Evening star., 1940-05-07

Of purely fictitious, highly talented
political plunderers. Any one who
sees a resemblance to truth and life
IN the material of Louisiana Pur-
chase" simply knows more about
truth and life than sponsors OF the
extravaganza. With q tsk, tsk for
such knowing ones, De Sylvia and
Ryskind disavow any intent to i'm
ply there ever were such goings on
In this great and clean Republic.
That disavowal out of the way, they
60 bitingly berserk in a situation in
which Moore as Senator Loganberry
Of Vermont attempts to clean up
the mess of which Gaxton is the
master mind, and send the rascals
to Jail.
The attendant merriment is quite
as dependent upon the skill of Moore
as the fall guy and Gaxton as the
fellow who trips him, as it Is upon
the material. There is this differ
ence in the tumultuous conflict be-
tween them on this occasion, how
ever, that somewhere behind the
stumblebum he portrays with such
perfection, Moore's Senator has his
touches of archness. Fate does not
have to work quite as hard to save
him as it did when he was Vice
President in "Of Thee Sing" or as
Ambassador to Russia in Leave 1t
to Me-" 1t gives the character a
freshness for which Ryskind may
take a bow along with Moore and
Gaxton.
zorina and Berlin fit ideally into
the scheme of things which so long
has been the province of the M.
and G. team of testers. The latter's
score is rich and varied thing.
from which romance will recruit
one prettily sentimental song this
summer, and at least two others
will be sturdy candidates for the
hit parade and the sandwich shoppe
nickel odeons. You're Lonely and
I'm Lonely" is the Berlin pattern
number to which hearts will beat
a path to the marriage license bu-
reau-in the next few months. ITO
morrow Is a Lovely Day." another
torcher (not torture), Fools Fall
in Love-" and "Latins Know How"
are others likely to leave their mark
on what the newspapers print as
vital statistics" The Berlin touch
is still sure, even when it is re-
quired to adapt itself to the Rys-
kind impulse toward satire.
Zorina's role is much more than
that of beauty and dancing dex-
terity in Louisiana Purchase" The
heroine Of II Married an Angel"
lends an angelic touch, one with
earthly undertones in manner Of
speaking, to her part as the apex
of the triangle of which Moore
and Gaxton are the other angles.
She not only handles her comedy
with skill, but reveals a singing
style that will charm, If not amaze,
her wisely doting public. Her ballet
talent, thrice exhibited, expresses
itself in three tempos Gall right,
tempt, all of them excellent.
That she still has q way with a
song, and the right blood lines for
effective handling Of arch humor,
is something that Miss Bordoni
loses no time in demonstrating in
Louisiana Purchase" Tomorrow
Is Lovely Day" and ''Latins Know
How" are the numbers intrusted
to her and she does right by both
of them, the latter most especially
because 1t is best suited to her
style.
Miss Bordoni is also very useful
as Madame Fixer for Gaxton's band
of Senatorfrustrators, delivering to
them in the end q pretty demon
stration of her genius for the double
cross.
When the principals are not being
tied in the humorously hopeless
knots, De Sylva's rafish idyll of love
and politics offers series of diver
sions that are unfailingly good.
These include the singing Of Carol
Bruce, the specially dancing of
Nick Long, jr., and April Ames. the
harmonizing of that talented quar-
tet billed as the Martins, and the
ensemble dancing of one Of the
largest and prettiest choruses since
Hollywood boasted all the pretty
chorus girls had moved out there.
The visual richness of Louisiana
Purchase" is something for which
Tom Lee deserves public apprecia-
ton as well as the De sylvia pay
checks. Obviously working out OF
a lavish purse. Lee has done an ex-
cellent job both on the scenery and
costumes of the extravaganza-the
latter at its best in Zorina's gowns
and those decorating the six gor-
geous Powers models who make a
lovely border for so much of the
action.
The talented hand Of her husband,
George Balanchine, is evident IN
the ballets of Zorina, and that OF
Carl Randall in the spirited en-
semble numbers.
Robert Emmett Dolan does his
usual excellent job of getting the
ultimate value out of Berlin's score
and out Of the oversize orchestra