AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 19

AMUSEMENTS

GRAND THEATRE With a cheerfully unscrupulous Irishman and a canny Scots business man matching wits, there is no room for a dull moment in “Said O’Reilly to McNab,” which is now being screened with outstanding success at the Grand Theatre. Will Mahoney is the Irishman and Will Fyfle the Scotsman, both in the top flight of vaudeville stars. Both Have appeared in royal command performances in London. That the honour was deserved is the verdict of all those who have seen them together in “ Said O’Reilly to McNab.” the plot of which offers full scope to both, each acting as an admirable foil to the other. The element of romance is supplied by James Carney, as O’Reilly’s son, and Jean Winstanley, as McNab’s daughter. They want to get married, and O’Reilly favours the match. McNab, however, does not. though he is not, as yet, aware that the police are in pursuit of O’Reilly for the sale of shares in a swindling company. The future of the young couple is made the stake in an hilarious golf match between their respective fathers. Their courtship suffers other setbacks, and after many manoeuvres and battles a suitable ending is reached. The supporting attraction, “ Big Business." also presents enjoyable entertainment. It features the popular Jones Family in a fastmoving comedy. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. STATE THEATRE Hurricane,” which opened its season at the State Theatre yesterday, is one of the most realistic pictures which has been seen in Dunedin for years It has as its climax a great storm, and the audience leaves the theatre with the appalling sound of the wind and the overpowering impression of a raging sea still strongly with them. For a portrayal of sheer elemental Nature, this film will be hard to beat. That such a cataclysm should have been staged in a film studio is one of the most remarkable achievements in the industry. The backgrounds for the preceding portions of the film are authentic, the photography having been done in American Samoa. During the hurricane sequence, all that can be heard is the mighty roar of the wind, and, when suddenly that sound ceases, it is as though one had actually been fighting a way to shelter. The theatre is forgotten, and, when the storm Anally passes, one can feel the relief of the audience as it was released from the tension which had been created,. But this is merely the highlight of an uncommonly good picture. Without its storm climax, this production would have been rated well above the average. “ The Hurricane ’ introduces a new screen personality in Jon Hall, a relative of J. N. Hall, who, with Charles Nordoff, wrote the scenario for this film. The pair is well-known for its books about the Bounty mutiny. Jon Hall has a magnificent physique, but he also knows how to act. He takes the part # of Terangi, first mate of a trading schooner, and with Dorothy Lamour, the star of “Jungle Princess,’ who makes a charming island maid, supplies the love interest. The story is fairly simple. Terangi and Marama are married to the accompaniment of some characteristic native ceremonial, and he sails away on the schooner. In* Tahiti he gets into a fight and is clapped into gaol. After several attempts he escapes and sets out in an outrigger on a 600-mile journey home—an Incident in the story which is full of excitement. His return is discovered, and the Governor of the island sets out to recapture Terang) when the storm brakes loose. The islanders take shelter in the chapel, which itself finally succumbs to the fury of the wind and waves, but Terangi puts his trust in the mighty trunk of a great tree, and when the chapel collapses he persuades the Governor’s wife to share it with his family. Even the tree crashes, and. with the survivors, is carried out to sea. The Governor’s yacht rides out the storm and providentially happens along. Here officialdom blinks its eye, and all ends happily. There is some particularly fine dramatic acting at times, chiefly by Raymond Massey, as the Governor, and Thomas Mitchell, as the resident doctor. When it is considered that Mitchell is merely a foil to the better-known actor, his performance becomes' more meritorious. He appears as a tipsy doctor with a deep understanding of native Ssychology, who tries hard to educate le Governor to the creed that a sense of honour and duty in the South Seas is as useless as a silk hat in a hurricane,” but who, at the testing time, is as loyal as any to the call of duty. C. Aubrey Smith gives an irreproachable portrayal as the village priest, Father Paul. John Carradme once more makes himself thoroughly objectionable as the brutal gaoler. The supporting programme includes a short feature of ski thrills in the Norwegian snowfields and a colour cartoon, “Tom Thumb.” The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. EMPIRE THEATRE The story of life at the Annap.olis Naval Academy has been told on many occasions on the screen, and, incidentally. it has provided the plots of several really excellent productions. There is, therefore, not a great deal that is new in “ Navy Blue and Gold,” which commenced a season at the Empire Theatre yesterday, but that in no way detracts from the merit of the picture, for it is undoubtedly the best of its type that has been seen so far in Dunedin. Sam Wood, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished directors, has achieved enviable results with the original novel by George Bruce, and the result is a film that is replete with thrills, action drama, comedy and romance, nicely blended into a thoroughly entertaining production. Through American eyes it would probably be more signifi cant than it is to a New Zealandei because it contams a generous measure of what might be termed “ glorifica tion” of the United States navy This impression is justified because similai settings and characters and almost similar stories have appeared in other films, and yet there is no doubt that the navy college football drama has never been more thoroughly done ihan in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s latest offer. It is most handsomely presented and the acting is surprisinglv sincere. Even the football sequences, although somewhat strange to non-American eyes, are not without their thrills, There are three leading men in “ Navy Blue and Gold”—Robert Young, James Stewart and Tom Brown—and all of them give excellent performances. They play the parts of three midshipmen at the Annapolis Naval Academy. Young is the cynical young man of the trio and he gives an outstanding characterisation. At the college only because his uniform makes him more attractive to the girls, he has no intention of remaining In the service. Stewart is cast as a navy oiler up from

a battleship to try for his stripes at the academy, and he adds considerably to his stature as an artist of the screen In the film he is an earnest youth, whose father had been cashiered from the navy. Tom Brown is a scion of wealth, full of heroworship and football tactics. Apart from these three, however, there are others in the cast whose performances are of a high standard. Lionel Barrymore, an old friend, is excellent in the role of an aged officer who totters through the story spreading good advice and high ideals to all and sundry Barrymore is a real artist of the screen, and this character part, while it does not require a great deal of effort on his part, is an admirable one. Florence Rice has the leading feminine' role, and is more than delightful as the pretty young sister of Tom Brown. Minor roles are taken by Billie Burke, as Brown’s mother, and Barnett Parker, as a comical butler, both of whom go close to stealing the honours .from the principals. Perhaps this is because their roles lend themselves to some novelty. Most of the picture is devoted to the redemption of Robert Young, and making him conscious of the navy’s fine traditions. In addition, there is a scandal which is caused when it is discovered that Stewart has joined the college under an assumed name because of his father’s past history. In a dramatic scene, however, he clears his father’s name, and is reinstated. There is, of course, plenty of excitement during the course of the football games, with the requisite amount of brilliant play on the part of the herp. Altogether “Navy Blue and Gold” is splendid entertainment for all types of picture patrons. The supporting programme is an unusually interesting one, including as it does a Laurel and Hardy comedy and another of the “ March of Time ” series. The comedy shows two American humorists at their best in gome hilarious nonsense, while the “ March of Time ” gives, in particular, an interesting insight into American political methods of employing Government servants and the preparations being made by certain nations for war. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. REGENT THEATRE “ The Merry-go-round of 1938 ” is the intriguing title of the new attraction at the Regent Theatre, where it had its first screening yesterday. Dunedin audiences should find it both interesting and amusing as it caters for an unusually wide variety of tastes and embraces a large field of entertainment from vaudeville to broad farce. It is a film that must be labelled “different.” Never before has stage and night club talent been utilised in a screen play so effectively. Three of the leading players are stage comedians, and overseas this film has been taken as proof that stage players are as funny in pictures as behind footlights if they are allowed to display their talent in their own way. It is the antics of four stars that make “ Merry-go-round ” the hilarious feature that it is. They are Mischa Auer, Bert Lahr, Jimmy Savo, and Billy House. In clowning, pantomime, and straight comedy alike they are. superb. This film Is released as a vaudeville musical, and these four are adepts at the art. All manner of devices are used to raise a laugh, and they never fail. It is doubtful whether anything more humorous than Jimmy Savo’s rendering of the classic “River, Stay ’Way from My Door,” has ever been seen or heard in Dunedin. On a par with this act is Bert Lahr’s woodchopper act, in which he mimics the operatic tenor to perfection. Also productive of much mirth is Auer’s Swami act, in which he employs his ability at levitation to raise his friend Lahr high in the air and drop him heavily to the floor, - In this way Bert wins a wrestling match, dropping on his opponent from a height of about 20 feet to take the deciding fall with a body press. In the development of the story Lahr, Savo, House, and Auer are four vaudeville artists who raise from infancy the daughter of a fellow star. At 19 she falls in' love with a rich young man from North Madison, but his aunt does not care for stage people, and so the four impersonate fictitious titled family relatives, an Indian Swami gifted in levitation, the aunt’s former lumberjack sweetheart, and other imaginary persons whose influences combine to make the happy ending. Alice Brady plays the role of the fluttering aunt, and Joy Hodges the part of the adopted girl. Miss Hodges has a pleasant voice and sings several tuneful numbers. The supporting programme is an interesting one, the feature item being a Government publicity film entitled “Our Daily Bread,” in which the development of wheatgrowing on the Canterbury Plains is graphically depicted. The box plans for the season will be found at the theatre and at the D.I.C. ST. JAMES THEATRE Adventure and romance are blended in entertaining fashion in “The New Adventures of Tarzan,” which attracted large audiences to the St. James Theatre, where it was shown for the first time yesterday. This time there is a new Tarzan —Herman Brix, an Olympic Games champion and an outstanding athlete—but for all the difference it makes there might well have been no change, for he is equally as good as Johnny Weissmuller, who formerly took those parts, and swings from tree to tree, swims in crocodileinfested waters, and wrestles with lions as to the manner born. And, if anything, he has a rather more terrifying war cry than Weissmuller. Even if the added spice of Tarzan's appearance were not there, the picture would still be a satisfyingly thrilling one, for its story has all the elements that go to make un an adventure story of the first order. There is a stone goddess in the steamy jungle of Guatemala, the repository not only of countless gems, but also of a formula for a deadly explosive, there are several expeditions heading for the spot with different objects, there is a stop-at-nothing type of villain, and there is plenty of shooting. The film derives considerable interest also from the fact that it was actually filmed in Guatemala, and the ways of the people of that country—their dancing, their fighting. and their mode of living—form an interesting sidelight on the story itself. The story begins in Africa, where Tarzan has returned from England, tired of the type of civilised life he must lead as Lord Greystoke. and it is here that three expeditions are formed to search the jungles of Guatemala for the Lost Goddess. They sail on the same ship, and it is during this voyage that the first trouble is experienced An attempt is made to steal from Major Martling, leader of one expedition. a document which he has, giving the secret of how to open the Lost Goddess, and a man loses his life when it appears that the villain, in the person of one Raglan, is about to be unmasked. Raglan, whose motives are purely mercenary, is determined to stop Ula Vale, leader of the third expedition, from reaching the Lost Goddesr and he is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his purpose By

intercepting a radio message to Major Martling, he finds that the formula he is seeking is in the keeping of a priest in an inland village in Guatemala, and when he arrives there he loses no time in forcibly removing it from the priest’s house. What follows is pure adventure. Tarzan, who has accompanied Martling’s expedition, sets off in chase of Raglan when the theft Is discovered, and while on this venture he saves the life of Ula Vale in spectacular fashion. Grasping a long, trailing vine, he swings down from a cliff over a fast-flowing river into which Raglan has thrown Miss Vale, dives in mid air, and eventually saves her just as she is about to be hurled over a huge waterfall. This is only one of his feats, however, as he wrestles with and kills a lion, and has amazing encounters with savage Indians before the film reaches its conclusion. Although the opposing faction reaches the goddess first. Tarzan obtains possession of the document, which is necessary before the relic can be opened. Smugglers enter the scene and introduce further complications which are not solved until after a good many adventures have been encountered. Taken all round, “ The New Adventures of Tarzan ” is thrilling entertainment. There is a particularly good supporting programme, with several comedies and cartoons. The box plans are at the D.1.C., Jacobs’s, and the theatre. STRAND THEATRE All the glamour and romance of the circus ring, and the suspense and thrills of baffling mystery are combined in “The Shadow,” which is the main production in the programme which commenced a season at the Strand Theatre yesterday. Rita Haworth- is shown as a circus owner whose dead father leaves her to face an accumulation of debts which threaten to make her carrying on of the circus an impossibility. In this event, it would pass into the control of one Senor Martinet, who is all his name implies. He is heartily detested by all ms associates, and there is no surprise when he is murdered during one of his acts. Several people have a motive for killing him, and the audience is kept in suspense as to the identity of a ghostly, black-clad figure which is continually seen at night about the circus premises. Charles Quigley, the publicity man of the concern, determines to unravel the mystery of Martinet’s death. A second murder occurs, and Quigley’s difficulties are intensified. It becomes fairly obvious that Martinet’s slayer is a relative of the murdered man, and the doings of the various members of the cast cause the audience to be suspicious of first one and then another. People who boast of their ability to “pick” the murderer have a rude shock awaiting in this picture. The associate teature on the programme is a Fox production, “White Lilac,” and it derives its title from the fad that a bunch of those flowers is found in a murdered man’s apartment, and provides the only clue to the identity of his murderer. Basil Sydney and Judy Gunn have the leading roles, and receive support from the favourite, Claude Dampier, who, in this picture, really reveals some of the humour of which he is capable. A good supporting programme, including an interesting newsreel is shown, and the box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. OCTAGON THEATRE The first thing to be said about the Twentieth Century-Fox production, “ His Affair,” which is now at the Octagon Theatre, is that the title does it much less than justice. “ His Affair is an honest, romantic “thriller, _ a mixture of gangster and secret service drama with more broken heads than broken hearts, a sufficiency of sudden death, and one of the most suspenseladen climaxes ever brought to the screen. It provides romantic passages acted by Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, and features the hearty songs and robust chorines of the 1900 era. The gang menace in the form of an epidemic of bank robberies, was apparently just beginning to trouble America at the beginning of the century. President McKinley (Frank Conroy) picks out a young naval lieutenant (Taylor) and makes him the forerunner of the G-men of the present day. Nobody but the hero and the president are to know anything about this mission. Taylor follows a winding trail and at last catches up with the robbers (Brian Donlevy and Victor McLaglen), and joins them. He also falls in love with an actress (Barbara Stanwyck), who is McLaglen’s girl, and that causes more complications. Taylor, as the hero, does his job so well that he comes to the very foot of the gallows before securing the vital information about the man behind the robberies, and just at that moment President McKinley, the one man who can clear the hero of complicity, is assassinated. The climax is extremely cleverly handled. The wealth of character studies provided by an able cast contributes largely to the attractiveness of the picture. The background for this melodrama is lavishly and authentically constructed, with musical interludes of the period Historical characters such as “ Teddy ” Roosevelt and Admiral Dewey are introduced. “ His Affair " runs the gamut of the night life of a great American city during the opening years of this century. It furnishes all the entertainment of those days in addition to the thrills of exciting adventure and the flutterings of a romance fostered in the “ underworld.” Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck are at their glamor, ous best in the leading roles, and Victor McLaglen has one of the “ he-man ” characterisations he revels in. The supporting programme of newsreels and short features covers a wide variety of interesting subjects. A clever animated cartoon adds to the stories of “Ali Baba’s fabled past, and a highly-amusing domestic farce completes this entertaining programme. The box plans will be found at the theatre and at Begg’s. MAYFAIR THEATRE The story of “Saratoga,” featuring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable and commencing to-day at the Mayfair Theatre, is by Anita Loos and Robert Hopkins, authors of “ San Francisco,' a former Gable film. The cast sur rounding Miss Harlow and Gable includes Lionel Barrymore as Grandpa Clayton, the old horse breeder, Frank Morgan, Walter Pidgeon. Una Merkel. Cliff Edwards, George Zucco, Jonathan Hale, Hattie McDaniels Frankie Darro and Heriry Stone. Thousands appear in shots of racing grand stands and along the fences of great race tracks during thrilling races. The story deals with a wealthy girl, financial troubles plots tc victimise a man at horse race betting. and a final romance between girl and bookmaker who started as bitter enemies. The " Sapper " series of mystery dramas has already made itself a well-known favourite with the theatregoing public, and “ Bulldog Drummond Comes Back," the second attraction, should do much to enhance its prestige. The plot of *ne film tells of Drummond’s efforts to find his fiancee, who has been kidnapped by the brother and widow of a criminal who was hanged through Drummond’s intervention. Clues are left in the form of cryptic rhymes on gramophone records. If he interprets them correctly both he and his fiancee are to go free Obviously, they are to be murdered when it suits the whim of the diabolical pair who harass Drummond so unmercifully. The grand finale is a melodramatic ordeal in the macabre atmosphere of a haunted castle. Box plans are at Gadd’s and the D.I.C.