ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1933, Page 11

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE TO-NIGHT.

“RADIO PATROL” FINALLY.

“Radio Patrol,” which will be finally screened at The Regent, New Plymouth, to-night, is a picture that will grip you and hold you in eager, excited suspense through every scene of its lightning action. This is the first time the activities of the dauntless radio car police have ever been portrayed on the screen —never before have such experiences been shown to theatregoers as in “Radio Patrol.” Robert Armstrong, Russell Hopton, Lila Lee, June Clyde, Andy Devine, Onslow Stevens, Harry Woods, Sidney Toler, John Lester Johnson make this rapid story into the outstanding action drama of the year. There is a good supporting programme. GRACIE FIELDS TO-MORROW. Grade Fields is one of the most captivating personalities on . tho audible screen. Her completely winning performance in “Sally in Our Alley,” which plays a return season at The Regent to-morrow and Wednesday, makes it easy to understand why she is the idol of the English vaudeville Stage, commanding a salary of £6OO a week. She dominates the whole film from first to last. She plays the part of Sally Winch, whose ready-made philosophy of life is as laughable as it is practical, with exceptional talent. Moreover, one could listen to her singing for hours. Besides “Sally,” she sings “Fall in and Follow the Band” and “Fred Fanackapan,” a rollicking Lancashire ballad. “Sally in Our Alley,” apart from the charm of Grade Fields, is a film which appeals for its very novelty. It is entirely different from the traditional film entertainment. Although it deals chiefly with the joys and sorrows of the poorer classes of London, there are refreshing glimpses of rural England and authentic scenes of the Thames and the guard at Buckingham Palace. Matinees will be held daily at 2 p.m. Intending patrons are advised to book early at Collier’s. . EVERYBODY’S. DELIGHTFUL FILM SHOWN. “The First Year,” Frank Craven’s comedy farce of the stage, neatly spiced with wise lines and alternate heart-

aches, brings Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell back to the screen. Delighted audiences at Everybody’s Theatre on Saturday greeted this Fox version of the popular romance with all the fervor usually reserved for the opening of a Gaynor-Farrell picture. This film, because of its more modem presentation of the stars, should be extremely popular, although it retains everything which has made Janet and Charlie the screen idols of three continents. The settings show imagination, the photography is consistently excellent, Janet is even more piquant and appealing than ever, while Charlie, in the best-cast role of his talkie career, reveals a hitherto untouched vein of acting talent. The plot is the drama of young love during the most dangerous age—the first twelve months of married life. In the picture, Farrell presses his courtship for Janet’s hand, they become engaged, marry, move away to a strange city to begin life on their own. Here it is that the natural laws of economic pressure, jealousy, and the natural tendencies of youth to rebel in discouraging situations gradually outweigh the joys of the honeymoon. It is this dramatic crux which brings on a temporary separation. This parting, which sends Janet in tears back to her parents, is easily understood by everyone except the two most vitally interested—Janet and Charlie. To them it is no laughing matter, although everyone else seems to find much enjoyment from their predicament, as does the audience in viewing the picture. Among the important supporting players whose work appeared outstanding were Minna Gombell, as a wise-cracking wife; Leila Bennett, the coloured maid; Dudley Digges, Janet’s kindly bachelor uncle; Maude Ebume and Robert McWade, aS Janet’s parents; and George Meeker as Charlie’s rival. The supporting films are of high standard and include world wide events in sight and sound and an exceptionally fine “Mickey the Mouse?’ cartoon. “The First Year” programme screens again to-night and to-morrow night with matinees each afternoon. OPERA HOUSE. LAST DAYS OF “AIR MAIL.” “The mail goes through!” Like a prophecy of the time when New Plymouth will be the New Zealand terminal of some great Australian-New Zealand air service, these words are repeatedly used in the dialogue of the thrilling Universal Films’ production “Air Mail,” which concludes its season at the New Plymouth Opera House to-morrow. Colour to such an illustration is sent by the fact that “Air Mail” was brought over from Sydney by Mr. Jack Percival, a passenger On the Southern Cross on Wednesday. The courage, skill and intrepid flying it takes to make this motto of the air mail fleet good provides the thrilling theme of the great aviation classic, “Air Mail.” There have been 'aviation pictures before, but none that have presented the story of the unsung heroes of he government mail as “Air Mail” does. One of the most essentially dramatic phases of flying, the air mail provides a substantial, gripping and romantic theme around which has been woven a very human story of devotion to duty and sacrifice with characters that live on the screen. Action, thrills, sustained suspense,, believable romance and story interest combine to make “Air Mail” a departure from the ordinary run of movie fare. “VIENNESE NIGHTS” TO RETURN. It is surprising to learn that hundreds of New Plymouth people have not yet seen that delightful, haunting, musical operetta “Viennese Nights,” and. equally surprising to discover from other sources that it is proving one of the few pictures that has a happy knack of attracting patrons,who have already seen it. As a result it is certain that the return season to New Plymouth to be held at the Opera House commencing next Wednesday will be of interest and draw large houses. Fresh copies of the film have been imported from America and a brand new copy, in technicolour as previously, has been secured for the New Plymouth return season. NEW THEATRE, OPUNAKE. “SPLINTERS IN THE NAVY.” During the filming of the numerous authentic naval scenes on board Britain’s mighty warships, which is a highlight possessed by “Splinters in the Navy,” the British Dominions film which will be shown at the New Theatre, Opunake, to-night and to-morrow, the director of the production naturally wished to have a genuine background of the men who manned these giants. The authorities agreed that members of the crews who cared to volunteer could be used in the making of the production. Practically the whole of one ship’s company was most enthusiastic about breaking into the movies, consequently patrons of the New Theatre will know when watching this highly diverting comedy that every person sporting a blue jacket is synonymous with the lad who assists in defending outlying parts of our Empire.