Meet Some More Crazy People

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 29, 30 December 1938, Page 14

Meet Some More Crazy People

{"Service De Luxe.’ Universal. Directed by Rowland V. Lee. With Const-nce Bennett, Vincent Price, Chartie Ruggles. First release: Weifington, December 30.] OLLY WOOD, or at least a ' large part of it, still suffers from the delusion that people must be crazy in order to be funny. Latest outburst of insanity is found in "Service de Luxe," in which Constance Bennett, Vineent Price, Charlie Ruggles and Mischa Auer vie with one another in doing the kind of things that audiences found so funny in "Theodora Goes Wild" and films of that ilk. Two years ago I might have acclaimed this production as a gem of farce. But that was twe years ago, Nevertheless, in its way--its stereotyped and outmoded way"Service de Luxe" is competently done. It introduce. us to one of those thoroughly efficient modern business women who are also beautiful. Her name is Helen Murphy, and she conducts the Dorothy Madi-

son Service, an organisation as pervasive as itching powder and just about as annoying. Anyone putting himself or herself in the hands of Dorothy Madisor. abandong all personality, all claim to a will of his (or her) own. Dorothy Madison wili find your los: dogs, sew buttons on your trousers, arrange your marriage. practically clean your teeth. Soft Surrender HIS omniscient ‘emale, as por trayed by Constance Bennett, is -suecessful but unhappy. She wanis to be ordered about herself a bit for a change. And when she encounters a strong, handsome and not-so-silent male from the country, she goes all sweetly feminine, and soon

folds into his manly arms in ® mood of soft surrender, And then, of couse, this manly male finds out all about Dorothy Madison and thinks that the mood of soft surrender is just another aspect of the Dorothy Madison Service; and it takes the rest of the picture to straighten out the mess and make everybody happy.

Victoria’s Albert "SERVICE DE LUXE" serves to introduce movie audiences to Vincent Price, who plays the lad from the country who knew his onions. Price made, his name in the role of Prince Albert opposite Helen Hayes in the New York stage presentation of "Victoria Regina"; and, with that in mind, it seems to me to have been the height of something or other for Hollywood to have plunged him into a crazy comedy. Yet he reacts to the madcap moods of the noisy, --huskyvoiced Constance Bennett as proficiently as he must have reacted toa the delicate advances of Queen Victoria. Lesser iunaties of "Service de Luxe" ave Charlic Ruggles, an eccentric, wealthy engineer, who prefers. cookery, and concocts omelets in his study; and Mischa Auer, who turns in-anether of his portrayals of unbalanced foreigners. This time he is an exiled Russian prince, turned chef, who is so mad that he hears spirit voices. Mischa Auer can be one of the funniest people on the screen; but the effort of haying to be one degree crazier in each picture be makes is getting him down. Most spontaneous performance of the whoie show, and consequently the best, is that of Helen Broderick, counsellor and outspoken friend to the heroine.