STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1941, Page 2

STATE THEATRE

‘ "I WAS AX ADVENTURESS." I The current programme at the State I Theatre, headed by that brilliant I drama ‘T Was An Adventuress." and j supported by an excellent series of war ' pictures and a "March of Time." deal- , ing with the United States Navy, will . be finally shown tonight. i i "MILLIONAIRES IN PRISON." I ' "Millionaires in Prison." starring I Lee Tracy in a role particularly suiti ed to his gift of combining comedy and ; drama, definitely rates ns a picture of , distinction, and ■will be shown tomor- : row night. It presents a noval story | idea built around a group of charac- ; ters of a type not usually found in j films with the familiar setting of a prison. The story, an original by Martin I Mooney, reveals a vivid cross section jof prison life, focussing principally upon a half dozen convict characters — two wealthy swindlers, two millionaire clubmen, a society doctor and a self-appointed convict king whom all the inmates trust. This latter is the ! colourful role so skilfully portrayed iby Lee Tracy. Various themes of the i novel plot deal with the efforts of the j two swindlers to launch a crooked , stock deal among their fellow prisoni ers, the amusing struggles of the two' ' plutocratic clubmen to adjust themi selves, and the determination of the convict doctor to finish an important medical research involving a cure for the deadly Malta fever. Throughout : the lives of these five transplanted millionaires stalks Tracy. With clever and amusing strategy he takes the, swindling duo for a ride, to the financial benefit of the convicts they tried j to defraud. And it is he who vitally aids the doctor's experiments by ob-' taining four prisoners to be human I guinea pigs, with suitable awards con- , tributed by the clubmen. Every per-i formance is noteworthy. Linda Hayes ' and Virginia Vale are charming and j sympathetic as the loyal sweethearts of ■ the doctor and the convict king, re-. sp<clively. The characterisations bs ; Raymond Walburn and Thurston Hall i as the millionaire clubmen, Morgan' Conway and Chester Chile as the nervy . swindlers, and Truman Bradley as the clever doctor, arc impressive. Clifl Ed-' wards is a doleful prisoner alwaysj singing "Melancholy Baby.” and Paul' Guilfoylc. Shenin Howard and Selmer Jackson are among others who iden- * iify themselves.