PLAZA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 842, 10 December 1929, Page 15

PLAZA

“THE GLAD RAG DOLL” The delightfully amusing comedydrama, “The Glad Rag Doll,” amused the large audience at the Plaza Theatre last evening. The story opens on the Broadway stage, where Dolores Costello, as “the girl,” is cast as a popular actress, whose alluring and captivating ways win the love of the younger son of an artistocratic family. How she is first despised by the proud family, how by stripping them of their veneer of false ultrarespectability, she endears herself to them, and how she eventually marries the elder brother, form a theme of absorbing interest. The picture is a cleverly-executd skit on “blue blood.” American society, and the different members of the family, are faithfully caricatured. Abounding in genuine comedy and unexpected and exciting developments, the production from start to finish has not a dull moment in it.

Ralph Graves, who plays the leading masculine role, acquits himself well, while the carefully selected cast, including Maud Turner as “the aunt,” and Douglas Gerard as “the uncle,” give excellent portrayals. The intermittent singing of the theme song, “The Glad Rag Doll.” a tuneful and catching melody, adds to the enjoyable nature of the film.

A brillant collection of short talking .and singing featurettes is also presented on the programme. They include a Paramount Sound Gazette, with a record of all the latest world news; a Vitaphone two-act play entitled “Stool Pigeons”; new songs by Jane Pursell, who is known as “Hollywood’s Radio Girl,” and finally, sea songs and chanteys by Gns Reed and his male quartet. On Friday next the Plaza will present the outstanding film production of the year, “Four Feathers.” This is a powerful drama of the British Army in the Soudan, but includes scenes of primitive animal life away up the Nile River that were taken by the two intrepid cameramen who made "Chang.” The narrative side of the stor3 T is interpreted by a big cast of well-known film players, including Fay Wray, Clive Brook, Noah Beery, Richard Arlen and William Powell.