Evening Star Newspaper, December 15, 1929, Page 72

AMUSEMENTS. In Capital Theaters COLUMBIA—"Hallelujah!" “Hallelujah!” made by the director of *“The Big Parade,” King Vidor, a pro- duction that made picture history in New York, has come to stir Washing- ton audiences with its unusual singing, dancing and pathos at Loew's Colum- bia. The songs for the first production of its kind were written by Irving Berlin, The story revolves around Zeke, son of a hard-working Mississippi Negro family, who, with his brother, goes to town to sell their cotton crop, but meets Chick, a dance hall girl, who encour- ages him to gamble away his cotton money. His brother is killed in a fight that follows. In seeking revenge Zeke kills a man and is sent to prison, and there he ‘“gets religion.” Finally, at a great camp meeting, Chick, who lured him to ruin and who has discovered that she really loves him, comes to the mourners’ bench. But Zeke, who has become an evangelist, is loved by Missy, a young plantation girl, who helps him in his great work, and he scorns Chick. She follows him on and a vivid dra- matic climax solves their strange prob- lem. A great baptismal scene on the river and a camp meeting, with the strange Negro spirituals, mark some of the high spots of the picture. The cast is all colored. The Hearst Metrotone News, short subjects and house features complete the program. FOX—"The River.” A picture with big moments in dialogue, directed by Frank Borzage, is shown at the Fox this week. It is “The River,” in which Charles Farrell, Mary Duncan, Margaret Mann and Ivan Linow are featured. ‘The story of “The River,” by Tristram Tupper, is a modern Pilgrim's Progress, the “pilgrim” being a young man who, reared in the backwoods, decides to see the world by means of a river boat made with his own hands. The first woman who attracts him, and the last whom he chooses to love, is a worldly- wise miss waiting in a secluded spot for her consort—a construction camp foreman about to return from prison, to which he had been committed for murder. In a lonely mountain cabin, Borzage is sald to create situation after situa- tion which have no counterparts in motion picture direction. On_the stage the colorful Fanchon and Marco idea ‘“Contrasts” provides novelty, beauty, song, dance and laughter and features Mel Klee, the singing comedian. Others to be intro- duced by John Irving Fisher are Nan Blackstone, Gypsy Burne, Bud and Eleanor Coll, Serge and Robert Temoff, Buddy Emmett, The Old Timers and the Sunkist Beauties. The Fox Orchestra will play Lisat's “Second Hungarian Rhapsody” and the Fox Movietone News will complete the program. R-K-O KEITH'S—“The Great Gabbo,” With Erich von Stroheim. Betty Compson is featured with Erich von Stroheim in “The Gweat Gabbo,” | the current feature at R-K-O Keith's ‘Theater. It is the first talking dramatic spectacle directed by James Cruze, who directed one of the greatest successes of the. silent screen, “The Covered ‘Wagon.” “The Great Gabbo,’ "although a mas- sive melange of original dances and tuneful melodies, is primarily a drama set in a vivid, exotic and gorgeous background, with more than 500 choris- ters assisting. ‘The story concerns a ventriloquist who loses Mary, his assistant, at a criti- cal period of his career. The girl, though she loves the sublime egotist from Europe, refuses to be the subject of Gabbo's continued abuse and grandi- ose boasting. When Mary has gone, Gabbo's better self asserts itself and, communing with his dummy, Little Otto, he soliloquizes. A few months pass and the Great Gabbo has become great indeed. He and ‘“Little Otto” are a stellar attraction of the famed “Man- hattan Revue,” Mary, now married to Frank, is one of the lesser headliners. She meets .Gabbo, who_attempts to effect a recopeiliation. Her husband, however, intervenes. Then Mary tells her former friend of her recent mar- riage. At this juncture all of Gabbo's old egotism and peculiar traits again come to the surface; he interrupts the grand finale number of the revue, is summarily dismissed and professionally disgraced. “The Great Gabbo” was adapted from a story by Ben Heoht, with dialogue by Hugh Herbert. Owing to the length of the picture, the subsidiary features embrace only the newsreel and an overture by Freddy Clark and his R-K-Olians. METROPOLITAN—*“Charming Sinners.’ “Charming Sinners,” described as a brilliant comedy drama, with talking dialogue, is this week's attraction at the | Metropolitan Theater. It combines an exceptional story .with a cast featuring William Powell, Clive Brook, Mary No- lan and Ruth Chatterton, and also in- | cluding Laura” Hope Crews, Montagu | Love, Florence Eldridge, Claude Allis- ter, Juliette Crosby and Lorraine Eddy. “Charming Sinners” is said to offer & new turn and treatment to the theme of the wife who taught her erring hus- band a lesson. In this case the wife discovers that her spouse, a wealthy poysician, is having an affair with her friend. Opportunity to get even pre- sents itself to the watchfully waiting wife, in a former suitor, who appears on the scene with a plethora of per- suasiveness and persistence. The hus- band becomes jealous and alarmed—but that's not the end of it. By a series of shrewdly manipulated situations, the play comes to a startling climax. Beautiful sets, gowns and a magnifi- cent safe scene presents a new revela- tion in talking screen entertainment. Shorter features of higher grade en- tertainment, together Wwith the cus- tomary Metropolitan house features, will complete the bill. PALACE—"The Locked Door,” With Rod La Rocque. “The Locked Door,” adapted from Channing Pollock’s play, “the Sign on the Door,” is the feature now current at Loew's Palace. It is a United Artists picture with a cast headed by Rod La Rocque, Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Bron- son, William Boyd, an actor of stage fame; Zasu Pitts and Mack Swain and others. ‘The story revolves around an incident 1in the life of Ann Carter, an attractive secretary, whose employer's son takes her to & floating rum ship and makes violent love to her. As she struggles to protect herself, the police raid the boat and she and Devereaux are held by the police. Subsequently the girl marries another man, and then Devereaux re- appears in the role of a lover of her young sister-in-law, who, despite & warning, goes to Devereaux’s apartment. Ann follows to protect her. Her hus- band, however, comes to the same spariment to avenge a wrong Deve- Teaux has done to a friend. In a fight that ensues Devereaux is severely wounded and left for dead. Ann’s hus- band locks the door as he leaves the yoom, and she says she Kkilled Deve- reaux to protect her husband. On the stage Allan Rogers, master of ceremonies, and the Palace Syncopators appear in a_tuneful Loew presentation, “Dresden China,” with beautiful girls, settings and whirlwind dancing. Col- lins and Peterson, Patti Spears, Rodion DANCING. —— e e PEMBERTON STUDIO OF DANCE. All nm‘-rs ge-Ball Room Dancing. 1124 C 38 3 1 flight. £ 1B - Margaret Carmody St 1118 Connecticut Ave.—N: i Stase Danclifits and_Chi ~—THAYER STUDIOS Pox Trot, Bhag, Waltz and Tango. Prival |e850! b intment. Adults’ class Tue: 14% 3.3 pom. High school class Frida K3 p.m. Trio, Jolly and Smith and Chester Hale's Dresden Dolls complete the cast. The Hearst Metrotone News, the Palace Orchestra, Charles Gaige at the organ, short subjects and a comedy complete the program. EARLE—“The Love Racket,” Dorothy Mackaill. “The Love Racket,” a picture of mod- ern love, starring Dorothy Mackaill, is the attraction at the Earle Theater this week. It is a First National and Vita- phone production and abounds in a: tonishing climactic situations, presenting the theme of the girl who erred from a meodern viewpoint. ‘The girl, victimized by a philanderer, attempts to forget her past and finds new romance. She is called upon to serve on a jury trying a girl who had killed her betrayer. In the jury room the picture reaches dramatic heights, leading to & surprising denouement. Miss Mackaill is supported by Sidney Blackmer, Edmund Burns and Alice Day. Subsidiary features include the Vita- phone Varieties, The Evening Star-Uni- versal and Fox Newsreels, organ spe- cialties by Milton Davis and music by the Earle Orchestra. RIALTO—“Red Hot Rhythm.” A typical musical comedy of Tin Pan Alley, with pretty girls, gorgeous stage settings and gay comedians, is this week’s feature at the Rialto Theater. “Red Hot Rhythm,” which presents Alan Hale, Josephine Dunn, Kathryn Crawford and Walter O'Keefe and other stars of the stage and screen, is one of the outstanding color pictur of the year, and “My Idea of Heaven sung by Miss Crawford, is one of the big song hits. Walter O'Keefe, remembered as the | radio announcer in “The Sophomore," this time plays the part of a young juvenile ina story of “Tin Pan Alley,” where the music of the Nation ema-| nates. Graham McNamee, the great radio announcer, as the star in one of Grant- land Rice's “Sportlights,” will be an added feature on the program. The Evening Star-Universal Newsreel, spe- cial comedy subjects and short screen; novelties round out the program. WARDMAN ‘With ‘The Cock-Eyed ‘The Wardman Park Theater, reopen- ing under a policy of big-film presenta- tion, has “The Cock-Eyed World,” com- panion picture to “What Price Glory”? | as_its current attraction. Pictures only of established merit will be shown, the management announces. The theater has been renovated, and over-sized arm chairs insure patrons’ comfort. Flagg and Quirt, played by Victor Mc- Laglen and Edmund Lowe, go into ac- tion again in “The Cock-Eyed World.” These two have made history in the movies, not to mention cutting them- selves huge slices of cake in the way of stardom and all that goes with such prominence. “The Cock-Eyed World” has everything that goes to make up a great evening of film and dialogue en- tertainment. Carefree adventure, rol- licking comedy, romances with the girls of all climes—with the inevitable wind- up of the marines marching away to other lands and new adventures. Led by Lily Damita, the fair ones of the cast are devastation. Damita is with the Marines in South America, Jean Bary at Coney Island and Lelia Kernelly in Siberia. Added short subjects appear on the program. GAYETY—"Pretty Babies.” “Pretty Babies,” a snappy show, is announced for this week at the Gayety ‘Theater. This vehicle is claimed to| have achieved a genuine triumph through its faithful adherence to a policy of absolute modernism, and local fans are promised new heights of fun and new standards of feminine beauty, with genuine novelties, especially the singing and dancing line. In two big scenes, “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and “The Great Di- vide,” side-splitting laughs come quick and fast, clever comedians accounting for a continuous round of fun. ‘Prominent members of the cast are Viola Spaeth, a comedienne, singer and dancer of burlesque renown; Hazel Wal- ker, the Chicago beauty prize winner; Harry Levine, comedian; Jimmy Wal- ters, straight man; Frank “Rags” Mur- phy and Don Darlene, with a chorus of young and beautiful girls in the snap- plest of costumes. Manager Lake continues to announce special matinees for ladies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. JANET RICHARDS—Tomorrow. Miss Janet - Richards will give her weekly review tomorrow morning of | “Political History in the Making” in | the Masonic Temple, Thirteenth street | and New York avenue, at 10:45 o'clock. | In these talks each week Miss Rlchards; outlines the outstanding events in the world's work, making use of large maps to clarify the questions under discus- sion. Among the subjects touched upon this week will be the situation in regard to Haiti, congressional legislation, Great Britain's recent problem in Egypt and other vital questions of the hour, JEWISH COMMUNITY PLAY, TOMORROW, ‘The Dramatic Club of the Jewish Community Center, under direction of J. Milnor Dorey, will present Philip Barry's comedy, “The Youngest” to- morrow evening at 8:15 o'clock at the Jewish Community Center, Sixteenth and Q streets northwest. Heading the cast are Yvonne Levy as Nancy Blake and Paul Alexander as Richard, the youngest member of the Winslow household, who is kept down, snubbed and thwarted by the elder members of the family until finally he revolts, asserts himself and dominates the situation. The role of Katie will be taken by Blanche Levy and various members of the Winslow household will be enacted by Ruth Raine, Harry Wescott, Aaron Rosenthal, Dorothy "Abrams, Joseph Ginsberg and Ruth Keran. Scenic and lighting effects will be in charge of a special _committee including Irene Aaron, Elaine Behrend, Michael Stolar and Jeanne Perton. Tickets may be had at the Center now and at the door tomorrow evening. ARTS CLUB PLAY THURSDAY. ‘The Arts Club Players will open its 1 1920-1930 season at the Arts' Club, un- {der the direction of Ednah Protcor | Hayes, Thursday night at 8:30 o'clock, with “A Scrap of Paper,” an adaptation of Sardou’s “Les Pattes des Mouches,” one of the outstanding comedies of the old school, in vogue in the “gay nineties.” ' This presentation, which THE SUNDAY STAR, Coming Attractions. NATIONAL—“Trevelyn’s Ghost.” A. L. Erlanger and George C. Tyler announce that “Trevelyn’s Ghost,” a lively English farce-comedy by Dwight Taylor, comes to the National Theater New Year week, opening Monday, De- cember 30. The play will have its try- out period in New England cities and Wilmington prior to being brought into Washington. With the announcement of the Wash- ington date came word that Mrs. Charles Hopkins is not to play the lead- ing woman’s role, her place being filled by Phyllis Povah. Frederick Kerr, the English actor, whose latest engage- ment in the Capital was in “The Mid- e Watch,” will have an important role. Others in the cast are Rea Martin, Harold De Becker, Percy Ames, Nancy Ryan, Percival Vivian, Basil Hanbury and Charles Brown. GAYETY—"Flapper Follies.” Next week's attraction at the Gayety Theater is 8 smart revue called “Flap- per Follies,” featuring a galaxy of stars, including Lola Plerce, with Jack “Tramp” Montague, Billle La Motte, Made Vincent, Jack “Tiny” Fuller, Earl Root, Peggv White, George Stellas and a chorus of girls famous for youthful beauty and their ability to sing and dance as a matter of course. “THE OTHER WISE MAN” December 26. For four years, during the Christmas season, the Chapel Players of Luther Place Memorial Church have been pre- senting the beautiful religious produc- tion, “The Other Wise Man,” drama- tized from Dr. Henry Van Dyke's Ori- ental legend. This year on December 26, 27 and 28, this yuletide drama will be given under the auspices of the Bible School Association, with a cast of 75 well known players from all parts of the city, representing not only churches but dramatic groups in Washington. Denis E. Connell will assume the role of Artaban the Median, and will assist Bess Davis Schreiner in the direction of the five dramatic episodes, which tell the story of Artaban’s search for the Christ-child. Katherine. Riggs, ‘Washington harpist, will appear as the narrator, and will play the harp ac- companiment for the scenes and inter- ludes, and Charlotte Harriman, as the Hebrew mother, will come from New York City to play at all three per- formances. “The Other Wise Man" was arranged for this production by Bess Davis Schreiner, and is given each season by special permission of Dr. Henry Van Dyke and his publishers., NEWMAN IN JANUARY. E. M. Newman, travel talker, combin- ing the customary delights to be found in scenery, history, romance, industry and whatnot, this year has followed the footsteps of President Hoover and will bring “front page” news interest from South America, according to announce- ment. At the five Sunday matinees, begin- ning January 19, at the National The- ater, he is to exhibit a new group of travel-inspiring motion pictures and still-color views from Argentina, Bra- zil, Around South America, the Rhine, Vienna and Buda-Pesth. ‘Throughout this vast area, Newman rambled for six months, and his pic- tures and stories from the highways and byways should fire his stay-at- home fellow-travelers with the enthu- siasm to actually visit these places. In those who have covered the territory, it may arouse a new desire to revisit the countries in quest of enjoyment of many things they missed. Carewe to Film “Tlee Spoilers™ AVING glorified “Ramona” and “Evangeline,” Edwin Carewe is turning his thoughts to more virile plots and announces Rex Beach’s “The Spoil- ers” as his next independent super- feature production. Carewe has disposed of his United Artists’ production contract and has become affiliated with Joseph P. Ken- nedy in the making of his future pic- tures, “The Spoilers” enjoys the reputation of being one of the most celebrated red- blooded, he-man stories of American fiction, and with its colorful Alaskan background and spirited action should afford scope for the building of im- pressive screen drama. It is planned to spend three-quarters of a million dollars on this Rex Beach story, and it is said to be likely that some of the scenes will be made in Alaska. No cast selections have been made, but “The Spoilers” is scheduled to g into production about January 1. gallery of the Arts' Club, at 2015 I street, will be repeated Fri night. The stage characters will be played by Grace Peters Johnson, as Suzanne; Ann Ives, as Louise; Denis E. Connell, as Prosper Courament; Harry Welker, as Anantole; Maurice Jarvis, as the Baron; J. Martin Scranage, as Brise- mouche; Anne Weymond, as Zenoble; Betty Ridsdale, as Mathilde; Mrs. Eliz- abeth Edson, as Mme. Dupont; Harold Allen Tong, as Baptiste, and Helen Griffith, as Pauline. A prologue, es- pecially written for the occasion by Mrs. Hayes will be spoken by Maude Howell Smith. The stage settings were designed and executed under the direction of Willlam F. Baker, by members of the stage craft group of the Abbott School of Art, in this city, and rare and beautiful cos- tumes of the period of the “seventies,” provided by Miss Mary Cryder, Miss Anne Peebles and Mrs. Carlton Van Valkenburg, assisted by Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. Johnson and others, CLARA W. McQUOWN. Miss Clara W. McQuown will give her regular weekly talk on important pub- lic questions Friday morning at 11 o'clock, in the assembly room of the Washington Club, entrance 1010 Seven- teenth street. She will discuss questions before Congress and matters of special im- portance to the District of Columbia; the political situation in Germany and Poland, the development and modern- ization of Turkey, and the promised entrance of Iraq into the League of Nations. Miss McQuown's next talk will be given Friday, January 10. AL 5 MOVIETONE Popular Prices—Added Short Bubjects WARDMAN PARK THEATER 6:30 and 9 P. M. Matines Tomorrew at 3 will serve officially to open the new T. ARTHUR SMITH ANNOUNCES Season Tickels, $9.00, $7.50, $3. Burea SINGLE SEAT SALE By Arrangement COMPLETE _CH! Prices $6.00, §5.00, $4.00. §3.00, 82 ISADORA DUN 5. Jan. 11 . 0e. T. Arthi T. Aribur Smith B 31208 Connseticut Ave. __ De 5. ¢ - PHILHARMONIC SYMPHON 1 IN A SERIES OF THREE CONCERTS Willem Mengelbers, Arturo Toscaninl, Bernardino Molinarl | Tuesday, 4:30, January 7, January 28, March 4 CONSTlTUTI'ON HALL ORUS AND SYMP] 00, 81.50 . €., in_Homer ORCHESTRA OF NEW YORK nductors, 3.00; B $60.00. T. 0; Boxer §60.00. T. Arthur Smith OPENS WEDNESDAY GERMAN GRAND OPERA COMPANY 8. HUROK, Managing Director. Monday, Jan, 6—WALKURE. Wednesday, Jan. 8—FLYING DUTCHMAN. Friday, Jan. 10—DON JUAN. Tuesday Aft., Jan. 14—TRISTAN UND ISOLDE. WITH A CAST OF FAMOUS WA! X r Bmith Concert Bur A x CAN DANCERS M Three Performances—Poll's Theater . 2:45. Jan. 11, eas, 1330 G St In Homer SHINGTON, D. C., DECEMBER 15 1929—PART FOUR. WARDMAN PARK THEATER Victor McLaglen, Lili Damita and Edmund Lowe, featured players of “The Cock- Eyed World,” now playing at the Wardman Park Theater. America’s Art Theater. 'HE New York Theater Guild is cele- brating its tenth anniversary wita a book—*“The First Ten Years.” While it is apparently the work of Walter Pritchard Eaton, several other writers have contributed their mite until the volume is made to cover not only the mere chronicling of events in the his- tory of the guild from its organization, April 10, 1919, but many interesting details of the avowed aim of the insti- tution and the methods followed :in building it up to a position of national importance that encourages in its founders the bellef of its permanency. Theresa Helburn, the astute woman executive director; Helen Westley, Philip Moeller, Maurice Wertheim, Lee Simonson and Lawrence Langner, live wires n the organization, all add their say to that of Mr. Eaton to give to the book a gripping interest to player and public alikke who may have an admiration of the real theater, whose extermination has been so freely pre- dicted by leading producers identified with it who have been charged with letting it drift into innocuous desue- tude, without a hindering hand, before the march of the talking motion pic- ture. Inasmuch as Washington has but this year been added to the limited number of cities to which the guild's road pro- ductions are being sent, it may be of local interest to know precisely what the guild stands for, and how it hopes to realize its aims. First of a!l, the guild is not in the narrow sense an experimental theater; it is not commercial theater in the sense in which the term is usually ap- plied, nor is it an exploiter of plays that originate with its members. “Rather does it seek plays the antith- esis of those supposedly popular— |ting for the most part, plays with a sharp intellectural appeal, or with some edge of wit or style of sophistication setting them off from the ruck,” to quote the language of the book. Sometimes, however, its plays are experimental in construction or production. The guild orginated with a group, nearly all of them amateurs, young people, who started out with the idea that its work should be guided and directed by a board of managers, never dominated by an individual. The aim of this little group was to establish a self-supporting art theater, without endownment from any source, save the devoted and unselfish sacri- fice of its members and artists of the profession who cared to make a sacri- fice for the high ideal. Much ridicule has been directed by the facetious against this presumption, especially from interests aligned with the com- mercial theater of the day. The guild, however, admitting the failure of some of its plays, but with the ratio of its successful productions ranking very high, proudly boasts the support and encouragement of an intelligent thea- ter-going public, manifested in the standing subscriptions to its prrform- ances that have leaped from 150 during the first year of its enterprise to more than 60,000, “divided evenly between New York and the other cities visited” in the season of 1929. And during the span of its 10 years, the Theater Guild of New York, it must be admitted, has unfolded a rare list of outstanding achievements. Envy has not deterred it, facetious criticism, al- though plentifully distributed, has failed to pierce its armor, nor has even the lack of success in specific instances discouraged it. Keenly alive to the role it has set out to play, it proposes to continue with its original ambition undimmed, unobscured, and its surviv- ing founders and the constantly in- creasing host of talented players num- | bering the best of the cotemporary | stage are flinging wide their challenge, their determination redoubled to give America an art theater, if tempered intelligence and zealous and unramit- human endeavor can make such an end possible. Theater lovers in Washington should know this, for Washington is the Cap- ital of these United States of America, and the Theater Guild of New York has not overlooked the fact as so many of the managers and prod: of the so-called ‘“‘commercial thea have done in the past. Amateurs and the Drama. (COLLEGE dramatic groups and ama- teur play - producing organizations were assailed as “uncourageous and un- original” in New Brunswick, N. J, a few days ago by Barrett H. Clark, & dramatic editor and author. If such groups have been doing any experimenting, Clark declared, they have been keeping it “very quiet.” ‘Woman delegates from 16 Eastern col- leges, attending the annual conference of the Intercollegiate Dramatic Associa- tion, heard the speaker declare the need for some group to produce plays which are “too queer or unconventional” for presentation in New York. If such groups will not produce these plays, Clark questioned, “Who will do them?” “There is not one real experimental theater in the country today, either in New York or outside of it,” he declared. “They are feeble imitations of profes- sionals.” “Young authors,” he continued, “must inevitably become discouraged when their plays are neither produced nor published. The experimental theaters ‘were organized to give these unknown playwrights opportunities, and now, in- Next Week's Photoplays. FOX—“Love, Live, Laugh,” with George Jessel. PALACE—"“The Battle of Paris,” with Gertrude Law- rence, a Paramount talking and singing picture. EARLE—“Is Everybody Hap- py?” with Ted Lewis, a Warner Bros. Vitaphone picture. R-K-O KEITH'S— (Possibly) ‘The Vagabond Lover,” with Rudy Vallee. METROPOLITAN —“Halfway to Heaven,” with Charles Rogers and Jean Arthur. COLUMBIA— (Possibly) Jules Verne’s “The Mysterious Island,” a Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer technicolor and sound picture. Auditorium 19th St.atE HEAR U. S. Senator - Cole BLEASE Blease “Why the Washington Police Force Is the Talk of the NATION” and Former Policeman Robert J Allen discul ¥ in dne McFher sale at i lard Agency Arthur A A A Admission, 50c and $1 stead of leading Broadway b; strings, they are busy hol coattails.” He is less concerned, he said, with the drama, which he declared is deteri- orating, than with unsuccessful drama- tists. its apron Jon to its ists. Colleges represented at the conference | were Mount Holyoke, Goucher, Hunter, Skidmore, Wheaton, Russell Sage, Uni- versity of Vermont, Hood, University of ‘Wilson, Keuka, Sweet Briar, ‘edarcrest. Founder Still Survives. CARI: LAEMMLE, now heralded as the lone survivor of the producing group which bullt the foundations for the present screen industry, is celebrat- ing his twentieth anniversary as a| maker of films. In 1909 Laemmle organized the old Imp Co., the name representing the initials of “Independent Moving Pic- tures.” His first reelase, “Hiawatha,” came the same year. “Universal today is the sole remain- ing company of the big three upon which our industrial structure first rested,” commented William A. John- ston, publisher of motion picture trade journals. “Since then and to date large alignments have come and gone. Leading figures have arisen and de- clined. “Plctures have changed from shorts to multiple reels and from silence to sound. ‘Theaters have passed from individual ownership to national chains. One sturdy figure, that of Carl Laemmle, has stood steadfast and to the forefront.” IN A PASSION THAT BROKE LIKE A FURY This Woman Who Knew Life . . , And This Youth Who Knew It Not Found @ Love That Surmounted All Evil William Foz Presents the Presentation of Frank Borzage's Gaiety sage’s Goiely: Theater, New ‘THE RIVER’ A Torrent of Desire with CHARLES FARRELL MARY DUNCAN —on the stage— Fanchon & Marco Present An ldea CONTRASTS MEL KLEE NAN BLACKSTONE Bud & Eleanor Coll Serge & Rol Buddy Emmett AR SUNKIST BEAUTIES JOHN IRVING FISHER Grand Orchestra — Fox Movief York, with Halls of Montezuma," l . i Beware! SINCE the advent of “The Cock-Eyed ‘World” from the literary and melo- dious heights of moviedom, it is claimed that its marching song, “So Long!” has been adopted by Marines all over the world as their very own. This is startling news, indeed, and lovers of the time-honored “Halls of Montezuma” should be up and doing before its famous sentiment and tune- fulness are effaced by a newcomer. When “The Cock-Eyed World” was in course of production, the story runs, Con Conrad, one of the producers, went to San Francisco and personally re- hearsed the Marines of the U. 8. S. Henderson, who took part in the mak- ing of the picture. After the produc- tion was completed the good ship Hen- derson sailed to the waters of the Far East and the Marines carried their ver- slon of the song with them. They had actually adopted it as their official song, it is claimed. As “The Cock-Eyed World” has an especial appeal for militarists like the U. S. Marines, it is but natural that the song, with its formal official indorse- ment, should attract their attention, and as it is set to a tune that the most unmusical ear migh easily catch, what more natural than that it should be quickly picked up by the leathernecks and so efface the U. S. Marines’ official hymn, “The Halls of Montezuma"? And that’s that. The \hVeut to the Rescue. PRODUCTION of original plays in Los Angeles and the establishment of a “road” out of that city is contemplated by James Gleason and Lucille Webster, who are said to have deserted New York for the West incidentally for this great effort in behalf of the legitimate. Original “originals,” in the sense that the same identical pieces had not been previously presented elsewhere, already have been produced in Los Angeles— seldom leaving that city, however. The report from Los Angeles inti- mates the new plays would be designed to establish that city as a competitor of New York in legitimate stage matters, One large Los Angeles paper is reported to view the announcement by Miss Webster and Gleason as another step toward “establishment of Los Angeles as the play-producing center of the country.” Theatrical activities on the Pacific Coast, it is said, have been becoming increasingly broad in scope, and public interest has mounted to high levels in recent years. The establishment by Henry Duffy, formerly of this part of the country, of a coastwise string of theaters is regarded as the greatest ss:x;%l: factor in this theatrical renais- Jc}m -Boles’ Voice Did It. WHEN they found out John Boles T could sing, the producers saw to it that his career, up to that time fairly barren of practical rewards, should no longer worry him. His success par- ticularly in “The Desert Song” and “Rio Rita” marked his rise. Universal is now having stories writ- ten especially for him. Houston Branch, who wrote “La Marseillaise,” is writing “The Land of Song” for the new star. ‘Boles appeared in pictures briefly and without success about six years ago. He returned to musical comedy and was not attracted back to the films until three years ago, when he was engaged as Gloria Swanson's leading man in “Sonya.” He had little opportunity in this, however. Dally_With l—{etirement. EPORTS say a rift has come be- tween Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, but it is a rift over profes- sional rather than martial matters, Despite the success with which their first joint picture, the talking “Tam- ing of the Shrew,” Doug is represented as being opposed to further film ven- tures. Mary, on the other hand, is de- clared to be in favor of more pictures. This indicates a reversal in Miss Pickford's attitude, as less than a year ago she was widely reported to have privately determined to retire perma- nently from the screen. Fairbanks' reported desire to quit is said to be motivated by two causes—he doese’t like the talkies, first; and he isn't young as in the days of “Robin ‘Zoro” and D'Artignan. —_———— Hollywood Makes Foray. HOLLYWOOD made another foray on New York the other day, in the per- son of Samuel J. Briskin, assistant gen- eral manager of Columbia, and captured another covey of live Broadway stage birds. Among those he carried away under contract were Elmer Harris, au- thor of “Young Sinners,” “So Long, Letty” and “The Great Necker”; Ira Hards, stage director credited with the staging of “Dracula” and “Jarnegan”; Patterson McNutt, director and co-au- thor of “Pigs"; Joe Sterling, author of “The Kibitzer Paul Harvey Fox, author of “Soldiers and Women,"” and Herbert Ashton, jr, author of “Brothers.” GAYETY THEATRE Big Midnight Show Tharsday BLACK AND WHITE REVUE Entire New Show and Cast 16 PEQPLE — TWO_ SHO > SHOW sTARTS AT 1130 O Long Awaited Washington GYPSY BYRNE 0Old Timers e News { - | academy couldn't agree on the selection | The Moving Picture cAlbum By Robert E. OME time ago the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences planned to sponsor a monster film to be made up of clippings | from the more memorable pro-| ductions of the past. It was tr oe a collection of the greatest of the great | moments that the screen has known— | and I for one awaited its appearance with well controlled eagerness. | I am still waiting. The preparation | of the masterpiece was delayed, in the first place, because the lords of the of great moments. Each one wanted | something of his own included. It was like a group of foot ball coaches from all sections getting together to| select an All-America team. Then the talking pictures came along and Hollywood forgot that any- thing had ever been done in the cinema prior to the outburst of sound. How- ever, I am still hoping that the artists and scientists of classic California will| resurrect their original idea and put it into effect. The expense of such a production would be negligible, and I feel certain that the Affiliated Brother- hood and Sisterhood of Film Critics would be only too glad to take over the work of selecting the great moments that are to_be used in the celluloid anthology. Indeed, I shall venture to start the movement with some nomina- tions of my own. ‘There will, of course, have to be something from “The Birth of a Na- tion,” the most obvious choice being the scenes of the ride of the Ku Klux Klan. My own choice, however, would be the views of Sherman's march from Atlanta to the sea, with the grim, homeless Georgians watching his tri- umphal progress from their hiding places in the mountains. Prom “Intolerance” should come the magnificent shots of Constance Tal- madge driving a chariot madly along the banks of the Euphrates; and pos- sibly the bridal scenes (with Bessie Love as the bride) from the biblical sequences of this same picture. “Tol'able David” can contribute prob- ably the most bitter combat that the screen has known—the fight between Richard Barthelmess and Ernest Tor- rence for possession of the mail bag. Space must certainly be found for the firing squad scene from “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” A group of French civilians, convicted of es- pionage, are lined up against a wall; Wallace Beery, as a German officer, is munching an apple as he issues his commands: just as the final word is given, a smoldering youth in_the line of the condemned snatches off his cap and starts to shout, “Vive La France!” The audience couldn’t hear his words, but it didn’t need to. * * ok kX HE noblest and most poignant moment in “The Covered Wagon” was the burial of the old woman who had come all the way from Pennsyl- vania. And there was a scene in “A Connecticut Yankee” wherein King Arthur's knights were shown in the act of discarding their armor and piling it in a great heap; a bevy of mecha- nicians then it.hered about this heap and set to work, and when they stepped aside, revealed a gleaming flivver. For purely spectacular scenes, the finest examples are to be found in the | early sequences of “Robin Hood” and the Siege of Baghdad by the Mongols in “The Thief of Baghdad.” There were also some_ colossal shots in “The | Hunchback of Notre Dame,” especially | Lon Chaney's precipitous descent from | the cathedral towers to rescue Mary Philbin. ‘The advance through the woods in “The Big Parade” is an inevitable | choice, as is the opening sequence of | “Beau Geste,” wherein it is discovered | that the lonely desert fort is garrisoned with dead men. Of all the millions of love scenes that | I have witnessed, those that I remem- ber most clearly and most pleasantly | were played by Doublas Fairbanks, jr..| and Lois Moran in “Stella Dallas,” by | Lilllan Gish and Ronald Colman in | “The White Sister,” by John Barrymore | and Mary Aster in “Beau Brummel,” | by Mae Marsh and Ivor Novello in “The | White Flower” and by John Gilbert and an unidentified extra girl in the| Maxim'’s scene in “The Merry Widow.” | ‘There are plenty of other great mo- ments that are crying for admission— the scene between Emil Jannings and | Florence Vidor in “The Patriot,” an exit by Adolphe Menjou in “Forbidden | Paradise,” the march of the galley | slaves in “Ben-Hur” and the beating up | of the villain by Pearl White in a melo- drama the name of which I have for- gotten. * ok kX I!' I WERE in charge of the assem- | bling of this all-star production I should arbitrarily ignore all the com- | edles involving Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton or Harry Lang- | don—for if I ever were to start selecting from their pictures there would be no end to the labor, nor would there be room left in the anthology for anything else. Sherwood. Perhaps it will be necessary for the Academy of Arts and Sciences to issue a second collection, devoted to great mo- ments from comedy, and another, de- ~oted to clippings from the German, Russien, Swedish, French and Italian masterpieces. ‘There is not much that could be done with a talking picture anthology at this time. But even the vocal Screen has begun to supply its great moments. There is evidently one of them in the new George Jessel picture, “Love, Live and Laugh.” According to Wolford Beaton of the Film Inspector, Mr. Jes- sel appears as a sentimental philosopher who is blinded in the war. At one stage of the picture he reaches for his old concertina and announces that he is going to sing. The audience gets set for the inevitable theme song. But one of the other characters in the film asks Mr. Jessel not to sing—and, miracle of miracles, he doesn't. If Mr. Beaton is right about this (and how I hope he is) then George Jessel must be given credit for the mwost un- expected action in the history of the cinematograph. (Copyright, 1929.) Girls Take to Pipes. FmY girls in Hollywood recently were introduced to that time-hon- ored favorite, the corn-cob pipe. How- ever, hands need not be thrown up in horror just yet. ‘The beauteous damsels in question are not feminists of such an advanced order that they are trying to steal not only the prerogatives of today’s men, but those of their grandfathers as well. The corn cobs were part of the stage setting for a chorus number in “Red Hot Rhythm,” the dialogue, song and dance production which_is being featured this week at the Rialto Theater. At- tired in abbreviated overalls, carrying carpenters’ tools, and with a corn-cob pipe in each mouth, 50 chorus girls construct a miniature cottage, build a fence around it and even hang up a moon, while Kathryn Crawford puts over the song and dance number “My Idea of Heaven.” Anne Is Getting Wary. "ON account of present conditions in the theater,” Anne Nichols is abandoning, at least for the time being, stage production in New York. Confirmation of the report which was circulated when 1t was learned her New York offices were being dismantled was given by M. L. Malevinsky, counsel for Miss Nichols. She had occupied the offices since “Abie’s Irish Rose” became a New York habit. It was said that the authoress was en route to Los Angeles, where she has a suburban home, and from other sources it was reported that she might resume stage production on the West Coast. Her last play was “She Walked Home,” which appeared recently in Washington. It closed after a brief run in New York, JANET RICHARDS Every Monday Morning at 10:45 Masonic Temple, 13th St. & N.Y. Ave. Public Questions: Home and Foreign Admission—75¢ and $1 Questions of the Hour in National and International Affairs Miss Clara W. McQuown THE WASHINGTON CLUB Assembly Room Entrance. 1010 17th St. Every Friday, 11 AM. Season Tickets. single Admission, 0. ‘Operain English Third Washington Season AMERICAN OPERA ... 2205, COMPANY Three Evenings and One Matinee Jan. 20, 21, 22 Viadimir Rosiug, Artiatie Director. Robert Edmond Jones, Staze Desiencr. H' Yolanda of Cyprus Mme. Butterfly Faust Wed. Mat., You¥* Carmen ISAAC VAN GROVE, Conductor. Season prices, three evenings. 37.50, $6.00. 4. 5!7e S| e 50, $2.01 POLI'S Theater 8 o'Clock Tues. Eve. Jan. 21 Wed. Eve. Jan. 22 . 0. Orders now being filed at Mrs. Wilson-Greene's Coneert Bureau, Droop’s, 1300 G District 6493. the Sweetheart of and a Dancing, Singing, Talking Cast of 1000 Direct from its $2 Broadway S Presentation in Globe Theatre RADIO DICTURE-S