Evening Star Newspaper, November 5, 1928, Page 26

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. T, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1928. G ATTRACTIONS IN WASHINGTON THEATERS BELASCO—"Scarlet Woman.” The theater falls into a genial atti- tude toward the world. Despite its ominous title, “The Scarlet Woman,” well established in success, discloses only the story of a woman whose rural neighbors, relentless as they are mis- taken, assign to her the designation sordidness of everyday ranch life, and even the howl of a storm-terrified dog are brought to eye and ear with dra- matic realism. Letty receives the attentions of three men, one an unscrupulous cattle trader who confesses that he is married, and Lige and Sourdough, who at least are which makes the title of the drama- comedy-farce. The classification is op- tional. The plece has moments vary- ing among all three. Fortunately, by this time this work of stage fiction has long survived the ordeal of the uninformed imagination sceking to scent sensation from the suggestion on the billbcards. The Scarlet Woman is not even a pale pink. She has nothing to biush for even, ac- | cording to the precise standards of pre-Freudian days. The plot as disclosed in Act I is not a very promising infant, not nearly as engaging and delightful as the real baby who appears quite at home while | on the stage, the star of the evening surveying the audience with the imper- turbable calm of consciously superior enius. e rhis fragile plot. symbolized in a way by the sure-enough baby, is taken in hand by Authors Zelda Sears and Reita Lambert and reared, first on the nursing bottle of commonplace theat- ricism and later on the more substantial originality that produces robust drama. ‘There is a little psychoanalysis in the piece, not enough to carry the au- ditor into bewildermens of abstruse speculation. Having tired of dolls years ago, and having been encouraged to aggressive thought by the close com- panionship of a scientist father, Agatha (the Pauline Frederick role), moved by the maternal instinct, goes to a hospital and adopts a little one for her very own. Of course, the most sinister suspicions prevail. As comes the heroine endowed wich the spirit of independent womanhood, Agatha refuses to explain the situation, even to the man who loves her deeply and who finally convinces her that his present devotion is too great to be turned away-by thinking of the past. 1t is not until the curtain rises on the be- | honorable in their intentions and dis- play an equal amount of ardor and sarforial deficiency. Forced by her cousin’s wife to marry one of them, she chooses Lige (Lars Hansenn), and then comes the mental struggle be- tween the two whose temperaments are | absolutely incompatible; their com- | bined struggle against wind, famine and human treachery and what one is ex- pected to believe a happy ending. Lars Hansenn gives a very effective impersonation of the character of Lige Hightower and Dorothy Cummings and Montagu Love have promineni parts. Wesley Eddy, master of ceremonies, was not able to officiate Saturday after- |noon_because of an attack of illness, | and Charles Manning. Loew-Publix rep- resentative, directed the stage orchestra during the presentation of the stage program, “Step On It.” or “A Cruise Around the World.” Pall Mall, black- face artist, acted as master of cere- monies and scored a hit with his sing- ing of “Sonny Boy," imitating Al Joison. The Felicia Sorel Girls appear in sev- cral spectacular numbers, wearing at- tractive Dutch costumes in one and representing Roman warriors in an- other. Bud and Jack Pierson, eccentric | dancers, give two very good acts; | Burnoff and Josephine give two splen- did demonstrations of grace and agility, one in Spanish costumes. and Helen Wright, soprano, sings. A short reel, | “A Great Moment in Foot Ball," with organ accompaniment, and the news | reels complete an unusual program. wife wires that his daughter is visiting him in Paris. Quimby consults his friend, Frederick Fletcher. as to what he can show a daughter in Paris. Fletcher persuades his friend that the time has come for reform, but the two men de- cide that they must have one more dry martini before the daughter arrives. | Quimby finds it very difficult to take leave of his friend, Lina. When it is announced that the daugh- ter has arrived, Quimby rushes home to m2et her, and mistakes her girl friend for his deughter. The girls find the gay old gentleman very pleasant company when he_takes them over Paris sight- seeing. But Elizabeth, the daughter, is more interested in the life of Paris than in the sights. In this manner, she be- comes very fascinated with Paul de Lounay, the French painter, and in the end elopes with him. At this crucial moment Frederick Fletcher steps to the front to take the situation in hand. The story ends as all proper stories should. On the stage are Mary Read's 16 Fox Tillerettes; Martha Vaughn, singing; Earl and Bell give snappy little songs with instruments; Maxine and Lee, dancing; Smith and Hadley, acrobatic dancers, and Ne Wong, Chinese jazz singer. The stage presents some very clever acts. The Fox Grand Orchestra gives a spé- cial overture, “Our Presidents.” In this overture, slides with photographs of the Presidents accompany music which is suitable to each. Newsreel completes the crowded and very entertaining pro- gram. With the syncopated clattering of drum sticks on cymbal and snare, the Fox Theater Orchestra began the last surprising vigor yesterday afternoon. A bassoon and piccolo oddity, with diminutive Mr. Iascone playing the playing the offered and proved amusing. They played “The Elephant and the Fly,” by Kling. Perry Breamer gave a cornet solo and KEITH'S—"“The S‘reet of Illusion.” Two headliners are offered at Keith's | this week, one silent, in the form of | an unsynchronized feature picture, | | “The Street of Tilusion.” starring Vir- | | ginia Valli, and the other noisy, bein | & general “whoopee” revue with those | | “Sylvia,” dience that apparently favored the jazz selections. Other numbers were “March and Procession of Bacchus,” from the ballet | “Glow Worm,” by Lincke: Let's Misbchave,” by Porter; string bass solo played by Robert Staszny: The heroine is in love with Don Ramon, 1 a Spanish officer. However, through a | denouement of an hour and a_half’s| duration, during which time a thrilling | and romantic story is unfolded, things | turn out all right for the two lovers and they fade out, as usual, in each others arms. One of the outstanding characteriza- tions is provided by Noah Beery in the role of the Duke of Azar, suave and cruel Spanish official. Two short | movietone reels, an orchestral prelude and M-G-M and Fox Movietone News THEATER—“Nature and Love.” its second week at the Little Theater, \“Nature and Love,” U. F. A.| production, continues to attract the attention of those interested in the evo- lution and development of life on earth. Popular interest in the evolution of man has increased tremendously during the past few years. Numerous volumes have been written in an attempt to explain. improve upon or contradict the writings of Darwin. It remained, | however, for Dr. George A. Dorsey to | popularize the zoological and anthro- THE LITTLE Now h{ of the symphonic-jazz concerts with‘ smaller instrument and tall Mr. Hintze | long bassoon, was well | was enthusiastically received by an au- | | complete the program. | pological background of man. “Nature and Love” is a picturization of material similar to that incorporated in Dorsey's volume. Beginning in typical German fashion with the origin of the planetary system and the formation of the earth, the picture moves to a study of the first life on our globe. All important phases of the develop- ment of life on earth are presented. ‘The thrllllnf story moves from the amoeba, the lowest form of animal life, to twentieth century man, considered the union of the best that has gone before. But the producers are not con- " Clothes May Not “Make the Woman--- But They Will Make a Large Woman Look Slenderer! | ' —Kann's Apparel Shops ate particularly well pre- pared to prove this statement to the women who wear larger than average sizes. Smart Winter Coats : - T T Sizcs‘ 381/, to 501,—Special at tent to leave one with the notion that man is the absolute perfection of life. The “ascendancy of man” is set forth as an eternal law of nature, and the continued development of the human species is made a major theme of the picture. The picture not only offers the lay- man a popularized visualization of the process of evolution, but presents many interesting facts as well, facts that make their filming a worthwhile venture | in_themselves. The fear that the acceptance of the | process of evolution will overthrow religion is frequently thrown to the fore in a discussion of the former subject. ‘The producers have recognized this and have not neglected to state their belief that the two are not necessarily in- compatible. ~They have even em- ployed biblical phraseology in many of the subtitles. Q The feature is preceded by a Para- mount news reel and a picture present- ing Charlie Chaplin_ in “Sunnyside.” The latter is one of Chaplin's early comedies, in which he demonstrates the possibilities of a country lad winning the hand of a village lass from a well drossed city man. | spontaneous clowns, Ole Olsen and Chic | “Festival at Bagdad,” by Rimsky-Kor- . here on |-Johnson. who have their own way of | Sakow: Donaldson's “Because My Baby drama_asserts itself. From here on |“pring’ down the house” |Don't ' Mean Maybe Now.” “Digga- plot and counterplot are managed With | “The Street of Ilusion” is heavy|Dazga-Do a_ Field" McHugh composi- delicate and intensive dexterity. UP 0| drama, dealing fittingly cnough with | tion: “I'm On_the Crest of a Wave." | this point the interest has depende | back-stage life, in that the “street” is|by DeSylva-Drown-Henderson, and | third and final act that the genuine —The carefully selected mate- rials and correctly cut and de- on the development of characters, each conveying a. distinet and positive im- pression of human identity, but always | without the exaggeration of caricature. | One of the best of these type deline tions is the crude but genial “heart- breaker,” whose plans are frustrated in a manner which leaves him in a pcsl-l tion of embarrassment which only & jaunty Lothario hike himself could sur- vive. By trying to carry on two flirta- tions at once, he is compelled, when trapped into a simultaneous interview with two iniended victims at once, to retire from the scene defeated. but still undisconcerted. Paul Stanton makes the part so good-naturedly human as to rescue it from the violent indigna- tion which the Designing Villain ordi- arily arouses. nA \?’ery responsible role is that of the young professor whose affection is su- ‘perior to all suslla‘lifl:m. 1t is well played y_Thomas Holding. h’m producing organization, L. C. Wiswell, Inc.,, is entitled to gratitude for providing entertainment in such wholesome contrast to the underworld fiction Which has become reprehensible of late, not because of any great power for vitiating influence, but because of moisy dullness. ’x‘hy(re are touches of pathos, One of them is provided by Norman Peck, as the hard-working young chap w‘ho loves the baby, and for the baby's sake wishes to marry the woman whom he, like all the rest, believes the mother. 1t is a complicated little narrative; one which might easily stray into mal- adroit lines. The plot steps securely from scene tot:c:na, wlmf l:w“ fulness that never . gy PHILANDER JOHNSON. POLI'S—“Abie’s Irish Rose.” nce upon a time a playwright con- ct?\'ed Bximldea for a pruy and, in due course, wrote it. Producers, after long persuasion, staged it, and the reviewers fell upon it in a body and tore it to pieces, terming it the “flop of the cen- tury. %hereupon record crowds flocked to see it, and soon a second company set out on tour. This company was the forerunner of a number of road com- panies which in one year reached a maximum ‘of 10, and from these com- panies a flood of gold poured into the ‘purse of the playwright. Well along in its seventh year, the play was given last night at Poli’s The- ater by a highly competent compan: Nothing has happened to change a ca did expression of adverse critical opin- jon. On the other hand, an almost capacity house laughed and chuckled its way through the three acts portray- ing the tribulations of a young Jewish | boy and a young Irish girl in reconcil- ing their fathers to their marriage. Phil White, who played the part of Solomon Levy, father of Abie, was the outstanding star of the cast. His work was 2s nearly perfect as one might ask. | Ida Kramer, as Mrs. Cohen, was cer- tainly the runner-up. Others in the cast included Charles W. Ritchie, as Patrick Murphy, father of Rosemary; George Hurd, as Abie; Patricia Quinn, as Rose- mary; Harry Marks, as Isaac Cohen; Ray L. Royce, as the priest, and Charles Guthrie, as the rabbi, The cast was well younded and fitted exceedingly well into the characters. STRAND—“Girls of the U. S. A.” Norma Noel and a group of versatile players led the “Girls of the U. 8. A" the show at the Strand Theater for the current week, into what proved to be the best of the “burleskers” this ason. !cAlX members of the chorus offer specialties, some singing and others | dancing. They were all good enter- tainers, according to the applause given them. Assisting Miss Noel in the feminine dance and song numbers were Jean Seifort and Flo Rich, both giving numerous entertaining and amusing performances. The comedy end of a peppy show is well handled by George Carroll, as- sisted by Bill Miffin. Bryant Wolf and Ed Calame also gave interesting per- formances in monologues and tap dancing. The usual time lapses in the shows given at the theater are absent this week. The intervals were excellently filled by members of the show offering clever numbers. The chorus is well trained. PALACE—"“The Wind.” Loew's Palace is celebrating its tenth snniversary this week with a gala pro- gram, including the Metro-Goldwyn= Mayer sound picture, “The Wind,” starring Lillian Gish; thematic pro- Jogue, “The Spirit of the Wind”; the Frank Cambria stage production, “Step On It"; orchestral prelude and the M-G-M and Fox Movitone news reels. “The Wind” is probably unsurpassed for vivid portrayedal of human misery, and its fanciful interpretation of Indian Jegends, and photographic and phonic reprodiiction of the elements in their war of destruction upon man and beast is very impressive. Miss Gish achieves a great deal of realism in her role as Letty Mason, an unsophisticated young pirl left penniless by the death of im- poverished parents, who goes West to live with her tubercular cousin, Beverly, and his family. Upon her arrival she is welcomed by a terrific windstorm, iwo grizzly visaged ranchmen, Lige Hightower and Sourdough, who drive her to her cousin’s ranch, and an an- tagonistic, jealous woman, her cousin’s wife and unwilling hostess. She is assured that the windstorm fust experienced is nothing when com- pared to the destructive Norther which the Indians believe to be an angry ghost horse stamping and snorting his way through the clouds. The fury of the storm, the apparition of the ghost |so horse, the scramble of the ranchmen to an underground place of safety, the . | sult. supposedly Broadway, but the plot on which it is built is one of those obvious triangle affairs where three are just one too many, with tragedy as the re- Virginia Valli, Ian Keith and Kenneth Thomson play the three leads | convincingly, even to the point of mak- ing the film tense and entertaining. In direct contrast to the gloomy effect of the picture is the stage show, called “Merry Mad Minutes of Monkey Busi- ness,” which turns out to be a series of fast moving scenes with Olsen and Johnson merrily mastering the bedlcén ceremonies. These two wisecrackers, who refresh our memories of the two- a-day when it was in its prime, lose no time in starting the fireworks, and with the aid of their confederates planted all over the theater, soon have the place filled with smoke, laughter and what not. And if applause means suc- cess, then this revue should be crowned king of them all, for it actually took the customers by storm. morable 1928, or from Theodore Roosevelt to the Graf Zeppelin, and a Mack Sennett comedy complete the bill. METROPOLITAN— Ma Considerable light is thrown upon the much-discussed subject of companion- ate marriage in the play of that name by Judge Ben B. Lindsey and Wain- wright Evans, which is showing this week at the Metropolitan Theater. But there are still some points in which the plllblk: is left in doubt after sceing the play. Companionate marriage, we gather from the production, is not in any way a lessening of the moral obligations of matrimony, nor a temporary arrange- ment. It is a “sane and sensible bar- gain based upon intelligent pre-consid- eration of the problems to be faced in the first years of married life.” This much is made clear in the story of the four young people in Judge Lindsey's play—the two who plunged headlong into matrimony with a tragic denoue- ment and the two who went into it with their eyes open, prepared to test their own love thoroughly before further binding their lives. But, whether one must have a written contract, a special minister, or a visit to Judge Lindsey in order to tie this new knot we are not told. We do learn that a marriage cer- tificate is in order, and perhaps, since nothing is sald to the contrary, the “companionate” features are simply a the contracting partics. This point ft would have been well to clear up. ‘The weak point in the authors’ screen rgumeht for companionate marriage is that they selected two such ideal char- acters for their new experiment that pily married under any conditions—and two such poor weak humans for the pair contracting the old-fashioned union that it would have been amazing to any one if they had become adapt- able under any sort of -arrangement. Be that as it may, the play certainly sets one thinking. Vitaphone features auxiliary. to the headliner include Jesse- Stafford and his orchestra in some up-to-date selections rendered in mediocre style, Redmond and Wells in an amusing skit, “The Gyp,” and a subsidiary playlet, “Solo- mon’s Children.” Kinogram shots of news events com- plete the program. RIALTO—"“Man, Woman and Wife.” Johnny Slaughter. and his Rialto Revelers are the best thing on the An unusually interesting Pathe News, | reproducing some of the more me- | “shots” taken from 1911 to| matter of mutual agreement between | they could scarcely be imagined unhap- | some Victor Herbert'’s most popular | melodies. EARLE—"Terror.” The theory that the average person is vastly infricued by a mystery play. with its desperate characters, secret passages, hidden wealth and spooky atmosphere, full of chills and thrills, unexpected developments and climaxes. | flavored with enough comedy and romance to relieve terrific suspense, is well evidenced by the number of | persons who stand and wait patiently | for available seats at the Earle Theater, | where one of the most primal of pas- slons attacks the senses through sight and sound. “Terror" is a Warner pro- | duction featuring May McAvoy as Olga, | the preety daughter of Dr. Redmayne | (Alec Francis) who conducts a “rest ;(‘m‘e" for nervous patients. | Itt seems that one of the patients |is really a criminal who escaped with | 211 the "booty looted from the Midland Bank, while his two pals were sentenced to serve 10 years in prison. The story | begins with the expiration of the 10 years, and O'Shea, known at the sani- tarium as Leonard Goodman, realizes that his long security is menaced. One or his fellow convicts enters the retreat dressed as an old lady patient; the | other uses methods more natural to his calling. Their release from prison also accounts for still another new- comer, Capt. Bradley of Scotland Yard, who would never be suspected of hav- |ing any serious purpose. Then things begin to happen. The audience is carried from one thrilling | episode to another and is kept tense with sympathy and fear and a desire to warn the innocent Olga when the shadow of a clutching hand appears behind her. Louise Fazenda, as the ‘Widow Ellroy, taking the cure, provides some humorous intervals and John Milyan, as her friend Alfred, is con- stantly being reminded of some similar incident which he relates at great | length. The realism of the story is ac« cented by the shrieks of terror by Olga when the mysterious figure in black kidnaps her. One should also give credit to little Jerry, the toad, who | plays his part well in producing the | ghostly organ music. A Hal Roach comedy follows, “Is| Everybody Happy?” It seems that the | man loved his wife but didn't care | much for her relatives, especially her | brother, who always annoyed him by | playing’ all kinds of jokes at inop- | portune moments. The big contract is thought to be hopelessly, lost, but to the host’s surprise the contractor was | favorably impressed with the evening's | fun and the brother's effervescent | spirits. | The news reel pictures the presi-| dential candidates, base ball in Japan, | a chiropractors' convention, Colorado | co-eds visiting Old Judd, the mountain hermit, and other features of interest | complete the bill. | COLUMBIA—"Two Lovers.” i Photoplay fans are afforded another week in which to view “Two Lovers,” | which is entering its second week at | Loew's Columbia. _Starring Ronald | | Colman and Vilma Banky, the picture is a screen adaptation of Baroness | Orczy's novel, “Leatherface.” This is | the last picture which the two gtars will | make together. It will teriliinate a| | series of highly successful productions | | through which they have won immense | popularity as filmdom's most romantic | co-starring team. If “Two Lovers” be their last joint effort, the stars have | produced a fitting climax to their as- | sociate careers, for this picture is un- | Regularly $10.00 Sizes 4015 to 50 signed models have achieved marvels in giving a slenderiz- ing appearance, as well as the deftly manipulated collars, cuffs and in some cases borders of fluffy or flat furs. Every coat is nicely lined with heavy silk crepe or satin and warmly interlined. - Extra-Size SilkFrocks $7.95 —The woman who wears a larger size will find at this price youthful models of smart dull crepe or lustrous satin in all the new models, many featuring the new jabots, vestees, snug, slenderizing hip lines. There are dresses in the collection suitable for office, street and afternoon wear, All the popular Fall shades from which to choose. New Silk Dresses In Sizes 421/ to 521/, —These new dresses were especially designed to give slenderizing lines, The mate- rials are satins, canton crepes, georgettes combined with velvet, flat crepes, crepe jolie and others, Par- ticular attention is given to the smartly cut and tailored shoulders Worth $16.50 to $20 $13.00 bill this week. playing a varied group | doubtedly one of the best they have of numbers with interesting symphonic done together. It is one of the most effects and ending with a bang in the | appealing of recent love stories and is big Scandal's hit, “Picking Cotton.” | developed through a narrative which | These local boys have improved im-|contains many moments of thrilling measurably in the few weeks they have | action. been playing together and they now| The Netherlands, struggling against form a smooth working, well balanced | the oppression of Spain, provides the aggregation worthy of offering keen | competition to any of . the local stage orchestras. ? | The picture, “Man, ‘Woman and! Wife,” is a rather wearying angle of | the inevitable social triangle, melo- dramatic to an extreme and totally de- void of any conscious humor. Another of those films depending on the late war {0 cover a multitude of implausi- bilities, the picture lumbers through | reels of creaky situations, in which | good and evil war within' the breast | of its central character and love rushes { in to a conclusion of uplift and sacri- | fice. The women of 1917 are smartly | gowned in the latest Parisian decrees for 1928. Near the very end of the plcture there is a real dramatic climax, a prison_escape done with interesting sound effects. | Most of the heavy work falls on Norman Kerry as the refugee from | social justice, who, leaving wife and fortune behind, finds love with an old sweetheart who is also socially outcast. ! Pauline Starke in the role of the noto- | rious woman whom love lifts to new life gives an interesting performance of a soul transformed. Back home, Marion Nixon, wife of Brandon | (Kerry), whom she believes dead, and Kenneth Herlan, ‘a faithful friend, have their own little love affair which only the noble sacrifice of Brandon keeps from destruction. The sound ac- companiment is good. A night club revue, via the vitaphone, newsreal and a Grantland Rice Sport- | light furnish the subsidiaries. FOX—"Dry Martini." “Dry Martini," featuring Mary Astor, | Albert Gran, Matt Moore and Albert Conti, at the Fox this week, presents | the amusing situations into which a father and his very modern daughter become entangled while in Paris. The stage features a “Carnival of Jazz.” Willoughby Quimby has lived in Paris, historic background of the story. To conciliate the Flemish population in their enragement against the cruelty of the Spanish officials and troops, a marriage is arranged between a young noblewoman, known as “the flower of Spain,” and Mark Van Rycke, son of a Flemish official. These two roles ar>, of course, those of Miss Banky and Col- man. Mark is captivated at the first sight of his beautiful bride, and falls deeply in love with her, but for sake | of plot his love is not returned at first. | e DESSERT. GIVES 'EM QUICK ENERGY T00 ~ /Tz M. NESTLE's long. in fact, as to forget that he has a family. Into his gay life thore is thrown a bomb one day when his ex- MILK CHOCOLATE Richest in Cream{ - at all. Avenue In Large Head Sizes and sleeves. All the popular colors from which to choose. $9 —A particularly interesting collection of hats for the women who require large head sizes. fitting models—of felt and of velvet, also of velvet and silver cloth—with clever little brims, or no brims And in black and fashionable Winter colors. Secofid Floor. 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Short and three-quarter lengths; with collars or collarless. . Kann's—Second Floor. * Women’s Extra Size Coat Sweaters $5.95 —They are the All-Wool Sweaters. In plain and rib knit styles, with and with- out collars. You will find them very comfortable for wear under your light- weight coat. They are in the bright Fall colors, tan, brown, navy and black. Kann’s—Second Floor. * Leatherette Raincoats Sizes 40 to 50 —These Coats are very carefully cut, and all are wool lined, for extra warmth. They are cut on the same lines that make the higher priced models especially smart. In belted or swagger styles, in navy, green, and black. Kann's—Second Floor.