REGENT THEATRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 118, 22 May 1939, Page 9

REGENT THEATRE

“THE STORM" AND “231 HOURS’ LEAVE” Tolling an emotional story of adventure and thrills in the lives of wireless operators on American merchant ships, Universal’s production of "The Storm” commenced on Saturday at the Regent Theatre. Filmed against the colourful background of giant ships and thundering storms at sea, the narrative possesses power and realism. Top-higiil performances arc turned in by the cast ot popular stars, which includes Charles Bickford. Barton MacLanc, Preston Foster. Tom Brown, Nan Grey, Andy Devine, and Frank Jenks. Sweeping across the screen with unusual force, the screenplay by Theodore Reeves, Daniel Moore and Hugh King unfolds as one of the most virile action dramas to come out of Hollywood in recent months. Impressive scenes show a great steel freighter crashing into an iceberg and going down while Preston Foster sticks to his radio key sending SOS calls for help. Bickford adds to his standing as a skilled portrayer of rugged he-man roles in stirring light scenes along the waterfront and aboard ship. Director Harold Young and Ken Goldsmith, the producer, may again take bows for producing a picture which should win even mure favour than their recent success, "Little Tough Guy." The story concerns itself with the efforts of Bickford, an adventurous and hard-lighting wireless operator, to keep his young brother Brown from marrying the ship's pretty nurse, Nan Grey. Gripping storm scenes in which great waves batter the ship are shown in spectacular realism by the photogiaphy of Mi It on Krasner. The associate feature is “235 Hours’ Leave,” a comedy of the Army, starring James Ellison.