"GUNNER GEORGE"

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 30 November 1940, Page 11

"GUNNER GEORGE"

Never before has the w >rl ’ been in such dire need of laughter—the kind of laughter which springs wholeheartedly from the antics of the character or characters presented on the screen. Today. more than ever, people on both sides of the Atlantic and in Austral-

ia look to the motion picture industry 1 to take them away from the grim realisation of the present conflict. During the last war pictures were to a great extent in their infancy. The theatre was still the strongest force in entertainment, and yet from the crude attempts of that time, a film character became famous. The British soldier of that day speaks of Charlie Chaplin with a deep sense of gratitude. He not only provided a figure of fun at which disillusioned people could laugh; he not only created a fantasy world in which tired minds could escape; he became the most important psychological

i factor in the morale of the army man. To-clay. another Englishman, in George Form by, has taken on the • j mantle of the inimitable Chaplin. His ■ popularity with the fighting men is uni doubted, as was proved when he • i recently undertook an entertainment

/ itinerary of the military camps in Eng- -! land. "Gunner George” has a distinct topical flavour, although scripted prior i to the declaration of war, for it opens ; i with the death of a ukelele player who i drops dead whilst playinj in a hotel ? band in Bergen. Norway. There are - immediate repercussions in British In--11 tTlligence Headquarters. The dead l man was their agent o i the track of t the German spy who D passing shipi ping information to the U-boats, by ? means of band broadcasts, and with i this dramatic and exciting sequence, - begins the latest laugh riot with 1 j Goorg" at the height of his fun form.

‘REBECCA

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, master lof mystery-thrillers. “Rebecca" was • filmed with Laurence Olivier and Joan 1 i Fontaine in the top starring roles, while 2 the feature supporting cast includes s Judith Anderson. George Sanders. Nigel - Bruce. C. Aubrey Smith. Reginald ; Denny and Florence Bates. t ‘Rebecca" was transferred to the screen from the scenario written jointly by Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison. The story concerns a young and unsophisticated girl who becomes the br.de of the wealthy and socially prominent Maxim de Winter. When they return to live on his vast Tudor estate. Manderley. the second wife learns, to l her horror, that her life is being dominated by the past of Rebecca. Maxim's ! wife, a very beautiful woman who | fascinated all who knew her. I Furthermore, the memory of Rebecca is kept alive by Mrs Danvers, de Winter s housekeeper, played by Judith An- | derson. Mrs Danvers resents the second Mrs de W’inter. After an elaborate ball given at Manderley. the story moves swiftly to a climax. This scene takes place in an abandoned boat house during the entire sequence, with Olivier and Miss Fontaine entirely alone. Because of the emotional intensity required for this scene. Producer Selznick and Director Hitchcock ordered that the stars be given complete privacy while it was filmed The scene lasts about eight minutes on the screen, but because ol the care exercised during its filming, il required three days to complete.

“BLONDIE ON A BUDGET

The Columbia series of Bumstead family comedies, based upon Chic Young’s sensational newspaper comic strip, has been enthusiastically hailed for its faithful representations of young married life Their inevitable comparisons with “the family next door." the naturalness of the stars appearing in major roles, and "based upon fact”! air of the productions themselves have all contributed to the popular reception of the Blondie comedies. In "Blondie on a Budget.” the Bumstead family is confronted with its; usjal assortment of domestic crises. Blondie wants a new coat; Dagwood wants io join an exclusive, and costly, i fishing club; Baby Dumpling sees his I parents work their way to the threshold j of the divorce courts, and Daisy, the j family pooch goes off on a champagne! binge which highlights an hilarious | fi’m.

‘SAFETY IN NUMBERS”

‘Safety in Numbers” is the tenth in the Jones Family series, and Associate Producer John Stone would have us beiieve that it’s about ten times funnier | than anything America’s favourite folks have done before. The story, according to Stone, gets off to a breezy start with Mrs Jones—voted “The World’s Best Mother” in a radio contest—going on the air with a , weekly broadcast, advising her listeners ; about domestic problems. The pro- ’ gramme is a huge success, but mean- I while the Jonses get tangled up in some : pretty serious domestic problems of ; their )wn —what with Jack planning to ( elope and Dad plunging his own and 1 the whole town’s savings into a mineral i water investment scheme which turns! out to be a phony. How Mrs Jones, j with the whole family rallying to her side, manages to save the situation from ! complete disaster offers an exciting j climactic proof that there is. indeed. “Safety in Numbers.”

Action, adventure, comedy, romance —and all the thrills of the old West are plentifully provided in “Viva Cisco Kid,” with Cesar Romero again superbly playing the dashing Cisco, in “The Cisco Kid.” O. Henry’s lovable outlaw out-shoots, out-rides and outwits the toughest, roughest gang of cut-throats ever assembled on one screen—and his mind isn’t really on his work—because his real aim in life is winning lovely Jean Rogers!