GEORGE WALLACE BACK

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 545, 24 December 1928, Page 17

GEORGE WALLACE BACK

HAPPY MOMENTS AT ST. JAMES Popular comedian, song-writer, librettist and step-dancer, George Wallace opened his season with the “Happy Moments” Revue Company before a packed house at St. James on Saturday. The company was well received and the original sketches promised by Mr. Wallace in his advance notices proved to be as excellent as were anticipated. Prolonged applause greeted the comedian’s first appearance on the stage, and his delightful fooling was marked by the greatest enthusiasm all through the programme. Although most of the comedy work falls on the capable shoulders of Mr. Wallace, Jack Scott is his able assistant. These two also share the dancing honours with Thelma Buxton and Maida Jones. Marie Nyman, whose pleasing voice is heard to advantage in “Bungalow of My Dreams,” and other popular numbers, has the support of the Six Rascals, as dainty a ballet as has yet appeared on the St James stage. James’ stage. “Shipmates o’ Mine” was splendidly sung by Marshall Crosby, who also made a success with such other wellknown as “Until” and “The Land of Make-Believe.” The greater part of the programme is taken up with George Wallace’s playettes,' two being given during the evening. The first is “Mystery Manor,” which savours of “The Cat and the Canary,” with clutching hands, sinister men and hidden jewels. Mr. Wallace takes the part of an imbecile butler who is not quite so silly as he looks and the role gives him the opportunity to vary some tense action with typically Wallacian whimsicalities. The second sketch, “Off Honolulu,” though also dealing with thieves and stolen plans, is marked by humour more of the happy slapstick variety. Mr. Wallace scores his greatest success in this sketch as a very amateur sailor, and his song, “The Pride of the Navy,” written by himself, was the most popular hit of the show. All revue companies include a jazz band now, and George Wallace and his “Flaming Youths” are as popular a feature as any in the show. Mr. Wallace, who handles the traps in good style, varies the dance hits with a little unobtrusive comedy work in the course of his manipulation of the thousand-and-one “gadgets” that an effects man has under his control. An excellent number was Bunny Cannon’s saxophone solo, “Because.” Si. Meredith, Jim Romain, Agnes Dodson, Olive Partridge, and Maudie Stewart are included in an excellentcast. Bert and Evelyn Dudley also score with “a little singing,” a little dancing, and a few wise cracks,” The settings are good, the scene for the opening chorus being particularly striking. The stage sets for the playettes are also planned with great attention to detail though, as George Wallace pointed out, the scene for “Off Honolulu” is not a real boat. The frocking is attractive and a shapely ballet trips on and off the stage in a surprising variety of pleasing costumes. George Wallace is writer and producer of the revue, Ivy Moyle being ballet mistress and Bert Tucker stage manager.

Much of the picture has already been taken by the two adventurers. Ernest Schoedsack and Merian Cooper (the makers of “Chang” and “Grass.”) In the Sudan and in Tanganyika, Africa. Richard Arlen Clive Brook, William Powell, Noah Beery and Theodore von Eltz have leading roles.