ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 246, 14 September 1940, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

KOSY THEATRE. “THE SUN NEVER SETS.”' Douglas Fairbanks, Junr., and Basil Rathbone virtually symbolise an empire in Universal’s “The Sun Novel' Sets,” which shows to-day at the Rosy Theatre. This it; a picture dealing will) tho British Colonial Civil Service, .which protects £00,000,000 people over an area of 13,000,000 square miles. But the whole story is told through two brothers, portrayed by Fairbanks and Ralhbonc. And they reveal a powerful drama. Both are ranked among Hollywood's foremost actors.. Seldom have they turned .in performances equal to those in this film. The picture opens with an extremely interesting series of scenes showing the British Empire from tho tifhe of Queen Elizabeth to the present. Then follows the story of tiio two brothers. Both are members ot an old family .whose sons have been in “tho service” for more than 300 years. Rathbone, tho elder, bad followed family tradition and given bis life in service. Fairbanks " rebels at being so harnessed by tradition. But lie finally goes into the service. lie ccets Rathbone his job be cause of. a .deliberate blunder. but straightens everything out in the end. The most • brilliant comedy with the largest cast of stage and screen revue personalities will be shown liero to-day. Tho film is “Okay for Sound,” a G.B.D. attraction starring the unsurpassable comic team —the Crazy Gang. The CrazyGang is composed of three of London's most celebrated .humour duos —Nei-vo and Knox, Flanagan and Allen, and Naughton and Gold, ail of whom have entertained you per medium of radio and. recordings. Tn “Okay for Bound” they run through the most hilarious set of siluations in which they are supported by an all star cast.

STATE THEATRE. “LITTLE OLD NEW YORK.’

The boisterous' town of the good old days, when cows roamed Fifth Avenue and a barmaid —or a Jady—could win a man like Robert Fulton, are brought vividly to life on the screen in ‘‘Little Old New York,” the 20th Century-Fox film, which shows at the Stale Theatre. with Alice Faye, Fred Mac Murray, Richard Greene and Brenda Joyce heading a splendid cast. This robust, romantic drama easts Alice Faye in her most colourful role as tho fiery belle of the waterfront who fell headlong in love with handsome Robert Fui ton —and went axter Him, while toe wlioie brawling waterfront cneered her on. MacMurray is seen as the burly shipbuilder engaged to build tho Clermont, after Ful ton’s model, for the first steamboat; Greene is seen as the dashing inventor himself; and blonde Brenda . .Joyce has the role of the lovely girl who loved him, helped him to attain his dream in the face of ridicule, and who later became his wife. .Others prominently featured .in the cast are Andy Devine, Henry Stephenson and Fritz Fold. Directed by Henry King, “Little Old New York” oilers the most spectacular production of the produceidireclor combination which gave to the screen such unforgettable films as “In Old Chicago,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,’ “Stanley and Livingstone” and “Jesse James.” Before the actual filming of “Little Old New York” began, the director, his assistant, and a camera crew spent a few weeks in the cast photograph irig. old New York backgrounds and scenes along the Hudson for the production. They also did a vast amount of research. on the history of the town and the career of Robert Fulton..

METEOR THEATRE

“THE: AMAZING MR WILLIAMS.

In one of tho maddest, merriest comedies of this or any other season, Molvyn Douglas and Joan Blondcll. return, to the Meteor Theatre " screen, to-day to prbvo .themselves Hollywood’s finest-, funniest romantic team. The astonishing fv'-.Sters of “Theie’s Always a Woman” and “Good Girls Go to Baris” are currently starred in “Tho Amazing- Mr Williams,” a laughprovoking combination ol sparkling dialogue, hilarious situations, unusual characterisations and swift-paced suspenseful action. Mr Douglas is “The Amazing Mr Williams,” a blithe super-sleuth who responds to the haunting call of a police siren with unabashed eagerness. Engaged to the lovely Maxine Carroll, the mayor’s secretary-, ho is much 100 busy solving mysterious crimes to bother about marriage. And Maxine, that dumb-as-a-fox young woman portrayed by Miss Blondcll, is equally talented in the matter of murder, but she decs not quite know how to get her man ! And so “The -Amazing Mr Williams” dodges marriage, even while lie tries to get married, and solves mysterious murders, while he glumly watches a convict attempt to “steal” his own gill ! And the lovely Maxine spends her time to equally grand advantage, so far as Meteor Thoafcrc audiences arc concerned. She helps “The Amazing Mr Williams.” She persuades him to dis-

guise himself as a woman in order to capture a midnight masher, and succeeds in herself winding up on a hospital bed; she tries to got her boy friend thrown off the force —and succeeds, only to fight as desperately for his reinstatement!