MAJESTIC THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 19, 17 October 1942, Page 10

MAJESTIC THEATRE

The simple artistry of Mark Twain might easily have been responsible tor “The Vanishing Virginian, the splendid film with the deceiving title which is runain- at the Majestic. Metro-Goldw.in-Mayer, famous—or maybe notorious—tor their opulent sets, have given the world a film which is America as we are. only beginning to discover it. It is as simple and pleasant and frank as those <-hecrtul, open-faced young men whom New Zealand has . taken to its heart .and h®™®And, because of its truthful air ot home, sweet home, many servicemen have been Indulging in secret nostalgia in the darkness of the theatre. "The Vanishing Virginian does not depend on big star names either for its success. Most important is that of 1' rank Alorgan, a sound actor who is usually cast in a supporting role. (Incidentally, h rank Morgan's fortune does not begin or end in Hollywood. He is the. owner of the world-famous Angostura bitters.) Cast as Cap’n Yancey, successful lawyer in a small Virginian city,- bis sound logic and complete honesty have made him a pillar of all the'simple virtues. It was not to Yancev and his fast-dwindlmg type that Mr. Justice Blair alluded in Wellington the other day when lie said, "Many people have good characters because no one has found them out; there are hundreds and thousands who have a reputation they do not deserve.”Spring Byington plays her time-hon-oured role as wife and mother, and a girl whose singing voice and good looks will take her a long way is Katharine Grayson, another member of the cast. But on Frank Morgan falls the main burden, and, as an epitaph on Captain-Yancey, he might easily have the words (again) of Mr. Justice ’ Blair’s: “Character is not ■,what a person is, but what people think of bun. PARAMOUNT THEATRE

While gazing upon the undoubted charms and personality of Dorothy Lamour on the screen at the. Paramount last evening an idea was born to this critic: as Miss Lamour has been so tremendously successful in raising .funds for Liberty Bonds in 'America—she has been responsible for contributions running Into tens of millions of dollars and has been made an honorary colonel for her services—why not fly her out to New Zealand and Australia for a month’s whirlwind tour when she could inveigle the pounds out of the pockets of our own countrymen for investment in Liberty Bonds. Also —and this is important— she. could entertain American servicemen both here and in Australia. Let the New Zealand Government make a good job of it and bring Gladys Moncrieff across as well and possibly’ Dorothy Wood, who has already expressed enthusiasm to tour the. Dominion for patriotic purposes. There is nothing like music and feminine charm for the painless extraction of money. Bu't to return to the film, it was “Jungle Princess,” and the man playing opposite Dorothy Lamour was Ray Mlllimd, whose'versatility extends from dinner jackets in a drawing-room to khaki shorts in the jungle. Miss Lamour lias her usual fellow stars—hundreds of baboons who, by a miracle of photography, appear ready to tear a number of humans to pieces; a tiger, amiable old soul, and a chimpanzee, both of whom Wellington met last week at St. Janies, a vast number of elephants, behaving in a careless manner and putting their big feet on the natives’ faces and huts. , Cecil B. de Mille. that grand old showman who will never grow up, has contributed the other portion of the Paramount s programme. “The Plainsman” is the picture, and Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur are the stars. There are no marble baths filled with asses’ milk and no exotic women trailing pearls and perfume. There is only one small tin bath, but there is mob spectacle of a type that de Mille knows to perfection