A SUPER SHOW

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1039, 1 August 1930, Page 15

A SUPER SHOW

“PARAMOUNT ON PARADE” I AT THE CIVIC HOLLYWOOD’S FROLIC With the cream of filmdom. at its disposal. Paramount could be depended upon to serve up something highly original and distinctive in talkie revues. And it has. *T> A RAMOU N T On Parade” is the most successful revue that has yet been shown on the Auckland screen. The series of numbers has been put together with surprising skill, so that the interest never flag*. Paramount took every headliner in its organisation, made them all do something, .and they all did something good and something different. About the whole picture there is a ! delightful informality, a suggestion that the Civic’s audience was invited into { the frolic of the stars. And there is I no better word than frolic for the pro- 1 duction. Relieved of the necessity of • sustaining dramatic or humorous roles. ! Clive Brook, Clara Bow, Ruth Chatter- J ton. William Powell, Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen. Xancy Carroll, and a ’ host of others are seen and heard to advantage.

Linked with the efforts of the star, is production quality of high order Probably there hanever been presented anywhere at any time a stage spectacle varied luxurious enough to compete with “Paramount On Parade.” There are colour sequences, and settings of*, huge proportion: w

rhythm melody and dance; and, reverting again to the stars, the director has cunningly presented just enough of each to make his or her next solo appearance in a feature something to look forward to. Perhaps the best liked number in the show was Maurice Chevalier's colourful scena, “Sweeping the Clouds Away,” with the inimitable Maurice 1 and a well-trained chorus at work in the clouds. Then there was “Murder Will Out ” a clever travesty on detective mysterleli. with William Powell as Philo Vance, Clive Brook as Sherlock Holmes, Lugene Pallette as Sergeant Heath, and Warner Oland as Hr. Fu Manchu. A particularly brilliant and gorgeous scene was the toreador scene from “Carmen.” with rich colours, clever Spanish dancers, and Harry Green as "Isadore the Toreador.” ■ This was followed in quick succession by Ruth Chatterton, in a tense emotional scene in a Parisian cafe:* Maurice Chevalier as a Paris gendarme in a lovers’ park; clever character impersonations by little Mitzi Green; Helen Kane as an ultra modern school teacher; Xancy Carroll danci 3 to * he mus ic of Abe Lyman’s band; Clara Bow and her navy boys; a society skit by George Bancroft; and so on. There isn't room to do more than just mention "The Gallows Song ” with its scenes in colour and the singing of Dennis King; Mr. King sings .Nichevo, ’ a fiery, dramatic. Russian song; or Charles Rogers and Lilian Roth in “Lovo Time," or the hilarious sketch, -In a Hospital,” or the glorious singing of a newcomer, Kino Martini in "The Song of the Gondolier," and many more. “Paramount on Parade” is one of the most ambitious and the most entertaining productions that has vet reached Auckland. The only other items on the programme were two or three interesting sound gazettes and the overture by the orchestra. Under the baton of Mr. Howard Moody, a popular conductor who made a welcome reappearance, the Civic Concert Orchestra played the spirited “Pique Dame” (von Suppe), bringing out all the pleasing tonal passages with their accustomed ease. They were particularly warmly applauded. The orchestra also provided a delightful musical interlude between 7.30 p.m. and 8 o’clock. They played selections from “La Bo’neme” (Puccini ), ballet music from “Faust” (Gounod) and the march “Up State” (Allen). A new organist, Mr. Paulson, presided at the grand organ and played “Somewhere a Voice is Calling” (Tate).