STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 May 1939, Page 2

STATE THEATRE

“HOLD THAT CO-ED.” If you can imagine John Barrymore as a budget-bouncing, co-ed-chasing governor who mixes good football with bad statecraft, you will begin to get a rough idea of the uproarious nature of “Hold That Co-ed,” with George Murphy, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Davis and Jack Haley all contributing generously to what is probably the funniest comedy of recent months, and which will be shown tonight. Although they do not call it a musical, 20th Century-Fox has liberally punctuated the hilarious proceedings with several lively new songs. For those who understand American football there are some of the most exciting gridiron sequences ever screened. And for those who don’t there is Joan Davis—who turns out to be the world’s best goal-kicker and, as far as we know, the only female fullback in existence! In the story of “Hold That Co-ed” Barrymoe appropriates 10,000,000 dollars of the taxpayers’ money to build up the state university—and particularly, its football team, the idea being that a winning team will bring him trmendous publicity for his forthcoming election compaign. Besides those mentioned, the cast includes George Barbier, Ruth Terry, Donald Meek and Johnny Downs —all excellent in supporting roles. < “While New York Sleeps,” the other attraction provides many thrills and chuckles, in which Michael Whalen and Chick Chandler take a leading part.. The entire cast, which also includes Robert Kellard, Joan Woodbury and Marc Lawrence, turn in excellent performances. Tonight there will be a benefit given in connection with the flood lighting of the Memorial Park. “PYGMALION.” Pygmalion, King of Cyprus, the hater of woman, in cold marble created a lovely female, whom he called Galatea. She was so beautiful that he prayed to the gods to breathe into her the breath of life and she became a living soul. And so “Pygmalion,” a brilliant comedy which comes to the State Theatre on Friday at 7.45 p.m., was adapted and flowed from the pen of the genius, George Bernard Shaw. It discloses a bold experiment, the outcome of a crazy bet, to transform a cheap little flower girl into a society, debutante, and she is actually through gossip and her own perfect speech and demeanour received as a Duchess at the Ambassador's Reception. Wendy Hiller plays the flower girl who becomes the object of the experiment, and Leslie Howard the Professor of Phonetics. Henry Higgins, who essays the task.