AMUSEMENTS

Northern Advocate, 15 September 1934, Page 10

AMUSEMENTS

PLAZA THEATRE

GEORGE WALLACE AGAIN

It is refreshing to have George Wallace back again on the screen. He Is a vivid personality who endeared himself to New Zealanders before he took on screen work, but his inimitable talents are again the cause of an avalanche of laughs in “A Ticket in Tatts,” which attracted a large house to the Plaza Theatre last evening. As the name signifies, the film is essentially one of the turf, and the simple story deals with a bet made by the daughter of a noted rasehorse owner. If a certain man’s horse wins the Melbourne Cup, she has promised to marry the owner, while he, in turn, has promised ■ that if his horse is not first past the I post he will not pi-opose to her again. After being dismissed as a grocer’s | delivery man, George Wallace appears | as rouseabout at the stables, and he soon comes into contact with the sinister elements of the turf who stand to win or lose fortunes by the. outcome of the race. George sets to work to defeat the schemings of this gang, and the scenes which follow in which he becomes first waiter, then bar-tender, then band conductor, and finally eccentric dancer, are full of laughter. Then comes Cup Day, The young lady’s fate seems to be going against her, but George again steps into the breach, and with a magic call brings the favourite of his stables, in a dazzling and thrilling finish, first past the post. Nothing better could be said of the picture, except that it is George Wallace at his funniest best. He is supported by a talented cast, including Harold B. Meade, Guy Hastings, Thelma Scott, Noel Boyd and Campbell Copelin, and the picture is supported by a splendid programme of shorts.

REGENT THEATRE. A fine double feature programme opened a season at the Regent Theatre last evening, the pictures being “Wild Gold” and “The Crime Doctor.” The former deals with the adventurous and romantic 1934 gold rush, and the plot revolved round the reawakening of an old ghost mining town. A new gold strike by an old prospector soon causes the sleeping town to become a thriving scene of boom activity, the goal of a motley thronig drawn by the hope of sudden riches, among them John Boles, Claire Trevor, Harry Green, and his troupe of show-girls. There is enacted a delightful romance, a fascinating story of man’s lust for gold, a human portrait of life in an unusually picturesque locale, concluding with a spectacular flood which destroys the town and gives an exciting denouement to the film. The “Crime Doctor” .deals with the human impulses behind a murder and the startling outcome, which cannot be foretold by the audience, despite the fact that they are in full possession of the facts of the case and see the murder committed. A great detective who finds his wife is in love with another man, murders a girl, using the other man’s 'revolver, and causing him to be convicted and sentenced to death. From that point the picture develops rapidly and culminates in a surprise ending of high emotional power, Otto Kruger, Karen Morley, and Nils Asther are the principals in this film. This excellent programme will be screened for only two more evenings and this afternoon, as it must give way. to the racing picture, “Call It Luck,” with that imitable comedian, Herbert Mundin, and the dainty new star “Pat” Paterson.