ENTERTAINMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 August 1940, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

OPERA HOUSE: Now Showing:— “SIXTY GLORIOUS YEARS.”

' The glowing love romance of a ! great Queen, the march of Empire, world-shaking historical episodes that cover a span of over half a century, are now showing _at the Opera House in blazing dramatic majesty in “Sixty Glorious Years.” Against an impressive background of Time’s weaving pass notable men and women whose lives have furnished inexhaustible material for dramatist and novelist. They live again on the silver sheet, these people who made history and left behind them unforgettable name’s on the chronicles of them age. As formerly, Anna Neagle has the role of Queen Victoria and Anton Walbrook that of Prince Consort, Albert. Pomp and magnificence mark the drama’s opening, with the slim figure of the girlish sovereign delivering an address to Parliament on January 16, 1840. The Duke of Wellington, national military idol, played by C. Aubrey Smith, is seen commenting in undertones to his friend and political ally, Sir Robert Peel. Besides the nobles of the period, the commoners muster in force to hail the ushering in of a new. era in old England. As the reels unfold one senses the feeling of criticism and doubt with which the public approach 1 the coming nuptials of the Queen and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, A foreigner, would this prince ever develop into a true-blood Englishman? Or, would he neglect Great Britain’s interests, while craftily weaving his young wife’s views into a political : pattern of sinister significance? This is the motif of the dramatic spectacle in 1 Technicolour through its earlier [stages. The Royal romance, happily I begun, is to suffer assailment, from 1 many outside sources, based upon the [intensely conservative trend of British opinion. Small wonder that during the gorgeous solemnity of the wedding scene staged with faithful adherence to historical detail,_ Prince Albert is distinctly nervous as he slips ’the golden ring' on the delicately white hand of the Queen.

REGENT. —Finally To-night: “GULLIVER’S TRAVELS.” Commencing Wednesday: “RANGE WAR” and “HONEYMOON DEFERRED.” “Range War” with William Boyd, seen again as the hard-riding, straight-shooting “Hopalong,” and Russel Hayden as “Lucky,” his saddle-mate of many a range adventure, the punch-packed Clarence E. Mulford yarn deals with “Hopalong’s”

efforts to trap a wily, wealthy landowner who is trying to prevent ranchers from building a railroad spur which would make it unnecessary for them to pay tolls for their cattle to cross his property. Woven into the action of the story is a romance involving Russel Hayden and Betty Moran, cast as the daughter of the rancher who is in charge of the building of the railroad spur, and “Hopalong” has a new saddlemate in Britt “Speedy” Wood, harmonicaplaying favourite. THE ASSOCIATE FEATURE. Double portions of mystery, action and comedy are contained in “Honeymoon Deferred.” Edmund Lowe and Margaret Lindsay in the starring roles appear as the detective and his bride whose honeymoon is interrupted by the suspected murder of Lowe’s wealthy employer. Their adventures in solving the case lead them into a fast moving series of situations that give them ample opportunity to display their talent for both dramatics ;and comedy. With Lowe and Miss Lindsay is a supporting cast of well known performers, including Elisabeth Risdon, Joyce Compton, Chick Chandler, Anne Gwynne, Jerry Marlowe, Cliff Clark, Lillian Yarbo, Julie ( Stevens and others. SHOP DAY. On Friday the Cobden-Blaketown Committees will have charge of the shop to raise funds for patriotic purposes. The new shop, named “The Soldiers’ Shop,” which is situated op- | posite the Town Hall, will be open for l the first time and patrons are requested to note the change of location. All funds from the shop day go towards swelling the general fund of the Westland Patriotic Committee and the ■ combined committees hope that they [will receive the usual support. Remember the slogan,—“They need it Yojir Help?’