AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20511, 1 September 1936, Page 10

AMUSEMENTS

STATE THEATRE “CAPTAIN JANUARY" The greatest attraction in the film world last year, Shirley Temple, appears in the leading role of “Captain January,” which is enjoying a good season at the State Theatre. This talented actress holds many records for the size of the audiences which see her pictures and for takings, and her films are improving noticeably. “Captain January” is claimed to be her best to date. The little girl whose part she takes is a passenger on board a ship which is wrecked, and she is rescued by a kindly lighthouse keeper who takes care of her and brings her up. Her life is completely happy until an officer from the vessel turns up and takes her back to relatives whom she neither knows nor likes. The solution comes when she is returned to her friend of the lighthouse. Guy Kibbee, Slim Summerville and Buddy Ebsen are the supporting players. The supporting programme is a particularly good one.

Double Bill To-morrow

“Drift Fence” and “F Man” will be shown on the new programme tomorrow. In “Drift Fence,” the new Paramount action drama adapted from a Zane Grey story, Tom Keene portrays a Texas Ranger who comes into the Arkansas cattle country in the guise of a city dude, in order to rid the land of cattle rustlers who refuse to let a large rancher enclose his property. Katherine DeMille plays opposite him in the romantic feminine lead. “F Man” is an amusing new comedy relating the adventures of a boy who wanted to be a “G Man” but couldn’t make the grade. Jack Haley has the title role, while the supporting cast includes Grace Bradley and William Frawley. MAJESTIC THEATRE “THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR” “The Story of Louis Pasteur” is enjoying a good season at the Majestic. The picture was assured greatness before the first scene was photographed, for the story of Pasteur’s life is a great story, and Paul Muni, assigned to enact ti e title role, is a great actor—one of the greatest masters of characterisation in pictures. In adapting the immortal chemist’s biography the authors of this story were confronted with the old problem of altering facts for the sake of better pictorial continuity; so a student of scientific history will recognise a few fictions in the film story of Louis Pasteur—Pasteur suffered his paralytic stroke many years befor his acclamation by the Sorbonne on his 70th birthday, and he had no scientific enemy named Dr Charbonnet. But, between them, the scenarists, th<’ director, Paul Muni, and the rest of the cast have captured Pasteur's continued faith in the battle of science to overcome the fear born of ignorance, which has been characterised as his “immunisation against despair.” A consummate artist in the science of make-up, Muni has given himself the general appearance of the bearded chemist. But, beyond that, he has invested the character with an uncanny delineation of thought and moods, manner and mein that are far above the realm of material make-up.

THEATRE ROYAL “UNDER COVER MAN” AND “NO MORE WOMEN” Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen as rugged, swashbuckling deep-sea divers. Under-water battles for hidden gold and battles ashore for feminine favours. Comedy, romance and spectacular adventures. These are the elements combined in “No More Women,” which is one of the features on the Theatre Royal bill for to-night. The two begin their conflict as divers on rival salvage tugs, seeking twenty thousand dollars In treasure aboard a sunken rum-rummer. When Vic’s boat is inherited by a pretty girl, Eddie joins the crew, causes Vic to be lowered in rank and heaps abuse on him. George Raft, Nancy Carroll, Roscoe Karns, Lew Cody and Gregory Ratoff play the leading roles in “Under Cover Man,” a drama centring around a crook who gambles with his own life and the life of a girl he loves to hunt down the slayer of his father. Raft is cast as a prominent figure in the underworld until his father, a receiver of

stolen bonds, is killed. Then he decides he must personally track down the murderer. He goes to police headquarters, offers to become an undercover man—a stool pigeon, who can expect no help either from the police or fellow-crooks if the latter find out his connections. Then, with Miss Carroll, whose brother, a bank messenger, has been killed by the sar. 3 gang—he sets out to accomplish his task. The results are rapid and dramatic.

REGENT THEATRE “THE AMATEUR GENTLEMAN” Based on one of Jeffery Farnol’s most fascinating stories, the Criterion Films production “The Amateur Gentleman," which is showing at the Regent Theatre, has all the ingredients which go to provide first-class entertainment. Not since the colourful costume films “The Coilnt of Monte Cristo” and “The Scarlet Pimpernel” were presented locally some time ago, has such an appealing period film as the present one been shown in Timaru. The story concerns the advefitures of the son of an ex-prize fighter who enters the society of the Regency Period to solve a mystery surrounding some jewels on account of which his father had been imprisoned. Douglas Fairbanks, Jun., is ideally cast in the leading role, and his characterisation of the young gentleman recaptures all the rollicking spirit of adventure and romance which formed an essential part of the original novel.