Entertainments

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 95, 22 April 1940, Page 9

Entertainments

REGENT THEATRE TO* DAY “ RULERS OP THE SEA.’* Frank Lloyd, renowned producer-direc-tor of many screen masterpieces, offers a new motion picture—one which Is being hailed universally as his greatest. Entitled “Rulers of the Sea,’’ it stars Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Margaret Lockwood, Will Fyffe, the great Scottish character actor, and features such favourites as George Bancroft and Montagu Love. Gloriously and magnificently, in the inimitable manner of Frank Lloyd, it relates the story of the first triumphs of steam over sail. It tells of the dream of a Scottish inventor, who believes that he has perfected a steam engine capable of driving a ship across the Atlantic. And it shows two young people, two youngsters desperately in love—his daughter and a young first mate disgusted with the brutal treatment of crews on sailing ships—helping to bring that dream to triumphant realisation. Fairbanks is cast as the sailing man, Margaret Lockwood as the inventor's daughter, and the great Will Fyffe is seen as the inventor in this outstanding Paramount production. There are a number of excellent short subjects on this programme, but pride of place must surely go to “The Blue Danube Waltz’’ as played by the National Symphony Philharmonic Orchestra of U.S.A.; all music lovers will undoubtedly be delighted. Then there is a Grantham Rice Sportlight, “Catching Whoppers,” depicting the thrills of deep-sea fishing. A Popeye cartoon, “It's the Natural Thing to Do,” as well as the very latest world and .war news completes an outstanding pro[gramme which will be screened throughout the week. Reserves raav be obtained at Collinson and Cunnlnghame’s, -phone 7178. Netv deaf-aids arc available at all sessions. METEOR THEATRE—TO-DAY “GOLDEN BOY” Unquestionably unique in treatment anc in .theme, Columbia’s ‘Golden Boy” is now showing; at the Meteor Theatre tc prove that Hollywood, when it wants to can turn out definitely superior entertainment. The new film, directed by Rouber Mamoulifiii and starring Barbara Stan wyck, Adolphe Menjou and William Mol den, Is based upon Clifford Odet’s roman tic drama. “Golden Boy” tells of z young violinist, impatient and tired o: working toward the day when he will b< a success on the concert stage, who rapid ly fights his way to the top in the prize (ring. In his swift climb to pugilistic stardom, he ruthlessly tramples upon th< hopes of his music-loving father, ignore! the cryings-out of his own conscience. H< becomes brutalised by his new environ ment, until his love for a dislllusionet young woman—the only person who reall; understands the tremendous conflict rag ing within him—causes him to give up Hiring and return to the forgiveness of hi family. Of the utmost importance in an; consideration of “Golden Boy” is the per formance turned in by newcomer Willian Holden, making his motion picture debu in the all-important title role. This hand some youth is so convincing in his “Goldei Boy” characterisation that we risk littl in prophesying stardom and tremendou popularity for him. Flawless performance by Barbara Stanwyck and Adolphe Mer jou add charm and a certain exuberanc to the p icture. Miss Stanwyck is s ideally cast that one forgets her identit and remembers only Lorna Moon, the gii who finds romance for the first time whe "Golden Boy” tells her his dreams. Mi Menjou is superb as the cynical, harasse :fight manager. Other splendid perforn ers in important roles include Josep Calleia, Lee J. Cobb, Edward Brophy an ! Sam Levene.

STATE THEATRE—TO-DAY “HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.” i A romance between a gypsy girl and a mendicant poet, the unholy plotting of a powerful nobleman and the courage and | self-sacrifice of a deformed outcast comprise the principal themes of “The Hunch.back of Notre Dame,” the current impressive version of Victor Hugo’s classic. With Charles Laughton scoring the characterisation triumph of his career as the I pitiable and admirable Quasimodo, the .cathedral bell-ringer, the film also presents his new protege, Maureen O'Hara, . as the gypsy dancer-heroine of this memorable offering. Laid in the Parks of 1482, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” takes place in and around the famous Notre •Dame cathedral, Sainte Chapelle and lot her landmarks which are reproduced in j jenormous settings peopled with a record [ cast of 2500 players. When .the gypsy is ! sentenced to the gallows for a crime of j which the King’s High Justice is guilty, ; Quasimodo saves her from the executioner | at the cost of his own life, but not before | he causes the nobleman's confession and restores the dancer to her poet-lover. The | storming of the cathedral by a mob which | is singularly opposed by Quasimodo and | the' bell-ringer's swift-moving efforts on the gril's behalf form the gripping climax ; of the spectacle drama. Sir Cedric Hard- ! wicke, Thomas Mitchell, Edmond O’Brien, j Alan Marshal, Walter Hampden and ; Katharine Alexander form a staunch sup- ! port for Laughton in this RKO Radio picture directed bp William Dieterle. MAYFAIR THEATRE—TO-DAY j “THE BIG GUY" Co-starring Victor McLaglen and Jackie ; Cooper in one of the most dramatic stories to come out of Hollywood in recent months, New Universal’s “The Big Guy” screens to-day at the Mayfair Theatre. McLaglen, whose rugged performances have won him the screen’s highest acting honour, the Academy’s Award, portrays a prison warden who is trapped by the same motives he condemns in the convicts under his care. Cooper has a new and different type screen role as the youth entangled in a web of circumstantial evidence which leads him into disaster. Heading the supporting cast is Ona Munson, who played Belle Waiting in “Gone with the Wind,” Peggy Moran, youthful 'screen beauty in the romantic lead opposite Cooper, Edward Brophy, the comedymenace, and Alan Davis, Jonathan Hale, Russell Hicks and Milton Kibbe. “The Phantom Creeps." Daring secret service agents rout enemy i spies, a phantom man steals the meteorite 1 box and the hero crashes into a speeding . train in “Thundering Rails," the fifth exciting episode of “The Phantom Creeps,” I 12-chapter Universal serial showing to-day . at the Mayfair Theatre with Bela Lugosi, , Robert Kent, Dorothy Arnold and Regis ; Toomey in the starring roles. “Code of the Secret Service.” “Code of the Secret Service,” the second l in the Warner Bros.’ series of pictures det picting the exploits of the United States . 'Secret Service, showing to-day at the i (Mayfair Theatre, with Ronald Reagan j again in the starring role, as in the first * film of the series, “Secret Service of the s ‘Air.” Reagan has been assigned the dan- . gerous job of breaking up a band of j counterfeiters operating across the Mexi--3 can border. In the course of his assignr ment lie narrowly escapes execution by, 1 Mexican authorities for the supposed muri der of one of his own pals, and twice . 'escapes death by a hair’s breadth when he i 'falls into the .hands of the gang. He ~'finally succeeds in luring the band’s leader i to the United States side of the border, 1 arresting him and confiscating his plates. Other members who were in the cast of the first episode now appearing in “Code of the Secret Service” are Eddie Foy, junr., and llosella Towne. KOSY THEATRE—TO-DAY “SUBMARINE PATROL” The big superdreadnoughts that so frequently plough the newsreel in our , theatres nmy be the pride of the American Navy. But it took the frail, splintery, 110-foot submarine chasers to write tlie ; most dramatic chapter in World War naval history. Constructed entirely of . wood and for speed rather than seaj worthiness, the sub chasers answered the (crying need of the A.E.F. for safe transport through the U-boat infested sea lanes of the Atlantic. Ridiculed at first by the rest of the Navy, who doubted the tiny ships could even cross the ocean, the amazing craft demonstrated a phenomenal ability for destroying undersea marauders, in recognition of this a fleet of “splinter boats” was ordered to Brindisi, an Italian port, for a raid in conjunction with Bri- , tish men-of-war on the enemy submarine base at Durazzo. With the British ships standing off to lay a protective barrage, the tiny chasers stormed right into a nest I of enemy mines, U-boats and land fortresses to win one of the greatest naval encounters of the entire war. and the only general engagement in which America participated. And it was their spectacular victory in the Battle of Durazzo, on October 2,191 S, which many historians be- [ lieve completely won the seas for the Allies. Included in the cast of “Sub--1 marine Patrol” are Richard Greene, • Nancy Kelly, Preston Foster, George Ban- . croft, Slim Summerville, John Carradine, Joan Valerie, Henry Armetta, Warren Hymer, Douglas Fowley, j. Farrell Mac- : Donald and Maxie Rosenbloom. “Letter of Introduction.” Charlie McCarthy can now talk about ms operation. During the production of I ‘Letter of Introduction,” Charlie was rushed to the hospital where he under- ’ went a long-anticipated operation for what i ailed him. Escorted by Edgar Bergen, i McCarthy entered the hospital at 4.10 p.m. i wherc , he was the object of an immediate consultation Peering under his bark, i surgeons endeavoured to ascertain what 3 made him feel so punk. His condition was diagnosed as Squeakitis of the jointeroos. At 4.25, McCarthy went under the - anaesthetic and was submitted to an ini' tense Probing in which a chisel, saw and s B 2™ d ” ver were em Ployed. “Charlie is affl, oted with an advanced case of Terml itis,” Edgar Bergen announced to press j and public at 4.57. “There is nothing wrong with him that a creosote bath will ''°l cure -" After the creosote spraying McCarthy was placed in a hospital ward at Universal studios where he received friends and a basket of flowers sent him by Adolphe Menjou, Andrea Leeds, George Murphy and other members of the cast of ■ tf his picture.