ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 47, 24 January 1939, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

STATE THEATRE.

‘BREAK THE NEWS.”

The s.tory of “Break the News” is unique inasmuch as it allows two such famous artists as Jack Buchanan and Maurice 1 Chevalier to be eo-starred. They .appear as a couple of chorus boys whose first big chance is snatched from them when the J slio.v llicy are in needs cutting. Their > envy of their producer, the famous Grace t Gatwick. who also stars in the show, t knows no bounds when hy merely tern- ( jioranly losing her dog she became fiout ] page news. They decide that something c must be done, and the “something” turns ; out to b c Jack Buchanan whereby one of • the two friends disappears for a short • time, leaving false clues to the effect that he has 1 K'cn murdered, while the otner “takes the rap.” Maurice Chevalier, anxious though he is to play the lole ot the murdered man, is left to deal with the authorities who, fur many weeks, do not display tho slightest unrest at the mysterious disappearance of his stage partner. He is eventually taken in charge only to find that it is Grace Gatwick who i • again breaks the news —the lovely- sta.r • taking full advantage of his plight to ad- ( \ertiso the show. Jack Buchanan, meantime, has been mistaken for a. revolution- i ary leader during his temporary retire,- i meat to the south of France, and is bustled willy-nilly to a hot-bed of intrigue in j tiie centre of Ruritania. Complications lotlow thick and fast when the death pen- j alty hovers periolously over the heads of , both chorus boys, with the climax as in- , genious as it is unexpected. The part of ’ Grace Gatwick is played by lovely June Knight, and other names of import in the ' supporting caste are Martha Labarr. Clor- 1 Crude /iifgrove, Charles I-efeaux, Garry Marsh, Wallace Douglas, Felix Aylmer • and C. Denier Warren. MAYFAIR THEATRE. “HOLD THAT KISS.” “Hold That Kiss,” with Maureen O'Sullivan. Dennis O’Keefe and Mickey Rooney, provides a mixture of hilarity, romance and) intimate human touches at the Mayfair j ’Theatre to-morrow. The comedy romance of smart New York society presents! O’Keefe, Hollywood's latest discovery in ro- , inaiitie leading men, in his first, role as. a modern young American, following his introduction as a \\ estern hero opposite Virginia Bruee in “Bad Mail of Brimstone. Deftly di reeled by Edwin L. Marin, of “liverybody Sing ’ fame, the s.tory revo.v.cs around a clerk and a shop-girl who mistake each oilier for social celebrities, and their comical trials and mishaps in trying to keep up their deception. Mickey Rooney plays the heroine’s young brother who between Ids clarinet-playing and threats to ex- , pose her secret adds tribulations galore to her life until a dinner party in a fashion-, able apartment borrowed for the occasion clears up the deception and a humorous climax clears the palh of true love. Miss O’Sullivan is charming ill her novel black and while wardrobe; O’Keefe is romantically dashing, George Baibior provides comedy as tier eccentric millionaire, Jessie Ralph’ plays an amusing Aunt, and Fay Holden, Frank Albertson, Phillip Terry, 1 Edward S. Brophy, Ruth Ilussey, Charles Judejs and Barnett Parker are adequate principals. “Buck/* St. Bernard dog of “Call of the Wild.” proves an effective canine comedian. 'J he second attraction is that tunny pair again, Laurel and Hardy in “Beau Hunks.” METEOR THEATRE. “HAPPY LANDING.” Another new bit of skating technique has been perfected bv Sonja llenie and is now being used by her in “Happy landing,” current 20th Century-Fox musical by Hit-Creator Darryl F. Zanuck now showing at tho Meteor Theatre. A Sonja radiant beyond imagination is co-starred with Dvjn Ameche, her “One In A Million” sweetheart. She is supported by such capable actors and actresses its Ethel Merman, Cesar Romero nnd Jean llers* liolt. Fur lour years Sonja has attempted lo perfect the extremely difficult trick of ; spinning on one foot while holding on to tlio other in a crouching position. Ju.tt a short time again tlio trick virtually “did itself” and since then, Miss Uenic, with considerable glee, has been able to execute the stunt at every try. In doing the crouching spin on one foot it always used to be necessary to let go of the second foot when straightening up in the spin in order to use the arms fioely to maintain balance. Now the spin Ls much more spectacular for she continues to hold on to her foot even after she has straightened up and accelerated the spin. As far as Sonja knows, no other skater has ever done this, so she is searching for a name to give this new little trick. “Happy landing” was directed by Roy ]>el Ruth from an original screen play by Milton Sperling and Boris Ingster. Songs in tho picture by Sam Pokrass and Jack Yellon include “Hot and Happy,” “A Gypsy Told Me,” “You Are the Music to the Words in My Heart” and “Yonny and His Oouipah.” Waller Bullock and Harold Spina wrote “You Appeal to Me.”