ENTERTAINMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 7 December 1940, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS

I CURRENT ATTRACTIONS REGENT, TO-NIGHT: “GERONIMO” AND “BLONDIE ON A BUDGET” The defeat of the last, and most brutal, of the raiding Apache chiefs is told in Paramount’s “Geronimo.” Replete with torture and blood-curdling ' battlecries. Geronimo, the story avers. lost father, mother, sister and brother 1 at the hands of the advancing white I man, and swore not to rest until 1000 white men’s lives had paid for each death. His exploits reach the ears of the powers in Washington, and General r Steele is sent to deal with the situation. The plot work in “Geronimo” is unj mistakeably reminiscent of “Lives of a j Bengal Lancer.” Frank Morgan is the ramrod General. William Henry his sen- . 1 sitive son. Preston Foster is the captain who takes young Lieutenant Steele [ under his wing and. eventually, does I so that Steele may redeem himself. Battle sequences, of which there are many, provide touch excitement. Some II welcome comedy comes from Andy De . vine as Sneezer, the scout. A particu j larly convincing portrait of a craven , I politician is the work of Gene Lockhart. The associate featuie is "Blondie on a , Budget,” Columbia’s sensational new , comedy which has been hailed as even l more hectic than any of its delightful i predecessors. It features Penny SingleE ton and Arthur Lake as Blondie and : Dagwood Bumstead. Rita Hayworth is • prominently seen as an old flame who . returns to singe Dagwood—while Blondie burns. Others in important roles . are Larry Simms, the precocious Baby i Dumpling, Don Beddoe, as a neighbour ; whose advice gets Dagwood into more ■ and more trouble, and Danny Mummert ; as Alvin Fuddle, the boy next door. Fay . Helm, Thurston Hall and John Qualen. > MAJESTIC, TO-DAY, GEORGE FORMBY'S LATEST “GUNNER GEORGE.” NEWSREEL OF LON- • DON BOMBING SHOWING NAZI 1 PLANES DESTROYED A keen sense of humour is the heri--1 tage of every Briton, and despite ■ the present dark days through which ; they are passing. British motion picture studios reflect the splendid spirit of ; the people by calling up George Form- • hj to give the Empire a good hearty laugh when it is needed most. None . recognise the invaluable part the screen ■ is playing in maintaining the morale ; of the people more than the British Government, who have encouraged the l studios to carry on with the production i of light, bright entertainment, to keep ■ alive "that jolly old sense of humour.” ! as it were. Thus, Associated Talking 1 Pictures, of Ealing, England, present “Gunner George,” in which George i Formby joins the Secret Service, just « for fun. to reveal the sunny side of , international affairs. “Gunner George.” which leads the new bill at the Majestic Theatre, may now be re- [ cognised as an invitation from the Motherland to "pack up your troubles” ’ and get a laugh out of life again. Imagine the fun \yith George, banjo and ; all, in a foreign country in the midst of f enemy spies. The joke of it all is that i everybody “knows” he is a British 1 agent, except George himself. When he eventually unearths information that ; necessitates his boarding a German . submarine single-handed, the story ' reaches unprecedented heights of hilar- ■ ity. Reviewers are unanimous that "Gunner George” is Formby’s best and funniest film. Lovely Phyllis Calvert is George’s inspiration in the land of es- j pionage and Romney Brent and Garry : Marsh are also prominently cast as j henchmen of Hitler. Another excel- ; lent half includes special pictures i of the sensational bombing of London > and the resultant fires. The picture also shows a German bombing plane diving to doom, Polish destroyer bagging a | U-boat, and the Royal Navy taking j over American destroyers. STATE: CARY GRANT, IRENE j DUNNE, “MY FAVOURITE WIFE” AND “LONDON CAN TAKE IT” ■ "My Favourite Wife.” brings back | Irene Dunne and Cary Grant to the l screen in a gay sophisticated romantic [comedy. A large share of their success | in this breezy film is due to the hilarii ous story which was especially designed [for the stars’ talents by Bella and ISamuel Spewack. Miss Dunne is cast as a wife presumably lost at sea whose husband. Cary Grant, has her declared legally dead after seven years’ absence and then marries Gail Patrick. The newlyweds no sooner depart on their honeymoon than the first wife returns, very much alive. She was rescued from an uncharted Pacific island on which she had been marooned all these years with Randolph Scott, portraying a handsome scientist. She overtakes the honeymooners at a Yosemite hotel, and presents herself to her startled husband. Unable to blurt out the truth to his bride, Grant tries to keep his first wife hidden—with some hilarious and disastrous complications. Now starts a mad pace which is heigthened until the uproarious climax. The kissless bride and her distraught husband flee home only to find Miss Dunne awaiting them and posing as an old friend of the family. And soon after the double-groom learns that his first wife and the virile explorer were alone on that island for seven years! Contributing lavishly to the laug'. s are Gail Patrick rs the bride who can’t comprehend her husband’s sudden aloofness and Randolph Scott, whose desire to marry Grant’s first wife ! after being stranded with her for seven years aggravates the burden the jealous ; husband is already carrying. "LONDON CAN TAKE IT” By special arrangement with the High !, Commissioner for the United Kingdom, i Sir Harry Batterbee, a film entitled i j “London Can Take It” has been air- j • mailed from London for screening [ \ throughout the Amalgamated Theatres ! ] circuit in New Zealand. This special ] film screens at the State Theatre. Brought direct by air across < three continents in the fastest y time yet recorded, "London Can Take t It” is one of the most inspiring films ] ever produced and shows how London i meets the brutal attacks of Hitler’s airmen. "London Can Take It” is a deeply- c impressive picture, excellent in photo- 1 graphy, and outstanding in its sound I accompaniment. All through the pie- ' tui*e runs the keynote of the steady 1 morale of the "civilian army.” The I commentary is by Quentin Reynolds, the 1 war correspondent of "Collier’s Weekly” r and he concludes “Bombs Cannot Kill c An Unconquerable Spirit.” * ’ c RIWAKA PICTURES: DEANNA DURBIN Deanna Durbin’s "Three Smart Girls c Grow Up” heads the bill at the Riwaka s Theatre to-night. Deanna is seen as a { very rich girl, and she wears a ward- 1 robe in keeping with her station in life. r She sings four songs. In support are 1 Charles Winninger, Nan Grey, Heden Parrish, William Lundigan. Robert Cummings, Nella Walker, and Ernest Cossart. - (