordfish, which is forgotten in the press of internal complications. The family, arriving at. America’s famed pleasure resort, Catalina Island, immediately involves itself in a series of situations which, while laughable, could easily become tragic. The famous beach at Catalina, a flying trip in a racing speedboat, scenic .views of one of America’s most famous summer resorts, and other vivid, scenes provide the 'background' against which the fd-, mantio and dramatic trials of the family are projected. One of the most sensational films to come from British studios, ‘ Non-Stop New York,’ the asiociate feature, tells of a chorus girl, who-becomes embroiled with a notorious American gang. The police refuse ;o believe her : story on the grounds ;;hat she is seeking publicity, and she. s forced to play a lone hand in bring- . ng the criminals, to justice, A trans* itumtie airliner forms the unique setdng for this actional drama, and it is whUe the giant boat is in flight that she picture unfolds its enthralling tale if murder, blackmail, and romance. John Loder and Anna Lee take the featured roles, supported by Francis Sullivan, Frank Cellier, and Desmond Tester. ,

EMPIRE ‘ Submarine D-l,’ a melodrama dealing with the exploits of Uncle Sam’s undersea boats and the gallant Idds who man them, opened this afternoon at the Empire. The picture is authentic as well as stirring, for it was made with the complete co-operation of the navy, which turned i over to the moviemakers all its facilities at Newport . (R. 1.), Cocos Coco (in the Panama Canal zone), and San Diego (Calif.). There are scores of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and aeroplanes taking part, and many hundreds of sailors and marines are seen going through their peace time and war game duties. So ‘ Submarine D-l ’ seems to be just what its makers terra it—best “ service ’’ film Warner Bros, have ever turned ' out. Pat O’Brien and George Brent are co-starred, and in a part that seems to be quite as important is young - Wayne Morris, the lad who shot to the top ranking recently on the strength of One picture, ‘ Kid Galahad.’ Then, too, in the cast are such well-known troupers as Frank M’Hugh, Doris Weston, Regis Toomey, and Henry O’Neill. But after all it is the “ D-l ” itself—a new navy submarine, which also bears the title of “ Dolphin ” —that is the hero of the piece. The plot has largely to do with certain devices developed by Pat O’Brien and George Brent—one for sending imprisoned men in a sunken submarine to the surface safely by means of “ air lungs,” another for raising the vessel itself. Miss Weston sustains what feminine love interest there is in the story, while Frank M'Hugh provides his usual brand of humour. Lloyd Bacon, who is at his best in stories of fast and thrilling action, directed ‘ Submarine D-l ’ from a screen play by William Wister Haines, based on a story by Commander Frank Wead, U.S.N. REGENT A winter holiday resort in the Alps provides a picturesque background for the hilarious Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ■jomedy, ‘ Romance for Three,’ which commenced a season at the Regent this ifternoon. Frank Morgan, who will be •omembered for his amusing performmce in- the enjoyable film, ‘ Beg, Bor•ow, or Steal,’ cleverly portrays the •ole of a wealthy German tourist who succeeds in becoming involved in a eries of amusing adventures. He is .veil supported by Florence Rice (who appears as. his beautiful daughter), Robert Young, Edna May Oliver, and Mary Astor. Herr Tobler (Morgan) is one of the winners in a competition which provides as the prize a holiday at a luxurious hotel in the Swiss Alps. Wishing to mingle with the poorer classes, Tobler sets out in old clothes for his holiday. His daughter, Hilde, warns the hotel to cater for a man who appears poor, but who is in reality a millionaire, and the hotel management concludes that Fritz Hagerdorn (Robert Young), another of the prizewinners is the wealthy German. .While

Hagerdom is lavished with attention Tobler is relegated to a servant's room, where he proceeds to thoroughly enjoy himself. He forces his. butler to pose as a wealthy shipowner in order that he may influence Hagerdorn to accept a position in one of his businesses, the butler claiming to be a friend of the famous Tobler. When Hiklo arrives at the hotel to rescue her father from the indignities which the butler has reported are being inflicted on his master she meets Hagerdorn, and a romance develops between them. The film is finally brought to a satisfactory conclusion' when they all meet again in Berlin.

GRAND Pity the poor criminal who runs up against Moto-Ch'an Incorporated! That is exactly what happens in ‘ Mr Moto’s Gamble/ now showing at the Grand. Mr Moto, ably personified by Peter Lorre, the star, aided in his solution of a weird crime by none other than Keyo Luke, who already has gained a host of admirers for Ins role as Number One Son of Charlie Chan. It is a story situation that certainly never occurred to the creators of Mr Moto or Mr Chan. But the idea ox combining the heroes of two great detective stories is not without precedent. Everybody knows Sherlock Holmes. Some or the more intense fans of another decade _ will recall Raffles, master thief brain child of Ernest W. Horpung. It was John Kendrick Bangs, famous humorous writer, who seized upon the idea or having Sherlock Holmes’s son marry Rafflles’s daughter. Their child. Raffles Holmes, was a strange reverter-to-type who got himself terribly mixed up in' crimes and was then engaged to solve the mysteries. When Mr Moto goes into action with Lee Chan, however, both have a common purpose in running down a phantom murderer who uses a gun without bullets. To Western thrill pictures, whose chief ingredient used to be stiff fights, horse chases, and much shooting, has been added a generous spicing of music. In making ‘ Panamint’s Bad Man,’ a Twentieth Century-Fox release which is the supporting feature, starring Smith Ballew, Producer Sol Lesser injected a double quantity of music. It is an action-filled romance of the old days out West when stage robbers plundered tho mails and defied law and order. Ballew plays the character of a deputy United States marshal who finds time between his fights with the gang to sing love songs to his girl.

STRAND Some of the most spectacular flamefighting scenes ever ythrown upon a movie screen, are shown in the Warner Brothers melodrama, ‘ She Loved a Fireman,’ the main attraction current at the Strand, with Dick Foran as tho hero. f . Foran plays a “new chum” fireman who comes under the command of: Robert Armstrong. The two become bitter enemies, even though Dick falls in love with Bob’s sister—the lovely red-haired Ann Sheridan. During the waterfront conflagration Bob is disabled and apparently doomed to death in the flames, when Dick, by superhuman efforts, rescues him, and then peace is restored all around. Others in the cast include Veda Ann Borg, Eddie Acuff, May Beatty, and Eddie Chandler. A Gene Autry picture, ‘ Boots and Saddle,’ is also screened. Ronnie Sinclair, the boy star from Dunedin, has an important part in this production. He takes the ■ role*.of “ Spud; 1 " the orphaned: son of a British lord, who comes to settle his father’s cattle interests. A novel situation results from the youth’s desire to sell the ranch to Neale, an unscrupulous rancher, in order to settle his father’s estate. Neale wants to use the ranch to train horses for the army. Autry, meanwhile, has taken a kindly interest in the boy. Neale, naturally furious when he learns his plans are to bo thwarted, resorts to foul means. Judith Allen has the leading feminine role.

*l*7* The three Ritz Brothers are featured in ‘ Kentucky Moonshine,’ which is now showing at the State. Aside from all the mad antics, the picture contains three new songs . by the same team which made the college picture a tuneful sensation. Lew Pollack and Sidney Mitchell wrote ‘ Moonshine Over Kentucky,’ ‘ Reuben, Reuben, I’ve Been Swingin’,’ and ‘ Sing a Song of Harvest. To make sure these melodies are properly sung, producer Darryl F. Zanuok secured Tony Martin and Marjorie Weaver, who are the romantic interest, The plot, what the Ritz Brothers leave of it, is fairly plausible. A< radio company sends its talent scout, Tony Martin, down to Kentucky to get some real hillbillies. Marjorie Weaver, waiting for an audition, overhears the plana and rushes back to her theatrical boarding bouse to tell the Ritz Brothers. They go down to the hills, disguise themselves as mountaineers, get mixed up in an old feud, hoodwink Tony Martin into putting on a broadcast in tho mountains, and when the smoko clears away a romance nearly goes on the rocks’, is patched up again, and fame on the radio comes to everyone. The film includes Slim Summerville, John Carradine, Wally Vernon, Berton Churchill, and Eddie Collins in the cast. Darryl F. Zanuck selected David Butler to direct 4 Kentucky Moonshine,’ with Kenneth Macgowan associate producer. Art Arthur and M. M. Musseiman wrote the screen play from the original story by Musseiman and Jack Lait, jun.

MAYFAIR Death deals a hand at the gaming tables, and ‘ Chan at Monte Carlo ’ gives' audiences an outstanding mystery in his most brilliant case, which will be screened finally to-night at the Mayfair. The world’s ace detective at the world’s gayest playground takes a long chance to solve a triple murder as ho mingles with millionaires, beauties, and adventurers. Warner Gland and Keyo Luke are featured. IRENE DUNNE TRIUMPH. Irene Dunne scores heavily in the year’s choicest comedy role as Lucy Warriner in Columbia’s ‘ The Awful Truth,’ which will be screened tomorrow at the Mayfair. It remained for her hilarious clowning in ‘ The Awful Truth ’ to reveal the treasuretrove of talent in her inimitable personality. This gay, madcap story of the Warriuers, played by Miss Dunne as Lucy and Cary Grant as Jerry, is uproariously funny. Tho fun starts when Jerry and Lucy decide to separate with the only bone_ of con tention the custody of Mr Smith, their wire-hair terrier. The court allows Mr Smith to Lucy, but permits Jerry to visit the dog. Thus many of the film’s outstanding comedy scenes arise out of Jerry’s visit to Lucy’s apartment while she is entertaining impatient suitors. Universal’s thriller. ‘ The Ladv in the Morgue.’ will be the second film. This screen ve.-sion of Jonathan Latimer’s celebrated Crime Chib novel is grade A murder story. Chief among the characters is Detective Bill Crane, played by Preston Foster, who created this character

on the screen in ‘ The Westland Case.’ Foster is excellent in the part, as is Frank Jenks in the role of Crane’s clownish assistant, Doc Williams, Patricia Ellis is the girl in the case, cud Tom Jackson is very amusing as a numskull officer of the law. GREEK ISLAND Eddie Cantor is let loose in a gigantic amusement park in 1 Strike Mo Pink,’ his sixth annual musical extravaganza for Samuel Goldwyn, which comes to the Municipal to-morrow. Eddie is cast as a timid fellow who takes a correspondence course in acquiring a dominating personality and becomes manager of Dreamland Amusement Park. Here ho becomes involved with a gang of slot machine racketeers who have put every previous manager on the spot. The gangsters learn that Eddie secretly adores a glamorous night club star played by Ethel Merman. This lady is really the wife of one of their number, and they use her as a “ come-on ” to trick Eddie into installing their fake slot machines. Sally Filers, seen as Eddie’s Dreamland sweetheart; Harry Parke, better known as the Greek dailectieian Parkvakarkus of radio fame; William Frawley. and the 1936 ci op of Goldwyn Girls are featured beside Ethel Merman in the comedy, which Norman Taurog directed.