"Rosalie" Is Another M-G-Marathon

Radio Record, 5 August 1938, Page 26

"Rosalie" Is Another M-G-Marathon

["Rosalie; P9 M-G.M , directed bs: W_ 8; Van Dyke; ~starring Nelson_ Eddy Fleanor Powell ust_ Fee leased ]

the distant future, delving . among the’ films of the. present, might very well be ex- _ cused if he arrived at the con¢lusion | that civilisation in America in" the hineteen-thirties centred round. two in-‘ | stitutions known as West’ ‘Point anid Annapolis Academy, just as he ‘might similarly be excused for thinking. that: . the Trooping of the Colour.‘was : ‘the chief industry of Great. Britain, ' ‘How many times have the ° ‘husky ‘lads of .West’ Point and -Annapolis played football for.us on the.screen? . How many. times have they. paraded. up and down.in front of.the cameras. in their pretty uniforms, doing com- . plex, perfectly-timed routines that .are neither quite drill nor dancing? How many times have they serenaded: thete* coeds with rollicking choruses Ok swooning love-songs? How many," times have they. shown us, their childish’ initiation ceremonies and other. quaint local customs? a Chorus-Boy Soldiers" cee io A SCIENTIST of ati age inDO not expect answers to- those . questions. It is doubtful -if. anyone could give them. But if you..are thinking of counting up, you: .can-. start with "Rosalie," because -:.tHe..: whole .rather tiresome. business::. is _ there again. And it makes little. dif; ference that in this case the. marching., routines are expertly performed: by. Hollywood ‘chorus boys and not: by: genuine West-Pointers-West Point, . yes, even West Point, haying appar- , ently become a trifle tired of the Nber-. .: ties which the film-makers have been. : taking within the sacred precincts, ... .- However, it should be recorded that,.. in order not to tread on any. military, toes, Singer Nelson Eddy was. ‘given ‘ five. weeks’ intensive schooling. .by,. 2). West Point lieutenant before he be- | came Cadet. Dick Thorpe, " hero not "Rosalie." Her Dream Lover EST POINT. ritual is not the only , thing to see in "Rosalie." Qh, . dear, no! _ Tor the. hero falls in love with a. minx from Vassar Girls’ Colleg @ and. * announces that he is her dream soldier. _ He is to be excused for not ‘having ‘suspected that she is really a. Ruri- | ‘ tanian princess in disguise, for anyone ‘ less like foreign princess" "than: Eleanor: Powell I can hardly ‘ima‘tize.’™

It-seems strange, though, that he does: not even: bother to: discover .her:second: name, ‘Perhaps he is too: much in® 3) dream... |": So, :when Rosalie goes back to the fairy kingdom-of Romanza to marry the inevitable betrothed-in-child-hood prince, the hero" breaks bounds (or. something), jumps into a. plane and takes one hop.right across ‘the Atlantic to keep a date: With her at the annual peasant carnival. of Romanza. All I can say is that the-.peasants of Romanza had a perfect right to start that subsequent: revolution, ‘corsidering ‘the amount: of tax" money that must. ave been ‘squandered ‘on’ the ‘carnival: " A-Special-Grudge _-- THIS carnival sequence makes _ the biggest set in "The Great Ziegs feld" look. like something in a penny. peep-show. It’s so darned big the camera has to take you up to the ceiling before you ‘can see half what’s happening on the palace ballroom floor. Eyen then you. can’t see it properly. And I have.a special grudge against. the ‘show, Just when . hundreds. of. dancers ‘haye.come cascading down the. ballroom steps. for. the’ "Prince Igor". ballet they. break it. off for’ some ‘footling comedy and then carry on with & "pierrette" number that ‘finishes with Bleanor Powell doing the same sort of dancing on drums that: so many other artists have done in previous films. Only, of course, nobody can dance quite ‘like Eleanor Powell and nobody: has had quite so many drums to danee on all at once. In-spite of my grudge about the’ short life of "Prince Igor."I must admit that this drum dance is a first-class number. Still Hopping UT to return to the heroic Cadet Thorpe whom we left hopping the Atlantic to keep a date. Before .the drum-dance is under way, he has arrived at Romanza and is sitting in. the’ royal box wondering which one of the thousands of girls in pierrette costume is ‘his: sweetie from Vassar. , Comes. the’ sad discovery that ghé -is a princess, betrothed’ since childhood ; and.in disgust the hero hops right back to West Point. Comes: the revolution, not before time ; and the royal family. of Romanza also- hops to West. Point. Comies‘the end? Not for a long while’. yet.. First there’ have to be those drilldances by the chorus-boy cadets, and-a lot of .running: round and’ passionate yearning in the more: romantic parts of © the old academy; but if you have not guessed: by now that the revolution: ‘has broken . "down ‘royal barriers and’ left the ‘way’ open: for a: gorgeous wedding finalé,then, dear reader, you are. not, the intelligent person [ think 3 you are, , Eddy’s Singing [™ afraid I have been so, absorbed in the story and spectacle that so far T have quite forgotten to mention. the most important part of "Rosalie"? — which is, of course, the singing of Nelson Eddy. Looking rather like.a_ robust, Dick Powell, in his’ soldier: uni-. form, Eddy sings several ‘Cole, Porter tunes, just the ‘way his admirers admire, Best number: "In the Still of the Night." . Bleanor. Powell displays her faultless. ‘ bridge-work,.a -curl over one-eye,..and.,

her remarkably syncopated" Limbs n the {inevitable ~lack' silk: stockiugs fr pyjamas: No' one; can: deny her-bril- liance as-a dancer;: but wben she is *ow- daneing_ ~She leaves _ mexalmost 'fneezingu: Apparently my ladk 0fy warmth is hot: unigue: fr :I natiee ,that her: name on;; the posters: for ~Rosalie .as: either been removed altogether_QT:_ else_given a very inferidr position: Partially swathed: n:' dresses whick give every one bf her: "eurves a' break; Hungarian newcomer" 'Ilona Massey sings enchantingly, but is ntherwise mainly decorative Comedians Best CTUALLY: the 'comedians are; the best part of "Rosalie" ~-Frank- Morgan dithering about 'as 4a demo: cratic monarch who prefers the com: pany- f a ventriloquists: dummy. to: that ~Of bis frigid "queen ( Bdna May Oliver) Billy Gilbert as 4 Gilhertian officia] sneezing, aver the' radio_ to the long-distance flver who. Wants informa- tion for a ianding Ray Bolger; fpnny, enozgh as Fddy'& friend, but given_ too few chances to dance: Gilhert'g sneeze: full in gomebody's face seems to me to be carrsing bis funny little failing to rather: disgusting limitsa If YOu are completelv enamoured of this type of show ana 'Nelsor Eddy, you may get Four money 8; 'worth from "Rosalie" though have a feeling 'that even the addicts will 'find it; 0 'trifle wearisome. Ip fact; although 66 Rosalie" runs 'sqch a yery long way--10,600' feet--it iS stili an also ran: Knock-Back FoR the ' good Jf my soul, [ welcome the ~oppurtunity: to publish a2 letter which I received last week from Reg: Felton, publicity manager of Para: mount Pictures (N.: "td:' In it; you will notice; be fights back most 'ably with my 'own ' favourite weapon of sarcasm_ Acknowledging receipt of a copy' 'Of the "Radio Record" containing my re- view. on: the Olympe Bradna picture, "Stolen- Heaven; Reg: Felton 'writes

at "Gorden, -Do mé éthis'? favour, _ you-if the hundreds of ‘people ‘en- | : gaged in’ production | ever make’ a pictare "to" please you, completely, " would you: let me imow before your. ... review ° ‘is: published ? a "Without that aotice i am 1 afraid _ thé’ shock of pledsant. reading, or ~ reading that ‘serves‘any. useful purpose to the motion picture industry, would be too much to_expect.of the © film pages of the "Radio Reeord.". | Why not take a a trip to Hollywood and put": things right over there! I leave ‘it ‘at that without. dominent, except fo: remark that: hardly’ anything in. thid .world-evéen ‘/pictures-is completely ‘perfect : and that I think the words * .. that serves any ‘useful. purpose to the motion picture ‘industry" should have been underlined! The trouble with so much film criticism is that it is a part of the movie industry.