STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 September 1939, Page 2

STATE THEATRE

“CRACKERJACK.” One of the most popular of English comedians,. Tom Walls, is the leading player in the mystery-comedy, “Crackerjack,” which will be presented at the State Theatre tonight. The story commences with fresh escapades of a modern “Raffles,” who is known to the police and the newspapers as “Crackerjack.” In private life this criminal is Jack Drake (Walls), a popular member of London society. At a gathering of distinguished people in London, Drake enters in disguise and by substituting an imitation necklace, succeeds in stealing a famous string of pearls. After he has left, the party is held up by a gang which takes what it believes to be the real jewels. While making their escape, the criminals kill one of the guests, and Drake discovers next morning that he is held responsible for the murder. The film continues with the attempts by the jewelthief to clear his name of the murder and at the same time bring about the capture of the criminals who are making use of his name. In the second feature, “Danger Island,” Peter Lorre once again portrays the sauve oriental detective, Mr Moto, who gets mixed up in an international racket and finds the international police on his trail. The exciting story has its locale in tropical Porto Rico, in the West Indies where American life rubs elbows with strange native customs and modern efficiency finds itself confronted with weird superstitions. In this vivid setting the inimitable sleuth gets involved in a gigantic diamond smuggling case and a series of murders as breath-taking as they are baffling. ■ Patrons are reminded that the evening performances now commence at 8 o’clock (summer time) instead of 7.45 as was the practice during the winter months.