ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 18, 19 December 1936, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

STATE THEATRE. “IN THE SOUP.” The State Theatre heads the bill this week with the Twickenham film, “In the Sou)),” starring ihc inimitable' Ralph Lynn which has its opening to-night. Ralph Lynn surpasses anything he him ever done in the role of Horace Gillibrand, an impecunious young lawyer who, in the hysterical excitement of obtaining his first, brief, gets into the. wrong court, and proceeds to defend a case oi reck Ices driving, only to find that in reality he has been dciending an undefended breach o'f promise action! Not unnaturally Horace’s career as a pillar of the law js now at an end, and bin only means of sustenance its to let his flat, and live on the proceeds. ' After considerable difficulty he manages to secure some tenants, and then finds that his whelms let the flat to someone else. To cap it all his servants walk out, and there is nothing for it but lor Horace to act as butlcr and his wife as housekeeper. From this moment the fun becomes even faster and more furious and the story ends with a positive hurricane of mistaken identity and mirth. Judy Gunn, Twickenham’s contract artist is delightful as the wife, and a fine supporting cast includes .Morion Sclten, Nelson Keys, Bertha Belmoro, and others. “In the Soup” was directed by Henry Edwards, and its slogan is “Laughs all the Way.” Plans for Saturday are on view at hoth the State Theatre and the C. M. Ross Co., and it is advisable to book early for this attraction.

REGENT THEATRE. “THE MAN WHO GOULD WORK MIRACLES.”

llow the gods gave George McWhirlcr i Fotheringay, a draper’s assistant, power to do whatever he Willed, and how he used that power, is the strange story told m the London Films’ production, “The Man Who Could Work Miracles,” opening to-night at the Regent Theatro. In its imaginative character the picture is a true successor to “Things to Come,” but it is in much lighter vein. For all its humour and buffoonery, however, it provokes considerable thought and slyly castigates the leaders of every branch of society through the reactions of the central character. Like “Things to Come,” it is a product of what promises to be a famous partnership—H. G. Wells, the author, and Alexander Korda, the producer. George McWhirter Fotheringay finds that at his command he can make tho lamp in the public bar of tho local inn move about whenever and however he wishes it, and finds himself ejected for carrying his wishes into effect. Ho discovers ho can produce rabbits and kittens and bunches of violets and grapes from the air, and can send village policemen to San Francisco and other places. And ho is mightily startled by his power, but no more so than the inhabitants of the village in which he lives. Those who could better their positions in life seek (o advise him; those who might be affected by his power seek to destroy him. But after a long period of indecision, he resolves to shun all aid and defy all opposition and set his course according to his own desiros. As Fotheringay, Roland Young is exceedingly well cast. He instills delightful humour into both his parts, first as the slow-thinking draper, and later as the nctivo potentate. Ralph Richardson, as Colonel Winstanley, is what one would expect, of tho retired Indian soldier who is a county magistrate, collects swords, and cultivates roses. Others who give admirable interpretations are Joan Gaardner, Ernest Thesinger, and Robert Cochrane. A notable feature of the production is the remarkable 'photography which records amazing scenes of impossible happenings with a perfection that is con vincing.