PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23372, 15 September 1939, Page 14

PICTURE THEATRES

ST. JAMES

Perhaps there is no more potent influence in the world to-day than that of the Press. Through the medium of newspapers careers are made and broken, propaganda both good and evil is spread, and the opinion of the etitire.community often moulded. Monogram's 4 Star Reporter,' which heads'the.new programme at the St. James', illustrates: just how these things * are . done. It is the story of an’.idealistic young man who inherits a newspaper and determines to use it for the public’s good. John Randolpn, played by Warren Hull, promises himself, that ho will, through his paper, clean up crime in his home town. In a 'vigorous hard-fought campaign ho succeeds in getting elected, as District Attorney, William Burnett, father of tftafgirl he loves._ But when the D.A. backs down on his first case Randolph changes his paper’s policy. _ Co-star-nng with Warren Hull is pretty Marsha Hunt, and her screen father is-v.played .by Wallis Clark. Stanley LupinoV stage and screen successes are so numerous that we have come to expect great things as normal from this gifted comedian. 4 Hold Mv Hand,’ the - supporting film, is his latest offering to the entertainment world. Lupino'has a new screen partner .in Fred. Emney; anyone who has not ' yet seen this large comedian trip from a *room, daintily and circumspectly, after grumbling out a devastating line, has a new laugh to come.

REGENT

Carrying as its guarantee of engrossing- interest and solid entertainment the tag,. 44 from the novel by Dr Lloyd •C. Douglas,” the Warner BrothersCosmopolitan production entitled 4 WTiito Banners,’ which is now at the Regent, has been eagerly awaited by a large section of Dunedin’s picturegoing public. This is an unusual story by the retired doctor of divinity, and is the third of his novels to he made into a motion picture. The other two were 1 Magnificent Obsession ’ and 4 Green Light,’ both of which enjoyed amaaing success, proving conclusively that.the film public likes the Douglas type'of story as much as that great public which buys his books. Like its two predecessors, 4 White Banners ’ has a message to convey—the message of courage in the' face of adversity. Fay:Bainter has the central feminine role,. and. much of the credit for the impressiveness of this film must go to Miss Bainter for her portrayal. Good as , she is. her - performance is almost equalled, by that of. Claude Rains in the* principal male lead. He gives an excellent demonstration of the range of his remarkable gifts as an actor, for his is a thoroughly sympathetic role, and, as all film-goers know, he gets most of his acting practice in villain roles. Kay Johnson,. Bonita GranVille, and, Jackie Cooper round out the eaatof principals, with James Stephenson,'Henry O’Neill, John Ridgley, and J.' Farrell M 4 Donald •in supporting foies. '

STRAND

One of- the most successful plays staged comes to the screen in ‘ Black Limelight,’ which will be screened tonight at the Strand. In it we see a new variation of the theme of the wife and the “ other woman.” Here the wife, played.brilliantly by Joan Marion, is suddenly informed that her husband is wanted for the murder of a girl whose body is found in a seaside bungalow. Although the evidence against him .is nearly watertight, she does not turn -against him. Some may feel that the wife would have acted otherwise in 99 .cases out of 100, but then this is a play .in a thousand. Raymond Massey heads the cast in the part of the erring husband, his tremendous acting powers retaining sympathy for a character that in other hands would appear cowardly and despicable. Walter Hudd, who plays a leading role in ‘ Black Limelight ’ and gives an excellent performance, made a big hit recently in ‘The Housemaster.’ Another of the series type ,of picture which has become so popular., .with “movie” audiences throughout the country makes its bow in Universal’s ‘ Freshman Year.’ It is a realistic comedy drama of college life with 4 music. All of the films are to stay strictly on the campus undl.iu the classrooms, with the accent on college life and youth. Dixie Dunbar, cast as a chorus girl with an urge for an education,; plays one of the leads.

STATE

Latest recruit to the ranks of juvenile stas is young Roger Daniel, who ■ shares honours with Adolphe Menjou in 1 King of the Turf,’ which is the new attraction at the State. This; film tells the story of a formerly wealthy racehorse owner who has become a drunken race track hanger-on. He; meets a young jockey who has read of him in his heyday, and who gets him to attempt a come-back. Ho purchases an almost unmanageable thoroughbred for a ridiculous price, and. with the boy’s help, the owner sets mtt to train it. Hut. unknown to him, the boy has run awav from his home. The horse is a winner and the boy’s mother sees his photograph and thinly-disguised alias in a paper and

makes the discovery that the iiow_ rehabilitated owner is her former husband and the boy his son. Meitner of the pair is aware of this, and the boy still does not know; when his mother arrives to claim him. He cannot lose his love of racing, however', and his father, now a rather pathetic figure, has to resort to dishonesty to cure him. Dolores Costello plays the part of the mother. Supporting items are a technicolour novelty. ‘ Strange ■Occupations,’ a newsreel, and a highly interesting and well-photographed film of insect life.

GRAND

In 12 crowded boors of glorious life amidst the evil luxury that surrounds one of New York’s kings of the underworld, Richard Dix pits his wits against those of a racketeer, and after hairbreadth escapes from ignominious death, gets himself a “ story ” and a wife-. ‘ Twelve Crowded Hours,’ which heads the programme at the Grand, is a thriller of the first order, apd, as its title indicates, its main feature is the speed with which the plot develops. Tho evening starts off peacefully enough, but by dawn the principal characters have run the gamut of human experiences in the way of thrills; murder and sudden death have played their parts, there have been little snatches of comedy to relieve the tenser situations, and after the racketeerresponsible for all this has become constricted in the coils of his own plotting, there is time for romance to have its day. The leading feminine role is taken by Lucille Ball, chief character of the “ Annabelle ” films. An appealing story of college life is told in ‘ That Girl From College,’ in which Anne Shirley and Jimmy Ellison take the leading roles.

EMPIRE

Famed producers of the screen’s most notable 41 shockers,” Universal studios reassumo the position as leader in the field of spine-tingling dramas with 4 Son of Frankenstein,’ which heads the programme at the Empire. It combines the stars of the original 4 Frankenstein ’ and the equally snuddery 4 Dracula,’ Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Basil Eathbone assumes the mantle of Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, possessor of the dread heritage of tne family, a destructive monster. In one of his most difficult roles, that of a doctor torn between love of his wife and daughter and scientific fervour for his sinister experiments, Rathbone wins now laurels. The story, penned by Willis Cooper, opens when the new Frankenstein figure returns to his ancestral castle 25 years after his father’s death, as stipulated by the elder Frankenstein’s will. He stumbles upon his father’s grim creation, the hair-raising monster of destruction, played by Karloff. Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Emma Dunn, four-year-old Donnie Dunagan, and Edgar Norton are outstanding in supporting roles—Atwill as a police inspector whose arm has been torn off by the monster, and Miss Hutchinson as Frankenstein’s wife. Production and direction are credited to Rowland V. Lee. The massive, striking sets were designed by Jack Otterson, and eerie lighting and camera effects arc due to ingenious photography by George Robinson.

MAYFAIR

The programme to conclude to-night at the Mayfair is comprised of two units from the Englsih studios, ‘ The Gaunt Stranger ’ and ‘ Sailing Along.’ The later is an entertaining musical film starring Jessie Matthews, England’s popular singer and dancer. The second feature, ‘ The Gaunt Stranger,’ is adapted from Edgar Wallace’s comedy mystery thriller, ‘ The Ringer.’ NAZI SPIES IN AMERICA, One of the most sensational of this year’s films, ‘ The Confessions of a Nazi Spy,’ will be screened at the Mayfair to-morrow. This is the first straight-out propaganda film made in Hollywood, and makes no reservations or compromise in its ruthless exposure of tho activities of the Nazi spy ring, laid bare some months back by Leon G. Turrou, former head of ,the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As far as is known, most of tlie 70-odd featured characters are still actually Jiving, arid the film is factual in all its essentials. Edward G. Robinson heads the cast as the G-man who smashes tho spy ring and brings four of its members to trial and conviction. The head of the sparing is capably portrayed by Paul Lukas, and a bungling Nazi informer is seen in the person of Francis Lederer. Lya Lys has the main feminine role, and there is an exceptionally large cast of high-class players. Many of the

actors and actresses appear 'Under false names, so that they might ho protected from possible action, by the Nazi Gestapo. ‘ Confessions of a Nazi Spy ’ is .skilfully produced and outstanding from n technical viewpoint, rich in its characterisations, and accurate in casting. It is not a film for men only; it is one that appeals to everyone. ‘ Sinners in Paradise ’ makes a first-class support.