AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24255, 25 March 1940, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

THE CURRENT PROGRAMMES GRAND THEATRE A HAPPY COMBINATION There is a happy combination of thrills and laughs in the Easter programme at the Grand Theatre. “ The Escape ” provides the thrills and drama, and Jane Withers and Leo Carillo the laughs and the lighter side generally in “ Chicken Wagon Family.” " The Escape ” is an unusual gang story acted by a fine cast, including Kane Richmond, as a policeman; Amanda Duff, as his girl and the sister of Louis Peronni, a gunman, who is played by Edward Norris; June Gale, singer in a disreputable night club, and secret wife of Peronni; Henry Armetta, Peronni’s father; and Frank Reicher, as the doctor. With Jane Withers and Leo Carillo in the other picture are Marjorie Weaver, Spring Byington, Kane Richmond, as principals in the story of the twomule wagon that sells anything from suspenders to footstools and buys mostly chickens. Forsaking the open road and the countryside, the family goes to New York, where Jane is promptly in minor mischief, and between her and Leo Carillo a series of hilarious mix-ups follows, but everything works out for the family in the long run. Kane Richmond plays the policeman in both pictures, but to very different patterns, for one rOle is tragic and the other true comedy. The box plans are at the theatre. REGENT THEATRE DEANNA DURBIN AGAIN Once more Deanna Durbin manages to capture and hold the admiring attention of theatregoers in her latest film, “ First Love,” a polished Universal production, which is being shown at the Regent Theatre. Well on in her ’teens now, and with her charm and vivacity emphasised by this growing maturity, she disports herself, with all the grace of an accomplished and engaging young woman. Her voice, always remarkable for its rich maturity, is better than ever. Each of her four varied vocal numbers is a delight. As the title Implies, " First Love ” gives Deanna her first screen romance and her first screen kiss. The difficulties in the way of providing a rapidly-growing star with a vehicle suitable to her changing talents are many, but here again, as in its past efforts, Universal studios, with Joe Pasternak again producing, has skilfully avoided anything that might savour of precociousnees or poor taste. In this film her role as a twentiethcentury Cinderella suits her to perfection, even though her personality and vitality suggest more the sweetness and initiative of the modern young miss than the sentimental figure of the old romance. Poor relation in her rich uncle’s home and 1 at the beck and call of an utterly selfish cousin, she unexpectedly finds friends in the household servants and in her uncle himself, although for a start he successfully conceals this behind the abruptness which is his defence against his astrology-mad wife, his thoroughly lazy and caddish son and his snobbish and feline daughter. The daughter’s chief interest is engaging the attention of an eligible young bachelor, but she makes a mistake when she compels her unfortunate cousin to help her for the young man takes an immediate fancy to her. But revenge Is soon forthcoming, a ball is being, given by this Prince Charming and the family is invited to attend, but at the last moment, after the servants have clubbed together to give their favourite an evening gown, she is compelled to stop at home. Their kindness, however, goes further. The housemaid’s policeman friend arranges a police trap with the chauffeur and arrests the whole family, so that they spend the hours in durance*' vile and not in dancing, while Deanna makes her appearance at the ball with sensational success. One of the most engaging sequences occurs where a famous operatic artist is introduced at the ball and Cinderella imagines that it is she who is the object of the intro? Auction and immediately accepts the role and sings charmingly a medley of Strauss waltzes. She wins her kiss at midnight and then flees as the family arrives, but the plot is suspected, and the result is that poor Cinderella, broken-hearted, runs back to her old school determined to give up dreams of romance and take up teaching. But now her uncle emerges from his defences. This character is given great pungency by fthe acting of Eugene Pallette, who infuses into his role such a repressed contempt for his useless family that when he suddenly retaliates the effect is highly explosive. So everyone gets their deserts. Helen Parrish is good as the snobbish cousin, Robert Stack is the Prince Charming, Beatrice Joy is the aunt, and Lewis Howard, a newcomer, is good as the lazy cousin. There is a good supporting programme, including a Lowell Thomas travelogue, an- Australian film, “Skyways Express,; and "From Backblocks to High Seas, which has a topical interest. Newsreels are also featured. The box plans are at the theatre.

\ STATE THEATRE BANNER OF NATIONHOOD The handing on to the native Filipinos of a realisation, of their right to nationhood is “ The Real Glory,” referred to in the title of the new film at the State Theatre. In this dramatisation of the brave era in which the American' troops were being withdrawn from the Philippine Islands after the Spanish-American war. United Artists have produced a fine film which merits the attention of every theatregoer.;'Having appeared in films of this type before, Gary Cooper was an excellent choice for the role of Dr Canavan, the young army doctor posted to one of the tropical fastnesses of the Philippines. Lion-hearted, but at the same time gentle and rather boyish, he gives a deeply sympathetic performance and imparts to the role the same fearlessness that distinguished his famous portrayal in “ Lives of a Bengal Lancer.” Another refreshing performance is turned in by the rising young actor, David Niven. As Lieutenant McCool, he is seen as a delightfully happy-go-lucky adventurer with not a care in the world and full of dreams of life on a lonely tropical island. He is Canavan’s rival for the hand of the heroine of the story, and here a special word of praise is due to Andrea Leeds, who, in a departure from her usual light romantic roles, has a part which demands a depth of character beneath her brilliant external personality. The ideal which makes possible a courageous personal sacrifice by men and women engaged in bearing their country’s flag to hostile savages as a symbol of justice and unity is “The Real Glory," and the love and renunciations of these characters, their stirring deeds of bravery and hairbreadth escapes from the hazards of the jungle and of barbarous ! foes make memorable entertainment. An exotic, fearsome, jungle atmosphere is imparted to “ The Real Glory ” by the featuring of native superstitions, the savagery of the wild, fanatical Moros and their courage, and by the sense of impending tragedy that these imply. Canavan, as the newly-appointed army doctor at a frontier post, believes that the villagers should learn to fight, their enemies, but he has little sympathy with the drill-sergeant methods being used to instil courage and solidarity. More could be accomplished, he feels, by some applied psychology Despite all precautions the commanding officer and his successor are killed by Moros who have run amok — part of the plan of the bandit leader to draw the garrison into the jungle where it could be disposed of more easily. Dreadful in its immediate effect, the plan fails, and resort is had to damming the stream which supplies the village with water. Forced to use contaminated water, the villagers fall victim to cholera, and Canavan, worn out with medical duties, goes on a lone-handed expedition to blow up the dam. He rescues his superior officer who was ■ unwittingly marching into an ambush, destroys the dam, and returns to the village in time to hearten the defenders till the relief party can arrive. An entertaining supporting programme in keeping with the standard of the main attraction is also being screened. Box plans are at the theatre. EMPIRE THEATRE LAUGHTON’S “ BEACHCOMBER ” Charles Laughton’s remarkable portrayal of “ Ginger Ted,” the amiable, amusing, but by no means ludicrous scoundrel in “ Tire Beachcomber,” which is the new attraction at the Empire Theatre, reveals a new side to his apparently limitless ability The story is Somerset Maugham’s “ Vessel of Wrath,” with minor variations which detract nothing from its author’s form of rather disillusioned but quite passionate sentiment. “ Ginger Ted ” is a beachcombing remittance man, somewhere in the Dutch East Indies, whoSe latent charm and vigour draws the starchy missionary (Elsa Lanchester) through the successive stages of disgust at his anti-social behaviour, and a desire to reform him, to love, and finally marriage. Lynne Guthrie is the missionary’s brother, and Robert Newton is the Govofficial who drinks with the

social outcast, regards him as his best friend—and puts him In gaol for every-' body’s good. The whole show is crammed with dialogue that tickles the mental palate, and scenes that stimulate the senses. When " Ginger Ted ” is banished to a tropic paradise to get the drink out of his system, he lives in a palm-leaf hut, he wears the. very minimum of he swings in a cheap hammock in the shade, cracking scalloped-shells with a shanghai and pebbles, his joy not in an array of splendour that dulls the senses, but in the simplicity that sharpens them. There is, too. a scene in which “ Ginger’s friend has to try him for getting into a brawl. As the chief witness, the female missionary, talking like . a machine-gun, rattles up the score of. “ Ginger’s iniquities, the judge, going by contraries, scribbles shorter and shorter sentences on his writing block.' But at the demand for deportation, a flock of Javanese girls rush “Ginger" in the dock, protesting tearfully against his leaving them. Chief among them is the judged own “little friend that is too much for him: he erases all his notes, and imposes the stiff sentence of three months’ hard labour. Elsa Lanchester gives a convincing performance as the missionary* Martha Jones. On finding herself marooned with her pet aversion on an islet she mistakenly assumes that his studied avoidance of her company Is due to reawakening gentlemanly restraint in the soul of the beachcomber. • Later, when force of circumstances compels her to become the beachcomber s* partner in a. struggle to suppress an outbreak- of typhoid in a native village, she is more than ever convinced that the soul of the beachcomber is not completely, lost and that this human derelict can be reformed. 1 Her decision to act on her conviction leads to a climax as surprising as it is humorous. . . The supporting programme Is an interesting and varied one. There is an excellent travelogue dealing with life In the Celebes Islands, illustrating particularly the curious funeral customs of these people, while in one of the news gazettes the audience is given some Idea of the hazardous work on the part of the tioops on the Western Front that lies behind the bald announcement that patrol activity took place.” Some of Lord Haw-Haws “Nasti” announcements are also featured. Altogether, ls_an excellent example of holiday fare. The box plans are at the theatre.

ST. JAMES THEATRE EXCITING DOUBLE PROGRAMME Two aspects of crime are the themes jof the two films now being shown at the St. James Theatre, but each is so differently handled and the effect is of a well-varied entertainment. “ Torchy Plays with Dynamite ” presents that bright newspaper girl, Torchy Blane, in another exploit, and “ Blackwell’s Island has its subject suggested by a recent New York gaol scandal when it was discovered that the prisoners had full control and lived regally in their cells. John Garfield, a new recruit to the films from the stage, has the role of a newspaper reporter whose interest is in unmasking the racketeering methods of a city “ boss,” played by Edgar Kennedy. The boss is at last brought to book, but because of his influence he gets a light sentence, and in gaol he sets up his office and runs the whole concern, entering and leaving as he likes. The newspaper man gets himself sent to the same gaol, and obtains actual evidence of a murder committted by the gangster, and, incidentally, provokes a commission which reforms the State prisons. Priscilla Lane is the girl in the cast, and Dick Foran plays her illfated brother. “ Torchy Plays with Dynamite tells how Torchy escapes her companions and, with a shoplifter acquaintance, goes on the trail of a fugitive bandit, and she is in sore trouble before her old friends come to her aid. Jane Wyman, Allen Jenkins, and Tom Kennedy head the cast. The box plans are at the theatre.

STRAND THEATRE WESTERN AND DRAMA The new programme at the Strand Theatre presents diversified entertainment which should suit all tastes. The principal feature of the double bill is one of the ever-popular westerns —“ The Old Barn Dance,” in which Gene Autry, widely

known as the “ Singing Cowboy,” has the leading role—and the other picture is a drama of prison life entitled “ You Can’t Get Away with Murder.” it In the former production, In addition to the star, there are some outstanding musical personalities including a hill-billy band, Walter Shrum and his Colorado Hill-billies, the Maple City Four, and the Stafford Sisters’; trio. The story concerns Gene and his group of singing cowboys who travel from rodeo to rodeo auctioning horses. On the way to such a gathering, they learn that horses are no longer being bought, as the farmers . are all going in for tractors. 1 Sure enough, they find that they are unable'to do any good business. He meets there a girl named Sally, who manages a 1 small radio broadcasting station.; She offers him a job presenting a programme-to be sponsored by the tractor company, which has taken his business away. Finally, he accepts, but complications arise when the tractor company starts to seize tractors on which payments are not made promptly, and the,farmers believe that Gene is working for the company, so he is not popular anywhere. He goes away, but the company, having made records of his entertainment, continues to broadcast the programme. He comes back and destroys the records and succeeds in convincing all concerned that the company is not playing fairly with the farmers. .. This, of course, clears the way for the happy ending. In the other picture, Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page and John Litel have the featured roles. The story deals with the conviction of a man for a murder of which he is entirely innocent. The real .murderer and his young accomplice are sent to Sing Sing for a minor crime and are there at the same time as the innocent man is awaiting the.death penalty. There are some exciting • scenes, and the climax comes in a dramatic gaol-break. The box plans are at the theatre.

OCTAGON THEATRE KENTUCKY DERBY FILMED As was proved in “ Wings of the Morning," horse racing and a film prepared in colour make a very effective combination for entertainment. The same ingredients are used in “Kentucky.” the Twentieth Century-Fox production which is now at the Octagon Theatre, with satisfactory results. Darryl Zanuck, the producer of “ Kentucky,” is obviously a man with a deep love for horses. He is by no means the first producer to have made a picture purporting to show that Kentuckians love horses just a shade less dearly than their own lives, but he is probably the first to have proved it— if such a thing can be proved. His devotion to horseflesh is translated to the screen in a series of magnificent scenes of the “ blue glass Kentucky country, inhabited by thoroughbreds and the interesting people who train 1 and race them. Interwoven with these scenes and enhanced by them is a highly-conventional, but none the less interesting, narrative, featuring Loretta Young, Richard Greene, and Walter Brennan. i ‘ A feud is almost as essential as horse racing in any story of Kentucky. There is, therefore, a civil war prologue to the film, showing how a Southerner, Mr Goodwin, is shot by a Confederate officer, John Dillon, while trying to prevent his horses from being commandeered by the army. From this old quarrel rises the bar which separates the present-day families and complicates the romance of young Jack Dillon with Sally Goodwin. He falls so much in love, with her that he goes to train a horSe for Sally without her being aware of his Identity; but just before her horse is entered for the Kentucky Derby she learns who her helper and lover is, and quarrels with him. However, the horse wins the race —the result Is more logical than is usual in such stories—and by So doing heals the breach between the families, restores the fortunes of the hero and heroine, and ends according to recognised plan. There are the horses, the feud, the big race; there remains the stock character of the irascible, impoverished, aristocratic old Southern squire. He is supplied by Walter Brennan, who plays the aged Peter Goodwin, chin whiskers and all, as if he were a real human being. It is with this performance that Brennan won the academy award for the best supporting acting of 1938, and few are likely to deny him his right. Loretta Young and Richard Greene are sincere and charming as the young lovers; but the real stars of “ Kentucky ” are the colour camera, Walter Brennan, and the horses. The box plans are at the theatre.

MAYFAIR THEATRE A THRILLING DRAMA A thrilling drama of flying in South America, “ Only Angels Have Wings,” Will be screened at the Mayfair Theatre .tonight. The stars are Cary Grant and Jean Arthur, who are l supported by Richard Barthelmess, Rita Hayworth', and Thomas Mitchell. Miss Arthur’s role is that of a New York show . girl - who is ashore at a little South American port where there is a band of flyers under the leadership of Cary Grant, who is an outcast because h e “bailed out” of a test plane, sending a mechanic to his death. Grant meets Miss Arthur,-who falls in love with him, He has been jilted, however, by another girl, and he is very cautious in his approach. The girl, very much'.in love with Grant, makes a point- of. missing her ship, which necessitates her staying a further week at the air force,camp, and In that time her love ripens greatly. .Grant falls in love with her, but he manages to hide-his feeling to a certain extent. The Picture ends on a pleasing note, with something a little more Ihan an understanding reached between the pair. The associate feature is “Fugitive for a Night,”; starring Frank Albertson, Allan Lane, Adrianne Ames, and Eleanor Lynn. The box plans are at the theatre.