STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1940, Page 2

STATE THEATRE

“THE HOUSE ACROSS THE BAY.” "The House Across the Bay, the new attraction which will be shown tonight at the State Theatre, is a good example of a comparatively new and certainly healthy trend in the picture world —a recognition by the picture makers that the story is the thing. If the story is good the picture will succeed as this one does on its true dramatic merits and not solely because of the popularity of the principal players. The story is absorbing throughout. It tells of a beautiful woman's effect on the lives of three men who love her. The first meets “Brenda Brent” when she appears in the floor show of a night club ho owns. He marries her and in an endeavour to shower her with luxuries adopts ways of making money that eventually bring him a ten years’ sentence in Alcatraz prison. He does not know that: his lawyer has deliberately bungled the defence because he, too. is in love with Brenda. Nor docs the imprisoned man know that it was his wife who unwittingly betrayed him to the law. Now the lawyer shows himself in his true colours and attempts to blackmail Brenda into a liaison with him. During this period, when she is keeping scrupulous faith with her imprisoned husband, she accidentally meets the third man, and it is not long before they are in love. The way to happiness for the pair is made smooth by the husband's sensational escape from prison and his virtual suicide after he has squared accounts with tlic lawyer. Miss Joan Bennett gives a fine performance as the Beautiful Brenda Brent. George Raft is the convict husband. Lloyd Nolan makes a suave villain, and the third and luckiest of the three men is played by Walter Pidgeon. The good supporting programme includes newsreels covering many aspects of recent war and other world events.