STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 October 1940, Page 2

STATE THEATRE

“CROSS COUNTRY ROMANCE.” A sparkling story of a serious-mind-ed young doctor and a flighty-madcap heiress who frantically pursues him, “Cross Country Romance,” starring Gene Raymond and Wendy Barrie, heads the new programme at the State Theatre tonight. The story opens in New York where Wendy Barrie, as an impetuous heiress, is preparing for her wedding to a fortune-hunting nincompoop, a union devised by the rich girl’s mother, played by Hedda Hopper. At the last minute the would-be bride impulsively decides to run away before the ceremony commences, and she, seeks refuge in a strange trailer. Gene Raymond, as a young doctor on his way to China to accept a medical research job, is using this trailer on a cross-country trip to San Francisco. Unaware that he beautiful stowaway on board, he heads West in the hope of catching a certain boat before it leaves for the Orient. This is the beginning of a series of uproarious events, which make the film one of the most entertaining comedies seen at the State. In trailer camps, along the highway, in hamburger joints and even in police stations, the battling pair have one harrowing experience after the other. Romance, of course, develops before long, a hasty marriage follows, but before the. honeymoon starts the doctor learns of his bride’s identity, thinks he has been duped, and leaves her flat! His arrest as a kidnapper, his rescue by his determined wife, and a wild airplane flight to the Coast, lead to the delightful climax on board the ship bound for China. Contributing equally fine performances are Hedda Hopper, as the heiress's flighty mother; Billy Gilbert, as a temperamental cafe owner; George P. Huntley, as the girl’s jilted fiance, and Berton Churchill and Tom Dugan as a pair of confidence men. The supports include a number of special features, including a twentyminutes news reel. Boy Scouts pictures. “Young Explorer.” “International Varieties,” and “Napoleon’s Waterloo.”