Entertainments

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 238, 8 October 1938, Page 7

Entertainments

REGENT THEATRE “Mannequin.’' A poor girl marries a rich man out of pity, learns to love him on their honeymoon, and then has to prove her love when he goes broke. Joan Crawford is the girl, Spencer Tracy the man and the picture is “Mannequin.” Here is the Joan Crawford her fans have been clamouring for, glamorously gowned by Adrian, singing delightfully a new song hit, “Always and Always,” and ideally teamed with Tracy. As Jessie Cassidy, a shop girl fed-up on poverty, who accepts love as an escape, has it fail her, and then finds a real love worth fighting for, she has the type of dynamic role which has brought her fame as an actress and stardom. Tracy as John L. Hennessey, a man who has to lose a fortune to discover what the love of a woman can mean, has been given a forceful characterisation that must be numbered among his best. Alan Curtis makes the most of his first important film opportunity as Eddie Miller, a cheap crook. From an original story by Katiiannt. inrush, who wrote “Young Man of Manhattan,” the picture has New York's drab tenement district and sumptuous multi-millionaires pent-houses as colourful and exciting background. To escape from her tenement surroundings, Jessie marries Miller, who proves a weakling. She determines to live her own life, a resolve which fades before Honnessey’s determined courting. They marry, which gives Miller an idea for a blackmail*scheme that misses wnen Hennessey goes broke. This gives Jessie the j chance to prove her iove in a dramatic and surprising climax. In the direction will be noted the deft hand of Frink Borzage, who has given the screen such successes as “Big City,” “Seventh Heaven” and “Farewell to Arms.” Adequately supporting the stars in featured roles are Ralph Morgan, Mary Phillips, Oscar O’Shea, Elizabeth Risdon and Lto Gorcey. There are a number of exciTent ! short subjects with this programme, these include “Courtship of a Newt,” a Shriek,” an Our Gang comedy. I METEOR THEATRE | "MOULIN ROUGE" In “Moulin Rouge,” now showing at the Meteor Theatre, Franchot Tone loves two women—one blonde and the other brunette—yet he did not know they were one and the same—his wife, played by Con .stance Bennett. One brought him “Coffee in the Morning"—another “Kisses Every Night,” but something these girls have in common, told him his dual love-life was not just all right. She tossed back at him every little love lio he had whispered secretly to another; where had she learned them, this amazing little love spy? Sho was both captive and captor, he held her in his arms, but she held the key to the love secrets he thought he shared only with the other woman. She stood in the slippers of his “other woman,” to hoar him say the things all wives love to hear. Others in the cast are Tullio Carminati, Helen Westley , Andrew Tombes and Russ Brown. “The Devi! is Driving.’’ Anyone dined to be reckless behind the wheel of an automobile will find a lot of pertinent information in the research results obtained by Harry Bachman, Columbia director of “The Devil is Arriving,” starring Richard Dix and featuring Joan Perry, the second feature. Statistics show, says Lachman, that in nine years 297,230 persons were killed by automobiles in the United States. In California alone over the same —, as the result of automobile accidents. alone in America is estimated at 37,500,' which is the approximate figure of all Americans killed in the Worm War. The number or deaths oy automobile in this country during the last 15 years exceeds the number killed in all wars in which the Un’ted States nas engaged. Figures like these should drive home the importance of careful driving. The number of persons injured in automobile accidents in tho United States annually exceeds one million, one out or every one hundred persons in the country. MAYFAIR THEATRE “GREAT GARRICK.” Using for its hero the immortal British actor David Garrick, a gay comedy of that star and his times is showing at the Mayfair Theatre to-day, with Brian Aherne in the role of Garrick and Olivia de Havilland as Germaine, the girl with 1 whom he falls in love. “The Great Garrick” is the title of the picture, which whs produced for Warner Bros, distribution by James Whale, under the banner and personal supervision of Mervyn LeRoy. It is the third Leßoy cinema since he became an independent produced, the others being: “Mr. Dodd Takes the Air,” and “They Won’t Forget.” Garrick in the era of the 1750’s was acknowledged to be the greatest actor the world had ever known. He could play anything—comedy, tragedy, straight drama. This , story finds him ending a long run in Lond/on and preparing to begin another In France. Enemies have circulated a fals& report that he said he would “teach the Freeh to act.” Insulted, the French' stage folk decide to frame him up and, make him look ridiculous. How he turns the tables on them and then goes on to success on the Paris stage, is what up the stor:-. It has some beautiful .'settings—notably the old Drury Bane Theatre in Bondon, and the Comedie Fraricaise in Paris, and various streets and dwellings in the two capitals. Supporting Aherne and Mian de Havilland are such uotable players as Edward Everett Horton. Melville Cooper, Bionel Atwill, Henry O’Neill. Buis Aiberni, Lana Turner, Wilson, Fritz Belber, Linda Perry and Etienne Girardot. “The Gret Grridk," which is neither historical nor biographical, out just sheer fun, was written for the screen by the distinguished author, Ernst Vajda.

STATE THEATRE “ JOSETTE.” It’s vivo I’amour in naughty New Orleans It’s vive Don Ameche! vive Simone Simon! and vive Robert Young! For that matter It’s vive “Josette” in Palmerston North as long as the State Theatre runs this 00-la-la-laughlngest love escapade by 20th. Century-Fox. This spicy, tantalising story is gayer than a Mardi Gras, with these three delightful stars. Don is more romantic that you’ve known him on screen or radio. Simone is the tantalising little French coquette. She’s got zis! And she’s got zat! And Bob is the ardent swain who won’t take no for an answer—not even in French! It all starts gaily on its way when Don and Bob decide that their papa is too ardently cherchezing la femme—Josette. The fact that Simone is innocent of all guile as regards papa—and that there is another woman in the caseonly adds to the merry madness. For Don and Bob pack papa off on a trip and decide to take Josette into their own hands ... or arms, as it later develops. The denouement cannot be divulged here, but let it be said that “Josette,” merry with its Gordon and Revel songs, has the kick of a sazarac cocktail! Three new song hits by Hollywood’s ace tunesmiths are featured in the musical background of the film. These, which already are crowding the kilocycles, are: “May 1 jorop a Petal in Your Glass of Wine?” “In Any' Language” and “Where in the World.” Bert Bahr and Joan Davis, sensational new comedy team, head the featured cast ol “Josette,” The film is Joan Davis’s first since she was voted No. 1 comedienne in a New York daily’s nation-wide fan poll. Paul Hurst, William Collier, Sr., and Tala' Birell are included in the cast. Darryl F. Zanuck, in charge of production, selected Allen Dwan to direct, with Gene Markey associate producer. The screen play by James Edward Grant was based upon a play by Paul Frank and George Fraser, from a story by Ladislaus Vadnai. j KOSY THEATRE “ STATE POLICE.” A well-knit production, with an excel I lent cast, headed by John King, Constance Moore, J. Farrell MacDonald, Larry' Blake and William Lundigan, “State Police,” showing at the Kosjy Theatre to-day, whirls rapidly through a series of drama-packed and romantic situations. The plot of the story centres on the efforts of a patrol of State Police, headed by King, as a sergeant, to halt murderous racketeering in the coal mining areas. King also is endeavouring to “make a man” out of Lundigan, a ne’er-do-well youth wno takes his enlistment in the State Police as a lark. Lundigan returns King's favours by making a play for King’s fiancee, played by Miss Moor^. who turns in a performance which establishes her as a fine emotional actress. King rises to dramatic heights as he did in his leading role in Universal’s post-war epic, “The Road Back.” Larry Blake as a racketeer killer gives realistic menace to tho role. The second attraction, “Wolf's Clothing,” presents one of the finest comedy teams the screen has seen for years— Gordon Harker and Claude Hulbert. It is the first time these two popular comedians have appeared together in a film. Their partnership Incidentally has proved so successful that they are likely to play together in future films. In “Wolf's Clothing” they fill the dual leading roles in a comedy drama which has the sewers of Paris as a sinister background.. The film is unique in that, while it was being made, each star had his own dialogue writer. Lilli Palmer is seen as the girl foil among a gang of spies and secret • service agents. Comedy, adventure—you’ll find them all in “Wolf’s Clothing.”