ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 231, 30 August 1937, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY THEATRE. ' “HILLS .OF OLD WYOMING.” The song “In the Hills of Old Wyoming,” written for Paramount by I-eo Robin and Ralph Rainger, has provided the title for Paramount’s “Hills of Old Wyoming;,” the latest “Ilopalong Cassidy” picture now showing at the Kosy Theatre. The song has been adopted as one of the college tunes by the student body of the University of Wyoming. The picture represents vividly against the background of this beautiful Western country a war between cattle rustlers and honest rancher's, .in which the Indian wards on a W 7 yoming reservation are used by a crooked Government agent to shield his steer thieving. William Boyd as “Ilopalong Cassidy” defies death at the hands of both the Indians and the rustlers as leader of the raneherß. He confronts the Indians in their war dance ceremonial prejiaratory to attacking the settlers, and with courage and eloquence makes them his followers instead of enemies. lie then leads a combined Iridian-rancher attack on the rustlers’ stronghold which brings the film to a thrilling bullet-spitting, gun-smoking climax. “TIIE CRIME NOBODY SAW.”

Lew Ayres, P>enny Baker and Eugene Pallette turn detective in Paramount's “The Crime Nobody Saw,” a thrilling mystery story Well spiced with comedy, now showing at tho lvosy ’I heatre. The three are playwrights who are up against a stone wall for a plot. A play must be delivered the very next day or there is a singularly ominous “or else” from a producer who had given them a liberal advance. Fate co.nos to their rescue bystaging a murder right in their living room.. Their next door neighbour is slain and it. becomes necessary for them .to solve, it before the police learn about the crime. All kinds of complications and setbacks arise but when it is all over the jiolice have their man, the three have a plot for a mystery story and Ayres has a new girl friend, lovely Ruth Coleman. “The Crime Nobody Saw” moves at a rapid pace. An unusual twist in the murder is calculated to defy solution from the most adept solvers ot film mysteries. For this- special credit is due to Charles Barton, who directed.

MAYFAIR THEATRE. “FEATHER YOUR NEST.” Get ready for the greatest treat of hearty laughter y-ou have ever enjoyed when George F’orrnby’s la»est musical mirthquake, “Feather Your ■ Most,” screens at the May-fair Theatre to-night. George’s latest film has all the merryswing of its jircdccessors. “No Limit” and “Keep Your Seats, Please,” and the song numbers are both catchy and comical. “Feather Your Nest” will keep you rolling in vour seats while the fim oscillates between George’s work as a gramophone recordist, and his mishaps in his “very jerry-built nest,” with hectic interludes at Turkish baths, the local “pub,” and on a runaway motor-bike, thrown in, as it were, for good comedy measure. Everyone will fall for the Willie Piper of this* picture, with his good nature, his simple desire to get married, and his succession of blundering mistakes that apparently make his objective more and more out of (lie question. - The blunders start good and early, but the main one occurs when Willie, the mirth recordist in a large gramophone factory, who cannot help dropping things when the whistle goes, drops the valuable master-record of a famous • crooner. To make mutters worse, lie and Mary have already paid instalments on their home and furniture. So,- to prevent Willie getting the sack, they both steal into the factory late at night and make a record, with Willie substituting for the crooner and providing liis .own banjo accompaniment. The crooner, of course, disowns the record— Willie is duly- sacked-—and the record instantly becomes the best-sellir for tiie year, with the result that Willie is redeemed from a police cell, having been recognised by a “cop'* when getting out of the factory, and is offered a substantial recording contract by his firm. Apart from his mishaps at the factory, Willie is shown disastrously fooling around with the beer-connecting pipes in the cellar of the jiub. owned by his prospective mother-in-law ; being as the victim of a mistaken identity-, subjected to a ferocious work-out 'm the Turkish baths; unconsciously insulting his sujieriar in a mike test; and with his girl on tile pillion, having a number of hairbreadth e.scajjes as ho careers along on a borrowed motor-cycle. In all these situations, Formby again proved himself a. seasoned comedian, with an incidental gift for very acceptable song to banjo accompaniment Ably lilting the role of Mary Taylor, Willie’s sweetheart, is Polly- Ward, lovely, vivacious newcomer to the screen, but whose stage reputation slant's on very solid rock. Also_ screening is “This Motoring,” i a very interesting film showing the birth and growth of tho Automobile Association.

DON COSSACK CHOIR

INSPIRING SINGING AND DANCING,

To-night at the Opera House, commencing at 8 o’clock, Messrs J. and N. Tait, in association with M. Alexander Levitoff, will present for this one occasion only, General l’latoff’s famous and incomparable Don Cossack Choir, which is thrilling audiences throughout New Zealand by the magnificence of its singing and the amazing work of the Russian danccm. This band of thirty virile eingem is under the conductorship of M. Nicholas ICostrukofF, who has made of tire fine voices at his command one great musical instrument. The voices of the choir arc of incredible range, reaching tones as low as any mechanical organ, and upper nolcs of exceptional pitch. Whether they arc singing us a whole, or individually, those Russians express with amazing understanding the true spirit of their own people. The war songs of the Cossack*, the lyrical mclodies and tlie airs of Great Kufisia, with all their emotions and sentiment, arc portrayed in the artistic performance of tills celebrated choir. The voices of these men are of outstanding quality and of a power unknown. among European peoples; those of the basics have often been compared with the pedal notes of an organ—they possess such breadth and solidity. Above them sound harmoniously the notes of the baritones and tenons, equally remarkable in respect of quality and breadth and resilience. An extremely varied pro- ’ wrointno, comprising secular items, ballads soldier songs, comic numbers, s:ngiu.r dances of the Caucasians and Don Cossacks will ho presented at .this evening’s performance. The repertoire of the Don Ccssacks includes “Jo Deutn nianskv), the glorious “Avc Maria (settinn- by Donisctti), “Kanavoushka, a comic song by Clicsnokoff, the Volga Dcatman,” the singing dances Koatclickand “Lcsginka,” the RlatofF song, btenk Rasin ” “Signala” (Kolotiline) and numerous other popular items. An outstanding feature of the entertainment is the Unite dancer, who performs the spirited movements of the Caucasian Cossacks carrying twelve knives—in Ins mouth and hands, cn his chin, his lips, and Ins shoulders. The Don Cossack Choir is proving a record-breaking attraction, easily the most successful under the direction of Messrs J. and N. Tait in New Zealand. Ihe box plans are at Messrs Collineon and Cunningliamc’s