*The Moviegoer*

"Showboat" in any form will always be welcomed by lovers of Jerome Kern music; it has been revived on the stage at least once, and this is the second screen adaptation. This present attempt has an immense advantage over the earlier one, since the music is played and sung as it should be, and not whanged out on a piano in the orchestra pit. The old favorites are all presented in a very pleasing score, sung by some of the original cast and by the capable Irene Dunne, who is supported by Allan Jones. Jones has an adequate tenor voice, which does full justice to the songs he is called upon to sing. Helen Morgan's "Bill" is as appealing as ever, and Paul Robeson is given ample opportunity to show how a great song like "Old Man River" should be sung.

The acting on the whole is indifferent, with the exception of the performance of Charles Winninger, of Maxwell House Coffee fame, as Captain Andy Hawks. The role is not a particularly masterful one, but Winninger makes a sympathetic wise, and humorously appealing figure out of the old Showboat captain. Irene Dunne as Magnolia, and Allan Jones as Ravenal, make a good team; Miss Dunne makes a not-too-successfull appearance in black-face, about which the less said the better: Miss Dunne is not a comedienne.

The melodramatics of the plot are handled with restraint and taste: exceptionally well done is the scene in which Julie's (Helen Morgan) husband discovers that she has negro blood, following her exposure by the malicious Pete. One of the best shots occurs when Ravenal sings "Only Make Believe" to his small daughter as he is about to desert her and Magnolia. This movie should not be missed.