CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 3, 4 July 1939, Page 6

CURRENT ENTERTAINMENTS

CITY AND SUBURBAN THEATRES

REGENT THEATRE

Regarded as one of the most finelyacted pictures of the year, "Stolen Life," continues to attract large crowds at the Regent Theatre. Elisabeth Bergner gives one of the most mag' nificent portrayals of her career, She is teamed with the brilliant English star Michael Redgrave. Redgrave has' the part of a mountaineer, a leader of overseas expeditions. He meets a girl who fascinates him, but he already has a wife. His wife, however, died in an accident, but it is not the girl who takes the first wife's place, but her twin sister. This twin sister is much more versed in the art of making love, and capturing a man than her counterpart, and when she finds herself in a position to steal the life of her sister she does not hesitate to do so. On the supporting programme is a musical item of outstanding merit, a "Tannhauser" selection played by the Philharmonic Orchestra, reinforced by male voices,

MAJESTIC THEATRE

"The Great Walt?," which is now m its second week at the Majestic Theatre, looks like proving the musl* cai' success of the year, both for strength ol story and the magnificence of., the musical presentations of the •works .of Johann Strauss, the Second, the "Waltz King" The film producers have declared that they sought to re? create the spirit of the Strauss music rather than show nythin'g connected with his life, and the result is as gay and, appealing a film as has been screened here for years. The elusive spirit of Vienna seems to have been captured very successfully, especially in- some of the great scenes, such as the raising of a restaurant to popularity during the appearance of the Strauss orchestra and the writing of the "Tales from the Vienna Woods" waltz. The leading roles are. played by Fernard Gravet," Luise Rainer, arid Mijifa^Kbrjus, a. beautiful Latvian- star,

ST. JAMES THEATRE

If Wellington picturegoers recognise a good^hing when they see it then St. James Theatre should experience a record* season for "The Lambeth Walk." Nothing , more hilariously comic in the greatest, sense of > the word has ever been. offered, and Lupino Lane's work an Bill Snibson, the Cockney^ who- dramatically discovers that he is a peer Of the realm, entitles him to rank with th© great laughter-makers of modern stage history. The part of Bill's girlj' Sally: Smith, is admirably played by Sally Grey,and: Wellingtonians who; remember: . Seymour. Hicks's ap-pearance-in the flesh on the stage of St. Jatnes when it was His Majesty's Theatre, AviU be interested tb see him m the same theatre in this picture as one of Bill's new-found noble relations. In. fact, he is the one member of; the* family who does not agree with th 6. rest that Bill's ennoblement must bo ■ followed by his separation from Sally. :, -~y ..;..: ..••'■ ■• •.-.-■

,'jftJß. ;ttJXE;- THEATRE.

One. Of:'ihe 'snappiest,' funniest, and craziest comedies of the best type heads the doubte-feature bill atthe-De Luxe Theatre. It is "Hold My Hand." but it should have-been "Hold Your Sides." From the moment Stanley Lupino (a funny man), and heavyweight Fred Emney leave the Artists' Ball, dressed with appropriate idiocy, and packing two of the rosiest hangovers (condition duo to alcoholic excesses), to the triple Gretna Green wedding at the climax, there is not a dull moment. Stanley and Fred, with overdrafts like Lord Nuffield in. reverse, find plenty of trouble in their attempts \o raise the "wind," and Stanley's love tangle adds to; the mix-up and comedy;. Boris Karloff finds a new; role, in the raw, as.it were,. in -'The. Mystery .of Mr. Wong," the second'"full-length, feature.

NEW PRINCESS THEATRE. Glorious in.its, sweep oi exciting adventure in. north-west India, far-flung outpost of Empiro,; and moving in its depictioiij of gallantry and heroism is "Storm' (sVer Bengal," -which-, is showings tHe-NeW'^^^ Theatre" starri_ig;;Patrib 'Knowles, Richard Crom-well;-arid Rochelle Hudson. Fun aplenty is-provided. in'the associate attraction. "Fools"For pScandal,^. a Warner Bros, romantic-.comedy Which stars Carole Lombard: and Ferriaiid Gravet.". Also orithe^same programme are three alltechnieolour shorts: > '

ROXY THEATRE.

.Constance* Bennett and Brian Aherhe are' - -tarred in "Merrily „We Live," which isVshowing at tho Roxy Theatre. Billie Burke has the role of Mrs. Kilbourne.v a' philanthropist, whose specialty is the reformation of hoboes whs- : Cfill at her door. -"Pirate, of the Skies," the supporting film, depicts Keiit:Taylor as: a..member a? the State ,£u^pS# wiwji through quick thinking ana.aaGFing, solves the mystery of sev- '-' eM Huge robberies. ;

STATE THEATRE, PETONE.

"Pygmalion," the' screen version of Bernard • Shaw's brilliant comedy, is nOw-at 'the-State Theatre;-. -'* Bernard Shaw's story tells of "a- Cockney flower girl •; (Wendy; Hiller)- who becomes- the subject -of any experiment of a professor of phonetics—a role which provides, Leslie Howard one of the greatest ;bf .his distinguished careen- - :•■■■'-

GRAND THEATRE, PETONE.

A "Blockade" . and "Beauty ..for the Asking" conclude- tonight at the Grand Theatre. "•

. -*?Oyer,the Wall," a gripping melodrama, of a man falsely imprisoned for murder and his subsequent rise to fame by means of a beautiful singing voice, opens tomorrow. Dick Foran and June Travis are'starred. "Mr. Chedworth 'Step* Out," the second feature, marks the return of Cecil Kellaway from Hollywood.: It, also marks the introduction to the Australian screen of the family picture so popular now after a surfeit of sophistication. "Mr. Chedworth," as portrayed by Cecil Kellaway^ is.' a role that ■•' is an intensely human one. v

PALACE THEATRE, PETONE

- ".'Pacific Liner" and "The Return of Jimmy Valentine" conclude tonight at the Palace Theatre.

Joan-Bennett and Jack Benny play co-starring roles in Paramount's "Stranded in Paris," a gay comedy of a : stranded theatrical troupe, which opens tomorrow. "The Little Adventuress" is the*second feature. Edith Fellowes plays the title role of the film,'with Richard Fiske, Jacqueline Wells, and Clift Edwards.

PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE, WOBURN.

Gayer-than a Mardi Gras. and merry with new song hits by Gordon and Revel,; 20th Century-Fox's gay comedy triumph, "Josette," is showing at the Prince Edward Theatre, with Don Ameche, Simone Simon, and Robert Young co-starred. "The Good Old Soak," with-Wallace Beery in a humorous appealing story, is the associate film.

KING GEORGE THEATRE, LOWER HUTT.

E&tertaihiaent. seekers who enjoy something really thrilling,.full of.excitememV and spiced - with. hilarmus comedy^ifeould make a point of seeing the; rcmctt-pliscussed film "The^ Lady VaniSKes," * Which is showing at the Kihg^Gebtge Theatre. Hailed as the most enjoyable picture^ of 1939, . it bringr to the screen Michael Redgraved Margaret Lockwood, Paul Lukai and Dame May Whitty.

DE LUXE THEATRE, LOWER HUTT.

♦'The Affairs of Annabel" starring Jack Oakie and Lucille Ball/is one of tho feature films now showing at the De Luxe Theatre, Lower Hutt, The second feature is "Manhattan Melodrama," starring. Clark - Gable, Myrna Loy, and William Powell/

KING'S THEATRE,

"The Nearest Thing to Heaven," now showing at .thej King's Theatre, is an unusual and enthralling drama with a cosmopolitan flavour. It is undoubtedly a very fine film, in which both Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne are at the top of their acting form. This picture is the first in which these two have been together, and the result is a colourful blend of personalities. Boyer .-gives further proof of his capabilities as "an actor, and is much more Convincing a cosmopolite than he was as Napoleon. He plays the part of a young Frenchman whose name is a byword throughout Europe and America as a Don Juan, but whose technique is apparently quit© lost on the girls he meets aboard ship. The story is a sad but interesting one, Ah associate attraction is Walt Disney's "Ferdinand the Bull," a technicolour presentation of a new Disney character,

'STATE THEATRE.

"The Great Man Votes" and "12 Hours to Live" conclude tonight at the State Theatre, "Let Us Live" and "North of Shanghai" commence tomorrow.

PLAZA THEATRE.

With a background of the old West in the frontier1 days and Claire Trevor and John Wayne in the leading roles, "Stage Coach" is showing at the Plaza Theatre. It is the story of a stage coach's dash through country terrorised by a murderous band of Apaches, with two women, a gambler, an aosconding hanker, a spirits "drummer,' a drunken doctor, and an outlaw as passengers, The film is remarkable for its: sustained suspense, for,, from the time the coach sets out the audience is aware of a tenseness that is increased as at .each successive halt comes more news of the depredations and atrocities of the. Indians.

TUDOR THEATRE

"Submarine Patrol," now at the Tudor Theatre, is a bright, adventurous yarn of wartime seas. It is a tale or the sub-chasers, the.tiny 110 ft wooden launches which bore the brunt of the anti-subm4rine . patrol, and which crossed the Atlantic itself to off er protection to Allied merchantmen. Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, Preston Foster, George Bancroft, and Slim Summervllle all have prominent roles, In The Edge of the World," tlie second feature, •the entire photography was taken on the island of Foula, on the edge of Shetland Isles. The film unit end cast lived there for six months.

PARAMOUNT THEATRE

"Good Morning Boys," starring the popular, comedian, Will Hay. heads the new bill at the Paramount Theatre. In Paris a gang of thieves plan to steal the picture of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. There is only one man capable of doing the job, "Arty" Jones, an English crook, languishing m Dartmoor. At Dr. Twist's College, St. Michael's, situated on the edge of Dartmoor, is .oness son. "Rat" Higgins, an emissary of the Paris gang, is sent to St. Michael's to negotiate the escape of "Arty" Jones with the help of Jones Minor. It is from this that the film builds up to an exciting and hilarious climax. In "Danger—Love at Work, which is the associate film, Edward Everett Horton, who appears with Ann Sothern, Jack Haley, and Mary Boland, reverses the usual procedure ox ms characterisation. In this mad Twentieth Century-Fox comedy he plays a strong man, fairly exuding dynamic energy, and founder of the "Rogers Secret o± Success" system. This role he portrays .with energetic virility at the outset of the story, only to admit defeat and break down as a result of a skirmish with the craziest family an screendom, '..•'.

RIVOLI THEATRE

One of the.most pleasing and thoroughly entertaining pictures m tne "cfazy" tradition % to be released in New Zealand is "You Can't Take It With You," which is showing at the Rivoli Theatre, It is ..more than a. story of gay irresponsibility; it naa ? Ssfgeftne old &t always true one,; that money-is n'>t everything, and that its purchasing power is, after all, very limited. Lionel Barrymore dominates an' extremely good cast. Arnold is splendid as the wealthy business tycoon liirby, whose lust for money and power has .rather dimmed his eyesight in other directions. James Stewart and Jean Arthur make a new and appealing team in the leading 3uvenile roles, as the young couple who venture against the storm of class prejudice: The associate feature is "Secrets of a Nurse," with Edmund Lowe, Helen Mack, and Dick Foran heading the cast.

MAORI CONCERT.

The Ngati-Poneke Maori Choir will present its annual concert in the Town Hall. Wellington, tonight and tomorrow night. The choir has a widespread reputation for high-grade entertainment over the air and on the stage, and this year's concert will be given to assist the Wellington Anglican Cathedral Fund, to which it has promised £250. Many of the traditional amusements and songs so beloved or this musical race will be presented by the concert party in colourful Native dress; and there will be special appeal in tlie action and. part-songs, stirring hakas, traditional games, and rhythmic poi dancing. High lights of the concert should be the graceful and harmonious "canoe" poi dance and the two hakas which will be performed by the haka team. The haka . team has among its ranks representatives of nearly all Maori tribes. Very fine entertainment should result for those who attend, and, in so doing, they will assist a worthy object.

SUNDAY CONCERT. . Turner Ross, an entertainer direct from Scotland, Lionel Bent, baritone, May Devine, soprano, and Frank Cooze, diminutive comedian, will appear at the St. James Theatre on Sunday next. The funds are to be held in trust by the secretary of the Hospital Board to provide Christmas cheer for the inmates of the Seddon and Victoria Wards.

REGAL THEATRE, KARORI

Jane Withers's latest escapade, appropriately titled "Always in Trouble, is showing at the Regal Theatre. The mischievous miss is shipwrecked, marooned on a desert island, and threatened by a gang of smugglers, in the new comedy. A wild, roistering Cossack from the bleak plains of Russia who tries to transplant his mode of life to rural America and rule his son's life by gangster methods forms the exciting central figure of "Escape From Yesterday," the associate film. Akim Tamiroff heads a large cast.

VOGUE THEATRE, BROOKLYN

"The Arkansas Traveller," a story of every-day life, starring that lovable character Bob Burns, is showing at the Vogue Theatre. Warner Baxter, Marjorie Weaver, Peter Lorre, and Jean Hersholt appear in the second feature, "I'll Give a Million."

SEASIDE THEATRE, LYALL BAY. Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, C. Aubrey Smith, and Sophie Tucker head the cast in "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry," the main attraction at the Seaside Theatre. Gangdom leaves the underworld, invades the home, and casts its sinister shadow over an average family household in "Hunted Men." the associate film. Lloyd Nolan heads the cast.

CAPITOL THEATRE, MIRAMAR

Using for its hero the immortal British actor David Garrick, a gay comedy of that star and his times, "The Great Garrick," is showing at the Capitol Theatre, with Brian Aherne in the roie of Garrick and Olivia de Havilland as Germaine, the girl with whom he falls in love. Dorothy Lamour and W. C. Fields are the stars in "The Big Broadcast," which is the associate attraction.

TIVOLI THEATRE.

An ultra-modern comedy-romance is presented in "Three Loves Has Nancy," now at the Tivoli Theatre, The stars are Robert Montgomery, Janet Gaynor, and Franchot Tone, The film tells of a small-town girl who cannot make up her mind which of three suitors she prefers, . but who eventually negotiates the bumpy path of true love. The Lone Wolf, that debonair rogue whose light-fingered knavery made him- the bane of police officials throughout the world, returns to the screen in the person of Warren William, Ida Lupino is co-featured with William in the new Columbia film, "The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt," Which is the associate film. Hollywood has already hailed "The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt," not alone because it marks the return of a beloved literary and cinema figure, but because the new film is both splendid and timely entertainment.

EMPIRE THEATRE, ISLAND K&Y,

A thrilling drama based upon the machinations o£ a gangster ring, which supplies contraband scrap iron to foreign war lords for their use in the manufacture of munitions, Is depicted m "Homicide Bureau," featuring Bruce Cabot and Rita Hayworth, which is showing at the Empire Theatre. Charles Farrell returns to the screen in Columbia's thrilling aviation drama, "Flight to Fame," the associate film. Jacqueline Wells appears opposite the famous star.

mX THEATRE

One of the most notable casts assembled in recent months for a romantic comedy was completed at MetroGoldwymMayer with the signing of Charles Butterworth and Walter Abel for two of the principal roles in "We Went to College," wnich is showing at the Bex Theatre. A trans-contin-ental marital fight provides a'hilarious new vehicle for Robert Young, Ann Sothern, Reginald Owen, Cora Wit'herspoon, and others in "Dangerous Number," a satire on married life, which is the associate film.

KILBIRNIE KINEMA

Take; a story that is filled with action and spectacle, one that is filled with comedy, romance, drama, melodrama, and pathos; combine all those elements, and you have the story of "Army Girl," which is showing at the Kilbirnie Kinema, The cast Includes Madge Evans, Preston Foster, James Gleason, and H. B. Warner. "Ambush," featuring Lloyd Nolan and Gladys Swarthout, is the associate attraction. A special matinee will be held tomorrow, .when Walt Disney's "Snowwhite and the Seven Dwarfs" will be screened.

OUR THEATRE, NEWTOWN

"The Shining Hour" justly claims place of honour in the new doublefeature programme at Our Theatre. It stars Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas, Margaret Sullavan, and Joan Crawford in a dramatic*'story that ends on a happy note following a fire, which results in near-tragedy, but which brings understanding and the unity of two great loves. "In Old Santa Fe." featuring Gene Autry and Ken Maynard, has a background of gorgeous scenery and delightful singing with a thrilling action story. An Our Gang comedy, a colour cartoon, and a musical based on the life of Franz Liszt completes the programme.