PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23292, 14 June 1939, Page 16

PICTURE THEATRES

OCTAGON Dedicated to the women wlio have played their part in the conquest of the air, ‘ Tail Spin,’ which is at the Octagon, has three favourite actresses, Alice Faye, Constance Bennett, ami Nancy Kelly, in the leading roles, men, of whom Charles Farrell and Kane Richmond are the principals, playing but minor roles. Ten racing aeroplanes in a transcontinental speed race make a magnificent spectacle, and there are some gripping scenes at the Cleveland flying field, where crack civilian, army, and navy pilots roar round the pylons in some of the fastest machines in the world. The three principal characters offer an intensity interesting study in different motives leading to the same end, for each of them flies for a different reason, Trixie (Alice Faye) for money, Lois (Nancy Kelly) to be with her husband, and Gerry (Constance Bennett) to show a naval aviator that she is as good a flyer as he is. EMPIRE Adventure amid the dangers of India is again the theme in ‘ Storm Over Bengal,’, the fine action picture which is now at the Empire. >io better setting exists for scenes of breathless excitement, and the beauties of the countryside make a splendid contrast to the grim omens of war, which is so frequently threatening. The story concerns an outbreak among the hillmen of a small native State. Lhanapur, which is engineered by Rhamaiy Khan with’ the aid of short wave wireless. The ruler of the State, however, is friendly to the British, and so as to ensure that peace and order will bo maintained the British authorities send a messenger to the Maharaja asking him to sign an agreement authorising the regiment stationed there to take full control of the border in the event of his own death. The main roles are taken by Patric Knowles and Richard Cromwell as the two brothers, and Rochelle Hudson has the femininb lead. STRANGE COMPANIONS. A dramatic story of what goes on behind the scenes of -modern race tracks is unfolded in ‘ Stablemates, which costars Wallace Beery and Mickey (Rooney. It will be the attraction at the Empire next Friday. The story, a dramatic relation of the friendship of a broken-doivn veterinary and a penniless stable boy, takes Beery back to the characterisation he gave in ‘ The Champ,’ and with Marie Dressier in ‘Min and Bill,’ and ‘Tugboat Annie.’ Mickey Rooney has a role that tests his acting ability more than anything he has yet done on the screen, in direct contrast to his happy-go-lucky roles in the Judge Hardy Family , series. Sam Wood, whose ‘ Navy, Blue, and Gold’ and ‘ The (Boy from Barnardo’s.’ were hits, directed. Careful attention was paid to, reproduction of actual race track scenes. Much of the picture was made on location at Santa Anita, Inglewood, apd Del Mar. Such famous horses ns Seahiscuit, Dauber, Specify. Lloyd Pan, and Indian Broom were used in many of the sequences, ‘ Stablemates ’ tells the story of a derelict veterinary who strikes up a warm friendship with an orphan stable hoy, performs a dangerous operation which saves the horse’s life, and then in a dramatic scene sacrifices his freedom that the boy may keep the horse he loves. ST. JAMES A particularly good straight-ahead crime melodrama is at the St. James. The story of thx picture, ‘ Ambush,’ is told in convincing style, and the crime is handled in a businesslike manner with a high degree of fidelity to the actual facts of police detection methods. The story is of a bank robbery and the perpetrators’ flight from justice. Both the robbery and the means of escape had been carefully planned, and the ultimate failure of the criminals gives point to the fact that crime is an unprofitable business. There are four bandits in the pang, under the leadership of Mr Gibbs, played by Ernest Truex. This moek-looking, mild-man-nered chap carries an umbrella which has surprising _ potentialities, and despite his seeming,, urbane innocence is the most dangerous of the criminals, for he is clever and hacked by a ruthless killer. Lloyd Nolan and Gladys Swarthout provide the romantic touch. The associate feature is a “ family ” comedy, ‘ My Wife’s Relatives.’ ANOTHER CROSBY COMEDY. The programme at the St. James to commence on Friday will be headed by ‘ Paris Honeymoon.’ Bing Crosby and Franciska Gaal head the cast, with Akim Tamiroff. Shirley Ross,-and Edward'Everett Horton in support. ‘ Paris Honeymoon is a romantic comedy in which the “ mere male,” Crosby,’has more than his share of trouble/ Miss Gaal, the cause of most of the trouble, plays the role of a girl’ who wins the title of Qiicen of the Roses in the town of “ Pnslitalnick,” a Balkan principality. An. interesting item in the picture will bo the presentation of an authentic Balkan folk , dance. Crosby introduces four new numbers—‘You’re a Sweet Little Headache,’ ‘I Have Eyes,’ ‘Joobalai,’ and ‘The Funny Old Hills ’ —which are said to have caught the public fancy wherever the film has been shown. “Lucky” Lawlor (Crosby) Ims to wait in “ Pushtalnick ” for a countess (Shirley Ross) to obtain; her divorce. Unfortunately the Queen of the Roses is traditionally invited to spend a week in the .castle which the American has rented. Action and humour follow quickly, and Horton has a large part of the comedy scenes. Supporting ' Paris Honeymoon ’ will he the Universal picture ‘ Exposed.’ featuring Glenda Farrell and Otto Kroger. This film brings to the screen a story based on the activities of the candid camera magazines which have recently sprung into popularity in America. REGENT The charm of Deanna Durbin's voice and her acting grow greater with each of her films.' Her latest, ! Three Smart Girls Grow Up,’ now in its second week •at the Repent, is a notable success filled with humour, fine singing, and dramatic- interest, and entirely free of _ the pseudo-sentimentality with which Hollywood is prone to invest its adolescents. The story concerns Deanna’s attempts to settle the love affairs of her two elder sisters and to save them from the dangers of incompatible marriage, But there are many twists and turns before the end. Charles Winninger plays Deanna’s stockbroking father, too interested in the pursuit of wealth to take notice of the troubles of bis family. Nan Gray and Helen Parr'sh are seen to effect in the ndes of the two sisters Deanna tries to help. There is a strong supporting programme. KRUGER IN ‘ HOUSEMASTER.’ Based on a plav by lan Hav. one of the leading British writers of lightei

stories, ' Housemaster ’ will be the next change at the Regent. It is impressive, not only because of its comedy sequences, which are vivacious and clever, but beause there is a more serious undercurrent, touches of drama and of romance, which, happily, do not descend to maudlin sentiment. The story is based on happenings at a public school, where the head master is endeavouring to persuade, a middleaged housemaster to resign. The cast is well chosen, and all the players team remarkably well. Otto Kruger. Diana Churchill,' Phillips Holmes, and Rene Ray have the leading roles, while supporting characterisations are ably handled by P. Kynaston Reeves, Walter Hudd,' Michael Shepley, and Joyce Barbour. Needless to say, the strict routine of the school becomes sadly disarranged when the housemaster is visited .by three pretty wards. These girls play important parts in bringing the story to a satisfactory conclusion. Also on the programme will he ‘ Youth Marches On. It is a short film of an arresting character, and has a strong moral appeal. As the title suggests, this featurette deals with youth and emphasises the worth of physical fitness and moral rearmament. Humour also finds a prominent place in the story. GRAND The vivid contrast between the boredom and sophistication on the passenger deck of an ocean steamer and the inferno of human passions in the vessel’s stokehold, presents a striking background for R.K.O. Radio’s ‘ Pacific Liner,’ m which Victor M'Laglen and Chester Morris are co-starred, and which heads the new programme at the Grand En route from Shanghai to San Francisco, an epidemic breaks out among the grimy engineroom crew. Althougn the stokehold of the vessel is :quarantined by the doctor, Chester Morris, and the malady strikes down one crew member after the other, the' belligerent chief engineer, M'Laglen, refuses to lessen the pace of the gigantic engines Hysteria and panic reign in the depths of the steamer, connterpoi.nted by the bitter conflict between the two iron-willed men. Jn striking contrast to this condition, however, is the apathy and selfishness of the irresponsible passengers above deck, who, kept in ignorance of the human tempest raging below decks, decry 7 the liner’s slow speed. It is in this respect that the story is said to strike a unique note in characterisation, adding power and realism to its drama. The cast in ‘ Pacific Liner’ also includes Wendy Barry, Barry Fitzgerald, Alan Hale,” and Allan Lane. Lew ganders directed the production by Robert Sisk. An unusual amount of action is packed into ‘ Arizona Legion,’ the associate film, which has Laraino Johnson appearing opposite the popular outdoor star, George O’Brien. No fewer than four stage coach hold-ups, half a dozen thrilling gun battles, a gaolbreak, and a thrilling hand-to-hand combat on top of a racing coach are among the highlights of the story. STRAND A typical gangster melodrama and a quiet old-fashioned tale of rather an unusual type are the two featured films at the Strand this week. 1 Gang Bullets,’ featuring Ann Nagel and Robert Kent, tolls of the exciting adventures and dangers in which two young people are involved when they run foul of a gang of city racketeers. The plot is well handled and the film is a good one of its class. The radio favourite. Stanley Holloway, is the star of the other picture, ‘The Song of the Forge,’ a tale of rural England. With its simple story and musical interludes it is deeply appealing. HORROR AND COMEDY. The Vampire Bat,’ starring Melvyn Douglas, will come to the Strand on Friday. Based on the famous story by Edward T. Lowe, it tells of the amazing adventures of an Austrian sleuth in endeavouring to track down a series of ghastly murders in a little Austrian village, where the inhabitants fear a terrible plague of bats. True to Austrian folk-lore, the villagers trace the murders to a human vampire, a mysterious being that takes the form of a human by day and a bat by night. Terror strikes the village, as one by one the vampire strikes down its prey. Supporting Melvyn Douglas are Fay Wray, Lionel A twill, George E. Stone, Maude Eburne, and Dwight Frye. Doubles play an important part in the story of ‘Strange Faces,’ co-starring Dorothea Kent and Frank Jenks, which will be the supporting feature. Examples seen in the film are Charles Middleton, character actor, who resembles and has played Abraham Lincoln several times on the stage and screen, and Tony Marteili, a Hollywood “hit” player who is so much the living picture of Napoleon- that casting directors have, never employed .him for any other role. STATE ‘Pygmalion,’ which is showing to crowded, houses, at the State,' has proved that the groat plays and players of the English stage can bo presented to the whole world without being made unrecognisable by mutilation that has hitherto almost invariably accompanied adaptation to the talking screen. ‘ Pygmalion ’ on the screen is precisely the same as the play, except that author and producer have been able to make use of the unlimited scope for change of scenery available in film production. In the ballroom scene, for instance, where the transformed flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, is eventually presented to the cream of London society, the scene does not have to remain static as it does on the legitimate stage, hut, along with the characters in. .the story, the audience is able to mingle with the throng and visit various parts of the assembly. The scintillating dialogue is pure Shaw, and how brightly does it shine in comparison with screen talk that has been served up .in other productions of a more, familiar'-school. MAYFAIR England’s queen of song, the overpopular Lancashire comedienne, Grade Fields, shares starring honours with Victor M'Laglen in the colonial adventure drama, “We’re Going to be Rich,’ which, with the dramatic ‘ Extortion,’ has opened a season at the Mayfair. Gracie Fields sings, dances, and laughs her wav through this production, following her devil-may-care husband from goldfield to goldfield and berating him for spending her hard-earned money on another Eldorado, be it in Australia or South Africa, where the background is set. Included in the several tuneful numbers are two Transvaal favourites, one of which was introduced to Now Zealand by the Springboks on their recent visit. MacLnglen is his usual self, battling his way in and out of scrapes, while an attractive supporting cast lends valuable assistance. ‘ Extortion ’ moves at, fj»«t pa"e tliromrliout. exciting incidents following with a vapidity known only to this class of .film.