ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 23816, 13 May 1939, Page 19

ENTERTAINMENTS

STATE THEATRE “MISS FIX-IT’ In what is by all odds the grandest picture she has ever made—the happiest, funniest Jane Withers will be seen at the State Theatre at 2.0 and 8.0 today and Monday in “Miss Fix-It” with Gloria Stuart and Henry Wilcoxon heading a splendid cast which includes Helen Westley, Jed Prouty, Douglas Fowley and Robert Allen. “Miss Fix-It” affords Jane almost unlimited range for her high spirited talents, and she keeps you laughing, thrilling and living every exciting moment of it. There is, in addition to some of the most hilarious comedy seen in many a month, a tender, heart-warming quality to Jane’s performance that will endear her even more to the legion of her fans who have heretofore loved her for her sheer exuberance. The fast-moving screen play opens with Jane in a fashionable girls’ boarding school, selling her entire wardrobe to raise the fare to Hollywood, where she plans to visit her movie director uncle, Henry Wilcoxon, whom she has never seen. Arriving at his Beverly Hills mansion just as its lavish furnishings are being sold at auction, Jane learns that her uncle _ is down on his luck, has taken to drink ai.d can no longer get a job. Whereupon she conspires with Gloria Stuart, Wilcoxon’s former secretary—who admits that she loves him—to rehabilitate her uncle. Jane crashes one of the big studios and after a wild chase with its police force gets into the head producer’s office where she makes an impassioned pLa on her uncle’s behalf. The producer is more interested in giving Jane a chance to play in pictures herself. And the scenes which follow offer an unusually complete insight into the operations of a motion picture studio. Wilcoxon, meanwhile, appears as an extra on the set where Jane is" being coached for the star role. When the director, who tries to make Jane look bad, “blows up” on the job, Wilcoxon is offered the pilot’s seat, and with Gloria Stuart once more at his side, the romantic situation is well in hand. Splendid supports complete the programme. Box plans are at Begg’s or the State Theatre, telephone 645. REGENT THEATRE “THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO” ROBERT DONAT—ELISSA LANDI Another popular attraction is listed for presentation at the Regent Theatre today, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” with'Robert Donat as Edmond Dantes and Elissa Landi as Mercedes. The story of “Monte Cristo” is one which appeals to every type of patron. It has everything that an audience asks for. The dialogue could not be improved

upon; it has imaginative romance, strong characters, beauty of setting, sustained suspense of plot, elements of surprise and fabulous proportions; it shows the triumph of justice in a dramatic and highly satisfactory manner and it ends happily. When Reliance Pictures selected Robert Donat, the handsome young English stage actor, for the part of “Monte Cristo” after having weighed in the. balance every other well-known American and English screen star, they gambled on the intuition of their producer, Edward Small, and they paid an inestimable compliment to Robert Donat. Robert Donat has been hailed since his marvellous performance in the title role of Dumas’s classic as the most sensational male film discovery since Ronald Colman.. His “Monte Cristo” made him

the most-talked-of man in the picture world. The thrilling story of Edmond Dantes, the young Frenchman, tom from his sweetheart’s arms by his enemies and unjustly imprisoned in the Chateau d’lf, is made to order for Donat, and Elissa Landi is ideally cast as the girl Mercedes. How, when Dantes has lost hope of ever seeing daylight again, the old Abbe Faria, who occupies the next cell, tells him of a buried treasure on the Island of Monte Cristo, and educates him so that when he finally escapes he may face the world a superman; how Dantes escapes following the death of the abbe, and returns a fabulously wealthy man, to visit slow and sweet revenge on the three enemies responsible for his misery, is told in a manner which holds the audience enthralled from start to finish. As a famous editor said after viewing “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “The spoken lines are gems of expression, exalting to the spirit, enriching to the mind. The moral tone is excellent. Such a picture should be an inducement to all members of any family; it is a credit to the motion picture producers. See it if you possibly can.” The box plans for the season are open at H. and J. Smith’s, Rice’s Regent shop, and the theatre.

CIVIC THEATRE GEORGE O’BRIEN . “LAWLESS VALLEY” In “Lawless Valley,” screening at the Civic Theatre today only at 2.0 and 8.0, George O’Brien presents another of his virile roles which suit him so well. He is seen as Larry Rhodes, who is released from prison—on parole—after serving portion of a term for complicity in a robbery in which he actually had no part. He comes back home determined to clear his name and that of his father and also to see his old sweetheart, Norma. The town, he finds, is under the rule of Tom Marsh and his son, the former having decided to marry the latter to Norma with the object of gaining control of her ranch. An effort to get Larry back into prison fails, and the Marshes are forced to try foul play to get rid of him. This gives him an opportunity to play them at their own game, and there are some thrilling moments before the happy ending. A stormy honeymoon on wheels that winds up in Reno and new-found romance, is threaded throughout RKO Radio’s “Next Tirpe I Marry,” the second Civic attraction in which Lucille Ball, James Ellison and Lee Bowman have the leading roles. Cast as newly'weds who have taken the sacred vows as purely a business 'proposition in order that the bride may be eligible for a huge inheritance, Miss Ball and Ellison embark for Reno »‘?in a trailer directly after the wedding ceremony. How their hectic battling ultimately develops into real romance before their planned divorce is consummated, lays the foundation for the hilarious climax. Box plans are at Begg’s or the Civic Iheatre, telephone 1744. MAJESTIC THEATRE “STORM OVER BENGAL” THRILLING INDIAN STORY Screen audiences who packed picture theatres throughout the world to see “The Lives of a Bengal Lancer” are taken on a thrilling trip to India in “Storm Over Bengal,” which is now showing at the Majestic. It is a journey that leads to spectacles on a lavish scale, thrilling adventure, heroism and romance. The film depicts a rebellion against British rule in North-West India and skilfully interweaves a romance in which two English brothers strive to

win the love of the same girl. Patrie Knowles and Richard Cromwell are the brothers, ' Rochelle Hudson the girl, Douglas Dumbrille is the villainous Rahman Khan, who leads the rebellion of the hill tribes. Colin Tapley, Douglas Walton, Halliwell Hobbs, Gilbert Emery, Claude Allister are other members in the all-star cast. “Storm Over Bengal” is a memorable addition to the action cycle of the Hollywood season. It should appeal particularly to theatre-goers who like gallantry and romance on a grand scale. Special credit should be given to the production of this film, which has captured the authentic atmosphere of India and presents a colourful background for robust action by soldiers of the British army. The associate feature, “Bride for Henry” is a delightful comedy-farce starring Warren Hull and Anne Nagel. Latest Cinesound News will also be presented. Plans are now on view at H. and J. Smith’s departmental store box office, Rice’s Majestic Theatre confectionery shop or the Majestic Theatre, telephone 738. REGENT, GORE The feature attraction at the Regent Theatre, Gore, tonight is “The Last Express,” a Universal picture starring Kent Taylor and Dorothea Kent. The supporting film is “Footloose Heiress,” with Craig Reynolds, Ann Sheridan, Hugh O’Connell and Anne Nagel in the leading roles. ST. JAMES, GORE “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” starring Errol Flynn, opens for a fourday season at the St. James Theatre, Gore, tonight. The cast is a strong one, the presentation of the story is said to be a triumph, and the picture an entertainment of that high standard offered only at rare intervals. The film is in technicolour.