Evening Star Newspaper, October 14, 1928, Page 75

VThieater, Screen | and Music — AMUSEMENT SECTION he Sunday Star Motoring and Aviation News Part 4—16 Pages WASHINGTON, D.. Q. SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 14, 1928 SUe CAROL-fox: Amusemeng Scere fZom SR o Feo Sl f e & ot gt "The SinGiNG FootMetropolitan ke WEEK ' OF LITERARY CONCENTRATION BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Unless the theater has departed ntirely from customary walks, ubstituting motion pictures for he word of mouth entertainment 0 a degree that will enable one gentleman to deliver an entire iirama simply by turning a crank, he present season must be re- garded as limping a little before retting into its stride. It was not fintfl the presentation of “Olym- ia,” that it set a foot firmly on ;rtistic ground and seemed ready or speed. * X X “Paris,” Miss Bordoni’s new ghow, made every Jmsslble prepara- tion to be gay and jazzy, yet many persons found it only jay and gassy. * ¥ ¥ % The Taylor Holmes: play found fess welcome in Washington than had greeted the performance earlier elsewhere. In its effort to Pe in close touch with the auda- ious spirit of the hour, it may have gone beyond the limits of good taste in title selection. “The Great. Necker” must inevitably Jack appeal for a large mature element of theater patronage, an element not negligible. Maturity mfter all produces the greatest art of the funds which go across hrough the ticket window. s k% A fixed idea that il is necessary be just a little rough, if not ery rough indeed, in order to lease a prasent day audience ervades producing offices. Taylor Holmes in a few brief re- arks after numerous curtain alls jocosely referred to this at- itude among producers and aughingly related a little bit of side information as to how far e himself had gone in this line f public-spirited endeavor. A pistol shot conveys a startling ghock as it brings a distinctly sen- jpational thrill just at the moment when “The Great Necker” seemed ko be going its best with no need of much excepting its ideas and Bts repartee. The shot is not at gll in harmony with other ma- kerial. The play, instead of being mssisted by it has to occupy a half gminute or so in recovering from it. Mr. Holmes offered this explana- | ion. When it was learned in Cali- | ornia that the play was booked | for a date in Chicago reports of | the Lake City’s bootlegerdemain pnd hijacksonian duplicities led them to introduce the gun play in| 'an effort to give the public what it liked on terms of genial readi- mess. ok s The Gilbert Miller production POlympia” permits no doubts and rompts no explanations as it is| ?evealed a delicate masterpiece ‘wrought with the deftness on swhich artistry must depend. .IL is characteristic of the poet in its renewal of a favorite theme, the ontrast between the social classes, It is also made quite clear to casual observers that Molnar has no lingering affection for some of his reviewers. It is, of course, quite consistent in drawing the character of a haughty princess worthy to be played even as de- lightfully as Miss Crewes plays her—as being haunted with an idea that “dreadful newspaper men” follow her about the world for the sake of spying on her her domesticities. As a matter of fact, secrets at court have seldom been proclaimed by journalistic print with anything like the in- dustry, or the effectual irritation, attained by the books resulting when a courtier himself decides to turn chronicler. Even today some of the “whisper books” could not have been published in any news- paper. * %k k% ‘The further purification of polite print receives renewed impetus as Roland Robbins decides to turn his exclusive attention to the publish- ing and printing business of which he is president. His retirement from relationships which he has maintained on cordial terms with the public for so many years may easily be construed as another evidence of essential changes which the American theater is preparing to make in its method of organization, and its processes of distribution. it i In preparing current attention for a dinner to be given in honor of De Wolf Hopper the latter part of this month, Bide Dudley, one of the sages®of the New York theater, interviews “the big boy comedian” in a vein which in- cludes the following epigrams: “I'm 70, but age is nothing to me. I still have the effervescence of youth and have managed to retain my bubbling laughter. In- cidentally, I'm going to keep them until I am summoned to that theater above on a run-of-the- play contract. My first profes- sional appearance was in H. J. Byron’s comedy, ‘Our Boys,’ just 50 years ago, in New Haven. Since then I have acted in so many pro- ductions I cannot remember them all. Old Bill in ‘The Better 'Ole,’ during the season of 1918-1919 was the role I most enjoyed. . . . The man who can do what he really wants to is rich whether he has wealth of a material sort or not. He is the Luckiest of Fel- lows. . . . It is not so bad if the actor marries an actress and they can be together in their travels, but there is danger in this, also. Let the wife earn more money than her husband, or be more in the favor of the public, and she will become unmanageable. Peo- ple are apt to tell her she owes her success to the fact she is Mrs. So-and-so, and right away there develops a terrific strain on the elegant foibles and possibly upon | Rialto Coming Attractions NATIONAL—"Revoit.” Harry Wagstafl Gribble's latest play, “Revolt,” will inaugurate the Fall dra- matic season at the National Theater next week, beginning October 22. Mr. Gribble, whose “March Hares” has won him international fame, has been working on “Revolt” since last Spring, when it was tried out with suc- cess in Brooklyn. It comes to Wash- ington_fresh from a preparatory trip through the East, en route to New York. Although Gribble is best known as a writer of frothy comedics, “Revolt” touches deep soil. It is a story of an American home and the struggle within its walls between the old and the new. Gribble has written it in his customary charming style, blending comedy with pathos and delicate satire with tragedy. In the leading role is Hugh Buckler, for four years featured start at the Drury Lane, London. Elizabeth Allen, who played the leading role in “Broadway” for more than a year at the Broad- hurst Theater, New York, has the prin- cipal feminine role. Others in the cast include A. G. Andrews, Grace Filkins, Paul _Gilfoyle, Ackland Powell, Eunice Stoddard, Charlotte Dennision, Anita Fugazy, William Lovejoy, Mary Arbenz and William Whitehcad. The settings are by Cleon Throckmorton, and the | production is under the management of William Powell and Lew Levenson. STRAND-—"Girls From Happyland.” Next week's attraction at the Strand Theater will be the “Girls From Happy- land,” billed as “the show of delightful | surprises.” Irving Selig is featured in | the comedy department, and a talented company _includes other comedians, singers, dancers and vaudeville spe- clalists, as well as a chorus of real Broadway show girls. Fred Reese is the straight man; Ben Lerner, second comic; Rose Lee, blonde blues singer; Leona Reed, soubret; Alice Duval and Nat Tucker, each a dancer vith a reminder that after all the | family ties.” of exceptional talent. rank may be but the *“guinea’s! stamp.” f * ok ko ! Attempts to trace the person»} flity of an author by study of his works are not always reliable. Yet ! ghere are certain traits of indi- |«nAUCH Ado About Nothing” this vidual viewpoint which man is| IV gason's production of the Mrs. flikely to disclose as he writes in| Fiske Co., will go into rehearsal next the vein which brings him best on ! week. The tour will start at Newark on terms of popular Molnar I to depict aristocracy | will follow. and has practically created one of | This organization, which is under the is own; something that might in | direction of Harrison Grey Fiske, was | spi ri = = | established last year on a permanent y ® IS | senting only the best plays in the best gggfim:?/ey;nogi?(.p m‘haafmrdmg anner annually in the cities of the might | East and West. The play chosen for charm the eye or dazzle the intel- | the first season was “The Merry Wives Jigence. He indulzes no buffoonery | of Windsor.” The belief that the Amer- dn attacking fictions of lofty as-|ican public craves a permanent migra- sumptions, but reserves his really | tory theater representing high stand- sympathetic admiration for one|?rds in acting and interpretation was o direct from the people | ;Stified by the enthasiastic welcome Jenbicumes | and support given to the company in or who stands close to them in! e many places visited during its in- candid sympathy. It is the play- augural year. Box-office records were !maker’s privilege to select the| broken frequently. character through which he| This season’s route will parallel that lehooses to speak his own thoughts | of last year. Several of the actors to gt in this play he characieri, (U o i Ay sl hnitino e jwould appear to be the man of| jiiquals will be starred. the entire ntense pride, whose wounded| company, which is one 4, Sxeeptional esteem cannot be healed even by quality and note, being featured, Move itsell, . Besides Mrs, Fiske the organization acquaintance. | November 12 and a Boston engagement | { appear in “Much Ado About Nothing” | Mrs. Fiske’s Company. includes Tan Maclaren, Pedro de Cor- doba, Charles Dalton, Sydney Green- street, Dallas Welford, Geoffrey Ward- well, Charles Warburton, Horace Pol- lock, Herbert Delmore, George Le Soir, Owen Meech, Tracy Barrow, Walter Duggan, Betty Linley, Virginia Phillips and Mary Walsh. A new arrangement of the comedy, which will be played in four acts in- stead of the customary five, has been made by Mr. Fiske, who is to direct the rehearsals. The scenery has beeg de- signed by Gates & Morange and "Wil- liam Weaver has made the costume plates. There is to be & special mu- sical setting. The date of the engagement in Wash- ington has not been announced yet. Two classic plays have been seiected already for the use of the Mrs. Fiske Co. a year hence, one a tragedy and the other a comedy. Herman Bernstein has just completed two more adaptations of European plays. The first is “The Week End,” a mystery play recently produced by Reinhardt in Vienna, and ths second “Miss Church Mouse,” a comedy now in favos wjth Berlin theatergoers, e fi?m“ LONESOME| *Our DANCING DAUGHTERSGlumbia The New York Theater Guild an- nounces that a production of “Strange Interlude” is to open in Stockholm, month. Lars Hanson will be starred in the production. Dorothy Gish, the motion picture star, who makes her return to the Broadway stage tomorrow night with the opening of “Young Love,” is not to be starred in this production, at her own request. James Rennie, Tom Douglas and Catherine Willard will be co-featured with her in the cast. Kenyon Nicholson, co-author with John_Golden of “Eva the Fifth” is completing a new play expressly for his wife, Lucille Nikolas, seen recently in “The Big Pond.” It is tentatively known as “One Thing Is Certain,” and is said to concern itself not at all with the theater. “The Lady Lies,” the first produc- of Joseph Santley, Theodore Barter and Jack McGowan, will open in this city the 28th of this month, before showing on Broadway. William Boyd will ap- pear in the feature role, and among the others in_the cast will be Betty Law- ford and Harry Lillford. John Meehan is the author of “The Lady Lies.” “Music in May,” a new musical show adapted from the German by Fanny Todd Mitchell, with a score by Emile Berte and Maurice Rubens, will have its first showing at Newark tomorrow night. Solly Ward, Greek Evans, Gladys Baxter and Charles Lawrence are among the members of the cast. Jerome Kern will write the incidental music for Christopher Morley's satire of the League of Nations, “Pleased to Meet You,” which opens’ in Hoboken the latter part of this month. This is the first ot the new plays to be pro- duced in the Hoboken Fheater under its new management. Messrs. B. F. Kamsler and Jed Wil- {son will shortly produce “Strange Waters,” the first full-length play by John Eldon Fillmore, who is a grad- uate of Prof. Baker's Harvard work- shop. Francetta Malloy will have a promi- nent role in Philip Goodman's forth- ;mmlng musical show, “Rainbow,” by iarrangement with Vincent Youmans. | composer of the scol Sweden, at the Royal Theater, late this | tion to be sponsored by the new firm | Sdere from CAPTANSWAGGER: IN THE SPOTLIGHT Notes of the Stage and Its People. banner to enter matrimony, is to have the role of Bonnie in the London pro- duction of “Burlesque.” She leaves for TLondon this week. This production will be in the hands of Nelson Keys, who will also play the Hal Skelly role. time in “The Kingdom of God,” last Monday night in Cleveland. The play is due in New York next month, when it will open the Ethel Barrymore Theater in Forty-seventh street. “Little Accident,” a_new play: by Thomas Mitchell and Floyd Dell, will be Crosby Gaige's first offering this sea- he play is based on Mr. Dell’s “An Unmarried Father.” The cast is headed by Katherine Alexander and Thomas Mitchell Arthur Hopkin's second production of the season is entitled “These Days, written by Katherine Clugston. As was the case with “Machinal,” Robert Ed- mund Jones has designed the scenery and Mr. Hopkins is directing rehearsals. “Congal,” now in rehearsal by the Sam Harris forces with Helen Menken jin the star role, is an Annamite word | meaning “woman.” The play has noth- Iing to do with the Congo, its background being French Indo-China. Alice Joyce is to make her first West | Coast .stage appearance in Pascal's “Marriage Bed” in Los Angeles this | week. Robert Milton offered Miss Joyce ) the part almost as soon as she returned |from Europe, and the screen star, anxious to make her second appearance ibefore an audience, accepted without a | moment’s hesitation. Owen. Mgore will play the male lead. The dramatic rights of “The Mad Carews,” a popular novel by Martha Ostenso, have been bought by John O. Hewitt. He has already begun a | dramatization of ‘the book and if the version is successful Lang and Forbes will bid for producing privileges. ‘ Olympic Reopened. 'THE Olympic Theater, on U street N near Fourteenth, which has been closed for some time, has been reopened under the management of T. C. Jack- son and H. D. Murdock, who announce that it has been renovated and redeco- rated and will hereafter present the best pictures available, for white Ppatronage, R i P Ethel Barrymore was seen for the first | Keiths To Produce New Passion Play. HAVING secured permission from the author, “The Dark Hours,” a pas- sion play by Don Marquis, will be pro- duced by the Department of Drama of the Carnegie Institute of Technology on or about November 1 as the opening production of the year. According to the announcement, Mr. Marquis will go to Pittsburgh to attend the opening per- formance. “The Dark Hours,” first published in 1925, has never been produced. . Mr. Marquis, it is said, has consistently refused to allow production until he could be assured that it would be pro- duced “properly” .without change in seript. | Prof. Chester M. Wallace, who was | appointed head of the department of drama this year as successor to B. Iden Payne, now a visiting professor, will be in charge of the production of “The Dark Hours.” Fox Jazz Concerts. THE first of the symphonic-jazz con- certs of the Fox Grand Orchestra, augmented to 50 pieces, will be presented today, with Meyer Davis as the guest conductor, in association with Leon Brusiloff. The opening overture is Wagner's |“Tannhauser,” to be followed by |Can't Give You Anything But Love. From the “Merry Widow Waltz" the or- chestra will go to “Pickin’ Cotton,” and | 50 on through the program. | It is the idea of Maj. John Zanft, | vice president and general manager of |the Fox Theaters, to haye these con- certs as an appeal to the youth of | Washington, but at the same time to | have enough appeal to interest the ! lovers of the higher things in music. A Tough Party. WASHXNGTON film fans are prom- ised the toughest party ‘“ever thrown” in the Gangsters’ Ball a se- quence of “State Street Sadie,” Warner Bros.' Vitaphone production at the Earle. Perfect safety is assured, however, in the fact that the ball and all the tough stuff takes place on the screen. | Conrad Nagel and Myrna Loy are the honor guests at the ball until the lights go out. Then things start pop- ping and it's every man for himself. Among the other well known “screen crooks” who attend the soiree are Te- om “Tenderloin.” “State " is from a story by Mel-l EARL énd BELL- (5‘-/‘573) Palace Attractions in Washington Playhouse s This Week IN WASHINGTON THEATERS THIS WEEK. NATIONAL—“Simba,” Martin Johnson’s African picture. Opens this evening; week day matinees at 2:30 p.m. BELASCO—“The Crooks’ Convention,” comedy-drama. tomorrow evening. POLI'S—McIntyre & Heath, in Opens this evening. STRAND—“High Flyers,” evening. burlesque. Opens “Headin’ South,” extravaganza. This afternoon and HOWARD—"Deep Harlem,” featuring Maurice Hunter. NATIONAL—“Simba.” The names of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Johnson are not strangers to Washing- ton theater-goers; nor is their wonder- ful picture “Simba,” which made many friends upon its showing here last Spring, and so the management of the National Theater put forth a speciat effort to bring it here for a return en- gagement beginning tonight, with mati- nees daily during the week at 2:20 p.m. “Simba” shows the many animals of the African wilds in their native en- vironment just at God made them, pos- ing unconsciously for the camera of Mr. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson is seen as she stood by faithfully guarding with finger always on trigger, to protect the taker of the picture. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were four vears making this remarkable picture, which shows every wild animal of the African jugle, and through “the loox pleasant please” expression is strikingly natural, one feels the cold chills run down his spinal column when an ugly rhinoceros takes exceptions to being photographed and stalks down upon the human intruders until within only a few yards of them when Mrs. John- son is forced to shoot. ¥ The dude of the desert is the ostrich, always preening himself, and his phi- losophy seems to have a “too proud to fight” basis. He also has a supreme contempt for calories, eating anything and everything. The camel is, accord- ing to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, like a peevish old man, a grumbler and a chronic._grouch. The most amusing and carefree are the monkeys—the jungles are alive with them—and you can almost hear them chatter. “Simba” shows all these friends of Noah's Ark. STRAND—"High Flyers.” With players and their material drawn from every field of entertain- ment, Frank Damsel's “High Flyers" will appear at the Strand Theater this week, opening this afternoon. Bur- lesque, vaudeville, musical comedy, the dramatid stage, and the speeedy cabaret all have been generously culled to make the offering a noteworthy one on the Mutual Circuit. From the musical comedy field came Mike Sacks, featured comedian, whose clever Hebrew character is accredited among the best: and from the same source also came Frances Farr, the pretty prima donna, with Mr. Sacks. Vaudeville was the training ground for Phil Kelley, the straight'man of the troupe, and of his dancing and singing partner, Evelyn Forrest. Thelma Benton, the dynamic who is co-starred | | soubrette, is from the cabarets of Goth- am, while John Fagan, comedian, was in_vaudeville. Many of the 16 lively young chorines have been in the ensemble of musical pieces. And the entire array of talent finds opportunity in the 25 colorful scenes and two acts to demonstrate its ability. “High Flyers” is said to be notable for its smart costumes, and lighting effects. HOWARD—"Deep Harlem.” . Earl Dancer, who produced *Afri- cana” last season, starring Ethel Waters, will bring his new show, “Deep Harlem,” to the Howard -Theater this week, beginning tomorrow. “Deep Harlem” is an extravaganza based on the evolution of negro music, and featuring Maurice Hunter, noted negro artist model. Whitney & Tutt, Mable Ridley, Pearl McCormick, Pearl Darrell, Louis Cole, Ed Pugh and a singing and dancing chorus of 65, with a symphony orchestra, under the direc- tion of Joe Jordan. The story opens with the Kushite Tribe in deepest Africa, and the char- acters, music and dances are brought up to the present day in Harlem. BROWNE TO LECTURE. All the world has a credo, says Lewis Browne, author, traveler and Biblical student, who will be heard Tuesday night at the Jewish Community Center, Sixteenth and Q streets, on “This Be- lieving World.” ~The general public is invited. Browne, the author of “The Graphic Bible,” “That Man Heine” and “Stran- ger Than Fiction” is one of the most colorful figures on the literary stage. By training a preacher, by choice and profession a man of the world and a student of its peoples. He has wander- ed to the most obscure corners and his spiritual adventures are recorded in a serles of books. Browne was discovered in a small New England town by Sinclair Lewis. Of Lewis Browne, the author of “Main Street” wrote: “He gives me all the -pleasure of watching a brain free from prejudices and fanaticisms yet warm with human- narlanL:n:il hard Tnd athletic from many studies, yet alive to the eties. the absurdities, the lovable cxfi:nymon« nesses of life. I desire to take oath that I who have known many brands of parsons, have met but two other ministers of God who so winsomely and 50 nobly present the srsm of religion. He brings to the consideration of life a fresh individuality which flashes outf. from his lips to the solace of a land beleaguered by depressing mediocrity. Aims at IP variety is the spice of life, it also is the spice of the program of pic- tures now under way or about to be started at First National Studios. A wide geographical range is covered, and every picture is of a different type, with a different locale. Colleen Moore’s “Synthetic Sin® §s a snappy comedy of city life, a part of the action taking place in the slums. Richard Barthelmess’ picture, “Scar- let Seas,” has most of the action in midocean. “Adoration,” Billie Dove's new picture, takes her to Russia and to Paris, mostly the latter, where the gay cafes provide the background for many scenes. “Stranded in Paradise” is a dramatic story of the South Seas which has taken Director George Fitzmaurice, Variety. Dorothy Mackaill and Milf Sills the Hawaiian Islands. i by “Rotzy Rosie” is a story of modern youth, which flits from a city apart- ment with hide-away bars, to the jazzy beach clubs along the ocean. Alice White and Jack Mulhall head the ali- youthful cast. Ken Maynard goes out on the desert for his next picture, “Wells Fargo Express.” “Seven Fobiprints to Satan” is a weird mystery story, laid in a mysterious palace near New York. “Saturday’s Children,” which Corinne Griffith will make for First National, is frox e Maxwell Anderson story deal- ing !l‘l"::‘itylhllle. i 14 With this list of pictures there is no lack of variety, e