ENTERTAINMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 December 1939, Page 12

ENTERTAINMENTS

OPERA HOUSE—Final Screenings: “THE GREAT WALTZ.”

The glamorous musical drama, “Tire Great Waltz,” based on the life of Johann Strauss, recreates the romance of old Vienna, when it finally screens at the Opera House to-night, with Luise Rainer, Ferdand Gravet Miliza Korjus, new opera star discovery, heading an elaborate cast. Your beating heart, your pounding pulse will tell you it’s the most exciting musical love story ever told. An excellent progamme of featurettes makes it a glorious evening’s entertainment.

Next Attraction— Comknencing Tomorrow; “THIS MAN IS NEWS.”

A novel and tremendously exciting newspaper murder, “This Man is News,” which comes to the Opera House to-morrow, Wednesday, and Thursday, has Barry Barnes and Valerie Hobson heading an imposing cast, which includes Alastair Sim John Warwick, Garry Marsh, Edward Lexy and Kenneth Buckley. The story, packed tight with action thrills, suspense, delightful comedy and witty dialogue, deals with a reporter who achieves notoriety as the result of a murder story he sends in to his paper before the actual crime is committed. !As may be imagined, this produces uncomfortable consequences for him; but, fortunately, he is able to prove an alibi. The gang of crooks concerned, however, are of the opinion that either he must possess amazing foresight, or else he knows too much and they decide he would be better out of the way. Their attentions cause the reporter to become front-page news himself, but in the end, with the help of his wife, he is instrumental in bringing the crooks to justice. Barry K. Barnes appears as the reporter and Valerie Hobson has the role of his wife, and according to all indications they prove to be one of the most popular screen romantic teams. A careful study was made of several offices for the big newspaper setting where so much of the action of the picture takes place, and every care has been taken to ensure authenticity of detail in connection with the background of the story.

REGENT, Finally To-NIGHT, “MIDNIGHT,” and “ROMANCE OF THE REDWOODS*” . Commencing Wednesday, “THE GANG’S ALL HERE,” “HIDDEN POWER.” Jack Buchanan, tired for the moment of the top hat, white tie and other trappings incidental to his everpopular musical comedy material, has created, for himself a new character. Obviously, such an artist needed to bo very sure of his new material before entrusting his tremendous reputation to it. Jack’s new creation is “The ang’s All Here” portraying the role of John Forrest, private detective. He has the same insouciant charm that went with the glossy top hat, but he also deals out, with seeming carelessness, some of the most

, toothsome 'comedy ever met on the | screen. See him being photographed at Scotland Yard as a criminal and his subsequent descent to the underworld as “Englis Joe” of the trigger man, wanted for most of the heavy crimes in the calendar. His faithful J valet, played by Edward Everett ’Horton, pqvides him with a perfect foil ; there is a fake murder rehearsed! at intervals by Horton and Buchanan that, when it takes its proper place in Forrest’s deep laid scheme to trap the criminals agsolutely brings the house down. That laugh alone is worth the price of a seat, but there are scores of others. The associate feature, swift and suspenseful, yet pervaded with human and realistic frailties, is “Hidden Power,” starring Jack Holt in a role totally different from anything he has ever attempted before, the .drama depicts a timely and engrossing tale of a conscientious and humanitarian research chemist who stumbles upon the secret of a terrible ' explosive. Rather than acqept the responsibility for the deaths of innocent' thousands, Holt refuses to yield the destructive secret to a group of munition makers. The resultant complications made for a colourful and highly entertaining series of events. Much of the merit of “Hidden Power” can be found in the warm relationship between Holt and Dickie Moore, who is cast as his son. Gertrude Michael, appearing as the wife of Holt and the mother of Dickie, Miss Michael makes her unsympathetic role thoroughly convincing. Other remarkably fine portrayals are turned on by Regis Toomey as a laboratory assistant, Henry Kolker as a ruthless industrialist, and Marlyn Knowlden as a “brat.” ’Phone 601 and book your seats.