AMUSEMENTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20054, 28 September 1939, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS

KING’S THEATRE

“CLIMBING HIGH”

“Climbing High,” which concludes at the King's Theatre to-night, is a Last-moving romantic farce, starring .lessie Matthews, one of the most popular stars on the British screen, with Michael Redgrave, ■ the young West End stage actor, who made so promising a debut in “The Lady Vanishes.” "Climbing High,” which wa; made for laughter purposes only, was directed by Carol Reed. —‘‘The Story of Vernon and Irene

Castle": To-morrow —

Adhering closely to the real-life story of Vernon and Irene Castle, a world-famous dancing team of a quarter of a century ago, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ new starring vehicle, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle,” which opens its Gisborne season at the King's Theatre to-morrow, is reported to be the finest musical film of recent years and the greatest of all the pictures in which these two favourites have teamed. The story opens with Vernon Castle’s early career as a knockabout comedian with Lew Fields, and his first meeting with the then Irene Foote, who persuaded him to give up cheap comedy in favour of dancing. How the two married on the proverbial shoestring, went to Paris and nearly starved before they got a start as a team, is revealed in delightful fashion. Their meteoric rise to fame in dance engagements which took them across two continents until their reputation was established as the outstanding dance duo of their time; the breaking up of the team when Vernon enlisted with the British Forces on the outbreak of the Great War; and his untimely death in an air crash, are the main ingredients in a story which is depicted in impressive and tuneful fashion. Ideally suited to portray the roles of their noted terpsichorean predecessors, Astaire and Miss Rogers interpret many of the dances that the Castles created and made famous. The Castle Walk, the Castle Waltz, the Texas Tommy, the Tango and the Maxixe, are among the more spectacular of these routines, and they are presented in authentic reproductions of the cafes and ballrooms where the Castles had their biggest successes. Nearly 24 of the most popular tunes of 25 years ago arc also featured in the picture, either as background, music, dance music, or as sung by the two stars, “Waitin’ for the Robert £. Lee." “Bv the Light of the Silvery Moon.” "Missouri Waltz,” “Oh, You Beautiful Doll.” “Prettv Baby,” “Darktown Strutters’ Ball" and other “hits of the pre-war period arc revived in the film. One current number. “Only When you arc in my arms,” is sung by Fred Astaire. With this wealth"of dance and song presentation. and with its absorbingly authentic story, “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” oromises to be one of the most notable of modern screen offerings. A brilliant group of supporting players includes Edna May Oliver, Walter Brennan and Lev/ Fields. There is a big supporting programme.

REGENT THEATRE “THERE’S THAT WOMAN AGAIN” “There’s That Woman Again,” now showing at the Regent Theatre, is a light-hearted detective drama in which Melvyn Douglas plays the part of a harassed private investigator. He is plagued by a “dumb” but beautiful wife (Virginia Bruce), who also is interested in the activities of detectives, and who contrives to be continuously under her husband’s feet in the most important of his investigations. Of course, it is the wife who eventually happens to stumble over the clue that brings the downfall of the murderous gang. The film also contains two exceptionally neat and clean murders, and probably more than the usual quota and hairbreadth escapes. —Saturday: Lew Ayres in “Calling Dr. Kildare.” — Lionel Barrymore, as the cantankerous but human old doctor, guides Lew Ayres through another tempestuous adventure in “Calling Dr. Kildare,” second of the new medical-detective series, which commences on Saturday at the Regent Theatre. Ayres, as young Dr. Jimmy Kildare, gets into trouble with the police when, infatuated by pretty Lana Turner, he hides and cares for a wounded murder suspect. There is nothing to do hut find the real murderer to clear the boy. Tie sets out to do it, solves the riddle, then finds he has lost the girl he did it for. The wily old Dr. Gillespie gets him out of his troubles in a deft dramatic twist. Ayres, who rapidly rose to romantic prominence through the first “Kildare" picture, plays his character with ease and conviction. His scenes with Lana Turner, piaying the girt who deceives lum, are poignant. Barrymore extracts the last morsel of both comedy and drama from his role of the crippled old physician who tries to teach the boy to follow in his footsteps while there is still time. Harold S. Bucquet, who directed the first picture, handled this one with the same deft skill. Several new characters arc added to the “Kildare family”' including Alma Kruger, the hardboiled head nurse with a touch <)i sentiment, and pretty Laraine Day. playing the young nurse with whom a future romance with Ayres is hinted in the story. Nat Pendleton and Marie Blake again provide the comedy as the ambulance driver and telephone girl in the hospital, and

Bobs Watson, as the little crippled boy, has a dramatic scene with Barrymore. Samuel S. Hinds, Lynne Carver, Emma Dunn, Walter Kingsford, Reed Hadley, and Nclt Craig are among other principals. A major thrill is a transfusion operation performed in a fugitive’s cellar hideout by the light of an oil lamp. One of the most interesting films produced for a long time is “The Giant el' Norway,” which also will be shown. It tells the story of Fritjof Napsen, Norway’s humanitarian who abandoned his life’s dream to heed the call of duty. MAJESTIC THEATRE LAST DAY: “CODE OF THE STREETS” AND “ONE MILE FROM HEAVEN” The “Little Tough Guys" will be finally .seen in “Code of the Streets” to-night at the Majestic Theatre. They are just as tough as ever, but this time they are on the side of the law. The associate feature, “One Mile From Heaven," is a human story of motherlove starring Claire Trevor, Sally Blane and Bill Robinson. —To-morrow: George Raft in “The Lady’s From Kentucky” and Bobby Howes in "Sweet Devil”—

Besides a fast-stepping story, Paramount gives you your money's worth in “The Lady's From Kentucky” with George Raft, new-comer Ellen Drew and those perennial merrymakers, Hugh Herbert and Zasu Pitts. The film begins to-morrow at the Regent Theatre. The story is about a gambler who is so fond of gambling that lie even sells his blood —for a transfusion of course, so that he can shoot craps, play cards and finally shoot the works on a slow horse. Looking through his belongings for something to pawn he comes across an old bill of sale entitling him to half an interest in a thoroughbred colt. He is all ready to sell the deed, hut he changes his mind when he sees the horse win his debut race. Raft figures he is in clover. He has found four horseshoes that bring in the money but his partner disillusions him when she tells him that though the colt is speedy they will have to wait until he matures, for if they race him too early the horse would be finished. Ellen Drew turns in a fine performance as Raft's horse racing partner. George Raft gives another winning performance as the betting-mad gambler. Adroit comedy relief is supplied by Hugh Herbert and Zasu Pitts. Fa'rce-comcdy with music: a rollicking story of it lovelorn girl’s fake suicide which results in a visit to the rescuer’s house-parly, and of complications which ensue; fast-moving developments which readily get laughs on “heroic" rescue; skirmishes of a delicately tipsy heroine with a long-suffering butler; lively bedroom farce; and a large-scale free-for-all fight among males ending in a friendly custard-pie battle among ladies —this Jack Buchanan production, “Sweet Devil,” leaves little out that could possibly beguile the popular fancy and in the lighthearted mixture of farce, slapstick, delicate alcoholic whoopee and romantic comedy, it is certainly a considerable laughter banquet. Furthermore. the frolic has the seasoned antics of Bobby Howes and his irresistibly comic features, and an infectiously gav performance by Jean Gillie in tile title-role. An added attraction is the seventh chapter of “Buck Rogers.”