AMUSEMENTS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 460, 18 June 1937, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS.

PLAZA THEATRE “Craig’s Wife” In “Craigs Wife” John Boles, as Walter Craig, has the leading male role, one of the most difficult he has yet been called upon to handle, and his performance throughout is faultless. His part is that of a devoted husband who gradually comes to re alite his wife’s blind selfishness and petty tyranny, and in spite of all retains his love for her, even though she drives him to the point, of deserting her. Boles blends the cl motion and sorroy of Walter Craig in an accomplished manner. His performance i£', if anything, somewhat overshadowed by that of Rosalind Russel, who as Harriett Craig, also fills a part which calls for skilful handling. Her role is that of a wife who finds herself losing all those things she ha® worked so hard to secure, and is forced to realise that she has only herself to blame for the loss. The wrecking of her domestic happiness is due to her neglect of her husband and his rights as a human being. One of the most difficult tragic roles in recent years, it is handled throughout by Miss Russell in superb fashion.

“Craig’s Wife” shows at the Plaza Theatre to-night.

“Born To Dance” The tap dance of to-day is born of the folk dances of yesterday. Buddy Ebsen says that every country, from Africa to Alaska, has contributed at least one- step to modern tap dancing. In one of his routines L>' “Bora to Dance,” M-G-M’s specitacular new musical starring Eleanor Powell a-id showing at the Plaza for a fournight session, gjir.mencing on Saturday, the former Broadway s:ar illustratee Just bon ea:h step had arisen out of a folk dance. Ebsen said ttuait he believed Americans liked tap dancing because their country is the melting pot of the world and tap dancing is. the, melting, pot in the art of the dance.

The Irish jig has done much to giving tap dancers a variety of heel steps', while the Scotch reel has supplied spectiacular toe steps that are far enough away from the aero, batic phase of dancing Ito be used for tapping, he declares. “The African race has contributed one of the most important factorsof all,” Ebsen explains, "by giving tap dancers a basic rhythmic patter do .follow. Theii- tom-tom step in my case—and I believe it must be true with other dancers—has enabled me to build up many new routines.” In “Born to Dance” Eleanor Powell once again clinches lier reputation as the foremost feminine tapdancer she introduces a bewildering array of routines, even an original version of the current popular "swing” tempo.

“Men Are Not Gods” This intriguing pietture, scheduled for screening on Thursday and Friday, stars the popular Mariam Hopkins and Gertrude Lawrence. It is a riotious comedy drama of a woman sttege critic who made an adtor famous but lost her job as a result. The Etory is an unusual one. In the offices of the London “Daily Posit” works Ann Williams, secretary to Mr. Skeates, famous Lon'dion dramatic critic. One night .London is presented wijh a new production of ’’Othello” with a newcomer, Edmond Davey, in> the title role. Skeates, aittending the first performance, arrives late at night at his office and dist’ates to his secretory his criticism of ‘ the production. This criticism is a scathing attack upon the young actor When Skeates leaves l , Ann Williams sits down at the typewriter and rattles off the article Twenty minutes later the newspaper goes to press. Next morning this critique presents itself to readers of Ithe “Daily Post” as one long hymn of praise for Edmond Davey. London marvels 1 , and is aware that with this praise from Skeates, a neiw iartist has been discovered for the English stage. Mr. Skeates too, reads the newspaper and stares aghast at the lines. . From this point things stort to move, and the story works its hilarious way through a series of fascinatl i£g situations to a perfect climax.

KING’S THEATRE O’Riley’s Luck” Three famous football stadiums were used in filming the football sequences' of “O’Riley’s Luck,” Paramount’s exeting romance of young love- and college football which will be screened at the King’s.' to-night. The main action was taken in the. famous Pasadena Rose Bowl, where the annual New Year’s Day EastWest classic is played. Here the famous “Trojans” of Ithe University of Southern Salifornia worked out for almost a month getting the necessary action and thrills of a real big-time football game. Another

game was played at the, Coliseum in Los where the Olympic Games were held in 1932, and still another was playbd at U.S.C.’s famous Bovard Field.

In all of these games Tom Brown, Larry Crabbe and Benny Baker participated, with real zest and vigour. Bioth Tom and Larry are in love with beautiful Eleanore Whiltney in “O’Riley’s Luck,” and it’s a tensely exciting football game in the famous Rose Bowl which decides who gets the girl. There’s a lot of fun behind the scenes in the making of some of the nation’s favourite radio programmes, and Paramount has put a good-sized hunk of it into its comedy-romance. “Easy to Tiake,” which will be sfiown on the same programme. Background for the picture is largely set in a radio studio, and John Howard l , leading man, is introduced as “Uncle Roddy,” a radio children's hour story teller. The picture features Marsha. Hunt and Eugene PalUtte. Childmusicians who have won fame in concerts both on the stage and on the radio- perform during the studio scenes; one of the mbit accomplished pairs, is Mary Ruth' Kizzair, four, and Saundra Maazel, four and a half, who appear in a duet.

“The Jungle Princess” A romance in the heart of the Malayan jungle between a white man lost in the wilderness and a girl who had never seen a white man before is the story of Paramount’s “The Jungle Princess,” which will be screened on Tuesday and Wednesday of nex*t week. Dorothy Lamout-, whose golden voice has captivated millions on the radio, makes her film debut in this picture as the child of the jungle whose only companion is a fullgrown man-eating tiger and a giant chimpanzee. Ray Milland plays the part of the explorer in the Malay jungle who is saved by the girl and then falls in love with her. Thrills in large measure are furnished in “The Jungle, Princess” by a stampeding elephant herd, the battle between, a man and a tiger, the fight to the death between a tiger and a leopard and the destruction of a Malay village by a herd of baboons. Miss Lamour sings a Malay cradle song during the course of the picture.