AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19668, 9 December 1933, Page 4

AMUSEMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE. "HER FIRST MATE." The change of programme at the Majestic to-day will be headed by "Her First Mate.” which has Slim Summerville and Zasu Pitts as the principals. As John Horner, of Snag Harbour, New York State, Slim Summerville appears as a gentleman with great desires to be a captain of a deep-sea sailing ship. His ancestors were engaged in that way, and he obviously feels stifled oy the “small-town” atmosphere of Snag Harbour. His wife, played by Zasu Pitts, also has ambitions, but they are for her husband, and consist of making him the master of a very prosaic ferryboat. As a matter of fact, she invests the whole of the family bank account in a ferry service, while her husband has arranged for his fortune to be placed in a deep-sea sailing vessel. A conflict of purpose not unnaturally takes place, but the husband has his way and sails into the Atlantic with a crew which evidently has not been out to sea before. The venture is disastrous, for the vessel he commands proves to be a notorious rumrunner and is consequently shelled enthusiastically by an American revenue cutter.' The fun then waxes fast and furious. “Her First Mate” is a comedy not without certain touches of pathos, which add to the merit of the film. Comical side issues in the plot involve Una Merkel, Warren Hymer, Henry Armetta, and George Marion, but Slim and Zasu naturally occupy most of the space.

REGENT THEATRE. "THE MEDICINE MAN" “The Medicine Man” is reported to be one of the brightest films to reach Timaru for a long time. It will head the new programme at the Regent today. The picture itself provides rare entertainment, and it is indeed amazing that so much fun can be crowded into the 52 minutes it takes to film. Of course, this is explainable when it is known that all of it is caused by Claude AUister and Frank Pettingell, for a better combination of “prize fools” it would be hard to find. "The Medicine Man" is all about nothing in particular, but there is just enough in it to give these two enough rope to provide an audience with all the laughs it needs for one night. Allister plays the role of the Hon. Freddie Wiltshire, an impecunious youth, and the opening of the story finds him in a bit of a jam. He is installed in a hotel with no money to pay for his stay, but little things like that are of little consequence to him. It is not until he agrees to impersonate a friend, Dr Wesley Primus, that his troubles begin. And they come thick and fast. Installed in a surgery with rows and row's of bottles, he has the time of his life. To cure lumbago, housemaids’ knee, and amputate a limb are little things to Freddie. Henceforward the comedy is hilarious.

THEATRE ROYAL. TOM KEENE WESTERN. Whirlwind action and the infectiously winning personality of the cowboy hero, Tom Keene, dominate "Freighters of Destiny,” the western feature which will be screened at the Theatre Royal to-day. A romance of the pioneer waggon freighters, the picture abounds in swift movement, spectacular fights, suspense, and human interest. Filmed in the high Sierra Nevada mountains in the shadow of Mt. Whitney and other gigantic peaks, it also provides unsurpassed scenic beauty. The picture gives an opportunity of re-introducing the cowboy serenaders who will sing three songs specially composed for this picture. Keene appears as the leader of a forlorn hope, a cowboy who pilots a waggon train to the succour of a starving town after raiders have killed his father and demoralised the teamsters. He gives a performance that is certain to increase his swiftly mounting popularity. His work is enhanced by that of his imposing supporting cast, Barb; va Kent and Mitchell Harris. The supporting programme will include "End of the Trail” the final chapter of “Heroes of the West,” an Oswald the Rabbit Cartoon, comedy, newsreels, etc.