"GOLD DIGGERS OF BROADWAY" PACKS POPULAR MAJESTIC.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 38, 17 March 1930, Page 2

"GOLD DIGGERS OF BROADWAY" PACKS POPULAR MAJESTIC.

As early as 6.30 on Saturday .e'vening a queue commeneed to forrh at the entrance of the popular Majestic, Napier picturegoers heing quite apparently determined to spare no effort to be ,'present at the premier evening showing of the smashing 100 per cent. talking and technicolour success, "Gold Diggers of Broadway.". By noom on Friday praetically all available eeating in the circle and the stalls had been booked out and there were only a very few seats left, but these excited ssufficient competition amongst a crowd large enoqgh to pack the entire auditorium. Would-be patrons to the tune of several hundreds had of necessity to be turned away by the management when the "house full" sign went .up, but no doubt one and all will be afforded a further opportunity of seeing the greatest talkie masterpiece 'yet produced at some other period during its ten days' Napier season. Tliose who were in the theatre on Sat-' urday night — and there was not an empty seat i« the whole auditorium — • were treated to one of the finest rentertainments that has been seen? in Napier. "Gold Diggers of Broadway" literally has lifted the level of talkie entertainment far above its original standing. Filmed entirely and perfiectly in gorgeous technicolour tho very magnificence of its hackgrounds left one with a feeling almost of awe. So far as entertainment is concerned, no picture which has been seen in Napier previously can liold a candle to this fast-moving, sparkling satire on the ways o-f the Broadway chorus ladies. Despite its satirical note, the main portion of the story was nevertheless extremely human and the audience was given an impression of actually living the plot with the principals, so realistic; was the monner in which this had been handled. The reproduction was abiolutely as perfect as has ever been heard on the talking screen and the art of Nick Lucas, golden vo-ice d king of Broadway's vaudeville stage, was heard at its very best. His two principal numbers, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" and "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine," had Saturday night's audience huhhling over with enthusiams and from the amount of pleasure they _ produced, these two' numbers are going to be amongst the most popular in Napier during the coniing dancing season. All else, with the possible exception of the barmony of Nick Lucas, paled before the brilliant comedy work of Winnic Lightner, surely the most original comedienno that either stage'or screen has ever. seen, who had her audience simply convulsed with laughter during her tenure of the screen. Nothing quite so spontaneous, quite so lighthearted as her performance has been seen for a long time. Then there was the dainty charm of Anne Penlington, who held'her audience literally in the hollow of her hand in the course of one of the finest and most sympathetic performances yet seen on the talking sheet. It would have been like looldng for a needle in a haystack to try to find a disgruntled member of Saturday night's audience when "finis" flashed across the screen and put an end to the expoits of this cheery ; b'and of beauties. Smiles there were on all sides, which were "only fo bo expected as the aftermath of the . uproarious laughter which had ruled at ipter■^als throughout the run of the picture, Heing at times so prolonged that a small part of thediaioguewas lost, and it was dialogue almost every phase oi which radiated wit and sparkle, "It may safely be said that "Gold Diggers of Broadway" took Napier by storm on its premiere aiid it is small won--cier that already this week's booking is further advanced than for anvpther picture in the history" df the Majestic. „ A picture like this comes hut once in

V/Xl i/il ± i XTXJ^LJ.tVyJLi J a screenic era, and Napier picturegoers should on no account lose the chance offering, thanks to the Majestic management, of seeing this masterpiece before the majority of ' the large centres. "Gold Diggers of Broadway" will not be seen elsewhere within 100 miles of Napier within the next 12 months.