ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 177, 27 June 1938, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY THEATRE. “VENTRIX.” To-night a special treat is in store for the patrons of the Kosy. Theatre in the person of “Ventrix,”. well-known southern ventriloquist, who will present from his largerepertoire'.: a -number of special items for the adulfs and children in association* with his famous doll Jerry. “Ventrix” . has appeared in the Tivoli Theatres .‘in Sydney and Melbourne, and has just' completed a long engagement in Brisbane. The Kosy Theatre management assures the: patrons that this is a delightful and humorous interlude and has been specially selected for . their entertainment. “THE ‘CRIME’ OF DR. HALLET,” “The ‘Crime’ of Dr. Hallet” is a powerful and poignant picture. It tears at tho heart strings and holds tho interest from the moment that Dr. Hallett is first seen fighting a tragic misunderstanding in his- Sumatran jungle laboratory, until tho moment when lie plucks victory and love from tho jaws of defeat and the snares of hatred. The story of this picture concerns a battle of elemental love and hate, with men and women aroused to primal emotion at fever heat, against a background of heroic martrydom to, science. Hallet goes to Sumatra to find a fever cure, and falls in love with his woman assistant, Dr. Reynolds. When Dr. Saunders, another assistant, dies through an imperfect experiment, Hallet takes his name to carry on his work to fulfilment. Then Saunders’s wife, Claire, arrives and threatens exposure. Ralph Bellamy is outstanding as Dr. Hallet, William Gargan, as his ironical assistant, revels in one of (he picture’s best roles. Josephine Hutchinson, ns Ilallet’s sweetheart, Dr. Reynolds, gives a touching portrayal, while Barbara Read, as Claire, and John King as the idealistic Dr. Saunders, round out a most convincing east. S. Sylvan Simon’s direction is grand. “PLEASE. TEACHER.” Laughter-laden situations abound in the new Associated Production, “Please', Teacher,” a screen version of the record London musical comedy success with Bobby Ilowes, Wylie Watson, Vera Pearce and Bertha Belmore in their original roles, now showing at the Kosy Theatre. Imagine irrepressible Bobby Howes ns the young and impecunious Tommy Deacon, who masquerades as an Anglo-Indian in order Ito get into a girls’ school to recover a missing legacy. Complete with topee and khaki shorts, and carrying a polo mallet, he gets into a bewildering conversation with a real Anglo-Indian and becomes hopelessly mixed up with monsoons and tiffin 1

REGENT THEATRE. “FIREFLY.” f “The Firefly,” now showing at the Regent 9 lieatre, presents a powerful story of dramatic romance, as well as a vehicle for remarkable music. M.G.M. has gone the limit in its settings and in tho artistry of presentations. Each recent year has brought to the screen a finer type of musical picture and 1938 is no exception. “The Firefly,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s impressive adaptation of Rudolf Friml’s memorable operetta, stars Jeanette MacDonald in her seventeenth musical triumph. Allan Jones and Warren William as the star’s leading men delight tho audience. Lavish scenes in the High Sierra and others made on thirty lavish sets present the sweeping drama of old Spain in the period when Napoleon was defeated by Wellington at Viftoria. Seven thrilling numbers, five of them from tho original Friml operetta, feature the picture. .Two others were written by Friml especially for the picture.‘bliss MacDonald dances beautifully and sings “Love is Like a Firefly,” “He Who Loves and Runs Away,” and “When a Maid Comes Knocking at Your Heart” in perfect voice. Allan Jones sings “A Woman’s Kiss,” and “The Donkey Serenade,” and they sing in duet, “Giannina Mai” and “Sympathy” with charming effect.