AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23707, 14 January 1939, Page 19

AMUSEMENTS

THE NEW PROGRAMMES

OCTAGON THEATRE -SNOW WHITE’S” FOURTH WEEK High drama, pathos, excitement and suspense are woven into Walt Disney’s feature-length picture, “ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which begins to-day at the Octagon Theatre the fourth week of its Dunedin season. In the seven-reel technicolour picture Snow White’s beautiful but vain and wicked Queen consults her eerie magic mirror to find who is the fairest in the. land. When the mirror replies “ Snow White,” the Queen retreats to her secret dungeons at the bottom of the castle, through which a mysterious river flows. Here, in scenes which could never be done with the limitations of regular motion-picture technique, ■ she brews magic potions and turns herself into an old witch, to an accompaniment of lightning and crashing thunder. She disguises herself thus so that she may go to Snow White living in the cottage of the seven dwarfs, and, posing as an 9M peddler woman, induce her to bite into a poisoned apple. The ultimate in excitement and suspense comes when the dwarfs, discovering the Queen at their cottage, chase her through a blinding thunder and rain storm, up into mountain fastnesses where, just as she is about to roll a boulder down on them, a bolt of lightning sends her toppling over a cliff into oblivion. Calculated to bring a tear to the eye of everyone is the sequence wherein the dwarfs, believing Snow White dead, build a glass coffin for her so that they may still look upon her beauty. They place it in'"» flower-laden bower in the woods, where they and the small birds and animals take turns keeping watch over it. Romance comes riding along soon, however, in the person of a handsome young prince, long in love with Snow White. He kisses her. breaks the spell of the magic apple, and the two ride away to lasting happiness, with Snow White promising to return to visit her forest friends from time to time. Box plans are at the theatre and at Begg s. EMPIRE THEATRE FINE TROPICAL DRAMA A drama of one of the greatest peace conquests of modern times, the medical and military campaign that drove out the mosquito and yellow fever from Seal Central America is ‘ Yellow starring Robert Montgomery and Virginia Bruce, which started a season before enthusiastic audiences at the Empire Theatre yesterday. Like “ The Story of Louis Pasteur,” and, before that, "Martin Arrowsmith,” this new production makes solid, engrossing splendidly-acted entertainment from a story about the conquest of disease. In this case the villain of the piece ‘is the " stegomyia ” mosquito, the carrier of the dreaded yellow fever. The heroes are the men —the military doctors and the ordinary soldiers—wno braved the mosquito’s bite to establish conclusively the catse of yellow fever, and thus make possible a cure. Adapted,from a play of the same name, “Yellow Jack” tells the story of a few human lives offered heroically on the altar of medical science for the benefit of humanity in the mass. Hardship, thrill, comedy and romance are concentrated into an absorbing and intensely dramatic entertainment. The setting for the story is Cuba; at the end of the Spanish-American war at thS‘ turn of the century, when the American Army, the local population —and possibly all civilisation—were menaced by the restless, mysterious spread of yellow fever. Firmly rooted in facts, the story makes plain the defeat and heartbreak experienced by the American Army Medical, Corps in its 1 fight against the scourge, and puts on record the debt owed to a Havana doctor, Carlos Finlay, who for years had vainly branded the “stegomyia” mosquito, as the disease carrier. " Yellow Jack” is, in fact, a dramatisation of Major Walter Reed’s commission to Cuba charged with the duty of isolating the cause of and effecting a cure of yellow fever; Robert Montgomery strikes a new note as an army sergeant who is driven by unrequited love into the ranks of those humble heroes who-..risked their lives to test out a theory and wins out on the double ’gamble of love and science. Virginia Bruce gives sincerity to the romantic side of the story, for, of course, there is a romance and a very charming one. too. Lewis Stone, still very far from being the worst actor in Hollywood, provides another of his masterly character studies in the role of the leader of the expedition. But it is when Montgomery gets together With his four soldier companions in Andy Devine. Sam Levene, Alan Curtis and Buddy Ebsen that the audience has a really joyous time. Four live, sparkling comedians trapped in the roles of probable yellow fever victims cannot be kept down from practising their high-spirited pranks, and the surrounding seriousness of the setting just serves to emphasise the comedy. Among the features of the supporting programme is a Fitzpatrick travelogue on Sweden, dealing chiefly with the country’s preservation of old-time manners and customs, and with the historical association of the isle of Gottland and the Hanseatic Maritime League, recalling the days when Sweden was an outstanding sea Power. Musical comedy is provided in “ Hollywood Handicap.” while there are also news gazettes and a coloured cartoon. The box plans are at the D.I.C. and the theatre. GRAND THEATRE BOBBY BREEN PRODUCTION "Rainbow.on the River,” undoubtedly Bobby Breen’s best musical production to date, continues to draw large attendances to the Grand Theatre where it- is enjoying a return season with “ Quick Money.” With an excellent cast that includes May Robson, Alan Mowbray, Benita Hume, and Henry'O’Neill, this delightful film has n particularly interesting story which gives the young singer plenty of scope to present several song numbers. The theme song is well-known everywhere, and Bobby sings several other tuneful songs. The second film is “ Quick Money,” which tells how the mayor of a • small American town wages a successful war on swindlers. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s.

* ROOM SERVICE ”

MARX MERRIMENT AT STATE

" Room Service ” was one of the most successful comedies presented on the New York stage last season—for 61 weeks continuously it had Broadway audiences in an uproar. Now the R.K.O. Studios have made it into a film, putting the principal roles into the hands of the three Marx Brothers, and the result was presented at the State Theatre vesterday. There is no doubt that the film will be as wholeheartedly approved as was the play. In the past, the brothers have made a success of some fairly lukewarm material, but here they have a genuinely harumscarum and clever play in which the plot'is hot so rigid that it forbids the introduction of those delightful interludes which admirers look for to stud a Marx production with brilliant nonsense. Of course, the comedy provided* by this trio is not everyone’s taste, but those who appreciate then "moonbeams from the larger lunacy to borrow a phrase from Stephen Leacock—will agree that this' latest addition to their all-too-rare films is a rival to the standard they set in the earlier favouries, “Horse .Feathers.” "Duck Soup.” and “A Night at the Opera.” “Room Service” provides the three names with a ready-made story era-

bodying the nonsensical situations and rollicking complications which they handle so delightfully. It deals with the misadventures of a third-rate theatrical producer who wants to stage a success without having to pay for anything. This qualification is essential for him because he has nothing with which to make any payment. And his methods are not such as to cause sponsors to rally round him. He and a cast of 22 put up in a splendid hotel and are 1200 dollars in arrears, but, employing ingenious methods, he and his two loyal assistants struggle desperately to maintain their position because “ the show must go on ’’—and the result is an hilarious entertainment The scenic background is limited, but when one recalls the amount of fun that the brothers packed into a tiny steamer cabin on one occasion there will be no fears that this small scope will hamper their style. They have, wisely, not attempted to make themselves conform too strictly to the original play, but have rather bent it to suit themselves without altering a line of the clever dialogue. The moment Groucho begins to shout into the telephone, Chico to move expressionlessly about, and Harpo to gesticulate wildly iq dumb show, the play becomes nothing more and nothing less than a typical Marx charade. The plot is built up by a series of tense incidents in which the management tries to dislodge the unwelcome guests. The unexpected arrival of the author for advance royalties. and the reluctant and recalcitrant backer, add to the hilarity. Groucho is the producer, Chico is his trickster assistant, and Harpo the erratic man of all work. Others in the cast include Frank Albertson, several members of the original stage cast, and Lucille Ball and Ann Miller, two of the more promising of Hollywood’s delightful young starlets.

The supporting programme includes a musical novelty introducing Ted Fio Rita and his orchestra in a bracket of tricky numbers, including an interesting version of Wagner’s “To the Evening Star.” Another unit deals with the American transcontinental air services and presents more striking aerial views. There is also the usual quota of newsreels and topical items. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg’s. REGENT THEATRE “HOLIDAY” IS FINE COMEDY “ Holiday,” the Columbia feature which commenced a season at the Regent Theatre yesterday, was one of the outstanding early talking films, and was notable apart from the success of the picture itself, for the fact that it introduced Ann Harding to the screen. After seeing Katharine Hepburn in the role, it is not easy to imagine Ann Harding playing such a part; but that was before the time when this fine actress found herself sentenced to portray wronged and tearful wives and mothers. In that early film she appeared as the strong-minded and slightly eccentric Linda, and made a fine job of the character. Miss Hepburn also makes a great success of it, but in quite a different way. That, no doubt, can be attributed to the recent vogue for crazy comedy. Audiences have wanted their favourites to be gay, and Miss Hepburn certainly is gay in this character. In “Holiday.” the playwright Phillip Barry sets out to show that temperamental affinity is more important to a successful marriage than that strange, indefinable thing known as love. A gauche and penniless young man called Case is made to fall in love with the incredibly wealthy young daughter of an industrial magnate. He adores her, quite according to the best tradition, and tries hard to adapt himself to her mode of life. But complications set in and quarrels break out. The wealthy old man fulminates against the upstart. The bride-to-be looks reproachful and weeps. And consistently Case falls back on the sympathy of his fiancee’s sister, Linda, the queer, attractive igirl who really understands him. The situation has been worked out with considerable dramatic force, and is made the most of by strong .acting. There might be occasional shallowness in the character-drawing, but that :is not the fault of the author or of the producer, but can be attributed to the fact that the play has been so directly transcribed for the screen. A more leisurely development might have been more satisfying. The waxing and waning of Case’s affection for the rich girl, her father’s change of heart, and Case’s final decision that it is Linda whom he loves could have seemed more true to life if it had been spread over a longer time. Cary Grant invests the part of Case with abundant joie de vivre, and he and Miss Hepburn make an hilarious pair of rowdyminded young people who fail to realise the ultimate importance of wealth and pdsition. Miss Hepburn’s humour is understanding, and Grant makes his character bubble over with good spirits. Doris Nolan plays the part of the fiancee, but perhaps makes her character a shade too serious. It is difficult to understand how such a harum-scarum as Case could ever have imagined that she had even a superficial sense of humour. The outstanding quality of the father, played by Henry Kolker, is petty domestic tyranny. Lew Ayres portrays Linda’s perpetually drunken brother and does it well. Edward Everett Horton is, as usual, delightfully gay and crazy as a benevolent professor, and Binnie Barnes makes a radiant little character out of a cynical woman of fashion. “Holiday” is very good fun, and some of the pranks that Linda and Case gel up to set an austere household and the audience in an uproar. The supporting programme is an excellent one, including a sports thrill, “ Golf Magic,” and a colour rhapsody, “ Snow Time.” The box plans are at the theatre and the D.LC. ST. JAMES THEATRE RETURN OF BULLDOG DRUMMOND Adventure is the key-note of the current programme at the St. James Theatre, which comprises two exciting features —“ The Mysterious Rider ” and “ Bulldog Drummond in Africa.” Adapted from one of the best novels ever written by that leader of “ Western ” authors, Zane Grey, “The Mysterious Rider ” stars Douglass Dumbrille in the leading role as a man, falsely convicted of a crime, who has been forced to take refuge in the desert for several years. He manages to return to his ranch in disguise, and by chance he discovers that his enemies are planning to rob his daughter of the ranch property and the cattle. With the aid of his daughter’s sweetheart he commences to investigate the matter, and is able to compile sufficient evidence to clear .his own name and to convict his enemies. All the traditional elements of the Western film —hard riding, fast shooting and not a little humour, together with excellent photography—contribute to the entertainment which this film offers.

Apparently Bulldog Drummond, having exhausted the criminal potentialities of England, is now commencing a kinematic tour of the rest of the world. The latest of his adventures takes him to North Africa, there to encounter and overcome several new menaces, including lions and J. Carrol Naish, an international spy. Here John Howard is seen for the fourth time in the role of the redoubtable Drummond. The story centres round foreign spies and the theft of military secrets, and not the least of 'be many sensational occurrences is the kidnapping of the head of Scotland Yard. Drummond’s matrimonial plans, this time concerning Heather Angel, are once again rudely upset by H. B. Warner’s abduction, for accompanied by his fiancee and S. E. Clive and Reginald Denny, Drummond flies to Africa and is speedily involved in a multitud of mysterious happenings The bombing of an aeroplane and the tortures resorted to by the spies in their efforts to extract military secrets from their victims are only incidents in a -icture which is full of thrills. The box plans for this exciting programme will be found at the theatre, the D.I.C. and Jacobs’s.

STRAND THEATRE TWO EXCITING FILMS The Continental actor, Fritz Kortner, gives a masterly performance in “ Midnight Menace,” the exciting film that commenced a season at the Strand Theatre yesterday in company with the Republic production, “ Gangs of New York.” The story of “Midnight Menace ” is that of a foreign representative of a small European country, who, because his property was destroyed and his daughter killed during the Great War, determines to have his revenge on England. A journalist discovers the plot to draw the country into war but because of his knowledge is marked down for death. The hero of the film and his fiancee are called upon to face many thrilling adventures as they try to prevent the fanatic’s mad scheme to blow up London with robot planes, operated from a cellar in Soho. How they manage to thwart the deadly plot provides thrilling entertainment, which is assisted by the brilliance of the acting. Kortner as the mad plotter gives an amazing performance, and seems to mean every word he says. Charles Farrell gives a good performance as the hero, and Margaret Vyner gives a notable portrayal of the woman who helps to wreck Kortner’s scheme. There are plenty of thrills in “ Gangs of New York,” which is being shown in support. Charles Bickford is in the leading role as a detective who poses as a gangster to round up a dangerous gang of criminals. The scheme does not go too well, however, as the gangster Bickford impersonates turns up at an awkward moment. Needless to say there are many exciting episodes before the rounding up of the gangs is completed. Ann Dvorak is in the leading feminine role, and others in the cast are Alan Baxter, Wynne Gibson, and Fred Kohler. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. MAYFAIR THEATRE MUSICAL ROMANCE Nelson Eddy and Eleanor Powell are teamed in “Rosalie,” which will be commenced at the Mayfair Theatre to-day. It varies in locale between a football game, a military college, a transatlantic aeroplane, and the colourful mythical kingdom of ‘Romanza, the tremendous white and silver kingdom presided over by Frank Morgan as a king with an eye for a pretty girl and Edna May Oliver as a queen quite able to curb such tendencies. Morgan as ruler with ventriloquism as a hobby strikes a new high note in laugh-pro-ducing ideas. Ray Bolger, of the rubber legs, supplies comedy relief, and. of course, comedy dancing specialities. Ilona Massey is a newcomer who makes her American debut as the second lead of the picture in the part of Countess Brenda (confidante to the Princess Rosalie). She not only proves herself a delightful comedienne, but a singer of extraordinary range. All of the music of the piece is tuneful and finely created, as one might expect after seeing that all are credited to Cole Porter. Universal’s Air Devils, the second film, is a constantly exciting comedy-drama of life and love on a glamorous South Sea island. Thrills, laughs and breathtaking action are interspersed with scenes of sheer romantic glamour. Larry Blake, Dick Purcell, Beryl Wallace and Mamo Clark are featured. Island natives are misled to revolt because a United States airport is to be built on their territory and there is plenty of action and intrigue, till planes arrive in a surprise climax. Box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C.