LOUISIANA PURCHASE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 155, 12 June 1942, Page 17

LOUISIANA PURCHASE

(Paramount)

| SUSPECT that it was the Americans in the audience (I trust I’m not giving away any secrets by saying that there were some) who laughed

joudest and most frequently at Louisiana Purchase. But even if we others missed the point of some of the local references and the wisecracks about Republicans and Democrats (it’s always an effort for me to remember which is

which), there was still more than enough in this genial show to keep a Saturday night crowd in the best of spirits throughout. Louisiana Purchase has nothing to do with the way in which the Americans originally acquired this territory from the French. It concerns a much less reputable transaction involving various shady New Orleans politicians and civic dignitaries who have been selling public property back to the State and collecting two or three times on the same deal, and what happens when Senator Oliver P. Loganberry arrives in New Orleans with a Government mandate to investigate the situation. One of the chief things that happens is that the crooks leave Bob Hope, who is at least innocent

of felony though he may be guilty of other things, to hold their scandalous baby. He in turn tries to dispose of it by involving Senator Loganberry in a scandal with Vera Zorina, the balletdancer, but it takes a filibuster in the State Senate (an uproarious burlesque on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) to save the honour of New Orleans and Mr. Hope’s skin, It’s a toss-up, who is the real star of Louisiana Purchase: the veteran actor Victor Moore as the droll, lovable Senator Loganberry, who is as incorruptible as Robespierre and as gentle-hearted as Robespierre wasn’t, or the wily, ingratiating Bob Hope, with his torrent of wisecracks (some of which sound as if they might be extempore), and his deadly serious manner in the most ridiculous situations-for example, his demonstration of the correct way for a woman to wriggle into a girdle. Which is not to overlook the very considerable contribution to the fun by Zorina, who acts almost as well as she dances. Not that she dances enough. Technicolour and originality of direction are other assets of the film, the latter particularly at the opening, where Paramount have gone to elaborate trouble to avoid any, by insisting that the forthcoming disclosures of graft in Louisiana have absolutely no relation to fact. Methinks they do protest too much. Wasn’t there somebody called Huey Long who’ came from Louisiana? a Although the film has a_ score by Irving Berlin it is a musical comedy with much more comedy than music. And that suits me-and I hope you too. |