DULCY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 95, 18 April 1941, Page 16

DULCY

(M-G-M) 4

ULCY presents once again the new, _ rejuvenated, pepped-up Ann Sothern, who, when her possibilities as a romantic blonde heroine had

just about been used up, discovered a sudden flair for daffy comedy. Joan Blondell has had a similar experience but that does not detract from. the sustained liveliness of Miss Sothern’s comedy. This time she is the impulsive, eccentric sister of a serious young man who is in the middle of a serious young romance. He is. working hard to impress his prospective father-in-law, who, unfortunately, after suffering the attentions of the madcap Dulcy, becomes convinced there is a streak of insanity in the family: For admittedly normal young women do not hire paroled criminals.as servants, adopt small Chinese boys on, the spur of the moment, nor dash round lakes in speedboats upsetting every small craft in sight. But Dulcy has also adopted an inventor with a new kerosene aero engine, and it is her determination to sell this to the prospective father-in-law, who happens to be an aeroplane manufacturer, which causes most trouble of all. In this she is abetted by a harmless lunatic who drops in one day and finds the household most congenial. This gentleman, who suffers from. illusions of grandeur, buys an option over the engine and sells out at a handsome profit to the aeroplane manufacturer, thereby proving that what every business requires these days is a lunatic as managing director. The cast is a well tried one, and suited to the strenuous story. The prospective father and mother-in-law are Roland Young and Billie Burke, whose performances are competent if stereotyped. Ian Hunter is the inventor who has the misfortune to be sponsored by Dulcy, and Reginald Gardiner is the amiable lunatic. The screen play is by George Kaufman and Marc Connelly, which is in ,jtself guarantee of a lively story, and the film was directed by S. Sylvan Simon. Incidentally, I would like to know if Mr. Simon is a real or a fictitious personality. One sees his name frequently, but it always seems too good to be true. Either Mr. Kaufman or Mr. Connelly must have been listening to Easy Aces, the radio programme, for Dulcy produces several typical "Mrs. Ace-isms" (or perhaps they have read The School for Scandal). "Doctors," Dulcy observes on one cccasion, "make mountains out of moleskins,"