AMUSEMENTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19821, 24 December 1938, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE LAST DAY: HOPALONG CASSIDY IX "PRIDE OF THE WEST" AND "KING OF ALCATKAZ" William. Boyd, George Hayes and Russell fla.yden, the screen's most popular ranch trio, head the east of •'Pride of the West," Paramount's new "Cassidy" film which concludes to-night. The Mulford story tells of the ranchers' fight to clean the Overland stage coach trail of. highway robbers. Modern piracy sets the theme for Paramount's thrilling new adventure-romance, "King of Alcatraz," the associate feature, with a cast headed by such screen favourites as Lloyd Nolan. Gail Patrick, J. Carrol! Naish, Harry Carey and Porter Hall. The story deals with a daring prison escape engineered by a notorious criminal and his subsequent piracy of a steamer on which he plans to make his get-away to Central America.

—Monday: "Missing Guest," and Charles Farrell in "Flight to Fame"—

Sparkling with hilarious scenes of comedy set. against the spooky "background of a mysterious ghost house, and featuring Paul Kelly, William Lundigan, and Constance Moore, "The Missing Guest," which begins on Monday, deals with the efforts of a fresh and reckless young reporter to solve the mystery of the notorious Blue Room. As a result, ghosts and giggles, thrills, chills and surprises vie for supremacy during the production. The associate feature, "Flight to Fame," starring Charles Farrell and Jacqueline Wells, deals with the aerial mystery of a death ray. Many exciting aerial thrills are featured in this enthralling holiday attraction.

KING'S THEATRE "ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME. BAND:" TREMENDOUS SUCCESS "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is greater than they said it was. Centred around Irving Berlin's melody of the same title, 'Alexander's Ragtime Band" is now screening to record audiences at toe King's Theatre. Alice Faye Tyrone Power, and Don Ameche are only three of an unusually large cast. Tyrone Power is scon playing in a very exclusive orchestra much io the delight of his tutor, Jean Horscholt, and an aunt, Helen Wcstley. Little do they realise that he is trying to form a swing band in his spare time. The next sc«nr: .shows llim trying to get a job for his band in ii lower-class San Francisco cabaret. Don Ameche, his pianist, has lost the music, but on the bar counter is found a copy of the song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," left there by Alice Faye, who is trying to get a job in the cabaret as a singer. The band starts up, Alice claims it is her tune, and begins singing—the audience have never heard anything so pleasing in their lives—and the manager gives them all a job. They go from success to success.

REGENT THEATRE THAT CERTAIN AGE": DEANNA DURBIN'S LATEST Although a different Deanna Dui-bin is presented in her latest picture, "That Certain Age," in the sense that she reaches the age of romance, the 'theme makes no difference to the spirit and c'harm of her work. A.s ever she simply radiates happiness and is tne personification of the joy of youth. "That Certain Age" is now screening at the Regent; Theatre. The tradition of brightness is continued, the comedy is of character as well as of situation, and it shows the continued growth of the talents of the young star. There is .his to be added, that it is not primarily a musical film. There are pleasant songs, well sung, but the chief aim seems to have been to reveal her development as an actress, and she acquits herself with the .seriousness appropriate to her age, vviSih a rich unconsciousness of he' - humour, and with that spontaneity and freshness which are always present with her. In the progress of the film there is great strength gained from the 'forethought which east Melvvn Douglas as the object, of her

unsuspected affections. He is triumphantly successful, and his forceful performance is just what is wanted to make iDeamva'.s fluttering credible. The developments of the film are sometimes extraordinarily funny. This film creates a new Deanna Durbin. After each picture one wonders whether they can go on doing itgiving her material which is bright, enough and good enough. The answer in Che case of "That Certain \ge" is that they can do it, and have done it. In a crowded -theatre, during the week that the film will be '-■ore, it is likely to be a riot. Direction, acting, casting are excellent. Jackie Cooper is Deanna's loyal boy friend, Irene Rich plays the part of her mother, and other roles are capably filled by John Halliday, as her father, Nancy Carroll, back again after a long ahsence, Juanita Quigley and Peggy Stewart.