“THE SINGING FOOL”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 652, 2 May 1929, Page 15

“THE SINGING FOOL”

AT PLAZA ON SATURDAY The Plaza Theatre is the latest entertainment house to be equipped for sound pictures, and the initial presentation will be made on Saturday evening’. For the first programme the O’Brien management has secured the A 1 Jolson film, an “all-talkie” with both singing and talking sequences and a number of short “talkie” features of outstanding calibre. In “The Singing Fool,” A 1 Jolson’s great Vitaphone picture, he proves -himself -master of the new and difficult art of talking pictures. His songs, and there a.re some glorious news ones, not to forget some of the old ones for which audiences always clamour, are sung with a beauty and naturalness which is little short of marvellous, and his speaking voice rings true. In short, no whit of the elusive quality which has made A 1 Jolson the world’s most famous entertainer, is missing. “The Singing Fool” provides him with a story of universal appeal. First seen as a waiter in a New York cabaret, in love with a beautiful entertainer, he later becomes owner of a pretentious night-club and husband of the same faithless lady, who casts him into the depths of despair by deserting him and their little boy. For the sake of the child he goes on—then comes a call from the divorced wife —the “little feller” is dangerously ill. The child pleads for the old song. The father, at the bedside, is singing brokenly as the little one breathes his last breath. Back at the theatre the crowds clamour for his songs. Heartbroken, he must go on—in a vision he sees the child coming toward him. Never have such heights of emotion been readied in any film. Many critics have said that “The Singing Fool” is the world’s greatest talkie film. The picture will be preceded by an overture, “Tannhauser,” played by the famous New York Philharmonic Orchestra of 80 players. The supporting programme of “talkie” subjects will include singing and acting by Giovanni Martinelli, the leading dramatic tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, a comedy and singing number, “Between the Acts of the Opera,” an imitation of opera players by the Howard Brothers, a series of songs, “In a Monastery Cell,” by Gus Reed, Oscar Wahl, Otto Ploetz and Charles Hamilton, and the first appearance on the screen, and the first time he has registered before the vitaphone, of Mischa Elman, the world-famous violinist. His numbers will include “Humoresque” and the Goasec “Gavotte.” Dorothy Burgess, Broadway stage star, has been placed under contract by Fox Films for talking picture production. fcshe was cast for the leading feminine role in the Fox Movietone drama, “In Old Arizona.” Active work has started on “Watch Out,” a Fox Movietone subject. In the cast are Clifford Dempsey and Maude Fulton, who made names for themselves in comedy roles on the Broadway stage, and Charles Eaton, young juvenile from the stage, who has already completed bis first talking picture, “The Ghost Talks.”