ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1934, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

“MANHATTAN MELODRAMA." SPLENDID CAST; GOOD PICTURE. The talking picture “Manhattan Melodrama,” which lured the notorious .United States gangster John Dillinger from his hiding place and into the hands of police officers who shot him dead as he left the theatre was shown at the New Plymouth Opera House last night. What John Dillinger thought .about it in the last few moments before his death is not known, but the audience last night must have been greatly impressed with the dramatic qualities of the picture. It all started with two youngsters who lost their parents in a shipwreck. Some realistic scenes were shown of the shipwreck. The pair suffered further disaster when their guardian was killed in an excellently Communistic riot. They grew up, one to be a district attorney, the other a gangster. When the gangster’s mistress met the lawyer and fell in love and married a man who did not make dice out of his lump sugar in restaurants or kiss her on short .. acquaintance, the strength of friendship between the men as far apart in station as the poles was not weakened. But when the attorney rose to the governorship over his success in sending his gangster friend to the electric chair for. a murder committed to aid his rise to fame the picture gave the audience drama with, pathos which simply rivetted the attention. The principle of “greater love hath no man. . .” has been well done in motion pictures, but as portrayed in “Manhattan Melodrama” it is strikingly unusual. The attorney’s address to the jury is a fine piece of oratory illustrative of the New United States attitude towards the hitherto glorified gangster. There are some effective scenes of Madison Square Garden, the New York legislative assembly and the metropolis on election night. William Powell played the attorney, Clark Gable the gangster, and Myrna Loy the woman. The comedy relief was good and well balanced. Charlie Chase excelled himself in a supporting comedy feature. The programme will be repeated to-day and Friday.