AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 222, 18 September 1940, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

"STAGE TO CHINO." ROXY-TIVOLI. eK,,£* r s,'» Geow O'Brien rh»ri« e r¥.? Kay Virginia Vale SKf ffri^ 1 ' Charles StocMale Fete Branagan Harry Cardin* Director: Edward Killy. B7k!o" Also: "LONG SHOT." starring Gordon Jones and Marsha Hunt. Telling another absorbing story of the old frontier, George O'Brien's newest ; vehicle 'Stage to Chino," one of the two , features on the bill t„ open the season at the Koxy and JLivoli Theatres to-dav, has a * plot winch revolves about a brand-new theme for such films. It deals with the adventures of the postal inspectors who supervised mail-carrying on the stage I coach routes which traversed the Western ! deserts and mountains, bringing passen- . gere, supplies and news to the remote t communities The noted outdoor star plays the role of such an inspector who discovers crooked work going on on a stage - line owned by a young girl. As it is part : oi hw duty to investigate anything pertain- - ing to the United States mails he gets a , job as a driver on the line in question and soon finds himself involved in a conipli- ; cated plot aimed at wrecking the companv. Mow he unmasks the criminals, saves the line and the mail contract for its beauti- ; lul owner and brings the crooks to justice . after a colourful struggle makes up the ■ Ua6ls °/. } h,s action-crammed picture, full of gunfighting and fisticuffs. The other , ieature at both theatres is "Long Shot " • a racing story of all the thrills of the r -ii .Z , L ? veva , of horses and excitement i will find that this film satisfies all their . needs. H«e is racing at its keenest pitch in a trial in which the outsider brings home the money to the impoverished owners after a series of thrilling adven--1 tures. ST. JAMES'. In ) the unusual production "Florian " : wthich commences a season at the St James Theatre on Friday, there is entertainment- of particular interest to lovers ■ of fine horses. The Lippizan stallion named in the title is one of six of lliis breed in America, a descendant of a long line of cavalry mounts bred by the Hapsbure tor the defence of Austria, and himself t product of the world-famed Spanish riding school, lo any "horse conscious" audience i- if s P^ ndul animal's performance, highlighted by his superb demonstrations of •trained ability, is a rare treat, quite independently of story plot and human cast. I'he him is produced by Winfield Sheehan from the novel by Felix Salton, and in it there is an Imperial Ballet sequence featuring Inna Baranova. Robert Young and Helen Gilbert are in leading roles -hvery now and again an unusual film comes out and this is one of them The story is set about the year 1910, with a depiction of life as then lived in and about the court of Emperor Franz Josef, and eventually moves on to New York an 1 an ultimate happy ending. EMBASSY. An unusual story adapted for the screen from one of Edith Wharton's brilliant novels, "The Old Maid," continuing a successful season at the Embassy Theatre offers outstanding entertainment for those who can appreciate acting at its best, liette Davis, whose ability in character roles can be questioned by no one, is at her best in this presentation as a so-called old maid, who is forced by circumstances to .briny up her own child to regard her as an aunt. It is drama at ite best, handled by a cast which includes such well-known performers as Miriam Hopkins, George Brent, Donald Crisp, Jane Bryan, Louise hazenda James Stephenson and Jerome Cowan, lhe story runs smoothly—never is the imagination of the audience" strained— and this combination of fop-flight actons and a powerful story, plus an experienced director with a special flair for drama in Edmund Goulding, cannot fail to find universal appeal. Supports include an amusing colour cartoon, "Robin Hood Makes Good. REGENT. Coming to the Regent Theatre on Friday, Warner Brothers' domestic comedydrama, "Four Wives," reveals executive producer Hal B. Wallis, who presents the four daughters of "Four Daughters" engaged in the enthralling business of raising babies. Written in the sophisticated vein, the picture is as thoroughly domestic as its forerunner, as competently played, written and directed, and it is the same masterly job of narration in that it keeps the several parallel stories running steadily and simultaneously. It is a good deal more mature as to story material and treatment, incident and dialogue combining to inform observers quite fully about practical obstetrics. The large and distinguished cast give superbly balanced and uniformly effective portrayals, and there is a plentiful leavening of humour and homely philosophy in this film, which is bound to draw crowded houses. Priscilla, Rosemary and Lola Lane and Gale Fage reveal their artistry, and Claude Rains has the male lead in association with John Garfield. As the second feature there is "Cavalcade of Academy Awards," which provides spectacles from as far back as 1928. MAJESTIC. With Baby Saudy, the world's most wonderful child, in the leading role, and I the little tornadoes, "Butch" and "Buddy" of "The Underpup" fame as helpers, "Sandy Is a Lady," the feature that opens | a season at the Majestic Theatre on I Friday, will have an appeal for everyone, young or old. Designed for laughing pur- ' poses, this film fulfils its mission thor- | oughly, for the story is pure comedy and farce from the opening scene. It coujd hardly do anything else, for the major 1 part of the cast embraces the best comedians in Hollywood. Other helpers in the picture are Mischa Auer, Eugene Pallette, Billy Gilbert, Edgar Kennedy and Fritz Feld. Nan Grey and Tom Brown have the only straight roles in the offering as the father and mother of Baby Sandy. Sandy herself is the mainspring of the story and precipitates all the action —and there is plenty of that. She saves a restaurant from a bomb explosion, walks high steel girders and eventually saves the day for her father. That's the kind of daughter we would all like to have. Another film, "Cheer, Boys, Cheer," is also a barrel of fun.