DE LUXE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 148, 18 March 1939, Page 15

DE LUXE THEATRE

* “In Old Mexico” And “Illegal

Traffic” Of “In Old Mexico,” it is perhaps unnecessary to say more than that “Hopalong” Cassidy (William Boyd) is back again at the De Luxe Theatre. Unless my addition is wrong, this is the twentieth film of the series; and at this stage it becomes rather difficult to write anything different about them. It is equally obvious, however, that these films must be popular, or there would not have been 20 of them. And popular they should be. They treat the Western melodrama not just as something to use up film,-but as worth-while entertainment. They may break little new ground, but they maintain their standard. As the title indicates, Mexico is the setting for the newest of “Hopalong’s” adventures, which involve him with bandits and dark-eyed senoritas. To revenge a murdered friend, he plays a waiting game and allows himself to be led into a trap—from which he eventually emerges with his customary coolness and quick shooting. The second feature, “Illegal Traffic,” is a racketeering thriller with plenty of chases, murders, and an ending as wildly exciting as anybody could wish. It doesn’t always make sense, but it is never dull. The story moves briskly along with J. Carroll Naish as the loquacious but sinister head of a transportation firm engaged in the lucrative business of helping criminals to escape from the police. This involves aeroplanes, automobiles, a G-man hero (Robert Preston), romance with Mary Carlisle, and all the villainy of which J. Carroll Naish is capable.