“A SOUTHERN MAID.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20281, 16 April 1934, Page 3

“A SOUTHERN MAID.”

Good Singing in Delightful Musical-comedy. “-A Southern Maid,” a delightful musical comedy, starring Bebe Daniels and Clifford Mollison, heads the excellent programme at the Plaza Theatre this week. It is a tale of love and adventure in San Giorgio, a Spanish State of South America. Juanita (Bebe Daniels) is crowned Queen of Beauty at the Fiesta, and wins the heart of Willoughby Rawton (Clifford Mollison), an English visitor, who carried her off beneath the very eyes ol Francesco del Fuego (Harry Welchman), who has been selected for Juanita’s husband. Thirty years later, their son, Jack Rawton (Clifford Mollison), on a pleasure cruise in Egypt, falls in love with a distant connection of Juanita, Dolores (Bebe Daniels), who is touring the world. He joins her ship, and the romance proceeds happily until they arrive in San Giorgio, where Dolores’ father gives a banquet to announce her engagement to the same del Fuego. Jack, smuggled into the banquet by Dolores, finds it impossible to believe that she knew nothing of her father’s intentions, and interprets her conduct as that of a tempestuous maid of the South. How Francesco del Fuego once again lost his bride, must be left to the film to describe. Comedy-lovers will welcome with delight the return to the screen of Lupino Lane, absent for many years. He carries most of the comedy with ability, and his eccentric dancing is as much a feature of the film as the singing of the other principals. In this respect Bebe Daniels and Harry Welchman take the honours, while the Australian girl, Nancy Brown, sings two soles which prove her to be the possessor of an attractive soprano voice. Cheaters,” the third of the popular Ely Culbertson bridge series which are such an added attraction on Plaza programmes, is included among the supporting “ shorts.” Walt Disney’s latest “Silly Symphony” in colour, “Father Noah’s Ark,” is a delightful little fantasy of the Biblical story. An “Australian Cinesound Review” and a “Pathetone Weekly” complete the programme, which found great favour with the audience on Saturday night.