HOW CHILDREN PAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1040, 2 August 1930, Page 14

HOW CHILDREN PAY

NEGLECT OF THRILL-MAD PARENTS “THE MARRIAGE PLAYGROUND” Pointing a moral, as a rule, is a thankless task, but when the moral is coated with such attractive sugar as in “The Marriage Play ground 1 ’ which came to the Strand last evening, one absorbs the lesson almost without noticing it until the poignant story is reviewed when one thinks it over afterward. nrU-lE bright touches of humour, the ■*" superlative acting and, above all the delightful personality of Mary Brian, who took the lead, ensured the success of the picture. The story was set in the luxurious playground of the Lido and, by way of contrast. the majestic Italian lake and mountain district.

The story dealt with six of the most .delightful children Whose fathers and mothers were more concerned with dallying with divorce and searching for thrills than looking after their families. The children had no home. They lived in hotels and at any moment the call might come for them to pack in readiness for a journey to the other side of the world. Their chief fear was that they may be separated. Occasionally a dilatory father or mother decided to claim a child, but it was not through any affection or remorse but merely with the idea of infuriating the other party in the marriage contract. Fortunately- the six childhen had an elder sister who acted as mother to all of them and fought to keep them together.

Finally, hearing that there was to be yet another severance in the family, the little foster mother runs away

with the whole brood. Prince Charming appeared and solved a most dismal problem by marrying the elder sister and making a home for the weary children. Only too clearly, the story showed the tragic effect on the children of the lightness in

which the obligations of marriage are held by many members of the upper stratum of American society. There was once an old-fashioned idea that parents owed their children more than their birth and the provision of an adequate supply of food and clothing. Home life is essential for happiness and the building of character in children. All over the world home life is slowly disappearing and Edith Wharton’s novel, “The Children,” from which the picture was taken, is a stern indictment of this tendency. The settings of the picture wore unusual and most attractive. The wonderful beach at the Lido and tbe luxury of the palatial hotel in the world’s most exclusive seaside resort delighted the eye. Then, as an effective contrast. there was the quiet beauty of the serene Italian highlands. Some of the most advanced styles in Lido suits, both for men and women, were worn by the stars in the picture Mary Brian gave a wonderful portrayal of the part of the eldest sister This charming young actress first delighted the picture world as Wendy in “Peter Pan” and, in “The Marriage Playground,” she found a very similar role. The six children were delightfully precocious and the other stars, including Lilyan Tashman, Frederic Marsh and Huntley Gordon, did their work well. There was. an excellent programme of supports, including two rollicking comedies, a cartoon and two news reels.