Evening star., 1935-09-21
Ovation for
Casa LOnaS
In Fox Show
"Eere Comes Band
Is Film Feature
With Music.

DRECEDED by a radio reputation
which assured them an avid au-
dience. Glen Gray. Ken Sargent, Pee
Wee Hunt and the rest of the Casa
Iona Orchestra yesterday made their
first appearance on a Washington
stage at the Fox and at the first show
received thunderous ovation, which
certainly must have shaken loose
some of the fine gilt on that theater's
massive proscenium.
If these boys ever have a week open
they can come down here and play
encores to their first show for the
seven days, for Casa Iona fans never
get enough of the Casa Iona swing.
The Casa Iona arrangements of
popular dance tunes are knockouts.
Their hot" numbers, typified by such
things as chinatown" and Casa
Iona Stomp" fairly sizzle. Their blue
numbers, particularly their own Blue
Prelude" are the bluest ever. And
when the lads go sweet" you could
ask for no smoother music.
The principal individual star with
the Casa Iona corporation is Kenny
Sargent, a young fellow with a voice
that makes good songs sound better.
His best offerings are the currently
popular East Of the Sun" and couple
of older hits, "Under a Blanket Of
Blue" and For YOU" which three
numbers alone are worth the price of
admission, even if you don't like any
thing else on the Fox bill. Pee Wee
Hunt, another immensely popular
member of the Casa Iona aggregation,
handles the rest of the singing chores
and does it nobly.
Second honors on the Fox stage go
to Bob Murphy, well-liked vaudeville
performer, who recently appeared as
the singing cop in Dick Powell's
Broadway Gondoliers." Bob intro
duces his handsome daughter, Doro-
thy, and his son, Dick, and the three
Enthusiastically lol about the stage. i'll
a turn which rates high in entertain
ment value Bob's singing and gagging,
Dorothy's singing and Dicks piano
efforts all score, with Dorothy's pleas
ant delivery of a group OF favorite
tunes rating and getting the most
applause.
Even the lead-off act on the cur
rent stage bill is good. 1t is Paul
Nolan, who expertly combines adept
juggling and COMEDY.
Here Comes the Band" Metro
Gcldwyn- Mayer production. which is
the screen attraction, is the type Of
film which gave rise TO the belief, be-
fore Naughty Marietta" that M
GIN cannot make a musicale In
fact Here Comes the Band" may
arouse the suspicion in your mind
that some cne in Hollywood has been
over in England studying the British
method of making song and dance
films. There is nothing you can def
nitely put your finger on, but some
how the picture lacks the Suavity and
the dexterity which makes musicales
click.
The dance numbers have that drag
ged III by the heels look instead OF
appearing quite natural. and to make
a musical movie a hit 1t must always
seem quite natural for % chorus girls
to pop out from behind the radiator
in a two-room apartment. There
an inexplicable trick to it that the
makers of this current cinema did not
employ.
Here Comes the Band" has in its
favor, however, Ted Lewis, which
means good music; one chorus OF
When My Baby Smiles at Me-" -four
tunes written especially for the film
and some fine singing by Harry
Stockwell. The point of it all, though
the motives are rather vague, seems
to be to sell the public on tune en-
titled "Headin' Home" (though
You're My Thrill" another of the
four, has more of the makings of a
hit), for the ditty is done until you're
ready to head home yourself.
The plot has to do with one Ollie
Watts CAr. StockwelD. VINO is a great
artist with a soul, and the establish