AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20680, 19 March 1937, Page 18

AMUSEMENTS

MAJESTIC THEATRE “I MARRIED A DOCTOR” “I Married a Doctor” will conclude its short season at the Majestic today. The film, which is a stirring drama of small town bigotry’ and intolerance, is based on a novel by Sinclair Lewis which caused a furore throughout the country by exposing the cruelties resultant from the attitude of selfrighteous small town people who judge others by their narrow standard. It is filled with pathos and tragedy and dynamic scenes, enlivened by romance, sparkling dialogue and comedy. Pat O’Brien and Josephine Hutchinson have the romantic leads. ‘“Sworn Enemy” The startling audacity of American racketeers is brought into bold relief in the picture which comes to the Majestic to-morrow. Appropriately titled “Sworn Enemy,” the picture reveals the amazing daring of a typical gangster leader, lulled into a sense of false security by his own peculiar success. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced the film and made the fortunate choice of Joseph Galleia to play the gangster characterisation. Robert Young has the leading role as a youth whose brother has been killed because he knew too much. Florence Rice, the charming daughter of Grantland Rice, famous sports authority, plays the feminine lead with true feeling and a depth of understanding that establishes her as a real actress. The case has been particularly well placed. Nat Pendleton, who was the mighty Sandow of “The Great Ziegfeld appears here as a rising young hero of the prize ring who is the innocent prey of the gangsters. Young is his manager who has sworn to even the score with the man who killed his brother. REGENT THEATRE "CAIN AND MABEL” Bright comedy, presented in lavish setting, with here and there an interlude of singing, ’•music and dancing, make Warner Bros.’ “Cain and Mabel,” which opens at the Regent to-day, a notable production. Practically everything that goes to make an excellent production has been crowded into it, while it is also enhanced by excellent photography and direction. “Cain and Mabel” is simply a tale about an exwaitress and an ex-mechanic appearing in new roles as a Broadway musical-comedy actress and the world’s champion heavy-weight boxer respectively. But a few dexterous twists have made a simple tale into a hilariously funny succession of adventures. Sworn enemies, these two leading figures spare no efforts to avoid each other and should they necessarily meet, are remarkably c?"'’id in their mutual views. Anything goes, however, with big publicity and they are forced into more than a pretence of ordinary friendship so that New York may chatter over another romance, and their respective managements of the stage and boxing ring may profit at the expense of a curious public. And from that point the picture proceeds gaily on to an obvious, although no less delightful conclusion, with the leading figures discovering that they are really in love. To Clark Gable and Marion Davies have been given the responsibility of interpreting these two roles, and they enter the spirit of the farce with a will. Miss Davies is seen as a light-hearted waitress, as a glamorous theatrical star, as a clever dancer, and as a ycung lady very much in love. Gable is shown as a fighter, against other fighters, against young women who annoy him, and against publicity men, aln.ost until the end, when he succumbs to romance. STATE THEATRE DOUBLE PROGRAMME The double programme at the State, featuring “Half Angel” and “Grand Jury” will be screened finally to-night. The former is full of humour and fine entertainment, while the latter is a stirring detective story of war on crime. “Thank You, Jeeves” P. G. Wodehouse’s classic character of Jeeves, the perfect. butler, prizefighter and general handy-man, and Bertie Wooster, an Englishman of excellent intentions, profound silliness and an amiable and trusting soul, have been brought to the screen in “Thank You, Jeeves,” a 20th Century-Fox production, which will open at the State to-morrow. The film is a faithful reproduction of the Wodehouse atmosphere of hilarious and quite irresponsible nonsense, while the actors, headed by Arthur Treacher and David Niven, give the right airy nonchalance to the inconsequential dialogue. The ridiculously polite and differential sourness of Jeeves when his master commits each new indiscretion is richly amusing. Arthur Treacher gives one of his best performances in this role. Lank, imperturbable and splendidly efficient, he is Jeeves to the life. The humorous loftiness with which he res-

cues his master from all predicaments shows a clever understanding of an exacting part. David Niven’s depiction of Bertie Wooster, a voluble and asinine young man whose efforts to restore a stolen plan to its rightful owner would have failed, but for the assistance of Jeeevs, is equally convincing. Whether he is earnestly working cn the wrong track, or innocently handing back the papers that the heroine has that moment arduously retrieved, he is a model of comic right-mindedness. The supporting cast includes Virginia Field and Colin Tapley, the Dunedin actor, who is now living in Hollywood. SUNDAY CONCERT A suggestion has been made that the Timaru Orchestral Society should give an orchestral concert in the Sound Pavilion on Caroline Bay under the baton of its late conductor, Mr W. H. Osborne, before he leaves Timaru. The orchestra will play in the Pavilion next Sunday afternoon at 3 oclock when a bright and popular programme of orchestral works will be performed including “Through Night to Light" (Laukien), “Stradella Overture’ (Flotow), “My Noble Knights” (Meyerbeer), “Toreador’s Song” (Bizet), “Norwegian Scene” (Matt), and “Sword and Lance” (Starke). The orchestra will be assisted by the champion trombone trio of New Zealand and Master John Rennie (cornet).