PLAZA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 796, 17 October 1929, Page 15

PLAZA

“THE RAINBOW MAN” COMING "The Divine Lady,” the spectacular and romantic tale of Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson’s day will be presented at the Plaza Theatre for the last time this evening along with the shorter talkie items. From tomorrow the Plaza will present tho great talkie success, "The Rainbow Man.” Since her. ap-

pearance in the New York presentation of this now famous Eddie Dowling all-talk-ing, all-singing picture, Marian Nixon, favourite of the silent screen for more than five years, has been heralded as "the Alary Bickford of the talkies.” Critics have vario u s 1 v described

Marian’s speaking voice and great talking acting as "great.” "gorgeous,” and "pleasingly intelligent.” The rave notices all seem to agree that Marian is a "natural” for the talkies. "The Rainbow Alan” ’deals with the struggles of a young minstrel trouper to rise to fame. He meets the girl while stopping at her father’s hotel in the provinces. They fall in love, but he is ejected from the hotel and from the show when lie is found in a love scene with the girl, after her father had forbidden her the company of actors. Later he is allowed to join his old troupe, and it is while they are playing a small city near the girl’s town a year later that he sees her in the audience while he is singing his song, "Sleepy Valley.” He breaks the song and pleads with her for a return of her love, as the audience gazes, thinking it is part of the show. But it is very real to Eddie and Marian, and the audience does not realise that it is genuine love-making until Sam Hardy, the producer of the minstrel show, steps forward and tells them the truth as the curtain falls about the romantic pair. Include a number of talkie supports, comprising in themselves an excellent concert programme. The box plan for "The Rainbow Alan” season is now open at the theatre.