A Reel Election

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 514, 17 November 1928, Page 23

A Reel Election

SEEKING “THE HEAD MAN”

Comedy at the Plaza and Tivoli

ALL the feverish excitiments and personal asides of a typical small-town election are to be seen in “The Head Man,” a new comedy fbr the Plaza and Tivoli. Popular Charlie Murray is the leading fun-maker in this feature-length production, and the Sennett-veteran gives one of the best portrayals of his career.

“The Head Man” will come to Auckland at the right time. After experiencing the thrills of a New Zealand election, picturegoers will appreciate readily the humours of this delightful picture play. No Hollywood career has been more full of ups and downs than that of Charlie Murray, who through the years has fought his way from custardpie farce to five-reel light comedy. Today he is one of the most popular men in the business, and although he has never been a great star, his value as a box office drawing card is higher perhaps than that of internationally famous players. In “The Head Man” he is both a character actor and a comedian, and excels in both departments. As J. Rodney Watts, one-time senator, his work is distinguished by a sympathetic artistry that is neither over-coloured nor inadequate. The story has a curious similarity to contemporary events in New Zealand, in that it tells of the “come-back” of a political veteran who had lost his former glory and the confidence of his fellow-townsmen. Intimate and amusing glimpses of small-town happenings and rofnance are sandwiched into the action, and

the plot works to an exciting climax, brought about by the election that returns Watts to power, the returns disclosing a landslide. The production is excellently photographed, and well directed. The cast supporting Murray includes many of First National’s best comedians, and many of the sequences show the operation of a small but bustling newspaper.