STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 November 1939, Page 2

STATE THEATRE

A THRILLING STORY. , Marking their eighth co-starring appearance in a musical film, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers again prove themselves America’s number one dancing favourites in their latest vehicle, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle,” which will be shown at the State Theatre tonight. Astaire and Rogers, as the top-ranking screen dancers of today, are peculiarly well fitted to impersonate the Castles, and their characterisations are said to be their finest to date. The supporting cast is equally well chosen, with Edna May Oliver as Maggie Sutton, the agent; Walter Brennan as the Castles’ faithful servant; Lew Fields playing himself, and Janet Beecher, Etienne Girardot and other noted players in important roles. Among the memorable songs heard in the picture are “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “Nights of Gladness,” “Missouri Waltz,” “Darktown Strutters’ Ball,” “Too Much Mustard” and many other tunes of the prewar era, which are either sung or danced to by the two stars, or which form part of the musical setting of the offering. The noted “Castles-by-the-Sea” ballroom and other dancing spots made famous by the Castles are reproduced in the film. Among many other scenes are also included some stirring air shots over the Western Front during the war. As its title indicates, the picture tells the sensational story of Vernon and Irene Castle, who skyrocketed to fame overnight as the world’s greatest dancing team of the Pre-War era. It is told against a memorable background of period settings, and revives a wealth of period lunes. This parade of the musical hits of long ago, together with its stirring romance and its dramatic conclusion make the picture one of the greatest musical films of recent years. When Vernon Castle, aspiring young dancer, ■meets Irene Foote, daughter of a New Rochelle doctor, it is a case of love at first sight. Vernon is “sooging” for Lew Fields in a musical comedy hit at the time, and throughout the winter he and Irene practice dance steps, hoping Fields will give them a chance. Instead, they get married, go to Paris through a misunderstanding and find themselves penniless. They are rescued by the efforts of an elderly theatrical agent. Maggie Sutton, who gets them an offer to dance at a Paris cafe. They are an immediate sensation. Triumphs follow. Then the World War breaks out. and Castle, a British citizen, feels he must enlist. He goes abroad and joins the Royal Flying Corps, subsequently being killed in a crash.