OVERCAST WITH STARS

Radio Record, 6 May 1938, Page 27

OVERCAST WITH STARS

"Broadway Melody of 1938" Contains More Talent Than It’s Able to Handle

>: ROADWAY Melody bee of 1938," M.-G.-M.'s iD. latest excuse to spend a lot of money, has a great big cast and absolutely no pride. It pinches ideas from past pictures with no more conscience than a film critic scanning his colleagues’ writings for an opening sentence. (That one about "absolutely no pride’ | owe to Otis Ferguson, of "The New Republic"). ' Quite apart from a nostalgic yearning for all the "Broadway Melodies" of the past-which is reflected in the music, the theme, and the general strie-ture-there are several blatant instances of "borrowing" in the new edition. I use this word in preference to "stealing" as being both more polite and more correct, since I fully reeognise that no one has a better right than M-G-M to rehash ideas which originally appeared in M-G-M pictures, He Sneezes Now a) UST two instances: Robert Wildhack, who made the humble snore seem a glorious work of art in "Broadway Melody of 1986," is here called on to try his hand and nose at sneez-

ing. It is not so glorious. And when I saw the horse race, in whieh Buddy Ihsen’s mount refuses to win until urged on by a microphone-magnified voice singing "The Barber of Seville," I was reminded that almost exactly the same thing had heen done-and done hetter-by the Marx Brothers, in "A Day at the Races." These are M-G-M ideas, and the studio is surely entitled to dig ’em up again if it wants to. Yet I presume that it owes at least a moral debt to RKO for commandeering the technique of the last Astaire-Rogers picture for the "Dance in the Rain" sequence of the new Broadway Melody. Horse And Girl REGARDING. the theme of "Broad- ~~ way Melody of 1988," I am cere tainly not going to give myself a headache searching for the copyright. Presumably it belongs to the person who first discovered the human interest inherent in the story of the local boy or girl who-made good, Possibly that

was Dick Whittington. In the present case, the local girl is Hleanor Powell, and Broadway is her goal. Whereas Dick Whittington had a eat, she has a horse, which she loves almost as much as she loves Robert Taylor. And when you remember how much Robert Taylor gets himself loved, that horse can_ certainly consider itself lucky! Sugar-Daddies WELt, anyway, when Eleanor’s horse is taken to New York to be sold, Eleanor Joves him so much she goes along, too, hoping to raise enough money with tap-dancing to buy him back. And then Robert.Taylor, who is fn song-writer and show-producer, notices Eleanor (and her tap-dancing) and becomes what I helieve is known as. her "sugar-daddy’-only, let me hasten to make clear, the sugar remains in the canister, ang the association is purely platonic... And Robert gives Eleanor a part in his new show, and then Rinnie Barnes, who is the

wife of Raymond Walburn (who is Robert’s own sugar-daddy), becomes jealous of Eleanor and persuades her husband to withdraw his support. It all sounds very complicated the way I tell it, but is very simple reallySo simple you may almost begin to wonder when the story is really going to begin. Robert has lost his sugar, but Eleanor still has her horse-ang the Show Must Go On! So the horse very obligingly wins a race-with the unacknowledged aid of the Marx Brothers, and the "Barber of Seville’-and . >) Se a]

With ‘the prize-sugar Broadway is enabled: to see another over-night sensation, Broadway is more easily pleased ‘than your film critic, In Eclipse P=#RHAPS I’ve been a bit flippant * gbout that story: but, honestly, I den’t see how anyone could take it very seriously. M-G-M must hare realised its thinness, for they have stuffed it to bursting-point with stars, TI am now about to employ a very pretty (and, I hope, original) metaphor. This picture is as overcast with

crooners, opera singers, dancers, heroes, sneezers, horses’ and other specialty artists as the sky during a thunderstorm. The studio has rounded up so much talent that it doesn’t know quite what to do with it all. For instance, Robert Taylor’s performance, which is meant to be the lead, is. reduced almost to the status of a walk-on part. .He isn’t asked to do much more than look beautiful and slim-waisted. This pushing into the background may be good for the Taylor ego, but I suspect it may not be so good for the box-office. However, it has the compensation of allowing George Murphy to come to the front and walk off with most of the acting honours of the picture and some ot the dancing ones, which in turn is probably compensation to him for haying Taylor walk off with Bleanor Powell, More About Horses OSSIBLY it was association of ideas, due to Bleanor’s infatuation for the horse, but it suddenly struck me how equine in countenance she is herself, with that funny mouth of hers. When it comes to acting, Eleanor goes at her hurdles gamely, but not always successfully; but when it comes to dancing she leads the whole field. The "Follow in My Footsteps" routine, in the box-car of a train, is the brightest number in a pretty bright collection. When Eleanor turns on the taps, I’m happy. ‘ In view of the fact, however, that there are several other actresses who look like a horse and can act better, but none with legs like our Bleanor’s, ir pains me to notice the way she is made to keep her lovely limbs covered up in this picture. Young And Old SPECIAL prominence in "Broadway Melody" is given to a quaint young person named Judy Garland whom I have been told is M-G-M’s

answer to Deanna Durbin. If that is so, the answer remains in the negative. Tt does not come out on the screen. Miss Garland is a fascinating, talented youngster, with a large voice and very high spirits, and when she came on suggesting that "Hverybody Sing" I was prepared to enthuse with the rest. But the maudlin precocity which Judy Garland is later called on to exhibit in the song about "A Love Letter to Mr. Gable" was, in my poor opinion, nauseating. Plenty of space is occupied by Sophie Tucker, the last of America’s "red hot mommas," who strives to perpetuate herself and her kind with sentimental reminiscences of Dear Old Broadway. Miss Tucker is undoubtedly a grand old trouper, and I can imagine that American audiences will just gobble up her performance and cheer for more. But personally I have a rooted objection to being talked to and shouted at as Miss Tucker does, under the pretence of singing. -And The Rest (on SIDERATIONS of space (not the type occupied by Sophie Tucker) allow me to devote no more than one

paragraph to Robert Benchley (prince of drunkards), Buddy Hbsen (eccentric, gangling dancer who is so thin that "if he took off any more weight he would be just a blood-vessel keeping his clothes warm’), Charles Igor Gorin (excellent opera Singer), Binnie Barnes, Willie Howard, Barnett Parker, Billy Gilbert, Raymond Walburn, and several other worth-while artists. And this summary dismissal just bears out my point that "Broadway Melody of 1938" contains more talent than it knows how to handle properly. Best wise-crack of the film, and an apt commentary on the situation, "We

didn’t exactly stop the show, but we slowed it down." Iiaving been somewhat tepid in my appreciation of "Broadway Melody," I suppose I am now expected to make the usual concession and point out that, with its galaxy of stars it will do pretty well at the box office. So it will. But this still doesn’t alter the fact that it would do much better if it were 2 good picture. ("Broadway Melody of 1938." M.G.M. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, starring Robert Taylor, Mleanor Powell. Released this weelk.] Prison Memories VZEsORINS of "The Big Iouse" and all the other prison dramas I have seen came into the theaterette and took seats beside me for the preview sereeping of Columbia's "Penitentiary." There was one particular Memory

which kept on interrupting my appreciation of what was happening on the screen by whispering in my ear that it had all been done before, and that he had done it better. After being tantalised in this fashion for a long time, 1 suddenly identified him as the ghost of "The Criminal Code," which starred Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes and (onstance Cummings back in 1931, and was the original version of "Penitentiary." In spite of these distractions, ‘"Penitentiary" is a picture I’m glad to have seen. It contains much more meat than poison-particularly if you like your meat to be red and raw. There is not much pulling of punches, the iension is strong, and the acting, for the most part, is sound. Wrong Man For Job HE main fault of "Penitentiary," I think, igs in having Walter Connolly for the prison governor. He is not the ideal man for the job, though,

on the other hand, of course, they might have chosen somebody much less capable than he is. But Connolly’s true niche is in comedy, as the spluttering man of big business ("Nothing Sacred") or the harrassed father ("I -Happened One Night’")-and when he occupies that niche there is no one | admire more. In "Penitentiary" he seldom convineed me that he was the dominating type needed to quell rebellious prisoners with a look. Better cast is John Howard as the sensitive young man sent to jail for a long term for a drunken escapade that ended tragically. The prison governor, who knows the history of the case, takes an interest in the boy and saves him from heing ruined by the atmosphere of the place, by giving him a position of trust. Even more important in the regeneration of the hero is the governor’s daughter (played rather too demurely by Jean Parker). Then the hero is caught up in the unbreakable loyalties of the criminal code, involved in a murder within the prison, and almost destroyed by his refusal to "squeal" on another prisoner, Dramatically Sound "PENITENTIARY" gets its strength as entertainment mainly from the dramatie soundness of many of its situ-ations-which erratic direction cannot spoil-and from the excellent supporting character studies, grimly presented by Robert Barratt, Arthur Hohl, Mare

Lawrence, and one of two others, whose names I don’t know. Incidentally, I saw "Penitentiary" hefure Columbia put their ban upon me because of the "Record’s" review of "ll Take Romance"’-which is why I am able to write about this picture in advance of its public release. {"Penitentiary." Columbia. Directed by John Brahm, starring Walter Connolly, John Howard, Jean Parker, First release: May 27.] N.Z. Boy Pianist XCELLENT reports have been received from Sydney about the musical progress of Junior Farrell, talented New Zealand*boy pianist. He sat for a scholarship this year and was commended, Considering that dozens applied, and some very fine players among them, this was a very good effort indeed, and it is stated that his youth was probably the main obstacle to his receiving the scholarship, the director of the Conservatorium not being in favour of giving it to anyone so young. At present Junior Warrell is learning harmony from Mrs. Alfred Hill,