Evening star., 1948-10-27

OBSERVATION CnaG Cne uln VeISlOu o.
yesterday at Keith's, is not overly
comedy that you are likely to find
aisle with tears of laughter coursing
down your cheeks.
The joke about the luscious and
eminently desirable young woman
who tries without success to force
herself on the callow yokel has
been pretty well worked over by
now. It even is employed to keep
several comic strips going. The
Jest probably will stay with us, Of
course, no matter how old and
feeble 1t grows, since a man watch
ing it enacted is given certain
sense of complacency by knowing
what his reaction would be If Ava
Gardiner made one of those over
lures in his direction.
1t must be said in favor of the
cinema's "One Touch of Venus"
that it does not waste whole lot
Of a mans time on its fable, wind
ing up its account of Venus earth
bound day in scarcely 90 minutes
over an hour. Since Miss Gardner
Is visible during most of this time
clad in flimsy things that cling to-
her admirable contours, man
would have to be churl to COM
plain too much.
X II n \
However, it is Miss Gardiner,
curiously or maybe not so curiously,
who is at the center of the short
comings of "One Touch of Venus"
as a frothy dream fable. This is
supposed to be light-hearted fan
tasy about the furore set up when
the old Greek goddess of love comes
to life for "a hours, and Miss
Gardiner, leave us face it, is not too
happily cast in the leading role.
This Is not to be assumed COM
plant about any facet Of Miss
Gardiner. If she becomes a great
actress and perpetuates her face,
figure and career before the cameras
that will be fine, but the fact can
not be avoided that she Is about as
reminiscent of Olympian heights as
o song by Marlene Dietrich.
~ ~
The events of the Keith's Aim
get under way when Robert Walker,
a sober and industrious department
store hireling, looks with more than
ordinary approval on a valuable
statue of Venus. He is, then, some
what startled to discover that the
warmth of his admiration has
turned her from marble to Ava
Gardiner. or as she puts 1t, Venus,
the goddess of love.
The beginners class in elementary
script writing can take it from there.
What, the department store owner
wants to know, has his clerk done
with that 5000, 900 statue of Venus?
What, the young mans girl friend
wants to know, Is he up to with that
woman he first hides In q bubble
bath and then tries to hide In a
model home in the department
store? What. anybody can ask, Is
the point of going any further with
this?
Musically, these adventures Of
Venus and her unwilling love on
earth are shakily sustained by three
Kurt WE'LL melodies, sung variousiy
by Miss Gardiner, Olga San Juan,
Dick Haynes and Eve Arden, in
solo and in various combinations.
There is not much emphasis put
on any of the score, but such as
there is is reserved for Speak Low,
which Is sensible enough, this prob
ably being the best melody from the
original.
The cast Of Zone Touch Of Venus"
gives it q little better, perhaps,
than the pedestrian script actually
deserves. Mr.. Walker does ably
enough as the bewildered young
man fleeing the touch Of Venus, Eve
Arden is fine In her usual role and
Olga San Juan, Dick Haynes and
Tom Conway manage well enough
In their contributions.
The heartiest recommendation for
zone Touch Of Venus" must be
directed, however, at those not inter-
ested in much more than sitting
and looking at Miss Gardiner fer
awhile.
The film, incidentally, wins top
honors for the greatest r use
Hollywood has yet achieved for the
talents of Sara Algood. She beats
on the door Of Mr.. Walkers room,
enters demanding that he get that
woman out Of there, admires the
scent Of a bubble bath and departs,
never to be seen again. Could it
be that the script was embarrassed
in her presence?