ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 191, 9 May 1940, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS

State Theatre Programme Reviewed “1 Was a Spy,’’ which is being shown at the State Theatre, is an excellent i espionage film depicting the adventures jo£ two members of a spy system during 'the World War. “I Was a Spy” was i shown in Wellington a few years ago i and received a very great welcome then, ' and those people who remember it will I no doubt be pleased to see again Madc- | leine Carroll in what many consider the | best role of her career. She takes the I part of a nurse who, working in a base I hospital, 'uses her position to gain inI formation from enemy sources. Her assistant in espionage io Herbert Marshall, who is also a member of the hospital i staff. Together they blow up an ammunii tion dump, and to all intents and. P.uri poses it would appear that their mission 'is successfully fulfilled. When the nurse I sees an advertisement for a watch which is supposedly taken from a captured thief, she claims it, not knowing that it has been found’ near the ammunition dump. JOn going to take possession, . she is (■promptly arrested. She is tried for I espionage, but refuses to speak. Her assistant is brought in also, and when he sees how suspicion rests on the woman he loves, lie bargains with their captors, saying he will confess all if they will promise to let her go free. They agree to this bargain, and carry it out to the 'letter. The nurse is allowed her frec'dom, and the man is shot. “I Was a Spy” 'is a poignant drama, one which shows very clearly the bravery and demotion to duty that must be the essential jingredientß of a spy’s make-up. Madeleine Carroll is very appealing as the unfortunate nurse, Herbert Marshall ably i supports her as the man she loves, and Conrad Veidt takes the, sinister part of the leading German officer into whose 'hands the nurse falls. I The associate film, “City of Chance, I has a totally different theme and atmosphere. It deals with City of Chance, a ' well-known gambling establishment j famous for its huge bronze doors. The (action takes place during one night, when | the fates of eight people arc changed iby the happenings behind the bronze ‘doors. Donald Wood takes the part of Steve Walker, the youthful owner of the place, and Walker’s 'manager, known as “the judge,” is played by that veteran screen actor, C. Aubrey Smith. “The judge” wants Steve to sell out for his own good but gambling has got into Steve’s system, and he will not hear of it. One night a young girl enters City of Chance, and “the Judge” becomes suspicious about her. It turns out that be is right, because she is Julie Reynolds, an ace reporter who is attending in order to obtain information for the District Attorney. She finds that Walker is an old childhood friend of hens, but she hates the work he is employed in. Various exciting happenings, including an attempted murder and a blackmail, occur before the end of the film, but in the end City of Chance is sold to a gangster who has wanted it for a long time, and Steve and Julie retire to a ranch in Texas to live happily together for, it is hoped, the rest of their lives.

The acting is good in this film, and it gives C. Aubrey Smith a good chance to show his histrionic ability. Regent Theatre - Deviating only in the slightest from the ’ first half of the original story of Dean ! Jonathan Swift—and it is only that half I with which it deals—Paramount’s cartoon | version in colour of “Gulliver’s Travels” , is being warmly appreciated at the Regent 'Theatre. Following the adventures of : Lemuel Gulliver, the English seaman I wrecked on the shores of a land of miniature people “somewhere in the South ‘ Seas,” the film shows how he gains the ; confidence of the natives, becomes their (leader through his amazing feats of ■ strength, promotes a romance between a

love-struck prince and princess, and averts a war that threatens the peace of the land. Majestic Theatre Blending laughs with thrills and mystery with mirth in their memorable and delightful fashion, the “Thin Man” pair, Nick and Nora Charles —played by William Powell and Myrna Loy—appear again in “Another Thin Man,” which is being shown at the Majestic Theatre. The two preceding episodes of the “Thin Man” saga—“ The Thin Man” and “After the Thin Man” —set a high mark in entertainment value and also a new style in mystery films, and “Another Thin Man’ is a worthy successor. Asta, the terrier, is again responsible for many laughs, and the addition of a baby to the “Thin Man family gives the whole play a piquant touch. Plaza Theatre On the Ritz Brothers arriving in France in “Pack Up Tour Troubles,’ which today ends a season at the Plaza Theatre, they make friends with a young French girl, Collette (Jane M itbersl, while "Angel Face” Walker (Stanley Fields), the sergeant under whose charge the Ritzcs are —they are members of the Allied forces during the World War — takes into his company Yvonne (Lynn Bari), who later turns out to be a spy. Of the subsequent events, some are hilarious, other less eheerlul—but none dull. “Day-time Wife.” Gay comedy and romantic revelry are the keynote of “Day-time Wife,” which will be released at the Plaza Theatre tomorrow. The principals are Linda Darnell, memorable for her performance in “Hotel For Women.” and Tyrone Power, and other players are Warren William, Bintne Barnes, Wendy Barrie, and Joan Davis. Linda and Power are cast as husband and wife, and Wendy as the husband’s secretary, who almost breaks up the happy home. De Luxe Theatre The principals of “Seventeen,” the main item on the programme which will be presented by the management, of the De Luxe Theatre for the last time today, are Jackie Cooper and Betty Field The theme of “Seventeen” is the falling in love of a small-town boy with, a philandering young woman, from the city —to the worry of his family, and to the discovery of himself that he ig not so grown-up after all. “llopalong” Cassidy (William Boyd) rides yet again in the interests of justice in the other full-length item, “Law of the Pampas.” “Hopalong” opposes cattle rustlers in this further story from the pen of Clarence E. Mulford. King’s Theatre

A richly emotional and tensely dramatic story of the migratory, ranch workers of California is told in “Of Mice and Men,” which will end a season at the King's Theatre today. Burgess Meredith, Lon Chaney, jun., and Betty Field are .the principals. The setting is Aguora Ranch. George and Lennie have travelled the ranches of California for years, with George devoted to Lennie, whose brute strength and weak mind have invariably upset their “best laid plans.” Then, at long last, it seems as if their dream is to become reality—they have saved enough money to buv a small farm of their own and live “off the fatta the lan’.” But they have not counted on Mae, the only woman on the ranch, married to Curley, the owner's son. for she it is who ruins the materialization of their dream —and brings the story to a climax that is as unexpected as it is stunning. “U-Boat 20.”

Conrad Veidt, accomplished Continental actor, makes another screen appearance in “U-Boat 29.” a stirring drama of the World War which will be shown at the

King's Theatre from tomorrow. He is cast as a German submarine commander who is sent on a secret mission to a lonely island in the Orkneys, his task there being to sink 10 of the largest battleships of the British Home Fleet. There are many exciting glimpses of submarine warfare, one of the tensest scenes showing the German U-boat treading a nerve-racking way through a British- minefield.

St. Janies Theatre In “Each Dawn I Die,” which today ends an extended season at the St. James Theatre, the paths of James Cagney, newspaper reporter, and George Raft, callous criminal, cross when the reporter isi "framed” on a manslaughter charge, and sent to a penitentiary for a long term. Raft, who has been a man of some importance in the underworld, has Dually been caught and is in the “pen” for life. Rebellious because of the injustice done him. Cagney is a difficult prisoner for the authorities to handle. He ami Raft become friends when he saves Raft from mi attempt on hist life made by an enemy in the prison. Raft, eventually pays his debt, to Cagney, with interest, when he lays down his life ns the outcome of bis efforts—which are successful —to obtain evidence (hat will prove Cagney’s innocence of the manslaughter charge, u “The Star Maker.” Based on the amazing career of Gus Edwards, famed showman, “The Star Maker” will be released at the St. James TJieatre tomorrow. The principals are Bing Crosby and Linda Ware, the 1-1-year-old singer “discovered” by Charles R. Rogers, Paramount producer, and among the other players are Louise Campbell, Ned Sparks, Laura Hope Crews, and Walter Damrosch, conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles. Briefly, “The Star Maker” describes how Larry Earl (Crosby), from being a penniless songwriter, becomes a name in the entertainment world, building up his reputation in the production of juvenile shows. Beset by the Gerry Society, organized to protect working children, Earl falls from grace for a short while, but he is soon back in his former position in the entertainment world again, capitilizing on the introduction of the crystal radio set, and introducing juvenile performers to the microphone. Tudor Theatre About a famous cricketer and man-about-town who leads a life of secret crime for the fun and adventure, “Raffles” is the main film at the Tudor Theatre. ' David Niven and Olivia de Havilland head the cast. A blackout in Paris is the signal that plunges Charlie Chan into a tense mystery of deadly intrigue in "Charlie Chan in City in Darkness,” the associate film. Suburban Theatres

KINEMA (Kilbirnie). —“The Young in Heart,” with Janet Gaynor and Douglas Fairbanks, jun.; and “Blind Alley,” with Chester Morris and Ann Dvorak. CAPITOL (Miramar), — “Stronger Than Desire,” with Virginia Bruce and Walter Pidgeon; and “Society Smugglers,” with Preston Foster and Irene Hervey. TIVOLI (Thorndon). —Elsa Maxwell’s “Hotel For Women,” with Ann Sot hern and Linda Darnell; and “They AU Come Out.” VOGUE (Brooklyn). — “Sherlock Holmes,” with Basil 'Rathbone; and “Our Leading Citizen.” with Bob Burns. KING GEORGE (Lower Hutt).— “It’s in the Air,” with George Formby; and “I Am a Criminal,” with John Carrol. PRINCE EDWARD (Woburn).— “King of Chinatown.” with Anna May Wong nnd Akim Tamiroff; and “Women in the Wind,” with Kay Francis and William Gargan. ' DE LUXE (Lower Hutt).—“Let’s Be Famous,” with Sonnie Hale and Jimmy OlDea ; and “Gold Mine in the Sky,” with Gene Autry.