ENTERTAINMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20511, 30 May 1938, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

. CURRENT PROGRAMMES REGENT THEATRE •*Well» Fargo” Is a cavalcade of Airerlcan history. The story Is built ■round the express business as founded Jqr Weils and Fargo shortly after gold was discovered in California. Its hero If •handsome Joel McCrea. as trailbreaker and man of vision. Its heroine la charming Frances Dee. who marries the bold adventurer and then, unable to understand him as his work carries him farther and farther away from her, leaves him. It is a hold and beautiful romance in which the greatest part of a family’s life an-1 fortunes are* followed. Particularly noteworthy is the performance of Boh Burns. This gentleman, who has heretofore confined his talents to eomedv of the “hncnespun” variety, plays the role of a scout. Audiences will remember Bums as the philosophical scout for a Ion? time. Dthers In the cast are Lloyd Nolan, Henry O’Neill and Mary Nash. ROXY THEATRE “The Good Earth” made a deep impression when first screened, and its revival Is sure to prove popular. It deals with the life of a Chinese family how they fight poverty, pestilence, famine and war. and win through. The audience follows with tense interest the experiences of this family, and the drama, romance and comedy of their lives are presented very convincingly. There are some spectacular scenes; that showing the plague of locusts Is particularly impressive. Luise Bainer gives a great performance, for which she secured the Academv award, as the Chinese woman, and Paul Muni. thou=h not quite so fine, gives a good performance. They are supported by a fine cast. The Dionne Quintuplets* third birthday party makes a very interesting and appealing film, and “Wayward Pups ’ !s a delightful cartoon in colour. There aVe also some interesting newsreels. STATE THEATRE •’Radio City Bevels” Is a sparkling musical comedy. The yearning of an

Arkansas youth to be a song composer forms the theme of the picture. The young man (played by Bob Burns) is hopelessly amateurish in his efforts to write popular songs, but when he Is asleep his faculty enables him to turn out catchy tunes. A triangular romance develops between Jack Oakle, Kenny Baker and Ann Miller. Victor Moore, as the Radio City producer, Milton Berle as Oakle’s pianist, and Helen Broderick as Ann Miller’s acid-tongued sister, also take prominent parts. The spectacular scenes in the picture, its glimpses of the business of song-writing, and its amusing situations make it bright entertainment. “Strangers on Honeymoon.” a film version of Edgar Wallace’s story, with Constance Cummings and Hugh Sinclair. and “The Moth and the Flame,” a Walt Disney coloured cartoon, are also screened. THEATRE ROYAL “Making the Headlines,” featuring Jack Holt, combines romance, excitement and humour. Police-Lieutenant I Lewis Nagel is shipped off to the subj urban town of Fairview when his I gang-breaking activities receive so much favourable publicity that his superiors in the police department are offended. A good deal of this glory is hung on Nagel by his friend, Steve Withers, a reporter with a vivid imagination. Steve arranges on a pretext to have himself assigned to Fairview*. The town is dead. The gaol is dusty from lack of use- Nagel and Steve are bored. Then a girl comes to town on a visit. Steve falls in love with the girl, steals her necklace to make a story, and accidentally falls into a murder mystery that Nagel has plenty of trouble to solve. “Radio Lover,’’ a hilarious comedy, unfolds when impecunious Reggie Clifford meets prosaic Joe Morrison. North Country plasterer, who possesses the voice of an angel but a face that is a pain-in-the-neck. CIVIC THEATRE

Almost the entire story of “Hawaii Calls.” in which Bobby Breen sings some delightful numbers, including “Hawaii Calls,” “Down Where the Trade Winds Blow,” “That's the n In Me.'’ “Song <>f the Islands.” “Aloha Oe.*’ and the old Irish song “ Macushla,” arid is filmed against backgrounds of tropical beauty. There are sequences at a luau. or native feast, which are very I lovely. A high point in this celebration is reached when a large group of native girls perform graceful Hawaiian | »lanccs in a luxurious woodland set- < ting. Bobby's companion as a stow- | away Is Pua Lahi, a young Hawaiian

newsboy who has been his inseparable companion in San Francisco, and the two, after escaping from the ship at Honolulu, embark on a series of highly amusing and exciting adventures. Ned Sparks, as a tippning ship’s musician, is their firm friend during their voyage to the islands, and takes an important part in the later events ashore. Irvin S. Cobb, as a steamship captain, Is another outstanding member of the cast. Raymond Paige and his orchestra are featured. A Mickey Mouse cartoon is very amusing.