“SO LONG LETTY”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1032, 24 July 1930, Page 17

“SO LONG LETTY”

MAJESTIC THEATRE PROGRAMME VARIED AND INTERESTING Husbands and wives, mis'.'-nder-standings, and a desire for change, figure largely on the current programme at the Majestic Theatre. “So Long, Letty,” the Warner Brothers* production of a stage favourite, lives up to its advance publicity as a “riotous” comedyIt bears little resemblance to the musical comedy which Aucklanders saw some years ago under that title. The film producers have made of It a farce with musical numbers tossed in hero and there to speed up the story. However, the misunderstanding between the neighbouring husbands and wives still forms the plot. Mrs. Robbins and Mrs. Miller decided to change husbands for a few weeks in order to teach them a lesson. Mr. Miller would go out at night and Mrs. Miller wouldn’t —she preferred to cook. Mrs. Robbins would not come home and cook as her husband desired —she preferred the high spots and excitement. The Robbins uncle arrived, mistook Mrs. Miller for Mrs. Robbins, and liked her domesticity. There was a 50,000-dollar cheque in the offing, so the deception was maintained until a police raid on a riotous party put everyone back where they really belonged. HOLLYWOOD MANNER Charlotte Greenwood plays Letty Robbins in a typical high-speed. Hollywood manner. It is an amusing performance, for she is a comedienne with a personality and an excellent sense of humour. Her song numbers are as full of vigour as her acting, and she swings a leg over the peppery uncle’s head with the grace of a ballet dancer. Patsy Ruth Miller, one of the stars of the silent days, is as demure as her part requires. Bert Roach, whose girth does not hinder his action, plays opposite Miss Greenwood, and if there is any humour in contrasts, one sees it where these two are together. Grant Withers, a good-looking young man, sings nicely and Claude Gillingwater gives another easy performance as the rather peppery uncleTEACHING THEM A LESSON There is an interesting list of supporting pictures including another in which husbands and wives desire a change of companionship. “So This Is Marriage’’ is one of those intimate film examples of American home-life where the bluntness of married men to their wives is almost brutal, if it were not amusing. However, the husbands were merely teaching their wives a lesson. “The Wizard’s Apprentice,” based on Goethe’s poem, is a fantastic picture set to excellent music. The Diplomats, six young men who sing and play, present an entertaining turn. The Pathe Audio Review takes the audience for a trip round Africa, calling at Morocco, Cairo, Port Said, Mombasa, Capetown and other centres. The Universal Newspaper News, one of the most interesting gazettes in the motion picture world, flits about the globe, bringing topical events into the Majestic. Altogether it is an interesting evening's performance, varied and entertaining.