ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 155, 2 June 1937, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

STATE THEATRE. “CAN THIS BE DIXIE?” Laughs from the land of cotton, songs with Southern charm and Harlem pup and romance under the moonlight and magnolias highlight Jane \MUieis' hilarious and tuneful Twentieth Century-Fox triumph, “Can This Be Dixie?” screening at the State Theatre to-n : ght in conjunction with the Coronation film. With the irrepressible, peppery and over dramatic Jane demonstrating her versatility and winning new laurels in a picture that surpasses oven the best of her past hits, the him is a combination of hilarious fun,' lilting music, fast-moving dances and rollicking comedy and the fun really shines all the time. Slim. Summerville heads the outstanding cast and the picture opens with Slirn and his niece, Jane, putting on a medicine show for the darkies on Claude Gilhngwater’s run-down plantation. They are selling a hair-straightener which goes over big, but the darkies have no money with which to purchase it. Gillingwater saves Slim and Jane from the sheriff and they, in turn, save him from Donald Cook, who holds a mortgage on the plantation which he threatens to foreclose unless Helen Wood, Gillingwater’s grand-daugh-ter. marries him. There on the I scene Thomas Beck, a young Northern lawyer, and he and Helen go for each other in a big wa. Gillingwater expects to recoup liis fallen fortunes by winning the fortcoming 50,000-do! lar Derby with his racehorse. Stonewall Jackson, But Cook orders the sheriff to attach the horse, .Jane persuades Slim to draw a [ phoney cheque on the “Bank of England” for a supposed interest in tlie horse, I which Cook accepts" In order to raise money to cover the cheque Jane takes the plantation darkies to New York where they click on an amateur programme. In the meantime Helen despairingly agrees to marry Cook and the ceremony has started when Jane rushes in with the money to cover the cheque. Beck replaces Cook as the bridegroom. REGENT THEATRE. “BOHN TO DANCE.” “Born to Dance,” the eagerly-awaited smash musical suceecssor to “Broadway Melody cf 1936,”’ with Eleanor Rowell, “Queen of Taps,” in the stellar role surrounded by practically all of the stars and the executive, production and technical crew of the earlier hit, conics to the Regent screen tonight as one of the outstanding pictures on the new Metro-Goldwyn-Maytr schedule. Two favouiitos not seen in the previous musical arc featured in “Born to Dance’” in the persons cf the jaunty James Stewart, who plays Miss Powell’s leading man, and lovely Virginia 1 truce, making her first appearance since her huge success in “I he Great Ziegfcid.” Familiar faces from “Broadway Melody” who sing and dance their way through “Born to Dance” include Una Merkel and Sid Silvers, now recognised as one cf the screen's rftost hilarious comedy teams, Frances Langford, of radio fame, and the long-legged Buddy Kbsen. '1 he musical hits from “Born to Dance” were written by Cole Porter, known as the most sophist irated composer and lyricist in America. “Born to Dance”, is a picture with a navy background and a swifi, delightful story ny Jack McGowan, Sid Silvers and Buddy do Sylva. There is a lively plot —but this brilliant group of players gives you the story largely in music “and dancing and laughter. Folks, you'll love it—at the Regent Theatre to-day.