ENTERTAINMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20922, 29 September 1939, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

TO=NIGHT’S PROGRAMMES ROXY THEATRE As Tommy McCoy, who fought his way from the slums to the heights, Robert Taylor presents some vigorous acting in “The Crowd Roars.” The picture is packed with thrills, romance, and suspence. Clever players support the star: Frank Morgan as his father, ex-vaudeville trouper; Edward Arnold as the gambler behind the scenes of the light game; Maureen O’Sullivan as his daughter and Jane Wyman as her school chum and rival for Taylor’s affections; William Gargan as the ex-light-heavyweight champ killed in the ring by Taylor, his former pupil; Lionel Stander as the star’s trainer; Nat Pendleton as Arnold’s gambling rival; Isabel Jewell as Gargan’s wife; Gene Reynolds as Tommy McCoy as a boy. “Personal Secretary” is a very entertaining romantic comedy, with Joy Hodges and William Gargan heading the cast. CIVIC THEATRE “Rose of Washington Square” brings back a host of songs which charmed theatre audiences of another day, and which still remain in the the memories of many. Most of the numbers are rendered by Alice Faye, who has the support of Tyrone Power in a strong dramatic portrayal. The story centres about the actions of a man who sets out upon a life of crime, and finally breaks from prison, only to give himself up again in preparation for a new life through the influence of a number sung by his wife from the stage. Another important part in the film is taken by A 1 Jolson, who comes as an actual representative of the time, and proves that his voice and personality are as appealing as ever. Even though some of the songs have lost their original pathetic force there is a freshness about them which must always make them attractive, especially in such a setting as that provided. Laughter, romance, music and drama are equal elements in this entertainment. THEATRE ROYAL William Boyd, as the fearless “Hopalong Cassidy,” gets the toughest assignment of his career when a rustling-king and his twin brother work together to beat out the boys from “Bar 20” in “Silver on the Sage.” The mysterious theft of a herd guarded by “Bar 20” and the imprisonment of his pal (Russell Hayden) on a trumped-up murder charge sends Boyd into action against the outlaws who use gambling tricks, spies, terror and murder to carry out their plans. But Boyd proves more than a match for them. Woven into the Clarence E. Mulford action plot is a romance between Hayden and Ruth Rogers. What would you do if you suddenly won £20,000 in a sweepstake? This question is answered in entertaining fashion by each member of a madcap family in “Sudden Money.” STATE THEATRE “Garden of the Moon,” featuring Pat O’Brien and Margaret Lindsay, and “Pardon Our Nerve,” with Lynn Bari and Michael Whalen in the leading roles, will be screened tonight. “Garden of the Moon” is a very ; amusing comedy, with witty lines and diverting situations, and the audience is entertained from beginning to end. There is a charming romance and some very tuneful melodies. Pat O’Brien and Margaret Lindsay give fine performances in the romantic leads and there a strong supporting cast. In excellent contrast is the second film, “Pardon Our Nerve,” in which there are plenty of thrills as well as an unusual romance and some humour to lighten the tension. Michael Whalen fills the leading role with distinction, and there are many other clever people in the cast. “Pardon Our Nerve” will alternately thrill and amuse, and the whole programme, with interesting supports, is very entertaining. REGENT THEATRE Emlyn Williams, the distinguished English actor, gives a striking performance in “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” a thrilling- melodrama. He is seen as a pedantic Norwich headmaster at whose school a series of mysterious deaths occur, commencing with the school mistress (Christine Silver) who disappears immediately following the announcement that she had won a big prize in a Continental Lottery. Equally mystifying is the sudden disappearance of a young master (Marius Goring) upon whom suspicion has also fallen following his confession to a false alibi. “THE LAMBETH WALK” “The Lambeth Walk,” that fascinating tune that has swept the world, now takes on a new lease of life in the film version of the Victoria success, “Me and My Girl,” to be screened to-morrow, with Lupino Lane, star of the original stage hit, in his famous role as the little Cockney who inherits a title and sets blue-blooded aristocracy ' agog.