"Smithy” At Regent Theatre On Monday

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7070, 1 February 1933, Page 5

"Smithy” At Regent Theatre On Monday

"AIK MAIL” FILM STARTS ON SATURDAY.

Sir Charles Kin,gsford Smith will appear in person at the Regent theatre on Monday. He will describe, with the screening of the film taken from "the Cross,” as they describe tho plane, his flight across the Pacific, and will also describe his most recent flight, that across the Tasman. As most of Palmerston North is in an air-miinded state at present, the programme of aviation is very timely and should prove very attractive. An interesting feature of "Air Mail,’’ the main film, is the fact that the film was brought to New Zealand from Australia by Mr J. Percival, who accompanied Sir Charles Kingsford Smith on the big trans-Tasman hop. The story centres round an airmail station in the western mountains. Mike Miller (Ralph Bellamy) is the chief pilot and general manager of the airport; "Dizzy” Wilkins (Russell Hop ton) is an old-timer in the service; Ruth Barnes (Gloria Stuart) is a teacher at the Navajo Indian school and has lost her brother in a crash; Duke Talbot (Pat O’Brien) is a cocky, arrogant pilot, but a phenomenal flyer, and Irene Wilkins (Lilian Bond) is the Magdalene wife of "Dizzy,” whom Duke boldly woos in her husband’s absence. When "Dizzy” loses his life in endeavouring to bring in the Christmas mail, Duke leaves the airport with the widow, and Mike then takes on himself the task of getting the airmail through. In a terrific storm he comes to grief in the mountains, where in a ravine ho is seen badly injured, by searching pilots. Widespread efforts are made to reach him, army, navy and mail planes being requisitioned, but experts express tho opinion that the spot is inaccessible. It would be days before men on snowshoes could reach the injured man. When Duke. Talbot hears this over tho radio he avers that he could "land on a nickle and take off on a dime,” dashes off to the airport and flics off to the rescue. In the mountain pass he sideslips at a perilous angle to pancake his machine, not without damage to the fabric of one wing. Piling Mike in, Duke gambles everything in an almost impossible take-off, in which the landing gear becomes crumpled up when it strikes a rock. A desperate effort enables him to clear the mountain ridge with the wing commencing to break up, and he then tips Mike out so that the latter can float safely to earth with Ms parachute. The picture closes with the inevitable crash and tho race in an ambulance to the hospital. Naturally liberties have been taken by the producer in some directions, but those who see "Air Mail” cannot help being thrilled by the stunt flying and the conditions which aro faced. Slim Summerville as tho dry-witted mechanic who has not much faith in aeroplanos, is good for a laugh every time he gets in front of tho camera.

A dascliund, Adolphlus, shares the moods of his master, John Barrymore, in different scenes from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Grand Hotel.” In one sequence where Barrymore is a respected guest in the hotel, Adolphus is taken for a walk by the bell-boy. In another scene Barrymore shares confidences with him. Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore are among the other stars in the cast of the film, which was directed by Edmund Goulding. «> <s> <s> <s> 1 The Lupo Velez-Lee Tracy production now completed at the BKO studio and previously publicised as “Phantom Fame,” will bo releasod under the title of “The Half-Naked Truth.” The film is based on the book “Phantom Fame,” by the late HaTry Beichenbach, one of America’s greatest press agents, and deals with the ingenuity of the exploitation and publicity man in getting new breaks on stars and pictures. Gregory La Cava is responsible for the direction of the film, which features in addition to the two leading players, Lupe Velez and Leo Tracy, Eugene Pallette, Frank Morgan and Shirley Chambers,