AMUSEMENTS

Grey River Argus, 18 March 1942, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

Opera House Now Showing: “Batchelor Daddy” & “Murder in the Air.’’ I “BATCHELOR DADDY.” Surrounded by what is described as the most competent cast ever assembled in .her support, Baby Sandy stars in the fast-moving comedy production “Batchelor Daddy” now showing at the Opera House. Principal roles are taken by Edward Everett Horton, Donald Woods, Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangbom, Jed Prouty, Evelyn Ankers, Kathryn Adams, Bert Roach, George Meader, Hardie Albright and Juanita Quigley. The story as may be suspected from the cast, is comedy. Horton, Woods and Walburn three brothers, secret Sandy in a bachelors’ club while trying to find her mother. They unwittingly lure the mother as nursemaid to the while endeavouring to straighten out their tangled financial affairs. “MURDER IN THE AIR.” Warner , Bros.’ exciting “secret service” melodrama “Murder in the Air” with Ronald Reagan in the leading role, supported by James Stephenson, Lya Lys,’ John Litel and Eddie Foy, Junr., is the associate feature , now showing at the Opera House. The plot of “Murder in the Air” starts off with an investigation by a special committee of “un-American activities” in the U.S.A.—-spying, sabotage, etc. The committee is strongly suspicious of the head of an organisation known as the “Loyal Naturalised Americans, Inc.,” but is unable to pin anything on him. This role is taken by an Englishman, Jas.

Stephenson. A new trail opens up when a tramj is killed by a freight train anc 50,000 dollars in paper money is found on his body. A hobo with suck a big sum of money in his possession naturally gets the attention of the authorities. Reagan and Foy are sent to investigate and-they are jubI ilant when they find in one of the dead man’s pockets a letter of intro- | duction to Stephenson, cited as a suspect by the committee of investigation. Reagan assumes the identity of the “tramp”, who is found to be a notorious spy and saboteur. In this way the operative worms his way into Stephenson’s confidence and is sent out on an assignment to wreck an airship which is carrying plans and a model of an “Inertia Projector,” the contrivance is capable of stopping aeroplane motors at a distance of four miles. Reagan’s job of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds gets him into some tight corners, the most cinematically spectacular being the wreck of the" dirigible in a violent storm. Regent Theatre Now Showing: “WHISTLING IN THE DARK.” : Did you ever meet the funniest > man in the world ? You will when i you see “Whistling in the Dark” now showing at the Regent Theatre. His name’s Red Skelton. He’s made audi- . ences roar on the stage all over America. For four successive years he has convulsed Washington as master of ceremonies at the President’s Birthday Ball. His comical sayings were a- byword on Broadway —and they’re now the talk of Hollywood. Now he is elevated to stardom by M.G.M. in one of the maddest, merriest comedies ever filmed, He plays a radio star conducting a

crime detection programme. A mysterious band of cultists kidnap him and order him to invent a “perfect murder” for them. Then trials, tribulations and complications galore keep him in hot water, between the cultists, the murder problem, a sweetheart and a jealous society girl. I S.„ Sylvan Simon directed the upi carious comedy,-with a cast that includes Conrad Veidt, Ann Rutherford, Virginia Grey, “Rags” Raglana, Henry O’Neill and Eve Arden. Plus another outstanding supporting programme: “Old New Orleans.’ “Fitzpatrick Travel Gem in Colour”; “The Battle”; U.S.A. Fleet in Action; M.G.M. Miniature; “Forbidden Passage,” Crime Doesn’t Pay Series. < —■ ~ - "