The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-14
Promising Pictures Feature Programs OF Local 7heaters
ISHOWBOAT STAR
 ON STATE SCREEN
Lanny Ross Melody in Spring" Opens This
 Afternoon '

Comedy, melody and beauty, ex- pertly. woven together in Para mounts Melody in Spring. heads the double feature program open ing today at Warmers State and presents Lanny Ross, star of radios Maxwell House Showboat in his first feature picture.
 Ross, hailed as second Bing Crosby, is given his screen debut by the same studio that presented Crosby to the film fans a year ago. And he fulfills all expectation. Ross has marvellous tenor voice that, records as well on the screen as 1t does on the radio. He is young and extremely handsome. And he turns in a neat job as an actor in his first screen appearance.
 Charlie Ruggles and Mary Bo- land. that grand comedy team, are on hand to assist Ross in his initial immensely funny. Ann Sothern, Ross Hove interest" is decorative, and sings well in the duets.
 The story has more plot than usually is evident in this type of comedy. Ruggles plays the part of wealthy manufacturer of dog biscuits, who has the nations most popular radio program. As hobby, he collects various objects once owned, associated with, or touched by prominent personnages, and it gets him into frequent diff1- culties. Miss Roland, as usual, is his wife, and Miss Sothern his daughter.
 Ross is pictured as 6 young tenor with fond hopes of getting on Ruggles' radio hour. He pur- sues Charlie from New Jersey to Switzerland until he finally gets the job and marries the girl. En- route he gets tangled up with three of the four beautiful Gale sisters-June, Jane and Joan which further complicates the plot.
 "MeIody in Spring" Ending with Kiss" and ''The Open Road" are the three songs Ross sings.
 It is easy to predict an extensive screen future for Ross. His voice Is unlike that of any other screen singer, and he plays a different type of character, bringing fresh personality to the screen.
 The companion feature Is "The SIlIlo 1(OCIOI otLO Kruger, reigning screen favorite Asther.
 Here is picture which dares to be different by dealing with the human impulses behind a murder, and the startling outcome which cannot be foretold by the audience, despite the fact that they are in full possession of the facts of the case and see the murder com mitted.
 A crime-it might have been the perfect crime-is unfoldcd. from motive to consummation, and the suspense filled aftermath centers about the laws misguided convic- tion of an innocent man. This story makes no attempt to mask the identity of the killed from sthe audience, but makes the suspense bear upon the many emotional sit- nations involved. Only the officers Investigating the case are in the dark. It is akin to playing the old game of "hot and cold" to watch the man-hunt progress. Intimate glifnpses into the mind and tortured soul of the murderer are given. without there being the least inclination to picture crim- inals in a sentimental light. On the other hand, the film shows how a normal mind may become unbal- anced from the shock of Q strong emotion.
 Otto Kruger is nothing less than superb as Dan Clifford, world famous detective, who concludes his last successful man hunt, only to become involved in an amazing l fashion with the strangest murder | case of his-or any-career.