Entertainments

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 109, 11 May 1939, Page 7

Entertainments

REGENT THEATRE “IF I WERE KING” A glorious love story of a swashbuckling poet from the backstreets of Paris who dared to love a royal princess is told in “If I Were King,’’ Frank Lloyd’s dramatic interpretation, of the life of Francois Villon. “The Shining Hour.” Friday Night at 10.30. Heralded as one of the outstanding productions of the season, ‘‘The Shining Hour,” with Joan Crawford, Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young and Melvyn Douglas, opens a three-day showing at the Regent Theatre on Friday night at 10.30 p.m. Based on the New York stage success by Keith Winter, the drama presents Joan Crawford in her first dancing role since “Dancing Lady.” ‘‘The Shining Hour” is the story of a dancing star who attempts to escape from her surroundings through marriage with a Kansas farmer. The resulting ramily entanglements provide a plot rich in dalmatic action. The production was brought to the screen by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Frank 13orzage directed. KOSY THEATRE—TO-DAY “OUTCAST” Warren William, best known for his portrayals of the suave film detective, comes to the screen in a strong characterisation in Paramount’s “Outcast,” a story of mob fury, which is now showing at the Kosy Theatre. Although he is acquitted of a murder charge, William, a physician, is hounded from city to city by a woman who believes him guilty and who swore vengeance upon him. When she realises his innocence and her love for him she is unable to stop the fury of a mob she had incited against him. Karen Morley portrays the woman who wrecked William’s life. The pair are supported by Lewis Stone, little Jackie Moran, the boy “Paul” of ‘‘Valiant is the Word For Carrie”; John Wray, who played the boy's father in the same production; Christian Rub, Esther Dale and Jonathan Hale. “Outcast” is from Frank K. Adams’ popular novel “Happiness Preferred,” and was directed by Robert Florey. “O’Riley’s Luck.”

Tom Brown, Larry Crabbe «.nd Benny Baker fight their way through many a stirring battle in Paramount’s “O'Riley’s Luck,” football romance, now showing at the Kosy Theatre. And it’s not simply because they’re good actors that the scenes are authentic—it’s because every one of the three has a real football background. Craboc, 1932 Olympic swimming champion, was formerly a star of the University of Southern California eleven. Brown played on a Boston high school team and received several college bids. Baker qualifies through experience on a Nebx-aska team. ‘'O’Riley's Luck” is the story of a multi-cornered romance, involving all three men and two lovely ladies—Eleanor© Whitney and Priscilla Lawson. Brown and Baker play on one football team competing in the annual East-West classic in the Rose Bowl, with Crabbe on the opposing team. Crabbe and Baker ar© rivals for the hand of Miss Lawson, and Brown is in love with Miss Whitney. The latter, however, loves Crabbe. The big game straightens everything out to everyone’s satisfaction.

STATE THEATRE-TO-MORROW “TRADE WINDS" Walter Wanger’s “Trad© Winds’’ tells the story of a detective chase that leads half way around the world, and the variety of its far-flung scenic backgrounds has seldom been equalled. Beginning in San Francisco, when Miss Bennett flees a-fer having apparently killed a man, the action shifts to Honolulu, Hawaii, where she pauses long enough to buy a fake passport and have her hair dyed black. With Detectives March and Ralph Bellamy always in close pursuit, Miss B'ennett next escapes to Kobe, Japan, and shortly afterwards proceeds to Shanghai, China, later to go from there to Saigon. Indo-China. Here Ann Sothern, March’s secretary in his San Francisco office, reenters th© story and adds to the complications. As the flight of the fugitive is resumed, the story moves to Singapore, Malaya, and from there to Colombo, Ceylon. With the excitement continually Increasing, the next jump is to Bombay, India, where March spirits his quarry away from another detective working under the orders from the San Francisco police. After an action-filled sequence in the Laccadive Islands, off the coast of India, the story shifts back to San Francisco, where a startling climax brings the picture to a close. In each of the places visited, there are many scenes in wellknown, interesting and picturesquely colourful localities. METEOR THEATRE—TO-DAY “SING AS YOU SWING” In “Swing as You Swing,” Action Pictures’ all star musical revue, many of the top line stars of iadio and stage are assembled together for the first time to provide an hour and a-half of exceptional entertainment. Unlike many recent films of a similar nature, “Sing as You Swing” has an interesting story running through it, and joining the various acts together into a complete entertainment. The story features Claude Dumpier, Brian Lawrence, Evelyn Dali and the inimitable radio comedians Clapham and Dwyer, and deals with the introduction of television into broadcasting. The film also highlights such popular stars as the four Mills Brothers, Nat Gonella and his Georgians, Man to van l and his Tipicas, and Lu Ann Meredith. Many hit tunes and spectacular dance numbers are included In the film, which offers such a ttide variety of amusement.

“Arizona Days” "Arizona Days,” starring the newest singing cowboy sensation, Tex Ritter, who sings five new song hits, High, Wide and Handsome, Arizona Days, “In Sunny Spain,” etc., has fast action, hard riding, quick shooting and thnlls in tho wild west.