Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-14

terday at the Capitol theater.
Metro has gone almost as ia
and garlanding the old Sigmund
Romberg confection as its lat
ter-day stage producers went to
make it shoddy.
It's characters in this screen
version are played with such
vigor and charm, and represent
ed so handsomely (male) and
beautifully (female) that Ger
many probably will want to re-
store the monarchy. The old
neutrality-suspicious. setting is
pictured in such tradition en-
crusted splendor that there is
nothing to do but be awed. And,
as for the colors in which both
are offered, they represent
Ansco's most vivid. Also, they
are so varied that at least three
different ones are used on Ann
Blyth's hair, auburn. ash and
very striking one on which we
would not care to be pinned
down.
There is also among the assets
of this musical extravaganza,
the voice of Mario LAMA syn
chronized here with the acting
Of Edmund Purdom. Purdom
plays Prince Karl Franz while
LAMA sings him for the reason
that the latter grew too fat to
be a convincing Teutonic Prince
Charming.
A property of the sentimental
standing of THE Student
Prince" is not one to be ap-
preached lightly by the studio
converting it to the screen.
MGM. therefore, has recognized
the need for tact in a script
that modernizeS to some extent
the letter. if not the spirit, of
the original. Musically, it has
added a couple Of Songs-three
to be exact and dropped as
many without too much damage
to the Romberg score.
The one exception to this rule |
among the melodic additions to
the production is a pretentious
song, II Walk With God," which
has the flavor of a hymn but |
lyrics which Karl Franz might
more properly sing to Kathy in
her uncle's beer garden.
1t is probably to be explained
by the fact that. Producer Joseph !
Pasternak got carried away, even
If audiences won't be.
y y 4 X
The Prince Karl Franz played
by Purdom, who looks like a
rugged Montgomery Cliff, is no
namby- pamby product of the
palace gardens. He is spoiled,
stubborn, petulant, and naughty
but vulnerable to the lessons of
democratic behaviour that Bar
maid Kathy is in a position to
teach him. 1t is from her, of
course, that he learns more than
from the entire faculty of Old
Heidelberg and whatever the eff
feet of this upon educators, it is
bound to sit perfectly with
moviegoerS.
The Purdom-Lanza composite
Prince is easier to accept for all
its technical trickery than Miss
Blyth'S Kathy. She is the DAM
tiest, most ariStocratic looking
barmaid since DionySuS held his
parties in the groves of Greece.
but she is totally unfeazed by her
Student Prince" assignment.
With the music of Romberg, and
Nicholas BradSky, to inspire her
she has the voice to sing a Prince
into the notion of being just a
man. And considerably more
regal looking than Beta st. John
who plays the Princess who fin
ally lands Karl Franz in that
marriage of convenience.
+ +
Between its musical highlights.
the we'll known old ones and two
new ones, Beloved" and
Strange Things Happen in the
Night" the new script gives the
old musical a strong tilt toward
comedy. Edmund Gwenn is a
elfin sort of old Prof. Juttner, the
Princes tutor: John Williams
date of ''Dial M for Murder") is
the best Valet Lutz in the must
calls history; Louis Calhern is a
fine roguish figure as King Fer
dinand of Harrisburg; and Eliza
beth Warden is coyly amusing as
the Queen who barters the Prin-
cess Johanna onto the Harrisburg
throne.
Although MGM rejected him
on the grounds Of overweight,
Lanza's voice is the best single
asset of it's extravagant Student
Prince" production. Behind the
lips of Purdom, Lanza'S vocal
chords lend new energy to the
tired old tunes of the Romberg
score. 1t is his voice. too. that
puts the sparkle into the beer
garden life of Old Heidelberg, at
its best when the students lift
their stems, throw back their
heads and sing.
The first LanzalesS LAMA pic
ture might well turn out to be
the most popular he ever sang.
\ y \
MONDAY MEMOS: The Amer
lean SavoyardS switch tonight