Evening star., 1936-08-15
Old Theme
1mpresses
InNeW Film
TO Mary-With Love-
Is Fine Domestic
Drama at Palace.

The advertisers OF certain product
remark in their display, age
improves but does not Great quality"
an adage that seems properly to
suggest the film called ITO Mary
With Love-" which opened yesterday
at Loew's Palace. The story of
prepossessing young couple who start
marriage with high hopes, and collide
with numerous thorns along the path
Of matrimony, is certainly no surprise
package. 1t apparently has improved
with age out in the Hollywood climate,
or in the handling by a new author
named Richard Sherman, however,
for ITO Mary-With Love" Is domestic
drama Of the highest order, with
pleasing cast, dedicSted to the task
Of making fireside problems glamorous
as well as bothersome.
To lend the authentic touch, the
films director slipped in a few mo-
ments of the Dempsey -Tunney fight
at Philadelphia (the newlywedS, War
ner Baxter and Myrna 10y, have
their first spat on the train returning
to New York afterward) and a flash
of the Lindbergh reception. With
these incidents to give the time
element the force of realA,m, the
tale goes further and scrupulously
avoids being a trite marry. fght-for-
clinch-and-fade charade.
1t explores a lot Of the heartaches
suffered by young bloods aged 20-odd
to 30-odd during the mad expansion of
the late 1920's, the collapse of the
dizzy, foolish world which was, never
theless, the only one they had known
as adults, and the long tough years
of the depression.
More surprising than anything else
Is the honesty with which Holly
wood explodes it's own earstwhile
favorite thesis that the only life
worth living is full Of yachts, too
many cocktails, mansions on Long
Island and an endless succession Of
house parties. Even at the end Of
the play, when the pair who were
about to divorce are reconciled, 1t
seems extremely probable that they
are headed for more trouble, because
the husband has an incurable case
of the fever that made men believe
things were better If you built them
bigger, that being rich was not
enough unless you were monstrously
rich and that size is one OF the glories
of mems creations ian idea that
seems pretty silly when you consider
how the greatest feats are dwarfed
by canyons and mountains Nature
tossed of in a spare moment).
On seeing ITO Mary-With Love-
quite a lot OF people are going to
weep bit, remembering the loneli-
ness they felt In the fat years when
the force of easy money kept them
rushing about doing things they really
didn't care for, and others will be
softened with memories of their own
struggles to sustain self-reSpect dur
ing unemployment. and the crumbling
of dreams that turned into mocking
mists.
The selection Of Miss 10y. Mr..
Baxter and Ian Hunter for the lead
ing roles assured a maximum of hon
esty in the performances all the way
through, Miss 10y being the perfect
wife in the estimation of most Of our
leading movie fans, and Mr.. Baxter's
name standing as a guarantee OF
sincere effort to make q characteri-
zation live. Mr.. Hunter, who Is not SO
well known, tackles his job as the
patient, understanding third man on
the scene, with such quiet vigor that
he convinces many onlookers he Is
the more desirable of the two swains.
Right, and so he would be for q girl
who liked her comfort above all else,
as so few of the best do. Claire
Trevor and Jean Dixon have small
roles, also played sensibly.
r. B. p, Jr.