ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 54, 1 February 1938, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

REGENT THEATRE. “SOULS AT SEA.” “Souls at Sea” screening at the Regent Theatre to-night, is tho motion picture treatment of the famous trial of “Nuggin” Taylor, sea captain of the MO’s, who assumed command of tho brig William Brown when that ship caught fire in midAtlantic shortly after her master died. Taylor is played by Gary Cooper, who hardly performed as well in any of his long string of credible adventure stories —possibly because he was re-enacting a story from history’s pages for the first time. The William Brown was equipped with only two lifeboats and Taylor realised that he could never bring the entire ship’s company to safety in tho frail craft. He ordered a trial to determine who should be permitted to go alioard the lifeboats and who should be ordered —at pistol point—to remain aboard and go to the botom with the ill-fated vessel.. He included himself among the survivors not because he wanted to save his life, he later told an Admiralty Court, but because he knew lie was the only man who could bring the lifeboats safely through to land.; There followed a trial which is now epic among sea trials. Taylor was accused of manslaughter on the high seas not only by the survivors, but what hurt most, by his sweetheart, played by beautiful Frances Dee. This powerful Paramount picture lists in its cast George Raft, who is superb as the hard-boiled mate of the vessel who would steal a kernel of corn from a hen but would follow his captain to the grave; Henry Wilcoxon, Harry Carey, Olympo Bradna, Robert Cummings, Porter Hall and a roster of supporting players culled from Hollywood’s most noted featuro players. STATE THEATRE. “HEIDI.” Shirley Temple as “Heidi!” Millions tlie world over have been enthralled by the warmth, t lie tenderness anti the charming beauty of Johanna Spvri’s beloved stor' r 'of Heidi and all the colourful folk •who lived and laughed and loved high up in th? Swiss Alps, just beneath the stars. Translated into all languages and read everywhere, it is a story that had to wait tor its star before it could _ be brought to the screen. Tho Twentieth Ocnturv-Fox production of. “Heidi.” starring Shirley Temple, screening at the State Theatre to-night, is the picture for which she’ll he remembered always. “Heidi” brings Shirley Temple more glorious than has ever been known, in the picture she was asked to make by thousands of fans who wrote to the Twentieth CenturvFox studios. Bringing love to hearts filled with hate, and twinkle to eyes filled with tears, “Heidi” tells of an embittered mountain-top exile, brilliantly portrayed by Jean Hersbolt, reclaimed from bis fierce hatred of the world, of a young girl who finds the strcnglh and courage to walk again, and of the little heroine who brings everyone new zest for life. Arthur Treacher and Helen Wcstley play prominent roles in the stcirv, and Pauline Moore, Thomas Beck. Alary Nash, Sidney Blackmer, Mady Christians, and Sig Runiann are also featured in the east. Written into the faithfully transcribed screen play by Walter Ferris and Julicn Joscplison are two dance sequences that present the first star of the screen at her greatest. “In Our Little Wooden Shoes.” the specially composed song by Lew Pollack and Sidney D. Mitchell, gives Shirley a gay and charming interlude in the warmly dramatic story. It was in “Wee Willie Winkie” that she made her first attempt at. a straight dramatic role, attempt so successful that Darryl b. Zanuck, Twentieth Century-Fox production chief, decided to make “Heidi” in the. big-pic-be rtained in the picture. “Heidi” has Remaining unspoiled in the midst it all, Shirley was wide-eyed with elation when she was assigned the role and wanted to be assured that all the things that made “Heidi” so colourful to her would be retained in the picture. ‘Heidi” lias sold millionn of copies and is on the prescribed vending list of schools all over the world. Ideally cast and gloriously played, it makes a picture that its many readers long have hoped to sec. Raymond Griffith served as associate producer, and the special dance sequences were staged by Sammy Lee. KOSY THEATRE. “OUTLAW'S OF THE ORIENT.” “Outlaws of the Orient,” now showing at the Kosy Theatre, stars Jack Holt m a superb performance. Mae Clark m the leading feminine role, contributes dash and beauty, and, of course, a capable in_ terpretatioLi of her role. . Harold llu!>er as a war lord is as menacing and villainous a character as the screen has over contributed. Holt is an American oil company foreman. Two days before his approaching marriage to Bernice Roberts he must rush back to China. He hopes to return at once.. Instead he finds that he must remain indefinitely because his brother, played by James Bush, is drinltsodden and unfit to carry on the work. The husky Holt plunges into his job, only to have a rival oil company lure lartar tribesmen to harass him at every turn. He “buys off” the tribesmen himself. this forces him to pad his payroll, to conceal the expense. Then, when Miss Llaiko, who portraj's a book-keeper at the bom© office, is unable to balance Holt s ac counts, she h fired. Seeking redress she goes to the oilfield. W T hen Holt s coolies desert him during a Tartar attack, -Miss Clarke remains as company cook. She falls in love with the younger brother. He, mistaking Holt’s interest in her, deserts to a nearby settlement. Holt follows and rescues him from tribesmen, but thereby provokes a siege that threatens to destroy the whole oil field. He and his few loyal workers barricade themselves in. From that point the story moves through a series of surprising pulsetingling scenes, culminating* in a smash climax. ■ “MARRY THE GIRL.” Every so often along comes a movie so amusing that no one can help laughing at it from beginning to end. And into such a category falls “Marry the Girl, the W 7 arner Bros. farce-comedy now showing at the Kosy Theatre, lo begin with, the story itself is funny 1 hen look at the cast of laugh-getter 9 that portrays it—Frank McHugh, Hugh Herbert, Mary Boland, Carol Hughes, Mischa Auer the Gorilla Man, Allen Jenkins, Olin Howland, Hugh O‘Connell, Alan Mowbry, and leddy Hart among others. “Marry the Uiri has a novel setting —the offices of a gioat newspaper syndicate. This is presided over by Hugh Herbert, who is obviously a nut, and his sister, Miss Boland who is the brains of the outfit, Frank McHugh is general handyman of the organisation. He has three jobs to do as the picture opens —he has to get Hugh O Connell, the syndicate’s best cartoonist, on the water wavon and back to work: ho must mduco Alan Mowbray, an eccentric writer on nsychiarv, to sign a new contract; and—most important .of all—he must prevent the marriage of Carol Hughes (whom he himself loves) to Mischa Auer. A 1 hands wind up in the crazy psychiatrist s sanatorium before McHugh is halfway thiough with his triple task. But it all works out smoothly, with Frank winning the girt, the syndicate restored to businesslike order, and everyone happy.