PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23915, 19 June 1941, Page 6

PICTURE THEATRES

GRAND ' Michael Shaync, Private Detective,’ fiction's romantic sleuth, made an impressive him debut yesterday at the Grauu. Produced by Twentieth Oiuury-fox, with Lloyd Nolan starred in the mie role and lovely Marjorie Weaver heading a strong featured cast, it is a slick and ditlcront mystery adventure. Created by lirett Halliday, lamed mystery writer, fchayne is an exciting and refreshing screen detective. Hough, tough, and appealing in a story that has adventure, last talk, and real people, Shayne is played to perfection by Lloyd Nolau. Things begin to move at the start when Nolan is assigned to act as bodyguard for Marjorie Weaver, wealthy young heiress who is constantly getting into scrapes because of wild gambling sprees. Always on hand when everything happens, Nolan inadvertently manages to gel quite n case worked up against himself. in bringing to tire screen (he adventure.-, that thrilled millions of mystery readers, Executive Producer .Sol M. Wimzel selected a strong east including Joan Valeric, Walter Abe], Elizabeth Patterson, Donald Macßride, and Douglas Dmnbrillo. Under Eugene Forde’s expert direction, action and suspense arc sustained throughout. That charming rascal, the Cisco Kid, is back with new and thrilling adventures in ‘ Romance of the Rio Grande,’ the supporting feature. -Suave, handsome Cesar Romero again brings 0. Henry’s colourful Caballero to life in this new Twentieth Ccn-tury-Fox adventure film, which is the best of the series. Full of thrilling action from start to finish, ‘ Romance of the Rio Grande ’ has a top-notch cast of fine featured players. Patricia Morison and Lynne Roberts vie for the handsome Cisco, while Ricardo Cortez turns in a fine characterisation as the evil schemer intent on getting the richest ranch north of the border for himself. As always, Chris-Pin Martin, tho Cisco Kid’s comic lieutenant, comes in with his usual quota of laugh-provoking antics. MAYFAIR ’Tho Way of All Flesh,’ the main attraction on the Mayfair’s programme, features Akim Tamiroff, Gladys George, Wii--Imm Henry, and Muriel Angclus. Paul Kriza, trusted and respected cashier, in a weak moment succumbs to temptation, and is responsible for the loss of a fortune in securities entrusted to him. Believed to be dead, ho determines to become a nameless outcast rather than subject his family to tho disgrace which would be inevitable were ho to return to them. How he wins eventual regeneration makes for a most unusual finale. A complete reversal of technique is witnessed in the, latest role of the Dead End Kids in ‘On Dress Parade,’ the supporting picture. Regent.—Dick Powell and Joan Blondell in the comedy of married life, ‘ I Want a Divorce,’ also March of Time (‘ Uncle Sam, Non-belligerent’). State.-—Shirley Temple, Jack Oakie, and Charlotte, Greenwood in the vaudeville comedy ‘ Young People.’ Empire.—The Ritz Brothers and the Andrews Sisters in the witty, musical farce ‘ Argentine Nights.’ Strand,—Burgess Meredith and Irene Hervcy in the Barbary Coast thriller'‘ San Francisco Docks,’ and Bonita Granville and John Lite! in the further adventures of the girl reporter, ‘ Nancy Drew, Reporter.’ St, James. —Jackie Cooper, Leo Gorcey, and lan Hunter in the detective mystery ‘ Gallant Sons,’ and Wayne Morris and Priscilla Lane in the comedy ‘ Love, Honour, and Behave.’ Octagon.—Charles Laughton and Carole Lombard in tho story of the Californian grapefields, ‘ They Knew What They Wan fed.* His Majesty’s,—The drama ‘Magnificent Fraud,’ featuring Akim Tamiroff, Lloyd Nolan, and Mary Boland, and a musical romance, ’Thrill of a Lifetime,’ with Dorothy Lambur, Judy Canova, and Bon Blue.

NEXT ATTRACTIONS

OCTAGON Two of the screen's outstanding stars are due to-morrow at Hie Octagon in what lias been hailed as one of the most irreistible comedy romances of the year, Collumbia's ‘ He Stayed tor Breaklast.’ tl'lip stars are Loretta Young, who reached the very forefront of Hollywood comedienne ranks with her performance in ‘ The Doctor Takes a Wife.’ and Melvyn Douglas, whose abilities as a sophisticated comedian are too well known to expand upon. Alan Marshal and Una O’Connor are other important members of the cast. ST. JAMES ‘The Golden Fleecing,’ hilarious adventure of a timid clerk involved with a gang of racketeers, heads the Bt. James bin tomorrow, in which Lew Ayres and Rita Johnson are teamed. It starts with Ayres accidentally selling a big insurance policy to a big-time racketeer, who turns fugitive and is likely to be bumped off at any moment, at the immediate expense of the insurance company. The associate feature will be 1 Torchy Runs for Mayor,’ the latest picture in the Warner Bros, series about the clever and intrepid girl reporter. Torchy is again played by Glenda Farrell, and Barton Mac Lane, as Steve M’Bride, again shares her adventures. STATE Columbia’s ‘ Escape to Glory ’ opens tomorrow at the State. Action is a vital part of the new film, which was directed by John Brahm. Romance is another essential of this unforgettable feature, which stars Pat O’Brien and Constance Bennett. ‘ Escape to Glory ’ tells a stirring, thrilling story of men and women facing disaster and death, and behaving each according to his nature. A soldier of fortune, who had hitherto sold his courage for cash, discovers that money is not everything; a girl who had hitherto sold her loyalty for minks and sables finds that warmth can come from the heart. REGENT A very successful screen version of Jane Austin’s ‘ Pride and Prejudice ’ will open to-morrow at the Regent. Two brilliant stars, who contributed to two of 1939’s outstanding motion pictures—Greer Garson in ‘ Good-bye, Mr Chips,’ and Laurence Olivier in ‘ Wuthering Heights ’ —make a perfect team as the principals in this delightful picture, which, in effect, pokes fun at, haughty English society in the early nineteenth century. A supporting cast worthy of the distinguished stars has been chosen. EMPIRE James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, and Pat O’Brien make up the cast of ‘ Torrid Zone,’ opening to-morrow at the Empire. In the featured supporting cast are Andy Devine, Flelen Vinson, Jerome Cowan, and George Tobias, among a host of others. ‘Torrid Zone ’ has its setting south of the border, down below Mexico. Pat O’Brien

is the boss for the fruit company that owns most of Puerto Aguilar, and Ann Sheridan is an American torch singer trying to earn a slightly dishonest living in the tropics. STRAND Thrills and adventure in the land of the ancient pyramids arc offered in Universal’s romantic myslcry-drama, ‘ Dark Streets of Cairo,’ which comes to-morrow to the Strand. Sigrid Curie is seen as tlie beautiful heiress who becomes involved in the theft of a fabulous jewel collection, and Ralph Byrd has the leading romantic role opposite the blonde Norwegian actress. Joe Penner’s latest fun-film, ‘ Millionaire Playboy,’ provides a strong support for the main feature. HIS MAJESTY’S ■ Tarzan Finds a Son,’ which heads tomorrow’s bill at His Majesty’s, is the most thrilling of those films in which the written works of Edgar Rice Burroughs are brought to visual and audible life. Johnny Weissmuller is back again as Tarzan, and with him is Maureen O'Sullivan. The associate feature is the comedy. ‘Three Loves Has Nancy,’ starring Robert Montgomery. Franchot Tone, anti Janet Gaynor.