ENTERTAINMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21202, 27 August 1940, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

TONIGHT’S PROGRAMMES

THEATRE ROYAL The struggles of a paroled convict to rehabilitate himself form the basis of the plot of “Prison Break.” Bar- | ton Mac Lane is seen as the uni fortunate man who endeavours to “go straight” while the forces of society .seem to conspire to prevent him from earning an honest living. “The Rage of Paris” presents the petite Danielle Darrieux as the little French girl who lands in New York, broke and jobless and takes a job posing in the nude for a famous artist. But in her excitement at landing a job she snatches up the wrong address and. oegins to pose in the office of Douglos Fairbanks, a young advertising executive. Then he walks in and the situations develop with speed and comic impact. STATE THEATRE The latest in the popular series starring America’s favourite Jones’ family, “Hot Water” features Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane, Spring Byington, Russell Gleason, Kenneth Howell, George Ernest, June Carlson, Florence Roberts and Billy Mahan in their familiar roles in the family. When Shirley Deane leaves for the big city to buy her trousseau for her forthcoming wedding, the house seems rather empty despite all the rest of the Joneses still being very much in evidence, and Dad gets an attack of community spirit, with exciting results.

A modern Svengali, whose hypnotic powers make a sensational bare- ’ back rider of a timid young man who is afraid of horses, motivates much of the hilarious action in “I’m From the City,” Joe Penner’s comedy vehicle. The circus big-top is the background for the early action of this film in which Penner is seen as the mesmerised star equestrian, and Richard Lane is the fast-talking ringmaster who can control the stunted brain of the performer. REGENT THEATRE In “Broadway Melody of 1940” Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell make an ideal dancing partnership. Miss Powell is all that Fred could request for a partner for those thoroughly enjoyable romantic-comedies-set-to-music of his. The story contains such leavening of comedy and by-play that the dancing and other spectacle sequences are splendidly tied together. Frank Morgan plays a heroic role in this respect, and is ably aided by George Murphy, lan Hunter, Florence Rice, and Lynne Carver. The dancing of Mr Astaire and Miss Powell, however, is the film’s feature—that and the singing of Cole Porter’s songs “Begin the Beguine,” “Please Don’t Monkey With Broadway,” “Between You and Me,” “I’ve Got My Eyes on You,” and “I Concentrate on You.” A Fitzpatrick travelogue “Suva, Pride of Fiji,” and one of the “Passing Parade” series entitled “X.X.X. Medico” head the supporting bill. CIVIC THEATRE “Invisible Stripes,” with George Raft, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart, will be screened today. “Invisible Stripes” is a very strong drama, with interesting dialogue and intriguing situations, and holds the tense interest of the audience from the first reel to the last. The “invisible stripes” of the title are very powerful and the working out of the unusual theme, and the development to the thrilling climax keep the audience “guessing.” George Raft can always be depended upon for excellent work, and in this story he gives his best. William Holden and Humphrey Bogart, two other gifted players, also have prominent parts and fill them capably. There is a strong supporting programme of news reels, comedies and topical films. ROXY THEATRE

“Tarzan Finds a Son,” featuring Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, and “Stronger Than Desire,” with Walter Pidgeon and Vir-

ginia Bruce, will be screened today. “Tarzan Finds a Son!” deals with the finding of a baby in a plane, wrecked in the jungle. Tarzan and Jane adopt and rear it. A safari penetrates the jungle in search of traces of the plane to clear up a legacy and the child becomes the object of a plot by heirs who do not wish the youngster’s existence known. When the party is captured by savages and brought to a torture chamber Jane helps the boy to escape to summon Tarzan who arrives with his chimpanzee and elephant cavalry. “Stronger Than Desire,” is a combination of happy married life, legal intrigue, a blackmail plot growing out of a flirtation, and a murder mystery.