CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 1, 3 January 1939, Page 6

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. "Three Loves Has Nancy," showing at the Regent Theatre, provides proof that originality of theme is not an essential factor in the production of j a good box office attraction. Thei ' heroine' of the story is Nancy Briggs, a country girl y blissfully ignorant of city lite. Alter a weacuug j "- scene, when the bridegroom failed to j attend, Nancy sets out for New York, where she becomes a ; kind of eoinbihea tiouo-'»ccpti and " .i._.__a-.i. need in the bachelor home of a successful author (Robert Montgomery* The author has been doing his best to » escape a husband-hunter (Claire Dodd> and Nancy unknowingly .helps him Complications arise when the author's I friend and publisher (Franchot Tone* f falls in love with Nancy. It is the * human interest of the story that is responsible for the picture's, appeal. The supporting programme is excellent. MAJESTIC THEATRE. "The Crowd Roars." starring Robert Taylor, Maureen O'Sullivan, and Frank Mofgan, is continuing a deservedly successful s.ason fat the Majestic Theatre. Robert Taylor is in the role of Tommy McCoy, a New York slum, boy,'who,'through character and perseverance, earns success and a clean reputation in the professional boxing ring. Sent down to. train at the wealthy gambler's country home .-. Tommy there meets a lovely girl (Maureen O'Sullivan) who turns out to be the gambler's daughter whom he has carefully kept in ign'* -a cc of his real business. Frank Morgan gives a fine character study as the ne'er-do-well drunken father of the young boxer. The programme includes two newsreels and "Jaipur, the Pink City." is orie of the best Fitzpatrick traveltalk*.' y y( -ST. JAMES THEATRE. "Service De Lijxe," now showing at St. James Theatre, is a fine/ holiday pick-me-up, The Madison Service in , New/York does everything for its clients from tying a dress tie to buy-ing-steam rollers, and supplies working , minds for those-hot possessed of them. Lost. necklaces, decamped flappers, mislaid passports, and a host of other annoyances are dealt with expeditiously and satisfactorily, but it is not until a young man fromythe country, arrives wno plans , for a three?v^ay tractor that thines start ;to moVe; He appears to be tfie ones male out? of captivity with a mind of his own. ibut when he meets and falls in love: with the senior Madison | partref (Cofistance. Bennett) he is un , consciously; drawn into the clutches : oi the service. Constance Bennett, as the supreme dispenser of; - service, sriyes wnat ■is orooabiy tit 1*"- ' brightest comedy role to date. A good supporting programme includes a , New Zealand Tourist and Publicity I Department film on the Dominion's < clothing industries. } ;'. r '■ - j PARAMOUNT THEATRE. J "Every Night at Eight" at the Paramount, is a bright musical production disguised as a comedy of life. When three girls are caught satirising the : autocratic bbss in a big commercial ] office, they turn to the entertainment A. field for a living.' They progress , into; big money as a national at- ! tractidn over the air. Alice Faye, viva- : clous tuneful blonde; Patsy Kelly, mor- ] dant humorist; and Frances Langford. ' soul^iil soloist, are the three girls, and it is George Raft's band. The other fea- ! ture jis a thriller presenting Charles * Laughton in a difficult role, that of a \ husband whose mind is gradually, be- \ coming unhinged through jealousy of } his*wife. Gary Cooper is the lie^iten- ; ant j who, in the endeavour to ease life , for the wife, precipitates the inesvitabie tragedy Pop-eye as a window cleaner ' on a multi-storey building, and other supports complete the programme. Last night, aS will be the case during the currency of the programme, a baby yras given'-.away to a member of •"] ,the audience. y'■■■..- ' s *'" ""'■■'',.-'.' '.. ' f M"'RE3£'. THEATRE. '; - f "Secret Agent," starring Madeleine 'i Carroll, Peter Lorre, John Gielgud, I and Robert YoUng, is at the Rex c Theatre. It is a-successor to the famous 'a Hitchcock thriller, "The 39 Steps." 1 "Secret Agent," an adaptation of \ Somerset Maugham's "Ashenden," is j the story of a secret serviceman who c sets out to thwart a German spy dur- r. ing the Great War. In "The Border 1 Patrolman," George O'Brien appears as a & member of the hard-riding, hafd-i t fighting organisation of the Govern- I ment force that guards the international boundary . between the United States and Mexico. . . C ROXY THEATRE. \ Proclaimed as the greatest motion I picture ever made of an undersea boat, l "Submarine D.l" heads the programme £ at the Roxy Theatre. The story was s written by Commander- Frank Wead. i U.S.N-.^e author of "Ceiling Zero;" s Pat OBrien and Wayne Morris play a couple of young submarine crewmen c who have developed two great inven- c tions—a device to shoot men safely to t the ocean's surface if a ship is sunk, and another device to rais? the U-boat itself. The Dl is sunk during some nanoeuvres. and the boys are successful in saving the whole crew. The supporting film is "Vivacious Lady." with Ginger Rogers in the lead. 1 I TUDOR THEATRE. "The Return of Jimmy Valentine," ( featuring Roger Pryor, Charlotte " Henry, and Robert Warwick, which is E the chief attraction at the . Tudor « Theatre, is one of the most gripping g thrillers of the underworld to come to £ the screen for some time. In addition, t featured oa the same programme, Is Gene Stratton . orter*s "Romance of the Limber -K>st," co-starring Jean. Parker and Eric Linden. The'two star films are in admirable balance, and in addition there are selected supports. i _ t .OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN. * Edward G. Robinson is starred in j "The Last Gangster," the main attrac- j tion showing at Our Theatre. The story tells of the imprisonment of a j "public enemy" and the struggle of his . wife, who did not know his calling, to j lose her identity and save their child , from the disgrace attached to his name. Miss Stradner plays the wife and James Stewart the newspaper man who befriends her and with whom she finally finds happiness. Charles Quig- ( ley and Rita Hayworth are co-starred , in "The Game That Kills," the asso- } ciate feature. i ■ ] SEASIDE THEATRE, LYALL BAY. [ "Four Men and a Prayer," the ] famous Cosmopolitan Magazine story £ by David Garth, spreads its thrills ] across the screen at the Seaside « Theatre. Loretta Young is featured, < with Richard Greene as her leading ] man. "Boy of the Streets" is a story ( of a youth reared in the slums, who ] wanted to be a big shot. "Boy of the j Streets" is a very fine picture of its ( type. ' j CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR. ' Sparkling, scintillating, and gay, and < starring Ldretta Young. "Three Blind < Mice" is showing at the Capitol < Theatre, with Joel McCrea sharing ] the star honours. The story of a girl . who determines to marry a million- j aire is from the pen of Stephen i Powys. The screen version was pre- ' pared for the screen by Brown Holmes ] and Lynn Starling. Peter Lorre. in j "Mr. Moto's Gamble," is the associate attraction.

CITY AND SUBURBAN. THEATRES

KING'S THEATRE. What must be regafded as the highwater mark iix motion picture production is reached in the Walt Disney animated cartoon version oi "Snow j White and the Seven Dwarfs" which lis showing in its second week at the i King's Theatre. From the backI ground of sunshine, 'birds, forest animals, and flowers against which the dainty figure of Snow White demurelyi steps, to the grey, storm-shot scenes! against which the wicked queen does her tricks, the whole tale develops as a brilliant spectacle. Then there are the; seveii dwarfs. From the jolly old Doc, to the rubber-faced Dopey, they make an almost human appeal, with their irrepressible joyfulness and quaint antics. They are, m deed, a tonic. Even Grumpy, in spite of his rigid dislike of females, has a way with < him, and life wouldn't hold much fun for the little old men without Sneezy and his whirlwind fits of hay fever. The musical setting fits the story perfectly. This picture is supported by a series of entertaining shorts, among them newsreels of more than usual interest. PLAZA THEATRE. Shirley Temple scores another great success in "Little Miss Broadway," at the Plaza Theatre. The story revolves round the adventures and mis adventures of a crowd of viudeville artists living in a boarding-house under threat of removal. Shirley, in her own pleasant way smooths out all difficulties for her friends and for herself, in spite of the efforts of a truant officer to have her returned to the orphanage. A strong cast, meluumg'George ivlurpny Jimmy Durante, and Phyllis Brooks, does full justice to the story. On the supporting programme are a "March of Time," a technicolour film entitled "The Coronation," which is mainly concerned with ihe pageantry and tradition of this ceremony, - news- ; reels, and the first films ever taken of the Maginot Line. DE LUXE THEATRE. "Rich Man, Poor Girl" is showing at the iJe Luxe Theatre. Robert tfoung, a multimillionaire, makes no secret of his affection for Ruth Hussey, his secretary, and he asks her hand in marriage. Family pride and domestic difficulties make Miss Hussey try to put him off. After reasoning with ncr, nt decides to show net and het family that his intentions are sincere. To convince them he joins the family circle, and endures all manner of petty annoyances. Still success is far distant until he ■ plays his trump card of announcing ; his. intention of. giving all his fortune away to charity. Laugh follows laugh as the individual members of the , family strive to persuade Young, to. , retain, his wealth. "The Last Express," is a thriller of intense drairiatic action, starring Kent Taylor. A... STATE THEATRE. '""' ] Jane Withers returns to the_screen ' iri "Miss Fix-it." at the State J A nuftibef of films have been produced ■ wherein a film star endeavours to stage a return to popularity, but a different » note is struck in this picture, where a ■ picture director (Henry Wilcoxon) endeavours to re-establish him.,yJane J Withers is cast as this directors niece, i and she decides that she will visit this great man. Gloria Stuart, formerly the J director's secretary, takes her under i her wing. Between them they decide i to get the director back to his < former position. The supporting film, "Speed to Burn," featuring Michael Whalen and Lynn Bari, is a thrilling tale of the race tracks. NEW PRINCESS THEATRE. "Second Best Bed," written by Ben Travers in his most piquant style, is . showing at the Princess Theatre. Tom Walls is a desirable bachelor who so £ Ear ■ forgets himself as to criticise the c footwork of a beautiful young contest- , ant in a tennis tournament Jane , Baxter fnarries this cave-man, only to discover that he has ideas concerning place- in the home." His ; handling of the situation isN marred c when his wife suspects his innocent j partisanship of a village girl. Hilaridus <■ :omplications follow; but the fact that ? tiusband and wife are truly in love £ leads the way to a happy ending. The c associate feature is "King of the News* * boys," starring Lew Ayres, Helen c Mack, and Alison Skipworth. I ■ t KILBIRNIE KINEMA. _ With Victor McLaglen and with t Sracie Fields as his devoted showgirl I wife, "We're Going-to Be Rich," at the t Kilbirnie Kinema, presents a broad, t lusty story of life in Australia and s South Africa. As fast as Gracie; can I save money to "go back 'ome to England," McLaglen manages to lose' it in t swindles. Noted for his powerful \ dramatic portrayals, Richard Dix has c one of the most gripping roles of his f career in "Sky Giant." Dix has un- . usual opportunities for a memorable j characterisation. EMPIRE THEATRE, ISLAND BAY. \ Jane Withers abdds success to her £ List with "Rascals," a 20th Century- <■ Fox comedy hit at the Empire Theatre, c Island Bay. Rochelle Hudson, Robert Wilcox, and Borrah Minevitch and his Gang are featured in the cast of "Rascals." Beauty is the immediate and all-inclusive definition for "Always Goodbye," the other big film. Seldom does such a story come to the attention of the fans with as much understanding and fine sense of the value of dramatic detail. j 1 i REGAL THEATRE, KARORI. '. Hailed as the picture that "speaks * for the women of today and to the J men wh6 love them," "Always Good- \ bye" is now at the Regal Theatre, * Karori, with Barbara Stanwyck and * Eterb'ert Marshall .co-starred. Lan j Hunter heads the featured cast. Jane t Withers is with a band of gipsies now « in the happy hit of the season, * "Rascals," featuring Rochelle Hudson, £ Robert Wilcox, and Borrah Minevitch I and his gang. • ' ] ESPERANTO ENTERTAINMENT. ' On Saturday evening the members 1 of the New Zealand Esperanto Con- J gress were .entertained by an Esperanto l programme: The opening item was J an Esperanto play written by Miss ( Mary Sterling, "Tia Estas La Vivo" ( ("Such Is Life"), in which Misses M. < and K. Sterling and Messrs. J. W. ' Dempsey and C. H. Ilton capably pre- ' sented a dramatic study in three scenes. < Mrs. F. Bailey, in a two-act monologue, 1 "La Drogemulino" ("The Drug Ad- 1 diet"), held her audience spellbound, s Mr. W-. Tooley showed a film in colour < of his travels through New Zealand. 1 Master John Nolan recited and sang s in Esperanto. Mr. B. Potts, in an ] original monologue, "La Inventisto kaj lia unika muzikilo" ("The Inventor and His Unique Musical Instrument"), had everyone laughihg. Messrs. Anton Vogt and J. H. Thomas presented a drama by the latter, "La Sorto" ("Fate"), which was followed by musi- ] cal items played on a saw by Mr. F. j Bailey. Mr. Ross Robbins mystified , during a quarter of ah hour of stage , magic. The final item was a detective J mystery by Mr. J % H. Thomas entitled "La Murdo al Sin j oro Stevens" ("The i Murder of Mr. Stevens"), in which the 1 following took part:—Messrs. J. Allan, ' V. J. Leek, C. Toomer, F. Bailey, J. H. i Thomas, A. Vogt, and G. Blong. 1

TIVOLI THEATRE. , "TThe Great Garrick" is a gay comedy of the eighteenth century, starring Brian Aherne and Olivia de Havilland, at the Tivoli Theatre. While it is a costume play —the period being the 1750's andi the locale the theatres of Lon-i don and Paris—it is not drama, nor is it a serious biographical sketch of David Garrick, who was at that time th.. world's greatest actor. In the words of Mervyn JLe Roy, who pro- • duced it. "The Great Garrick" is just . a whole lot of fun. David, it would , seem, was a gay, rollicking fellow, as well as 6 great artist, and he speeds ' happily through a great number of adi ventures—especially a pleasing ro- ; mance with lovely Miss de Havilland.. . A notable supporting cast includes Edt ward Everett Horton, Melville Cooper, > Lionel Atwill, Luis Alberni, Henry ',-. O'Neill. Lana Turner. Fritz Leiber. and 5 Linda Perry The second attraction ; will be "Mountain Justice,"' with 3 George Brent and Josephine Hutchin- » son in the leading parts, and from 7 . o'clock each night there will be select- , ed shorts. RIVOLI THEATRE. • Bette Davis and Leslie Howard are well remembered as a team for their 1 outstanding work in "Of Human Bond- ' r age" and "The Petrified Forest," but ; fine as were both of these, their clever ; comedy "It's LoVe I'm After," at the ; Rivoli Theatre, brings them to the • screen in their finest picture. The ■ story is an intricate tale woven around . the life of a great Shakespearean actor and his leading lady who are of course Leslie and Bette Davis. At times madly in love with each other, ; they are also sorely beset by profes- ; sional jealousies. A simple letter of introduction provides some of the greatest dramatic moments seen in "Letter' of Introduction," the second film. The first occurs when Andrea Leeds takes the letter to Adolphe Menjou, screen and stage idol. For Menjou discovers that Andrea is his . daughter. Through this same letter of introduction, Menjou meets Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy, , I ■■" ■ ■ . GRAND THEATRE, PETONE. "That Certain Woman" and, "The Captain's Kid" conclude tonight at the Grand Theatre, Petone. "Alcatraz Island" will commence tomorrow at the Grand Theatre. The story deals with a powerful racketeer (John Litel), whose one wish, when he is imprisoned for income tax evasion/, is to rejoin his daughter, how in love with a district attorney (Gordon Oliver) and his own sweetheart (Ann Sheridan). This desire is thwarted time and again by a former mob-man seeking revenge. STATE THEATRE, PETONE. "That Certain Age," Deanna Durbins latest starring production is at the State Theatre. The picture is the fourth to come from this remarkable singing youngster wtn. has made screen history ever since she first appeared in. "Three Smart Girls' some two years ago. Cast in a supporting role in "Three Smart Girls, the production was hardly started before Universal studios realised they were in possession of a wonder child Again the Deanna Durbin picture is a real musical «reat with heart interest and delightful humour. PALACE THEATRE, PETONE. Binkie Stuart in "Little Miss Somebody" and "The Lady Escapes," with Gloria Stuart, concludes tonight at the Palace Theatre. . George O'Brien ' has another twofisted role in "Painted Desert,'* commencing tomorrow at the Palace Theatre. Fist fights, gun battles; hardriding, and some of the most spectacular sequences ever filmed afe woven into the fabric of this exciting picture. Laraine Johnson has the feminine lead, "Talent Scout" tells of what goes on. behind the making;of pictures ' and stars Donald Woods. Jeanne Mad^ den, and Fred Lawrence.