Bing Crosby, Mary Martin
****** ******
PEOPLES THEATRE
****** ******
In "Birth Of The Blues"
* _ M
While the screen biography of
the American origin of jazz may
remain to be written, enough of
the absorbing background of the
beginning of the blues which the
Dixieland Band and its kind made
famous after the turn of the cen
tury is utilized to serve as ideal
vehicle for Bing Crosby, who will
be at the Peoples Theatre here
Sunday in “Birth of The Blues”,
with Mary Martin and Brian Don
levy.
Victor Schertzinger, a composer
himself, has directed with true ap
preciation of the song sequences.
There is one scene where Schert
zinger’s directorial ability is very
much in evidence. That is when
he has Eddie "Rochester” Ander
son explaining to Mary Martin
what makes “blues” different from
regular music. Another has Bing
Crosby singing “My Melancholy
Baby” in the best Crosby style.
Cast is strong in all depart
ments. Mary Martin, looking more
becoming than ever, is really good.
She does one blues number with
Crosby and Jack Teagarden. Most
of the sock lines which register
for laughs come from Rochester
who delivers solidly as Crosby’s
aid.
Brian L>omevy turns in anocner
fine performance as Memphis, the
hot cornet player. Little Carolyn
Lee is well spotted as the six-year
old aunt of Miss Martin. The girl
is cute with a pleasing turn for
comedy. Ruby Elzy, as Roches
ter’s wife, deserves mention for
her rendition of “St. Louis Blues.”
Script by Harry Tugend and
Walter DeLeon is refreshingly
well-written. It affords Crosby a
substantial role as the young clari
net player specializing in low
down blues. All Crosby has is his
home where his band lives and
which used to be among the better
residences of New Orleans. This
new music fascinates him as it
does his band. They bail Donlevy
out of jail when Rochester relays
word of Donlevy’s fine cornet play
ing.
Miss Martin and Miss Lee a.-e
forced to stay at Crosby’s home
since the latter borrowed her fare
for Donlevy’s bail. She stays and
helps get the band a job through
her singing. The band encounters
some difficulty because proprietor
of cafe uses strong-arm methods
to keep the band there after they
have become successful. And Cros
by discovers he is the one Miss
Martin loves all the while and not
Donlevy.
Making the best selling novel,
“H. M. Pulham, Esq.,” and giving
it an outstanding cast and a vel
vety production mounting, M-G-M
has turned out a love story of
universal appeal.
Coming to the Peoples Theatre
here on Monday and Tuesday of
next week, the picture is moving,
gripping in its telling of the af
fairs of the heart; it is light,
frothy in its numerous comedy
moments.
The title role is played by Rob
ert Young, who gives his most
outstanding performance; Hedy
LaMarr plays the role of Marvin
Myles, the sweetheart he doesn’t
marry, and Ruth Hussey that of
the woman Pulham weds. The
trio, who do exceptionally well in
their characterizations, are assist
ed by an able cast including
Charles Coburn, Van Heflin, Fay
Holden, Bonita Granville, Douglas
Wood, Charles Halton, Leif Erick
son, Phil Brown, David Clyde and
Sara Haden.
Director King Vidor, who with
Elizabeth HiJl wrote the screen
play, has extracted from each
scene the ultimate in audience pos
sibilities, placing his characters in
such juxtaposition that each situ
ation works itself out in a life
like manner. The dialogue, which
1 ^ ^ -
preserved the spirit of J. P. Mar
quand’s book, effectively contrived
to the tempo of each of the se
quence of events in the life of the
scion of the staid Boston family
whose background prevented him
from breaking away and marrying
the girl he loved.
Told by means of flashbacks,
the narrative depicts the young
man’s life through childhood,
through World War I, his working
in a New York advertising agency
where he meets the girl with
whom he falls in love, the taking
up of his late father’s business,
and the clash between the life
represented by Marvin Myles and
the society girl whom he marries.
******
Several good songs pleasantly
sung plus some good acting, puts
“Cadet Girl”, which will be at the
Peoples Theatre on Wednesday
Thursday of next week, at the top
of its class.
Carole Landis carries out well
her singing and acting assignments
and George Montgomery fits the
popular notion of what a West
Point cadet should be. John Shep
perd gives a fine supporting per
formance as the older brother.
The cast also includes William
Tracy, Janis Carter, who sings one
song, Robert Lowery, Basil Walk
er, Charles Tannen, Chick Chand
ler and others.
There is nothing very new or
novel about the story. A West
Point cadet while on Summer va
cation falls in love with the sing
er in his brother’s orchestra. The
brother wants the boy to return to
the academy to fulfill their fa
ther’s ambition. Miss Landis, the
singer, decides she will marry the
cadet at the end of his vacation,
meanwhile singing in an orchestra
he starts. Finally at a special
Army camp show she realizes that
he should return to West Point
and not marry her. The boy is
inspired to go back by a song
which his brother sings," Uncle
Sam Gets Around.”
Other songs by Leo Robins and
Ralph Rainger included in the
picture are "My Old Man Was An
Army Man,” "I’ll Settle For You,”
“It Happened, It’s Over, Let’s For
get,’ and “She a Good Neighbor.”
Several of the numbers may be
expected to be popular.
******
Dick Foran, Andy Devine and
Leo Carrillo are the three princi
pals in “The Kid From Kansas”,
which will be at the Peoples on
Friday of next week. An action
yarn whose locale is a banana
plantation in a tropical country,
it will appeal to the adventurous
type of movie-goer.
i r oran is an investigator from a
] large fruit company assigned to
discover who is crippling the ship
ments of the independent banana
plantation owners. He arrives on
the scene as a beachcomber and
makes his headquarters at Car
rillo’s farm.
The yarn continues on to the
finish when Foran discovers who
is in cahoots with the local banker
in the carefully conceived cam
paign to wreck the plantation
owners.
Ann Doran is introduced into
the story as an agricultural chem
ist, and she supplies the romantic
angle in a satisfactory manner.
****** '
Bill Boyd will be at the Peoples
Theatre on Saturday of next week
in “Riders of The Timberline'’.
Added will be “Riders of Death
Valley”. *
Mrs. B. J. Dunning and Miss
Ella Lee Taylor spent Sunday in
Richmond with Mrs. W. A. Teele.
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Edmond
son of Greensboro visited friends
and relatives here during the hol
idays.
CHAIRMAN
Mrs. John E. Hill, of Philadel-1
phia, newly elected Chairman of
the Executive Board of the Na
tional Woman’s Auxiliary of the
Episcopal Church, which is respon
sible for planning much of the
women’s work in that Church.
1 TOWN I
I TALK ,
Mr. and Mrs. John Long of Nor
folk were holiday visitors of Mr.
and Mrs. J. C. O'dell.
Miss Grace Simms of Newport
News visited her mother, Mrs. Lil
lian Simms, this week.
Mr. and Mrs. Duke Jones of
Warrenton, A. B. Carty of Bel
haven, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Can
non of Burlington and Lieutenant
Eugene Cannon of Camp Croft,
Spartanburg, S. C., were guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Cannon
Christmas day.
Mrs. Allie Wood and Mrs. Roger
Cullom are spending the week in
Georgia.
Paul Matthews, who has been
spending the holidays here with
relatives, returned Sunday to
Washington, D. C.
Mr. and Mrs. Ikey Johnson of
Jacksonville spent the holidays
here.
Miss Edith Bugg of Flora Mc
Donald College is the guest of her
mother, Mrs. H. H. Bugg.
John Connor has returned to
Fort Jackson, S. C.
Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Speight
spent Thursday in Macon.
Mr. and Mrs. John Grant and
daughter, Mildred, of Emporia,
visited Mrs. Paul Ray Thursday.
B. E. Lancaster spent Sunday in
Nashville.
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Speight
of Asheville were guests of friends
and relatives here during the
Christmas holidays.
Mr. ana Mrs. i. hj. uox ana
Mrs. J. P. Ashworth returned
Sunday from Brown Summitt.
Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Kendrick,
who were guests of Mr. and Mrs.
F. R. Kendrick, returned to Con
cord Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. George Nethercutt
of Raleigh and Eugene Shell of
Radford, Va., were guests of their
parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Shell,
Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Turner and
Miss Gertrude Turner of Char
lotte spent the holidays here with
Mrs. Wilton Brown.
Mr. and Mrs. Maywood Hudgins
and family of Hampton, Va., spent
the week-end with Mr. and Mrs.
John M. Fisher.
The Rev. and Mrs. Dan W. Al
len of Lexington spent the week
end with Mr. and Mrs. Noah Sad
ler.
Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Bidgood and
daughter, Ann, of Portsmouth, re
turned home Tuesday after visiting
Mrs. Paul Ray and Mrs. M. H.
Hedgepeth.
Mrs. Harry Johnston and sons
of Norfolk were guests of Mrs.
Namie Peele during the week-end.
Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes Bunch of
Wilson were guests of Mr. and
Mrs. W. G. Bunch Sunday.
HU | PROGRAM WEEK of JANUARY 4, 1942 \
PEOPLES
SUNDAY
Bing Crosby Mary Martin
BIRTH OF THE BLUES
MONDAY - TUESDAY
Hedy Lamarr Robert Young
H. M. PULHAM, ESQ.
WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY
Carole Landis George Montgomery
CADET GIRL '
I FRIDAY
Dick Foran Andy Devine
THE KID FROM KANSAS
SATURDAY-ONLY
BILL BOYD
RIDERS OF THE TIMBERLINE
Added: Riders of Death Valley
fMPEQIAL
SUNDAY
Joan Crawford Robert Taylor
WHEN LADIES MEET
MONDAY-TUESDAY
Bing Crosby Mary Martin
BIRTH OF THE BLUES
WEDNESDAY ONLY
William Gargan Peggy Moran
FLYING CADETS
On Stage: “MERRY GO ROUND REVUE”
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
Joan Blondell John Howard
THREE GIRLS ABOUT TOWN
SATURDAY-ONLY
TOM KEENE
RIDING THE SUNSET TRAIL
ADDED: DICK TRACY VS. CRIME, INC.
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1 ROANOKE RAPIDS THEATRES - - “ON THE AIR”
Monday through Friday — 3 sOO P. M. — Radio Station WCBT |||