FILM OF “IRENE”

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21210, 5 September 1940, Page 5

FILM OF “IRENE”

CHARM OF ANNA NEAGLE All the charm and tuneful sparkle of the original musical comedy has been retained in the screen version of “Irene,” which will open at the Civic Theatre tomorrow. Anna Neagle, the English actress, gives a scintillating and delightful portrayal of the happy-go-lucky Irish heroine. A former musical comedy star before she came to the screen, Miss Neagle is perfectly at home in the role and her transition to such a carefree characterisation is a proof of her unusual versatility. Hay Milland also is very effective as the wealthy young man who gets Irene into hei various troubles as she soars from her sales-girl job to become the toast of the city. He also is the one who marries her at the end, after her disillusionment and her engagement to his rival (Alan Marshal), who likewise does an excellent job. Roland Young adds many laughs as the hard-working manager of a fashionable gown shop, and Billie Burke as Marshal’s fluttery mother and May Robson as Miss Neagle’s spitfire grandmother also contribute to the film’s excellence. Arthur Treacher in another of his inimitable butler characterisations, Marsha Hunt, Doris Nolan, Isabel Jewell, Ethel Griffies and Stuart Robertson have the other important roles and handle them well.-