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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 17, No. 4. March 25, 1953

Where's Charley?..

Where's Charley?...

Who's Charley? With a certain amount of reluctance. I decided to go along to the St. James to find out. I was agreeably surprised, for I met a pleasant young Oxford undergraduate clowning, singing and dancing his way through a bright, broad and breezy musical adaptation of the famous "Charley's Aunt."

The setting of "Where's Charley?" is purposely theatrical, with painted-sky backdrops, black cardboard cloisters and artificial flowers. The tech-nicolour is bright and the acting broad in the light vaudeville manner. The songs are catchy and sung with lest. Naturally, there is a love interest but it is not heavy with emotional entanglements such as we usually associate with the Doris Days and Betty Grables of the more vulgar stage of other Hollywood musicals.

Ray Bolger the was in "The Wizard of Oz") as Charley is to be congratulated on bringing a smile to the face of a sour, often narrow-minded critic, who could have gone to town on the fact that "Where's Charley?" violates almost every rule of cinematic art. His charm and vigour, dancing skill and ability at mimicry made me forget all that.

Grading: ***(*).