Evening star., 1952-08-08

Funniest thing about "Has
Anybody Seen My GAL" the Tech
nicolor comedy at the Capitol
theater is its period.
This was the 20s when John
Held was the times most ironic
artist, when women wore dresses
above their knees and no man
Rbout-town would think of being
caught out without a raccoon
coat. This was one of the most
ridiculous decades of any century
and it is amusing of Universal
International pictures to recall
it.
The best part of the inspiration
Of Joseph Hoffman'S screenplay
ends here, however. Beyond it,
he provides one Of those just folks
tales to be acted out by such per-
formers as Piper Laurie, Rock
Hudson, Charles Coburn and Gigi
Perreau.
OF the various comedy combi-
nations among the cast. Coburn
and Gigi are by far the best.
Acting under the handicap that
one more clustering old man and
precocious child combination
might be fatally boring to a large
proportion of the audience. they
team perfectly to achieve the
opposite effect.
What goes on in the Capitol'S
homespun comedy centers in the
situation in which a rich old man
(Coburn) decides to check up on
an unsuspecting family to whom
he has decided to leave his fortune.
Having forced his way to the
top in gold and oil, pair of
profitable fields. this tycoon thinks
nothing of forcing his way into
the Blaisdell family life. Con-
cealing the purpose of his in
trusion. he proceeds to take over
the place for all the world as if
it were a factory just added to
his collection.
His justification for this is that
he once loved the grandmother
Of the Blaisdells and would have
been their grandfather had his
affection been reciprocated.
*x*
Douglas Sirk has directed HAS
Anybody Seen My Gal" with a
fair sense of how to make the most
of its standard incident. He fixes
the fight between Coburn and Miss
Perreau to see that it is a draw
and he lets the others go only to
the point where relations will
not become hopelessly strained.
Miss Laurie's participation in all
this is to illustrate the antics Of
the long-dead flapper type. This
was a gaudy girl who rolled her
stockings and otherwise defaced
herself in ways that were far more
innocent in their effect than in
their appearance. BY way of
portraying her, Miss Laurie dances
some vigorous snatches of the
Charleston and Black Bottom and
tosseS off a few bars of period
music that are not difficult to
stand.
Rock Hudson's role is the rou-
tine one of being the small town
boy who objects to such manner
isms in a girl and Skip Homeier
plays the raccoon coated suitor
who thinks astray is where girls
should be led.
Lynn Bari and Larry Gates
give acceptable limitations of the
flapper'S immediate ancestors, a
mother and father who had the
endurance to survive what went
on in the young of the 20s.
1t is innocent enough that no
one could take any vigorous ex-
ception to Has Anybody Seen
My Gal" Nor could any one get
more than moderately excited
about it.
For this customers money-and
perhaps for the Capitol's also
the best thing about this weeks
stage show is Ken Whitmer, billed
as the worlds greatest musician.
Under this analogous rating, Whit
mer plays virtually every musical
instrument except the either. It
adds up to number that must
make Petrillo hate him for paying
q mere single union fee.
Top place on the bill, however,
goes to Vinni De Campo, a Kate
Smith singing discovery who is a
pleasant voiced young man. The
other two acts are Singer Betty
Clooney and Giro Rimac's tabloid
Latin Rhythm revue.