Evening star., 1944-04-07

Arlen and Walter Reisch and played
by MGM's cast, it comes off merely
as exasperatingly cute. The usually
urbane Powell gives the impression
of having been taking lessons from
Mickey Rooney, a bad impression for
a man of his age and reputation.
The authors of THE Heavenly
Body" title which alludes directly
to comet which Powell has dis
covered, and indirectly to what you
probably were thinking, cannot
blame Miss Lamar for what hap
pened to their basically farcical sit
uation. She makes not only beau
tiful helpmeet for her astronomer
mate, but gives a deft account of
herself as disconcerting feather
brain whom Zodiacal influences are
driving every one but herself to
lunacy. What cleverness comes out
Of the situation and dialogue with
which she has to deal Is more than
her scriptists had any right to ex-
pect. The same sturdy refusal to
play coy on Powell's part would
have made THE Heavenly Body" a
handy farce with which to while
away a lazy spring day.
As an astronomer who has dis
covered private comet Powell is in
an especially strong position to be
indignant that his wife, of all peo-
pie, should suddenly become de-
voted follower of astrology. What
he knows of the heavenly bodies fits
into no scheme of affecting the pri-
vate lives of pretty lacquered ladies'.
But there Is virtually nothing he
can do about teaching his wife the
facts of astronomy, especially when
everything her astrologer tells her
materializes just as she predicted
1t Is the sort of thing to knock the
props from under a devout scientist,
especially one who is devoted to his
wife and is thoroughly displeased
when the tall, dark, handsome and
adventurous other man pops into
their lives out Of a blackout. That
really fells him, whereas his sudden
affliction with asthma at the precise
hour the astrologer predicted is
merely annoying.
Director Alexander Hall has al
lowed his farce to veer over the
boundary of slapstick on occasion.
There Is a moment, for instance,
In which the usually suave Powell
Is trapped in a stream of water
from a freely playing hose and in
which he behaves as not even an
absent-minded astronomer might.
1t is an odd sequence to insert
among such other much more cere-
bral and comic ones as those In
which the husband attempts to
dissuade the other man from fall
ing in love with his wife in spite
Of the planetary positions and
another in which he delivers a
scientific paper while his thoughts
are on the disastrous and discon-
certing effects of astrology on his
private life. The latter is a particu-
larly bright passage in 'The
Heavenly Body as are several in
which the wife undertakes to con-
vince her astronomer that his sense
Of the stars and planets is trivial,
Insignificant thing.
Neutrality-suspicious. thought
enough of the theme Of the Capt.
tolls picture to decorate it with
a cast Of generally high competence.
As the other man, the adventurer
who finds Miss Lamarr's stars sud-
denly taking complete charge of
his destiny, James Craig gives an
effective performance. So does Fay
Banter as the astrologer who can
read the future to perfection, but
Is definitely scatter-brained when
It comes to remembering where
she left her pencil. Another COM
petent stretch of playing is con-
tributed by Spring Byington, an