AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23686, 19 December 1938, Page 17

AMUSEMENTS

i CURRENT PROGRAMMES OCTAGON THEATRE To-day is the day of light comedy; never before has it occupied such a high place in the kinema world. One of the best of recent releases of this nature is "The Joy of Living," which heads an attractive bill at the Octagon Theatre. Two fine players in Irene Dunne and Douglas Fairbanks jun.. handle the leading roles in fine style Others in the oast are Guy Kibbee and Alice Brady. The story is about a leading Broadway singer, who falls in with a gay young man about town and has adventures undreamed of. before finally she falls in love with him. " Joy of Living" is the latest production in the new American tradition of "crazy" films, aud it makes no mistake about its craziness. Box plans are at the theatre and at Begg's. "SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS " "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." which is Walt Disney's firsl animated cartoon of feature length, will be commenced at the Octagon Theatre at a special preview at 10.30 next Thursday night, is perfectly delightful screen entertainment, one interviewer writes. The film is as charming as it is novel in conception and execution, and it is so designed that it is bound to appeal as strongly to grown-ups as to voungsters. The magic continues throughout Snow White's exciting flight from the villainous stepmother and her adventure with the seven little men who give her shelter and loving devotion, but who fail to keep her from the clutches of the cruel Queen. The spell remains unbroken until Snow White awakens from her lethal sleep at the kiss of her Prince Charming. Disney has maintained faith with the brothers Grimm in transferring the broad outline of the plot of the fairy tale to the screen, but he has drawn on his own delicious sense of humour, and that of his staff, for the delightful details that have been worked into the story. The rescue scene, for instance, when the dwarfs try to prevent the Queen from carrying out her nefarious designs on the Princess, is pure Disney and comedy of the first order. The new multiplane technicolour process which was used in photographing the cartoons gives the picture depth and a great variety of colour tones. The voices of the various characters have been selected judiciously, particularly the voice of the Princess, which is a sweet and childish treble that suits the little heroine perfectly. EMPIRE THEATRE A bright, quick-moving comedy in the traditional musical style is " Everybody Sing," now showing at the Empire Theatre. Catchy melodies, introduced by the latest in "swing" technique, help to keep the audience in the best of humours. The story is that of a crazy household in which the husband is a playwright of dubious success, the wife a juvenile lead of some 20 years' experience, the elder daughter a woud-be singer of opera, and tha younger daughter a quite involuntary "swing" expert. The cook is the household's chief creditor, and the housemaid also has forgotten when last she was paid. When, however, the backer refuses to function any more, the younger daughter takes her " swing " talent to a night club to save the family. The show ends with that Paradise of Tin-Pan Alley, a success on Broadway. Of the singing nothins belter can be said than that the burden is carried by Allan Jones, of " Firefly" and other successes, and Judy Garland, that bright and rising star In the jaz.z firmamen' It is sufficient to say in connection with the comedy in the picture that Fannie Brice. Billie Burke, Reginald Owen, Lynne Carver, Reg. Gardiner, and Henry Armetta all have featured roles. Were it notable for nothing else, the picture would be well worth seeing for the performances oi the two old Ziegfeld troupers, Billie tsurke and Fannv Brice. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C

GRAND THEATRE Including "Under Your Spell." starring Lawrence Tlbbett. and "Variety Hour," presenting 10 of Britain's most, famous variety acts in one film, the programme at the Grand Theatre is a musical feast. Both films are of a high order and make a bright and attractive evening's entertainment. Lawrence Tibbett, singing three new songs, cast against a background of riotous comedy provided by Gregory Ratoff and Arthur Treacher and a roughhouse romance with Wendy Barrie. is seen in his newest and greatest musical comedy romance, while "Variety Hour," which is the other film presents some of the best variety performers of to-day aTninst their proner background—the stage. It Is a real variety show wound irto a story con cei-ning C'apham and Dwver as themselves, endeavouring to reinstate themselves in the food opinion of the doctor of a broadcF-p+ini? corporation Box plans are at the theatre and at Begg's "PAINTED DESERT' Content to let others star in drawing room comedy and night club drama, George O'Brien prefers to do his film work in a locale of mountains and deserts. For some years now he has held a leading position among the screen's outdoor and action stars. Equ ally at home as a cowboy a lumber man, a sailor, a miner, a frontiersman or a sheriff, O'Brien mixes his roles, and as a result he maintains an immense popularity with the adventureloving patrons of pictures. In his last two vehicles for RKO Radio O'Brien appeared as an old-time U.S marshal and as an up-to-date G-man And in his latest film, "Painted Desert." coming on Wednesday to the Grand Theatre, he is cast as an Arizona rancher who becomes involved in a hard-fought struggle for control of a valuable tungsten mine Laraine Johnson has the leading feminine role and Stanley Fields, Ray Whitely Fred Kohler. Maude Allen, and other wellknown players are in the cast Hollywood's latest screen team Frank Albertson and Eleanor Lynn makes its debut in "Fugitives for a Night, stirring drama of life in the movie capital, which Will be the second film Albertson, a film favourite for several years but new in leads, has one of his most likeable and sympathetic roles to date as the stooge hero, while Miss Lynn, a brilliant newcomer from Broadwav, plays her fourth film role in this offering as a charming girl who makes Albertson see the error of his ways. STATE THEATRE Robert Young and Don Ameche vie for the affections of petite Simone Simon in the amusing romantic comedy of mistaken identity, which heads the programme at the State Theatre At the top of the supporting cast are Bert Lahr and Joan Davis, who appeared together in " Love and Hisses." Miss Simon's last fiim These two are rapidly gaining popularity as a comedy team, and Miss Davis was recently voted the most popular comedienne on the screen in a nation-wide poll conducted by a couple of the largest New York dailies "Josette" is a rollicking, farcical comedy, bubbling over with bright spots of music, mirth and melodv. Box plans are at Begg's and the D.I.C REGENT THEATRE A bright, unusual comedy, redolent of the glamour and romance of the mid-eighteenth century, is "The Great Garrick." now showing at the Regent Theatre The play is one which for lightness of touch and speed of movement might vvell have been written by one of those fashionable dilettante playwrights of the period whose facility was responsible for the development of the drawing room comedy. The costuming is really gorgeous, but

is fortunately not allowed to achieve an effect better obtained by acting. The period scenes at the commencement, in which views of the London markets show rabbits (caught in Hyde Park) being offered for sale side by side with bats, fish, and pictures oi Charles II and the ruling dramatic actor of the period are among the finest yet seen on the screen The performance of Brian Aherne as David Garrick, whose acting earned for the Drury Lane Theatre a permanent place on the roll of dramatic fame, is all the more excellent, considering the easy grace with which he had to handle love scenes, Hamlet's death, several duels, and the hostility of the French actors. As the beautiful young French society girl who meets him under the strangest of circumstances and who deceived him as the most famous members of the Comedie Francaise are unable to do, Olivia de Havilland achieves her greatest success to date She is one of the few leading ladies who outshines in beauty the minot members of the cast, and at the same time she has a real talent for acting Edward Everett Horton varies > his style of acting in portraying the character of Garrick's companion, bu* is nevertheless worth watching an>l listening to. The supports ? v e excellent. The box plans are at the D.I.C and the theatre. "THAT CERTAIN AGE" For its Christmas season attraction, commencing' next Friday, the Regent Theatre will present Deanna Durbin in her fourth Universal production, ' That Certain Age." Opposite her in the principal male role will be seen Melvyn Douglas, with a supporting cast which includes Jackie Rich, John Halliday, Juanita Quigley, Peggy Stewart, Jackie Searl, Nancy Caffoll and Charles Coleman Five songs will be rendered by Deanna in the new picture, three of them of tne popular type by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh, who composed her other song and two of them classical—" Les Filles des Cadiz, by LeDelibes; and Waltz Ana, from '•Romeo and Juliet," by Gounod. In addition, she will sing " Daisy, Daisy, better known as "On a Bicycle Built for Two." Deanna sings this song with Melvyn Douglas as. the two of them ride an old-fashioned tandem bicycle. ST. JAMES THEATRE A new voice and a new personality are presented to theatre audiences in the picture "Mr Dodd Takes the Air, which is now showing at the St. James Theatre. It is that of Kenny Baker, one of America's radio "stars, and he will be welcomed. Baker possesses a rich, wide range <tenor. and he finds full use for it in the number and variety of the songs in which he is featured By the same author as Mr Deeds Goes to Town." the story is spiced with an unusual variety of humour, with Alice Brady and Frank McHugh as chief fun-makers. Like his predecessor, Mr Deeds. Mr Dodd falls into strange company when he hits the "high spots" in New York and like Mr Deeds, he is not the one to be changed by his environment—not permanently, anyway. A raw youngster in a country town, with a peculiar gift for fixing electrical installations that go out of order, he sings at a town fete—and his rich, mellow, basso earns him an offer to "go on the air in an advertising programme. That is nearly spoiled by an attack of quinsy, but a country doctor operates—and when his throat heals Dodds is a tenor. Rapidly the small-town electrician grows to popularity, but as he grows so does his circle of friends. Thev are successful until Jane Wyman takes a hand. • Jane is another comparative newcomer to the screen, and she makes a winsome little heroine. Gertrude Michael is the sold digger of the niece, and a malevolent one. too. Frank McHuPh. as Mr Dodd's manager and Alice Brady, as an opera singer with "temperament" and a hobby of husband collectine. are two of the brightest stars of the picture. The supporting picture is "San Quentin.* an engrossing storv of orison life. The box plans are at the theatre, the D.I.C. and Jacobs's. STRAND THEATRE Although developed in the routine murder mystery manner, with several characters as suspects for a murder. " Danger on the Air," main feature on the programme which is now being screened at the Strand Theatre, provides good entertainment because of the expert handling of the plot. Neither the method by which the murder was committed nor the identity of the murderer is disclosed until the end. and the picture moves at a brisk pace through exciting incidents and studded with a few laughs, to a thrilling climax. The leading roles are played by Donald Woods, as Benjamin Butts, a clever young radio sound en gineer. and Nan Grey, as "Steenie." a radio programme organiser. Donald Woods is somewhat of a newcomer tc the screen, but has been seen before in minor parts in "Charlie Chan on Broadway." and " Big Town Girl.'' while Nan Grev will be remembered for her excellent performance" with Deanna Durbin in " Three Smart Girls." Among other well-known supproting players William Lundigan. Jed Prouty Frank Milan, and " Skeets " Gallagher are prominently cast. The supporting picture is "Prairie Thunder" in which Ihe pioneers of America in the 1860's are the background. The box plans are at <he theatre and the D.I.C MAYFAIR THEATRE There can be no doubt ot the popularity as comedians of Laurel and Hardy when they command a following such as that which turned out to see thern in " Way Out West" at the Mayfair Theatre on Saturday , It is a long time now since these two irrepressible comedians started their team, and it will certainly be a long time yet before their popularity wanes—that is. if they keep on making pictures so humorous as "Way Out west." Good measure is provided in this double-feature programme for the associate picture is " Daughter of Shanghai." in which Anna May Wong (he Chinese actress, appears in a thrilling story of the alien smuggling racket. Altogether, the programme is a thoroughly satisfying one. The box plans are at the D.I.C. and the theatre.