REGENT THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 August 1940, Page 2

REGENT THEATRE

“BAD LITTLE ANGEL." “Bad Little Angel,” a poignant romance of childhood, brings two of Hollywood's outstanding child players to the Regent Theatre tonight in the persons of Virginia Weidler, of "The Women” and “Out West with the Hardys,” and Gene Reynolds, of “Boys' Town” and “They Shall Have Music." The picture, hailed as the emotional successor to “Boys’ Town,” tells the story of a little orphanage waif who has been taught implicit faith in the Bible. She runs away from the orphanage to a small New Jersey village where a kind newspaper editor plans to adopt her. He loses his job. The father of a boy who befriends her is the town drunkard. How the child, with her faith and courage, so changes the lives of the different characters that their problems are solved is the crux of the plot. Comedy, pathos, inspiration and dramatic thrills are all in the story, based on a novel by Margaret Turnbull. The players include Lois Wilson, who has returned to the screen from three years on the New York stage, as Miss Weidler's foster mother, lan Hunter as her foster father, Guy Kibbee as the harsh town millionaire, Henry Hull as the town drunkard who reforms under the child’s influence, Elizabeth Patterson and Reginald Owen. Toto, the famous little dog of “The Wizard of Oz,” plays Virginia’s pet, “Rags.” Excitement includes the rescue of Hunter from a blazing three-storey factory, a dramatic encounter in a newspaper office, and a trip in a quaint old train of 1885. Intimate glimpses of family life provide natural comedy such as is seen in the “Judge Hardy” pictures, and poignant, dramatic moments include the orphanage sequence, the child’s prayer for guidance when she feels that she brings bad fortune to all who come near her, and her dramatic plea to the town millionaire to save the position of her foster-father . Antiques gathered from all over the country went into the quaint old sets representing homes, offices, a town street and park of the early ’nineties. A strong supporting programme will also be shown. The supports include an Australian scenic, another Lowell Thomas travelogue, “Going Places,” a further “Stranger Than Fiction” number, and the latest Overseas News, giving actual shots of the German bombing raids. The plans are at Nimmo s and the theatre. “DESTRY RIDES AGAIN.” Plans are now open for “Destry Rides Again,” a grand thrilling attraction, featuring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart, with a huge cast of Hollywood favourites, which commences at the Regent Theatre on Saturday next.