AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23364, 2 December 1937, Page 17

AMUSEMENTS

OCTAGON THEATRE A robust story dealing with the experiences encountered by linesmen engaged on high-tension power transmission lines is unfolded in “ Slim,” the main film at the Octagon Theatre. In the leading roles fine performances are given by Henry Fonda, . Pat O’Brien, and Margaret Lindsay. There is any amount of action attached to the story, and the outdoor romance has been very well handled. The second film is “She’s No Lady,” starring Ann Dvorak and John Trent. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg s. “WHITE BONDAGE” “ White Bondage,” a melodrama dealing with the humble but picturesque cotton growers and pickers of the remote regions of the “ Deep South ” of the U.S.A., will be screened at the Octagon Theatre to-morrow, with Jean Muir as its star. The story has to do with that type of cotton workers known in America as “share croppers,” who grow and pick the cotton on a percentage basis, meanwhile getting their food, rent, clothing, and so on from the large land owners. In the nands of unscrupulous storekeepers, who represent the owners, the share-croppers are merely peons—more often than, not finding themselves at the end of the season not only without money, but deeply in debt to the crooked individual who has been weighing their crops and dealing out their supplies. Joseph King is the storekeeper in “ White Bondage,” and one of the meanest, most villainous individuals ever seen on a screen, according to the producers. Miss Muir is a grand-daughter of one of the share-croppers, played by Harry Davenport. Her childhood sweetheart another victim smarting under the iniquitous system to which the cotton growers are subjected, is Howard Phillips. Gordon Oliver is a sympathiser who discovers all the crookedness, sees that it is punished, and arranges better things for the future STRAND THEATRE “ The League of Frightened Men ” 'and “ Cafe Colette ” are the titles of the two films which will conclude their season at the Strand Theatre to-night. Mystery and exciting happenings are the chief ingredients of the first picture, in which the leading roles are capably filled by Walter Connolly, as Nero Wolfe, the genial detective, and Lionel Stander. Nero’s right-hand man. The second attraction is a romantic thriller, and has Paul Cavanaugh and Greta Nissen in the leading roles. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. “ARMOURED CAR” A new phase of the constant battle between the law and the underworld which has never before been touched upon on the screen, comes to the Strand Theatre to-morrow in Uni-

versal’s drama, “Armoured Car.” The picture play, which presents Robert Wilcox, Judith Barrett, Irving Pichel, and Cesar Romero, deals with the transportation of cash and securities in steel-protected, heavily-guarded payroll cars, and the attempts of a clever, ruthless criminal to rob them. Exciting scenes in the photoplay include the dynamiting of a mountain road and the wrecking of one of the trucks, as well as the blasting of a bridge in an attempt to secure the treasure of another truck. Television plays an important part in the new A.T.P. release, “ Radio Lover,” which will be the associate feature. Wylie Watson and Jack Melford play a hoax on “Radio Hour” in connection with the broadcasting of a “ Radio Lover ” whose voice charms millions of feminine listeners nightly. The real singer is Wylie Watson, but his face so belies the suggestion that the two young men decide that, for the benefit of listeners and the directors of the Radio Corporation, Jack had better be in the limelight. * EMPIRE THEATRE Now nearing the end of its second week at the Empire Theatre, “After the Thin Man,” W. S. Van Dyke’s film of mystery and humour, is still attracting a good deal of attention. William Powell is again the “ thin man,” and Myrna Loy has the other .most prominent role. There is a lot of excitement in San Francisco, and many are the amusing situations in which the characters find themselves. The box plans are at the theatre and at the D.I.C. “ FOR VALOUR ” It seems impossible, but Tom Walls loses his moustache and Ralph Lynn his monocle in the new Capitol production, “ For Valour,” to be presented at the Empire Theatre to-morrow. In this picture, Ralph Lynn appears in certain scenes as a doddering old man of 85. Tom Walls appears as a man 20 years his junior, but without a moustache and adorned with a nice cauliflower ear. Hermann Rosenthal, one of the greatest make-up experts of the day. took nearly two hours and a-halfto get each of these stars ready for the scenes in which they thus appear. He it was who was responsible for George Arliss’s appearance as the “ Guv’nor ” and Betty Balfour’s makeup in “My Old Dutch,” and once he received a command to make-up Prince Wilhelm as his ancestor, the Emperor Frederick. One of his greatest triumphs, however, is his make-up of Tom Walls. The star had, of course, to dispense with his moustache and sideboards when he appeared as an old man, but now and again these had to be replaced for those scenes in which he appears in his own familiar guise. Many well-known players take supporting roles in “For Valopr” Veronica Rose and Joan Marion supply the feminine interest in chai’ming fashion, while Hubert Harben, Gordon James. Henry Longhurst, Reginald Tate, Romilly Lunge, and Walter Lindsay supply interesting characterisations. The six finalists in the Utopia Club s search for “ Miss Otago of 1937 ” will parade on the stage at each evening performance of “For Valour,” and the audiences will be given the opportunity of selecting the winner. The six finalists who will be appearing are Misses Irene Bramwell, Cora Duff. Elma Burdon, Dell Devanney, Jean Callick, and Eileen Rowe. GRAND THEATRE Two highly-entertaining comedies commenced a season at the Grand Theatre yesterday. The principal picture is “ When’s Your Birthday? ” an hilarious tale of the misadventures of a somewhat unorthodox astrologish a part played with his customary vim by that popular comedian, Joe E. Brown. Throughout the comedy Brown acts with infectious abandon, and succeeds in infusing the maximum of humour into the large number of amusing situations embodied in the story. The picture is cleverly intro-

duced by means of a coloured cartoon in which .the various signs of the zodiac come to life and perform in accordance with good astrological,practice, their conjunction, and the state of the moon at the time, having entertaining results. When the story commences Brown, as a youthful but aspiring astrologer, who is striving for his D.A. (doctor of astrology), is financing his studies by means of prize fights, in which he accumulates more contusions than dollars. After his last disastrous ring venture he visits the home of his fiancee, to discover that their wedding day has been set down on a date of which he does not approve, claiming that the planets are against it. This leads to a slightly unpleasant scene, at the conclusion of whicn the girl's choleric father hurls the bridegroom-elect from the house. Having already lost his job, the budding astrologer sets out to find employment, and discovers it in a cafe, where his appalling clumsiness gets him into interminable trouble. However, he blames the malign influence of the planets for his misfortunes, and struggles on with undiminished hope. Eventually he joins a fortune-telling concession on a pleasure pier, and becomes so successful with his horoscope readings that the concession does a roaring trade. Unfortunately, the law steps in, and he, with his fair assistant and somewhat slippery manager, are haled before the court to explain why they were telling fortunes without a licence. A man whom the astrologist has helped to win a considerable amount of money by his reading of the planets helps him and the girl out of their difficulty, and sets them up as permanent foretellers of the results of races and other sporting events. When the pair are assisting in a charity bazaar the astrologist is recognised by his whilom fiancee, who wishes to resume their old relationship, but Brown, who has fallen in love with his beautiful assistant, wants nothing of the kind. He is found in a compromising situation with his exfiancee by his assistant, however, and thereafter his forecasts betoken nothing but trouble for himself. His assistant leaves him, and his employer, financially embarrassed, wagers heavily on a certain pugilist on the strength of one of Brown’s horoscopes, which, however, does not refer to the boxer at all. How Brown is compelled to enter the ring to battle for the light-heavy-weight title, convinced that until the moon rises he has no hope of success, makes an hilarious climax to the picture, the scenes in the ring being farcical in the extreme. The moon eventually does rise, Brown lands the knock-out blow, and his love returns to him. Others who help to keep the fun going at a merry pace are Fred Keating, Edgar Kennedy, Maude Eburne, Margaret Hamilton, and Brown’s clever dog, “Corky.” The second picture is “ The Lady Escapes,” a diverting tale of marital differences in which the principal roles are played by Michael Whalen and Gloria Stuart. After a year of married life, in which a considerable amount of crockery is broken, two young people decide to separate, but determine to discover a suitable second husband for the lady before they do so. Their search involves a series of highly entertaining sequences, and some piquant situations when the young wife, after an unusually hectic scene with her husband, becomes involved with a playwright who is engaged to a dynamic and hard-headed actress. The comedy moves at a fast pace, and is full of delightful sparkle. The box plans are at the theatre and at Begg’s. STATE THEATRE “Waikiki Wedding” is proving excellent entertainment at the State Theatre. A musical film, in which Bing Crosby and Shirley Ross are featured, it tells a story of a beauty contest winner and a publicity agent, the latter being interested in the girl for purely business reasons. But she does not realise that, and it is when she finds out that the fun really starts. The box plans are at the theatre and at Begg’s.

“ WAKE UP AND LIVE ” With a good deal of its action occurring in a great broadcasting plant, identified in the film as Radio Centre, “ Wake Up and Live,” the Twentieth Century-Fox musical featuring Walter Winchell. Ben Bernie, and Alice Faye, which will be shown at the State Theatre to-morrow, offers an interesting comparison of microphone technique and broadcasting mannerisms. As the newspaper columnist with the lightning-like delivery, Walter Winchell plays a familiar role, representing the fast-talking radio commentator, sure and crisp in his delivery. Ben Bernie affords a contrast to Winchell, with his slow, drawling humour and the casul, off-hand manner in which he takes i the radio audience into his confidence. Alice Faye, of course, owes her present screen eminence to radio popularity, becoming widely known as a singer with Rudy Vallee’s orchestra and winning larger fame when her acting capabilities were discovered. Victim of that most familiar of all radio phenomena, “ mike fright,” Jack Haley muffs his big radio chance at an aduition. Unnerved by a previous singer’s collapse, Haley timidly approaches the mike and finds, to his horror, that it is growing larger and larger. His tongue sticks in his mouth and his vocal chords refuse to function. Finally, in a cold sweat of terror, he faints away, another victim to the ogre that intimidates all radio tyros, the microphone. REGENT THEATRE Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott have a number of film successes to their credit, but. in their latest picture, “High, Wide, and Handsome,” which will conclude its season at the Regent Theatre to-night, they are seen in different roles to those they have played in previous screen productions. An exciting story, together with some bright comedy and delightful singing, make this fast-moving film excellent entertainment. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C, “LAST TRAIN FROM MADRID” The drama of war-torn Spain has been made the background for a powerful motion picture plot by Paramount Pictures m The Last Tram From Madrid,” which will be commenced at the Regent Theatre to-mor-row. With a capable cast of players, headed by Dorothy Lamour Lew Ayres, Gilbert Roland, Karen Morley, Lionel Atwill, and Helen Mack, The Last Train From Madrid” is the story of 10 persons, most of them unknown to one another, whose lives are suddenly thrown together and their destinies interwoven during 12 feverish hours in Madrid while the city is under heavy bombardment. The story centres upon an incident in the Spanish war which took place last winter. During one of the battles the railroad connecting Madrid to Valencia, referred to as “Madrid’s life line,” had been cut, isolating Madrid from the outside world. A few days later the line had been repaired and the Government announced that certain persons would be permitted to leave the city on the first train out, which was also to be the last train from the stricken city. “The Last Train From Madrid” is “strictly neutral” in the issues involved in the present''Spanish conflict. It simply deals with the 10 lives caught in the maelstrom, and follows them during the 12 hours in which the story takes place. ST. JAMES THEATRE A delightful comedy entitled “Nobody’s Baby” is the current attraction at the St. James Theatre. Patsy Kelly and Lyda Robert! are starred as a new comedy team, and the success of the venture is beyond doubt. They are assisted by Robert Armstrong and Lynne Overman, and, in the roles of nurses find plenty of material to turn into first-rate fun. The box plans are at the theatre, the D.1.C., and Jacobs’s.

“LAUGHING IRISH EYES” 5 Ireland gives its setting of green hilh£ its picturesque peasants, and its lilting music for the .film “ Laughing Irish Eyes,” which will be commenced to-, morrow at the St. James Theatres Backing to his last penny a scheme to find a new champion fighter, O’Kelly, American promoter, and his charming’ daughter, Evelyn Knapp, take a trip to Ireland. It is Evelyn who finds Phil Regan at a blacksmith’s forge on a country road, where her attention is. drawn by his remarkable voice. HiS; talents as a fighter are only by accident in a street brawl, but keeping his amateur status a secret Regan travels back to America to save’; Kelly’s name and fortune in the ringside world. Before the great match has been fought, however, the Irish fighter is exposed by an unscrupulous newspaper man as a singer and not a fighter. How Phil wins back his good name and keeps on singing makes a thrilling climax. Supporting players, include Herman Bing, Betty Compson, Mary Gordon, Russell Hicks, and Ray ( Walker. In addition a special 2000-foot-fllm depicting actual incidents in a day in the life of the Dionne Quintuplets will be shown. These famous children appear throughout the picture, and, events in their day are shown, from, early morning till bedtime. MAYFAIR THEATRE | For comedy entertainment of th* highest order no better film could b« selected than George Formby’s outstanding success, “No Limit,” which, although it was screened in Dunedin for the first time some weeks ago, JM still spoken of as the brightest and most entertaining picture; “No Limit,” which is at the Mayfair Theatre, sweeps along on a laughter trail from beginning to end, and the experiences of Formby as a T.T. rider furnish the audience with hilarious entertainment. In addition, he sings a number of catchy songs and plays his ukelele at frequent intervals. Florence Desmond, who also has a high reputation for comedy work, is an excellent lead for Formby. The other attraction on the programme is a racy: story dealing with horses and romance* the title, “Breezing Home,” being an indication of what the picture is about. William Gargan, Wendy Bame, and Binnie Barnes (who sings some tuneful melodies) are the featured, players. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C,