AMUSEMENTS

Grey River Argus, 7 February 1941, Page 12

AMUSEMENTS

Opera House Finally To-night: “HERITAGE OF THE DESERT” and “UNDERCOVER DOCTOR.” Next Attraction (Commences Tomorrow, Saturday): “HE MARRIED HIS WIFE” and “CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA.” “HE MARRIED HIS WFE.” ' The hilarious romantic comedy “He Married His Wife,” co-starring Joel McCrea and Nancy Kelly, With Roland Young, Mary Boland, Caesar Romero, Mary' Healy and Lyle Talbot., in featured roles, comes to the Opera House to-morrow (Saturday). The story is a gay, informal tale which open s on a scene between Joel and Nancy, celebrating the first anniversary' of their divorce. Joel, who is liable for a phenomenal amount of alimony, is a bit behind in his latest payment and Nancy immediately has him jailed. She does this nor out of a vindictive spirit, however, but because she still loves him and wants to bring Joel to nis senses if possible. It was his passion for horses and horse racing that caused the divorce and it is this same passion that is keeping them apart and delaying his payments. With the help of his lawyer, Roirnid Young, Joel decides to marry Nancy to someone else so he will be no longer obligated, and just the kind of a man an ex-husband would pick to marry hi s wife turns up in the person of Lyle Talbot, an old friend. Talbot’s a rather colourless fellow even though he has just returned from two years in Persia. When Mary' Boland invites them all for a week-end party at her home, Joel senses this will be his opportunity to foster a romance between Nancy and Talbot. He arranges for moonlight, perfect weather and appropriate music, but \ his, plans are thwarted when the handsome and romantic Cesar Romero turns up to pay dashing attentions to Nancy. The hilarious results of this comedy of errors make for a really enjoyable movie evening. “CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA.” A fiendish plot t a o destroy the Panama Canal and trap the fleet in the wrecked locks is the challenge faced by the famous Earl Derr Biggers sleuth in “Charlie Chan in Panama.” Th e latest of the 20th Century-Fox pictures, featuring Sidney Toler- m the title role, commences at the Opera House to-morrow (Saturday), with Jean Rogers, Lionel' Atwill, Mary Nash, Sen Yung, Kane Richmond. Chris-Pin Martin, Lionel Royce, Helen Ericson asd Japk La Rue featured in the supporting cast. With the main body' of the fleet stationed in the Pacific, but requiring immediate, unhindered access to the Atlantic, keeping the Canal onen becomes ' vitally necessary' to the current naval strategy. So well have •

the defences been developed that attack offers practically' no menace. Sabotage, then, becomes the principal threat to the ship artery’s safety, and it is such an attempt which motivates the thrilling story of “Charlip Chan in Panama.” With ‘ th e great locks mined, and the man j who might avert the disaster murdered, Chan cleverly weeds out the I many suspects and, with 60. seconds left, risks his life on a daring lastminute stratagem. Regent Commencing To-day: “U-BOAT 29.” The catastrophe now syveeping Europe is brought to vivid actuality on the screen in Columbia’s “U-Boat 29,” which presents a stirringly dramatic picture of a war-smitten England desperately battling enemy spies and submarines. With Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson and Sebastian Shaw in the featured roles, “U-Boat 29” bears an amazing resemblance at times to recent events abroad. Particularly' is this true in the case of the thrill-tense climax of the new film, in which a passenger vessel, laden with women and children, is torpedoed by an undersea craft. For the most part, however “U-Boat 29” confines itself to the bitter struggle between an enemy agent and the counter-espionage network. By thus confining the war to the efforts of individuals, directly Michael Poyvell achieves an atmosphere so taut with life-and-death conflict that his cameras automatically embrace in scope the world-wide disaster and its significance. HIGH JINKS REVUE. An essential to the success of any' musical revue are the comedy interludes, and in the Revue, High Jinks, showing next Tuesday and Wednesday, this part of the programme sets a new high »standard. The comedy scenes are nicely balanced, and interspersed throughout so as to lend essential variety without dominating the programme. This part of the Revue is handled capably by’artists headed by' Messrs M. R- Bunt, lan Elder, Jack Mclnroe. P Glanchfield. and Mr and Mrs J. Bluett. The first comedy' number entitled “Bunty and his Pets” is a solo effort and the humour engendered into the few' minutes this takes beggars description. The sketch entitled “Nuts” is. however, the masterpiece. It is completely original, and has been specially written for “High Jinks.” The situations which develop throughout the number, are positively hilarious, and the opinion expressed by Critics a-re unanimous in their ■ approval. Throughout the show the comedy' presented is clean, original and bright. Audiences can be assured that this part of the Revue provides excellent support to the many beautiful scenes and la.'ented' artists on the programme. The plan is filling rapidly and patrons are urged to book early at Kilgour’s.