PLAZA THEATRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 299, 19 December 1933, Page 12

PLAZA THEATRE

“PRIVATE DETECTIVE 62.” i A fast action melodrama with romanJ tic episodes, the Warner Bros/ offerling, “Private Detective 62,’’ is now showing at the Plaza Theatre. William Powell and Margaret Lindsay prove well suited in the stellar roles. The plot concerns a love story in which a private detective deals with the methods used by an unscrupulous detective agency to obtain or manufacture evidence for the divorce courts, at the instigation of jealous husbands and wives. Powell, in the title role, as a discredited secret service operative carries on his nefarious distasteful business for want, of a better job, until he is ordered to frame a woman with whom he falls in j love. Whereupon he quits his job and ) devotes his time and efforts to rescue the girl from an extremely delicate situation. Miss Lindsay is one of the most artistic performers of the screen and her work in “Private Detective 62,” shows a finish and smoothness rarely found in so young a player. Before entering picture work she had considerable stag« experience, playing in stock and reper toire before going to Broadway for important roles. Others in the supporting James Bell. Included in the supporting programme is one of those interesting travelogues entitled 4 ‘Main Streets of the World,” in which the patron of the theatre is taken through some famous thoroughfares. The Grand Canal of Venice is but one of the many, while there are some unique glimpses of the East. Perhaps some future series will show Victoria Avenue. Two excellent comedy features and a musical film of a great orchestra complete an attractive programme. The programme of pictures coming to the Plaza Theatre to-morrow has ‘•omedy as its keynote, and those who fail to succumb to the hilarious fare that is offered must obviously have something very wrong with their risible faculties. The main item on the programme is a new First National picture entitled “The Little Giant.” In this comedy appears Edward G. Robin>son, who has achieved such popularity in a number of recent successes. In 1 “The Little Giant” he excels previous efforts at mirth-making by appearing as an ex-beer baron of Chicago, whoso sole desire apparently is to penetrate into exclusive social circles. There is any amount of fun to be derived from the hilarious situations which Constantly arise. The entire paraphernalia of a gangster's arsenal figures in the picture, and the whole underworld seems to be marshalled on the scene, and yet, although there are many exciting and thrilling incidents, not a shot is fired and no violence of any kind is attempted. How the crude racketeer succeeds' in his attempt to move in exclusive circles must be seen | to be appreciated fully. Mary Astor ihas a leading feminine role in this pic1

ture, and support is accorded by many other well-known screen artists. “The Working Man.” | In “The Working Man,” coming to the Plaza Theatre on Friday, George Arliss succeeds once more in driving a moral home. On this occasion he is a shot manufacturer (Reeves) on the large scale, practically dictating footwear to America, and with tyut one real competitor—an old friend of his. Business is not flourishing as well as it might. Then suddenly the opponent (Hartland) dies and things are looking up for the Reeves’ side. Reeves, however, has a nephew, Benjamin, imbued with all the best in the Yankee ionreption of business psychology. Benjamin is running Reeves’ firm so well the uncle decides to go fishing. So engaged, he runs up against a collection of fast American youths including the late Hartland’s children, who are tossing away their father’s fortune in the approved prodigal style. Reeves, under an assumed name, intervenes with the object of teaching them a little sanity. This he eventually does, becoming their guardian, and incidentally the driving force behind the Hartland firm, competing with his own organisation. Finally matters straighten themselves out and Reeves reveals to the offspring his identity. The only thing remaining then is to amalgamate the two firms and for Benjamin to fall in love with Jenny, Ihe Hartland daughter, played by Bette Davis. There is a wide variety of supporting “shorts.”