Evening star., 1941-07-05

irony back upon the stage, that the
smooth flow of the story is disrupted
by the interpolated music, and that
its playing appears too much di-
rected toward proving that the
legitimate theater is wacky in the
same way as the movies.
These things are likely to count
little with those who did not see
the play in its premiere at the
National. AS compared with the
usual movie musical, they will take
this one as a melodious thing with
plot, several good characteriza-
tionS, a reasonable amount of COM
edy. some spottily bright dialogue,
hard-working cast, and some
hummable music. Moreover, Para
mount has given 1t production
glitter quite worthy of it's standing
as recent, much discussed Broad
way hit. In addition to Miss Martin,
its cast includes Don Ameche, Os-
car Levant, Rochester, Virginia
Dale, Connie Boswell and several
others almost as well known.
In the role of the latest Cindy
Lou Bethany, still a fiery Southern
girl who knows the answers to
Yankee skullduggery-the show
business kind-Miss Martin has her
best screen role to date. Her quest
for a job on the stage is a nice
thing to bring out the ruthless wis
dom which is masked by her cling
ing vine pose and those capacious,
lacy dresses. one of which she sheds
in the most elaborate strip tease
the movies have yet offered. Miss
Martin gets out of the role not
merely its music-which is to be
expected-but all the drama written
into it by Harry Tugend and Dwight
Taylor who did the adaptation.
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to
make the strip tease scene look as
natural as the charming one she
used to do in the My Heart Be-
longs to Daddy" days. Let it be
said that no one could.
Paramount Kiss the Bows
Goodby" is reasonable facsimile
OF the original story. 1t is the tale
OF a stage production which needs
as its star true Southern belle,
with molasses accent and all. and
the search which is undertaken to
find her. The primary searchers
are a director (Ameche). who is
morally bound to a fading musical
comedy star, and his sardonic, dou-
decreasing friend Gevant), who
really doesn't care who gets the
part so long as it does not go to
the directors old gal friend. The
chase leads through such a variety
OF locales as the Georgia honey
suckle belt and its reverse, the
Long Island gin and bitters area.
The contrast permits of a lot of
comic conflict, which suffers at times
for being too obvious.
There are many moments when
1t would have been better had Miss
Boothe's dialogue been retained,
but that perhaps would have land
ed Paramount across the knees of
the Hays office. The effort to avoid
that fate has not been to advantage
OF the easy, quick humor of the
picture in spite of its casts best
efforts and the addition of all that
music and a fine dance speciality
by Rochester.
Sybil Bowan. the mimic. and Gil
Lamb, the lanky gent who is such
vivid proof that pantomime is not
dead, are the top-notchers around
whom Harry Anger has built the
spirited, patriotically themed stage
show at the Earle this week. They
make as neat combination as you
could want to see and are nicely
supplemented by the Roxyettes in
two highly effective routines.
Lamb, who wanders through the
show from beginning to end, is at
his best in a pantomime bit which
depicts the turmoil of q jitterbug
and those around him at a popular
band show. He is almost as good
in a soldier sketch, which explores
the comedy possibilities of a NAL
adjusted draftee.
Miss Bowan, as funny as ever,
which is very funny. covers such
finely mimicable people as Beatrice
Lille, Gloria Swanson, an English
provincial bathing beauty and q
faded star of the silent movies
All are excellently done.