ENTERTAINMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 February 1941, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

CURRENT ATTRACTIONS REGENT, GUEST NIGHT PROGRAMME: ‘WOMAN DOCTOR” AND “THE FIGHTING GRINGO” Should a woman doctor sacrifice her hard-earned laurels, her career, her place in a man’s world that skill and courage have won her, to grace the kitchen —nursery —the drawing room? Should she, after marriage, confine herself to the duties* of wife and mother or continue to use the skill that saves wrecked human bodies? That is the question asked and answered in “Woman Doctor,” Republic’s stirring human drama, now at the Regent Theatre. Her medical skill constantly in demand Dr Judith Randall has little time to spend with her aviator husband. Alan Graeme, 1 and their daughter, Elsa. When an emergency operation prevents Dr Randall from joining Alan in the celebration of their twelfth wedding anniversary, he finds solace in the company of the glamorous Gail Patterson. Hospital duties again keep Judith from attending a musical in which her little girl participates. Taking advantage of Dr. Randall’s preoccupation, Gail alienates Alan by evincing interest in Elsa. Domestic relations between Dr Judith and Alan become strained and Alan moves to his Rhode Island home, taking Elsa with him. When Dr Judith drives down to see them, the sound of the car's horn startles Elsa’s horse and the child is thrown and badly injured. Alan decides to fly them to New York, but on the way the plane becomes entirely surrounded by fog. In the cabin of the plane little Elsa gasps for breath. Then comes the thrilling dramatic climax of “Woman Doctor,” which you will long remember. Another chapter of Western history is presented in George O’Brien’s new outdoor drama “The Fighting Gringo.” It deals with unscrupulous land thieves who forced owners of Spanish grants to abandon their land ,and with one group of a band who made their living by hiring out their guns. The film presents O’Brien in a role somewhat different from his usual characterisations —that of a Robin Hood vagabond.

MAJESTIC, TO-DAY: “GOOD GIRLS GO TO PARIS,” BRIGHT, BREEZY COMEDY WITH MELVYN DOUGLAS AND JOAN BLONDELL Comedy in tlie continental manner, smart and sophisticated, Columbia’s “Good Girls Go To Paris,” is one of the most original pictures of the year. The new film co-stars Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell, the brilliant principals of the sensational “There’s Always a Woman.” “Good Girls Go to Paris” finds its major entertainment values in the affairs of a young Englishman, professor of Greek at a midwestern university, who finds in the Aesop fables the answers to the many perplexities he encounters in American life; and in the escapades of a pert, blonde waitress who has every intention of going to Paris> but whose conscience prevents her from going via the “gold-digger” route. “Good Girls Go to Paris” is the story of a crotchety multi-millionaire whose hypochondriac tendencies are vanquished when the waitress comes to the rescue with a flannel stocking; it is the story of a spoiled young woman, the Englishman’s fiancee, who loves the butler’s son. It is the story of a spoiled young man, and of a gigolo, ind of a gangster. Mr Douglas is ideally seen as the constantly bewildered professor, willing confidential adviser to a would-be gold-digger. Miss Blondell is equally enjoyable as the waitress. Others in the fine cast are Walter Connolly, as the millionaire; Alan Curtis, as the first of five who propose marriage to the hare-brained blonde, in the uproarious final sequences of the film. Joan Perry and Isabel Jeans also merit applause for their brilliant comedy portraits. Another very good first half includes a sports film “Diving Rhythm” showing world famous diving champions in action at a beautiful American swimming pool, a really humourua Charley Chase comedy “Skinny the Moocher,” another of those interesting travel pictures “Man-made Island” dealing with the building of Manhattan Island and its famous buildings, an interesting “Screen Snapshots” and two up to the minute Worldwide Newsreels.

STATE: NANCY KELLY—JON HALL IN “SAILOR’S LADY” RIOTOUS NAVAL COMEDY

Romance ashore and laughter afloat—that’s the kind of action-filled, appealing entertainment in “Sailor’s Lady,” the 20th Century-Fox film now showing at the State Theatre. Nancy Kelly is the lady and Jon Hall the sailor. And when these two great stars fall in love there’s bound to be fun and laughter. Featured with Nancy and Jon are the great favourites Joan Davis, Dana Andrews, Mary Nash, Larry Crabbe, Katharine Aldridge, Harry Shannon and “Skipper,” (Bruce Hampton), cute little sailor. Nancy, about to marry handsome Jon, adopts a baby and then the first barrage of laughter goes off But when she smuggles the baby aboard the fleets flagship just to test her fiance’s love, there’s trouble for him, a headache for the Navy’s admirals and great f“ n ., £or , aU - Wi *h laughter the keynote, bailor s Lady” roars into a riotous climax. Sol M. Wurtzel was the executive producer. Allan Dwan directed nom a screen play by Frederick Hazlitl Brennan for which Lou Breslow and Owen Francis wrote additional diaThe ° rlginal stor y wa s by Frank