ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 156, 28 March 1939, Page 14

ENTERTAINMENTS

Public School Life Depicted In “Housemaster” At Regent Though •■Housemaster," which is at the Regent Theatre. stretches the bounds of probability somewhat when it introduced a trio of bright young ladies into the precincts of the boys school; and when it determinedly twists the plot to give a happy ending, there is an appearance of realism ; and there is certainly _ more than the mere appearance of it in the line atmosphere of the school and in the clash of principles which motivates the drama. The protagonists in this dignified but bitter conflict are Donkin (Otto Kruger), the senior housemaster, and Dr. Ovington (Kynaston Reeves), the tyrannical new headmaster, who rides roughshod over the cherished traditions of the school, thereby rousing the boys to actual revolt. The girl interlopers, who are the guests of the housemaster, play their part by egging the boys on, and so put the housemaster in a very awkward position with no alternative but to resign. However, a happy conclusion is engineered. . , , “Youth Marches On,” a special short subject made by the Oxford Group Movement. ie included on the supporting programme.

Comedy And Action In “Trade Winds” At King’s Coinedv and action are interwoven in “Trade Winds,” which is at the King’s’ Theatre. Produced by Walter Wanger for release by United Artists, “Trade Winds” is probably one of the more provocative and exciting motion pictures within recent months. About Kay Kerrigan (Joan Bennett), “Trade Winds shows her fleeing from San Francisco after a murder of which she believes herself guilty. Dyeing her blonde hair black as a disguise, the girl travels halfway round the world in her flight from the law. Her steps in and through the fascinating Orient are dogged by Sam W ye (Fredric March), a blase detective with a grand sense of humour and an excellent appreciation of beautiful women. Double-Feature Programme At State Theatre Cast as newlyweds who have taken the sacred vows as purely a business proposition so that the bride may be eligible for a huge inheritance, Lucille Ball and James Ellison embark for Reiio in a trailer directly after the wedding ceremonv. in “Next Time 1 Marry,” which is the main attraction at the State Theatre. How their hectic battling ultimately develops into real romance before heir planned divorce is completed, lays the foundation for the hilarious climax. Harry Carey appears as a two-gun Texan who seeks to establish himself as the well-meaning dictator of half a State, in “The Law West of Tombstone,” which ie the associate feature. Backing his boasting and bis plans with a ready trigger finger, he directs a frontier romance, builds up the Arizona community in which he has settled, and carries on a feud with a bandit gang, which leads to the exciting climax of the picture. “The Little Adventuress” To Fame.” Edith Fellows will appear in “'rhe Little Adventuress.” which, with Jacqueline Wells in “Fight to IVame,’’ will comprise the programme which will begin at the State Theatre on Friday. Etlitli Fellows will be supported by Richard Fiske, Jucqueline Wills, and Cliff Edwards; and in “Flight to Fame” Jacqueline Wells has Charles Farrell among those supporting her. Majestic Shows “Mr. Chedworth Steps Out”

"Mr. Chedworth Steps Out.” which is showing at the Majestic Theatre, is a story filled with touches of genuine pathos and humour. Mr. Chedworth (Cecil Kellaway) earns £5/10/- a week as a clerk in a firm for which he has worked 20 faithful years. His wife has social ambitions and a nagging tongue. Her most frequent complaint is that Mrs. So-und-So's husband next door has got on iu the world —why can’t he? Mr. Ched-woi-th’s children, with the exception of his youngest daughter, are equally unsympathetic, equally cruel, equally selfish. To cap it all, Mr. Chedworth is retrenched frojn his job and the chances of another are meagre. He faces a future that many middle-aged men have faced, and he dreads breaking the news to his family. The 16-year-old singer, Jean Hatton, is particularly appealing. She has some of the natural unaffected charm of Deanna Durbin. “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” The next change at the Majestic Theatre will be “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” which features Emlyn Williams, author of “Night Must Fall.” “The Storm” Billed At St. James Billed at the St. James Theatre, “The Storm” has the merit of a red-blooded characterization by Charles Bickford, which suits his rough-and-ready personality down to the ground, together with some virile supporting performances by nautical types. Bickford's hero is a bellicose. hard-drinking wireless operator with the saving grace of being fond of his youug brother, a role played rather too ingenuously by Tom Brown. The lad is determined to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a wireless operator; Bickford is determined to save him from the harshness and the temptations of a seafaring life. One of these temptations is represented in the eyes of Bickford by Nan Grey, with whom the young brother falls in love. He determines to save the lad from her clutches only to fall in lovt with her himself. “Escape From Yesterday.” The Paramount picture, "Escape From Yesterday” will begin a season at. the St. James Theatre on Friday. Akim Tamiroff and Frances Farmer are' teamed. “The Scrapper” And “Men Of Yesterday” At De Luxe

Micky Rooney gives an interesting and discerning portrait, of a boy who gains a bad reputation for his pugnacious manner because he is always on his guard to defend his drunken father from the sneens of righteous citizens in "The Scrapper,” which is al the De Luxe 'rhealee. The boy has a right to be bitter, because bis father is a gallant war veteran wh'W shell-shocked nerves have brought about bis degradation. Nobody appreciates this except, the kindly young schoolmistfees(Anne Nagel). Ex-soldiers figure also in "Men of Yesterday,” rhe second feature. This is a notable little picture. The "men of yesterday" are British ex-servicemen. They have seen war. and they do not want to fight again; even more, they do not want their children Io light. Ella Shields and George Robey are prominently east. “Manhattan Melodrama.'' William Powell, Myrna Loy and Clarke Gable have featured roles in “Manhattan Melodrama," wliieji will begin at the De Luxe Theatre on Friday. Film Of Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion” Al Plaza Theatre As Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney llowtrgirl who is “,--o deliciously low. so l.orribly dirty," ami therefore a lit subject lor Pro lessor Higgins's great experiment in Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," which is now in its second week at. the Pinza Theatre.

Wendy Hiller gives a performance which is thrillingly auspicious-. Eliza merely wanted "to be taught Io speak like a lady in a florist’s shop"; but Professor Higgins did more. For a bet he turned her into a great lady who passed with royalty, and then, having satisfied bio- inordinate ego, he tried to throw her back into the gutter. Through every stage of Eliza's transformation Wendy Hiller is perfect, and she remains human, which is not an easy task in a Shaw play. As the boorish, callous- professor of phonetics Leslie Howard is magnificent but slightly unreal. He makes it so obvious all the time that lie has no heart at. all that, it would seem a trifle hard to believe him when he discovers one in the final scene. Carleton Family Subject Of Picture At Tudor ■When I In- story of "The Young in Heart,” which i,s showing at the Tudor Theatre, opens. Father ".Sahib” Carleton's insistence upon mixing brandy, sleight of hand and poker results in the Carleton family being iincereinouiously evicted from their rich Riviera hunting ground. They head toward an unpromising England, bul something will turn up. they are certain. Robert. Young as the father, Billie Burke as the mother, and Janet Gaynor and Douglas Fairbanks. jun„ a.s the daughter and son respectively, give performances of merit. The supporting film, "Road Demon,” has an exciting highlight in the failure of a new steering gadget placed on a racing ear driven by Tom Beck. Papa Gambini (Henry Annetta) finds himself in the auto racing business when Henry Arthur induces him to buy the wreck of an experimental car, recondition it, and enter it for a race.

“Talent Scout” & “The Patient In Room 18” For Paramount Done in mi niry tiinnner. ’Talent. Seoul,” tin* comedy, .starring Donald Woods, and veterans of last year’s “Gold Diggers’ Air Tour”-- Jeanne Madden, I*'red Luwrrnce, and Rosalind Marquis—is I lie story of a young singer who makes good in Holly wood through the shrewd efforts of a fast-I a iking and faster thinking talent scout. Woods plays the part of the scout who takes a group of chorus girls across the country in a bus, an idea originating from the aeroplane (rip made by Iho “Gold Diggers of 1937.” “Talent Scout’’ will begin a season at the Paramount Theatre on I'Tiday. The supporting lilm will be “The Patient in Room IS.’’ a mystery-melo-draina with almost all of its ticlion taking place within the walls of a hospital. The idea D novel, because the detective how involved iPtilric Knowles), is able Io solve .several inlerdcpPiideiil crimes while confined in the hospital himself. as a patient.