Entertainments

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 96, 26 April 1939, Page 7

Entertainments

REGENT THEATRE—TO-DAY “HOUSEMASTER" “Housemaster” is a very human adaption of lan Hay’s play. It is a refreshing creation and there is polish in the production and a nicely knit script, says an American motion picture journal* An English critic says “ ‘Housemaster’ ranks as one of the six best British films since the advent of sound.” The cast contains such prominent players as Otto Kruger, Dianna Churchill, Phillips Holmes and Reno Ray. “Housemaster" tells the story of a middle-aged housemaster, devoted to his boys, who finds that the newly-ap-pointed headmaster is gradually trying to get him to resign. Matters are made worse when his three charming but irresponsible wards descend upon the school, upsetting the routine and almost causing a mutiny. <Hto Kruger, of course, lias the xole ot his career as Charles Donkin, the loveable housemaster who nearly has his life work taken away from him. Diana Churchill, the star sensation of 1937, with her sympathetic portrayal or the young wife in "The Dominant Sex." has the part of tho eldest of the three wards, and shows herselt as a brilliant light comeuy actress. Rene Ray and Rosamond Barnes are her madcap sisters, a cnarming romance enters the story witn tne young science master (Phillips Holmes; falling in love with Diana, while tne neadboy (John Wood) finds Rene Ray’s bright eyes very attractive. Tnere is also a short of very special interest showing. " ‘Youth Marches On' captures mankind’s need lor goodwill” was a headline carried by the “Houywooa Reporter,” said to bo America’s most hard-boiled film trade daily. The review stated: "It is a two-reeler that should be shown in every theatre in the world. All concerned with the production were amateurs, but they turned out a picture of which anyone in Hollywood would be proud, for it is a grand contribution towards solving the •social problems of the day.” Box plans are now open at Collinson and Cunningliamo's. Early reservation is essential. KOSY THEATRE—TO-DAY “GO WEST YOUNG MAN” Ono of the most hilarious and delightful comedies of the aeuson is now showing at the Kosy Theatre, Ulamorous Mae West in her latest Paramount starring vehicle, “Go West Young Man,” a story of arduous love on a typical Pennsylvania farm. It is the first time the curvaceous beauty appears in a modern outdoor picture. “Go West Young Man” is the story of a romantic movie actress who is forbidden to marry by a clause in her contract. Warren William, her press agent, is paid to see to it that she doesn't violate the contract. After breaking up what promises to be a romantic evening between Miss West and Lyle Talbot, William starts for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with her. The ear breaks down and they are forced to put up at Alice Brady’s farm where Randolph Scott, an auto mechanic and inventor, has a service station, iliss West falls for the handsome inventor. William breaks up several meetings between them and is finally forced to resort to several ruses in order to break up the budding romance. Miss West finally finds the romance she was seeking with the very man who was paid to ke*p it from her. Others who contribute toward making "Go West Young Man" the splendid entertainment it Is are Isabel Jewell, Elizabeth Patterson, Margaret Perry, Etienne Girardot, Maynard Holmes and “Nicodemus, a sepia entertainer recently “discovered by Miss West. “Arizona Mahoney."

The bark of six-guns mingles with the honks of a trained goose, the clatter of galloping hoofs merge with the trumpetings of a circus elephant, and bandit chieftains vie with carnival operators In Paramount’s “Arizona Mahonrey, an hilarious and madcap travesty of the wild and woolly west, with Joe Cook, The one-man circus,” in the title role, which Is now showing at the Kosy .Theatre. Cook, one of America’s funniest funnymen, is a stranded carnival operator, who assists his bashful assistant, Robert Cummings, in pressing his courtship of beautiful June Martel. Larry Crabbe, a bandit chief, but a right amiable one, is also out for Miss Martel’s hand, and while he engages in considerable shooting and wild escapades just to please the girl he has nothing but respect for his rival. The three lovers are besieged by a rival bandit upon whom Crabbe preyed to please Miss Martel, and Cummings is sent for reinforcements. He gets hold of Cook who to the rescue on an elephant—a fiew note in western transportation but, as it works, out, a highly effective one. Cook clowns, dances, juggles and does acrobatics in ms famous manner in “Arizona Mahoney-

STATE THEATRE—TO-DAY “HOLD THAT CO-ED" If you can imagino John Barrymore as a budget-bouncing-, co-ed-chasing governor who mixes good iootball with bad statecraft, you will begin to get a rough Idea of the uproarious goings-on in “Hold That Co-ed,” with - George Murphy, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Davis and Jack Haley contributing generously to tho fun. Barrymore appropriates 10,000,000 dollars of the taxpayers’ money to build up tho state university—and particularly. Its football team, the idea being that a winning team will bring nim tremendous publicity for his forthcoming election campaign. When Coach George Murphy protests that there isn’t good enough material for a bigleague team, Barrymore promptly hires two man-mountain wrestlers to bolster up the line and then adds Joan Davis, who holds a long distance record for goalkicking, to the backfield for good measure. The team is, of course, sensational. And with all the campus cutles campaigning for Barrymore, it looks as though his election is in the bag—even if his romance with Marjorie Weaver, his pretty secretary, isn't. But while Marjorie and Murphy hold hands, Barrymore consoles himself with a eampUs cutie. “Down on the Farm.” "Down on the Farm” is the eleventh 20th Century-Fox's popular Jones Family series and it's undoubtedly their best. As usual, it’s Dad who starts things off; he goes down cellar to help Roger with a chemical experiment, and before you can say carbon tetrachride there is a loud explosion and the fire department Is chopping their way through everything In sight. Luckily, Aunt Lydia has invited the family to visit her at the farm (lucky for the Joneses, that is—not for Aunt Lydia) so off they go while tlieir house is being repaired. The first night, under the influence of some highly volatile “cider” which Dad and the hired man imbibe, Dad boasts so loudly of his boyhood prowess as a corn husker that he is called upon to enter the annual county corn husking contest, to be held light on Aunt Lydia's farm. When the good citizens of Maryville learli that their mayor is entering the contest they decide that the resultant publicity will make Jones a good candidate for state senator and they send a delegation to the farm to tell him so. On the morning of the contest, a whole cheering section arrives from Maryville, ready to place bets on Jones. These are promptly taken by Ills political opponents, who plan to kidnap him just before the corn husking begins and thus ruin Ills chances of winning cither the contest or the senatorial election. They almost get away with it, but when the starting gun Is fired, Dad is right In there husking corn—with an occasional swig of the same, slyly proferred by the hired hanu, to spur him on. It’s an hilarious and exciting climax to a grand picture. The Jones Family is portrayed, as usual, by Jed Prouty, Spring Byington, Russell Gleason, Ken Howell, George Ernest, .June Carlson, Florence Roberts and Billy Mahan. METEOR THEATRE—TO-DAY “FORBIDDEN VALLEY” Danger stalked the steps of every member of the company constantly during the filming of "Forbidden Valley," the Universal outdoor adventure picture now showing at the Meteor Theatre, with Noah Beery, junr., Frances Robinson, Fred Kohler, sear., Samuel S. Hinds and Robert Barrat in featured roles. This drama of a mountain lad who grows to young manhood before contacting civilisation or meeting his first girl, was made in the High Sierra mountain cloudlanas more than 7000 feet above sea level. The cast worked with herds of wild mustangs, Bcaled lofty peaks and descended de«p ravines. A three-week round-up by 100 professional cowboys was required to sift the wild horses used for these scenes out of the canyons and coulees of the terrain. Even after they were caught these unbroken bronchos stampeded one bitter cold night at the 6000-foot mountain level. Every member of the company, including Beery, junr., and Miss Robinson, had to ride after them for hours, until they were recaptured. Each day the sun blazed torridly. Each night the ground froze solid. Dangerously high temperatures were developed by the players unused to the high peaks. These hazards made Directon Wyndham Gittens, himself an old-time mountain climber, only too glad to get back to the studio for Interior scenes. Associate Feature “Expensive Husbands ’ Playing together for the first time as co-stars, 'Beverly Roberts and Patric Knowles are now showing at tne Meteor Theatre in a warner Bros.’ romantic comedy called “Expensive Husbands.” Both are well known in their own rights—Beverly as the leading lady of the successful technicolour romance “God’s Country and the Woman," and Pat as Errol Flynn’s younger brother in the big spectacle ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade." As a team they are said to be altogether excellent. Many scenes of Hollywood’s life, and many, again, of luxurious spots in the Old World are said to be presented on the screen in "Expensive Husbands. Ihe story is about a movie actress who, through no fault of her own, is sliding downward into the has-been class. She figures that the best possible publicity she could obtain to bring her back into the limelight and the affections of hw am would be to get a titled husband. This is Beverly’s part.