20 Million Sweethearts (Warner Bros.) (1934)

(Review) Powell, O’Brien and Rogers Score Hit in New Comedy **20 Million Sweethearts” Delights With Catchy Music, Clever Acting And Funny Plot W diene tert’ humming and laughing, an enthusiastic au aionpe. Jeft. the .2.00.5:2555, oN as Theatre yesterday, unanimously declaring the new First National picture ““Twenty Million Sweethearts’’ delightful entertainment, and attesting the arrival of a new romantic screen team which will probably be registered among the great lovers of the cinema, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers. With Pat O’Brien cast in a part made to order for his unique abilities as a comedian, and Powell and Rogers, making musical love throughout the action of the fast moving and hilariously funny comedy, with the Four Mills Brothers, the Three Radio Rogues, and Ted Fio Rito’s orchestra, and a remarkably capable cast in the supporting roles, “20 Million Sweethearts” will undoubtedly take its place as one of the outstanding hits of 1934. The picture paints in an exciting manner the back of the scenes life of radio entertainers, their struggles and their successes, their heartaches and their romances. It is filled not only with exciting drama, lively comedy and colorful romance, but with some of the catchiest musical numbers that have ever been heard on the screen or over the radio. Powell Proves Brilliant Dick Powell is as brilliant in this picture as he was in the great musicals of “Wonder Bar,” “42nd Street,” “Gold Diggers of Triumvirate Let’s start from the bottom and go up this time. We find Gin ger Rogers, Dick Powell and way on top Pat O’Brien. They’re all in “Twenty Million Sweet hearts,” coming to the Strand, Thursday. Mat No. 13—10c¢ 1933” and “Footlight Parade,” if not more so. His voice has a quality of unusual warmth and color while his personality is one of exceptional charm. He has well been named “the man with the million dollar smile.” The titian haired Ginger Rogers, who plays opposite Powell as his radio sweetheart, won fame both on the musical comedy stage and in such screen musicals as “42nd Street” and “Gold Diggers of 1933.” In “20 Million Sweethearts,” she not only gives a splendid performance but renders her songs in a voice of rare and unusual sweetness. Harry Warren and Al Dubin, the ace song writing team of 3roadway, and more recently of Hollywood, have outdone themselves in this picture with songs of unusually eatchy air and words. The reviewer misses his guess if these tunes are not soon being whistled the country over. “ll String Along With You,” first sung by Powell alone and later with Ginger, is one of the liveliest romantic numbers ever put out and is destined to be one of the outstanding song hits of the year. Other tuneful airs by Warren and Dubin include “Out for No Good” sung by Miss Rogers, “Fair and Warmer,” a piano solo by Ted Fio Rito and “What Are Your Intentions?” sung by Dick Powell to the aecompaniment of Ted Fio Rito and _ his band, Specialty Numbers Please There are several specialty numbers that alone are worth the price of admission. These include songs by the famous Four Mills Brothers and their guitar, imitations by the Three Radio Rogues and Ted Fio Rito’s orchestrations. Pat O’Brien is excellent in the lead role, a comedy characterization of an over enthusiastic and over confident radio talent scout whose fast talking wins him many a prize plum, which he as promptly loses through his blundering promotion schemes. Allen Jenkins, as a children hour entertainer, is a show in himself, while Grant Mitchell as the irascible studio manager, Joseph Cawthorne as a_ radio advertiser, Joan Wheeler, Henry O’Neill and Johnny Arthur, all do fine work. The story by Paul Finder Moss and Jerry Wald gives an intimate insight into the lives of radio entertainers and_ their work, which will be a revelation to most audiences. Warren Duff and Harry Sauber have added sparkling dialogue to their excellent sereen dramatization while Ray Enright has directed the picture with unusual skill. While the picture is not an out-and-out musical, having a well defined and_ entertaining comedy drama plot, yet the music adds much to the liveliness and color of the production. No matter whether you prefer comedy, drama, romance or music, here you will find them combined in a delightful ensemble—in a pieture which can be unqualifiedly recommended as an outstanding production. FREAK FACS..... ABOUT FILM FA GINGER NM a fa ROG GoT HER ODD & FIRST NAME ( Gy { ANS & FROM A Y| SCHOOL FRIEND « who coupn'r WSS SAY VIRGINIA’ NEVER SAW A STREET-CAR JNTIL HE WAS SIX YEARS OLD. wf Popular stars appearing in <, CLs, “Twenty Million eg | ane ass JENKINS STARTED HIS THEATRICAL CAREER SHIFTING SCENES GAVE UP HIS LAW PRACTICE TO vain y LEN G pw STOCK = $ COMPANY. LEGITIMATE B / STAGE Sweethearts,” coming to the Strand. Is your paper using this feature Just show it to your editor and he’ll make a dive for it! Mat No. 12—20e Dick Powell With Ginger Rogers New Film Lovers Team A brand new romantie team comes to the screen in the persons of Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers who appear as_ screen lovers in “Twenty Million Sweethearts” the First National pieture which opens at the ............. Pheatre beginnings... erie No more popular couple could appear together than these two, who are said to be not only admirably suited to each other temperamentally and physically, but to work in perfect harmony. Both have won their spurs as popular screen players as well as singers of exceptional ability. Powell rose to screen fame from an orchestra leader through such pictures as “42nd Street,” “Footlight Parade,” “Gold Diggers of 1933,” “Wonder Bar” and others. Ginger, the titian haired beauty, first made her hit on the musical comedy stage and later in pictures, including the musieals of “Gold Diggers of 1933” and “42nd Street.” Powell and Ginger have appeared together before, in “42nd Street” and “Gold Diggers of 1933,” but Ginger did not have the romantic lead opposite Dick in these pictures. In both of these pictures Dick was teamed with Ruby Keeler. Now in “Twenty Million Sweethearts” it is Dick and Ginger, with Pat O’Brien playing the straight comedy lead. The picture, which is based on the story by Paul Finder Moss and Jerry Wald, is a combination of ecomedy, romance, drama and rare musical numbers. There are many catchy airs, written by the ace song writing team of Harry Warren and Al Dubin, who have written the lyrics and musie for other Warner Bros.-First National specials. One song, “T’ll String Along With You,” sung first by Powell alone and then by Powell and Ginger is said to be of unusual merit, with eatehy words as well as music, There are several specialty numbers in the picture in addition to the songs rendered by Powell and Ginger. These include music by Ted Fio Rito and his band, songs by the Four Mills 3ros. and imitations of famous radio personages by the Three Radio Rogues. The story, a romance of the radio, was dramatized for the sereen by Warren Duff and Harry Sauber and directed by Ray Enright. . Singin’ Your Blues Away Romance of Radio Comes to Screen of .... Theatre Today “Twenty Million Sweethearts,” the First National romance of the radio, will be shown for the first time locally at the ........... Theatre today. The production is said to be a distinct innovation in film entertainment, giving as it does, the behind the scenes picture of radio entertainers and their task of pleasing the public. The story, by Paul Finder Moss and Jerry Wald, deals with the intimate romances of the radio folk, with their joys and tribulations, their struggles and successes. While the picture is said to combine drama, comedy and romance in a well defined plot, it is interspersed with catchy songs written by Warren and Dubin and other musie which give it color as well as adding to the liveliness of the entertainment. There is ‘a.strong cast of players of widely diversified talents, with Pat O’Brien in the leading role, a semi-comic part in which he plays a fast talking though somewhat blundering talent scout for a radio company, who boosts others to fame while he himself is left out in the cold. The picture introduces a new romantic team in Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers, radio sweethearts who sing for the public and make love privately. The Four Mills Brothers’ voices will be heard in catchy music while Ted Fio Rito and his band play the accompaniment to one of Powell’s tuneful lays, as well = individual music. Others in the cast include Allen Jenkins, Grant Mitchell, Joseph Cawthorne, Joan Wheeler, Henry O’Neill and Johnny Arthur. Ray Enright directed the production from the screen play by Warren Duff and Harry Sauber. Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers go in for close harmony in “Twenty Million Sweethearts’? racy musical comedy coming to the Strand. The film concerns the life and loves of a radio crooner and features such outstanding stars of the air as the Mills Brothers, Ted Fio R'to and his Band and The Radio Rogues. Mat No. 10—20c¢ Page Twenty-five