Cinema ~:~ THE CRIMSON PLAYGOER ~:~ Drama

"Hit the Deck" now playing at the B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre is one of the more successful "talkie" musical comedies. In consideration of the large number of stage conventions that such a production must cope with, the present play at Keith's has made a successful transition. There are times when the scope of the camera is sacrificed for stage effects, ostensibly to add the atmosphere of an actual review, and in these instances the picture gains nothing but incongruity. Fortunately these lapses are infrequent and the action moves along smoothly enough.

The "Hallelujah" scene is presented very effectively, and the singing is some of the best that has appeared in the sound pictures. In fact, the entire vocal side of the picture is more than satisfactory. The plot is an exact adaptation of the original musical comedy as are some of the scenes, but this is by no means unpleasant.

The main point that "Hit the Deck" brings out is the possibilities that the musical comedy has in the talking pictures. The absence of shifting scenes and the great range of situations gives an advantage, that the legitimate stage cannot hope to rival. Moreover, a judicious use of the camera makes it easily possible to look at the various scenes from a great variety of interesting angles without the discomfort of having to crane one's neck beyond the sides of the corpulent lady that always sits in the next row. H. A. B.