ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 151, 27 May 1938, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY THEATRE. “RED RIVER VALLEY.” Now showing at the Kcsy Theatre Gene Autry, the new singing cowboy, comes to <a? screc . n ' n Action Pictures now thrill Red River Valley.” Arizona cattlemen, organised into the Red River Valley Company, are trying to build a dam and ditches' to bring water to their parched lands. Moore, the cow town banker, secretly hinders thorn, scheming to grab the water rights for his own profits. Gene Autry, cowhand, and his partner, Smiley Burnett, ride into town with a bunch of cattle and learn that the irrigation company has just lost a night riding ditch guard by a murderous '-ambush. Gene volunteers for the job to help the cattlcmcn. Mary Baxter, daughter of the irrigation company president, sees Gene win a vicious fight with Bull, sabotaging construction boss,, becomes his admirer, and warns him of the dangers. She insists on riding the ditch with'him, and both are caught in an avalanche of falling rocks when Bull sets off a dynamite blast to kill Gone. The cowboy’s quick wit saves them, and Gene returns to accuse Bull, who declares the blast was accidental. Conway, superintendent of the irrigation company, becomes jealous over Mary’s attentions to Gone, and enters into the plotting with the banker. Ho has Bull stir up the construction men into striking over failure of their pay to arrive, and when it arrives involves Bull and Gene in a vicious fight to cover up a daring daylight robbery. Gene and Smiley, suspecting the trick, start into the desert to recover the payroll, are pursued, and forced into a thrilling leap off a cliff into the raging Colorado liver to escape.

“THE BLACK ROOM.” Master of the house of terror! Monster of tile room of doom! His kiss is the password to oblivion—and dead or alive, ho can. kill! The gentleman characterised above is none other than the Baron de Bcrghmanf portrayed in the new Columbia drama, “The Black Room,” showing at the Kosy Theatre, by that excellent actor, Karloff, who seems 'to lie awake at nights thinking up ways to keep his movie fans from sleeping too. His latest horror role is that of a ruthless killer, a blucbeard, who entices beautiful girls into the Black Room of his castle, only to take their lives. Ho himself lives under the dread malediction that he is to meet death at the hands of. his younger twin. Finally, he murders his brother in an attempt to defy the curse —hut he ultimately meets death at the hands of the corpse.'

METEOR THEATRE. “EARTHWORM TRACTORS.” J oe E. Brown features in “Earthworm Tractors,” a First ...National production that is said to be his most hilarious comedy to date, now showing at the Meteor Theatre. The picture is based on a series of stories written by William Hazlett Upson. Joe brings to life on the screen the horo of these comedies, that blundering, and in his own egotistical estimation, natural born supersalesman, Alexander Botts, who somehow always wins out in the end-despite his egregious mistakes. Joe has two leading women in the picture, one whom lie loses to a rival when he leaves’ town, and the other whom he finds quite unwilling to play second fiddle when he stupidly tells her he would have married the first girl only he discovered that she had already become a -bride. The first love is played by Carol Hughes and tho second by June Iravis, whose love lie finally rogains by a series of mistakes in which he almost causes her death and then, ploying tho conquering hero, rescues her from a dynamite trap into which lie has led her. Not only does he win her back, hut in the hilarious climax of tho story, ho sells hercantankerous father a flock of tractors. Others in the large and talented cast in-, elude Guy Kibbeo, Joe’s father-in-law to be; Olin Howland, father of his first love, who lived to regrot he had forbidden his daughter’s, marriage to Joe; Dick Foran, Joe’s rival for his love; Joseph C'rehan, Sara Edwards, Charles' Wilson, William Davidson, Irving Bacon and Stuart Ilolmes.

STATE THEATRE. “SECOND HONEYMOON.’

Acclaimed by increasing numbers of fans with each new picture as the most exciting sweothearts on the screen, Tyrone Power and Loretta Young are costarred again in Twentieth Century-Fox’s “Second Honeymoon,” which is now showing at the State Theatre. Already hailed as the merriest, “marry-cst” romance of the year, the film is said to bo their grandest picture together. Having left Tyrone because he was mad, irresponsible and gave her no sense of security, I.orotta finds she wants him back for the same reasons. But a honeymoon renewed is not so easily accomplished when Loretta’s second husband, played by Lyle Talbot, is considered. There are ■others, also, who have a say in the matter. There is Stuart Erwin, who is crazy I about pretty Marjorie Weaver and, as a conscientious gentleman’s gentleman, wants his employer, Tyrone, to enter into a similar state of bliss. There are Claire Trevor and J. Edward Bromberg, a sophisticated couple carelessly throwing interesting littlo monkey wrenches into the not-too-smoothly running machirfery of matrimony. The whole trouble starts, however, when Husband Number One and Husband Number Two try to become friends. Tyrone arranges a “progging” expondition, a now pastime of spear fishing at night under powerful

searchlights, and the entire party is invited. It is this expedition that proves to Loretta that her divorce was a mistake. But when she sets about to rectify it, she finds Tyrone apparently much interested in Marjorie Weaver. The misunderstanding is caused by Miss Weaver’s constant efforts to be near Stuart Erwin, who in turn is always near Tyrone. It requires an exciting, swiftly-paced climax of events to result in the only proper solution. An excellent supporting programme includes the latest issue of “The March of Time,” and comprehensive views of the N.Z. Diggers in Sydney, the Anzae Day Parade, etc., in addition to scenes of the N.Z. Polo team’s great victory over Australia’s best. ,