ENTERTAINMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24133, 27 November 1941, Page 16

ENTERTAINMENTS

• Ciylc • Theatre, —Deftly combining drama and romance with the thrilling story of how -the telegraph lino from Omaha to Salt Lake. City was built through the roaring west, the 20th Century-Fox production "Western Union" will have its initial presentations at the Civic Theatre to-morrow. Bused on the best-seller of the same name by Zane *.Greythe picture features Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger and Virginia Gilmore in the leading roles. The story opens in the rough < boom town of Omaha. Answering the east's plea for a rapid means of communication with the turbulent west, a Western 'XJnion Caravan under Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is headed westward across prairie and plain with the object of building a telegraph over a land inhabitec! by renegades and • savage Indians. Randolph Scott as a reformed outlaw, and Robert Young as a tenderfoot surveyor from Harvard, leave with Creighton's men. Both are in love with the builder's charming sister, a part capably played by Virginia Gjlmore. The first sample of the dangers ahead comes soon after the waggon train leaves Omaha and from then peril and disaster follow the intrepid adventurers. Under tho export direction of Fritz Lang, the suspense of tho plot grows more intense with each scene and reaches a gripping climax when a raging fire threatens to destroy the entire caravan. Embassy Theatre. —Charles Boyer, tho star of many moving pictures, including "All This and Heaven Too" and "Mayerling," is cast opposite pretty Olivia de Havilland and vivacious Pauletto Goddard in his latest picture, "Hold Back the Dawn," produced by the Paramount studios, which will continue a season at the Embassy Theatre to-day. The picture has a suggested background of war, as it deals with the efforts of a Rumanian refugee to enter the United States. Georges Iscovoseu, an emigrco Rumanian, desires to enter into tho peace and security of America, but lie is told that under the existing regulations Ije will have to wait from five to eight years for a Rumanian quota number. In desperation he accepts the advice of his dancing companion, hard and shrewd Anita Dixon, that ho marry some American girl and thus secure United States citizenship. Once his citizenship is assured ho can divorce his wife, Anita tells him. Georges agrees to do as she .suggests and after a whirlwind courtship marries a beautiful American school teacher ? Emmy Brown, played by Olivia de Havilland. His plan to divorce her, however, does not eventuate, as he finds that he has fallen in love with his wife. Anita, however, manages to break up the marriage and from hoYe the picturo leads to a gripping climax. Included in the supporting cast are Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake and Billy Lee. Oxford and Avon Theatres.—More grown up, but still as vivacious as ever, Jane Withers has tho leading role in the 20th Century-Fox film "Golden Hoofs," which starts a second soason at the Oxford and Avon Theatres tomorrow. Jane is supported by a brilliant featured cast, headed by Charles (Buddy) Rogers, who celebrates his return to the screen after an absence of seven years. Tho film presents Jano as a trainer of trotting horses, and when she learns that the new owner of tho farm on which she is working plans to sell all his prize trotters to make room for his racing stock, complications arise. Tho situation is further complicated, as far as Jano is concerned, when slio falls in lovo with tho new owner. Jano, hßwever, finds that the I latter feels toward her only like a brother. Others in tho cast are Katharine Aldridge, George Irving and Buddy Popper. Tho associate attraction is Black Watch," a re-issue of a film that appeared in Auckland about 10 years ago. Myrna Loy and Victor McLaglen are prominently cast. Majestic Theatre. —Peter B. Kyne's story aboyt "The Parson of Panammt," converted by Paramount studios into a heart-warming and inspiring film which should appeal to young and eld alike, will head tho double-feature programmo commencing at the Majestic Theatre to-morrow. Charlie Buggies, Ellen Drew and Phillip Terry are at the head of a strong cast. The story deals with all elements of danger and adventure in the once flourishing western town of

Panamint. While audiences are left with the feeling that thoy are a little hotter and a little finer just for having known the Parson of Panamint, they still: do not feci that they have been cheated out of a first-class western picture. "Buv Me That Town," an hilarious production, also from Paramount, is the associate attraction. With a sprinkling of mystery to add to the entertainment, the film has at the head of the cast Lloyd Nolan and Constance Moore. Nolan is a gangster who takes over a small Connecticut town and turns everything in it upside down to suit his own purposes. Nolan takes ovei* the administration of the whole place, putting an arsonist in charge of the fire brigade and an ex-convict in charge of the police department. With such a ridiculous aggregation, of civic administrators, the story of,the small town makes a riotous tale.