Evening Star Newspaper, June 22, 1930, Page 47

- Theater, Screen and Music p—— AMUSEMENT SECTION he SHunday Star, WASHINGTON, 105 SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE Motor, Aviation o <y 1930. Rear W Aomirar TAG E aund' SCRFEEN RICHARD E.BYRD- /» Photoplay Attractions OEW'S COLUMBIA THEATER fographed in Little America, on the expedition, includ- of the men during of the “bottom of humorous incidents Admiral Byrd, ord of one of the greatest of American COLYMBIA—“With Byrd at the South Pole.” this week is presenting as its outstanding entertainment the films of the Byrd expedition -to the South Pole, which were pho- Bay of Whales, within an area of 750 miles of the southern axis of the earth Al in all, they constitute a film rec- ord of the daring ing the hazardous aeroplane flight to the Pole and the life, work and play 20 months of their isolation from civ- ilization in the barren, icy wastes the world.” Even in this seri- ous life story will be found many to make of the whole a public en- tertainment as well as a historical rec- achievements. The Hearst Metrotone News and the Columbia Orchestra will provide sup- plemental entertainment. PALACE—"The Florodora Girl.” M\T'HE Florodora Girl,” featuring Ma- rion Davies, will bring to Loew's Palace Theater this week a story of “the gay 90s,” about which much has been written in recent years without really informing the modern generation of the interesting period of America sbout thirty-odd years ago. Of course the story is written around & member of “the famous Florodora Sextet,” and imperishable institution, arourd which more romance has cen- tered than perhaps any other American creation, certainly any American crea- tions of the theater, which seems to be sinking into innocuous desuetude faster than the sextet. In the present instance Daisy, a member of the sextet, falls in love with Jack Vibart, a New York clubman and racing enthusiast, whose mother informs Daisy that their only hope from the ruin that stares him and the family m‘ the face is & marriage to a society | heiress. Daisy thereupon loosens her hold upon Jack, who doesn't marry the heiress, however, but instead makes a fortune in the “horseless carriage” bus- iness, whereupon Jack and his mother chase after Daisy and find her doing a great dance in the theater. Of course everyl ends h:gpuy As a fitting actompaniment Henry Bergman and his Black Sheep will ap- mear upon the real stage in a “somewhat different” musical revue from the Cap- itol Theater, New York, and Dick Lie- bert will present his own original crea- tion, “The Dream Train.” Further en- tertainment will be found in “Killing the Killer,” a fl.lmdfluth struggle be: tween cobra and & ., Hearst, -uelrflwne News and music by ‘“’l house orchestra under Harry Borjes. FOX—“So This Is London.” Wn.!. ROGERS is the film star at the Fox Theater in ‘his second Fox Movietone production, “So This Is Lon- don,” taken from the stage play made notable by George M. Cohan. The | manner in which it has been transcribed to the screen is said to give Mr. Rogers | a vehicle fully as worthy as his first talking production, “They Had to See Paris.” | It is the story of an American who |Boes to London and has a series of laughable experiences in trying to ad- | just himself to the way Britishers do things and to convince them that the | Americans are not “wild Indians.” In the supporting cast will be found Irene Rich, who portrays the very un- derstanding wife, as in ’ first talking picture, and Maureen O'Sulli- van, who came from Ireland for the John McCormick picture and was so good she was given a long-term con- tract by the Fox executives. Others included are Prank Albertson, Lumsden Hare and Mary Forbes. The dialogue ‘was written by Owen Davis, sr., dean of | American playwrights and a close friend | of Will Rogers. The picture was direc | ed by John Blystone. | On the stage Sam Jack Kaufman, as master of ceremonies, will introduce the Fanchon and Marco “Hot Domi- noes” idea, featuring Les Klicks, Paul Mall, Jess Libonati: Hart, Whitestone and Polly; “Terry” Green and the Sun- | kist Beauties. The Fox Orchestra and | the Movietone News will round out the | program. | METROPOLITAN he Social Lien.” ‘JACK OAKIE'S greatest screen laugh- | ing success, “The Social Lion,” from & story by Octavus Roy Cohen, is an- nounced at Warner Bros. Metropolitan Theater for this week. It is described as the story of an ex- garage mechanic who tries and fails at | prize fighting and then adopts desper- ate means to win the attention and aflection of a girl of the community’s |smart set. By chance it is discovered | that he is & wizard at polo, which he | learned in the Army, and so he is drafted | for & country club tournament. On the eve of the tourney, however, Jack dis- covers that he is merel; toler- ated by the country club folk and that his only friends are his manager and the vil §irl whom he regards as a |little sister. The twin climaxes that | follow this discovery furnish the pic- | ture with a swift-moving and unexpect- ed surprise ending. In the cast are Mary Brian, Skeets Gallagher, Olive Borden, Charles Sellon, Cyrll Ring, E. H. Calvert, James Gibson and many others, Additional features wil linclude Vita- phone Varieties and The Evening Star- | Universal Newsreel, with Graham Mc- Namee newscasting current events, R-K-O KEITH'S—“Mamba.” **MAMBA,” the featured screen of- | fering at R-K-O Keith's this | week, is described as a spectacular pro- duction with & powerful story that fea- | tures Jean Hersholt in a sort of “Beauty | and the Beast” drama, with Hersholt | as the beast and Eleanor Boardman as | today don't seem to have the fun those | an exquisite beauty, and with Ralph — | Marion Davies and L AWRENCE GREY- /" Jhe Florodora Grirl " . WiLL ROGERS -, In* SoThis is London JACK OAKIE - /n ! E * The Social Lion" Metrapolitan-In"Mamba" RKO. herths \\AQN\I DA "= Eér/e Cj;‘aye) i Gay Nineties” Were Better| ERE is a movie star who longs for the days when she wouldn't have been a star at all, for “in them days, | there warn't such things” Marion | Davies, currently visible at the Palace | in leg-a-mutton mufties and spongies, is the lady. Says she: “We have 50 many modern to- day which we really don’t appreciate or enjoy. In 1900 an automobile ride was a sensational event. Pedalling on bicycles ‘built for two' and Winter larks on sleigh rides were considered great outings, to say mothing of a trip to Coney Island and Staten Island picnics, “I don’t know why it is, but people of the past generation had. I can't say I prefer a hansom cab to a limousine, or ofl lamps to electrics, but the old atmosphere did seem more genuine and | wholesome than we find today in our | modern world of artificiality in almost | everything but breathing.” Oopla for the gay 90 Queen of the L’:tinfiQunner THERE is to be seen this week at Warner’s Earle Theater (besides the tantallzing Armida), a young lady, | who in 1926 was chosen by the Ame can students of Paris at the Quat: Arts Bal as “Queen of the Latin Quar- ter.” This distinetion Christianne Yves | has still with her in the form of a plece of parchment upon which this title is emblazoned. Incidentally, Mme. Yves is shrouded by _considerable mystery. Although forging her way rapidly in the celluloid world, it is said her family are very anxious for her to forge her way back to sunny France, and that every time she appears on the screen all the an- cestral ghosts give loud groans in their graves. Oakie's Freckles and “I¢." **] T all goes back to the freckles,” says Jack Oakie, most recent of starred stars, now to be seen in “The Social Lion” at Warner's Metropolitan. “They made people laugh at me and | taught me to laugh back,” says Oakie. | “We can't all be born handsome or rich. | Neither can we all be born with freckles. I got the freckles and I'm satisfied.” Mr. Oakie has something, however, besides freckles. It is that intangible somet called personality. It seems to have blossomed in him along with the freckles, and carried him to a de- served stardom where the freckles might not have been able to worm their way. A year ago, people weren't bothering much about Jack Oakie—cinematically | Iasco’s now classical “It's a Wise Child" Stage and Screen Attractions COLUMBIA—"“With Byrd at the South Pole. and evening. PALACE—"The Florodora Girl.” This afterno FOX—“So This Is London.” This afternoon METROPOLITAN—“The Social Lion.” evening. R-K-O KEITH'S—“Mamba.” This afternoon EARLE—Armida and “What a Man!” evening. GAYETY—“Record Breakers,” burlesque. evening. This afternoon This afternoon This Week " This afternoon on and evening. and evening. and and evening. and This afternoon Drama’s Bright Future. LTHOUGH drama has for the mo- ment fled from the National The- ater, Manager Steve Cochrane is al- ready mulling over plans for the Fall and Winter. On his desk is an imposing array of attractions that should gladden the hearts of spotlight enthusiasts and in- sure the coming season’s being a pros- perous one. . The first really definite “bookings” that appear are David Be- Thursday matij noons, respecti: And, if you “what about y them it will yes!” | Washi THERE are fi | may They are | tion mechanic; Which will drop in at the National any |jg¢: g . time after the equinoxial storms, and “Sweet Adeline,” the musical comedy that had all New York crooning for most of last season and which will come shortly after. The news that Maude Adams will very likely come to Washington is one of Steve’s superbest bombshells. This is not a certainty, but a trustworthy rumor has it that Miss Adams will go on a tour somewhat after the fashion of Wil- llam Gillette, and that the National Theater will be one of her more im- portant stopping points. arid Charles E. ficer. HE report T liking that he | version of be seen | Byrd at the South Pole.” Kennard F. Bubier, avia- Demas, Malcolm P. Hanso) Desert Broad nees and Sunday after: vely. ask Producer Cochrane our stock company next season?” he ‘will grin and say “Tell be here—emphatically— ngton's Five. ve Washington men who in the film “With Victor Czegka, machin- aviation mechanic; radio operator, . Lofgren, personnel of- way? Oh, No. that Florenz Ziegfeld found Hollywood so much to his would never be parted from it again, seems quite false. Although entrenched on the celluloid “Whoopee,” when that is There is positive proof to the word that comes about Mrs. Fiske appearing here in varied repertory. Considering | the ovation that was recently tendered her in “The Rivals,” the more she is with us the better. 'And the fact that she will present an extended repertoire is perhaps the best news of all. Preston Sturges’ phenomenal suc- cess, “Strictly Dishonorable,” will be another distinguished visitor. ~Others et who will warm the cold Winter Blasts in the famous old E street play- house are Fred Stone (and family) in | through, Mr. Ziegfeld says, he will turn his attentions once more to the stage |and the first production to glow with | |life under his touch will be “Tom, Dick and Harry.” This musical-comedy, in which Mary- lin Miller and the Astairs are to be starred, will begin rehearsals August 2, at which time every one concerned wili |have finished with his current talkie contract. After this is under way, Mr. Ziegfeld will turn his attention to a new edition of ye olde “Follies,” and after that—the flood, maybe. 'W‘klflt But today — well, start around breakfast time and you may get into the “Met” by dusk. “Ripples,” and Ed Wynne (the “perfect| However, fool”) in Ziegfeld’s “Simple Simon.” At such an early date, it is hard to| Broadw predict what else will find its way down to the balmy aisles of the National, but safe it is to say that those two genial| travel-thinkers, Burton Holmes and|my contact wi Traveltalker Newman, will have their | sald recently a yearns for the Ithough Mr. Ziegfeld cold, white lights of he has something very nice to say about Hollywood. “My experiences in Hollywood have been very hlpry and I have .enjoyed h this community,” he nd gallantly, p it Winds at South Pole. VWINDS attain & velocity of 150 miles an hour—twice hurricane speed— near the South Pole, say Willard Van- | mount cameramen, who accompanied |Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his | recent dash into the Antarctic. found in the Rockefeller Mountain Range, near the Pole,” VanderVeer de- clares. “They pile the snow in incon- travel impossible. It was & storm of this velocity which swept away and wrecked one of the three Byrd planes while exploring the mountains 175 miles from its base. - Although buried in snow, tied down to heavy “deadmans” and | filled with blocks of ice, the plane was | blown three miles. Only the daring of Comdr. Byrd, | who took off from Little America in an- | the blizzard, brought about rescue of the four marooned aviators.” “Despite trouble caused by the winds, they serve a good purpose,” says Rucker. If it were not for violent storms, the snowfields of Antartica would be thou- sands of feet deep, as they never melt. The winds sweep the snow before them in almost solid walls, however, and eventually carry it out to sea.” It will be well to remember this in July and August if you are feeling warm in Washington and the movie palaces | fail to cool you off. | WXLI. ROGERS never misses a chance to boost his own home town, Claremore, Okla. | _In “So This Is London,” now at the Fox Theater, there is a scene aboard a ship headed for London with Will on deck. At every turn he seems to en- counter an irrepressible kid (played by |little Martha Lee Sparks). The kid hurls one question after another at him until finally Will stops her and says: “Hey! Walt a minute! You ask a lot of questions. Just what part of England are you from?” more, Okla.” line in—and it stays, too. | Columnists in Vaudeville. THE latest occupation of a news col- umnist seems to be vaudeville, A | week or so ago Heywood Broun ap- York as a headliner. And now that theater announces that it will have Walter Winchell as a thespian luminary for the week of June 28. Those who remember back a bit will mayhap remember that Mr. Winchell has been on the vaudeville circuit be- fore in a song-and-dance act. Never, however, has he appeared as a maestro of wit and genial chafl. Vaudeville perhaps may provide a happler medium for expression some- times, > derVeer and Joseph T. Rucker, Para-| “The strongest winds in the world are | | ceivably deep drifts and often make | | other plane during a three-hour lull in | You don't have to guess who put that | | peared at the Palace Theater in New | ReaINALD DENN Ye ard MIRIAM SEEGAR= ~ M N \hat A Man “ By percy HE Theater Guild has hurt the feelings of Mr. Whalen, the for- mer police commissioner, and he has requested it to stop. In its Summer picnic, “The Gar- rick Gaieties,” the guild makes sport of Mr, Whalen’s abdication and pictures his return to Wanamaker's in a cruel cartoon. ‘Therein he is represented as something of a stuffed shirt, applying the law’s iron hand to the gentle ways of commerce, Impersonated vaguely by Philip Loeb, he strides majestically among the merchandise and salesper- sons, issuing ukases as he used to do in the city hall. It is a brutal and musing caricature, assisted in its ruth- | less joke by clever songs and dances. Mr. Whalen's protest inspires the Theater Guild to put thumb to nose and bid him be silent. Now that he has been deposed from the police force, hi is no longer terrifying and it is safe to jostle him. Once powerful, but now weak, he is an easy mark for the im- pious, and they humiliate him without fear of retaliatio There he has to sit in Wanamaker's, helpless to stop the Theater Guild from humiliating him. A month or two ago he could have shut up the “Garrick Galeties” as an fractton of the laws forbidding indeli- cacy. The guild must not be accused of cowardice in the matter, for it is the | drama’s most gallant institution. But one suspects that in jumping upon Mr. | Whalen it breaks the rules that protect x-celebrities with oblivion Mr. Whalen, by his efforts to make New Yorkers secure and comfortable, has earned the privilege of privacy, and any attempt to invade his seclusion is an affront. His indignation is right- eous and the guild, consecrated as it is to uplift, must apologize to him, remove the impudent desecration and bereave the show of its most laughable And the little girl answers, “Clare-| gyit A revue sponsored by so dignified a patron as the Theater Guild should not waste itself upon subjects that are spilt milk. It should attack the fools and follies of the day and show them up as they are jovially exposed, for in. stance, by Will Rogers, the Oklahoma Aristophanes, Still, you may ask, what existing imperfections deserve the criticism and correction of the stage? Certainly the conduct of Mayor Walker, the New York judiciary, the board of aldermen, our triotic statesmen in ngworth, Smoot, Brookhart, Heflin and other bulv{:rhho( on:em- ment—are_exempted, by the purity of their ambitions and ns m as- saults in a revue. So I'guspect the Theater Gulld in its “GarricR Gaieties” is foreed for lack of other 3 to fife &t Mr. Whalen as he the floors, asking only to be let along Earle JEAN HERSHOLT- New York’s Stage Affairs Hammond. | [N & recent report I suggested that | “Lysistrata,” by Gilbert Seldes and Aristophanes, is in. its New York per- formance & dull and dirty show. The play, T thought, is clean, but the man- ner of its acting, it seemed to me, is fithy. Mr. Seldes now worries me with one of his gentle castigations. He sends me & copy of the printed “Lysistrata,” subtly inscribed as follows: “Perhaps You are right. You usually are.” That soft answer turns away wrath and makes me glad that Mr. Seldes’ “Lysis- trata” is so popular that drama lovers who desire to see it have to pay large prices for the privilege. It's an ill wind, but it has its virtues. * oK ok % HE trouble with George M. Cohan's routine idolators is that they regard his as & “performer.” They look upon him as merely an obliging entertainer, endowed with a magic magnetism and adept in jigs and jokes. Long a figure in the Broadway drama, he has been both the heel and hero, but always a spectacle, demanding attendance and applause, Mr. Cohan has accepted this superficial approbation and its emolu- ments modestly and with a lump in his throat. For he knew all the time that | he was a fine actor, more gifted in the drama than his audiences and his plays, “The Song and Dance Man,” which Mr. Cohan now revives at the Fulton, fortifies him as both entertainer and artist. The comedy, though 10 years old, is not at all musty and is as fresh an exhibition as if it had been written yesterday. Obviously a show calculated to tickle the drama lovers, it has its theater; and his characters, though fa- miliar, are as honest as the drama permits them to be. Mr. Cohan plays a Pantages song and dance man. fallen upon evil days. v