The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-02-14

SAN FRANCISCO Every once
in a while you see or read or feel
something that you 60 head over
heels about, and can't quit talking
about.
That has happened to me re-
Gently about two things. One is
movie, the other is a show.
The movie is called Fighting
Lady," and was produced by the
Navy. The show is a musical ex-
travaganza on roller skates, cal
led Skating Vanities."
Let's get to the movie first. 1t
has already gone into general show
ing in several cities, and will even
tually be shown everywhere, in reg
ular theaters. If you ever see
it advertised, for goodness sakes,
go see it.
1t is the story OF life aboard
an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.
1t is in Technicolor and it's all
genuine. 1 wasn't produced in Hol-
lywood from fancy sets. 1t was all
taken by Navy cameramen right
on the spot. 1t is as beautiful,
and as thrilling, as anything I've
ever seen.
A good third Of it was taken by
automatic cameras in the noses
of fighter planes. You dive on Jap
anese islands as though you were
in the plane yourself.
You can see your own tracer
bullets shooting out ahead ana
lingering into Japanese planes.
You see the Jap planes suddenly
explode in a wave of red flame
and see them twist down and down
into the sea. Not one or two isolated
and far-away shots, but scores OF
them, close up and vivid.
And you see our own crippled
planes come back to land on the
mother carrier. You see them
crack up, skid over the side, catch
fire and burn on the deck. You
Sc one poor fellow who ran out
of gasoline when he was only SO
yards from the deck, and had to
go in the water.
Fighting Lady" is magnifi-
cent piece of work. You'll know
considerably more about what war
feels like after you see it.
Skating Vanities" has nothing
to do with the war. 1t is, rather,
something to take your mind off
the war. 1t is just a great big
beautiful musical show and circus
on roller skates.
There are several big ice shows
touring the country, but Skating
Vanties' is the only one using roll
Ter skates. 1t has just been on
the west coast and is now working
its way eastward again.
You'd think that the grace and
lithesomeness of dancing couldn't
be accomplished on rollers, but it
can. This show has 100 performers
who are genii on wheels. They say
it would be impossible to create
another show of this sort, because
there simply aren't another 100
outstanding roller skaters in
America.
It took almost a year of combing
the country to get enough skaters
to start the show. Marriage and
the draft keep whiting down the
cast, and they have to hold trv
Gus in every big city thew play
to dig up new skaters.
Right now three dozen of the
old cast are somewhere in the
armed forces. A dozen of the man
now skating have served in tho
Army, and the rest are either A.
Fs or below military age. One Of
the exceptional skaters was SOL
der in Italy. One of the AIS has
poor eyesight he can't see where
he's going, and the other skaters
have to call right or left" to
him as they skate along.
The star of the show is MAG.
nificent little blond creature named
Gloria Nord. Like most great shat
ing stars. she is of Norweo;ar
DESCENT. Her name wac sc+,,e11n