PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 23384, 29 September 1939, Page 11

PICTURE THEATRES

ST. JAMES Wayne Morris and Claire Trevor head the cast of ‘ Valley of the Giants,’ the technicolour picture baaed by Warner Bros, on the famous Peter ■ B. Kyne novel of the same name, which has been transferred to the St. James. It is the story of the successful fight waged to prevent the utter dispoliation 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 logical 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 the : time. Modern audiVgat's 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. REGENT The triumphant' film version of A. J, Cronin’s forceful and sternly realistic noVel, 4 The Citadel,’ heads the programme for another week at the Regent, Pathos and humour have been dexterously intermingled, and there are many powerful and dramatic moments, while a splendid cast, headed by Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell, interprets the roles with an earnestness and confidence that contributes largely to the success of the film. 4 The Citadel ’is a scathing attack on the unethical practices of some unscrupulous doctors, but also reveals the noble and unselfish ideals which actuate the majority of tin profession, being also a deeply understanding story of a young man’s struggle to adhere to his idealistic conditions. There is a 1 good supporting programme. STRAND With all the-timeliness of a newspaper scoop comes Society Smugglers,’ Universal drama, with Preston master and Irene Hervey, now at the Strand. The new picture exposes activities of smuggling rings Which bring .trillions 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 roiind-ups that Universal has adapted for the screen drama. Foster, Miss Hervey, ' .and Regis Toomey portray Department of Treasury operatives in 4 Society ( Smugglers.’ Assigned to crack an in- . genious mob of smugglers, they are . forced to work under cover against a ' powerful ring headed bv a 44 Jekyll-nnd-.Hydish ’’ chief. Walter Woolf King has the latter role, and Frank Jenks. Keating, Frances Robinson, and Raymond Parker are also featured. 4 The Missing Guest,’ Universal’s hilarious mystery film, the associate fea- , tuse, marks the first motion picture Tfbrk for Charles Martin, a short time * ago a big favourite in icdioland. In combination with Paul Perez, Martini worked out all of the thrilling situations ! in 4 The Missing Guest,’ and then J .pumped it full of his bizarre humour J and dialogue. J " c GRAND i —_ ■> There is excellent entertainment to be had at the Grand, where the new attractions are 4 The Lady and the Mob.’ an unusual comedy-melodrama, 1 and 4 Romance of the Redwoods,’ an action-filled tale of.the lumbering coun- t try. When Mrs Hattie Leonard, a c wealthy, but eccentric, old lady, re- C ceives a bill for two dollars from her s dry cleaner instead of the customary 1 I dollar 75 cents, she is indignant, J and demands an explanation. From I this small beginning comes far-reaching I results, which make 4 The Lady and , * the Mob ’ a film well out of the ordi-' p nafy. It is an entertaining story, and. t it is skilfully handled. In the leading I role, Fay Ba'inter gives a delightful per- if formance in an unexpected character. C Warren Hymer, Harold Huber, and Ida 1 li Lopino are in support. The explana- t tion of the rise in costs is due to the ! p fees of a protective association—in other j p words, to the activities of racketeers. 1 t The lady promptly informs the authori- I fi ties, but, as they cannot take action, n she takes the law into her own hands, p and. employing their own methods, she t breaks down the ring. Kidnapping and w V

a bank robbery are only two of her exploits. The lumber country of the American backwoods forms the background of the thrilling "outdoor drama, 4 Romance of the Redwoods.’ STATE t With Claire Trevor, and John Wayne 0 playing the top roles, Walter Wanger’s d new frontier drama, 4 Stagecoach,’ r which is now showing at the State unfolds a story of pioneer courage—of '• the brilliant heritage that has de- * scended to young generations from *■ men who fought and hewed a nation ■ cluit of a wilderness. It is a saga of V brave women who went with them d to bring comfort and love to lonely 11 outposts. It was filmed in the Monu--1 ment Valley, 180 miles from the near- > est Arizona railroad. Louise Platt, f George Bancroft, John Oarradine, r Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchell. Tim “ Holt, Donald Meek, . and Berton J Churchill, featured in-support of the ’ stars, portray the strange group of : passengers thrown together with the ' coach as it proceeds from Tonto, Ari--3 zona, 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 I Dallas, a women of easy virtue, who has been forced out of town by the self-righteous citizenry. Among the others are a Virginia-born expectant mother, a mysterious gambler, a dipsomaniac-doctor, a blustering bank absconder, and a timid _ whisky drummer. While the pounding hoofs carry them closer and closer to shrieki ing war cries and blood-hungry toma- . hawks, these incongruous individuals i are absorbed with the - purposes and t hates that have propelled them into ! the hazardous journey. EMPIRE Jack Buchanan’s newest film, 4 The Gang’s All Here,’ playing at the Em- , pire, brings in its train a number of treats. Above all, it is one of the ’funniest comedies that was ever blessed with a superlative cast and excellent material to work with. Among the treats, taking the Buchanan work for granted, is the chance to watch Syd. Walker, not exactly in the flesh, but as the shadow of it, in his first film since the phenomenal success of 4 Band Waggon,’ with Syd. wheeling his junk barrow. Here he is a sort of understudy detective, and he still wants to know things in a voice that recalls creaking basket chairs, pints of 44 old and mild,” and the genial warmth of a chestnut roaster. Syd’s scenes, a short one with Rob Wilton, another with two Chinese laundrymen, more with Spider Ferris,. the copper’s mark, an exit while tied up like a roll of carpet carried by Edward Everett Horton, make a big contribution to tho general hilarity. Jack Buchanan ns a detective is, in itself, a new idea, and the same fertile inventive spirit runs throughout one of the craziest, wittiest films seen for many a long year. In the story he emerges from retirement to solve a juicy robbery on his former employer’s safe. At the' end he is retiring again when a headless body is found, and off goes Jack on another chase. MAYFAIR There is a homely simplicity about 4 Mother Carey’s Chickens,’ which will conclude to-night at the Mayfair, and the producer of the film has ensured that none of the appeal of Kate Douglas Wiggins’s famous book has been lost. Tho story tells of the efforts of 1 a- family to stop a mercenary couple 1 from gaining possession of its hard-won 1 “ dream house.” Tho wide-mouthed comedian, Joe E. Brown, is featured in i 4 Wide Open Faces,’ the second attraction. It is hilarious comedy of a-whirl- ’ wind type. COMEDY AND GRIPPING DRAMA. With a team of four of Hollywood’s most popular actors and a screamingly ] funny story, ‘ Four’s a Crowd ’ is a j Warner Brothers’ production calculated . to satisfy the plate of lovers of light i comedy. The stars are Errol Flynn, . Olivia de Havillancl, Rosalind Russell, and Patric Knowles, and the film will be the attraction to-morrow at tho Mayfair. Flynn is a high-pressure public relations counsel, whom Knowles hires as editor of his paper, at the urgent behest of Miss Russell, a re- c porter, who has something more than i the interests of the newspaper at heart. ( Flynn’s idea for building circulation 3 is a series of articles denouncing Walter t Connolly, grandfather of Miss de Havil- i land. Then, playing both ends against \ the middle with gay insouciance, Flynn 1 proceeds to sell himself to Connolly as a t press agent and a grand-son-in-law, ami t to become engaged to Miss Russell. The i final scene has the four in a marrying a mood, and Connollv in a state of apo- t plexy. A distinguished actor comes to v the screen in 4 Dead Men Tell No Tales,’ f which is the associate feature. He is I

Emlyn Williams, author of the grimly powerful 4 Night Must Fall,’ whose reputation in England as an actor is almost as high as his ranking as an author.

GREEN ISLAND A motion picture which is something out of the ordinary in film entertainment is to open to-morrow at the Municipal in 4 Port of Seven Seas,’ starring Wallace Beery with a company of distinguished supporting players including Frank Morgan, Maureen O’Sullivan, John Beal, and Jessie Ralph. Beery plays one of his most unusual roles in the new drama, in which he deviates from such outdoor .characterisations as 4 Bad Man of Brimstone ’ and 4 Viva Villa ’ to enact the part of tho owner of a bar on the Marseilles waterfront. In support will be a short film entitled 4 Czecho-Slovakia on Parade,’