Evening star., 1939-01-23

assistance OF those two exceptional
children, Peter Holden and Virginia
Weidler, Mr.. Barrymore takes this
slice of hokum and turns it into one
of the most engaging comedy pieces
in months. AS unpretentious as a
snack in the kitchen at midnight,
it moves along on an entertainment
level that towers above that Of a
dozen more lavish pieces one could
name If comparisons were not bad
manners in even a movie reviewer.
Difficult as it is to get away from
Mr.. Barrymore's portrait Of an ap-
pealing human ruin, it probably
should be quickly recorded at this
point that R-K-O has done very well
by the Holden lad His role in the
film Is of piece with that he played
on Broadway last year in "On Bor-
rowed Time" and he does 1t with a
remarkable display of talent. His
voice, gestures, comprehension of
part, and especially the way he uti-
Lies furniture to crawl on and
sprawl upon are just what the
movies have needed. The way Mr..
Barrymore tosses scenes to his two
young colleagues makes 1t pretty
evident that they are his favorite
players as well as the audiences.
Don't be misled by the title of
the picture. 1t is not social docu-
ment. On the contrary 1t is a thing
Of warm, human flavor, the tender,
somewhat satirical tale of two chill
dren trying to reform a prodigal
parent. When the reformation
starts, sometime after the death of
the mother of the unique family,
the father has fallen all the way
from a Harvard fellowship to q Job
as night watchman in a warehouse.
His avocation Is alcohol, with which
he mixes a yearning to sock the
world in the eye after he has fin
ished calling 1t all the mocking
names he can think of. That Is a
lot of names, you can be sure. You
can also be sure that Mr.. Barry
more calls them with a grandil-
oquence that would do honor to
soliloquy Of Shakespeare. It is
plain that he is having a lark, and
his enjoyment of the role is one of
the most Infectious things the
movies have caught lately.
1t is a nicely imaginative and
fresh device that Author John
Twist uses to get his brilliant trio
of misfits from under the heel of
malevolent destiny. Mr.. Barry
more's philosophic renegade turns
out to be the only voter in his pre-
cinct. When political leaders of the
town realize this they see at once
they have something better than
Maine as a divining rod for political
currents. It is a kind of as-Barry-
more-goes- goes-the-N Nation thing.
Fantastic and lots Of fun, particu-
larly in the hands of such a ca
pable cast.
The engaging madness of genius
which touches the frayed father
and his two highly intelligent off,
spring is the thing which gives the
picture its particular charm. They
have been equipped not merely with
a point Of view that departs from
the normal but with correspond
ingly different dialogue. It comes
as a great treat during an interval
in which film dialogue has been so
standard that keeping 10 speeches
ahead of the cast has been COM
parative child's play. Seven-year-
old Peter and 10-year-old Virginia
give utterance to some very pungent
comment on life and affairs in the
course of the drama. They read
with an intelligence and penetra-
ton that ought to prove a remark
able palliative to those who remain
away from movies because they are
allergic to merely cute cinema chill
dren.
The three principals of THE