AMUSEMENTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19890, 18 March 1939, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE “STABLEMATES” IS MICKEY ROONEY’S BEST A record Friday night house greeted the opening of Mickey Rooney’s latest and greatest comedy-drama. A stirring story of the friendship between a stableboy and « once famous veterinary surgeon who spends his time at racetracks is brought to the screen in the MetroGold wyn-Mayer production “.Stablemates,” a drama of thrills and hearty laughter. Mickey (Rooney) accepts an injured horse from his employer instead of wages and then induces Tom Terry (Beery), a convict who was formerly a wellknown veterinary surgeon, to operate on the animal. Although Terry is drunk at the time of the operation, it proves successful and the two decide to four the country together with the horse. Ladybird is entered for an important race, but Mickey learns from a racecourse detective that Terry is an escaped convict. In order to keep Terry away from the course, where he is certain to be recaptured, Mickey is forced 10 insult him, but eventually Terry arrives and is captured by the police. In a thrilling race, Mickey and Ladybird are successful and events move swiftly to a successful conclusion. Other features include the latest newsreels, a bright musical comedy, “Once Over Lightly,” in which Johnny Downs and Dixie Dunbar appear, and a spectacular Pete Smith novelty, “Double Diving,” showing “Dutch” Smith and Farid Sumaika, Olympic champions, in a remarkable demonstration of diving. The popular “Our Gang” give one of their most entertaining performances in “Practical Jokers.” KING’S THEATRE THE COWBOY AND THE LADY.” An outstanding comedy with a western background is “The Cowboy and the Lady,” one ol' the cleverest productions yet to come from the studios of United Artists and which is the present principal attraction at the King’s Theatre. The talented Tas-manian-born actress, Merle Oberon has the role of a beautiful society debutante, ‘who poses as a servant girl when she becomes bored with quiet life in Florida. She meets Stretch, a cowboy in a rodeo show (Gary Cooper), and the pair become involved in a strange romance, which ends in their marriage. Things really begin to happen, however, when Stretch discovers that the girl is the wealthy daughter of a senator with presidential aspirations. REGENT THEATRE ■ BETTE DAVIS IN “JEZEBEL” The following is a report taken from the Radio Record of “Jezebel,” which is now screening at the Regent Theatre: “This department once again >’ lifts its hat to the Warner Brothers, who have the courage and imagination to go on creating intelligent pictures, and giving great artists worth-while pants to play, when —as you and 1 must know, though we are not always honest enough to admit it —they could make far more money by producing . tripe. To an impressive list of artistic triumphs, which includes ’Louis Pasteur,’ ‘Emile Zola,’ ‘Green Pastures,’ and ‘They Won’t Forget,’ has now been 1 added the Bette Davis picture, ’.Jezebel.’ When it was announced recently that Bette Davis’ ‘Jezebel’ had taken the Academy Award for 1938, I must confess that my faith in the Academy's good judgment began to vaver. The reception of overseas ■litics to the picture had been mixed, < and. it seemed possible that the Academy judges, having already honoured Miss Davis in ‘Dangerous,’ night have got themselves into a kind 1 of ‘the-queen-can-do-no-wrong’ state of mind. But having just seen ■Jezebel,’ I am convinced that nobody s more deserving of the title of the best actress of 1938. Her performance is an absolute tour de force. Admittedly, .she has had plenty of experience in the portraying of vixen C •oles, but nobody can touch her when t comes .to conveying an impression >f dangerous evil with the minimum ! >f effort. The character of the New Orleans minx of 1850 is astoundingly t eomplex, but Miss Davis reveals each beet with such ease and conviction ' ■hat never once do you feel she is too bad to be true. You begin by hating her; you are left, almost grudgingly, vitli a feeling of sympathy and adniration. It is quite illogical that you hould feci like this; and it is a dra- v untie fault in. the play that such a :1 :o!d and selfish person as Julie should f be so quickly converted to an act of C heroic sacrifice amid the horrors of f fever-stricken New Orleans. Yet i,t is fc all -the more proof of Miss Davis’ virtuosity that the fault seems comparatively insignificant. ‘Jezebel’ is 5 rich in the atmosphere of the old south C ->f the United States, with its artificial C gallantry, its easy luxury and, especi- l ally, \the -deadliness of its duelling F -ode, which drove men to prove their ? filly manhood by killing one another 1on the most frivolous pretexts. The lazy charm of George Brent’s portrait rif the duellist. Buck Cantrell, is one T if the best things in ‘Jezebel.’ ” C