OPERA HOUSE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 290, 8 December 1939, Page 9

OPERA HOUSE

“ASK A POLICEMAN” AND “BOY FRIEND” Will Hay is as dumb and as delightful as ever in his latest comedy, “Ask a Policeman,” which will be to-day's feature at the Opera House. He plays the part of a village policeman in a village that has about eight people, including a police force of three headed ,by Sergeant Will Hay, The sergeant is boastful of the fact that there has not been a crime of any sort in the village for 1U years five weeks, ■ four days, and incidentally remarks that he took over the job just 10 years , five weeks and four days ago. 'The ( chief constable ponders over this, and . decides that in such a virtuous village . no police force is necessary, so in . order to keep its job the force fever- , ishly rushes round looking for a spot | , of crime. In “Boy Friend,” Jane With- i j ers falls in love for the first time with r George Herbert, who plays the part! . of a student at one of America's I military preparatory schools. The j story is not confined to this theme, } however. It is a tale of the American > police training schools, with a strong } “Crime Does Not Pay” message. A ■ group of young men, one of them . Janes brother (Richard Bond), arc in y training to become policemen. One of . them appears to go astray by joining ! a gang of wholesale burglars, but I fortunately he never quite manages } to convince the audience that he is not acting as an “under cover” man 1 for the police. His former friends a.e t not as bright, as the audience, hows ever, and their hatred is increased t when one of their number is shot down . by the gang. Jane and her new boy i friend make up for things, however, . by leading the entire force to where I the gang is carrying out a raid. A ter--1 rific motor-car chase with revolver ac1 conjpaniment follows.