ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 16, 16 December 1937, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY THEATRE. “NOBODY’S BABY.” Hal Roach, the producer, who teamed the igitei'national favourite Laurel and Hardy duo may well believe he has discovered a feminine team that will assume ns great importance, judging by the laughter provoked by Patsy Kelly and Lyda Roberti in “Nobody’s Baby,” the ' Hall Roach-M-G-M feature comedy screening to-night at the ICosy Theatre. Patsy Kelly is the outstanding comedienne of the soreen. Her infectious, blunt and hilarious humour has had people cheering ever since sho made her first appearance in films. Lyda( Roberti, on the other hand, comes out in an entirely new role. No longer is she a screen siren. Although she is still a glamorous menace, her hilarious interference with Patsy Kelly has brought out an unusual comedy streak. They, the colleen and cosmopolite, form a perfect foil for each other in their hazardous trek from a broadcasting station, through the experiences of student nurses, entanglement in a night club mystery, to the culmination of their romances with Robert Armstrong and Lynne Overman, reporter and detective respectively. While the two girls are undoubtedly the stars of the picture, they receive more than competent support fr-om Overman, Armstrong, Rosina Lawrence, Don Alvarado and others. The clear, fresh beauty of blonde Rosina Lawrence contrast effectively with the dark, handsome Alvarado. Their dance sequences arc effectively staged in a spectacular night club. “BEHIND THE MIKE.” Get ready for a swift-moving comedy about the funny things that can happen in a radio station. The picture is Universal’s romantic laugh provoker. “Behind the Mike” also screening to-night at tho Kosy. The featured pluyers are William Gargan, Judith Barrett, Don Wilson, the noted radio announcer best remembered for his work on Jack Benny’s programme; the comedians. REGENT~THEATRE. “THEY GAVE HIM A GUN.” Riding on the crest of the wave for his sterling performance as the heroic Portuguese fisherman in “Captains Courageous,” Spencer Tracy now maintains his standard of excellent acting in a new picture. This one is the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adaptation of William Joyce Cowen’s novel, “They Gave Him a Gun.” The picture screens at the Regent: to-night, with Gladys George and Franchot Tone as Tracy’s colleagues. W. S. Van Dyke II was the director. He has followed the memorable story of war closely, as tho author, himself a former soldier of the line, described it. But more than that, the picture clings to the powerful pyschological effects of war on certain characters, long after the conflict is ended. The scars remain on their souls. The supporting cast includes Edgar Bearing, Cliff Edwards, Mary Trecn and others. War scones were filmed on the expansive location where M-G-M made “The Good Earth,” with an elaborate regard for detail. The story describes a circus barker who enlists in the regulars and there, up in the lines, meets a small-town clerk who has just learned the deadly use of a gun. They both -fall in love with the same girl, a Red Cross nurse. The excircus barker is reported missing, and she marries the weakling, out of pity for his helplessness. But the other man escapes from an enemy prison camp and they meet again in the States after the Armistice. Now an expert with firearms, the clerk has become a crook. Tho circus man tries to save him from himself, still loving tho girl, but a police bullet proves to be the only cure.