Entertainments

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 60, 11 March 1940, Page 9

Entertainments

REGENT THEATRE—TO-DAY “FAST AND FURIOUS’* A sparkling comedy-mystery laid amidst a glittering beauty pageant is •Fast and Furious.” Ann Sothern, following her hit performance In “Maisie,” makes a delightful screen wife for Franchot Tone, who returns to the screen in this film after a season on the Broadway stage. As Joel and Garda Sloane, book experts and amateur sleuths, Tone and Miss Sothern are vacationing at a seaside resort where a beauty pageant is being held. Joel, to the dismay of his jealous wife, is made a judge in the pageant by his friend, Mike Stevens. Then one of the pageant promoters is murdered and Stevens is held for the crime. Knowing his friend to be innocent, Sloane goes to work to save him and almost gets murdered himself by the real killer. With thrills deftly mixed with laughs, Sloane and his wife find themselves entangled in a conflicting group of suspects. There is the beautiful Jerry Lawrence, who is later killed;, the big-time racketeer, Ed Connors, and the promoter’s jealous secretary. Before dll the clues can be run down and the actual murderer turned up, Joel and Garda find their vacation far from restful. Busby Berkeley, known for his direction of musical numbers, does an excellent job of sustaining the smart pace of the early scenes, and an all-star supporting cast is seen in Ruth Ilussey, Lee I Bowman, Allyn Joslyn, John Miljan, Bernard Nedell and Mary Beth Hughes. Credit must also go to the fine camera work of Ray June, and to the able producership of Frederick Stephan! for making “Fast and Furious” one of the gayest and, withal, most thrilling pictures to have been seen for a long time. A number of most Interesting shorts will be shown and they include “A Door Will Open,” in which Dalies Frantz, an internationally known concert pianist, is featured. Then there is another extremely popular “Crime Does’nt Pay” series entitled “Pound Foolish,” and also an exquisite technicolour fantasy, “The Blue Danube.” The latest war and world news items complete an outstanding programme of live, virile entertainment. Intending patrons are urged to reserve now at Collinson and Cunninghame’s. METEOR THEATRE—TO-DAY “LITTLE ACCIDENT” Hugh Herbert and baby Sandy share starring honours as a brand new comedy team in New Universal’s “Little Accident,” showing to-day at the Meteor Theatre. The child is said to be even more adorable and charming than she was as the "baby-boy” iu her first two pictures, “East Side of Heaven” and “Unexpected Father.” Sandy appears on the screen for the first time as a girl. Featured players in the cast include Florence Rice and Richard Carlson in romantic portrayals. Joy Hodges as the society beauty seeking to capture Carlson as a husband, Peggy Moran, Anne Gwynne and Frances Robinson as pretty models and Ernest Truex as Sandy’s ne’er-do-well father. The story gets off to a fast start when Herbert pretends that Sandy is his grand-daughter and she is entered in a perfect baby contest. Miss Rice and Carlson are persuaded to pose as the child’s parents, and hilarious complications set the whole town talking. Associate Feature—“l Stand Accused.” The only indictment that can be brought against the Republic picture, “I Stand Accused,” which screens at the Meteor Theatre to-day, is that it is refreshing entertainment. This drama takes two barristers, just out of college, and throws them upon the world. The two find that life has not been awaiting their genius, and that the profession Is already overcrowded with capable attorneys. Robert Cummings, one of the young lawyers, seizes upon an opportunity to defend a gangster and then, finding how easy it is to earn big money for ignoring scruples, becomes an underworld mouthpiece. Tom Beck, his pal, sticks to honour and poverty while awaiting his big opportunity. Events move swiftly and powerfully to the point where the life-long pals find themselves jbitter opponents and working for the downfall of the other; one fighting for the law, and the other the lawless. Helen Mack, beloved by both, and Leona Roberts, ac Cummings’ mother, add to the drama and poignancy by being drawn into the middle of the quarrel. The exciting situation is enthrallingly worked out and Cummings eventually learns that “all is not gold that glitters,” and that there are other things more precious in life than .“the mighty dollar.”

STATE THEATRE—TO-DAY “THE RAINS CAME” The power of one of to-day's great novels finds its full scope on the screen, in Darryl F. Zanuck’s production of “The Rains Came,” the sensationally successful best-seller by Louis Bromfield, which shows at the State Theatre to-day, with Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power and George Brent sharing stellar honours. These fascinating strangely-assorted liumans, cut off from the world In the colourful mythical city of Ranchlpur, India, with all restraint swept away, as the angry forces of nature made life a fading hope and love a desperate longing, are brought vividly to life in this 20th Cen-tury-Fox film. Faithful In mood and detail to the book, "The Rains Came” preserves all of Bromfleld's characters. Myrna Loy breaks with the “perfect wife” tradition to play the amorous Lady Edwina Esketh; Tyrone Power has his most romantic role as the high-caste Hindu surgeon, Major Rama Safti, who proves the one great love of Lady Esketh’s life; and George Brent is seen as the worldly Tom Ransome, a ghost out of the lady’s romance-strewn past. Brenda Joyce, discovered by star-maker Zanuck as the climax of a nation-wide search, heads a brilliant supporting cast in the role of Fern Simon, the fresh, young beauty whose lore gives the world-weary Ransome a new lease of life. Others who bz-ing Bromiield's colourful .characters to life are Nigel Bruce as Lord Esketh; Maria Ouspenskaya as the Maharani; Joseph Schildkraut as Mr. Bannerjee; Mary Nash as Miss MacDaid; Jane Darwell as Aunt Phoebe Smiley; Marjorie Rambeau as Mrs. Simon; Henry Travers as Rev. Homer Smiley; and H. B. Wasner as the Maharajah. Zanuck enti'usted the direction of liis most ambitious production to the distinguished Clarence Brown, while Philip Dunne and Julien Josephson prepared the screen play. Harry Joe Brown acted as associate producer. “The Rains Came,” which has been hailed by preview critics as one of the truly great pictures of all time, was given the hearty approval of author Bromfield. The earthquake, flood, fire and plague which highlight the novel have been faithfully reproduced in the motion picture production and are said to provide the most breathtaking spectacle scenes the screen has ever shown. MAYFAIR THEATRE—TO-DAY “MERRILY WE LIVE” “Merrily We Live,”M.G.M.’s uproarious successor to “Topper,” one of last season’s funniest comedies, shows to-day at the Mayfair Theatre at 7.45 p.m., with Consiance Bennett of the former hit once again cast in a comedy portrayal, this time co-starred with Brian Aherne who recently scored in the title role of “The Great Garrick.” Prominently cast are Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Patsy Kelly, Ann Dvorak, Tom Brown, Bonita Granville, Marjorie Rambeau, Phillip Reed, Clarence Kolb, Marjorie Kane, Paul Everton and Willie Best. The action of “Merrily We Live” revolves around the antics of the Kilbourne family, as mad, fantastic and carefree a group as were ever assembled under one roof. Each is a rugged individualist, but together they present a united front that is bewildering to their sedate and conservative suburban neighbours. The new picture marks the first co-starring appearance of Miss Bennett and Aherne.

“The Thirteenth Chair.” Apart from its fascinating mystery, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s new screen drama now showing at the Mayfair Theatre, “The Thirteenth Chair,” the associate feature, is one of the best examples of the new Hollywood technique yet to reach the screen. The picture was filmed largely in shadows, which adds to its element of mystery and its photographic splendour. Thirteen people are seated in a room where a seance i 3 in progress, arranged by one of them, who hopes to find the murdered of his close friend. In the darkness, he himself is killed by a knifo wound. No one enters oh leaves the room, and yet no knife is there. The mystery is extremely unique. A tender romance threads its way into the action, enhancing the interest of the narrative. The cast includes Dame May Whitty, who scored an outstanding triumph in “Night Must Fall,” Madge Evans, Lewis Stone and Elissa Landi. ROSY THEATRE “YOU CAN’T GET AWAY WITH MURDER” “You Can t Get Away With Murder,” a \\ arner Bros, melodi’uma of prison life, based on a play of which warden Lewis E. Lawes of Sing Sing Is co-author a tense, gripping, grim and powerful piece of dramatic fare, Js the attraction at the Rosy Theatre to-night. Playing probably the most ruthless character of his career of sinister cinematic criminality Bogart r lh ® actual perpetrator of the murder for which another man is sent to the Sing Sing death house. The slaying was witf dby a 19*year-old youth who is ■Bogart s accomplice in thievery. Subsequently Bogart and the youth are arrested seL a t ot si er °£. Ulelr r man y crimes and also ? ln .? b ! nE ' Hero Bogart begins to tear that the boy will tell the true story of the murder, for the man who has been condemned to death for it, is the fiance of the boys sister. Bogart joins in the escape plot of a couple of other prisoners Meeting 1 ?* 15 \° tta p e the boy -«th h!m, n ex S fhi Set , a chance to kill him during the excitement. Tne escape plot fails the guard silooting down tile pair of coni victs who originally planned it ana then trapping Bogart and the boy The Dart Of the boy, obviously a fine acting onnnr umity is piayed b y y BiuT Ha“* Tstwhile leader of the “Dead End” kids his sister is played by Gale Page and ’ the wrongly convicted man is Harvey Stem hens other prominent players in the 11 st >e C ]V de llenry Travers, John Intel Harold Huber and Joe Sawyer The production was directed by Lewfs Seiler P “Bank Holiday.” The second attraction Is “Bank Holiuaj, a. moving drama of everydav lifp hsh I Bank he h V H V H W panorama of the Engand 1 da f’ Mar g ar °t Lockwood an „ Loder play the leading roles and a e ably supported by Hugh Hillman Reno Ray and Garry Marsh. ’