AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23219, 17 June 1937, Page 17

AMUSEMENTS

I STRAND THEATRE

“ Mysterious Crossing ” and “ The Cattle Thief” are the two films that comprise the current programme at the Strand Theatre. The first is set in New Orleans, and features James Dunn as a newspaper reporter tracking the murderers of a city banker. The plot of “The Cattle Thief” revolves around the villainy of a ranch foreman, and a feature of the film ir the appearance of Ken Maynard's wonder horse. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C.

“THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD”

Running up to comedy scale from amusing to uproarious, and containing a tender love story with a new approach, Universal’s first-rate laugh hit, “ The Luckiest Girl in the World,” featuring Jane Wyatt and Louis Hayward, will be commenced to-morrow at the Strand Theatre. The picture relates the misadventures of a strongwilled heiress who shares kitchen privileges with a dashing young cavalier. The lively dialogue sparkles with gay humour and the sprightly situations keep getting funnier as the story unfolds. Jane tells papa she wants to marry a moneyless tennis player, and father asks her to prove she can live on a limited income before she takes the final dive into matrimony. Off Jane goes to the city to prove she is right. Then she meets the aforementioned cavalier, in the person of Louis Hayward. There is just enough romantic moonlight to bewitch the pair, make Jane forget her first swain and weave a spell over the audience. The fun becomes faster, more furious, and boils over - when Nat Pendleton adds his rib-tickling antics as a private detective who could not trail his own shadow. The narrative bubbles along to an hilarious climax under the expertly humorous direction of Edward Buzzell Jane Wyatt proves her right to high ranking in this laugh-rousing production, and Louis Hayward gives an outstanding performance. Every member of the cast delivers a smooth portrayal. The picture is made more enjoyable by Eugene Pallette’s work as the millionaire father, Catherine Doucet’s interpretation as the mother, Philip Reed as the penurious tennis player, and Viola Callahan as the landlady who dispenses kitchen privileges. The story of “The Secret of Stamboul,” the associate feature, opens in an English home where James Mason meets an attractive English girl, Diana. Among the guests is a Turkish count, who is over on business with Diana s father, who has big connections in the tobacco business in Turkey. James Mason (Larry) rescues Diana from the unwelcome attentions of the_ count. Not satisfied with the conditions in Turkey in regard to his tobacco business. Diana’s father sends Larry to investigate the position over there. Larry, on investigation, discovers that there is a gang at work whose objects are to start a revolutipn. They are smuggling ammunition into the country by concealing it among the cargoes of tobacco, which are being landed almost every day. Valerie Hobson, a Russian princess in exile, is forced to carry out the orders of the gang, of whom Frank Vosper is a much-feared leader. The count is also a leader of the gang and has never forgiven Larry. Many exciting incidents occur, and a delightful climax is effected when a friend of Larry’s, Peter Haddon, and Diana arrive in Turkey and help to extricate them and Turkey from the revolution. STATE THEATRE “White Hunter,” the film now being screened at the State Theatre, was directed by Irving Cummings, who was responsible for the successful Road to Glory,” in which Warner Baxter and June Lang also appeared. Warner Baxter is a convincing figure as Captain Clarke Rutledge, the white hunter who suddenly finds that his bitterest enemy has been thrust completely into his power. The beautiful June Lang is an ideal Toni Varek, daughter of the big munitions magnate, Michael Varek, who is responsible for Rutledge being forced into African exile from an Under-secretaryshin in the Foreign Office in London. The box plans are at the theatre and at Begg’s. “ WINTERSET” Electric with vibrant entertainment holding irresistible dramatic force and thrilling conflict, “Winterset,” which will be commenced at the State Theatre to-morrow, gained the muchcoveted Critics’ Circle gold medal for the best play of the year. “Seldom in the history of pictures does one see such originality and cleverness of direction combined with so good a story,” says an Australian critic. “ Maxwell Anderson has dipped his pen deep into human existence. It is a masterpiece of entertainment and holds one breathless throughout its screening.” Customarily, the Pulitzer Prize is supposed to be the final guerdon of excellence which can be bestowed on any American drama. Last winter, however, the dramatic critics of the New York City newspapers. ignoring the fact that playwright Anderson had won this coveted honour in 1933 with his “Both Your Houses." and .it was not customary_ to honour thus the same dramatist twice, convened to select the best American play of the season and unanimously gave the distinction to “ Winterset.” Soon after this R.K.O Radio acquired screen rights to the opus and contracted the principals of the stage version—Maurice Moscovitch, Burgess Meredith, Margo. Eduardo Ciannelli — to portray their same roles on the screen. Another precedent vvas smashed in filming “ Winterset.” With its deeply moving combination of romance and dramatic tension, “ Winterset” is of a type rarely seen on the stage and heretofore never on the screen. But laden with opportunity for a stirring film attraction, it is certain that the picture-going public will respond whole-heartedly to the tremendous sweep and power of the story. Aside from the opening scenes, the

drama-packed action takes place in a tremendously realistic setting under the shadow of Brooklyn bridge, where all the characters drift together in a grim backwater—the son, the murderer, the judge who sentenced the father, the youth who could clear up the crime—and the latter’s sister, whose swift, tender romance with the son furnishes the memorable love theme of the story. REGENT THEATRE The spectacular “ Gold Diggers of 1937,” which is now completing a successful season at the Regent Theatre, has Dick Powell, Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell in the leading roles. There are some good vaudeville acts in the film, with plenty of humour and an entertaining story. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. "BELOVED ENEMY” Samuel Goldwyn, In his best manner, has brought to the screen a thrilling and poignant story of the stormy days of the early twenties. His latest picture, “Beloved Enemy,” which will be commenced at the Regent Theatre to-morrow, is one that should rank high when the year’s films are compared. Merle Oberon, in a less exotic role than she is usually given, is well cast as the daughter of Lord Athleigh, an English diplomat sent to report on the uprising. Brian Aherne, who takes the part of secret leader of the Irish, is perfectly chosen and his acting adds much to the power of the picture. His pleasant voice is in keeping with the setting, and should ensure for him a succession of character parts in the future. Ra Hould, the 12-year-old Dunedin boy, takes a prominent part as a young Irish lad who brings Lady Helen Athleigh and Denis Riordan, the leader of the rebellion, together. The picture opens in thrilling fashion with the searchlights of an English armoured car sweeping the doorways of the houses, the inhabitants cowering back until the troops have gone by. The action moves swiftly through a succession of stirring events, with Riordan fleeing before the raids of the English militia. Throughout the whole film there is a continual tension as the Intelligence Department slowly draws an ever-closer net, and the audience is held tense with excitement during a chase across the rooftops. The acting of Henry Stephenson as Lord Athleigh is outstanding. Karen Morley makes a welcome reappearance as an Irish widow, and David Niven fills a major role with distinction. Heading the first half of the programme is Paramount’s film of the Coronation and scenes in Westminster Abbey, the photography and recording of music and speech being very effective. ST. JAMES THEATRE Starring Joan Crawford in her first period production, “The Gorgeous Hussy,” now at the St. James Theatre, portrays the story of the accomplished daughter of a Washington innkeeper who becomes the friend and confidant of President Andrew Jackson and other prominent people of the time. There are tangled romances between several of these and the beauty. Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, and Franchot Tone are also cast. The plans are at the theatre, Jacobs s, and the D.I.C. “ tarzan ESCAPES ” Probably the best-known adventure hero of modern fiction is the central character of “ Tarzan Escapes,’ Hie film which opens at the St. James Theatre to-morrow. As in the two earlier talkies produced by the same company, Metio-Goldwyn-Mayer, Johnny Weissmuller. former Olympic and world swimming champion, and appealing little Maureen O'Sullivan, heroine of lovely real-life romance which culminated in a trip to a Hollywpod altar recently, are starred together in Tarzan Escapes.” Prominent in the supporting cast are Benita Hume, recently seen as the malevolent spy m Siuzy. William Henry. Herbert Mundm. and John Buckler. Henry, one of the most promising juniors on the M-G-M lot, plays the role of the heroine’s cousin, who braves darkest Africa to find hei and induce her to return to civilisation. Mundin adds considerable hilarity in another of his typical Cockney roles, while Buckley, as Major Frev the explorer, is as villainous a character as ever fought his way through an African swamp. Battles with hostile African natives, an eerie encounter with giant bats, larzai fight to release animals raptured for menageries, the rescue of the white nartv from the wild Ganeloni tribesmen, the mad elephant stampede which saves the scouting party, the escape of Tarzan from a cage in which he has been imprisoned. ‘ native tortures, a plunge over a cliff—these arc _ only some of the thrilling sequences in “Tarzan Escapes.” Magnificent photography adds to the success of the films. OCTAGON THEATRE Few places are left from which criminals cannot be extradited—and these are overrun with men wanted for every crime from embezzlement to murder “ Men in Exile,” the melodrama which is now screening at the Octagon Theatre is laid in one of these ports in the Caribbean Sea. The settings are said to be entirely out of the beaten track of movie tradition, and the lives of the characters are naturally coloured by the bizarre nature of the environment. Dick Purcell plays an innocent murder suspect who flees to Canbo. Criminals who have sought refuge here try to draw him into their net. He

meets June Travis, daughter of an hotelkeeper, and their love story is interwoven with the perils in which they find themselves. The associate feature is “Freshman Love,” a musical comedy of American college life. The bdx plans are at'the theatre and at Begg’s. GRAND THEATRE One of the best films dealing with pioneering adventures in America since the invention of the talking film, ana a murder mystery which is far more ingenious than the usual production of this type, combine to make the new programme at the Grand Theatre a particularly attractive one. “Daniel Boone,” starring George O’Brien and Heather Angel, is based on the life of the great hunter of that name, the hero of many a favourite boyhood tale of adventure. The second production is “ Murder With Pictures,” featuring Lew Ayres and Gail Patrick. The story of “Daniel Boone” tells of the venture by Boone to establish a settlement in Kentucky—further west than any previous attempt at colonisation had been made. Under his guidance. 30 families set out on the long journey over the mountains to the new valley where they eventually arrive and found the settlement of Booneville. Then, when their troubles seem at an end, the real difficulties begin. A courier arrives from Virginia with a Government proclamation that the land claims will have to be registered within a certain time —a period in which it is impossible for the claims to be made. In haste, Boone sets off for the seat of Government only to find that the claims have already been registered by a treacherous dandy who had been practically driven out of Booneville. His appeals are in vain, and he sets out to return with the disastrous news. On his way he is captured by the renegade, Simon Girty, who has long harboured a grudge against Boone and his settlers, and has roused the Indian tribes against them. The pioneer escapes from the burning stake and reaches the settlement in time to prepare for the attack, which lasts nine days before the Redskins retire beaten. Then comes the final reckoning with Girty. and the settlers once more load their covered wagons and, with dauntless spirit, set out for more distant lands to found new colonies. Throughout the film, the outdoor settings are remarkably fine. The wagon tram, the establishment of the stockaded village, and the action are all convincing. The leading roles are well filled, but John Carradine, as Girty, gives probably the finest characterisation in the film. Ralph Forbes appears as the dandy who tricks Boone and his followers out of their reward. In Murder With Pictures,” the audience is treated to an unusual murder mystery in which the staff of a big metropolitan newspaper play a prominent part. A sensational picture, it is relieved by an appreciable vein of comedy, the central figure being a newspaper photographer swayed between the love of a dancer of the “ gold-digger species and a girl suspected of murder. The two leading parts are played by Lew Ayres and Gail Patrick respectively, and the subject loses nothing in their capable hands. A lawyer who has just secured the acquittal of a gangster indicted for murder is himself mysteriously slain as five newspaper cameramen point their cameras at him. buspicion falls on Gail Patrick, a mysterious beauty who had been seen talking heatedly with him. She appeals to Ayres to conceal her from the police, and this lands them both in trouble, and before everything is straightened out one or two more persons are Killed in typical gangster fashion. Virtue triumphs, but during the process the audience sees some exciting and mystifving episodes. The supporting Players all of whom creditably fill their roles, include Joyce Compton, Paul Kelly. Onslow Stevens, Ernest Cossart, Anthony Nace, and Benny Baker. The box plans for the season are at the theatre and at Begg’s. EMPIRE THEATRE Any film that features Irene Dunne is assured of success, but “Theodora Goes Wild," the current attraction at the Empire Theatre, is the first in which she has appeared as a comedienne, and just as surely it is one of her greatest achievements. Supporting her in this hilarious film is Melvyn Douglas, who also is responsible for an excellent performance. Theodora is the daughter of one of the older families in the little town of Lynnfield, who, cramped in the narrow, small-town atmosphere of the place, finds an outlet in the writing of a daring novel under an assumed name. Complications arise when the Lynnfield Bugle starts publishing the story in serial form, and thus gains the opposition of the local literary society. After an eventful day in New York, where she comes out of her shell _ for the first time, Theodora becomes involved with the young designer of her book’s dustcover, who follows her to Lynnfield. The two fall in love, and, finding that her lover is bound by a “ convenient marriage ” for at least two years, Theodora sets about terminating the situation as quickly as she can. The methods she adopts provide much excellent comedy and the scenes in Lynnfield as the news of her scandalous escapades reach her home town, can be belter imagined than described. Everything concludes satisfactorily and the tables are turned on the chief scandal-monger in the concluding scene. There are some specially good films of the Abbey Coronation service in the supporting programme, and the box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C.

MAYFAIR . THEATRE “I Married a Doctor,” in which Pat O’Brien and Josephine Hutchinson are the featured players, will be shown again at the Mayfair Theatre to-day. in conjunction with “In the Soup. The story is set in a small Minnesota town to which a country doctor has* taken his city-bred bride to live. The physician’s neighbours, always suspicious of strangers, are aroused to a high pitch of jealousy and hatred because the city girl’s beauty and wit attract their husbands and sweethearts. She, in turn, gives them plenty to gossip about in flaunting her cityfied mannerisms and free-and-easy ways; and scandal reaches its height whenshe takes under her wing a country youth aspiring to be an artist and consequently much misunderstood by his own people. Petty insults and subtle cruelty pile up until a breaking point is reached in a smashing climax in which the youth, maddened over unrequited love, is killed in a wild automobile ride. Unable to stand the atmosphere longer, the young wife flees from her home and the husband she really loves. Time, however, softens the hearts of both the small-town folk and the city-bred girl. Others in the large cast are Ross Alexander, Guy Kibbee, Margaret Irving, and Edith Elliott. Ralph Lynn’s picture. “In the Soup,” successfully demonstrates that life is a crazy affair, a jest perpetrated by madcaps and thriving on laughter. While this may not be true, it is an extremely agreeable illusion, and for some two hours Ralph Lynn and his partners in lunacy keep this illusion very much alive. The story is slight, but is sufficiently strong to give continuity to a succession of hilarious episodes. Lynn’s career as a pillar of the law ends suddenly, and his only means of sustenance is to let his flat and Jive on the proceeds. After considerable difficulty, he manages to secure some tenants, and then finds that his wife lias let the flat to someone else. To cap it all, his servants walk out, and there is nothing for it but for Horace Gillibrand (Ralph Lynn) to act as butler and his wife as housekeeper to two families who must be kept iu ignorance of each other’s presence. From this moment the fun becomes even faster and more furious, and the story ends with a positive hurricane of mistaken identity and mirth. Judy Gunn is delightful as the wife, and a fine supporting cast includes Morton Selten, Nelson Keys, and Bertha Belmore. The box plans are at the D.I.C. and the theatre sweet shop.