Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-24

ms is the case Win COlum-
bias Full Of Life" baSically
one more comedy that travels
the we'll marked path of the
young couple about to have it's
first baby. In view of today'sI
population, parenthood is an ex-
perience that pretty we'll defies
original writing. If any virtue
attaches to John Fante in hav-
ing given the story one more try.
let it be set down as courage.
y X
AS sentimental comedies go,
Full of Life" is as deliberately
plotted as even a generously
budgeted production allows. I'll
touches all the bases, the mother
to-be's irritability. irrationality |
jealousy. sense of rejection. etc
And then, for extra measure It'll
even throws in a moderately
pitched family controversy about
the Catholic church's sacrament
Of matrimony.
Author Fante, who obviously
knows all corners of his subject,
has written the screenplay from
his own novel.
Miss Holidays role in Full of
Life" is that of a young wife
wearing eight-months' size
maternity dresses. This is a cos
tune that makes nobody happy,
except possibly the obstetrician.
Certainly not Miss Holiday or
Richard Conte, her young hus-
band.
Being intellectuals. living in
one of those sunny middle class
suburbs, designed for their types.
they do muddle through the
standard miseries. Then one day,
comes the crises. when the wife
falls through the kitchen floor
which has been enthusiastically
occupied by a colony of termites.
Fortunately, the mother-t o-be /
escaped unscathed but the mis- |
hap raises the question of how
to pay for a new floor and a new
baby at the same time. The
solution the script comes up with
is for the couple to throw itself
upon the mercy of his father. /
The latter is an Italian stone
mason who will fix floors only
if the hard-pressed young couple
accepts his terms, the principal
one of which is a Catholic church
marriage ceremony.
y y
There have been comedy stu
atoms in which Miss Holiday cut
a more amusing figure but she
does the best anyone could with
this one. 1t turns out that not
even the pangs of approaching
motherhood can blind her to the
fact that mans fate is pretty
ridiculous. Nor to the kindly mo-
tives of a father-in-law who has
all the outward marks of an old
fashioned Italian tyrant.
Mr.. Conte, a Subdued type of
comedy actor, makes an effective
partner for Miss Holiday. Al
more challenging one, however,
is salvatore Baccaloni, a Metro
politan Opera company basso, in
the role of the stormy only
father-in-law. His performance
ain Full of Life" Creates the
suspicion that Hollywood will not
surrender him again to the Met
without struggle.
Richard Quine who directed
Full of Life" has given it AMI
attractive surface as well as max
ing the most of its talented per-
formers. What he is unable to
do is to conceal that the edge
has been taken of the jest about
flrst-time parenthood.
x X 4
BULLETIN BOARD: Opening
tonight at the Macarthur: "Oedi-
pus Rex" the film version of the
Stratford. Ontario. Festival pro-
duction. 1t represents the
first film direction by DR.. Tyrone
Guthrie, the man with the most
free-wheeling imagination in the
English speaking stheater. :.
"Anastasia" at the Capitol thea
ter, and "TeahouSe of the August