AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23631, 15 October 1938, Page 18

AMUSEMENTS

EMPIRE THEATRE To those who appreciate the music of the famous dance bands of the world and fast-moving American comedy and romance. Paramount’s “ Cocoanut Grove,” which opened at the Empire Theatre yesterday, is by way of a treat. It comprises all those elements of kinema entertainment which, when effectively linked up, make what is known as “ good comedy.” It introduces New Zealand audiences to the .Los Angeles mecca of night club life, “ Cocoanut Grove,” and serves to present at their brightest and best Fred Mac Murray, the members of Harry Owen’s Royal Hawaiian Band, the Yacht Club Boys, ani a group of first-rate individual entertainers. In addition, of course, there is Harriet Hilliard, who sings, falls in love with the leader of the band, and is generally charming. Johnny Prentice, played by Mac Murray. first comes into the picture when his band is on its last legs, due to some extent to his habit of losing his temper and knocking people about. To keep his players together, he tells them he has secured an audition at the famous Cocoanut Grove, and then then troubles and the audience’s fun start in earnest. The trip to Los Angeles is a memorable business, and they arrive after a series of hardships and heartbreaks on a freight train, playing for the entertainment of the driver. They wheedle an audition, but things still go wrong, but after sundry other misfortunes they are brought together for a smashing finale, in which the band plays itself into fame at the Grove. The story is not a very serious one, but it is handled ingeniously and lightheartedly, and the performers enter right into the spirit of it. The specialty artists of ** Cocoanut Grove ” are something more than specialty artists. They have their places in the plot, and have to work for their living from beginning to end. Ben Blue and his crazy antics, Rufe Davis, producing the weirdest of noises, and Eve Arden are part of a squad of entertainers that keeps everything moving fast and hilariously: but the real feature of the film is the playing of the Royal Hawaiian Band. It discovers in its pianist a clever writer of modern jazz, and the results are brilliant. Some of the songs, particularly “ Says My Heart,” are captivating. Then there is an infant prodigy, Billy Lee, who displays a remarkable technique for one of his years in his attacks on the drums. Mac Murray and Harriet Hilliard are in their best form, but as it happens, the principals are overshadowed by an unusually talented cast. The Yacht Club Boys are in great form, and their last number, “ We’re Four of the Three Musketeers,” is a gem. A good supporting programme includes a “ Popeye ” cartoon and some first-rate newsreels. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. GRAND THEATRE I Telling a novel crime story against a background of moving picture-mak-ing, RKO Radio’s “ Crashing Hollywood ” is at the Grand Theatre. Lee Tracy is starred, and Joan Woodbury heads a large supporting cast. They all breeze convincingly through the story, which starts when Tracy, as an author, forms a collaborating partnership with Paul Guilfoyle, as an exconvict. Tracy believes, however, that his collaborator is a professional criminologist, and innocently writes a story that gives inside details on a notorious and unsolved bank robbery. When the story becomes a picture the gang that committed the robbery and the police come to the studio to find the author. In the ensuing complications Tracy is believed to be a member of the gang, and until he is able to clear himself he is in constant hot water. Lee Patrick plays Guilfoyle’s wife, Richard Lane, a movie executive, Bradley Page the dual role of a gangster and the actor who impersonates him on the screen. Tom Kennedy as a dumb crook, and Frank M. Thomas as a detective. The second feature is “ Condemned Women.” featuring Sally Eilers, Louis Hayward, Anne Shirley, and Lee Patrick. It is a tale of a women’s penitentiary and of the love of one of the prisoners for the prison doctor. The tale has its climax in an exciting prison mutiny. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. REGENT THEATRE Oljunpe Bradna, the Continental star hailed as a great new find about a year ago, achieves her best work to date in “ Stolen Heaven,” the uncommon film which is the feature of the new programme at the Regent Theatre this week. Not only does she give the best account of herself that she has managed to date, but she displays a quality of performance that proves the worth of the claims that were made for her earlier. “ Stolen Heaven ” brings out a sensitiveness of interpretation and a compelling charm in this young actor which neither “ The Last Train from Madrid ” nor “ Souls at Sea ” could discover. Her character as the youngest of a band of not very convincing jewel thieves is a lovable and pleasing one. The piquant charm that is hers is exploited to the utmost in the role of Steffi, and the combination in her portrait of demureness, gaiety and recklessness stamps her as a real screen personality. Actually she makes her best impression not as the young criminal, but as the carefree cabaret entertainer, and it is here that she produces- the captivating grace and irresistible joie de vivre which will undoubtedly attract to her much greater opportunities in the future. Gene Raymond plays opposite her in a part which is far removed from his usual characterisations, but he shows, as so many other comedy stars of the screen have done before him that success in romantic farce does not prevent a player from being equally successful in more serious vein. He carries through the role of Carl very well and frequently reproduces that easy comedy style that made him a firm favourite almost from the date of his first release. He has no difficulty whatever in being debonair and quick-witted, and he really makes a very convincing gang leader in the approved Hollywood style, giving to his part strength and hardness which are far from natural to him and which he has seldom had an opportunity of displaying before. But what is most uncommon, and at the same time most attractive about “ Stolen Heaven ” is the manner in which a crime story has been set in a romantic atmosphere which depends for its appeal on Liszt compositions. One of the musical gems of the nroduction is the festival which marks the return to the concert stage of Josef Langauer, a retired and somewhat disappointed and disillusioned master of the piano. This study is presented with superb strength and sympathy by Lewis Stone, now one of the real veterans of the screen. The film actually gains all its sentimental power from his portrait of the old recluse who softens and blossoms forth again under the inspiration of the presence of Steffi, the little Viennese orphan girl who once heard him play in his heyday many years before when an inmate of an orphanage. Stone gives life and vigour to a plot which, with the exception of the scenes in the biergarten with which the film opens, is lending towards the commonplace. The action of the story suddenly begins to move along unusual channels when the fugitive gang of thieves stumble across the old man’s herimtage in the woods, and after twisting and turning down both humorous and dramatic by-ways the picture reaches its big moment when the young gang leader and his sweetheart, Raymond and Olympo Bradna, refuse to make the escape that seems possible because it would mean the collapse of the old pianist’s triumph after so many years of disappointment. The best situations in the picture are well handled, and Glenda Farrell, Porter Hall, and Joseph Sawyer manage important supporting roles well. There is a good programme of short subjects covering a wide range of interesting features, and the box plans for the season will be found at the theatre and at the D.I.C.

STATE THEATRE Certainly there is an atmosphere of Bohemian artistry and ecentricity captured in R.K.O.’s “ Wise Girl,” which is the feature film of the full and varied programme which opened a season at the State Theatre yesterday. But it is something more than a film of Bohemian life. The “wise girl” is Miriam Hopkins, and the film is a comedy-drama underlying rambling bickerings between the two principals, Miss Hopkins and the handsome Ray Mil-land, who recently scored a big success in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “ Ebb Tide." Milland is an artist, and Miss Hopkins is the daughter of a wealthy Park avenue resident, and the story is built round the efforts of herself and her father to gain custody of her two nieces, orphans who are under the guardianship of the artist. The comedy is provided by the running battle between the “wise girl” and the artist, and by the peculiarities of life in Bohemian quarters. Mr Fletcher and Susan have tried all ways of obtaining the responsibility for bringing up these two small girls, and at last desperation' forces Susan to go down to Greenwich Village, America’s leading colony for artists and writers, in the conviction that a handsome and intelligent young: woman could keep John O’Halloran out of work so successfully that an order for guardianship of the children on the grounds that he could not support them could easily be obtained. But, of course, romance comes into the story, and Susan finds that she Is not after all such a wise girl. When at last she gets herself a room In the colony, in which transaction she lives up to her own judgment of her ability, there is a bright little scene when her first “bath" is interrupted by these unconventional villagers., She is highly successful in having O’Halloran dismissed from his various; employments, but is rather nonplussed by the intelligence of the two. small girls, whose education has been attended to by O’Halloran himself. They chatter away their private messages in French, and it is their belief that she does not understand them that gives: her the opportunity to find out just what her position is. Exposure follows in due course, and the children are given over to her and her father. They have their own ideas, however, and they are very definite ones, and it is not until she decides that they shall go back to O’Halloran that the three: “ women ” have a conference and evolve a plan of campaign to make O’Halloran paint as they are convinced he can paint. A quiet little cell in a rather rowdy gaol with certain restrictions, all cleverly organised by the “wise girl” give him his opportunity, and the result comes up to all expectations except those of the artist himself. There is a lot of clever work in “Wise Girl,’" Miss Hopkins is well cast as the impetuous, but sympathetic, heiress. The difficulties with O’Halloran, the scheming of a most determined young woman, a series of quarrels, and all the other incidents that are inevitable in life in such a colony of writers, artists, and other “ peculiar ” people are taken in her stride. Milland makes a good artist of the brilliant, irresponsible type, and there is an excellent character, that of a despondent, hard-drinking arust. played by Walter Abel. Guinn Williams, one of the screen's well-known “ tough is O’Halloran’s sparring partner in chief. He is cast as a boxer, and has a_ stiff left to iustify his claims. It is claimed that “ Wise Girl ” depicts actual conditions of life with the residents of the famous art centre. At any rate, the result is highly amusing in places, and always interesting. The supporting programme is an unusually good one. including news reels, a very good featurette entitled “ The Man Eater, a picture of life on the bottom of the sea. another of a different type featuring Ted Fio Rita and his band, a further series of the “ March of Time.” and a Donald Duck cartoon. Box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. ST. JAMES THEATRE The programme which was screened at the St. James Theatre for the first time yesterday is one that will please all tastes, comprising as it does a tuneful musical comedy. College Swing.” and a really good mystery drama. “Bulldog Drummond’s Peril.” The first picture is a somewhat satirical treatise on American college life, and, while the plot is quite outside the bounds of possibility, the adroit manner in which it has been handled and the generous sprinkling of song and dance numbers make it an amusing and entertaining production. The principals are all well-known comedians, and in combination they start a series of hilarious episodes that carries the story along at a fast pace. Gracie Allen, although she has the best lines, does not monopolise the camera, but she succeeds in setting a standard which the others, good as they are. find hard to maintain. With her inimitable partner. George Burns, and with the co-operation of Edward Everett Horton, Ben Blue and Martha Raye, she cavorts and giggles her way through the film in a delightful manner. She is cast as Gracie Alden, the class dunce, whose failure to pass her examinations prompts her father to leave his fortune to the custody of the school until such time as she or a descendant shall graduate, Gracie rather amusingly manages to pass her test and inherits the college, and her peculiar methods of rdnning it cause all the trouble. John Payne and Florence George handle the slight romantic leads admirably, and Betty Grable and Jackie Coogan are cast in minor roles. “ Bulldog Drummond’s Peril ” is adapted from “ Sapper’s ” “The Third Round,” and. while one of the central characters of the novel, Carl Peterson, is missing, the film is still full of all the necessary action, mystery and thrills to satisfy the most ardent “ Sapper ” fan. It is a story of an old scientist whose discovery how to make synthetic diamonds leads to murder and sudden death as a diamond syndicate tries to prevent his formula being made public. John Howard is excellent as Drummond, and John Barrymore makes an outstanding Colonel Neilson, while Reginald Denny and Louise Campbell lend able support. The box plans are at the theatre, Begg’s and Jacobs’*.

STRAND THEATRE Combining the maximum amount of suspense with fast and thrilling action, "The Last Journey,” a railway drama packed with tense situations, is the first attraction on the double bill which commenced screening at the Strand Theatre yesterday. In many ways the picture could be likened to what the novel “ Victoria 4.30," by Cecil Roberts, would be if translated to the screen. On board an English express a driver is making his last journey. In the belief that his assistant has been paying attention to his wife, he goes berserk and threatens to wreck the train. Timely relief is brought by a quick-witted doctor, who, at a great personal risk, makes the journey from his carriage to the-engine and calms the “mad” driver in time to avert a tragedy. Included among the passengers are many different types such as are found in any Jarge gathering, and it is here that a mental picture of “Victoria 4.30” is so vividly formed. The leading players are Hugh Williams, Judy Gunn. Michael Hogan, Eve Grey, and Julian MitchelL “ Nurse From Brooklyn,” the second picture, is a drama of the “ police v. killer” variety. In the leading rola is Sally Eilers, who gives a very flna performance. Co-starred with her is Paul Kelly, who is excellent as a tough police officer who falls in love with Sally Eilers, the hospital nurse. Larry Blake enacts the role of tha suave killer, while Maurice Murphy contributes a convincing study as the brother of the nurse. The programme is rounded off with an interesting Universal newsreel. The box plans ar* at the theatre and the D.I.C. OCTAGON THEATRE Jack Buchanan and Maurice Chevalier, who share the principal roles in Break the News,” which had its first screenings at the Octagon Theatre yesterday, comprise an unusual and intriguing combination, and the promise of good entertainment which their appearance in double harness suggests is amply fulfilled in this wellbalanced and absorbing production. “ Break the News ” has a genuine distinction which makes it a film that should not be missed during the coming w’eek. Satire and broad comedy are cleverly intermingled to produce a variety of situations and complications which give all the principals admirable scope for the display of their talents. Comedy and melodrama nestle cheek by jowl in a delightful farce of contradictions, and both Buchanan and Chevalier find many situations very much to their liking. Buchanan demonstrates that he i« something a good deal more substantial than a mere musical comedy star, and Chevalier displays a competence in straight acting which, allied to his more familiar style, makes his return to the screen after a considerable absence a genuinely interesting experience. The feminine honours in “Break the News” rest with June Knight, a personable and talented young lady who finds plenty to do in a role that suits her capabilities to perfection. There is never a dull moment in “Break the News,” and the hilarious tale which it tells is played out against a colourful and attractive background which adds greatly to the effectiveness of the film. The supporting parts are all well handled, and it requires only a wellassorted and attractive series of supporting subjects to make the programme at the Octagon Theatre on* of the attractions of the week. The box plans for the season will be found as usual at the theatre and at Begg’s. MAYFAIR THEATRE Thrills of a great horse race, inner machinations of race track crooks, and intrigue of the betting ring, provide a background for a heart-gripping story of friendships and loyalties of youth in “Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry,” which is now at the Mayfair Theatre. The central theme Is the loyalty of three youngsters and the friendship of a woman keeping a race-track boarding house. The simple human theme overshadows the surging competition of the track. The new picture brings to the screen Ronnie Sin? clair (Ra Hould), the Dunedin boy actor, in his first important role. A clever actor, distinctive in his appeal, he is teamed with singing Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, who play* a young jockey. The sympathetic boardinghouse keeper is superbly played by Sophie Tucker. It is difficult to imagine a picture more replete with comic situations than Georg* Formby’s “Keep Your Seats Please,’ yet that distinction may fairly b* accorded to his latest offering, “Keep Fit,” the second feature. George ha* the role of a young assistant in the barber’s shop of a department store. He also has a sheepish fondness for the shop’s pretty yourig manicurist. In the hope of finding favour in her eyes and justifying a supposed reputation for athletic prowess, George enters the “ keep fit competition ’’ conducted by a local newspaper. Tha uproarious situations which ensue can readily be imagined. The box plan* are at the theatre and the D.I.C.