ENTERTAINMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1946, Page 10

ENTERTAINMENTS

■ OPERA HOUSE.—To-night: “He I y Snoops to Conquer.”

In the new George Formby film “He Snoops to Conquer” which is showing at the Opera House to-night# Formby has •an entirely new 'role. As the man of all work in a Town Council office the picture gives him the most topical role of his career as the “man of the people,” and who is being backed for the local council election of Tangleton by eccentric millionaire Sir Timothy Strawbridge (played by Robertson Hare) and his daughter Jane '(Elizabeth Allan), in an effort to bring the Government’s proposed scheme for town planning into being despite the opposition of a crooked Council and its Chairman (played by Claude Bailey). . . Unfortunately for George electioneering brings forth all kinds of troubles, but for the audience sequence after sequence of hilarious fun.

No Formby picture would be complete without some of George’s inimitable song numbers and in this one he gives us three, —one with his banjolalee, “If You Want to. Get Your Photo in the Press,” another when he plays the guitar, “Hill Billy Willy,” and finally when he proposes to Elizabeth Allan in song, “Unconditional Surrender.”

REGENT THEATRE.— To-night: “The Desert Song,” starring Dennis Morgan and Irene Manning.

“The Desert Song,” showing at the Regent Theatre to-night, is the much-awaited version of that perennial stage favourite. The highly musical entertaining stars Dennis Morgan and Irene Manning have a supporting cast of such favourites as Bruce Cabot and Gene Lockhart. Filmed in techmcolour the picture has successfully recreated the wild beauty and indescribable loveliness of Northern Africa which is the setting of the story, which tells of a young itinerant musican, Paul Hudson, who in the guise of El Khobar, makes daring and spectacular efforts to free the down-trodden Riff slave labour from the ruthless oppression of their Nazi overlords. Interwoven into the plot is the beautiful love story of Paul and the lovely Margot, a French cafe singer who loves him for courage and unselfishness. Running throughout the story are exquisite renditions of the beautiful Romberg music. The much loved and ■ familiar numbers such as “One Alone,” “The Desert Song” and the stirring “Riff Song” and others are greatly enhanced as sung by the youthful singing team of Morgan and Manning. THE THEME SONG IS “MARY” The theme song in “Our Miss Gibbs” is “Mary,” a lilting, catching air that cottons on to one, and there are a number of others too which should make instant appeal at the presentations throughout the coming week of the delightful musical comedy romance at the Regent Theatre. In. order that full justice can be given to' the delightful overture which embodies every number in the score, the overture will be commenced at 7.50 each night and patrons are requested to be seated, by that time. It will not be possible to take the show elsewhere than Hokitika, and country folk are advised to see the show at either Greymouth or Hokitika. School children and combined country party bookings are coming to hand now and those who have not already arranged for seats with the R.S.A. office, Mackay street, are advised to do so immediately. Besides the frocking, ballets, dancing and vocal numbers of high order, “Our Miss Gibbs” is brimful of comedy situations.