MARIE DRESSLER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 82, 7 April 1934, Page 14

MARIE DRESSLER

STAR OF “HER SWEETHEART.” ATTRACTION AT MAJESTIC. “Her Sweetheart,” based on the play “The Late Christopher Bean,” one of New York’s outstanding dramatic hits, opens to day at the, Majestic Theatre, bringing together Marie Dressier and Lionel Barrymore in their first appearance as co-stars. The new Metro-Goldwyn-Maycr offering is based on Sidney Howard’s celebrated drama, “Christopher Bean,” of a woman who shows a man the road back to honour. It was adapted from the French of Rone. Fauchois and was first produced by Gilbert Miller at the Henry Miller Theatre in New York, with Pauline Lord as the star. The starring of Miss Dressier and Barrymore recalls that they together won the awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Miss Dressier for her work in “Min and Bill,” and Barrymore for his brilliant portrayal in “A Free Soul.” Their new co-starring picture was filmed under the direction of Sam Wood, who pro duced the successful “Hold Your Man. ’ ’ A “Torch Singer” is another name for a cabaret entertainer. Claudetto Colbert, the star of next Wednesday’s picture at the Majestic Theatre, is a very attractive one, and the story of her rise from chorus girl to the most flaring kind of “Torch Singer” in the film of that name, has in it a good deal of emotional interest. Sally Trent, deserted by the man she loves a few weeks before the child of which he is the father is to be born, permits the child to be adopted, and becomes a night-club singer. Her gradual pro-

and into night-clubs of increasingly wild reputation is the first part of the story. Then, by a really amusing accident Mimi Benton, as she now calls herself, finds herself adopting ihe role of Aunt Jenny, in charge of the children’s hour 'at a great broadcasting station. “The Torch Singer” is an amusing film and is attractively produced. The cabaret scenes are excellent and Claudette Colbert’s voice is ideally suited to her role. The men in the film are Ricardo Cortez and David Manners.

“Counsellor at Law,” Elmer Rice’s success scheduled for next Saturday at the Majestic Theatre, brings to " the screen once again the inimitable John Barrymore, who rises to greater heights in his portrayal of a great criminal lawyer. Dynamic, kindly, fast-thinking, Barrymore provides entertainment that should delight all admirers of this great actor. “Counsellor at Law” is more than one picture. It is a dozen pictures combined. Characters who fit into widely scattered backgrounds are deftly placed side by

side. Their problems, each vital enough to justify a separate film, are welded together. So convincing, so human is each character in this mighty drama that last evening’s audience were swept along with the movement of the picture. In the cast with John Barrymore arc several noted stage and

screen stars, including Bebe Daniells a.-* his secretary, Doris Kenyon as his wife who tolerates him, Onslow Stevens as his partner, Isabel Jewell as his telephone operator. Melvyn Douglass as his rival, and Mayo Metho, as the murder-