"BROADWAY MELODY."

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19719, 9 September 1929, Page 6

"BROADWAY MELODY."

gorgeous musical comedy. THEATRE BOYAL, THURSDAY. After » abort season of legitimate comedy drama, the Theatre Royal will return to ite "Talkie" policy on Thursday next, when the latest reoord-breaking ail-talking-singing production, "The Broadway Melody," will be staged. T&ie picture, wliioh enthusiaetio advance information insist* » eaey on the eye and not at all hard on the ear, is aaid to guarantee some of the greatest screen entertainment this city has ever seen. It any credence is to be given to the assertions of those who are responsible for this part.cular elm and those who witnessed i£ sensational debut at- the Aator Theatre in New York City, where it carried the motion picture critics and -the huge first n gilt audience by storm, II deserves special attention. Its sponsors expect large things from it, an expectation that has been over whelmingly justified wherever the picture has been shown. Unusual enthusiasm, even o. motion picture-makers, might be news for it means that no device haa been overlooked by them to make that particular production worthy m every respect. Unusual enibns asm by the critics is even greater news. That means that the picture is as great aa its sponsors say it n, and tot is the reward that has-been meted out to "The Broadway Melody. Of course, the proof from .an individual point of view is how one likes the picture when one sees and hears it; from the box office point of view, how many individuals will like it so well or so little that they can or cannot, as tho case may be, stay away from it. So far. "The Broadway Melody' audiences have been among the greatest, numerically speaking, of any in the history of the screen. Another item speaking well for •'The Broadway Melody" is the fact that Metro-Go'dwyn-Mayer decided that it was the best vehicle obtainable for breaking the ice with n nil-taker, laigeiv because there is so much musio in it. They have "The Trial- of Mary Dugan" and other all-talking pictures on the way, but elected to open the campaign with a singing and dancing entertainment. . In order to let the music into the situations as naturally as possible the author wrote of two »i»ters who come to New York to so on the stage and of their adven tares in 'Tin Pan. Alley" and on the stage, i,„. . frort that his sort of theme gives for songs are obvious "The Broadway Melody" has the enchanting air of a musical comedy and all the drama c j , Pn ■•= ■ ■; v i ; i;'' "i s ■»' chorus is used, and the music in-lttdee"The Broadway Melody," "You Were Meant for yi I,' and" "Love Boat." The cast is a cotab:e one, including baside the three principals, Jed Prouty, Kenneth Thomson, Edward Dillon, Mary Doran, Eddie Kane, J. Hmrcett Beck, Marshall Ruth; and Drew Demarest.