Entertainments

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 212, 8 September 1938, Page 9

Entertainments

REGENT THEATRE “ROSALIE” Nelson Eddy and Eleanor Powell in “Rosalie,” now showing for ono week at tho Regent Theatre. Gay with charm ing Cole Porter tunes beautifully sung; by Nelson Eddy, and quickened to top speed by the magic tap-dancing feet of Eleanor Powell, “Rosalie” is a musical of extraordinary entertainment power. The stars aro qot only splendid in their separate and dancing specialties, but as lovers they are easy to look at and extremely effective dramatically. And they are supported by a cast each member of wiiich gives a flawless performance. It Is really hard to make a choice between Frank Morgan, a king with a roving eye and a talent for ventriloqism; Edna May Oliver, a grim queen who keeps the amatory ideas of her king well in check; Ray Bolger, who is even more remarkable than usual in his presentation of comedy dance numbers; and that fascinating blonde newcomer from Budapest, Ilona Massey. “Rosalie” and “In the Still of the Night” are Eddy’s top songs, but there are many others. Screening together with “Rosalie,” commencing a week’s run at the Regent Theatre to-night at 10.30 p in. and starring Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, Eleanor Powell, Edna May Oliver ami Reginald Owen, aro a number of excellent shorts. These include tfte everpopular historical mystery striej, entitled “Goaquln Murrieta,” a Pete Smith specialty, “Surf Heroes,” Metro World News, and Paramount Britten Air Mail News. Box plans are already open at Collinson and Cunninghaine s. and bookings are sure to be most heavy. Intending patrons are urged :o reserve their seats immediately. KOSY THEATRE “THE RAVEN” "The Raven,” now showing at the Kosy Theatre, is a stirring, imaginative fllin, co-starring those two chill-chasing stare of Frankenstein and Dracula, Karloff and Bela Lugosi. It required a lot of daring for Hollywood to tacklO Poe and especi ally the “Raven,” which remains the most sensitive thing he over wrote. How ever, the screen adaptation by David Boehm deserves commendation. The plot of the story is purely imaginative, oi course, with the symbol of the raven supplying tho motif of the narrative. A mad doctor, Vojlin. is suffering from a torture complex and sets out to demonstrate his theories. His principal victim i 8 an escaped criminal who cornea to him to havo hia face changed. The doctor distorts tho man’s features and- makes a slave of him, then he casts a spell over a beautiful girl and when her rather tries to save her he is himself caught in tho delirious machinations of the mental ly unbalanced doctor. “She Gets Her Man.” Tho whole town is laughing at “She Gets Her Man,” the boisterous Universal comedy now showing on the screen of the Kosy Theatre and starring Zasu Pitts arid Hugh O'Council as a new comedy team. The beauteous Helen Twelvetrees heads the supporting cast. Production of Lite picture involved the rounding up of tho most ferocious looking “muggs” in Hollywood, to impersonate gangsters with whm tho agitated Zasu Pitts comes in contact, first when she accidentally foils a bank robbery and becomes a heroine, and later when Bhe is kidnapped and delivers her stock speech against crime before a gathering oi Chicago’s “hardest” ruffians. MAYFAIR THEATRE—TO-DAY “BULLDOG DRUMMOND’S REVENGE" In a thrilling story of murder in the skies, international plotters and military secrets, John Howard once again plays the role of the clever young amateur de tective in Paramount’s “Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge,” which shows at tho Mayfair Theatre to-day. When Howard linds the body oi England’s mosi famous scientist, a man who has just invented an exptosive that can destroy the capitals of Europe, it does not take him long to surmise that the murderer is tho scientist’s secretary, actually a spy in th« employ of a hostile Government. Although he has promised his fiancee. Louise Campbell, that he will quit such adventures once they are married, he linds himself well mixed up in the affair when the murderer appears, dressed as a woman, during a nerve-wracking; train ,erry trip from London to Paris. The murderer not only kills his own accom pllce in the next compartment but threatens the lives of all with his case of deadly “Haxonite,” the super-explosive. With tho help of John Barrymore, once again the man from Scotland Yard, Howard traps the' murderer before it is too late, and saves his . country’s greatest military secret. In the supporting cast of this picture, directed by Louis King, are Reginald Denny and E. E. Clive. Music, high comedy, a brilliant cast ol comedians and featured ulayere—action and romance—that’s Paramount’s “Thrill of a Lifetime,” the second attraction. The Yacht Club Boys, Judy Canova, Ben Blue —they're tho funmakers—Eleanor© Whitney, Johnny Downs, Betty Grable, Leii Erikson, Larry Crabbe and lqvely Dorothy Lamour—they provide the romance. And then there are. tho cyo-fllling Fanchonettes, a hundred .highly trained beauties who supply some of the llnest dance rou tines you’ve ever seen! It was produced by Fanchon, Hollywood’s only woman producer.

STATE THEATRE—TO-MORROW. “THE BARONESS AND THE BUTLER’ The gay, dignified swish of peerage and it 3 coming a cropper in a middle-European New-Deal offers a delightfully exciting theme for “The Baroness and the Butler,” which comes to the State Theatre to-morroW. This Darryl F. Zanuck production for 20th Century-Fox co-Btars William Powell and Annabella in a blithe screen version of the stage hit that had half oi Europe agog. Annabella, in her first American-made picture, believes butlers are born to obey ... but debonair Bili obeys such un-butler-like impulses! She’s so proud; he's so proper *. . . and you’ll bo so surprised! This film has caught the tone and flavour of an old regime—sears of tradition and generations of escutcheon worship—suddenly confronted with a blue bloods’ dilfemma in which the self-effacing butler emerges from his cocoon to assume social equality with his noble employers. Powell, at his suave best, tries to save the Count’s family from the blow of learning that he has been elected to Parliament on the Social-ist-Progressive ticket. By his very ac- j tions ho brings down charges of impoliteness, fraud and triclceery on his head. He incurs the wrath of everyone but his Count—whose chief worry is that he will lost a good butler. The solving of this situation and the ensuing battle of wTts with “Baroness” Annabella and a brilliant cast, gives movie fans a treat, long to be remembered. Powell never was better. Annabella reveals the most glamorously exciting personality ever to grace the screen. The supporting cast of “The Baroness and the Butler” features Helen Westley, Henry Stephenson, Joseph Schildkraut, J. Edward Bromberg, Nlgej Bruce and Lynn Bari. Sam Heilman, Lamar Trotti and Kathryn Scola wrote the screen play from a play by Ladislaus BusFukete. Walter Lang directed, with Raymond Griffith associate producer. METEOR THEATRE—TO-DAY “ISLE OF FURY” From btark drama, wild adventure and uniquo romance set in a weirdly glamorous background, few pictures can compare with the Warner Bros, production, “Isle of Fury,” showing at the Meteor Theatre to-day. The picture, based on the Somerset Maugham novel “Three in Eden,” Is packed with thrills from start to finish, including the rescue of men washed into the sea from a ship smashed on a jagged coral reef in a terrific storm —battles with knne and gun between outlawed white men, half-castes and natives —and greatest of all, a titanic struggle to the death of two men caught in the snakelike tentacles of an octopus at the bottom of tne ocean. Underneath it all there is seething passion in the hearts of a man and a beautiful girl, both of whom light desperately to control their love, because the girl is the bride of the mas ter of tho island. But love and hate are hard to hold in bounds and when the husband discovers the romance he sets forth in a towering rage to slay his rival whom he has called a friend. The sterling cast is headed by Humphrey Bogart, Margaret Lihdsay and Donald Woods, the three who aro ensnared by a triangular romance. “Melody For Two.” James Melton, for several years the idol of the air waves because of his magnlfi cent tenor voice, is now on the screen in his third motion picture—a musical of course—called “Melody For Two,” a Warner Bros.’ production showing at the Meteor Theatre to-day. James has been stepping right along in the movies within the last year or so. His first appearance was “Stars Over Broadway” and his second “Sing Mo A Love Song.” Both were substantial successes. His radio fans, seeing him on the screen, discover him to be a handsome six-footer with black curly hair, and with a winsome personality as well as a great voice. His movie career seems bright and assured. “Melody For Two” is a musical comedy based on rather a new angle. It has nothing to do with the theatre or the usual backstage stuff. Its theme is the stiff competition that exists between musical organisations and individual performers whose works are heard on the radio—the competition being especially stiff wheii it comes to trying for the well-paid spots on the big national networks. Patricia Ellis is the lovely girl who helps Melton and his organisation to victory. Patricia reveals for the first time on the screen fhat she can sing as well as act. Winifred Shaw's husky contralto voice Is familial to all picture-goers as the one that made famous such numbers as ‘Lullaby of Broadway” and “The Lady In Red. VVin ; is a “heavy” in “Melody For Two. Others In the cast include DUdc Puree , Fred Keating, Gordon Elliott, Marie Wil son Craig Reynolds, Charles Foy, Eddie Anderson, tho “Noah” of "'Green Fhstures,” and a dashing All Blonde Band. Louis King directed the dramatic part of tho story, With Robert Vreeland handling tho singing and dancing. There are six big song numbers, written by the famed teams of Warren and Dubin and Jerome and Scholl.