FilmIndia (1945)

Reviewed In New York By. P. S. HARRISON ( Editor : HARRISON'S REPORTS) "GEORGE WHITE'S SCANDALS" (RKO, no release date set; time, 95 min.) The best than can be said for this comedy with music is that the title may insure for it a better-lhan-averagc success at the box-office. As entertainment, it is only fair, at times becoming tedious. The fault lies in the story, which is silly and commonplace, and in the treatment, which is unimaginative. The picture does nothing to further the career of Joan Davis, for, although she is a good comedienne, she cannot overcome the inept material. For the most part, the comedy is forced, much of it in slapstick style. Musically, the picture is fairly good. The songs and production numbers are lively, and Gene Krupa's "swing" music and Ethel Smith's organ playing should serve to attract the younger set. Martha Holliday, a pleasing and stunning personality, is outstanding in several dance numbers, and she can act well, too: — At a reunion of the cast of George White's 19 19 Scandals, Joan Davis announces her engagement to Jack Haley, star comedian of the 1945 Scandals, but confesses that Haley's spinster sister (Margaret Hamilton) was trying to break up their romance. Martha Holliday joins the party and introduces herself as the daughter of a chorine in the 1919 show, who had married a British diplomat stationed in Washington. Joan invites her to a rehearsal. Arriving at the theatre on the following day, Martha is mistaken for a chorus girl by Philip Terry, the dance director. Martha amused, decides to carry on the deception, and Joan promises to keep her secret from both Terry and her family. George White and Terry soon discover that Maratha was an accomplished ballerina. They give her a featured spot in the show, much to the annoyance of Bettejane Greer, another dancer. Meanwhile Joan and Haley have their troubles because of his sister's tantrums. A romance blossoms between Martha and Terry, but it soon goes on the rocks when Bettejane reveals Martha's identity to Terry, leading him to believe that she had been amusing herself with him. They quarrel, and Martha fails to appear on opening night. With the show half over, Haley, circulating amongst the audience in a mind reading act with Joan, discovers Martha watching the show. He spirits her backstage, where she effects a reconciliation with Terry in time to appear in her ballet number. Her brilliant performance draws cheers from the audience, and it all ends with Terry and Martha in each other's arms, and with the spinster sister giving Joan and Haley her blessing. Hugh Wedlock, Howard Synder, Parke Levy and Howard Green wrote the screen play, George White produced it, and Felix E. Feist directed it. Jack J. Gross and Nat Holt were executive producers. The cast includes Glenn Tryon, Rose Murphy, Fritz Feld, Beverly Wills and others. Unobjectionable morally. "WITHOUT LOVE" (MGM, no release date set; time, in min.) In adapting this form the Theatre Guild's stage play of the same title, the producers have altered the plot considerably; to such an extent, in fact, that the story is unrecognizable. It is, however, an amusing comedy-drama, which should prove to be a pretty good box-office attraction because of the leading players' popularity. The story, which revolves around a young couple who marry for convenience and agree never to fall in love, is incongruous, but good performances and some bright comedy situations make it the type of entertainment that leaves an audience in a pleasant mood. Most of the comedy is brought about by the young couple's endeavours to suppress their desire for one another. There is more talk than action, but the sparkling dialogue is a compensating factor. A secondary romance between Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball, with Patricia Morison as the other woman, provides some humo rous moments: — Seeking a house in Washington, D.C., to conduct secret experiments for his invention of an aviator's oxygen hel Angela Lansbury, M.G.M. star, is quite a beauty expert. With a few deft touches here and there, she shows what can be done . by almost every woman to obtain better personality. 55