PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23726, 6 November 1940, Page 2

PICTURE THEATRES

ST. JAiES

Five years ago the Paramount .studios released a picture which captured the imag'iialiou of lihngoers everywhere and was described as being more British than cricket. Everyone who saw ‘ The Lives of a Bengal Lancer ’ on its first visit to Dunedin found it to-bo worthy of all the praise which bad been given it. Those who saw it will remember the portrayals of Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone as M’Gregor and Forsythe respectively. Other memorable portrayals were given by Richard Cromwell, the late Sir Guy Standing, and C. Aubrey Smith. The film ia now being screened again locally at the St. James. • SCATTERBRAIN.’ A mirthquako of humour is Republic’s ‘ Scatterbrain,’ which will commence a season at the St James on Friday. Judy Canova is definitely the comedienne of the hour, her work in the starring role ranking her with the Marx brothers, Martha Rayc, tho Ritz brothers, and all others in whom the gift of comedy rises to genius proportions. Judy is the- hillbilly girl brought to Hollywood through error. But in her own winsoraoly dumb way she debunks the film colony and moves to her distraught employers that she is a gold mine in disguise. Eddy Foy, jun., plays opposite Miss Canova. The supporting film will bo ‘ Tundra,’ a drama of the Flying Doctor in Arizona. This picture is full of thrills, with icy avalanches, musk oxen, starving sled dogs, and other animals endangering tho hero’s life.

ROMERO AS GAY CABALLERO

0. HENRY ATTRACTIGH AT GRAND Action, adventure, comedy, romance, and all the thrills of the old West are provided in ‘ Viva Cisco Kid,’ the Twentieth Century-Fox picture which opened as tho Grand this afternoon as the first speciallyselected programme, and marked the eighth anniversary of Amalgamated Theatres direction at this picture house. Cesar Romero scores again as O. Henry’s lovable outlaw in ‘Viva Cisco Kid.’ Romero, who first played tho dashing Caballero in * The Cisco Kid and the Lady,’ is even better as die loves, laughs, and shoots his way through this new film. Tho fact that as a young man O. Henry lived on the Texas range accounts for tho realism of his Western stories. Here he came to know Leo Hall, the famous Ranger, and learned to ride, rope, and shoot. His characters are reproductions of persons he encountered in actual experience. Cisco is chased by a posse, acusecd of murder, trapped m a mine cave-in, and left for dead by the most infamous character in the West; but all in pursuit of romance. This time it is Jean Rogers .who make; him willing to risk his neck a thousand times for her smile. Cisco’s corpulent friend, Gordito, is the tireless companion of all his thrilling adventures. Again played by Christ-Pin Martin, Gordito provides with his lumbering efforts to keep tho dashing Cisco from the snares of the senoritas. It is by trusting a dark-eyed beauty that Cisco almost brings himself to an untimely end in tho first scenes of tho film. , As a result ho decides he is through with all women, till he meets the girl in distress and falls in love with her. The cast also features Minor Watson and Stanley Fields. ‘ Viva Cisco Kid ’ was directed by Norman Foster from a screen play by Samuel G. Engel and Hall, Long.

STATE

‘ He Married His Wife,’ a polished and sophisticated domestic comedy, is at present being shown at the State. The story deals with that light-hearted couple, the Randalls, whose year-old divorce is made the occasion for a remarriage, when Tommy Randall, seeking to marry his ex-wife off to an old flame from Persia so that he can escape alimony payments, finds his own affections awakening in his jealousy of an adventurer who seems to bo making too much headway in his wooing of the gaily conniving Valerie Randall. Joel M’Crea and Nancy Kelly are enjoyable as the Randalls, and Roland Young is again a delightful personality. HOMESPUN CHARM. Tho homespun charm, the sweet sentiment contained in L. M. Montgomery’s wellloved book, ‘ Anno of Windy Poplars,’ will bo unfolded oh the screen next. Friday with tho presentation at the State Theatre of a pictuvisatinn of that famous story. Anne Shirley gives a gay and brilliant performance as “ Anne Shirley,” a role -she created six years ago in * Anne of Green Gables,’ an earlier Montgomery story which zoomed the young actress to stardom and inspired her to adopt the heroine’s name. In the current “Anne” story Miss Shirley is a young school teacher. Her appointment as vice-principal starts a bitter feud with tho powerful Pringle family, which rules tho small community, trying to oust Anne so that one of the Pringles, also a teacher, may have the job.

OCTAGON

Madeleine Carroll. Brian Aherne, and Louis Hayward head an exceptional cast in ‘ Hy Son, My Son! ’ which is now in the second* week of its season at the Octagon. The story is rich in emotional implications and everyday drama. Madeleine Carroll, portraying the role of Livia Vaynol, eclipses all "her previous screen triumphs, and Brian Aherne and Louis Hayward, as William and Oliver respectively, play their parts w-ith an understanding that gives excellent point to, the story. The story deals with the high aspirations entertained by a father for his son’s future. LYRICAL THEME. ' Swaunee River,’ the dramatic and melodius story of tho greatest compose? tho United States has ever known, will be tho next attraction at the Octagon. A fine east is headed by Don Ameche, Andrea Leeds, and A 1 Jolsou. Stephen C. Foster, Ihe writer of many of the world’s best-known songs, inspired the film, and his life story is told practically without alteration. Oon Ameche plays tho title role, while Andrea Leeds appears as his wife, the inspiration of the song ‘ Jcanine with the Light Brown Hair.’ *My Old Kentucky Home,’ ‘ The Old Folks at Home,’ ‘Oh, Susanna,’ ‘Old Black Joe.’ ‘ Campdown Races.’ ‘ Ring,* Ring de Banjo,’ and other famous lyrics aro among tho numbers heard.

STRAND

There is plenty of comedy in the two films being shown at the Strand this .week. Featured on tho programme is Buck Benny Rides Again,’ starring Jack Benny and Rochester, his negro valet, chauffeur, and butler. Benny is seen as a radio announcer after the Winchell style, whoso programme, Buck Benny,’ brings down the scorn of a rival, Les Allen. In tho associate picture, ‘ Half a Sinner,’ Heather Angel and John King have the leading roles. HILARIOUS COMEDY. Picturing hilarious adventures of a travelling salesman and a runaway .heiress in a story which blends music with gay romance, Universal’s ‘Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!’ will be presented on Friday at the Strand. Tom Brown and Peggy Moran carry tho love interest in tho film, which brings to the screen the song sensation, ’ Oh,. Johnny. How You Can Love!’ sung hy glamorous-voiced radio songstress Betty Jane Rhodes. The story of ‘She Couldn't Sav No ’ is about Frankie, a nice girl, who finds lies more fun than truth. Her guardian locks up a slanderous diary she has written, bub Frankie persuades her boy friend aviator, Peter, and bis manager, Dugsie, to steal it back.

REGENT

Based on Terrence Raltigau's famous play of the same name —partly written while he was still at Oxford— 1 French Without Tears,’ which is now being screened at the Regent, was directed by Anthony Asquith, and ho has produced distinctly palatable fare, flavoured intriguingly with a little French mustard. The cast is a brilliant one. It is a mixture of old favourites and new players who will arouse curiosity. Ray Milland and Ellen Drew were sent from Hollywood to Shcpperton “ Sound City,” near London, to play the leading roles. ROBERT MONTGOMERY STARS. Robert Montgomery, who made, history in his unusual dramatic role in ‘ Nijjht Must Fall,’ repeats his performance with an outstanding portrayal of the leading character of the film ‘ The Earl of Chicago,’ which has its Dunedin premiere on Friday at the Regent. An unusual story tells of how a Chicago gangster falls heir to an earldom in England and goes to collect it. He finds himself in a strang land with only his lawyer and supposed friend to keep him wise to things. But tho lawyer doublecrosses him, and in a fit of Chicago anger the earl shoots him. A murder trial before the House of Lords follows, and this is one of the finest dramatic sequences ever filmed. The finale has him going to tho gallows.

EMPIRE

One of Edgar Wallace’s stories, filmed by a British production company, ‘ Dark Eyes of London,’ which heads the current programme at the Empire, has as its star the screen’s thrill wizard, Bela Lugosi, who puts over a masterly performance in this, his first British film. The theme of the picture concerns the nefarious and particularly sinister activities of a half-mad doctor who conceives an. evil plan to get rich quickly by making use of certain people, then disposing of them in a horrible manner. COLOURFUL WESTERN. ‘ Virginia City,’ starring Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, and Randolph Scott, which brings to the screen one of the most stirring chapters in the American West’s unwritten history, will have its local premiere on Friday at the Empire. “ West of Dodge City there’s no law ” was a byword in the old West. And west of Dodge City there was Virginia City, a city of gold ruled by lead. Sprung up overnight, after the discovery of the Comstock Lode and other gold and silver mines had brought thousands of prospectors to Nevada, Virginia City was as colourful as the gold that brought it into existence, and just as unheeding of law ,and order. Southern sympathisers in Virginia City band together and-,raise some 5,000,0C0d01, which is to be smuggled out and sent to the Conferedato (Southern) army. Flynn, as a Union (Northern) intelligence officer, ; gets wind of the plan, and sets out for Virginia City with some plans of his own.

MAYFAIR

Basil Rathbone and Victor M’Laglen will be co-starred at the Mayfair for the next three nights in ‘ Rio,’ a story of love and adventure that moves from the boulevards of Paris to the treacherous swamps of Brazil. The second attraction will be an hilarious Will Hay vehicle, ‘ Ask a Policeman,’ probably the funniest and best of his films.