Evening Star Newspaper, January 12, 1930, Page 53

¢ fmmdm a8 posed sy ts height :evel'l:s him AMUSEMENT SECTION Che Sundwy Star, Motor, Aviation and Radio News WASHINGTON, D. C., SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 12, 1930. LOWE and| CoNSTANCE DENNETT In %/é%flj R Co/led [o ve Rialto NORMA TALMADGE a7/ GILBERT ROLAND - I~ New York Nights” Palace SpokenDrama By Master Rediscovered Detective. BY PHILANDEI R JOHNSON. Possibly a man who lacked a|stool in a depot restaurant be- Touch of cynical humor could‘tween trains, facing rapid-fire scarcely have done the wonder-| food service with all the calm for- working that distinguishes Gil- |titude befitting a veteran lette's career as an actor and a producer. He is, first of all, an | eminently practical playwright as | well as player, serenely at home in the of farce that deals with whimsical character without | too much dependence on extrava- | nce of situation. Now, on what | e announces as his farewell tour —and everybody is hogflng that his announcement will be one of those genial miscalculations in which eminent favorites have found themselves involved be- cause of popular demand—he a tempts no revelation of the mag- nificent ego commonly deemed | the privilege of art, and proceeds | without rounded periods to reveal himself as a master mechanic in the gll! house, capable of com- manding respect for a very sim- Rle plece of machinery because works s0 smoothly. * % ® % Mr. Gillette never scolds his au- dience, never assumes to instruct it, and even when he consents, as| Sherlock Holmes concedes certain | sentences of romance to the pop- ular demand, he surrounds them with little epigrammatic points that bristle continually and serve' as a sort of barbed-wire protec- tion from those who: might wish | to transform him into a stage lover and a matinee idol. | * % % % In his curtain speech Mr. Gil- lette reveals a sly whimsicality in protest against conventional cus- tom in concentrating the cheeri- ness of the year on December 25 and the 1st of January. Instead of wishing his admiring friends a happy New Year, in a speech whose discreet brevity indicates| that it was very carefully pre-| pared, he pays tribute to the hap- | y Old Year and calls for a happy incoln’s Birthday and Washing- ton's Birthday, together with all| the rest of the holidays in the| year. It is an indication of men-| tal attitude characteristic of the analyst who preserves scientific poise even In humor or pathos and does not permit himself to| be carried away by emotional en- | thusiasm. * * ¥ % Like mild cynicism in a strain of gen- tle humor, Mr. Gillette permits himself the interesting self-dis-| cipline of the valetudinarian. He | arranges to have a bottle of milk| and a crust of bread at his dis- posal at systematic intervals. A member of his staff remarked mischievously: “I shall now pro-| ceed to throw our star into a rage. | 1 have ordered a handsome and luscious rare beefsteak for my luncheon, and I am going to take it into the dressing room where Gillette can see it.” The experiment worked, al- though without any manifesta- | tions of verbal or yhyllcll vio- lence. It brought forth only a| series of characteristic comment | on humanity and its general hemlmnm‘ g - An accidental encounter with Gillette at a time when his hypo- to be at on a high| most men who cherish a | e in travel. The high stool at a quick-serv- ice counter has been liked by men associated by popular fancy with habits of undeviating luxury. John Drew, when in Washington, spent much time at a favorite oyster bar watching the deft serv- ice of the attentive waiter, who had developed oyster shucking to a fine art. A German restaurant across the street from the Colum- bia Theater was a favo'ee spot with Reginald de Koven, who, while speaking of his musical aims and experiences, would jocosely refer to the high stool as his “pedagogic tripod.” * X X X The theater season, having turned over its 1930 leaf for the New Year, jogs along serenely | with Getrman grand opera in the big theater normally adapted to such rformances. More inti- mate types of drama are arrayed to carry over until the Summer season, for which preparations are being made with prospects of clear skies as certain clouds on the horizon relating to wage scales give promise of gradual| g, disappearance. * k % % In the face of many discour-| agements as the exploitation of Inew material is attempted, an | engagement such as that of Gil- lette in “Sherlock Holmes” is quite sufficient to prove the un-| swerving loyalty of the playgoing public to the spoken drama when | the speech is calculated to inspire respect. Spectacle fox;w(ihevnlier. pARAMOUNT'S “The Love Parade,” described as the screen’s first origi- nal musical romance, has for a setting a mammoth throne room of a ecastle, 230 feet in length, 150 feet wide and towering to the highest roof spans of the largest inclosed stage on the Para- mount lot. A feature of the set, other than a huge and exquisitely carved throne itself, is a balcony encircling the entire room upon which an army of men stand dur- ing the court wedding that takes place low. “The Love Parade” was directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Maurice Chevalier is starred and Jeanette MacDonald plays Queen Louise. The story is by Emnst Vajda, Hungarian playwright, and the libretto by Guy Bolto: Talkies Need Language. "THE blight of the lingo is settling upon the studios. Players who take them- | selves seriously are hustling into night ' schools to discover what French, Ital- ian or Swedish sounds like. ‘The producers are nodding approval at this, inasmuch as many of their pic- tures have to be filmed in the lan- guages. ht now, for instance, Paramount is instituting a considerable stam| to find an actress who can juggle Italian and English for an importa: role in Geo Bancroft's “Ladies Love Brutes.” This seems to come as a serious blow to them, as they thought most of their troubles were over when they finished Maurice Cheva- lier’s French and English version of “The Big Pond.” A th nt e | Corporation, Ltd., have announced that picture, | RuTH BRADLEY= At the Gayety 4 The Mo, - b > Gamblin /\I s+ionsl Staggering Titles. ALL_things come to him who waits! So runs the old adage, which is vindicated this week at the Earle, where a picture of rare excellence, according | to advance notices, brings a real novelty | under'the ~staggering title “Pointed Py All the world, perhaps, knows that | the “pointed heels” which inspired the man who gave the picture its title are the pointed heels that click and clatter | by the thousands on P street in Wash- ington dally. Those very heels have | an enviable record in the home and hospitals as ankle twisters. It is doubt- ful, however, that twisted ankles were even thought of when the producers made the picture. We must, therefore, turn to the much- | abused press agent—and, incidentally, away from the title—for information as to the picture itself. And what does he tell us? Well, to begin with, it is “the world's most perfect picture,” which of itself alone should make it the super-superla- tive of pictures. It presents in its ex- | cellent cast Helen Kane, who rejoices | in the fame of being “the dynamic in- | stigator of the 'boop-boop-adoop’ song” and establishes her right to this fame by singing with a “rib-tickling voice” | “Aintcha” and “I Have to Have You." It seems in most of the modern songs that somebody just has to have some- body else, and that nobody else will do. It must not be forgotten, either, that Miss Kane is “the internationally known baby-talk girl.” A real joy In the picture is Fay Wray, “the girl of etherael beauty,” who was discovered by Eric von Stroheim for “The Wedding March,” now “fully grown up,” and, sad to say, or at least to have the press agent say, “sophisti- cated.” Willlam Powell, who was the Phillp Vance of “The Canary Murder Case,” is also a “Pointed Heels” at- traction, and there is also “the world's most perfect chorus” meaning the Albertina Rasch Ballet, “24 beautiful dancers, who kick and pirouette as one.” But these certainly are enough in- its to make an interes if not | & great picture, whether “Pointed Heels"” describes it or not. | DOUG and Mary may unite fn a joint effort. for television, | _ Representatives of the Kemper Radio | Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford are to make a special picture for tele- vision broadcast. They will thus auto- atically become the first television stars. ‘The picture will be transmitted by the Farnsworth Television System at & pub- S KEE\TS GALLAGH ER.and HELEN KANE= " Pommted Heels * lic demonstration to be held some time i this month in San Francisco. GeEorGEM.COHAN- 4 @ t Fox (O#ege) 577 JANETGAYNOR - W /7 Christig * Earle stage and Screen Attractions This Week NATIONAL—George M. Cohan evening. POLI'S—Jane Cowl in “Jenny. GAYETY (burlesque)—"Dimpled Darlings.” This afternoon and evening. METROPOLITAN—"“General Crack.” ning. PALACE—“New York Nights.” FOX—“Christiina.” R-K-O KEITH'S—“Seven Keys to Baldpate.” and evening. EARLE—“Pointed Heels.” This afternoon and evening. COL%MB!A—“DynamneS' ‘This afternoon and evening. RIALTO—"This Thing Called Love.” ning. Plays and Their Titles. AUTHORS, producers and actors say that nothing is more devastating to the night's sleep than the difficulty of settling upon the title of a new play. Dramas ofttimes change labels again and again in the search for it. Perhaps a production never has failed solely be- cause of a badly chosen title, but an effective name l‘:l.: helped many a ‘mediocre manuscript. Recently there has been the spec- tacle of plays taking a& new lease on life under names other than those which served at the Dl’e’mle\;; p!l‘for‘!,nelnc?. Hugh Stange's “Veneer" became ?hm‘fc Hesven" in Chicago, while Wil- liam Hodge, reversing the journey, turned what was “Homicide” in Chicago into “Inspector Kennedy” in New York. In the latter city this season Shake- peare’s “Measure for Measure,” a per- fect title if ever there was one, played as “The Novice and the Duke.” As “A Hundred Years Old,” Otis Skinner’s resent offering delighted Chicago all ast Spring and so was seen in New York. Now for his road tour this same comedy is “Papa Jual One of the happlest titles of the year is “Strictly Dishonorable,” while “June Moon,” which describes the Ring Lard- ner-George B. Kauffman walloping success, still confuses those who think it must be a musical comedy. ‘The name of Ethel Barrymore'’s play, “The Kingdom of God,” denotes a se- rious theme, and, before the produc- tion developed into a success, it was feared to be too Biblical for a drama which does not contain a single refer- ence to religion. The name of Miss Barrymore's other play, Duel,” is the mm drai managers, for it all the elements required for a flrlt-l' announcement, - Scere This afternoon and evening. in “Gambling.” Opens tomorrow ” Opens tomorrow evening. This afternoon and eve- This afternoon and evening. This afternoon This afternoon and eve- brevity, a suggestion of the plot and the always valuable word “love.” Sometimes a play has a title like “The Infinite Shoeblack,” which, quoted from Carlyle, means little to the public at large and worries every one asso- ciated with it except its Scottish author, until, at last, its very strangeness comes a valuable trade mark in arous- ing the curiosity of playgoers. Orientall Darcing Aawored: RUBY MAY, a blond beauty, with | “Dimpled Darlings,” at the Gayety | Theater, specializes in dances of the Far | East, and is heralded as one of the best | exponents of this type of dance in stageland. She is said to have learned the art of dancing in San Diego, Calif, her home city, from a young Arabian woman who took a fancy to her, and who her- | self had been a cer in her native | |land before she came to the United | States with her husband, an attache of | the diplomatic service. | Before entering burlesque Miss May had been with the Morgan Dancers and other notables in the profession. Out of the L.ittle Ti\enter. THOSE who have been sniffing at| these Little Theaters and wonder- | ‘Ing ‘what. good they are may be inter- | ested to know that Daniel A. Reed, who dramatized Julia Peterkin's “Scar- let Sister Mary,” which Ethel Barry- | more is to act next season, and also Mrs. Peterkin's “Black April,” which Arthur Hopkins says he will produce, conducted a Little Theater in South | Carolina, where he met Mrs. Peterkin, rom ~ DYNAMITE.” Columbra W | its theme, recognized the eternal fitness things FRED BRUGGE ond SunkistGrks” RICHARD JOUN BARRYMORE arg MARION NIXON- < In“Genera/Crack” etropolitan Dix3nd MIRMSEEGAR- Barrymore Wit. Joml, the son of Maurice Barrymore, among other virtues, has been kind to his forbears in that he has remem- bered to keep alive the wit that has always been one of the bigger leaves on the family tree. Even under the burn- ing Klieg lights, it is said that John Barrymore has a ready reply for any question, sublime or ridiculous, that is fired at him. The trick of raising his left eye- brow, which is a casual appendage to one of these replies, was seen to in action not long ago when Mr. Barry- more was_working in the film produc- tion of “General Crack.” Asked by a snooping studio visitor if he ever con- templated playing “Hamlet” in modern dress, the eminent actor replied: “No, but I'd be tickled to death to play ‘King Lear’ in the nude!” ———— Singing Audiences Liked. | "HE Earle Theater has been experi- menting with a sound-recording studio to give its patrons an oppor- tunity to hear themselves singing. This novelty presentation is spon- |sored by the Earle organist, Milton | Davis, | program the audience has been re- | quested to join in a vocal chorus. The voice of the audience, picked up by microphones on the stage, is then re- corded on a speak-a-phone disc. After the singing the disc is transferred to an Edison electrical recording instrument |and played. Davis says he expects to discover con- siderable hidden musical talent in the Earle audience in this way. Am“l;inou; WA}:dacity. HAT would you think of a talkie depicting the life of Abraham Lincoln with a woman to impersonate the immortal Lincoln? No answer is expected, because David Wark Griffith, the great director of “The Birth of a Nation,” who is to make such a talkle with Lincoln as of and ignored the applications of the two ‘women who thought they resembled Lincoln and would be able to_impersonate: him. Emancipated woman is viewing flelds wide and afar as a setting for her talents. ‘There is not an earthly bit of doubt that in many instances she has chosen wisely and well. Often, in- deed, has she unguestionably surpassed man at what he considered his own game. But the thought of her im- mmnltln. the great heroes either of e In the process of a song-slide| S Eton Dsys” DAVE SCHOOLER Fa)m{ COMPANY — /7 a ace Stage) "Il’ I could do what I liked,” George M. Cohan recently, “I wouldn’t be acting at all. I'd be sitting down banging out songs on a piano and hnvlnf & mighty good time, all by myself. “But I'm condemned to be the world's champion understudy—ain't it the truth? ‘What? You don't belleve it? It's easy to prove. Take this play ‘Gambling,’ then. We're doing big business and everything's fine, but I am not supposed to be in it at all. I'm understudyirg another fellow, that's all. “When I wrote the plece I wanted Clark Gabel to do the lead. You know him, the chap that did such great work in ‘Machinal’ But Belasco took him over for ‘Virginia City’ and I had to | step in myself. 8 “And when I did ‘The Song ard Dance Man’' a few seasons ago I had the same experience. Lynne Overman was my choice for that, and he played and I had to go on again. “When I was doing ‘The Merry Ma- lones’ I cast Arthur Deagon for Old Man Malone, and Arthur died before the show came to New York and I had to go on myself. It's great experience for a young fellow. I get what other understudies would call the breaks, but I don’t want them. “And there’s another thing. I'm not able to understudy two people in differ- ent shows and I'm not going to try. That's why I am keeping a little com- edy I've written, ‘True to Form,’' out of production. I wanted Walter Huston for that and we were going to do some- thing about it for an opening this month, but the talking pictures got ‘Walter and so the show stays off. “And another thing. I was working out a musical show for Jack Donohu> which was to come off this season, but Jack slips away into ‘Tin Hats' and I can’t do anything with that. “Now,” continued Mr. Cohan, trying to restrain a smile as he glanced at the box office rack and noted that every ticket was sold, suppose I ought to be happy, and maybe I am. I'm not sure. I'm a fatalist, more or less, and what I've sald here s not a complaint against things as they are. I'm only explninlnf how pleasant it would be— 'tgr me—Iif things were as they ought | be. “Did you ever sit down at a plano and just bangoutsongs? No? Gcsh, youmissed world or of America on th stgge: who acted in several of flis productions. e 8 oh well, st something about the etes esy Of things. a lot. Try it some time and see. It's the ntest thing in the 1d. I in it out of town, but he didn't like it | .GeorgeM. Cohan Complains sald just pretend that you are absorbed in | composition and bang away at the old keys harder. You can't hear the steam shovels or the automobile horns or th= telephone bell or knocking at the door, unless it's the maid with a meal, but People will take you very seriously and et you pretty much alone. “The songs? Oh, yes; the songs Well, you don't have to worry about them. They just come to you. You just sit down and bang away at the piano and they'll come. They have ‘o come—if you just keep on banging away. And people may think you're a high-browed artist, you can't tell. And you may bang out a hit some tim~. i?m.‘ anyway, that's the way I' like to ive.” RadioT"Hit the Deck.” NEW “Hit the Deck” will open at the E>rl Carroll Theater in New York Tuesday of this week. It is “Radio Pictures’ latest” and, according to re- ports, “most ambitious production.” A successor to “Rio Rita," it will, if any- thing, exceed its predecessor in lavish- ness and brilliance. Based on the musical comedy of th> stage, it contains much of the original music and cast. Six new songs, how- ever, have been incorporated into it, and the company has been increased from the original 109 to more than 300. Jack Oakie and Polly Walker head the cast of 14, which Luther Reed, al:o the director of “Rito Rita,” has “given the works to.” Oakie needs no intro- duction, but Miss Walker is a compara- tive newcomer. Not so very long &> | she was a Georgs M. Cohan musical | comedy star. Besides these two celebrities, it said, there is a lady by name of Mar- guerita Padula who “literally raises the roof” when she sings “Hallelujah"—just as she did in the stage production in New York. Classified as a singer whose voice has a range of octaves, her debut on the screen be a mat- ter of real interest. In addition to this veteran “mammy” singer, the screen production will have en entire sequence featuring 100 Negro singers and dancers. With “Hallelujah” for its ;‘t‘ u?- that fairly lift number, and with scenes glisten under technicolor, there is much of promise in this most current of films. According to Variety, it has already & promising career, hav- the Orpheum any- comes in to tal ess, you g™ e infp rea) -of box-office re- ceipts recently at ‘Theater in Los Angeles. Severnkeys o bakpate * RkOKeiths 4