Evening star., 1949-12-24

HOLLYWOOD through the years
has had ''the Lubitsch touch and
"the Hitchcock touch" and these
have been good things. It is now
developing what may very well
be "the Jessel touch" and this is
quite different. Jessel's touch is
hard to describe but the effect is
something like having bat fly
into the back of your head; a
thing, in other words, of discon-
certing surprise.
The latest manifestation OF
Jessel's production technique is
Dancing In the Dark" brightly
colored package at the Palace.
In its semimusical way, it starts
of as if it might be the years
best satire on Hollywood. but this
lasts only until the Jessel touch
intrudes.
At this point, the theater is
drenched in a great gush OF
hokum and Dancing in the Dark
ends as a mawkish pudding with
Betsy Drake as a Cinderella deco
ration on top.
It robs William Powell of the
full effect of a superb satirical
performance which makes his por-
trait of a maniacal old matinee
idol the best character in the
picture. This is piece OF acting
one should be permitted to enjoy
Fundamentally instead of having
1t broken by the Jessel touch.
X 4
The Palace attraction, which
makes the mistake of assuming
that Miss Drake is a potential
Duse, is based upon one Of the
more memorable Kaufman-Dietz-
Schwartz musicals, "The Band
Wagon" 1t is a loose adaptation
by Mary Mccall, jr.. which tells
how a big Hollywood studio Sc
lects q feminine star for one Of
those super-musicals.
Its really arresting character
Is Powell's man. a classically
drunken old ham whose vanity
is as sage in poverty as it was
IN his princely days. With a
hard-boiled press agent mark
Stevens) he sets out for New York
rs a talent scout assigned to cor
railing the ruling princess Of
Broadway musicals. After prov
ing himself foxy enough to pull
this deal, he changes his mind
and decides he will make a star
Of q new girl, Miss Drake, regard
less of his bosses wishes In the
matter.
The rest of the story is how
he bring off this deal but it is
the sort OF thing that sSanta
Claus himself could not believe in.
This is not that Powell's winded
old philanderer could not actually
be the father of an aspiring
actress such as Miss Drake but
rather that he could not have
made the switch from egomania
to gentle parenthood without the
Jessel touch.
X X X
Powell's rich imitation Of a
HOLLYWOOD ham is one of the
comedy highlights of the movie
season. As delusions of grandeur
20, this one Is superbly funny. 1t
4 good even in a Jessel fairy tale,
q revealing sample of an actors
Life when it is motivated by vanity,
women and alcohol. Its funniest
line, a little narrow in its refer
ence but funny nevertheless, is
that when Powell, looking for his
brandy bottle, turns on the over
head light with the remark:
"I thought of that years before
they used it in the picture"
Miss Drake, as the Cinderella of
the Palaces modernized myth, is
q girl who gives the impression of
being forced beyond her talents.
Even though voice is dubbed in
Cor so it seems) for her singing
and some one else does the dane
ing she's supposed to do. 1t all re-
mains unconvincing.
So, apart from Powell's acting.
sDancing In the Dark" puts it
pretty much up to the Christmas
ness of your mood whether you
enjoy 1t or not.