Evening Star Newspaper, July 21, 1929, Page 45

AMUSEMENT SEGTION The Sunday Star SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 21, Vo Mg Motor, Aviation and Radio News Theater, Screen and Music 1929. WASHINGTON, D. C, AGE and 4 SCREF) Part 4—12 Pages MARGUERITE CHURCHILL- Fox S \ DORIS ROCHE and JOHNNY ggmmmm BURKE - Pa!ace,@?aye)‘ Photoplays This Week SCREEN ATTRACTIONS OF THE WEEK. EARLE—William Boyd in “The and eveni FOX—Dorot, Burgess in “Ple and evening. PALACE—Lon Chaney in “Thunder.” ning. Leather Neck.” This afternoon asure Crazed.” This afternoon This afternoon and eve- METROPOLITAN—Betty Compson in “On With the Show.” This aflernoon and evening. CO¥ UMBIA—Dolores Del Rio in “Evangeline.” &nd evening. EARLP—V am Bovd m “The Leath-| erneck.” | Not eince “The Vo'ga Boatman™ has | ‘Wwilliam Boyd had for a starring picture | what he hes in “The Leatherneck,” a Pathe dialogue and sound picture, which is shown &t the Earle Theater this wesk. | As a United States Marine private whnl‘ is court-martialed for desertion he has| a role which,"it is thouzh*. will vastly | enhance his vogue with fans. Much in the way of romance and adventure is suggested by the United States Marines and the producers have centered their drama on_the adventures | of three “Devil Dogs.” The result grips | with its drama and thrills b>cause the adventures through which its charac- ters are carried are of an unusual sort. Alan Hale has been seen with Wil- liam Boyd often, and they make & great duo. Robert Armstrong lends to the trio something of the appeal both of “The Three Musketeers” and “Beau | Geste.” Diane Ellis, a newcomer to/ the films, plays opposite the star. Fred Kohler plays an important part and minor roles are enacted by Mitch- ell Lewis, Jules Cowles, Jimrw Aldine, | Paul Wiegel, Philo McCullough, Wade | Boteler, Lee Shumway, Richard Neill and Jack Richardson. The Vitaphone presentation for the new week includes Hope Hampton in | the fourth act of Massenet's Opera, “Manon,” and Ray and Dot Dean im! “He's & Devil.” “Booklovers,” a Para- | mount noveity reel. and an orchestral | overture complete the program. FOX—Dorothy Burgess in “Pleasure Crazed.” Monckton Hoffe, one of England's popular authors, is responsible for the story of “Pleasure Crazed,” which is an adaptation of his play, “The Scent of Sweet Almonds.” It is a Fox Movie- tone talking picture and will be shown at the Fox Theater this week. It _was selected as a starring vehicle for Dorothy Burgess, who stepped from the footlights to the screen as Tonia in “In Old Arizona.” ‘The supporting cast includes Marguerite Churchill, re- membered for her performance oppo- site Paul Muni in “The Valiant”; Ken- neth MacKenna, who was once Grace George's leading man following his per- formances in productions of the New York Theater Guild; Campbell Gullan, an actor of the British stage; Douglas Gilmore, and Henry Kolker, who makes his first appearance for Fox Movietone in the production. Mr. Hoffe's play was adapted by Douglas Z. Doty, and the screen dia- Jogue was written by Clare Kummer, the brilliant dramatist who wrote “Good Gracious, Annabelle.” Miss Kummer is also the composer of the song, “I Only Knew It Was You,” which is sung in the production. The stage program will present John Irving PFisher as the master of cere- monies in introducing its musical com- edy and revue enteriainers. PALACE—Lon Chaney in “Thunder.” Lon Cheney in “Thunder” will be the screen attraction at Loew’s Palace the current week. Chaney, as a rugged, grouchy engineer whose sole purpose in life seems to be to ‘“keep the trains movin,’ " is supported by Phyilis Haver and James Murray. The picture is & romance of railroading, with action from the start to the final fade-out. The story opens with Phyllis stealing a ride on the locomotive in order to be in time for her show in the night club at Chicago. Chaney wants to put her off, but pressed for time, allows her to gomain. His son and she become inti- mate and the boy looks her up later at the club. Meantime Chaney’s other son, also a raiizoad man, is killed while 4he ‘Tiains moving. Chaney's family turn against him for sending the boy out. To make matters worse Chaney’s traln is. wrecked and he is retired to the shops and the younger son tries to get out of railroading. News f floods in the South, every available engineer - and fireman are hastened there with trainloads of sup- plies. Chaney and his son find them- selves again aboard their old enallne and through the old man’s efforts they reach the flooded area and save an entire town. Stranded in the town praying for the trains to come through are the wife and & child of the dead son and the sweetheart of the younger son. They then realize that the old | man's thought in “keeping the trains moving” was right. On the stage Herbert Rawlinson goes ta the front with a Jack Partington production, “Over the Top,” featuring This afternoon Johnny Burke, erstwhile movie star and vaudeville headliner, with Doris Roche and Bernie Brothers in new dance routines, and Dan Rowan, the Tiffany Singers and the Palace Synco- pators in the cast. The Palace Or- ciestra, Charles Gaige at the organ, ths Fox Movietone News, the M-G-M News and short subjects complete the program. METROPOLITAN—Betty Compson in “On With the Show.” “On With the Show,” the first natural color, talking, singing and dancing pic- ture, as Warner Bros. have produced it, which has been characterized as “an outstanding hit for anybody's money,” will continue at the Metropolitan Theater another week. If it were possible to stop a motion picture with outbursts of applause, as has sometimes happened with a stage performance, “On With the Show” would have been stopped many times during its premiere at the Metropoli- tan Theater two weeks ago. The story is of back stage life, but in its de- velopment there is presented one of the best and biggest of musical comedy revues. Photographed against a gor- geous background of stage settings en- tirely in technieolor, the production has a beauty that delights the eye. Magniture is only one of its allurements. It is entertainment for the eye, the ear and perhaps the mind. The Warners have filled it with talent. There are no less than 18 specialists fig- uring in the picture, among them Ethel ‘Waters, the Four Covans, the Fair- banks Twins, Joe E. Brown, Josephine Houston and Henry Pink. The cast, it- self impressive, inciudes Betty Comp- son, Louise Fazenda, Sam Hardy, Lee Moran, Henry Gribbon, Wheeler Oak- man, Sally O'Neil, Arthur Lake, Purnell Pratt, Thomas Jefferson, William Bake- well, Otto Hoffmman and Tom O'Brien. The dance ensembles originated by Larry Ceballos are one of the features, and there are girls and girls and then more girls. Alan Crosland gave it artistic direction and it presents many individual hits. Warner Bros. have given a jaded public something new and worthwhile for its edification and en- tertainment in the theater. COLUMBIA—Dolores Del Rio im “Evangeline.” Dolores Del Rio will be the feature attraction at Loew's Columbia in her latest screen triumph, “Evangeline,” for another week. The picture is an adap- ;atlon of Henry Wadsworth Longfel- Rol p ture is notable for scenic beauty, pho- tography, the close manner in which it follows the story of the poem and the acting of the cast. Miss Del Rio is heard singing for the first time on the screen. £ The story, well known, ‘deals with the deportation of the Acadians to various parts of the new world because they would not take up arms against their native land, France, for the Eng- lish. In the confusion of embarking families were separated, and Evangeline had the misfortune of being separated from her betrothed. She had promised him to his as long as water flows, and so she starts to search for him. He also looks for her, and, though their paths cross several times, she is just behind him and does not succeed in meeting him until, as a sister of mercy, she finds him old and broken in a §lmplhl. T?g:e she sings for him the ove songs y sang in their youl and he dles in her arms. o De'l]‘l':rl: ‘!:m no a:nouncement that Miss make personal appearances with her picture this week. s Metrotone acts will include Al Wohl- man and the Revelers. The Fox Movie- tone News, the M-G-M News and the Columbia Orchestra complete the pro- gram. Mrs. Arliss in “Disraeli.” MMIFS. GEORGE ARLISS will piay te her illustrious husband in : 1;1: u:mhvon’mermsm. pic- ure. Mrs. , who is professionally known Arliss, T in the role of Lady L she portrayed with great success on the stage during the play’s run of four years in the principal cities of the country. ich | ex) ~ R ¥ LONCHANEYand PuyLLIS JOHN IRVING FISHER-Fox(Gege) i Liam Outdoor Amusements. GLEN ECHO PARK. Glen Echo Park, a well managed amusement resort in one of Maryland's coolest and most attractive spots, reached quickly from all directions by good car service or over smooth boule- vards, invites with free admission to the grounds where there are more than 50 ways of handing Old- Man Worry a | knockout blow. usual manner | prescribed to “do” Glen Echo Park is | to start with the big amusements and work down to the last one. On the coaster dip one thrill follows another, and puts one in good shape for the airplane swing, then a tryout on the | derby racer, the carrousel, the old| mill and the skooter. Next s visit to the Midway, where “more fun than a barrel of monkeys” is the attraction. Another feature that provides popular pleasure is dancing in the large ball- room, where tantalizing tunes are pro- vided by McWilliams and his orchestra every week night from 8:30 until 11:30 o’clock. MARSHALL HALL. Marshall Hall, a favorite down-the- river resort, is reached by a delightful ride down the Potomac .on board. the steamer Charles Macalester, which makes three trips daily, leaving Seventh Street Wharf at 10 am., 2:30 and 6:45 p.m., except Sunday, when she leaves at 10:30 on her morning trip. At the Hall one finds much to entertain, such as the airplane~swings, coaster -dips, shooting _galleries and other divertise- mem.s‘.n {iow&fre is t:em -“?u:: ice for picnics, the resort pro tables and plenty of chairs, for lnm'_gE eon parties, with a nugmecne view of the Potomac River. the pavilion dancing is always free. CHESAPEAKE BEACH. o BRI L S t af e 3 - xmlfi bay resort p;mt an hour's ride from the city and overlooking Chesa- Bay. Unlik t, -of e Bay. e mos shore, 1t is heavily wooded an abundance of shade. . Bathing in the salt water is the big sttraction, with fishing and crabb! for wh.lchdmt:nyube ‘l;m":dm T on the beac] , hflgn slides and is a at mecca for cl n. H. Ggrem'l Carolinians entertain with snappy music in the boardwalk dance pu'fim. Varied amusements offer ex- citement for those seeking a lively time. New Color Films. Alfred E. Green will direct “DisraelL.” | th Other pla; nuucud!orthalwp mngtytzdmaoun!mm. vid Torrence, David Tearle and Ivan Simp- son. HAVE R - Pslace O'NEIL~ Local Stage and Screen. NSTRUCTIONS reaching the local office of Fox Movietone News Thurs- ‘The Columbia, by the way, has a new screen. It is made of rubber perforated -of the bay and affords | For ing, A free | rush day morning conveyed word that Air News Unit No. 1, then at At- lanta in the course of a tour cov- ering 50 important cities in the United States, would come to Washington in the latter part of the month. Specific information on the point has hereto- fore been lacking. A wire from Hardie Meakin, director of Fox's Washington publicity, to Glendon Allvine, publicity head in New York, received the response last week that the plane was mnot scheduled to stop in Washington on its way South, but would make a straight hop from its last New England appear- ance to Atlanta. interest attaches to the unit for another reason, namely, that Mal. A. E. Holland, in charge of the flight, is well known in Washington, having acted here until March of this year as contact man for Fox Movietone News, leaving to go to the New York office. Prior to his association with Fox he was connected with the Washington office of Washington photographers. Fox publicity states that the present “good will tour” group is “the first fiying unit for taking pictures with sound effects,” the trip being designed “to impress the public with yet another stride f in aviation that now there are observers in the air, swooping down on the latest events and captur- ing them for the synchronized screen.” In this effort to assist in making the ?ubue air-minded, the Fox group will feature ropulu meetings stressing the desirabllity of developing airports and other monstrations calculated to stimulate interest in air facilities. Governors, mayors and other dignitaries have been scheduled for addresses and will be taken on courtesy ing the tour. flights dur- The use of airplanes by the various news reel producers is not a new thing. g{l,lnu have been used for conveying photographers for news transporting prints shots, as well as for P of important events to laboratories on orders. Prints have even been ped in dark rooms sboard the speeding planes. Motor trucks, further- more, have been completely equip] o i ’s of pionee: e use airplanes for sound effect photography seems a justifiable one and none can doubt that it is an. impressive. stride forward for the audible screen vogue. OLORES DEL RIO'S pleasant and graceful little effusion from the Columbis stage during last week's show- ing of “Evangeline” has ended, but the itself goes on. That Miss Del ‘was attested with thousands of tiny holes, is espe- cially adapted to sound projection and can be washed down with soap and water. The old screens had to be dry- cleaned. S mentioned elsewhere in these pages, Charles Hampden, for two years a popular member of the Na- tional Theater Players, is to act this week as a guest _conductor of the or- chestra at the Earle, in addition to singing two numbers. “ON WITH THE SHOW.” which continues showing to unabated public approval at the Metropolitan, makes Acularly interesting, by rea- son of its skiliful use of color photog- raphy, & recent announcement by the Eastman Kodak Co. of & new series of tinted positive films for sound pictures. ‘The Eastman Co. says that it has listed for immediate delivery 16 atmospheric colors, “keyed to the moods of thescreen.” It is reasonable to suppose that in time there will be colors for passion, jeal- ousy, wrath, envy and all the emo- tions which are now bolstered up in their screen presentation by the use of music sulted to the mood. It is an old trick to inject perfume into a theater to induce mood reactions in the patrons. There is no telling where this combined onslaught upon the senses will cease. It has considerable psychological possibilities if not over- done. T!fl absence during the past week of both C. F. Winchester, munn&er. and Hardie Meakin, chief of publicity, of the Fox Theater, brought David M. Idzal back to Washington for a two- day so] . Mr. Idzal is on 10 days’ leave from his temporary post in De- troit. Irene Weber of the local Fox staff ing Mr. Meakin's acted as “publicity contact” dur- absence. oru long-run special pictures show- iny “8howboat. Drummond,” “Broadway,” Feathers,” “Drag” and “Broadway Babies,” will probably reach town dur- ing Summer and early Fall. Bert Swor in Talkie. 'HE rise and fall of the minstrel show has transpired during the en- lertainment career of one of the. vet- laced comedians of the Nh‘l; Swor brothers, who appears Bring That Up?” the production which will introduce Moran and Mack to motion ture patrons. His debut in talking jctures occurred when he “tried out” ‘working as one of the pool players in the opening scenes of the picture. Fifty-seven years old, Swor has been blacking up for 43 years. Although some of his career has been identified Diot-Sotk Tor his Tke-up during the -up his entertainment 3 BAKEWELL and SALLY Metropolitan Relatives Only. ESPITE its pomp and ceremony, there is at least one way in which a Russian wedding is not as interesting as an American one. Only her male relatives are permitted to kiss the bride. Such was the discovery made by Rob- ert Armstrong and Alan Hale during the making of “The Leatherneck,” in which they play important roles. One scene in the picture depicts a marriage ceremony between William Boyd, playing an American marine, and Diane Ellis, seen as a Russian girl. Hale and Armstrong, cast as Boyd's Leathe: neck buddies, attend the couple. After- ward both decided to clalm the usual privileges of best man and ushers by bestowing a caress upon the bride. They were restrained by Nicholas Kobllanski, a ‘Russian, who explained that this quaint American custom has not yet found its way into the former domain of the czars. Earle By Richard HATEVER you may think of “Broadway Nights,” you will have to give credit to its sponsors for their vallant ef- forts to revive in it the good | | old days when burlesque was burlesque. There was a time not too long ago when this now-neglected by-product of musi- | cal comedy was the training camp of mighty comedians and the breeding place "of the most successful humor. Those were the days when Clark and | McCullough and Joe Cook could appear in one show without causing anything | that might properly be described as a furore, and the more conventional type | of musical comedy was utterly depend- ent on the lowly burlesque for its meth- ods znd its hilarity. Even in those days burlesque, which has now perished miserably, was crude | and rough and lacking in the elements of taste. It was dependent on various) rather cheap comic conventions for its | laughter, and it certainly wasn't a place | where the delicate minded could select | for themselves sedate entertainment. It i was, however, the place to find robust, if less than high comedy, and so for | | one who was interested in seeing at| | their most unself-conscious the future | | comie stars of the more patrician musi- | cal shows, it was unavoidable. Here was | the real source of musical comed: | whether in comedians or in the mate: rials of their trade. It is not the intention of this survey | to shed any nostalgic tears over the de- struction of a mighty art form. Bur- { lesque was not only crude and clums; | during its heydey, but it possessed in | its production numbers a dullness and | general mediocrity that was pretty pain- ful. It did offer such a grand show as “Peek-a-Boo,” in which, as was an- nounced earlier, such a fabulous cast as Clark and McCullcugh and Joe Cook appeared, and wherein all the oldtime | comic dirt that was traditionally a part | of this particular stage form was to be found at its best—but it was a pretty shabby form of entertainment in many ways. About it, nevertheless, there clung a number of exceptional virtues, | ON THE BROADWAY A Review of Theatrical Affairs Along the White Way STAGE Watts, Jr. of its parent art form. The other faults, by the way, are the weakness of the mu= sical score and the lack of valuable woman principals. There is not, for ex- ample, any featured actress in the cast who {eems half as personable as the unknown show girl who sits at a side table in the cabaret scene and acts as the railroad president’s secretary in a second-act sketch about a faithful em- ploye. ‘The humor of “Broadway Nights” is, in the main, left to the successful and much admired gentleman who calls himself Dr. Rockwell and who, in this observer’s embarrassed estimation, isn't at all funny. Dr. Rockwell, as far as can be learned, is not a graduate of burlesque, but he seems such a careful, if uninspired, road company of one that the comparison of the show with that illustrious comedy form is thereby made closer. It happens. you see, that he is, in his rapidly-paced talk and his efforts to build up fantastic and engagingly pointless anecdotes, so remi= niscent of that grand comedian, Joe Cook. Rockwell. as you must have heard, adds to this sort of incidental attempt to burlesque a lecturing medico, but on the whole he does suggest a Joe Cook unhappily divesied of the inspired madness. As leading lady of the new revue there is, for some reason, Miss Odette Myrtil, whose charm and talents manage to | evade this usually friendly observatory. Miss Myrtil continues to play the vio= lin ardently, make dramatic faces rather carelessly, toss her Prench accent about with abandon and sing with what might possibly be described as expression. ‘Though it seems to me that she does all these things badly. apparently she has some sort of a following. Of more value to the show, though is Miss Laura Lee, the soubrette, who is at least some= what dynamic. ‘There is one episode in “Broadway Nights” which succeeds in being freshly amusing. That is the scene in which & group of gentlemen, bent upon business, forget about such a minor matter when they discover that they were all born |on the same day. Scmehow the fact and it is to the credit of the modern | that they are all Marc e producers that they tried to select them | the March malqun ‘;«T:;’o;ndstgi:: and combine them with the improve- | them as far more importent. If the | ments of the musical shows. | idea doesn't sound particularly hilart- The only trouble with the plan is| ous here, you must blame the depart- that its sponsors haven't been entirely | mental narrative powers. for really the successful with it. Whether such of its | episode is as quietly, but authentically minor comedians as Joe Phillips, Harry | hamorous ss you can find in any cure Conley and Harry Walsh are really graduates from burlesque this sermon cannot say, but certainly their method and thelr manner suggest it strikingly, | while about most of its comedy there hangs the charming, old-school air of an ambitious show of the burlesque | school, clad debonairly in clothes. The only apparent differences are that the costuming, dancing and production are superior and the com- edy not nearly so good. ‘The result of all this is that the hu- mor, which the producers no doubt in- tended as the im it virtue of “Broadway Nights,” unhappily proves to be one of its weakest points. It has the burlesque intent faithfully enough, but it never manages to capture the gusto or the crudely healthy laughter | modern | rent musical show. ‘The rest of the comedv, however, is | dependent on pretty ancient stuff. here is a scene in which Harry Con- | ley, a hard-working comic, is a guilless youth, who is set upon by a comedy se- ductress. The sketch, it happens, is so hat it has not only been played in vaudeville for vears, but was even done |on the vitaphone over a season ago. | Then there are a cheap and tasteless episode about the baby who swallowed | a bullet that was done here three years | 8go in “LeMaire’s Affairs,” and a scene | about buying a sandwich. that is remi- iscent of a similar bit in the late “Boom-Boom.” It is this made-over quality that keeps the pace and color that went into “Broadway Nights” from resulting in a good show. The Talki‘.es’_'i'hreat. “me the silent film offered but little real opposition to Broad- way, the talking pictures present the most formidable threat that the stage has ever faced. It will be a contest for supremacy, with the public casting the vote. But whatever the final outcome, it is inevitable that the legitimate the- ater will have to raise its standards or suffer swift extinction.” Thus does Donald Gallaher, who re- cently directed the talking drama, “Pleasure Crazed,” sece the impending war between the oldest form of enter- tainment and the newest. Gallaher has been a successful actor, stage director, dramatist and producer for more than 20 years. Gallaher is quoted as saying that the natural reactipn toward the presenta- tion of better plays on the legitimate stage has already been given a swift an'ge%ua the “menacing advent” of ing pictures. Whether even this improvement. will enable the stage to emu head above water is debatable, Gallaher declares, adding that “I feel sure personally that the legitimate will always be with us.” “Bogish Bob" Essential. IT'B got to the point where the right kind of a haircut is necessary to get the right sort of girl & chance to ap- pear in a talking motion picture com- George Le Maire, producing come- dies for Pathe, has been in the the theatrical game for years as both pro- ducer and actor. He's casting a com- edy right now. He wants to place six pretty and ly girls in the picture, but they must have a real boyish bob Le Maire has looked over plenty of h bobs but shapely girls who had bs but were not pretty: and pretty and shapely girls who didn't have boyish bobs. “Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?” he observed. “Pretty, shapelv and with boylsh bob. But if there are six in this town of the kind I want and who want & job, they haven't shown up yet.” 'lit sM:l are going begging. 'HARLES HAMPDEN, with & two- year record of solid and popular performances with the National Theater Earle Theater under guise of a talent admirers, that of & musician. He will act as guest conductor of the orchestra and sing two numbers, “The Land of Hope and Glory” and “One Alone,” from “The Desert Song.” “It is difficult to convince the public that an actor can do anything more than act, whether on the stage or on the screen,” Mr. Hampden said recent- ly, and, apparently with a desire to prove this thespian, versatility, under- took the Earle engagement. ‘The basis of the public's doubt in the ‘Charles _Ham Players, is to appear this week at the | unsuspected by a large number of his | pden To Sing matter with regard to actors generally, he believes, is due to a great extent to the fact that so many doubles have been used for movie singing and have given rise to controversies among which that |over Richard Barthelmess' “Weary River” is classic by now. It is interesting to note that whent | Mr. Hampden played Monte, the Italian opera singer in “Twin Beds” at the National Theater this year, he sang the uisite snatches from “Pagliacc” himself. instead of allowing an off-siage substitute. Certainly, so strong is tra- dition, many must have belleved that those strains from “Vesti la Giubba™ were intoned by a “pinch-hitter,” but the fact remains that they issued from the Hampden throat and none other. So, there you are, and if you stiil doubt it you can check this story with your own ears. HOLLYWOOD'B all right for song writers, but it's a tough place for dogs. This is the verdict of De Sylva, Brown and Henderson, the-musical trio, who, shortly before they left for the land of celluloid to write for Fox, were jointly and collectively presented with & beautiful pedigreed collile by Will Rogers. ““Those blackbirds,” says Lew Brown plaintively, “are certainly rough on an aristocratic canine from the East. A colony of 'em live in the pepper trees by our place, and we ar- rived just as the nest-building sesson was on. We didn't mind, but Toots m It seems that a Hol black- considers & nice soft lining of collie hair as the chef d'oeuvre for his nest, and the Blackbirds” “Bye, Bye, “The result was that every time the poor pooch stuck his nose outside the door, a- flock of blackbirds dropped everything else they were doing and went after him for samples. They'd land on him in turn, grab a mouthful of fur, give a yank, and scoot off. In about & week Toots was badly in need of some hair tonic, and his back had ‘The only way voy lywood was edified by the sight of three song _writers galloping about and wav- ing fly swatters while a worried collie sneaked around between their legs and tried to trip them up. “Since we came West primarily to write songs and not to chaperon dog:- fid as Toots couldn't live in the house on the 3 fowls like to select their material