AMUSEMENTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19549, 3 February 1938, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

REGENT THEATRE "THE BRIDE WORE RED" The season for this highly successful M.-G.-M. special conies to a close tonight. Joan Crawford, Robert Young and Franchot Tone have still further entrenched themselves in popular favour. It is a good film and should not be missed. —"Easy Living"— Opening to-morrow, a picture that the critics in all countries endorse as an excellent comedy will be screened. The sparkling cast is headed by Jean Arthur—the original "Mrs. Deeds" of "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" fame—■ Edward Arnold, whom everyone remembers as "Diamond Jim," and the bright young star who has now leapt into fame as a high class comedian, Ray Milland. The antics...of Luis Alberni, funny man and dialectician, in the automatic restaurant are sure to set everyone in hysterical laughter. The "smart comedy" cycle in Hollywood is a direct contradiction of that old maxim of the movie business, "the customers were born young and they have never gotten over it." In fact, insists Arthur Hornblow, producer of Paramount's "Easy Living," it is proof that the much-maligned picture public is actually becoming sophisticated! For evidence, the young Paramount executive and husband of Myrna Loy points at the box office ratings of such films as "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," "My Man Godfrey," and "The Princess Comes Across." "All comedies of the smart, semi-sophisticated type five years ago would have flopped everywhere but in the big cities. And to-day they are packing them in," he says. "The success of 'lt Happened One Night,' which astonished the whole industry, started the cycle," Mi'. Hornblow says. "Now the studios cannot get enough smart comedies to go around. If they are good they coin money, because they are just what the people want." An excellent first half of the programme consists of "The Twiskers Pitcher," a special Pop-eye cartoon,

"Safety in the Air," "Variety." novelty, while the news service is of special interest with the "Randwick Summer Cup." "The Panay Incident," and other items.

KING'S THEATRE

"THINK FAST, MR. MOTO": LAST NIGHT Peter Lorre's world-wide reputation as master of make-up and impersonation finds increased lustre with the release of his latest picture, Twentieth Century-Fox's "Think Fast. Mr. Moto," which concludes to-night at the King's Theatre. —Tomorrow: "Make a Wish" — Bobby Breen's third film, the RKORadio production, "Make a Wish," will have its first screenings before audiences at the King's Theatre tomorrow. Basil Rathbone is cast as a composer who has lost interest in his work. When he hears Bobby Breen sing he is inspired to write another operetta and this work' is proceeding well when the boy's widowed mother arrives at the camp to visit her son. She is accompanied by a rather haughty admirer, to whom her son takes an instant dislike. The part of the mother is played by Marion Claire, who at the lust, moment consents to take the leading role and the operatta is a striking success. The composer returns to witness this, and the film ends on a happy romantic note. Bobby Breen's singing is the outstanding feature of the film, the theme song,

"Make a Wish." being particularly entertaining. The shorter features include a superlative Silly Symphony cartoon in Tcchnicolour, "Hawaiian Holiday," one of the most amusing of this series. There is also a novelty film in Tcchnicolour, "Hidden Treasures," depicting in their natural environment the bizarre inhabitants of tropical seas. Close-up scenes of a huge octopus are particularly thrilling. In addition, there are an entertaining RKO-Radio sports featurette, and news-reels of the latest events and "Workshops of Old Mexico." The box plans are filling up fast. —Rombiiij;' of Panay: To-morrow—

The sensational bombing and sinking of the United Slates' gunboat Panay will be seen in a special newsreel feature in the programme which will commence al the King's tomorrow. The pictures, taken by a Movietone cameraman on board the vessel during the bombing, show aeroplanes moving overhead and the attempts of machine-gun crews to chase off the attackers, and give some idea of the damage the rain of bombs indicted on the ship. The removal of the injured with bandaged limbs and in bloodstained garments, following the? order to abandon ship chalked on the deck by the commanding officer, who had been wounded in the neck and could not speak, formed an important portion of a tragedy which strained the relations between two powerful nations. The last moments of the Panay were photographed from the shore, where the caring for the wounded proceeded under difficulties and in the fear of further attack.

MAJESTIC THEATRE TO-MORIlOW: BETTE DAVIS IN "MARKED WOMAN" AND DICK FORAN IN "THE CHEROKEE STRIP"

Two pictures of outstanding merit will commence to-morrow. Belte Davis, who won last year's academy award as the screen's greatest actress, appears in a gripping story taken from headlines that have (lashed across the front pages of America's newspapers for months, This picture, declared by Miss Davis to give her the most powerful role she has ever portrayed, is "Marked Woman." The film takes audiences behind the scenes of certain American metropolitan night clubs. It is the story of those beautiful girls who serve as hostesses and whose lives themselves are forfeit if they disobey the orders of their ruthless exploiters. The chief racketeer is played by Eduardo Ciannelli, With music and lyrics written by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl, and sunrj by the popular actor Dick Koran. "The Cherokee Strip" has all the ingredients that should command success. An exciting and attractive story runs through (he film, which opens in 1889, when the large section of Indian territory now forming the State of Oklahoma was made available for sett lenient. Among those eager for wealth and honour in a new land is a youthful attorney, Dick Hudson, is left behind in the race, but win l : out in the end and with the help of a girl. •'Sin.t; Me a Love Song" and "lie- \ hind the Mike" will be finally/ screened to-night.