ENTERTAINMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20739, 24 February 1939, Page 10

ENTERTAINMENTS

CURRENT PROGRAMMES STATE THEATRE In “Mr Doodle Kicks Off” Joe Penner and June Travis are the main players. Penner is cast as a student at a college. In spite of his poor physical condition lie tries to become a member of the college football team. His play in various games provides many hilarious scenes. Richard Lane, Ren Alexander and Billy Gilbert are also included in the strong cast.

The second film is an unusual murder mystery. “The Patient in Room 18,” in which Patric Knowles, Ann Sheridan and Eric Stanley are prominently cast. A private detective. O’Leary (Knowles, is convalescing in a hospital after an illness when a wealthy patient is murdered and the radium with which he was being treated is stolen. O’Leary commences investigations and lays a trap for the murderer. The climax comes when ail the suspects arc summoned to O'Leary’s room and the guilty person is discovered by an ingenious method. THEATRE ROYAL Gene Autry is here again to thrill one and all with his crooning cowboy songs and daredevil riding in “Oh. Susannah.” Gene Autry, handsome Western star, is an evening’s entertainment himself. So is Smiley Burnette, his pal, neighbour and acting contemporary. But when there are the six Light Crust Doughboys any story is an assured success. Not that “Oh. Sussana” lacks plot, colour and character interest. It does not. In fact, the story, which has to do with a bad man masquerading as a radio star at a dude ranch, is probably Mr Autry’s best production to date. “Reformatory” is a slice of life torn from the annals of prison reform. When the picture opens Jack Holt is seen as the assistant warden at a men’s prison. When the boys at the State reform school rebel against their brutal guards the governor hands Holt the task of restoring order. ROXY THEATRE “Mannequin” features two popular stars, Joan Crawford as the factory girl who fights her way from poverty to wealth and position, and Spencer Tracy as the hard-hitting, self-made millionaire. They furnish as exciting and romantic a co-starring team as (he screen has seen in some time. A highlight of the picture is Miss Craw-

ford's singing of “Always and Always,” a haunting melody of the torch-song type which was especially written for the star by Edward Ward, with lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest.

Louis Hayward, who portrayed a French aviator in “The Woman I Love,” and a prison doctor in “Condemned Women,” is seen as a daring adventurer and killer in “The Saint in New York.” His achievements in wiping out racketeers make the exciting theme. “SWISS MISS” “Swiss Miss.” an amusing comedy featuring Laurel and Hardy, “The Texans,” a Western thriller, will be screened to-morrow. REGENT THEATRE “Blockheads,” the latest Laurel and Hardy comedy, has an unusual and amusing opening scene, with Laurel guarding a military post in France and firing on a , passing aeroplane. During the Great War Laurel

has been told to remain on guard until relieved from duty, but, unknown to Laurel, the war has been over for 20 years The pilot of the aeroplane demands an explanation, and Laurel suddenly discovers that the Armistice was signed in 1918. Returning home to the United States, he is hailed as a hero, and his amazing j story obtains wide publicity in the newspapers. His former war companion (Hardy) reads the reports, and is led to believe that Laurel's intelligence has improved considerably since the war. He invites him to his home, with amusing results. “THE RAT” “The Rat,” the screen version of Ivor Novello’s dramatic story of the Paris underworld, with a cast headed by Anton Walbrook and Ruth Chatterton, will be screened to-morrow. CIVIC TIiEATRr The romantic days of Richard the Lion-Heart are brought to the screen in “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” These were the days of the joust, of the lance and sword and bow and arrow. With Richard absent on one of his crusades, some of the Norman barons, led by Prince John, the King's villainous brother, proceed to exact lieavv taxes from tl*e Saxon citizcnrv and "to oppress and maltreat the pcasantrv. But these people have a champion in Sir Robin of Locksley, who. with bis band, brings vengeance on the persecutors of the people, lie I is a dashing figure as he risks his life to taunt Prince John and his follow- I ers, fights a dozen or more warriors ; by himself, and finally brings his feud i with the treacherous Sir Guy of Gisborne to a climax with a thrilling | sword-fight. No actor is better suited j to play the title role than Errol Flynn, j lie is well supported by Olivia de j llavilland, Claude Rains, Basil Rath- j bone. Herbert Mundin and Eugene Pallette.