ENTERTAINMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 December 1938, Page 11

ENTERTAINMENTS

CURRENT ATTRACTIONS MAJESTIC NOW SHOWING IDEAL HOLIDAY FARE IN THE EXCELLENT COMEDY’ “MERRILY WE LIVE.” The Majestic have been very fortu- j nate in arranging their New Year hoi 1- | day programme to be “Merrily We; Live”‘the film which ran for nine | weeks at the Embassy Theatre in j Auckland. Hilarity reigns supreme in ( this riotous attraction and no better j entertainment medium could have been i found for audiences at this happy hoii- j day period. Few comedies maintain thedizzy pace set in this picture, directed I by Norman Z. McLeod, or have the I ability of creating such continuous | laughter as evoked by its co-stars, Con- i

stance Bennett and Brian Aherne and | the supporting cast of stellar calibre, j The new comedy has been given elaborate production, with the settings matching the cast in brilliance. The i screen play by Eddie Moran and Jack j Jevne abounds in droll situations and j rapid-fire dialogue. Miss Bennett gives further evidence of marked ability as a comedienne. She interprets the role of | the petted darling of the Kilbourne household with commendable skill.; making the debutante both amusing in her wise-cracking and tempestuous outbursts and appealing in her search for romance. Aherne is excellently cast as j the mysterious hobo who appears one morning at the Kilbourne’s door and j later becomes their chauffeur and more startling, their dinner guest. He plays the romantic scenes with excellent restraint and abandons himself in the , mirth-provoking sequences to a degree j of comedy that fans have hitherto un-. suspected. Delightful, too. are the' scenes in which Billie Burke appears. | Her role, that of an absent-minded philanthropist whose mission is to rehabilitate hoboes, is almost tailor-made for Miss Burke's comedy talents. Alan Mowbray. Patsy Kelly and Bonita Granville are others who keep mirth in the foreground and the plot moving briskly with their antics. Others in the outstanding cast are Ann Dvorak. Tom Brown. Marjorie Rambeau. Clarence Kolb and Phillip Reed. Another of the Majestic's renowned

“short” programmes includes news services, a Fitzpatrick coloured travel- j ogue "Glimpses of New Brunswick”, and j another of the famous “Crime Does Not ; Pay” series. STATE: NOW SHOWING TO CAPACITY HOUSES, FRED. ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS IN “CAREFREE.” Bubbling with romance and comeoy and Irving Berlin's catchiest songs. RKO Radio’s new "Carefree" reunites Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in what is hailed as the most delightful screen vehicle of their brilliant careers Brightly modern in theme and treatment, the picture deals with the triangular romance between a popular actress, h distinguished psychiatrist and a suc-

cessful lawyer. Astaire portrays the medical man and Ralph Bellamy is the

attorney, whose uncertain love affair with Miss Rogers leads him to call on Astaire for help Like all AslaireRogers vehicles “Carefree” sparkles with charming melodies and arresting dances. 'The Yam.” scheduled to be the popular dance hit of the season and which almost any amateur dancer can perform, is featured by the two wingfooted stars, as is the “Change Partners” routine, a spectacular dance rivalling their “Cheek to Cheek” and •Night and Day” routines in earlier films. An ingenious Golf Dance in which Astaire solos, and a fantastic dream sequence by the two celebrities, ■ comprise the other dancing specialities Besides the songs of “The Yam” and ‘Change Partners.” the musical features include “The Night is Filled With Music” and “I Used to be Colour Blind,” Irving Berlin numbers that are said to be among his greatest. Jack Carson is hailed as a real “find” in “Carefree” with his work as Astaire’s young assistant. Luella Gear, noted Broadway comedienne, as Miss Rogers’ aunt; Clarence Kolb of the famous Kolb and Dill j team as a testy judge, and Walter Kingsford and Franklin Pangborn have 1 other principal supporting roles. A splendid programme of featurettes I includes the Walt Disney cartoon “Good , Scouts.” another outstanding number.

REGENT: “HAWAIIAN BUCKAROO” ' AND “PRISON BREAK.” COMMENCING 8 P.M. MONDAY, NURSE FROM BROOKLYN” AND “NON-STOP NEW YORK”

• Nurse From Brooklyn” drives home the lesson that "Crime doesn’t pay” in a picture that is sheer excitement and heart-moving entertainment. Sally Eilers again wins praise for her highly emotional appeal as the nurse, Beth Thomas, who in spite of herself finds her heart swaying to the policeman, Jim Barnes, the man she thinks has shot down her brother in cold blood. Paul Kelly, as the policeman who keeps romance and sense of duty in separate compartments, brings life and action to the performance He is a forceful and unusual delineation, for he makes it seem logical that a policeman would use the girl he loves as “bait” in order to lure a rutheless killer into his net. Larry Blake as the sauwe gangster who finally throws off the mask and runs amok, gives a striking characterisation. whle Maurce Murphy, as the reform school graduate who is shot down before ne has a chance to make good his pledge to “go straight.” will clutch at the heartstrings.

The associate feature is “Non-Stop New York,” brilliantly directed by Robert Stevenson and starring John Loder, Anna Lee. Francis Sullivan. Frank Cellier and Desmond Tester. The story centres on a chorus girl who becomes inextricably embroiled with a notorious

American gang. The police refuse to believe her story on the grounds that she is seeking publicity, and she is forced to play a lone hand in bringing the criminals to justice. A Trans-At-lantic air-liner forms the unique setting for this actional drama, and it is while the giant boat is flying through space at 300 miles per hour that the film unfolds its enthralling tale of murder. blackmail and romance. Excitement rises to a tremendous pitch when | the blackmailer is found shot and a terrific climax is reached when the murderer leaps into the night on a parachute, leaving the plane lurching through the air cut of control. Patrons are advised to make early reservation, j Plans are at R. A. Thomas’, phone 596 'or theatre 1102.