ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 304, 23 November 1937, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY THEATRE. “RUSTLERS’ VALLEY.” “Rustlers’ Valley,” latest of Paramount’s popular “Hopalong Cassidy” outdoor romances, now showing finally at tho Kosy Theatre, is the twelfth of the ' action packed stories from tho pen of Clarence E. Mulford to reach tho screen. All have featured William Boyd as “Hoppy.” Columbia, California, among tho 'most famous of the “ghost towns” in the Mother. Lode country, was used as tho locale in filming Paramount’s “Rustlers’ Valley.” Hopalong Cassidy plans an undercover game in tho most thrilling of all his famous adventures. ‘ Once tho Mecca of old prospectors and tho motley crew of adventurers, bad men and other characters who follow the irresistible lure of tho yellow dust, the town is now deserted and remains a typical Western frontier town which no art director could reproduce. “BLONDE TROUBLE.” “Blonde ..Trouble” will show finally at tho Kosy Theatre as an associate feature, and teds liow, en route to New York City, where tie hopes to succeed as a song-writer, Fled Stevens meets and falls in love with beaulitui Edna Baker, who is employed in _ a dentist’s office in the big city. In New York Fred meets Paul Soars,' a brokendown song-writer, his sophisticated wife, and her gold-digging sister. All three treat him with indifference until they discover that he has his life’s savings with him, but then everything changes. Eileen, the sister, plane to marry Stevens and ig-. nores her boy-friend, Joe, Hart, song publisher who has been cooling toward her. Fred, flattered by Eileen’s attentions, completely forgets about Fldna. Ho works with Paul on a song, which flops, but then meets Edna, who inspires him with the idea for a new romantic tune. Fred and Paid work out tho song together, and after many disappointments, persuade Joe Hart to hear it. Hart, in the meantime, learning that Eileen has been flirting with Fred, sees a way to get her off his hands. He takes Fred’s song and pays him a liberal advance, figuring that when Eileen sees that Fred is a success, she’ll marry him right away. Fred whoso head is completely turned by Eileen, quarrels with Edna, who walks out on him. For a while Hart continues his advances to Fred, but when Eileen and Fred go to see him, to learn why . the song has never been published, they learn the thing is a washout. Immediately, Eileen drops Fred. Fred realises that Edna is his only true love, but feels that he cannot go to her while he is a failure. He roeadies bottom, but just at that time a popular radio singer runs across his song in Hart’s office and sings it over the air. The song is an instant hit—and Fred, deluged with fat contracts, leaves for Hollywood and tho movies, accompanied by Edna, his radiant, blushing bride.

METEOR THEATRE. “ANTHONY ADVERSE.” “Anthony Adverse” is the last word in magnificent screen entertainment. This Warner Bios, production at the Meteor Theatre holds audiences in a spell of breathless • suspense reel after reel. It is the vivid story of Hcrvey Allcn’6 monumental literary classic. The picture follows the romantice adventures of Anthony Adverse through five countries, across the seas and over three continents. The mammoth sets, for colourful and picturesque backgrounds, for dynamic action, for the unusual characterisation of its tremendous cast from Frederic March, the star, down to the smallest bit player, for the glamour of its romance, its human interest and sheer, unadulterated entertainment, this picture is unsurpassed. It has a tremendous cast, with 98 speaking parts and 2500 bit players and extras. But all this, while full of colour, is but the background for a drama of human life, its Jove and hates, its hopes and its disappointments, its desires and its pa.-sions, its vain and futile Struttings and its vast achievements. Frederic ' March has given the screen ■ somo wonderful portrayals in the past but never has ho risen to the heights of dramatic fire as in the title role of this picture., His Anthony is a living, breathing person, . stepping out of a book into real life on .the screen. He is ably supported by Olivia dc Havilland, who came to screen pi nincncc with her work in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Captain Blood.” This _is Miss dc Havilland’s first great emotional role, and she rises to it with true artistry. Other loves of Anthony are found in the characterisations portrayed by Stella Duna, a fiery half-caste with whom ho livc6 in his African slavo mart, and Gale Sondergaard, a voluptuous and passionate housekeeper. Both give unusually fine interpretations. Edmund Gwenn, the famous English actor, gives a wonderful portrayal of John Bonny feather, the grandfather of Anthony, who sells his daughter into a lovelesas match for the price of a title. Anita Louise has never appeared more beautiful, nor has she ever given ■ a better performance than as the daughter, w'ho married to a Spanish grandee, refuses to give up her handsome Irish army officer. Claude Rains gives an excellent portrayal of the grandee of Spam as does Louis Hayward as the young Irish officer. The members of the are too numerous to mention in their entirety, but among those of 6pccial prominence who do exceptional work are Billy Maunch, Donald Woods, Henry O’Neill, Pedro de Codoba and George E. Stone. Two operatic sequences staged by Natale Carissio, add . to the beauty and magnificence of the picture.