ENTERTAINMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21368, 12 March 1941, Page 10

ENTERTAINMENTS

TONIGHT’S PROGRAMMES STATE THEATRE I With Loretta Young as the beautiful and gay wife, and Warner Baxter as the husband, debonair and I ardent, there is unrestrained fun in l “Wife, Husband and Friend.” Every- { thing would have been peace and ! quiet in a family if Loretta had not decided she could sing and if Warner J had not told her she had. a terrible I voice. But Loretta decided and j Warner told, and from that point on | there is not a moment’s peace for ! them or a moment’s let-down for the I I audience. It is one riotous scene j after another and the laughs are j continuous. Hughie Green, the eighteen-year- j old artist wins full honours for i versatility, singing and acting in j j “Melody and Romance.” He works j i tremendously hard, and it is difficult j • to choose the highlight of his per- j i formance. The star is ably sup- | ■ ported by Margaret Lockwood, Jane ' I Carr, Garry Marsh and Alastair Sim, * whilst of course his famous Gang ; | is there in full force. THEATRE ROYAL There is one terrific star in “Luck ! of the Navy”—the Royal Navy—and 1 the action scenes it provides are ’ j enough to put this film in the top | entertainment class. There is a quickly moving story of spies in the household of a retired Admiral, a really smashing “free-for-all” when the spies are unmasked, comedy from Albert. Burdon and Alf Goddard, and a priceless Boy Scout played by Laurence Kitchen, and a sea battle to wind up. “I Stand Accused” is a stirring story of two pals-from-boyhood—-young barristers—who become opponents in a great case of law and justice. One won wealth and fame as the famous “kid mouthpiece” of the underworld—the other joined forces with the District Attorney to “Clean up” the city. The fight is bitter, but when gangsters threat- : ened to “get” the D.A.’s assistant—when his friend’s life was in danger, all the manliness in the other rose to the surface as he fearlessly chal- j j lenged the leader of the mob. j REGENT THEATRE | “Pride and Prejudice” is delight- ! ful entertainment. The greatest care 1 has been taken to portray all the ! background detail of Jane Austen's “Meryton,” and the picture bristles with little touches of local colour so interesting at times as almost to run parallel in interest with the many characters. Laurence Olivier, as Darcy, and Greer Garson. as Elizabeth, carry the main burden of the story with charm, but all of the cast arc good, and some of those in the leaser roles can only be described i as excellent. Melville Cooper, for j

instance, is Mr Collins come to life. “The Battle For Tobruk” is a remarkable war film, showing the part played by the Australians in the successes in Libya. The long lines of Italian prisoners are impressive. CIVIC THEATRE “The Mark of Zorro” is a tale of ' thrilling adventure starring Tyrone j Power in the colourful title role, 1 with lovely Linda Darnell featured opposite him. The story rev olves ‘ around the adventures of a masked ! night-riding bandit whose sword i mark—a jagged “Z”—struck terror j to every heart in Old California’s I most exciting days, but whose dar- j ing won him the loveliest senorita ' in the land. Action is the keynote ; of the film, and a thrilling duel to j the death climaxes the adventures of j the masked marauder. “WINGS OVER NEW ZEALAND” j “Wings Over New Zealand,” a : very interesting film showing • the ; training of airmen in New Zealand, , will be screened tomorrow. ROXY THEATRE “San Francisco” is a thrilling pro- j duction revolving about the daugh- j ter of a minister (Jeanette Mac- J Donald), who falls in love with the j owner of a Barbary Coast gambling ; house (Clark Gable). Miss Mac- j Donald sings nine songs in the pic- j ture. which rises to a tremendous j climax in its depiction of the thril- j ling San Francisco earthquake ol • 1906. Spencer Tracy, as a priest. * gives a fine performance. “Millionaire Playboy” is a very j funny comedy in which popular Joe Penncr is seen as a bashful young man who has a violent fit of hiccoughs every time a girl kisses him —and that is too often for Joe's j pleasure! Efforts to find a cure via ; the “hair of the dog that bit you” j kept the audience in hilarious mood, j