THE THEATRES

Southland Times, Issue 24339, 21 January 1941, Page 3

THE THEATRES

REGENT

“I TAKE THIS WOMAN”

SPENCER TRACY, HEDY LAMARR Spencer Tracy has established himself in the high opinion of film enthusiasts the world over mainly in rugged hero roles. In the latest feature showing finally today at the Regent Theatre, “I Take This Woman,” however, he is quite differently cast, and it can be stated with every assurance that his reputation does not suffer by the change. He is a magnificent actor, and in this tale of a tremendously earnest doctor who falls blindly in love with a lovely woman and is prepared to sacrifice his ideals for her comfort he gives a portrayal in keeping with his best performances. Playing opposite him is Hedy Lamarr, and she, too, has a part which provides ample scope for dramatic talent and which enables her to establish herself as an actress capable of making the most oi emotional opportunity. “I Take This Woman is a moving story, sincere and compelling, but not without its humour. Tracy is an adept at setting off dramatic moments with naturally humorous asides, and both he and Hedy Lamarr temper many moments which go to the verge. of emotionalism with excellent little touches. For the real humour of the show there is that delightful artist, Verree Teasdale, and her performance is splendid.

J “DR EHRLICH’S MAGIC ! BULLET” 1 REMARKABLE PICTURE I The master gunman astounds the . world with an amazing performance in ! a picture with a suggestive title, but t there is no gunplay throughout its | entire length. This picture, “The Story < of Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet,” comes to 5 the Regent Theatre tomorrow. Star- ) ring Edward G. Robinson, the film 1 tells the true and dramatic story of . man’s struggle against a hundred mii- | lion deadly public enemies. It is the romance of reality rather than of the ; boy-girl variety which makes “The Story of Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet' spell-binding entertainment. Shattering | every precedent for dramatic frank- ; ness, Warner Bros., the producers, have told the true story of a great man s j life, its romance, its adventures and its [ many trials. The producers of this motion picture have cast aside the plot conventions of the average film and blazed a completely new trail in a motion picture fraught with significant truth, truth which is more absorbing than any boy-meets-girl romance could possibly be. Featured with Edward G. Robinson is a large cast of supporting players i including Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger, [ Donald Crisp, Maria Ouspenskaya, i Montagu Love. Sig Rumann, Donald Meek. Henry O’Neill, Albert Basserman and many more. STATE “Charley's (Big-hearted) Aunt,” which screens finally today at 2.0 and i 8.0 at the State, is a grand, slapstick | farce. Arthur Askey puts over a com- i mendable performance. Richard ! Murdoch is. of course, Stinker; Graham Moffatt is Albert; and Moore Marriott is Jerry. “BROWN ON RESOLUTION” “Courage from hearts and not from numbers grows.” Dryden’s fine line echoes the theme of “Forever England,” the stirring British saga of desperate, single-handed devotion to a principle, which begins tomorrow at 2.0 and 8.0 at the State Theatre, under the alter- , native title of “Brown On Resolution.” ■

The natural child of Elizabeth Brown and Lieutenant Somerville, R.N. —who are fated never to meet again—Albert Brown is dedicated by his proud mother to service in the Navy; and thenceforward the picture is the story of the young sailor's life and the drama of his simple heroism—his unhesitating answer to what he believed to be a call to duty. Almost the sole survivor from H.M.S. Rutland, sunk by the I enemy cruiser Zeithen, Albert is a prisoner on the latter when she puts into Resolution Island for repairs. Albert contrives to escape with a lifebelt, rifle and ammunition, and, swim- | ming ashore, snipes the repair gangs as they go overside tc replace the j plates. Desperately the cruiser lands I a search party, which fails in its objec- I tive. Bombardment is next resorted j to —and the gun-fire brings a British j warship to the scene. Vainly the enemy ■ tries to escape; Albert Brown had de- , layed the ship too long for that. His j work was done. He had given his life j in its performance, and when his be- i longings were brought to the British commander the latter discovered that the lad was his own son. The succes-

sive sinking of the Rutland and the Zeithen, with their relentless gunnery and torpedo work, are vivid in the extreme. John Mills, in the role of Albert Brown, presents the young seaman as an unaffected, well-balanced fellow, full of the joy of life, utterly free from “side,” unconscious of his own bravery. His friend “Ginger” (Jimmy Hanley) provides comedy touches in several scenes which add to the naturalness of the roles of both, and, at the same time, distinguish young Hanley as a most capable artist who can throw even a small part into sharp relief. Miss Betty Balfour gives a carefully graded study of character development from girlhood to maturity. Excellent supports will complete the programme. Box plans are at Begg’s or the State.

MAJESTIC An action-filled performance by Wallace Beery, a sparkling return to the screen by Dolores Del Rio and a stalwart and convincing characterization by the leading man, John Howard, combine to provide a thrilling entertainment in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “The Man From Dakota,” a Civil war I story which opens today at the ! Majestic Theatre. The leading | characters are two Yankee pris- | oners of war who escape from j the Confederate prison camp at Belle i Island, and a Russian girl who joins 1 them as a fugitive after she has killed j a Confederate officer who mistreated I her. And the result is one of the fastest moving, most hair-raising melo- ■ dramas of the past year. Wallace Beery i is the escaped Yankee sergeant who ; wants only to keep his stomach filled I and his head west; John Howard is | the young and idealistic superior officer j bent on regaining the Union lines; Dolores Del Rio makes an impressive return to the screen as the Russian girl, Jenny. A return season of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Love Finds Andy Hardy” is the associate feature on today’s programme at the Majestic Theatre. “Love Finds Andy Hardy” is undoubtedly the most successful of the highly successful Judge Hardy series. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland are starred with Lewis Stone, Fay Holden and Cecila Parker again playing the other members of the Hardy family. A newsreel showing two of the most interesting items which have arrived in New Zealand since the beginning of the war will have its final screening at the Majestic Theatre today. The entire news is devoted to these two subjects, the first of which shows the Anzacs part in the fall of Sidi Barrani in Libya. The other item shows the British Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, in company with Brigadier J. Hargest inspecting the New Zealanders at their camp in England.

L I ’ 1 CIVIC ' Although it starts in a western locale, “Cowboy from Brooklyn,” the first ; feature on the Civic’s 6d and 9d pro- ’ ' gramme tonight, with Pat O’Brien, Dick ’ I Powell and Priscilla Lane in the j | featured roles, is definitely not a western picture, for it takes nothing in tlie western scene seriously. It is a hilarious tale of the complications which ensue when a New York theatrical producer, played by O’Brien, comes to a Wyoming dude ranch and assumes that a trio of stranded eastern musicians who dress up in cowboy 1 I duds while they entertain the guests | I arc authentic cowboys. Taking the I : leader of the trio, played by Dick j Powell, back to New York and launch- I ing him on a highly successful radio : career as a cowboy crooner, he dis- i covers his cowboy is really a Brooklyn ' youth who has never ridden a horse. I “The Adventurous Blonde,” the ! second feature, is another of the popular “Torchy Blanc” scries, starring Glenda Farrell and Barton Maclane. It is a tale about how a quartet of male reporters. irked by Torchy’s scoring of so many “scoops” over them, try to get vengeance. They hire an out-of-work actor to play the part of a corpse and give Torchy a lot of misinformation about a supposed murder. She hustles to her paper and writes a big story about the crime, and the framers I chuckle when Torchy’s sheet appears on (he street. But the gag boomerangs on the boys, because (lie fake murder turns out to be an actual murder, which Torchy and Steve solve, and the ! conspirators arc the ones that prove ; out of luck. Civic prices tonight are Gd i and 9d.