ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 197, 21 July 1937, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

STATE THEATRE. RACING LADY.” A drama of the turf, “Racing Lady,” which driies homo the moral that too much emphasis is laid on winning und too little on the way the game is played, is showing to-night at the State 'theatre. Ann Dvorak, Smith 'Ballew and Harry Carey are co-fcaturcd in the thrilling screen play of the race track. Smith Ballew plays a handsome financier who manufactures automobiles and duals in the “spoit of kings” merely as a publicity aid to Ins business ventures. He hires a girl, trainer, Ann Dvorak and temporarily converts her to the doctrine that- ‘■winning” is the only Ihing worth while. But her father, Harry Carey, a veteran horse breeder, lias so inculcated in her the principles of fair play, that sho finally rebels at her cm ployor's philosophy. The principals are suppoitod by an exceptionally 'strong cast, including' Frank M Thomas, Berton Churchill, liny Thomas, Hattie McDaniels, Willie Best, Harry Jans and Low Payton. “THE PLOT THICKENS.” Revolving about the activities of an international gang of jewel thieics and two mysterious and seemingly unrelated murders, IIKO Radio's “llie Plot Thickens,” which is the associate feature at the (State 'theatre to-night, offers considerably 111010 suspense und complication than its predecessors in the popular lnspectoi r’lpcr Hildegardo Withers series or Stuart Palmer comedy-mysteries. The new offering again 1 presents Janies Gleason as the 10doubtaljle inspector, but has a new ‘‘II i 1 - degarde” iri the person of Zasu I’itts,' whose fluttery style of mirth-making adds greatly to tho laughter of the fiim. Screen fans will recall that Edna May Oliver and Helen Broderick severally enacted Gleason’s unofficial assizumt in the earlier pictures of the scries. Due to ingenious weaving of the plot, tho deaths of a wealthy collector and a museum guard seem to offer no clues to tho police, nor is there apparently any connection between them and tho disappearance of tho famous Cellini Cup from its case in the museum. But Hildegarde’s curiosity, and the energetic, if often mistaken, actions of tho inspector, finally bring to light the underlying motives of an organised gang of crooks, who are responsible lor both killings.' REGENT THEATRE. “LAST OF MRS CHEYNEY.” “The Last of Mrs Chcyncy” screening at the Regent Theatre to-night brings together for the first time three stars who. singly, have recently contributed to tho screen throe of tho year’s most successful and outstanding pictures. Joan Crawford, direct from “The Gorgeous Hussy”; William' Powell, from “After the Thin Man”; , Robert Montgomery, whose “Piccadilly Jim” still remains one of the high spots of 1936 screen entertainment. To this triple-star cast Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer also lias added an outstanding supporting cost that includes Frank Morgan, Jessie Ralph. Nigel Bruce, Colleen Clare, Bcnila Hume, Ralph Forbes, Ailccn Pringle and Melville Cooper. Lawrence Weingartcn, who .was at tho producer’s helm on “Libelled Lady,” is the producer of the new picture. Based upon ' tho famous Frederic Lonsdale play of a few years ago, 'Loon Gordon, Samson Raphaelson and Monckton lloffc completely modernised tin* story with a deft adaptation that promises to establish the screen version 'as an outstanding riot of laughter and complicated situations. To Miss Crawford falls the titlerole of the lovely American woman in whose hands gullible English socialities become easy victims of a plot to trick them out of a fortune of jewels. William Powell, as Mrs Choyney’s butler, Charles, is revealed as the brains of the group of international thieves, Montgomery appears as romantic young I/jrd Billing who uncovers the plot to fleece his British friends and who learns tho true character of Mrs Cheyncy when she chooses exposure as a thief rather than submit to his amorous advances.