AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23916, 18 September 1939, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

THE CURRENT PROGRAMMES GRAND THEATRE The story of a newspaper reporter who becomes involved in a series of exciting adventures with a gang of racketeers is told in “Twelve Exciting Hours,” which heads the current programme at the Grand Theatre. The action takes place during the period of time between the evening of one day and the morning of the next. The reporter steals a gangster’s bag containing 80,000 dollars, and during the next few hours has a lively time avoiding the attentions of the aggrieved victim. He also succeeeds in establishing the guilt of the gangster in the matter of several unsolved murders in the city. Richard Dix and Lucille Ball are the principal players. The second feature is “That Girl From College.” an entertaining satire on the weight placed by some girls on the social eligibility to be achieved by attendance at college. The box plans are at the theatre and at Begg’s. “ DANGER ISLAND ’’ Mr Moto finds his most breath-taking adventures on “Danger Island,” in Twentieth Century-Fox’s exciting new mystery of that title, starring Peter Lorre as Moto. which will be the next feature at the Grand Theatre. Boasting the colourful background of Porto Rico, the story involves the incomparable sleuth in a great diamond smuggling mystery, highlighted by several murders that are completely baffling to local police. Jean Hersholt, Amanda Duff, Warren Hymer, Richard Lane, Leon Ames and Douglas Dumbrille head the brilliant supporting cast. “The Live Wire.” the second film, can boast of four leading ladies who have starring and featured roles in the new G.B.D, attraction. They are Jean Gillie, Irene Ware. Kathleen Kelly and Sally Stewart. Bernard Nedell is the star, playing the role ol an American efficiency expert who is called in to help a London firm of real estate agents who are facing bankruptcy. The only assets the firm possesses is a muddy tract of ground in Essex, so Nedell decides to build a huge health spa on the site. STRAND THEATRE Taken from the play by Gordon Sherry, which packed London theatres for months, the unusual dramatic production, “ Black Limelight," is achieving success at the Strand Theatre, Raymond Massey and Joan Marion, leading characters, are responsible for powerful performances. The story deals with the fight of a wife for her husband’s life. Wanted for murder of a girl at a seaside bungalow, one of a series of lunatic slayings, the man, Peter Charrington, is astounded at the evidence against him and flees, haunted by terror. Unaided by anyone, Mary, his wife, sets out on her fight to prove him innocent. No one believes her story, but at the risk of her life she fights to the end. It is a remarkable dramatic piece. The second feature is “Freshman Year,” a story of college life, featuring Dixie Dunbar and William Lundigan. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. EMPIRE THEATRE More horrifying and eerie than before, the killer monster created by Baron Frankenstein resumes his orgy of murder in “ Son of Frankenstein.” the latest of the monster series now showing at the Empire Theatre. When he returns to his ancestral castle from America with his wife and small son the son of the monster’s creator (Basil Rathbone) discovers that the monster has not been destroyed but is “sick" under the care of a demented shepherd. Remembering his father’s dream ol creating a normal man, Frankenstein tries to continue his experiments and bring the monster back to life by electrical impulses. Thinking these have failed, he give.? up, but the monster emerges from his coma and, under the direction of the crazy shepherd, recommences his slaying of the villagers. Frankenstein soon understands the meaning of the mysterious killings in the village, and. nearly crazy himself with fear, take? steps to protect his family while at the same time concealing the killer’s identity from the suspicious local police inspector. Thunderstorms and lightning, bleak country and secret passages, combined with the fearful appearance of the monster which is admirably portrayed by Boris Karloff, all make for continuous excitement. The supporting artists are Josephine Hutchison Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill. The supporting programme is interesting and varied, and the box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. ST. JAMES THEATRE Stanley Lupino, Fred Emney and Sally Grey head the cast of “ Hold My Hand.” the hilarious comedy which is at present being shown at the St. James Theatre. Stanley Lupino gives an excellent performance as Eddie, a light-hearted and slightly irrepressible young man who gets himself into very deep financial waters through tryine to make money for his ward Paula, with a white elephant of a newspaper which she owns. Eddie’s fiancee Helen has a father, Lord Milchester. who is up to his neck in Eddie’s plans, and as a last resort the pair try to dodge their troubles by stealing Lord Milchester’s diamonds which, unfortunately for their scheme, prove to be imitations. Then, to cap Eddie’s misfortunes. Helen resumes a former romance where it had left off when Eddie came on the scene. Just when the depression is at its worst Eddie’s secretary. Jane, brings the welcome news that a good offer has been received for the newspaper and Eddie makes the belated discovery that it is Jane he loves after all The second picture is “The Star Reporter.” a fast-moving and dramatic story featuring Warren Hull. Marsha Hunt and Paul Fix. The box plans are at the theatre the D.I.C. and at Jacobs’s STATE THEATRE “ King of the Turf,” now at the State Theatre, is a film devoted to racing. It is the story of a man who gambled all he had and won. and who gambled again and lost. No one could miss the thrill which all people, racegoers or not, must feel at the sight of highblooded racehorses leaping with all their lithe grace into the straight Adolphe Menjou. in the picture is shown in two opposite roles In the first he is down and out Without money and without hope, he lives, one of the flotsam and jetsam of humanity, on his memories. They are the memories of the life he Jed in the other part There he was indeed ” King of the Turf.” The world was at his leet.’ Wealth and fame were his. But his ability as an actor is shown not in this part, for in such roles he has been seen often on the screen. It is in playing the other that he shows his versatility Actually this is one of the greatest triumphs of the versatile actor’s career. Menjou shares the leading role with the 15-year-old Roger Daniel whose acting in this film must ensure a great future on the screen. He was selected for the part only after the producer Edward Small, had made one of the most painstaking talent hunts known in the film city Daniel plays the part of a jockey and was specially trained for his work by “ Smoky ” Saunders one of the better known horsemen of the American turf, Saunders also acted as technical adviser in the scenes involving jockeys, so that it will be seen that no trouble or expense was spared to make the film accurate in every detail The box plans ax - e at the theatre and Begg’s.

REGENT THEATRE Carrying as its guarantee of engrossing interest and solid entertainment, the tag, "from the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas," the Warner Bros.-Cosmopoli-tan production entitled “White Banners,” is now at the Regent Theatre, with Claude Rains, Fay Bainter. Jackie Cooper, and Bonita Granville in the leading roles. This unusual story by the retired minister is the third of his novels to be made into a motion picture. The other two were “Magnificent Obsession” and “Green Light,” and they proved conclusively that the film public likes the Douglas type of story as much as that great public which buys his books. In the picture, as in the novel, the dominant character is that of Hannah Parmalee, the toil-worn peddler who comes into the household of Paul Ward, the smalltown school teacher, at the troublous time and devotes herself unselfishly to the service of the Ward family. Necessarily condensed, the story of the picture deals mainly with the period in which Paul Ward invents an iceless icebox and then reaches its climax in the discovery by Hannah that the adopted son of the town banker is her own child. What she does thereafter movingly illustrates the author’s contention in behalf of the nobility of the human spirit. The part of Hannah is played by Fay Bainter, long famous on the stage, but only recently a recruit to motion pictures. Claude Rains is Paul Ward, and his wife is played by Kay Johnson. The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C. MAYFAIR THEATRE Remarkable for its forthright attacks on the Nazi spy system. “Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” which Is now being shown at the Mayfair Theatre, is one of the most outstanding films that Warner Bros, have produced recently. Directed by Leon G. Turrou, who was at the head of the Federal staff which investigated the Dr Greibl sensation, the film closely follows that case, and the wealth of authentic detail gives the film an unusual dramatic force. The film has been treated somewhat along the “March of Time” lines, with an occasional spoken commentary to give the broad international background. This device is highly successful Edward G. Robinson appears as the Federal agent who tracks down the spies after suspicion is aroused by the curiosity of a Scottish postman who no* ; ced the extensive mail a woman in the village received. Francis Lederer. Paul Lukas and Henry O’Neill head the cast The second film is “Sinners in Paradise.” featuring John Boles The box plans are at the theatre and the D.I.C.