ROXY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 974, 17 May 1930, Page 15

ROXY

“CAMEO KIRBY” “Cameo Kirby,” Fox Movietone romantic musical drama, will rank as one of the greatest audible screen productions of the year. As screened at the Roxy Theatre, before an audience which frequently bursts forth with spontaneous applause, this great play of the Old South in its musical setting easily surpasses the best in this form of entertainment previously seen here.

J. Harold Murray and Norma Terris, the co-stars, are simply great. Murray’s voice, perfectly reproduced, reveals the delightful qualities which made him such a great Broadway star before he cast his lot in Hollywood.

“Romance,” as sung by this great screen lover, has all the allure and glamour of a great love song, which it is. The work of both of these players in the dramatic sense, also is very effective, and is a great tribute to the directorial genius of Irving Cummings, who staged this production.

Stepin Fetchit, as a negro butler, is shorn of his customary grotesqueries, but proves even more effective in his new style comedy role. His singing of “I’m a Peaceful Man” comes very close to being a classic.

.A splendid programme of supporting items is also being presented. Chief among them was “Courtin’ Wild Cat,” a tale with a Western background, but with a wealth of rare comedy. Hoot Gibson is the star.