“BIG TIME” IS BIG HIT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 873, 17 January 1930, Page 15

“BIG TIME” IS BIG HIT

BACK-STAGE DRAMA AT MAJESTIC LEE TRACY SCORES The allure of “back stage” is as fascinating as it is irresistible. There one gets a glimpse of the human side of players never seen across the footlights. “Big Time,” the Fox Movietone drama at the Majestic, is just such an intimate close-up of behind the scenes of the vaudeville—of the team’s dreams, hard work and heartaches that the achievement of “Big Time” means. The theme of the picture alone ensures its success; it has been skilfully treated with a high sense of dramatic value and, at the same time, loses none of its sparkling, humorous slants. The story concerns the struggles of a singing and dancing team toward the pinnacle of fame of headlines in the leading theatres, their work inspired by affection carrying them toward their goal, marriage and still further success, until the arrival of a baby compels the wife’s retirement. Comes the interloper, ambitious and unscrupulous, to fill the vacant place in the team, and with it comes “Big Time,” then disillusionment, failure and a lost wife and child. The scene changes to Hollywood, where the wife has reached stardom, and into her life again comes her

“small time” partner and husband, cured of his conceit by years of despair. The picture is a notable triumph for Lee Tracy, who plays the part of Eddie Burns, the egotistical but irresistibly appealing male partner of the vaudeville team. His machine-gun-like, sparkling humour, when the team gets its chance on “small time,” is a brilliantly executed piece of work, while his acting in other scenes, which demand high histrionic ability, command the highest praise. Even when down and out in the most dramatic of scenes, his irrepressible self-con-fidence asserts itself in hilarious fashion. Perhaps one of the most affecting scenes of the picture is that’in which he meets his little son rehearsing the old step-dance to the old tune on which “Big Time” was realised. Brilliant as is Tracy’s portrayal, Mae Clark’s characterisation of his vaudeville team mate and wife is almost on the same plane. She characterises the pretty song and dance partner, whose work and struggle toward fame is inspired by love, with a sweetness and simplicity that is charming and irresistibly appealing. She is the driving force with her partner toward “Big Time” before and after marriage, until the birth of her child, and then she leaves, bitterly disillusioned. Reappearing as a Hollywood star, she displays considerable dramatic talent in her acting, particularly in the scenes of reunion with her husband. Josephine Dunn gave a strikingly good performance as the designing “small-time” partner, who joins Eddie Burns on “Big Time” and then crashes. “Big Time” lacks* nothing in humour, much of which is provided by Daphne Pollard, the well-known screen comedienne, whose irascible tongue is responsible for many hilarious moments. The inimitable negro comedian, Stepin Fetchit, is also responsible for some sparkling comedy

work that is a satirical of back-stage scenes. The dialogue and singing of “Big Time” is strikingly clean and the voices good. The supporting programme is well chosen, including an all-talking comedy, “Stewed, Fried and Boiled,” “Fox Movietone News” and Gounod's “Faust,” accompanied by the Majestic Orchestra,