THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23671, 1 December 1938, Page 9

THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES

SPECTACULAR ARRAY OF TALENT Presenting a dazzling array of stars and a variety of talent that staggers the imagination. "The Goldwyn Follies," the glorious technicolour musical extravaganza which marks the first entertainment in Goldwyn's 25 years of picture-making to carry the producer's name, will commence screening to-morrow at the Octagon Theatre. The musical has been produced on a scale more lavish, more opulent, and more magnificent than anything the screen has ever shown. Goldwyn invaded every field of entertainment to find stars to augment the screen cast headed by suave Adolphe Menjou, the Ritz Brothers, and the beautiful rising young star Andrea Leeds. From radio he took Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, the comedy sensation of the world; Kenny Baker, favourite singer; irrepressible Phil Baker and his accordion; from grand opera, lovely Helen Jepson. and the sensational newcomer Charles Kullman; from the world of the dance, the beautiful Zorina and George Balanchine's American Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera; and from musical comedy goggle-eyed Bobby Clark to clown with Ella Logan. The story, a mad, romance-filled comedy of Hollywood, tells of a movie producer, played by Menjou. who finds he does not know what the public wants. So he hires a small town girl, in the person of Miss Leeds, to keep him informed on public taste, and places her on his staff as "Miss Humanity." He falls-in love with the girl, who in turn falls in love" with a young and ambitious tenor, Henry Baker, who earns his living as the proprietor of a small restaurant. Menjou menaces their romance for a while, but finally relents and agrees to let young love triumph as it should. Woven into the story are countless unforgettable production numbers, including two beautiful ballets, which prove a welcome addition to screen entertainment. The technicolour is the most successful the screen has produced thus far. and does full credit to Omar Kiam's eye-filling costumes and Richard Day's magnificent sets. Among the many hit tunes introduced are "Love Walked In," "1 Was Doing All Right," "I Love to Rhyme," "Love Is Here to Stay," and " Spring Again." They were composed by the late George Gershwin. '