ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 23741, 13 February 1939, Page 12

ENTERTAINMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE “TROPIC HOLIDAY” FINALLY “Tropic Holiday,” Paramount’s musical extravaganza with lazy Mexico as a background, will conclude at the Majestic today. This picture features Dorothy Lamour, Ray Milland, Bob Burns, Martha Raye and Binnie Barnes. “Tropic Holiday” is supported by “Prison Farm,” a drama of cruelties m a backwood prison. The featured players are John Howard, Lloyd Nolan, J. Carol Naish and Shirley Ross. TWO BIG FEATURES MUSICAL AND WESTERN TOMORROW A gay story of the ups and downs of a mad-cap family who rise from small town obscurity to fame and fortune at Los Angeles night clubs and race tracks in a series of screamingly funny episodes, is told in “Sing You Sinners, which commences at the Majestic tomorrow (Tuesday). Bing Crosby, Fred Mac Murray and Donald O’Connor (a new and talented youngster) are cast as three brothers of varying ages, who live with their widowed mother (Elizabeth Patterson). Mac Murray is the very steady type who supports the family and cannot marry the girl of his heart (Ellen Drew) because of these family ties. Bing Crosby is the second son, a happy-go-lucky lad who hates work, but loves to play, sing and gamble at the race tracks, always hoping that lie will make 1,000,000 dollars out of five cents. He is the worry and the apple of his mother’s eye. The young brother (Donald O’Connor) is afraid of big brother Fred Mac Murray, but idolizes happy-go-lucky Bing Crosby. A tremendous amount of comedy is introduced and four new song hits are heard, “Small Fry,” “I’ve Got a Pocket Full of Dreams,” “Don’t Let That Moon Get Away” and “Laugh and Call it Love.” The climax of the picture sees Crosby buy a racehorse and invest the family savings on him with the bookmakers at Los Angeles with small brother Donald in the saddle.

The Western favourite, Ken Manyard, is the star of “Lawless Rider,” Columbia’s punch-packed thrill-filled comedy drama of the great American outdoors. He rides, shoots and fights his way to fame, fortune and romance in the most stirring Western drama in which he has appeared. Current news topics will also be screened. Plans are now on view at H. and J. Smith’s departmental store box office, Rice’s Majestic confectionery or Majestic Theatre, telephone 738. REGENT THEATRE “DAD AND DAVE COME TO TOWN” BERT BAILEY APPEARS ON STAGE i Bert Bailey, well known to New Zealand theatre audiences as the original “Dad” of “On Our Selection,” is accompanying his latest picture, “Dad and Dave Come to Town,” to some of the cities of the Dominion, and he made a personal appearance on the stage of the Regent Theatre on Saturday night. The big audience was delighted by his tales and reminiscences and it was apparent, from the way in

which it showed its appreciation, that this active and likeable “Australian pioneer,” who was actually born in Auckland, more than fulfilled expectations. Bert Bailey showed that his characterizations representing the soul of Australian humour and the sentiment which is a religion with the people of the backblocks, were natural and not the result of straining for effect. He will make an appearance each evening that “Dad and Dave Come to Town” is shown. Originality is the keynote of this film, which is guaranteed to keep any type of audience thoroughly amused for the entire length of its screening. Many _ film producers after creating originality in their films have found that they do not appeal to the average theatre-goer; but this is not the case with “Dad and Dave Come to Town,” directed and produced by Ken Hall. In the way the typical characteristics of honest men and rogues, loyal women and _ “golddiggers” and the native wit and shrewdness of the outback “Aussie” have been brought out, there is somethin? which places this picture on a new plane. The Rudds have prospered since they were, last seen on the films —although they still do things backwards—and the farm is now’ a very much improved place. When Dad receives a letter from a lawyer announcing that property in the city has been left to him he decides to go to the city with Mum, Dave and the eldest daughter. Dad finds that he has been saddled with the management of .a fashion salon and, rather out of touch with city life after 20 years in Snake Gully, he lands amon-{ city sharks. Needless to say, this business is heavily loaded with debt and everything happens - at once; but the Rudds surmount all their difficulties, due to an admixture of romance, loyalty and the quality of the goods they are offering in the salon. There is an outstanding fashion parade, which is lavishly produced and has the merit of originality which stamps I the whole film. Fred McDonald is splendid as Dave and, with Dad, is re- I sponsible for some of the most comic 1 situations imaginable. Others in the cast are Shirley Ann Richards, ' Alec Kelleway and Billy Hayes. There is an attractive supporting programme, including “Good Morning Everybody,” starring Aunt Daisy, popular radio personality. * ' CIVIC THEATRE “THE HURRICANE” SAGA OF THE SOUTH SEAS Samuel Goldwyn knew that he had a great theme in “The Hurricane,” which concludes its season tonight at the Civic, with Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall heading a cast which includes Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond Massey, John Carradine and Jerome Cowan. In this dramatic saga of the South Seas, written by Charles Nordhoff and James Normal Hall, authors of “Mutiny on the Boufity,” he was confident he had a story rich, in every element of cinematic entertainment. “The Hurricane,” with its romance, its drama, its picturesque setting, and its spectacular climax, is a story ready-cut to the screen. On the low island of Manukura, 600 miles from Tahiti, two native sweethearts, Terangi and Marama, are wed. Their brief happiness is shattered when Terangi, returning to Tahiti on the trading schooner of which he is first mate, is imprisoned for striking a white man who insults him. Box plans are at the theatre and at Begg’s. , STATE THEATRE “SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS” FIVE SESSIONS TODAY Invercargill movie fans will have their hopes realized today at the State Theatre, for something new and enchanting, in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first Walt Disney animated film to be made in full feature length, in technicolour, with dialogue, songs, dances and a complete musical score. The picture was three years in the making, its cost being estimated at 1,500,000 dollars. The plot of “Snow White” is an adaptation of one of the most' loved of the Grimm Borthers’ tales. . First published in the early part of the last century, this book has been translated into every civilized language. Its readers, are numbered in the millions. It is a sterling favourite with generations, past and present. Meeting “Snow White,’ the dainty, lovable little Princess, bn the screen is the same as greeting an old friend one has not seen for years. There are laughs galore, inimitable . incidents too many to describe, as well as dramatic thrills, romance and pathos, while over all is the fascinatingly bizzarre atmosphere of Fairyland exquisitely developed in three dimensional colour photography. Song hits in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” include the dwarfs marching song, “Hi-Ho,” their washing song, the songs by Snow White, “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” “With a Smile and a Song,” “Whistle While You Work” and “The Wishing Well Song,” and the Prince’s song, “One Song.” The melody of “Some Day My Prince Will Come” is the picture’s theme music. There will be five sessions today, the first at 11 a.m., then at 2.0, 4.45, 8.0 and a special late session at 10.30. The season cannot be extended beyond five days and must therefore conclude next Friday. Plans for the entire season are at the State Theatre.