ENTERTAINMENTS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3818, 7 October 1936, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

AT THE REGENT. AGAIN TO-NIGHT. “13 HOURS BY AIR.” 1 Paramount’s “Thirteen Hours By Air,” a dramatic story of romance and Intrigue aboard a speeding transport plane, opened yesterday at the Kegent Theatre to' an emphatically ap •preciative audience. Fred Mac Murray and Joan Bennett play the leading roles in the film; and play them for all they are worth. The two leads are supported by a big and -extremely capable cast, including ZaSu Pitts, John Howard, Bennie Grace Bradley, Alan Baxter, Brian Donlevy, Ruth Donnelly and ' Fred Keating. Mitchell Leisen directed the film. "Thirteen Hours by Air” is a dra'matic chronicle of the adventures that befall half a dozen passengers and the crew of a transport plane as it zooms across the country from New York to San Francisco. Mac Murray and Howard are co-pilots of the ship. Miss Bennett is the lovely passenger who intrigues Mac Murray. Bennie Bartlett is a spoiled young heir to several million dollars, who makes 'life miserable for his governess, played by ZaSu Pitts, and the remainder of the passengers. Three mysterious male passengers are aboard —Baxter, Donlevy and Keating. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. “RIFFRAFF.” Down to earth drama of vital human emotion in a setting as robust As it is new. Miss Harlow as a brunette for the first time since her celebrated portrayal of. “Red Headed SVomen.” A supporting cast headed by the screen’s first ranking comedienne, Una Merkel, and Joseph Calleia of “Public Enemy" fame. A group of outstanding players, including Victor Kilian, Mickey Rooney, J. Farrell MacDonald, Juanita Quigley, Paul Hurst, Vince Barnett, Dorothy Appleby and Judith Wood. Directed by J. Walter Ruben from a powerful story by Francis Marion, with screen play by Miss Marion, H. W. Hanemann and Anita Loos. That is a quick summary of “Riffraff,” which opens to-morrow at the Regent Theatre as one of the exceptional features on the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer programme. .. “Riffraff” is a story of a guy and his gal—elemental, vital, earthly peo-

pie. They live and work on the waterfront, and that is their world. What they lack in book education they make up in wisdom taught in the world's greatest school—the streets. Hattie is the belle of the waterfront, a wise-cracking, hard-talking, soft-hearted, bluntly vital girl who has her own strict standard of morals and her own unique method of retaining them. That’s Harlow. Dutch Miller is a bombastic, egotistical fellow, who thinks the world is his oyster and that all women in his world were created especially for him. EMPIRE THEATRE. NEXT WEEK-END. “LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE.” “Lightning Strikes Twice” is RKORadio Pictures Stellar contribution to film farce, made so by an unusual combination of talent in every department of production. The studio started with an idea of making it all-star, it is in writing, direction and acting. By this keen blending of ability in all ■lines, the picture turns out to be an excellent melo-dramatic comedy. “Lightning Strikes Twice” is said to be swift moving and filled with laughs. It enjoys the rare farce ingredient of thrilling melo-drama, and also boasts of laughs, romance, mystery and others elements which build to an unusual climax.