Evening Star Newspaper, May 31, 1925, Page 59

WASHINGTON, D. C. \ | ent News and Comm By W. H. Landvoigt. EORGE BERNARD SHAW'S noted play, “Candida,” enlisted the attention and the admiration of rather unusual theater audiences during the wéek. It merited both attention and admiration, not so much for any message it may have for humanity, as for its clever construction in weaving that which is not plausible with humorous situations and striking lines to disguise the fact, its forceful characters excellently interpreted by the players and its evenly balanced and admir- able cast. It was a genuine theatrical treat, indecd one of the outstanding enjoyable and entertaining plays that are seen too rarely in the theater of today. As an exposition of what love is or really should be it left its audience groping rather than enlightened, if, indeed, the audience gave that part of the performance any but perfunctory consideration. The dialogue throughout wit playwright, delighting his always admirers and adding many to their ranks who heretofore fiave withheld their judgment that for his peculiar ~r_\'\<; reflects the brilliant and humor of the famous of thought and expression he has no superjors and but few equals. | * ¥ X 1 UMANITY, like a tied-up horse, seems to be tugging at its tether. There is a roar for * irecedom in the land. The wets want to be freed The theater box office wants to be The lady that longs to live her life | ed from her husband. And even the husband, in some in- | stances, longs for ircedom from the wiie who misunderstands him. Nat- | urally the movies have the urge, at the present | writing is heard from the hampered in Movieland, who strangely enough call themsclves “the independents.” It is perhaps hatural that the galled and the oppressed in the moving picture industry should endeavor to throw off their chains in order to strike their natural gait. The world at large v them and, it be, profit by their emancipation. Trusts movics, like other trusts, are irksome, and if there be trusts which are hampering the artistic flight of the independents and hurting them financiall 1, should be grappled with and curbed. from the tyrann virtuous thirst freed from the restraint of morality wants to be and the loudest ¢ cau wish well, may he 1S WO they HE independents are picture producers who want to share the picture buying patronage of the picture exhibitors. They want an outlet for their product, and justice would scem to give them the benefit of the decision in their controversy. Where the restraints are unwarranted and | unfair they should he removed. And yet there are always two sides to a story. When certain prominent producers of pictures decided that it was best for the industry to appoint a general director to play Moses to the movies and to guide them out of the wilderness into which their zeal had led them, the patrons of the picture theaters began to notice changes in methods and in pictures which long had been desired. Will H. Hay former Postmaster General of the United States and a gentleman of es- tablished morals and gencral probity of character, was chosen for the re- sponsible position of leader. There was unquestionably a desire on the part of those who selected him to follow where he might lead. They did not, as a matter of course. surrender to him autocratic power in every- thing, but developments following his selection indicate very plainly that his guidance is both good and also that it is well supported. The anony- mous cffort to belittle and to misrepresent Mr. Hays has already de-, servedly received its rebuke from no less a source than the General As-) sembly of the Presbyterian Church of North America. Mr. Hays unques- tionably has been the instrument of effecting a wonderful improvement in the morality of picture plays. He has not succeeded in correcting all the evils in this respect. but gradually he is raising the standard of pic- tures to what they should be. There has been no such perceptible result | in the ranks of the independent producers. Their chief scramble, appar- ently, has been to divide the market financially with the Hays organiza- tion. The gencral public is more interested in better pictures than in busi- ness arrangements affecting production and distribution. S o HERE is this, however, to be said of monopoly in the making and dis- tribution of photoplays, that it is as unhealthy a condition for the public as it is for the independents. Picture patrons often have wondered why, at a given theater, a fine production one week should be succeeded for the next two, three or four weeks by very inferior ones. It is because @i the block-hooking evil. whereby an exhibitor who secures a big movie classic must take with it a group of inferior ones. All pictures, of course, *cannot be of the superexcellent type. They are too costly, and to show only them would involve the expenditure of millions in their production. These millions mast flow back. with a fair profit, through the box office | to the produccr. Naturally this means an ipcreased charge for seeing them, a substantial advance in admission prices. Such an advance would be met at once with public protest. But the block selling of pictures to exhibitors has been abused in combining with a good picture many that | ,scarcely deserve a place on public screens and some that never ought to | have been made. The latter are being climinated by the Hays organiza- | tion, not as completely as both Mr. Hays and the general public desire, it is | true, but they are growing fewer and fewer each year. Will the independ- ents eommit themselves sincerely to this policy? = Will they join with the Hays organization in the effort to-cast out of the picture ma%x g business MEIGHAN Palace > Columbia urrent Attractions At the Theaters This Week NATIONAL—"So This Is London,” comedy. ning. KEITH'S—Van and Schenck, vaudeville EARLE—Joseph K. Watson, vaudeville. Opens tomorrow eve- Opens this afternoon. Opens this afternoon. NATIONAL—"So This Is London.” This London,” which the National Theater Players will effer this week, beginning tomorrow night has been called by one critic, “one of the most effective ambassadors to England we have ever sent over The reason that this rollicking farce, without aiming to be propa nda, shows how far-fetched are the impressions we form of people and nations we have never seen nor visited. The American Englishman is ated, and the same average Britishe Americans. “So This is London" burlesques these misunderstandings, and then, in a delightfully witty man ner, demonstrates that the difference between a Briton and a Yank is so scant as to be almost negligible. Two families, one typical of average American household and the other thoroughly representative of Britain, are don by business thrown together in Lon- contacts which be- come emphatically social. The Amer- icans dread the visit, imagining the tish to be bores and four-flushers The Britishers likewise miscalculate the worth of the Americans, and think of them as people who wear their hats in the parlor and do other crude things. Washingtonians who saw nal production at ter a D'Orsay “So is the origi- the National Thea- season ), with Lawrence nd others, will remember this as a_very funny play. Minor Watson, Leneta Lane, Kath- rine Giveney, Romaine Callender, Charles Halton, Walter Soderling and others of the National Players will be seen in sprightly parts conception of .an often much exagger- is true of the impression of KEITH'S—Van and Schenck. This week at B. F. Keith's Fheater a bill of music, dance and comedy will be headed by Van and Schenck, “pennant winning battery of Song- land,” with an offering of many new all whose only aim in it is to make money quickly, no matter what means may be empioyed?. They can afford to unite upon this point, at least however widely apart they may remain in purely business matters. Man of the independents are making magnificent pictures. They should have a fair outlet and the public should have an opportunity to patronize them. But there are scores of producers who sneak, in under the independent banner when really they ought to be in a reformatory. The public is in- terested in the present turbulence in the moving picture world only to the extent of desiring the best arrangements that can be made for producing clean and meritorious pictures and in the prices charged for seeing them, All clse falls within the scope of business competition and the general public is not interested. %ok ok ok OHN BARRYMORE, the distinguished actor, it is reported, is also as- serting himself against the bondage of having to appear in “Miss Nancy” roles, as he terms some of his former parts in plays in which he has been starred. He wants to do “a real, red-blood, thrill picture,” according to Moving Pictures Today. And so the Warner Brothers have decided to star him in “Captain Alvarez,” which was written by Harry S. Sheldon, author of “Havoc,” and which was put upon the stage in 1914 by Sanger & Jordan, with Paul Gilmore in the role Mr. Barrymore covets, that of the hero of a South American revolution, who is kept busy enough to satisfy even Mr, Barrymore. The Fox Corporation has produced “Havoc, with George O'Brien heading the cast * X % x ALMA RUBENS, the screen star, less prominent than Mr. Barrymore, perhaps, but whose face is quite as familiar in pictures, has been freed from want for all time, probably, according to news reports. A dear old uncle in Australia has died and left her a fortune estimated from $1,400,000 to $4,000,000. Freedom is in the air, even the unsavory freedom of the divorce court, which has been furnishing topics for gossip lately concerning folks prominent in the movies for whom their public would wish a better fate. I NOVATIONS in motion picture houses throughout the country are be- coming interesting. Soon one nced not be surprised to learn that hot- dog sandwiches will be served with “Just a Little Bit o’ Heaven” on the screen. The heaven, of course, will be on the silver sheet, but the hot dogs will find a lodging place in the hands of the picture patrons. One exhibi tor in Jowa is now serving ice tea, another small bricks of ice cream with tiny cakes. This, perhaps, may cool the body and keep the patron busy if things seem to lag a bit. - * ok ok ok T ATE news freed ior publication brings the report that Joseph Herges- heimer has complgted his original story for Pola Negri, and that it is titled “Flower, oi the Night.” * ok ok X Hiok g ILLIAM S. HART'S first picture for United Artists is an adaptation | of “Tumbleweeds,” made by C. Gardner Sullivan. * ok kK S“PHE LIFE OF NAPOLEON,” which was to have been made on an elaborate scale for Universal by Dimitri Buchowetzki, has been called off, gy e J , SUNDAY | | MORNING, MAY 31, TRICHARD BARTHELMESY NORMA SHEARER. T ROY BARNES Awbassador Ram's Head Players in New York. ORD has been received from Rob- ert Bell, director of the Ram's Head Plavers of Washington, that his little company will appear for four special matinees at the Fifty-second Street Theater, in New York City, under the direction of Edward Good- man of “The Stagers,” beginning Tuesday afternoon of this week, in The Bird Cage,” with Josephine Hutchinson as leading_woman, and Robert Bell, Richard Elwell, Ranald Savery and Ruth Harrison completing the cast. Robert Byrne will act as stage and company manager Has Devaloped Mans#Stare TOM TERRIS, who has been made the head of the newly established Paramount Pictures School, has the reputation in the film industry of hav ing started more young players on the road to fame than almost any other direct Among those prominent _today whom he picked out of the ranks are Agnes Avres, Ben Lyon, Percy Mar- mont, Willlam Collier, jr.; Conrad Na- gel and Alice Calhoun. “I hold great hopes for the future of the Paramount Pictures School,” said Mr. Terris. “I can say with the utmost confidence that, given boys and girls with plenty of ambition snd the average amount of intelligence, I can make good actors and actresses out of them.” and several of their old popular songs. Donald MacDonald, 3d, will present 35 members of Washington's social set in the 1925 edition of “Keith's Annual Revue,” with many surprises, including many novel dance numbers, Other attractions will be “Baby Maxine” Kindleberger, 6 years old, teatured in songs, “Norabayian™ style, and dances of the Gilda Grey variet Harry and Emma Sharrock, in their thrill presentation, “Behind _the Grandstand”; Jessie Maker and Wil llam J. Redford, in a skit. “Rolling Stones,” written by Paul Gerard Smith, with special stage settings and electrical effects; Ralph Whitehead, in character impersonations, and the M. E. G. Lime Trio, in_ their latest novelty, “The Gollywog”; Bob and Lucy Gillette, in an unusual- juggling act, and the house features, Aesop's Fable, topics of the day and the Pathe News' pictorial. EARLE—James K. Watson. The Earle Theater 'has gone to the field of burlesque for its headline at- traction_this week, opening today. Joseph K. Watson, who has been al- most an institution in this oldest form of amusement, will come to the Earle supported by a capable company, in- cluding a ‘“gay and glorified bevy of youthful maidens,” as Mr. Watson describes them. The chief supporting attracyion will a new Richard Dix photoplay, he Shock Punch,” a tale of a youthful American with a “lightning pair of fists.” "The vaudeville program will include also Guy Rarick, well known in_mu- sical comedy, supported by Dick Tandler and Jane Stone in “Who Did 1t?" a bit of foolery in the realm of song and dance; Sancha Piatov and TLois Natalie, exponents of terpsicho- rean art, in their own creations; Fred Reynolds and Allie White in a refined comedy and musical comedy act, and Arthur Flagel's special organ num- ber, “The Passing Patrol,” a compila- tion of patriotic_ airs, with Floyde Wheeler's Orchestra in a_speciai num- ber. “Short” films will be shown “Tivolt Nazimova. Alla Nazimova versatile actresses stage. Whether mannequin, ¥ she gives to artistry Vazimova combines the of a born actress with vears perience. Even as a child in she held audiences spellbound her natural acting. Acting with Nazimova is vital. The motion pic: ture camera, as a vehicle which trans mits dramatic expression, makes it possible to get an intimate view of the actress’s mind In “Madonna of the Streets,” which brought Nazimova back to the screen after two vears on the vaudeville stage,sthe actress played her role with as much force and fervor as if she had not been away from the cameras at_all In one of the most on the screen or she be playing a ench gamin or a nun her rale a consummate advantage of ex Russia with ‘My Son,” she has a far greater role. She plays a mother for the first time in her career—a Portuguese mother. Her great love for her son makes her fell him at her feet with an ax handle. where he lay if dead rather than see him dishonored Easy to Forgeh ILITARY men readily forget. This learned by King Vidor recently while directing ““The Big Parade,” from the story by Lawrence Stallings, co-au thor of “What Price Glory?" Vidor is using many veterans in the production and when a full com- pany had been formed from the cast- ing office’s selections, with the as- sistance of the American Legion, a few maneuvers were tried. Even the simplest and most elemen- tary formations had been forgotten. Such confusion resulted that Vidor took pains to ascertain that all mem- bers of the company were bona fide veterans. He discovered that nearly all had been in France and scarcely any of them had been in service less than a vear Filming of the scenes requiring military formation were postponed forthwith and the company assigned to hours of intensive daily drill. Barry Connors’ New Play. '] OVE LESSON,” the latest play by Barry Connors, who wrote “Appearance,”” written in two and a_ half months of concentrated work at The Ambassador, Atlantic City, where the author went from New York to keep his whereabouts a secret, is a three-act comedy, laid in the average town anywhere in Amer. ica. It has six characters, equally di- vided between girls and men. The cast has not yet been chosen, but the play will begin rehearsals the first of August. “Hell's Bells", another play of Mr. Connors, is still running in New York and will be there indefinitely training is something was | ?P}lotdplays This Week ‘ At the Plistoplay | | METROPOLITAN My Son | | PALACE—"01d Home Week | COLUMBIA—"Waking Up | evening | | RIALTO—"Recompense.” | TIVOL Toys AMBASSADOR—"My Son.” he T Shown —“New Shown Sha [RAL—"Beyond the Border.” ning 1 GAYETY—"Some Wild Oats.” | | LINCOLN (Colored)—"Sally.” Sh METROPOLITAN—Nazimova, in | “My Son.” Nazimova, in the stellar role of Ed win Carewe’s picturization of Martha Stanley's play, “My Son,” will be the attraction this week Crandall's Metropolitan Theater. She ¥ ported by Jack Pickford, Hobart Bos | worth, lan Keith, Charlie Murray others The Christie’s at is sup- Constance Dot Bennett Farley among supplementary attractions reel ng Jimmie Adams world ®irvey be tw laughmal “Sit Tight,” featu | the Metropolitan and | short reels The musical program Breeskin, will include “Orpheus” overtu String Quartet, Elias B mund Ziebel. Alexander Podnos and Preston Shelly, with Viola T. Abrams contributing - harp accompaniment, McDowell's “To a Wild Rose,” ar ranged for string quartet by Ponchon of the famous Flonzaleys, and an in terpretative orchestral score the picture. My mothe only boy under Daniel Offenbach's ceskin, Sig Son™ is a_gripping story determination to save from the temptations of a her that of a flashy young woman from the city who invades the little Portuguese fishing village where the drama has its locale and causes the head of Tony Silva to spin like a pinwheel. PALACE—“0ld Home Week." George Ade, favorite American humorist, who has written some of Thomas Meighan's best screen storie: is the author of “Old Home Week in_which the star will be seen, with Lila Lee in support, at Loew's Palace this week, beginning this afternoo Adapted by Thomas J. Geraghty and directed by Victor Heerman, the cast includes Larry Wheat, Charles Dow Clark, Max Figman, Charles Sellon, Zelma Tiden and Isabel West The latest Mermaid comedy, “Hello, Goodby!"; the Pathe News and Thomas J. Gannon's orchestral selec. tions will be added features. In “Old Home Week," Meighan is seen as the small-town youth of high ambitions who asks girl to wait until his fortune can be realized and For Sweet Charity's Sake. E of the delightful features of Keith vaudeville last year was presented under the title “Keith's An- nual Revue.” It featured a score of charming society girls under the di- rection of Donald MacDonald, 3d, and it scored a pronounced hit. This week at the B. F. Keith The- ater the second presentation of “Keith’s Annual Revue,” bigger and better than ever, will be presented by a much larger company of the same type, and with the announcement that ‘the dancing numbers will be not only original but, indeed, sensational, as they will constitute the big fea- ture of the revue. One of the outstanding numbers will be “Rendezvous,” presented by Mis: Elizabeth Sutherland and Capt. Vlad mir de Sveshnikoff. Victor Alfaro, son of the Minister of Panama, and his cousin, Luis Alfaro,*will appear in several specialties. Miss Margaret Zolnay, debutante daughter of the noted sculptor, George Julian Zolnay, will dance the real, original Argentine tango, with Luls Alfzro. These, it is announced, are but a few of the gx- ol x ceptional numbers of a program of ex: ceptional brilllance. During the week, Washington debu- tantes will sell flowers to the audience in connection with the presentation of the revue, the proceeds of which will 80 to charity represented by the Trayv- elers’ Aid, Noel House and Child Weltare. These who will participate in this exceptional entertainment of the vaudeville year include Misses Kath. erine Wrenn, Elizabeth Wrenn, Cyn- thin Blackburn, Martha Blackburn, Mary Happer, Sue Alston MacDonald, Alicia Mackay, Eleanor Northrop, Gary Morgan, Audrey Alexander, Vir- ginla Russell, Doris Wagner, Adelaide Bride, Helen | Katrin Rensselaer, Ma Zolnay, abeth Sutherland Vladimir de Sveshnikoff, Mes: Regan, Luis Alfaro, Viete James Ros: dmondo Chamorro, Emanuel Lyons, jr.: Kenneth Abrams, Walter Abrams, Donald Laflin, Roger Harriman, Albert Thorn, Daniel Thew Wright, jr.; Jack Joyce, Myron Glas. ser, Earl van Wagner and Donald MacDonald, 3d. ef Capt. Jack Alfaro Shown this . the Metropolitan | beset him—principally in the person | Ault, | Houses This Week afternoon and ever 1 evening and hown this afternoon a own.” Shown this after 100n 1 this afternoon a aiternoon and e »wn this afternoor Shown this aftern hown this a 1d ever ternon a hown this afternon and even who goes to New York turn months later, broke and parently failure. Through de ception he has ridden into town in a private car and is freeted by the whole populace and a brass band as befits his state. His real status. however is discovered shortly: he is branded a fake, though that moment a couple of fake oil swindlers have cleaned out the town's savings and are about to decamp. The young failure ation, and anxious t f in small-town “salt” the swindlers' fake oil w wrtistically that the swindlers hemselves are deceived and buy leaving the hero a on the turp-over after restored their to nis nsmen | The town | nim ana | ding bells { picture £ ap as at the reinstate ard ganges sit h m re ack modest 100 he losses ellow now opens it the girl well e about to ring s arms to nd wed the RIALTO—"“Recompense."” | Robert | pense”, which wa written |seen in the screen adaptation at the Rialto this week, with Marie Prevost and Monte Blue as the featured play Keable Recom- as a will be 15 se- takes his characters the army, a brave man and who, committing one transgression against the moral code, find them selves face to face with a series consequences which necessitate their paying penance for the violation of |the higher right The story of how lain and the nurse {foothold f¢ ir love, and how their |love rides high above the entangling deceit about them forms an absorbing drama. The | Patric from womar the army ch battle to gain includes John Etta Lee, Wil ginia Brown supporting cast John Roche, |liam €. Davidson, V ire, Charles Stevens, George Sieg man and Katharine Lewis An event of interest will be the pres entation by the George Washington University Glee Club of a program of song selections, with a chorus of 30 voices, this being its first appear ance before the public Another feature will be svmphony by Hereford and alto Orchestra, under M will play as the ' by Waldenfel. and sk including the International , will complete thee program a dance Lyof; the ha Gut H overture, | “Violets | reels, New | COLUMBIA—"“Waking Up the Tow Norma Shearer, Metro-Goldwyn | star of “Lady of the Night,” “Excuse Me!" “He Who Gets Slapped” and “The Snob,” is featured in United Artists’ production, “Waking Up the {Town,” a small-town study of youth- ful ambition and romance, which will be shown at Loew’s Columbia this week, beginning this afternoon. Sup- plemental features will include a new Al St. John comedy, “The Iron Mule": the Interpational News reel and or chestral music. Based on a story by James Cruze, director of “The Covered Wagon and Frank Condon, short-story writer, “Waking Up the Town” was |directed by Vernon Keays and its ast includes Alec B. Francis, Claire | McDowell, Ann May, Jack Pickford and Herbert Pryor. | 1t- concerns the |an eccentric village tvpe who |into town from boarding school in a {stolen Ford with the constables be- {hind her and immediately becomes |the chief inspiration of a dreamy {small-town youth who has inherited la fortune from a grandfather who (Continued on Third Page. grandmother of tears