William Powell and Luise Rainer have the ce-starring roles at the Cathay Theatre today, with support from O'Sullivan, Frank Morgan and Henry Stephenson. we only Sidney Toler as the sacrifice Sidney Toler, jhe new Charlie Chan, recently completed the first m, picture in which he will carry on plot with the character created by Warner Oland. Although no attempt has been made to duplicate Oland's appearance, the pattern of the original "lohan has been followed. Toler has grown a mustache like Oland and applies a tiny tuft of hair to his chin es did the originator of the character. In "Charlie Chan in Honolulu," the Chan clan, a sort of Chinese Jones Family, will be seen, with the exception of Keye Luke, the No. 1 son, who left Twentieth Century-Fox in a dispute over money. His absence is explained in the dialogue with a line that he is in New York studying The Chan pictures are pretty important to Fox, and the studio has been careful in the filming of "Honolulu" to do nothing that would alienate the Chan followers. The studio realizes $1,000,000 a year profit on the films. Oland made three a season, for which he was paid $30,000 a picture; Toler will make four a year and his pay is estimated at $15,000 a picture. When the series started the first one cost $150,000, and with added quality and mounting costs the budget had reached $275, at the time of Oland's death. lie Chan in Honolulu" will cost $300,000. The character created by Earl Derr Biggers provides a substantial income for the author's widow. Fox pays her a royalty of $7,500 a picture. Radio rights to the character bring her $22000 a year, and a recently inaugurated comic strip with Chan as the central character will add to her earnings.
Candlesticks" such capable players as Maureen Three Wild Men "Room Service"—now at the Nanking Theatre concerns a resourceful and penniless theatrical producer, who, with his cast, has run up a huge bill at a Broadway hotel, promising the unhappy manager to pay in full when he finds a: backer to finance his new play.
The unexpected arrival of the hotel chain's auditor precipitates a crisis. The members of the cast play hide-and-seek with the auditor all over the. building, while the producer, with a backer finally nibbling at his hook, desperately tries to stall off the angry official long enough to cash in.
Aided by his two assistants and the bewildered young play author, the [producer finally tricks the hotel execu- y tive into financing his show—without his knowing it!
The stormy and uproarious climax when the bamboozled-backer learns the truth results im some of the most uproarious and most explosive comedy ever contrived by the mad Marxes.
Groucho Marx, as the harassed producer, and Chico and. Harpo as aides in hilarity; Ann Miller and" Frank Albertsoh, who supply the romantic interest; Lucille Ball, as the show's prospective star; and six actors who repeat the roles they created in the original play, Clifford Dunstan, Donald MacBride, Charles Halton, Philip Wood, Alexander Asro, and Philip Loeb, comprise the principal cast.
The rollicking satire on hotel management and theatrical enterprise, is the eighth vehicle for the Marx trio, and with its cleverly handled plot, should be one of their best.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.