HIS BEST PICTURE

Evening Star, Issue 21824, 13 September 1934, Page 12

HIS BEST PICTURE

EDDIE CSKTOH'S RETURN IK ‘WHOOPEE' Eddie Cantor, one of the most talented American comedians on the talking screen, gives perhaps the best performance of his career in ‘ Whoopee,’ which commences at the St. James to-morrow. The film was shown in Dunedin some three years ago, and received an enthusiastic reception. Eddit Cantor’s portrayal is one of infinite variety, and with the setting of the West m delightful colouring it makes a wide appeal to all lovers of light entertainment. Those goo-goo eyes, catchy songs, snappy music, and beautiful girls, for which every Cantor film is well known, are all there in a technicolour production which for entertainment has seldom been surpassed since the picture was first brought to New Zealand. One of Eddie’s strong points is his “ Garden of Eden look ’’—nothing said but a lot meant. There is a harmless spice to this picture which only Eddie could make such a success. For the last four years dance bands have been playing, housewives have been humming, and message boys have been whistling those happy tunes: ‘Whoopee,’ ‘ The Girl Friend or a Hoy Friend,’ ‘ I Belong to You,’ and ‘ My Baby Just Cares for Me.’ Sung and acted in Cantor s distinctly e mauncr, these hits have a particularly bright appeal, and the accompaniment is played in just that way to get everybodv’s feet tapping. The production is right up to date in technical details, so the public is treated to what amounts to a recent picture. No trouble or expense was spared to round off the settings, and the scale on'which they are done is another feature worth seeing again.