GREAT IRISH TENOR.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18004, 26 April 1930, Page 17 (Supplement)

GREAT IRISH TENOR.

It jS Indeed a pleasure (writes Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times) to bear John McCormack sing in the Fox Movietone production “Song o’ My Heart.” The recording is subdued and natural,. and keen attention was paid by J. J. McCarthy, who supervised the production as well as the presentation, to avoid undue loudness in any part of the film. All those concerned in the making of this production have accomplished their task with praiseworthy thoroughness. Tom Barry, with the aid of Ideas offered by Mr McCarthy, is responsible for tjie sensitive and human story of an opera singer who, after being disappointed in love, returns as a choir singer to his native hamlet in Ireland. It is here that the story opens, and most of the scenes were filmed in the vicinity of Mr McCormack’s estate in Erin. Mr McCormack sings eleven songs, and therejs a logical reason In each Instance for his rendering a delightful ballad. Mr McCormack proves himself to be a good actor, and while he .is middle-aged, the story has been so cleverly mapped out that there is much sympathy for the sentimental singer, whose name is Sean O’Callahan. The Story. Mary is the woman whom Sean has loved for years. In the beginning of the story she has been deserted by her husband and has returned with her young son and daughter to an austere relative’s home in the Emerald Isle hamlet. Mary-is played by Alice Joyce. Before Sean leaves on an American concert tour he sings “The Rose of Tralee" for Mary. It is her favourite song. Subsequently the ailing Mary is depicted sitting at a window of the little house in Ireland. The sun is shining, and now and again a leaf falls. Very softly one then hears "The Rose of Tralee” as Sean had sung it on the eve of his departure, and soon one knows that the harassed Mary has passed away. , , ..... The story then swings to New 1 oris again with McCormack receiving the plaudits of thousands for his golden

JOHN McCORMACK’S FIRST TALKIE

voice. A telegram arrives at tne concert hall announcing that Mary is dead, but Vincent, Sean’s accompanist, says nothing of the message and Sean goes forth on the stage and lifts his voice to the melody of "I Hear You Calling Me.” It may be sentiment, but suoh sentiment, as Q. K. Chesterton once remarked, Is art. And another piece of poetio pictorial work is that wherein Sean sings “Little Boy Blue;” which is accompanied by a scene of a delightful child playing with a white, woolly dog and his* soldiers. Sean is singing as this little boy blue’takes up his dog and lasses it good-night and then kisses each soldier in turn, in the end one knows that the youngster is no more, for as the appealing voice is heard rendering the last lines of the melody there comes to the screen a glimpse of the white, woolly dog and the soldiers, now veiled in cobwebs. Again there is sentiment, and again it is beautiful. Inspiring Flashes of Old Ireland. Even those who may sneer at a tear may also be moved a little at other incidents, particularly that in which Scan sings “A Fairy Story by the Fireside” to a group of very pretty little Irish children. There are inspiring flashes of Old Ireland, with its walled roads, its trees and its looking-glass lakes. And when there is fun it is genuine Irish fun, with wrangling between Rafferty, cleverly acted by Farrell Macdonald, who years ago made things merry in “The Iron Horse,” and Peter, an old jaunty car driver, expertly portrayed by J. M. Kerrigan. Peter is hypercritical concerning Sean’s singing, and Rafferty thinks that, he is in danger of being snatched off by some woman as a husband. On the opening night the audience enjoyed the sentiment; they also revelled in the fun provided by Rafferty and Peter, not forgetting the capital comedy of the boy Tad, played by Master Tommy Clifford. But, of course, most of all they were stirred by John McCormack’s melodious voice.