Evening star., 1941-04-05

Mr.. Lloyd somehow seems to have
put on the screen, without appearing
on il, some of that fresh spirit
which always marked his own star
ring vehicles.
The principal characters in the
fable Mr.. Lloyd tells are, as you
might guess from the title, girl,
a guy and COB, all as normal as
can be, in their own not quite
normal way. The girl is a pretty
secretary who thinks she is in love
with the COB, who thinks he is in
love with her. The guy is the secre-
tary's boss, swho thinks he is in
love with some one else, until he
learns that people have more fun
than anybody, especially more fun
than the stuffed shirt people with
whom he has been associating here
tofore.
Once getting these three together
Mr.. Lloyd has tried only to keep
you laughing happily until their
romantic affairs are settled the
way you know they are going to be.
And he has been successful enough
in this effort that you will hardly
ever be aware that the yarn really
Is cid hat. The comedy manners
of "A Girl, Guy and a Cob" are
especially welcome in a day when
the boys in Hollywood seem more
intent on seeing what they can slip
by the Hays Office than anything
Glse Tl1ic rnfroSli1n
ing affair is all good, clean fun, and
really fun, with nary a word of
boudoir banter in the whole of it.
X X
Perhaps the happiest Lloyd touch
one might note in "A Girl, a Guy
and Cob" is the geniality of it.
Nobody hates anybody. The guy
does have a few harsh words to say,
of course, when his new secretary
turns out to be the same girl who
dropped her purse on his head at a
concert the night before, after hav-
ing taken her family there with the
tickets he had lost. But when he,
the capitalist, learns how the other
half lives, he turns out to be quite an
agreeable chap. after all. The COB
is a cheerful fellow, too, who con-
siders the guy his best friend, even
after his girl finds her heart.
The comedy of the film derives
principally from gags, both indi-
vidual and running, some revolving
about the girls family, the wackiest
you have seen since You Can't Take
1t With You" and some concerned
with the gob'S efforts to get enough
cash to buy an engagement ring.
zaniest of the gags. perhaps, is the
one involving the girls father, who
always saws everything twice. like
this: HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?"
and then, How do you feel now?"
He used to work in a boiler fac
tory. And there is even an old
Harold Lloyd chase, through busy
streets teeming with traffic.
"A Girl, Guy and A Cob" is
PLAYED with keen zest, by every one
concerned, from Lucille Ball to
fellow named "Doodles" Weaver,
tmpersonating a sailor pal of the
gcbs, who can grow 4 inches on
demand. Miss Ball is especially fine
as the girl, giving every indication
that she is happy with role which
permits her to be an engaging and
natural young lady. not given to the
crack wise. George Murphy, the
goo, is no end agreeable, too, as
is usually expected of him. And
there is a newcomer named Edmond
OBr1en whose performance as the
guy indicates that he is one answer
to that cry of the film producers for
leading men. He's lad you should
be seeing more often in the near
future.
X X
The Earle's stage show is lively
and varied and boasts as it's head
liner Miss Martha Raye, the cinema
comic. On her way back to the
coast after Broadway success in
Hold Onto Your Hats" Miss Rave
pauses long enough to brighten con-
siderably with comic song the par