CINEMA PROGRAMME

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1935, Page 3

CINEMA PROGRAMME

GOOD STORY, ACTING AND SINGING “MISSISSIPPI” AT OPERA HOUSE. Good story, good acting and good singing are seldom found in one film, but on Saturday at the New Plymouth Opera House “Mississippi” in an atmosphere of old-time settings centred in the old-time river show-boat embodied them all. Essentially a Bing Crosby picture, chief laurels for a superb portrayal must go to W. C. Fields, whose role as the blustering captain of the show-boat, give him full scope to indulge in his laugh-pro-voking witticisms and antics. Joan Bennett as the younger sister gives a neat characterisation of a difficult part. Briefly the story centres on Bing Crosby’s entrance into a Dixie family and relatives by medium of an engagement to the eldest daughter and their reactions when the young Philadelphian refuses to participate in a shooting duel to prove his love for his fiancee. Ejected and spumed by all but Joan Bennett, the younger sister, he joins the show-boat and under the patronage of W. C Fields becomes, if not in habits, at least in reputation, a notorious dueller and bad man, Captain Steele. How he is unmasked by Joan and pursues her to her father’s estate and confronts and browbeats his former opponents to the admiration of her former scornful father makes a fine finish to an admirable story. An exceedingly entertaining series of shorts including several news reels, a musical novelty, a sportlight, “Rabbit’s Foot Superstition” (variety), “Pleased to Meet Cha,” Popeye the Sailorman cartoon and the final of the Bobbie Jones series completes a full night's entertainment.