ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 161, 7 June 1940, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY. THEATR,E. “GONE TO THE DOGS.” “Gone to the Dogs,” starring George Wallace, tells the story of a pleasant little man who accidentally discovers a miraculous speeding-up _ tonic for racing greyhounds, and the rip-roaring story portrays his antics as the formula disappears, the champion dog is kidnapped, ho loses his girl and gets trapped in a haunted house. So when everything ends happily, it is only after our-dog-loving hero has rim the gamut of every guffaw known to hysteria. “Gono to the Dogs” is t'ho second production in which George Wallace has appeared for Cinesound. “Wings of the Navy,” a Warner Bro=.Cosmopolitan production, which is declared to be by far tho best to da(e of the remarkable succession, of “service” pictures turned out at that studio, comes to tho screen with a cast beaded by Georgo Brent, Olivia de Havilland., John Paynp and Frank McHugh. The Warner studio s pre-eminence in the field of pictures dealing with life in tin various divisions ot the armed forces of a nation was first established several years ago with the production of “Here Comes the Navy. Since then such pictures as “Devil Dogs of tho Air” and “Submarine D-l” have enabled this studio to continue its acySTATE THEATRE. “SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON.” One of tho best loved of all story classics, Johann David Wyss’ “Swiss 1 ( amily ,Robinson,” shows to-day at_ the State Theatre. Tho screen version is infinitely more vivid and realistic and exciting than any P os " sible arrangement of words on.•paper could be. And its producers, the noted screenwriting team of Gene Towno and Graham Baker, are entitled to plenty of plaudits for their skilful cinematic rendition of Wyss’ immortal book. Opening in London during tho Napoleonic period when all Europe was-jittery with war alarms, the .story 1 tells how William Robinson, Swiss clockmaker, sees his four boys growing up to bo useless snobs, his wife interested only to make men of his sons if it can. be in her shallow social pleasures. Determined to make men of liis sons if it can bo done, Robinson sells out his business, embarks with his rebellious wife and offspring on an Australia-bound brig and plans to build a new life. But the brig is wrecked in a storm and tho Robinsons, the solo survivors, ferry themselves to. a nearby tropic island along with a few barnyard animals. How the marooned sextette pit themselves successfully against the fortes of nature and how the boys beebme selfreliant and upstanding young men while the ;wifc eventually comes to understand her husband’s ideals, along with a brilliant series of adventures and experiences, make up the absorbing drama.