PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23383, 28 September 1939, Page 16

PICTURE THEATRES

EMPIRE Wayne Morris and Clairo Trevor head the largo cast of the spectacular techhicolour version of Peter B. Kyne’s ‘ Valley of the Giants,’ which is to finish to-night at .the Empire. The story has its background among the giant redwood forests of the Pacific slopes in the closing years of last century, when the timber boom attracted to this region a horde of unscrupulous fortune-seekers. JACK BUCHANAN DETECTIVE. The cast of ‘ The Gang’s All Here,’ to begin playing at the Empire tomorrow, seems like the result of one of those competitions where people are asked to choose the stars for the perfect film, the perfect radio hour, and other wishful functions. To many, Jack Buchanan as a detective will come as a surprise, but on seeing him and laughing solidly for more than an hour, they will agree that he does marvels in lightening the annals of crime. Googie Withers, as his wife, is a comedy discovery outside the scope of competition choices, but an excellent one none the less. Edward Everett Horton, as a butler with a passion for detecting, is a perfect selection. See the famous Horton touch in handing his master an automatic pistol with the immaculate hat and gloves—“ you’ll be. wanting this, sir?’’ Millions of radio fans will be chuckling over Syd Walker, as an assistant detective, who wants to know things for a grimmer purpose than usual. Whoever christened Syd as Younco ought to be given a kind of Order-of Merit for this piece of casting. Otto Kruger puts aside his * Housemaster ’ manner to become a tough guy, Jack Laßue lifts a sinister eyebrow as another rascal, and David Burns completes the unlovely trio of criminals. A bit part from Spider Ferris, a nark, is worth watching, too. ST. JAMES Kay Francis gives an excellent performance in ‘ My Bill,’ which is to conclude to-night at the St. James. She has the part of a widowed mother with four children faced with the problem of insufficient resource to bring up her family in the manner to which its members have been used. A thrilling story of the race track is told in ‘ Fighting Thoroughbreds,’ the second attraction. FULL-BLOODED KYNE THEME. Wayne Morris and Claire Trevor, head 'the cast of ‘ Valley of, the Giants,’ the technicolour picture based by Warner Brothers on the famous Peter B. Kyne novel of the same name, which will open to-morrow at the St. James. It is the story of the successful fight waged to prevent the utter despoliation of California’s famous redwood forests by ruthless lumber interests (represented by Charles Bickford) around the turn of the century. While it is concerned with one local aspect of this fight, telling in highly exciting, manner of the clash between one such despoiler and an altruistic young local lumberman. it is typical of the situation in California throughout the redwood country at that time. Modern audiences will discover a curious parallel between the methods employed by the exploiters of more than 30 years ago and those of the men who have come to be known to-day as racketeers. Graft and corruption, legalistic trickery, and physical violence all have their part in the story. The picture lias two hairraising sequences. REGENT One can readily see why the New York film critics chose ‘ The Citadel,’ now at the Regent, in which Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell head a brilliant cast, as the best film of an entire year. One can also approve of the fairness which gave that honoui to a film produced in England, with an almost entirely British cast, from a book by a British author. True it is that the film was made by an American studio, and directed by King Vidor, also an American. The story is that of a young Scottish doctor, Andrew Manson, who, fresh from the university, accepts a position as assistant to a doctor in a Welsh mining town. He receives several serious setbacks, but appears to make up for this somewhat bv acquiring a wife. At last, he decides'to take the easy way, and becomes a society doctor. He discovers the true worthlessness of some of the men with whom he practises, and his> best friend dies under the knife of one of them. Manson returns to his old ideals, and because of this his name is threatened to be struck off the rolls His conscience and his courage win for him a victory. STRAND An entertaining double-feature programme is to finish to-night at the Strand. The first picture is ‘ The Road to Reno,’ in which Hope Hampton, Randolph Scott, and Glenda Farrell head the cast. . The story is a romantic drama, with divorce the most predominant theme. The second picture is 1 Mystery Plane,’ a fast-moving and intriguing production in which Tailspin Tommy makes his first screen appearance. TWO THRILLING DRAMAS. With all the timeliness of a frontpage newspaper scoop comes ‘ Society Smugglers,’ Universal drama, with Preston Foster and Irene Hervey. opening at the Strand to-morrow. The new picture exposes activities of smuggling rings which bring millions of dollars’ worth of contraband into the United! States yearly. While many important smuggling cases ‘ are investigated secretly by Federal operatives, a few of the more notorious instances find newspaper prominence. It is one of these picturesque round-ups that Universal lias adapted for the screen drama. Foster, Miss Hervey, and Regis Toomey portray Department of

Treasury operatives in ‘ Society Smugglers.’ 'Assigned to crack an ingenious mob of smugglers, they are forced to work under cover against a powerful ring headed by a “ Jekyll-and-Hydish ” chief, Walter Woolf King. ‘ The Missing Guest,’ Universal’s hilarious mystery film, the associate feature, marks the first motion picture job for Charles Martin, a short time ago a big favourite in radioland. In combination with Paul Perez, Martin worked out all. of the thrilling situations in ‘. The Missing Guest,’ and then pumped it full of Ins bizarre humour and dialogue. The film revolves around the efforts of Kelly, as Scoop Hanlon, an inquisitive young reporter, to solve the secret of the notoriously haunted Blue Room. FAY RAINIER BRILLIANT LUMBERJACK DRAMA SUPPORTS A finely-varied programme will be shown at the Grand to-night, featuring the brilliant Fay Bainter in an unusual setting in ‘ The Lady and the Mob,’ and Charles Bickford in an outdoor drama entitled ‘ Romance of the Redwoods.’ Both are top-flight films of their class. In her first screen appearance since winning an Academy award, Fay Baintor’s performance in ‘ The Lady and the Mob ’ is a scintillant illustration of acting at its best. The film is possessed of a unique, hilarious idea; it is filled with ingenious and thoroughly amusing situations, with dialogue which is both witty and wise, with a supporting casU of character actors well kntnvn for their excellent work. Yet Miss Bainter’s performance is such that it dominates the film. On the other hand, “ The Lady ” whom Miss Bainter portrays also dominates the action of the film, and that, perhaps, enhances the actress’s brilliant work. Miss Bainter is seen as an autocratic dowager, an eccentric “ Social Registeri te ” determined to have her own way. When a racket is brought to her attention the dowager virtually declares “no quarter to crime!” and goes on the warpath. When the District Attorney and tho mayor both admit their inability to cope with the racketeers tho Social Registerite recruits a “ mob ” of her own and, in armoured car equipped with machine guns and other gang-hunting weapons, embarks upon one of the most exciting and enjoyable crusades ever undertaken for the screen. Miss Bainter, consumatcly made-up to appear years older than she really is, offers a . characterisation whose •humorous side rests chieliy in her seeming seriousness. Featured with her in ‘ The Lady and the Mob ’ is lovely, talented Ida Lupino, who appears as her prospective daughter-in-law. “ Tho Mob” includes such excellent performers as Warren Hymer, Harold Huber, Joseph Sawyer, and Tom Dugan. Henry Armetta is excellent as the voluble, unhappy cleaner who starts all the trouble. : - A film set against the mighty hackdrop of savage Nature, the Pacific North-west, Columbia’s ‘ Romance, of the Redwoods ’ has Charles Bickford and Jean Parker featured. ‘ Romance of tho Redwoods ’ isfi based, upon a Jack London narrative, and is concerned with the dual Conflicts of man against himself and man against Nature, all for the love of a woman. It presents Bickford as a genial, hard-hitting lumberjack in love with a daughter of the big timber country. Unable to express his admiration for the girl, he watches her fall in love with a city-bred youth who has come north to work in the logging country. When the ooy is accidentally killed Bickford is accused of his death, tried for murder, hut freed. A spectacular forest fire climaxes the new film in what is said to be a virtual inferno of flaming emotions and blazing timber. STATE Melvyn Douglas and Virginia Bruce are cast as husband and wife in the amusing but exciting detective mystery, ‘ There’s That Woman Again,’ which is to conclude to-night at tho State. Douglas is excellent in his role of tho detective who gives up police work for what he hopes will prove a more lucrative private practice, but he is in his usual impecunious state when the film opens. TALE OF PIONEER COURAGE. With Claire Trevor and John Wayne playing the top roles, Walter Wanger’s new frontier drama, ‘ Stagecoach,’ which will have its premiere showing at the State to-morrow, unfolds a story; of pioneer courage—of the brilliant/ heritage that has descended to young generations from men who fought and hewed a nation out of a wilderness. It is a saga of brave women who went with them to bring comfort and love to lonely outposts. It was filmed in the Monument Valley, 180 miles from the nearest Arizona railroad. Louise Platt, George Bancroft, John Carradine, Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchcl, Tim Holt, Donald Meek, and Berton Churchill, featured in support of the stars, portray the strange group of passengers thrown together with the coach as it proceeds from Tonto, Arizona, to Lordsburg, New Mexico. John Wayne portrays the role of Kid Ringo, who has been driven to outlawry by perjurers and is determined to kill them. Clairo Trevor impersonates Dallas, a woman of easy virtue, who has been forced out of town by the selfrighteous citizenry. Among the others are a Virginia-horn expectant mother, a mysterious gambler, a dipsomaniac doctor, a blustering bank absconder, a timid whisky drummer. While the pounding hoofs enrry them closer and closer to shrieking war cries and hloodhungrv tomahawks, these incongruous individuals are absorbed with the purposes and hates that have propelled them into the hazardous journey. MAYFAIR A generous supply of new gags and an abundance of clever comedy make ‘ Wide Open Faces,’ Joe E. Brown’s latest film, which, with ‘ Mother Carey’s Chickens.’ is at the Mayfair, one of the comedian’s most enjoyable pictures. In whirlwind fashion Joe achieves phenomenal popularity, and from an attendant in a drug store he becomes the leading light in a fashionable hotel. To Joe, however, it is all very simple. First he makes the acquaintance of a bank robber, who is quickly arrested. Next he undertakes some private investigation, and starts his searching in an old deserted hotel. How Joe raises the money to reopen the hotel and how notorious gangsters from all over the country flock to the resort in the belief that Joe must have stumbled on the money that the bank robber had in his possession at the time of his arrest provide hilarious entertainment. How a bravo family halts the heartless efforts of a mercenary couple to gain possession of its hard-won “ dream house " provides a wealth of sympathetic and hilarious events in ‘ Mother Carey’s Chickens,’ in which Anne Shirley, James Ellison, and Ruby Keeler have the top roles.