Evening star., 1940-06-01

vaudeville after highly successful
TRANSMISSION. From first to last, it
is simple and spirited, so much the
latter one forgets how much it is
the former. (Or how to be para
doxical in one uneasy sentence)
Flight Angels" does not Alto
gether ignore the aura of glamour
which surrounds the lives of the
girls who work between here and
the sky. They are presented in q
few sequences as angels who ad-
minister to the needs of mortals
suffering from a variety of troubles
ranging from indigestion through
fear, to an acute case of stork trou-
BILE. These phases of a profession
that is necessarily fascinating to
the earthbound are disposed of,
however, in the first sequence. After
that, the picture settles back to
earth, to soar again only in a pass
age in which a test plane violates
all the laws of aerodynamics-un-
less, perchsnce, we are flunking that
course again. Had the wings of the
plane collapsed in that full power
dive, from $4,000 feet to $4,000, it
not only would have been more
thrilling but would have compelled
writer's Jerry Wald and Fred Ma
cauley to side-slip around that con-
ventional ending.
In their earthbound phases, which
consume most of the films footage,
the hostesses act like any group of
young women afflicted with yearn-
ings, jealousies, etc. Most angelic
of the lot is the angel played by
Miss Bruce, whose attitude of pretty
resignation in the face of a love
that never flies smoothly is in sharp
contrast to that of other members
of the subheavenly host. Sharpest
is its contrast to the knock down,
mop-up scrap in which blond, orna-
mental Jane Wyman wrestles her
way to victory over Margot Stew
enson. 1t seems such odd conduct
for angels, even flight ones, al
though it does serve to inject a
moment of zest into the proceedings.
Another covey of angels, appren-
tices so to speak, is injected into
the action for comedy purposes.
This is the group being trained as
stewardesses, a giddy lot, which
does make some fun, but not much,
out of harassing the poor, semi
blind pilot who is trying to teach
them the principles of flying and
meteorology.
The male set-up presents Morgan
as the pilot grounded for defective
sight, fellow who in his seeing
days had girl in every port, and
Wayne Morris as his faithful stooge.
The Morris role is vaguely reminis-
cent of that which Spencer Tracy
played in TEST Pilot" the more
vaguely because of the difference
in their respective skills in han
ding material which is now comic,
now dramatic.
An audience virtually overfowing
with ambitious singers started the
Earle's new Sing a Song" feature
at yesterdays first show with spirit
which never Jagged thereafter. The
mishap of the girl who reached and
missed an F sharp, or maybe it was
G, was the merriest moment of
the entire performance.
Otherwise the stage show is a
parade of well-handled gags, over
which Don Rice acts as an effective
master of ceremonies. The four
Sidneys, unicycle experts among
other talents, start the thing of,
after which Jimmy and Mildred
Mulcay demonstrate that Larry Ad-
Ter is not the only genius on the
harmonica. Zoska, a Russian dane
er, contributes some neat Musco-
vite capering, and Ginger Harmon
swings some songs in a not par
ticularly distinguished style.
The Roxyettes, resting up after
their unicycle triumph, are at their
best in an acnobatic routine which
spills them all over the stage for
comedy effect. It's the sort of thing
they ought to do more often, If any
one asks us,