"Winterset's" Hero Goes To College

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 32, 20 January 1939, Page 18

"Winterset's" Hero Goes To College

_CSpring Madness.’?:.M+G:Mi Starring Maureen O'Sullivan, ew _ Ayres, ‘Burgess "Meredith. Release: «Date indefinite.] OR .a collegiate picture, . ‘*Spring "Madness’’ has at ‘least one’ distinct mark of novelty. ‘It entirely omits the football. Somewhat: less distinctive is the opportunity offered for Burgess. « Meredith to return to the screen he graced so memorably. in "Winterset." Not that his. performance ‘isn’t the. outstanding’ feature.: of. "Spring ‘Madness."..It ‘is; but un-‘less:-Mr. : Meredith was fooling us in "Winterset," he is a great tragedian; and "Spring "Madness" per"mits him.td be just another ‘erazy ‘gomedian. ~ Rather more © gifted and éven mere eccentric than" the ‘average, perhaps, but still just one ‘of a crowd. ‘He is presented as: a ‘senior of ‘Harvard with an ‘urge ‘(and a.hardearned boat ticket). to. za'to Russia. It is a pity. he didn’t. make: it,: for, the Russigng, would :prohably: know bettér than Hollywood ‘how

to employ Mr. ‘Meredith’s peculiar talents. Love Finds Lew Ayres J ,OOKING and. -behaving ‘rather like a mixture of a:Marxist'and a Marx Brother, Mr. Meredith remains on ‘the verge of. hysterics and his trip to. Russia throughout the ‘story, while -his «chosen ‘travel-ling-companion (Lew. Ayres) : spoils ‘all their plans: by ‘pursuing, and being pursued: ‘by, an attractive co-ed ‘(Maureen *O’Sullivan). Love, you see, has come to Mr.: Ayres with a wallop,.and though he -is ‘sincere enough in ‘his desire to ‘study conditions in the Soviet, he is led astray by the more immer diate prospect of istudying conditions in an American girls’ college. Higher Education OR their part, the girls seem to have: adopted whole-heartedly the dictum of Pove that the proper study of mankind is man. With a constant ‘stream ‘of undergraduates at their door, there is no lack of sul jects. .When the heroine discloses that she is about to lose her boy friend to the Soviet, her room-mates rally ‘round .enthusiastically, ‘employ all ‘the subtle weapons in woman’s armoury-and some of the pblunter. ones, too-to make him change his mind. And, of course, they succeed. Even allowing for the benefits of America’s’ higher education, which includes a knowledge of the Big Apple, car-wrecking, and a:language ‘all its own, these coljege lads and lasses seem abnorm‘ally bright and frisky. However, the title’ "Spring ‘Madness" ex"plains a. lot; and the curtain-fall is likely to: find. you exhauste® but mildly amused. I still think; though, that those boys should have gene.to Russiaif only for the sake ‘of the Russians, ‘who. are a. -notoriously -gloomy people.