NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 744, 17 August 1929, Page 17

NEW REGENT

“THE BROADWAY MELODY’' The first talking picture to launch specially composed musical song hits for the screen, just as they are launched to fame in stage musical comedies, is “The Broadway Melody,” Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer’s spectacular all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing romance now in .its third week at the New Regent Theatre. The new picture, in which gorgeous stage spectacles, ballets and song ensembles are interspersed with a vivid drama of life among the show folk behind the scenes, has special song hits, including “Broadway Melody,” “The Love Boat,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “The Wedding of the Painted Doll” and others specially concocted for the play by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, celebrated composers of “The Doll Dance.” Anita Page and Bessie Love appear as a “sister act,” and Charles King, Broadway musical comedy star, is the hero. The cast includes Jed Prouty, Kenneth Thomson, Edward Dillon, Mary Doran, J. Emmett Beck, Marshall Ruth, Drew Demarest and other celebrities of stage and screen. The most spectacular stage scenes include the ballet and song ensemble, “Wedding of the Painted Doll,” in natural colours, and the huge “Love Boat” scene with its great silver ship, specially designed by Cedric Gibbons. The theme abounds in humour, pathos and romance and is as dramatic as it is spectacular. A number of entertaining shorttalkie features are also presented. They include songs by William O'Neil, of Broadway fame, songs by “The Revellers,” the well-known gramophone quartet, items by George Lyons, a singing harpist, and humour by “Sunshine Sammy.” Arthur G. Frost plays a number of selections at the Wurlitzer organ.