SIGNS OF SANITY

Radio Record, 11 March 1938, Page 27

SIGNS OF SANITY

Is Screen Comedy On — The Mend at Last?

N the issue of the "Record" three. weeks ago, I had some rather nasty things to say about the prevalent craziness of screen comedy. So it is specially pleasing to be able to announce that, in two new pictures ("Live, Love and Learn" and ‘‘Beg, Borrow or Steal") there are to be seen the first gleams of returning sanity. These are both M-G-M productions, but 1 understand that in a Fox picture, "Wife, Doctor and Nurse," which 1 haye not yet seen, there are even more encouraging signs. The patient still has a long way to go before full recovery is reached, and doubtless there will be many relapses into lunacy; but at least a start has been made to show that characters in farce can be witty without being half wits. This is so cheering that one can over look the latest proof that Hollywood producers are copy-cats-the slavish adherence to fashions in titles, as cur: rently illustrated by such films as "High, Wide and Handsome," "Live, Love and Learn," "Beg, Borrow or Steal," "Wife, Doctor and Nurse." and "Navy Blue and Gold." Just Can’t Take It OT that "Live, Love and Learn" isn’t a pretty useful title. It sums up the whole story-the old, familiar story of how success goes to the head of a young artist. When Julie Stoddard, society girl. sets her horse at a fence and crashes into the easel of Bob Graham, penurious painter, on the other side, she also crashes into his heart. Five minutes and two scenes later they are married and setting out to’enjoy love in an attic-prepared to stand on their own feet and undismayed by the in-

opportune arrival on their wedding night of Bob’s bibulous friend Oscar, or a charitable cheque and scornful letter from one of Julie’s rich rela: tives. Oscar sleeps on a couch behind 2 screen; the cheque becomes a target for darts. One doesn’t need to be a prophet--

just an ordinary regular picture-goer -to know that this idyllic bliss can't last. Suecess comes to Bob, and he just can’t take it. It comes on the wings of publicity when the Navy and Marine Corps violently take sides overt the merits of one of his paintings in a publie park. ,

Attracted by the publicity, a famous art dealer climbs the stairs to the lovenest in the attic, and, in spite of the’ hot reception meted out by Julie, Bob and Oscar-they mistake him for another reporter and deprive him of his pants-he recognises genius when ‘he: sees it, and gives Bob his chance. Back To Earth THE rest of the story is soon told. Bob forgets his old friends and their old good times together, "high hats" his wife, falls into the clutches of a scheming blonde, paints only.for the money he can make, becomes a. poodle of the idle rich. There is much heart-burning before he comes down to earth again, regains his sense of proportion and humour, saves his artistic soul-and makes it up with Julie. The picture is best when it is not taking itself seriously. The comedy in parts suffers from the current blight of eraziness, but generally manages to keep one foot on the ground, and succeeds in being very funny without seeming forced. As it happens, though, the best part of Robert Montgomery’s performance as Bob is when he begins to take himself seriously, the change in character being very subtly indicated. But for the rest, the role is so typical of Robert Montgomery that he

REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE "Live, Love and Learn" "Bes, Borrow or Steal" "Navy Blue and Goid"

cannot do more than make it mechanically competent; and he is eclipsed by Rosalind Russell, and Robert Benchley. Less restricted by formula, Miss Russell endows her part with spontaneous gaiety in the early sequences and with constrasting bitterness in the later ones, as she sees what filthy Incre is doing to her hushand. Good Old Oscar T is, however, Robert Benchley’s picture, From the moment he staggers in as Oscar with a full load of liquid comfort, goes to kiss Miss Russell’s hand with a gallant gesture and collapses in a heap at her feet, the story takes new life, and never quite loses it when he is on the scene, even in the duller patches. Once again it is my pleasant duty to compliment M-G-M on their consistently good casting of supporting roles. Helen Vinson, as the blonde menace, and Monty Woolley, as the art dealer, couldn’t have been better chosen. ["Live, Love and Learn," M-G-M. Directed by George Fitzmaurice. Starring Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, Robert Benchley. First release: April 1, Wellington.] Made To Order? RA®! Rah! Rah! Blah! Blah! Blah! I’ve just been enduring another American Navy pep talk. If I were a patriotic American I might now he whistling the "Stars and Stripes" as a result of seeing M-G-M’s "Navy Blue and Gold." As it is, having already at various times seen at least half-a-dozen pictures with exactly the same theme and purpose (to wit, "Annapolis Salute," "Annapolis Farewell," "West Point of the Air," "Shipmates Forever," "Flirtation Walk" and "The Singing Marine"), I now find myself more in the mood for the Funeral March. I strongly suspect that all these "epics of the service’ are being made to order. Tied up with the recruiting propaganda of "Navy Blue and Gold" is the football-plenty of it. That quaint American variety in which they interrupt the game every minute or so to go into a huddle. Then somebody mumbles a lot of telephone numbers and off they go chasing in all directions. Whenever I see this, I am reminded of that cartoon in "squire" depicting husky players gathered in a circle while one of them imparts the information: "3, 4, 6, 8, 7-and the name’s Mabel !" For Dear Old Navy "NAVY BLUE AND GOLD" is imposing enough to be the navy football picture to end all navy football pictures. Only that’s too much to hope for. Nothing is missing, and everything is done a good deal more thoroughly. than ever before. For a start, there’s the playboy (Robert Young), who’s Not Navy, and who looks on his uniform and his years at Annapolis Academy as useful only because of the extra sex-appeal they give him. In contrast to this wretch, there are the two true-blue lads (James Stewart and Tom Brown), who have Navy in their blood and are simply bubbling over with traditions and all that. And then, of course, there’s the girl (Florence Rice). She’s frightfully

Navy, too (and charming in spite of it), and she prefers the shy Mr. Stewart to the effervescent Mr, Young. There’s also the awfully navy-blue retired captain (Lionel Barrymore), who can remember every jolly football match right back to 1850 or thereabouts, and who goes round exhorting the boys to play the game for the game’s sake, The Big Match "RJAVY doesn’t care if you win. It’s how you play that matters," says the aged Barrymore-a_ sentiment rather curiously contradicted by the subsequent behaviour of the academy in treating the annual match with the Army as the mast important even since Creation. Rather conveniently for Navy morale, Captain Barrymore arrives at death’s door just as the match is about to start. "I’m not going to give you boys a pep talk," says Navy’s coach, and then proceeds to prove himself a liar by adding. "But don’t forget that old

man lying there in hospital, mebbe aying, and he’s depending on us winning, and it’s up to us." Rah! Rah! Another couple of rahs for that scene Where Tom Brown takes his stalwarts into a huddle in the Last Five Minutes and pleads with them fo a final great effort for the sake of the Old Man, Heroie stuff, my hefirties! As a matter of fact, the football scenes are quite exciting, in spite of being unintelligible. Childish WELL, I don’t need to tell you much more about the story of "Navy Blue and Gold," because, of coarse, you know that the bad boy who is Not Navy at the start will eventually become Very Mitch Navy, under the influence of his high-minded room-mates and the girl, and the pep talks and the football. Oh, and I nearly forgot the ragging-all that childish one-leg-on-the-table-and-being-whacked-by-the-seniors-stuff-which is supposed to be so good for character building. Still, you may enjoy it. The atmosphere is at least well sustained, the character studies surprisingly well

RR ERER EET ERERAR RETR RRR REESE RES REET REERR SRE RSERRERESR EERE RERR ERRORS RTE RAE EES. drawn and not quite so cloyingly sentimental as you might expect. Barnett Parker gives an exquisite portrayal of an English butler who has taught the young master how to play American football without ever having seen a game; and the direction leaves nothing to chance, It all rather reminded me of "Tom Brown’s Schooldays" in a handseme navy blue and gold American binding, and I can well imagine its being surefire box-office entertainment in the States. . But pray grant me indulgence if you see me navy-blue in the face with the effort of suppressing my caddish, cyni- *.] laughter. ["Navy Blue and Gold." M-G-M. Directeg by Sam Wood, starring Robert Young, James Stewart. First release: April 8, Wellington and Auckland. ] First Fiddle FOR years Frank Morgan has been playing second fiddle to some of the Screen’s biggest stars, and, more often than not, has stolen much of the limelight from them by the unvarying excellence of his performance. And now M.-G.-M. have shown sound common sense by giving him a chance to show what he can do when allowed to jead the orchestra. This happens in "Beg, Borrow or Steal." I suggest that you beg, borrow-or even steal-the admission money to see this very excellent comedy. If my memory is not at fault, Frank Morgan was given a similar opportunity in a somewhat similar type of film called "The Perfect Gentleman." That picture, and now this one, incontestably prove his right to stardom. There still seem to be many people who get mixed up between Frank Morgin and his brother Ralph, Ralph is the one who goes round nursing 4 secret sorrow and looking as if every man’s hand were against him, while Frank always looks .as if. he. would like to shake everyone. by the..hand---

and at the same time very politely relieye you of your pocket-book. Amiable Rascal N "Beg, Borrow or Steal,’ Frank Morgon is the most amiable rascal who eyer lived by his wits. Bluffing his way through life on the Continent, he is suddenly confronted with the need for putting up a brave show for the benefit of his daughter and wife, whom he has not geen for 15 years, and who have accepted his thoughtless invitation for the daughter to come over from America and be married at his fictitious chateau on the Riviera. By persuading a rich tourist that a painting by one of his equally unreliable colleagues is a genuine Murillo, he raises the necessary money, and he persuades the manager of an English tord’s French estate to let him have the place for the wedding. At the last his bluff is called and he makes amends, but all ends happily, because the manager turns out to be the owner of the place and the man Morgan’s daughter really loves, Laughs Without Lunacy HIS story has been told before, but suffers nothing in the re-telling. The comedy is high-spirited and ridiculous, but practically untouched by the current blight of craziness. Morgan is out on his own as the lovable scoundrel, playing the part for all it is worth, but also managing to introduce an occasional hint of pathos that does not, however, conflict with the essential gaiety of the entertainment. Yet it isn’t by any means exclusively Morgan’s picture. Supporting him is as near-perfect a team of comedians as you can hope to see-Herman Bing, George Givot, Hrik Rhodes, Reginald Denny and BH. B. Clive. The _lastnamed’s caricature of an English nobleman is something which makes me chuckle even in retrospect, particularly as I remember that gorgeous scene where he is mistaken for a feke by the amiable crooks and given friendly warning not to put on the dog too much or someone will spot the deception, Romance is taken care of by the attractive Florence Rice, and John Beal. I’m glad to see Beal getting a break in comedy, because up till now life on the screen has always been pretty grim for this young man with the loose lips that, get out of control and seem to wandey all over his face at moments of emotional stress, ["Beg, Borrow or Steal." M.G.M. Directed by William Thiele, starring Frank Morgan. First release: April 22.] Return Of Prodigal ,J AMES CAGNEY, bad boy of the sereen, Who quarrelled with Watrners over the stories they choose for him, and left them about two years ago, is returning to that studio on March 14, according to "Film Daily." Before then he has to make "Angels With Dirty Faces" and "Dynamite." for Grand National. Cagney says he thinks that Warner, will now give him the kind of stories he wants.

Hollywood-Bound PHIL MADDOCK, popular genera! manager of M.-G.-M. in New Zealand, is now on his way to pay a visit to Teo the Lion in his den at the Metro studios at Culver City,

California. Mr. Maddock sailed by the Mariposa on Montlay, and expects to be away two months at the least. Although he has been in most parts of the world, this is his first visit to the States, and he intends to have a good look round, though business is the main objective. There will be no special conference, but several representatives from other parts will also bé visiting America to learn something about the place where the pictures with

the Roaring Lion trade-mark come from, Jyril James and J. McDermott will look after M.-G.-M.’s New Zealand interests while Mr. Maddock is away, and P. McGowan will he going on the road as salesman.