ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 153, 24 March 1939, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS

« Film Version Of “Housemaster” At Regent Theatre The story of a middle-aged housemaster, devoted to his hoys, who finds that the newly-appointed headmaster is gradually trying to get him to resign, “Housemaster,” adapted from the lan Hay long-running play of the same name, which ie showing at the Regent Theatre. Matters are made worse when his three charming but irresponsible wards descend upon the school, upsetting all routine and almost causing a mutiny. Otto Kruger plays Charles Donkin, the lovable housemaster, Diaua Churchill, who received high praise in 1937 with her sympathetic portrayal of the young wife in "The Dominant Sex,” has the part of the eldest of the three wards, and shows herself as a brilliant light comedy actress. Rene Ray and Rosamond Barnes are her madcap sisters. A special short subject, “Youth Marches On,” which was made by members of the Oxford Group Movement at a suggestion made at a camp in Regina, Canada, will be included in the supporting programme.

“Mr. Chedworth Steps Out” Begins At Majestic

A deightful story of the ““Chedworth” family, starring Australia’s favourite, Cecil Kellaway, and which is perhaps the greatest “whole family” picture yet produced by an Australian studio, “Mr. Chedwick Steps Out,” will begin at the Majestic Theatre today. In additon to Cecil Kellaway, the specially selected cast includes James Raglan, Rita Pouncefort, lovely Jean Derring, Sidney Wheeler, Peter Finch and Australia's popular 16-year-old singer Jean Hatton, who is captivating audiences everywhere by her charming performances and delightful singing in the picture. Cecil Kellaway came back on loan from R.K.0.-Radio'e studios in Hollywood for the.,express purpose of playing the title role. His return to Australia for “Mr. Chedworth” was the result of a promise made to, Mr. K. Hall while Cinesound were making “It Isn’t Done.” Kellaway and Hall read the novel, and, realizing its potentialities as screen material, decided there and then to make it a future Australian production. Cecil promised that, whenever the script was ready, he would do his utmost to play the lead. Fortunately, the call came while he was in between pictures in the United States of America, and he was able to spend three or four months in. his native land. His work in the film is typical, but, at the same time, shows ample evidence of the benefit from his Hollywood experiences. Inspired by the success of these films, Cinesound have most ambitious production plans for the “Monarch of the Southern Seas, No. 2.” showing the outfitting and finishing of the Q.S.M.V. Dominion Monarch, as the supporting programme.

“The Storm” Starts Season At St. James Theatre An emotional story of adventure and thrills in the lives of wireless operators on American merchant ships, “The Storm,” will start a season at the bt. James Theatre today. Possessing power and realism, ‘‘The Storm” was made from a screen play by Theodore Reeves, Daniel Moore and Hugh King, and it. unfolds as one of the more virile action dramas to come out of Hollywood. Impressive scenes show a great steel freighter crashing into an iceberg and going down while Preston Foster stays at his radio key sending SOS calls. Charles Bickford adds to his standing as a skilled portrayer of rugged he-man roles in stirring fight scenes along the waterfront and aboard ship. He is cast as an adventurous and hard-fighting wireless operator, trying to keep his young brother, Tom Brown, from marrying the ship's pretty nurse, Nan Grey. . Thousands of mourners paying tlieir last tribute to the late Pope, Piusi XI, scenes impressive and intimate, will be shown in an exclusive short subject. Double-Feature Change At State The amusing "Next Time 1 Marry, which will be the main feature beginning at the State Theatre today revolves round the efforts of a spoiled heiress, plaved by Lucille Ball, to make herself elig'ible for a 20 million dollar inheritance. Since the terms of her father's, will stipulate she must marry an. American native to qualify for the fortune, the heiress, who is engaged to a foreign count, played by Lee Bowman, arrives at a unique solution. Being a husband in name only does not bother the young man, played by James Ellison, whom she choses as an American-born husband, specially when the money he receives from the deal pays for a long desired sail-boat, but when the heiress makes him the laughing stock ot the country and the butt of every newspaperman he rebels. Harry Carey portrays a garrulous Westerner who sets himself up as the court of first and last appeal in Western Arizona and depends on both his boasting tongue and his skill with a Colt to maintain his position in “The Law West of Tombstone,” the supporting feature. Overseeing the romance of his daughter and dictating the destinies of the neighbouring country keeps him busy. The. climax deals with the stirring ending of his longstanding feud with a bund of outlaw brothers. Jean Rouverol and young Tim Holt have the leading juvenile roles and Clarence Kolb and Evelyn Brent head the supporting cast of this'R.K.O. Radio production.

Another Two Pictures At De Luxe Theatre

“The Scrapper” and "Men of Yesterday” will begin at the De Luxe Theatre today. “The Scrapper,” with Mickey Rooney at the head of the east, is a rustic drama of a shell-shocked veteran, decorated in the war for valour but a nobody in the town of Greenfield, and his young spirited son, Shoekey, considewd an outcast by his school mates because he “lives on the other side of the tracks.” The war veteran is capably played by Edward Pawley, an experienced stage star who is seen in bis initial dramatic role. Frank Shields is seen as Jack Matthews, jun., a wealthy playboy; and Anne Nagel as a young school teacher. She gives an outstanding performance. Mickey Rooney is. of course. “The Scrain’cr,” a nick-name he bus earned by his readiness to fight anybody who says a word against his dad, who is still p gallant hero in Shockey’s eyes. A powerful story with a great moral is “Jlgu of Yesterday,” which deals with world peace and what ex-servicemen are doing bring this about. “Trade Winds” Commences At King’s Theatre About Kay Kerrigan (Joan Bennett), who fleet; from San Francisco after a murder of which she believes herself guilty, “Trade Winds,” which will commence a season at the King's Theatre today, is probably one of the more provocative and exciting motion pictures within recent months. Dyeing tier blonde hair black :ih a disguise, Kay travels halfway round the world in her flight from the law. Her steps in and through the fascinating Orient are dogged by Sam Wye (Eredrie March), a blase defective with a grand sense of humour and an excellent appreciation of beautiful women. Ralph Bellamy and Anu Sothern, teamed as the second romantic leads, contribute rich comedy performances—Bellamy as a stolid, book-trained sleuth; Sothern as a scatter-brained but charming and welldressed secreatary.

Colourful backgrounds against which the action unfolds, are in such countries a« Hawaii, Japan, China, Ceylon, India and tile little-known Laccadive Islands. The continuius flow of sparkling dialogue and crackling wit, as well as the convincingly dramatic situations which make the film rich in suspense, drama and humour, are explained when it is made known that Dorothy Parker, Alan Gamp-

bell and Frank R. Adams wrote the screen play. , “The Young In' Heart” Now Shows At Tudor A lovable, laughable story of the Carleton Family who live by their wits and their charm and can boast of having been asked to leave only the best places from the Riviera to London, is “The Young in Heart," which will now show at the Tudor Theatre. There is Father "Sahib" Carleton, an ex-actor whose family loyally support him in the preposterous myth that he is Colouel Carieteli, late of the Bengal Lancers, the role is made to order for Roland Young; there is charming, twittering "Marmy” played to the life by Billie Burke; and there are the two children, George-Ann (Janet Gaynor), who has become engaged to a sober, wealthy young Scot, who seco through the family aud says so; and the son (Douglas Fairbanks jr.), who has met a girl rich enough to take care of the entire family for the rest of their lives. Jimmy Blake (Henry Arthur), a handsome young daredevil racing driver, loses his truck-driving job by wrecking the machine and spends the morning at a motor-racing track with Tony Gambini ("Johnny Pironne), his youthful admirer, in “Road Demon,” which will be the associate feature. Here he meets pretty Jean Rogers (Joan Valerie), who is watching her brother Ted (Tom Beck) make a test ruu of an experimental racer.

“Pygmalion” Retained By Plaza Theatre Management Leslie Howard, who has the part of Pro feseor Higgins—the modern Pygmalion whose Galatea is a Cockney flower-seller, is not new to the screen ; and his performance in “Pygmalion,” which lias been retained for a second week by the Plaza Theatre management, is meritorious. There are others in the cast, however, who are new to the screen; among these are Wendy Hiller, as the illiterate Cockney who. usder her Pygmalion’s guidance, conducts herself with easy dignity at an ambassadors reception, and Wilfred Lawson as the flower-girl’s dustiunn father whose observations on marriage aud “middle-class mortality” are full of pungent wit