Evening Star Newspaper, September 21, 1930, Page 52

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., SEPTEMBER 21, 1930—PART FOUR. AMUSEME NTS. News and Comment of the Photoplay By C.E ASTING back over Wash-)Ludwig Berger. ington’s supply of screen attractions for the past few weeks, it is impossible to get away from the fact that they have been below the stand- rd. With one or two exceptions, here has been very little to ap- prove. It may have been a warm- weather stagnation in the pro- duction plants, but from this viewpoint, it seemed that Holly- wood was running short of ideas, short of talent and, in fact, short of all the elements that are con- tained in good photoplays. Pros- ects for the Autumn are much Erlghter. There is a chance that vaude- ville will be discontinued in the local cinema palaces, and if this change is made, better movies must be the rule. With orchestras and stage shows eliminated, nat- wurally there is only one fea- ture to fall back upon—the pic- ture itself. Screen plays with such stars as Ruth Chatterton and Greta Garbo, even when the stories are not all they should be are drawing cards, but what about the general run of pictures? There 4s room for a vast improvement Producers have been buying up stage plays right and left, with- out much thought as to whether these particular plays are suitable for screen production. Many of them are not. They make weak talky vehicles, devoid of action. This would show a dearth in movie material—suitable stories for reproduction. The race for supremacy in the photoplay field | has waxed keenly for many| months, and a primary thought | of many producers is the number | of pictures sent out. This may| be a bad policy; fewer and better | screen attractions will please the | public. * % ok ox | fA LONG this same line, I am in- | clined to wonder over the mental attitudes of some produc- ers and directors. For instance, in a number of recent sound pro- ductions, various players, without Nelson. Of course, there !15» a great deal of music, but the ‘plcture moves easily. The Star | plays the part of a waiter in a | small cafe in Paris. His troubles | start when he falls heir to 1,000, | 000 francs, and the French come | dian again displays that knack of taking the audience into his con- fidence. * ok ok % OTIS SKINNER talks: “The art of the cinema has progressed. Ten years ago I made a silent picture of ‘Kismet. Now the ‘mike’ stings us to madness. But the cameras are growing | more and more perfect. The re- cording disc is surer and the new art of sound mixing has come to the rescue of voice records that sounded as if the speaker were talking into a hogshead. Detail has been pursued into its very lair in the matter of direction, and it is its great persistence that makes such plays as ‘Kismet,’ full of the flavor of old romance, popular. There has been a distinct reluc- tance on the part of motion pic- ture producers to present plays of pure romanticism. The talking film has removed this difficulty. But in its most perfect form the filmed play is but the play of the regular theater reduced in time.| But, by Allah, may my life be for- feit if I could ever take to my friendly heart that disc of doom— the ‘mike’! True, it was my phophet—but I was its slave.” * ok ok x 'HE United States Army is tak- ing up talking pictures. Ac- cording to Col. W, E. Prosser, head of the Signal Corps photographic division, definite plans have been completec for the making of talk- ing pictures by the War Depart- ment. They will be used in the training and instruction of vari- ous branches of the Army. A num- ber of officers will be given a thor- ough schooling in picture produe- tion in all its phases, after which the motion picture division of the Signal Corps will make its| own films. The Warner Brothers’ studio in Hollywood will be util- i |ized for the training of officers rhyme or reason, burst into song, | during the next eight months, without relation to the plot of the | prior to the establishment of a play. The unfolding story may be | Government studio here in Wash- what is known as "straight‘ington. As an initial step in the drama,” when the energetic direc- | Production of the Army's t_alkmg[ tor gives a pantomime signal and | Pictures, two officers will be| a player starts to warble. These | Placed in the Hollywood studio| interruptions are numerous, have}‘hls month. Silent pictures were nothing to do with the original |used by the Army for the first seript, and they seem, often, en- | time in 1817, by order of Gen. tirely out of place. Pershing. ‘This practice may be the result | of the first sound pictures, when | procucers and directors were pos- sessed with the idea that screen audiences demanded music. They ushed forward with all sorts of ackstage productions and fairly | revelled in sound. It is quite pmbablg1 that these same}gsmdl;fi- ers and directors consider e ¥ song of special value, and that no | John Boles and Lupe Velez play j;;lay. regardless of its character, the leading roles in the Edwin Ca- complete without a little war- | rewe production of Tolstoy's “Res- bling now and then. Also, they|yrreciion.” have the sound devices, and Why | o i on the new Richard Bar- | ot use them? 2 * ¥ % % ‘thelmess picture has been stop- | ped.on account of the fact that * ok ok ok Short Fiashes. “(H, Hector,” a Columbia Col- lege play, has been awarded the first prize of $1,500 by the Universal company in a contest. The play will be produced with sound accompaniment. 'HE sudden death of Milton Sills robs the screen of one of its favorite actors, and one of the| last of the pioneer he-man types. | Never of the matinee idol type“‘ Sills won his place in the screen | world by his acting. He was| called upon, during his many | years in the studios, to fill all sorts of roles, and when the| sound films came into being, he was one of the few Hollywood fa- vorites found ready to meet the call. His passing leaves an enor- mous space in the list of compe- tent screen players. | %ok % | E have been threatened with | screen opera for some time; | in fact, since the advent of the | sound pictures. And now John| Iraci, a New York producer, an- nounces that “Othello” is com- pleted and ready for distribution. | The Brazilian rights already have | been sold to the Industrial Reuni- das Co. The stars of “Othello” are Manuel Salizar, once a tenor with the Metropolitan Opera Co., and Lelane Rivera, listed as distinguished American soprano.” The same producer also an- nounces that he has engaged Roberto Matalini, now in Paris, to direct the next opera produc- tion, “La Forza del Destino.” x o x % ACCORDING to motion picture engineers, television is a long| way ahead, and the film industry is confronted with a number of problems to be solved before sight-and-sound can be distrib-| uted in the homes. For instance, point out the producers, tech- nique of sound production has not as yet attained 100 per cent qual- ity. Color is generally considered in need of additional and pains- taking attention. Wide film is a problem requiring special thought and treatment. All these bridges must be crossed before television is even considered * ok ox % OQOKING into the future, here are a few short reviews of new photoplays whith will reach Washington one of these days: “Lililom.” From the stage play by Molnar. Directed by Frank| Borzage, who has assembled an| excellent cast, including Charles | Farrell, Estelle Taylor, Walter: Abel, Lee Tracy, Lillian Elliott, H.| B. Warner and a newcomer, Rose Hobart, who gives an unusual performance. The photographic work is especially notable, and the story is that of a Hungarian car- nival barker loved by two women. “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.” From the novel of Egerton Castle and the stage play of David Belasco. The cast, with numerous eood voices, includes Claudia Dell, who plays Kitty, and Walter Pidgeon. The play iz a light one, thor- oughly entertaining, and the spectator is carried along by a charming eighteenth story. The English settings and costumes lend themselves well to the use of technicolor. “A Peep on the Deep.” Clark and McCullough in a new comedy. The two comedians are placed in command of a boat, and they know nothing of the sea—thereby producing a really funny picture “Playboy of Paris. Idayrice Chevalier and | | ected by | make | ture. | ago from a stay of several weeks | in England, going directly to Hol- | century! an actress for the leading femi- nine role has not been found. Several prominent players are un- der consideration. The title of the picture will be announced later. Barthelmess recently com- pleted “Adios.” 1t is reported that Maurice Che- valier has broken the world rec- ord for salaries, having been signed for two weeks by the The- tre Chatelet in Paris at $20,000 per week. The Paramount Eastern studio is making “The Royal Family,” and the cast includes Ruth Chat- terton, Mary Brian, Ina Claire, Frederic Marsh and Jean Her- sholt. Other players to leave Hol- lywood for the East soon are Gary Cooper, Claudette Colbert and Ginger Rogers. “Usherette” York setting. Ed Wynn, who recently com- | pleted work in “Manhattan Mar; will be starred in a film version of “Simple Simon,” the Ziegfeld show which has not yet completed its road tour. Kay Francis is to play opposite | George Bancroft in a newspaper story. “Shooting Gallery” is the title of Dorothy Mackaill's new pic- She returned a few days lywood Dorothy Sebastian plays oppo- site Bert Lytell in “Brothers,” based on a stage play of the same name. R-K-O reports that “millions of extras” are to be used in the film- ing of the Rex Beach story, “The Silver Horde.” But the extras are to be Columbia River salmon They provide a supporting cast for Evelyn Brent, Louis Wolheim, Joel McCrea, Jean Arthur and Blanche Sweet. Jack Oakie plays the part of a racketeer in “The Big Shot.” Milton Sills was scheduled to have started work within a few days in “Network,” taken from a story by Ernest Pascal. His death will delay the production for some time. Three players—Paul Muni, Wil- liam Courtenay an® Bela Lugosi— are being considered for the lead- ing role of R-K-O's production of “Dracula.” New York reports that movie situation broke even last month. Fourteen theaters sus- pended, while 14 new ones opened their doors. “The Ruling Passion” has been selected as the next starring ve- hicle for George Arliss. The story is based on a book by Earl Derr Biggers, and Booth Tarkington wrote the dialogue. ¥ “Rio Rita,” starring John Boles and Bebe Daniels, is reported to | have made a big hit abroad. The picture has been one of the box | office attractions of the year. “The Front Page,” a sensational stage play of newspaper work, is to be made into a movie, but the cast has not yet been selected. the Clara Bow is to| with a New| | Sally is 5 feet 4! weighs 118 pounds, and has golden- Co-starring with her father in “Ripples,” at the National Theater, beginning Sep- ATIONAL | M Phones Nat'l 0501 and Nat'l 0502 | Ethel's Premiere in Columbus | FTHEL BARRYMORE will give her first performance of the title role of “Scarlet Sister Mary,” the play made | by Daniel Reed from the novel by Julia Pcterkin, in the Hartman Theater in Columbus, Ohlo, Thursday night, Sep- tember 25. She then will appear for one week in Cleveland and one week in | Pittsburgh, opening in New York in her own theater Tuesday, October 14, Nothing in the theater in recent years has surpassed in interest the announce- | ment of Miss Barrymore's intention of acting_Si-Maye, the Gullah Negress in Mrs. Peterkin's unusual story. It will | Ibe her first characterization of a [ Negress, and should reveal her art in | sharp contrast to anything she hitherto {has done in the theater, | The world premiere of “Scarlet Sister Mary” also marks the stage debut of | Miss Barrymore's daughter, Ethel Bar- | | rymore Colt. Except for a group of | singers, the supporting company is com- | posed of white players, including Estelle Winwood, Beatrice Terry, Georgle Drew | Mendum. Anita Rothe, Ethel Barrymore Colt. Walter Gilbert, Horace Braham, William B. Mack, John Roseleigh, Leo | Kennedy, Burke Clarke, Malcolm’ Sol- tan, Marcel Dill, Alan Campbell, Dan Bagnell and Wilbur Cox. Watson Barrett designed the scenes! for “Scarlet Sister Mary” from sketches he made in South Carolina last Sum- mer. Maurice Nitke, musical director, has arranged the music, used {rom themes and songs he coliected during | ceveral weeks spent on and near Mrs. | Peterkin's plantation, in South Carolina. | Old Order Cl;lange th, SURVEY of Hollywood film studjos discloses that three traditions as old as the industry itself no longer are | observed—megaphones have been dis- carded; cameramen never Wwear Ccaps with the bills turned backward, and directors do not affect knickers and sport shirts open at the throat while at work or at any other time than on the golf links. The modern electrical loudspeaker system has replaced the megaphone as an aid in directing big outdoor scenes. When the action takes place on the soundproof stages at the studlos the director need not raise his voice to in- struct his players before they go before the cameras and microphones. The cameraman’s cap, often pictured in cartoon and story, disappeared long ago. Camera experts in the old days did wear caps and turned the bills to the rear because most of their work was done out of doors close to the focus finder. Today a different camera de- sign makes it easy for the cameraman | to peer through his finder without plac- | ing an eye close to the instrument. This makes for easier and better photog- | raphy. As for the third vanished tradition, few directors ever did wear knickers in the best manner while at work. Today men like Lubitsch, Frank Tuttle, Row- land V. Lee, George Abbott, John Crom- well, Victor Schertzinger, Josef von Sternberg and Richard Wallace, all| leaders in their profession, invariably | appear in neatly tailored business suits, white collars and natty haberdashery while engaged in their work. Nice— what? Erlanger Interests. HE Erlanger offices in New York an- nounce that they have taken a long Iease of the Ohio Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, from the Loew interests, the own- ers of the property. The Ohio is one of the finest and most completely equipped Jegitimate theaters in the United States Other _theaters on the Erlanger cir- cuit include the New Amsterdam, the Erlanger's, the Globe, the Avon, the Liberty and the Fulton, in New York; | the Colonial, the Tremont and the Hol- lis Street, in Boston; the Erlanger, the Broad Street and the Garrick, in Phila- delphia; the Erlanger, the Illinois, the Blackstone and the Studebaker, in Chi- cago: Ford's, in Baltimore; the National, | in Washington: the Nixon, in Pitts-| burgh: the Grand Opera House. in Cin- cinnati; the Erlanger, in Buffalo; the, American, in St. Louis; the Erlanger, in Atlanta; the Tulane, in New Orleans; the Biltmore and Mason, in Los An: geles; the Erlanger and the Columbia, in San Francisco, and the Metropolitan, in | Seattle In ail these theaters, it is announced, “the highest class dramatic and musical | comedy attractions produced in America | will be played exclusively.” Laug}\ Misionary. AS master of ceromonies of “Happy Landing,” this week's Capitol Theater New York stage show, Dave Schooler has the pleasure of infroduc- ing Rene Riano, who has covered more miles in strange lands than any other missionary on record. For all her fame as a comedienne, the word missionary is no misnomer when applied to Miss Riano. Where no single emissary of religion has gone for converts, Rene Riano has gone to spread the gospel of laughter. She has traveled nine times around the world, covering approximately 180,000 miles by ship, train, auto and wagon in the BETTE DAVIS, Who has a prominent part in “Broken Dishes,” scheduled to open the Belasco Theater September 28. Whatk Do You Wish? RS. FISKE this season is realising a long-cherished dream—the estab- lishment of a permanent repertory com- pany, in which her famous roles of other years, as well as new ones to be added ‘as soon as suitable material is found, will be brought to her audiences throughout the country from season Yo season. Under the direction of the Erlanger Productions, Inc., and George C. Tyler, the distinguished American actress is touring with a repertoire of seven plays, six of them from her sheaf of peerless successes and one that she has not yet played in public. No other actress or actor of her time has paralleled it. Washington playgoers are to have the unique privilege of selecting the plays for Mrs. Piske's engagement of one week at the National Theater, commencing Monday, October 27. Only three of the seven plays can be given, and those for which the most requests are received will be presented. staged by Harrison Grey Piske. Readers are invited to select three of the seven plays in Mrs. Fiske'’s repertoire and mail their re- quests to the National Theater or to George C. Tyler, 214 West Forty-second street, New York City. The vote will be closed October 13 and the three plays selected by majorities. Mrs. Piske's latest New York success which’ enthused the ecritic of the New York Evening World to hail her as “queen of the stage and queen of the whole dramatic world,” was “"Ladies of the Jury,” Fred Ballard's comedy, that kept' New York in laughter last season. Other performances from which to se- lect include “Becky Sharp,” Langdon Mitchel I's great dramatization of Thack- eray’s “Vanity Fair’; “Miss Nelly of N' Orleans,” Laurence Eyre's dream- like comedy of moonlight madness and make-believe; “Erstwhile Susan,” an amusing comedy of the Pennsylvania Dutch, by Marian De Forest and Helen R. Martin; “Mrs. Bumpstead-Leigh,” of which the New York Sun reviewer wrote, “We are in the thrall of the consummate actress who has lifted Harry James Smith's comedy into’ that bright place where only laughter mat- ters”; Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever,” de- scribed as two and one-half hours of extraordinary smartness, and “Ghosts,” perhaps the strongest of all Ibsen's plays. Prosperity Backs Films. 'HE growing receipts of theater box offices throughout the United States indicate definite trend in public enthu- siasm for the modern type of talking plcture entertainment, according to Jesse L. Lasky. Lasky also expresses gratification over the improvement of general conditions in every industry and predicts that an era of genuine prosperity is rapidly ap- | proaching “Reception being accorded such pic- tures as ‘Anybody’s Woman’ and “Ani- mal Crackers’ is complete evidence that the public wants modern productions,” he said. “With this fact definitely es- tablished through increased theater re- ceipts, I am confident that we are en- tering a new period of entertainment prosperity.” ONE OF THE STO course of her wanderings. Wide mentton was made of her com- | mand performances before the present | King and Queen of England, the late Dowager Queen Alexandra and the | Prince of Wales. Since 1919, when she | played her first lead on Broadway in| “Honey Girl,” the press has paid tribute | to her skill in convulsing audiences with her glib eccentricities. | One of the Young Sisters. ALLY BLANE, featured in “Little Accident,” at the Rialto Theater, was born at Salida, Colo, and is the sister of Loretta Young and Polly Ann Young, both prominent in pictures. Miss Blane first appeared in films as a child, and then abandoned pictures to go on with her education in Los An- geles. Her first important work was in Universal's “Collegians” series. Her pic- tures include “Outlawed,” “Wolves of the City,” “Half Marriage,” “The Vaga- bond Lover,” “Show of Shows” and “Tanned Legs 4 inches in height,| brown hair and hazel eyes. WILSON-GREENE CONCERTS, 1930-31 CONSTITUTION HALL PHILHARMONIC COURSE, Nov. 26. 1. PADEREWSK Jan, 15. KREUTZBERG & GEORGL World's Greatest Dancers. Feb. 3. BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCH. Dr. Serge Koussevitsky, Conductor, Feb, 13. YEHUDI MENUHI: Phenomenal Boy Violinist. Feb. 24. Mme, JERITZA, Bop. Met. Opera. | | ARTISTS’ COURSE, 4:30 | | Nov. 11. GERALDINE FARRAR. 11. FRITZ KREISLER. Jan. 13. BENIAMINO | ‘Tenor, Met. Opera ( | | Feb. 10. GRACE MOORE, | Leading Soprano, Meiro. Opera Co. | § Mar. 20. RACHMANINOFF. WILSON-GREENE EVENING COURSE A vopnlar-priced series of 6 evening concerts by famous artists, 8:30 p. m. 8. GALA OPENING CONCERT. ohnson, ing te Me | | GLI. By request). Chicago’s Auditorium, the Mid-| {is to be turned into a mecca for miniature golfers. stage, where Patti and Mary Gar- den sang, will become a miniature Starring coumtry club;” where cold drinks’ and “hot dogs” are on sale. dle Western home of grand opera, | The famous ROLAND HAYES. brated Colored Tenor. eb, 7. JOHN CHARLES THOMAS, Barytone, Chicago Civie O for all th Orders mow bein tor, a1l the “Y300 & st} Dist. 6493, DOROTHY STONE, | tember 28. Nights 50c to 82.50 LEN ONDAY NIGHT AND WEEK Mats. Wed. and Bat. 50c to 32.00 E. GENSLER and MORRIS GREE) LEWIS E. REEN (In Assoctation’ With Erlanger Productions, Ine.) will offer ORE ULRIC ..in a new play. . PAGAN LADY ly WILLIAM DUBOIS Stoged by JOHN D. WILLIAMS Srllm’n‘, HENRY DREYFUSS NEXT WEEK—BEG. SUNDAY—SEATS THURS. 250 200 ang $1.80: E‘E CHARLES DILLINGHAM PRESENTS FRED STONE IN HIS MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA “RIPPLES” with DOROTHY STONE an Tt no PAULA Rough Atmosphere. 'GOS selling at $12 a dozen, the simplest of meals at the rate of $4, a special order of ham and eggs being worth $1.50,_and no guarantee as to the freshness of the eggs—these are said to be some of the economic situa- tions that fitted Nome, Alaska. 30 years ago, according t the recollection of A. S. Halstead, who served as one of the technical experts for Paramount during the recording of “The Spoilers,” Rex Beach'’s thriller, now showing at R-K-O Keith's. 2 Halstead was in Nome during the period around 1900, and saw the town boom from a straggling mining camp to a crowded city of 30,000 inhabitants al- most overnight. “Each arriving ship from the States,” he says, “brought hundreds of gold- | seekers, the majority of the wholly un- | prepared for the conditions as they were. Most of these men, money, went broke a few day reaching Nome, and crime was rampant. Boatmen made as high as $200 and $.. a day with lighters and surf boats, transporting freight and passengers from arriving ships to shore. The beach at Nome at that time was very shallow and ships were forced to anchor far off shore.” evolved what perhaps proved to be his greatest story of rough adventure and thrills. Smokeless Fire. ECESSITY is certainly the mother of invention in the motion picture world. Mind must triumph over mat- ter—supposedly. During the filming of “Old English” the need arose for a heatless, smokeless, hearth fire. Since the parior interior to be pictured was bullt on a closed sound stage, no chimney was available and consequently smoke was taboo. And since Southern California weather in the early Summer is such that building a fire is like adding salt to dried cod- fish, the heat could be dispensed with. ‘Warner Bros.’ technicians solved the problem by filling the grates with lumps of glass which had been smoked until they resembled coal. Among these were hidden gas tubes, which at the touch of a match immediately threw out cheery tongues of smokeless flame that heated the room no more than an ordi- nary gas kitchen stove. No:Retaker—Thank You! S!.'l‘TING-UP exercises are all right— but not on the end of a swaying gaff 65 feet above the deck of a rolling from land. At Jeast that's Raymond Hackett's opinion. Hackett, who plays the juve- nile lead of the shanghaied youngster in “The Sea Wolf.” had his cruise taken while filming the sequences | of the noted Jack London story—and | he’s quite sure he doesn’t want to be a | sailor. i “For some reason,” Hackett says, | “they make a schooner's masts about a | mile high and they insist on putting | the gaff clear up at the top of it. It's easy for these scenario chaps to write in a scene making me climb way out on | the gaff, but it wasn't so much fun | doing it. By the time I got there I felt | like an aviator trying for an altitude | record and that 65 feet down to the | deck looked ifke 65 miles. Anyway, I'm | glad that Director Santell didn't call | for any retakes. Once was plenty.” NCW ClVlC Plays. THE CIVIC REPERTORY THEATER | announces the American premiere | of “Siegfried,” by Jean Giraudoux, on | Monday evening, October 20. Jacob Ben-Ami will have the title | role, played in France by Pierre Renoir; Miss Le Gallienne will play Genevieve, played in France by Valentine Tessier, and Egon Brecher will also have an important pa | “Stegfried” was first produced in Paris | at the Comedie des Champs Elysees in 1928 and proved to be something of a | hit. It ran for a year. It is a modern story against the background of Ger- I many and the frontier of France di- rectly after the World War. Jean Giraudoux, the author, is one of the best known writers of the contem- porary French stage. The English ver. sion which Miss Le Gallienne will use is the work of Philip Carr. produce “Slegfried” in Germany durin; the coming Winter, The Civic Repertory Theater opens on Monday evening, October 6, with “Homeo and Juliet.” Five new plays will be produced during the season. These are, besides “Siegfried,” “The v_Hjalimar Bergman land” 'Gruach,” by ; “Ardvorlich’s Wife,” also by Bottomley, and Ibsen's “Ros- mersholm.” In addition to the new pro- ductions, the revivals of last year will be included. “A SPECIAL TRIP INDIAN HEAD Steamer CHARLES MACALESTER Leaves ith St. Wharf TODAY, 2:30 P.M. Returning to City About 6:30 A_Delightful River Trip on the Historic Potomac Round Adults, 750 Trip Children, 40c REX BEACH'S Kay Johnson Harry Green without ~ much | my after | o 30 | forid incidents, fllustrated floridly and Out of these conditions Rex Beach | schooner a couple of hundred miles | first taste | of genuine seagoing on the 3.000-mile | | F |5 It is said that Max Reinhardt may | g | 'THE SPOILERS A PARAMOUNT PICTURE —~WITH— GARY COOPER n Broadway By Percy Hammond. E combination of Dr. Anspacher | as author and George Cohan as | producer tempted many play- | New Plays o I : play, “The Rhapsody,” would be a successful enterprise, Dr. Anspacher has knowledge of the drama, prowess as a lecturer on subjects theatrical, and | long experience in and about the stage. | He has an alert eye for intresting char- acters in showy situations and a flow- ing pen eager to describe them. Mr. Cohan is not only the first actor but the first showman as well. But on | Monday night their partnership turned | our hopes into disappointments; for | The Rhapsody” proved to be an irre- | ponsible essay on the eccentricities of | chology, interrupted frequently by ranging from murder to lovers' leaps. | It is too bad that material so excit- | ing should be wasted in the awkward- ness of its disposal and when such a | three-star impersonation as that of | |Louis Calhern as the Rhapsodist is lost in a welter of words and hysterical construction, one realizes how precari- ous in the career of an actor. Mr. Calhern, by the way, plays a young composer of Broadway music, rich in | money and friends, but caught in the snarls of a troublesome past. As a | Hungarian nobleman and soldier in the | |World War he had suffered incredible | persecutions from an Austrian top ser- geant, a slant-headed gorilla named | Krieger. His soul, therefore, is seared by scars which during the play his ad- miters endeavor to eradicate. He I, | however, not too much lost in his ha lucinations to make an amorous Park | avenue blonde woman, as the saying |goes, in a scene reeking with weak appeal to the box office. A stodgy psychologist eventually cures hing by | permitting him to shoot Sergt. Kreiger with a pistol loaded with blank cart- ridges. | _Mr, Calhern is brilliantly now George Gershwin, then Irving Berlin, here and there a Hungarian count, sometimes | Dr. Anspacher and infrequently Louls Calhern. He is almost as good as Mrs. | Calhern (Miss Julia Hoyt), who plays a nongdescript though important role with dignity, charm, faithfulness and a beauty enhanced, if possible, by her dressmaker. The scene of “The Rhaps- ody” is a lofty New York penthouse overflowing with pienos, rugs, chande- liers, decorations, ornaments and sing- ing butlers, It is an appropriate setting {for a play that is earnest in idea, but | jimerack ‘in manner. I regret that I | | must thus disparage “The Rhapsody,” |since Mr, Cohen and I, after a 10 years' | period of semi-hostility, became friends | again not long ago. He will telephone | |me ere the week is over and say, “You are probably right, old timer. There is | too much gravy in ‘“The Rhapsody.”” o 'RANK CRAVEN'S “That's Grati-| tude” is a conscientious and expert | showman's idea of drama and life among the simpler suburban classes. | The season's most effective entertain- ment, it is also a tiny masterpiece in | its particular fleld. Mr. Craven himself appears in it as one of those gallant and comic down-and-outers in which he specializes. In “That's Gratitude” he is a gypsy theater man operating in the one-night stands of Iowa and Kan- sas. He befriends a sick Rotarian in| a Middle West hotel, and is invited by | that grateful Kansan to make a visit to | his home in Hutchinson. After a three| weeks' stay his host turns inhospitable | and tries to get rid of him. So he kid- naps the Rotarian’s ugly daughter, who has a good voice and a wart on her left cheek, and makes her the beautiful | prima donna of a traveling show, called “Nio Nita.” Lest you expect too much from “That's Gratitude,” errors in it should be called to your attention. Mr. Craven | is a master of emphasis, both over and GAYETY THEATRE | 9th & F Sts. Phone Dist. 9324 Washington’s Only Bu{lesque Theatre | WEEK COM. SUN.. SEPT. 285TH Seais Thurs: day THE GREAT LAUGH HIT | Atter 49 Gay Weeks In N. Y., with DONALD MEEK Martin Flavin's GORGEOUS Comeds, SHOULD BE SEEN AT ALL COSTS " Werld. REOPENING OF HUBERT BELASC Mgmt. Messrs. Shubert NEW YORK “One of the really touching comedies of the season.” —World. BOSTON “Finest thing Meek has ever done . . . an evening of splendid entertainment.” —Globe. | PHILADELPHIA “Just about as good a play as anyhody ‘can want o sce.” | —Rulletin. | Nights—50c to $2.50; Thurs. and Sat. Mats., Special, 50¢ to $1.50. The Mightiest Dramatic T hunderbolt That Ever Hit Washington CLASSIC Novel-~A Banner play—a photofeature that TWICE established silent screen HISTORY! The most VIRILE penchild of an author whose name is synonymous for red- blooded A PUNCH- exhilarating as the SNOWY JASTENING TINK. wi tossed its PYGMIED principals! NOW GREATER THAN EVER ON THE TALKING Betty Compson Jarnes kwood art in the Times Square drama under, and he can exaggerate charace ters without fear of first-night con- tradiction. The tenor, for instance. in “That's Gratitude” js delectable bur- lesque, and the hotel doctor in the pro- Jogue is a sly travesty. The play is full of Mr, Craven's caps and bells, and it should not, despite the hallelujahs of us dramatic critics, be taken as more than a minor wonder work. One of the dis- advantages of the theater is that its successful plays are always overtouted in the newspapers. Correspondents com- plain to me that even “The Green Pas- tures” is not as good as advertised, and that they are disappointed by “Strictly Dishonorable” and “Street Scene.” Drama reviewers who see the ruck. of the bad plays are inclined to be over- enthusiastic when a fair one comes along, and their hosannahs should be listened to with suspicion. I advise the calmer theatergoers to attend “That's Gratitude” in a pessimistic spirit. It is a shrewd comedy, a good show well acted and cunningly produced. But even the most fervid of drama lovers should not expect faultless miracles, of When | they get so believable a show as “That's Gratitude” they should be more than | satisfied. Prosperity Week. (DN the basis of reports received from all sections of the country that bus- iness conditions are on the upgrads, Paramount_Publix Corporation has de- cided to celebrate Prosperity week in its numerous theaters _throughout the United States from October 5 to 11. Organizations and merchants are being enlisted to join with Paramount Publix in signalizing the upward trend. Spe- clal features for the programs are being planne: 'SUBSCRIPTION Tickets Now Ready for 1930-1931 Season Constitution Hall PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA ItnlnlulMnndnrlnrhfluhrllnw!t:;:)h PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY Orchestra of N. Y. Three Afternoon Cencurhl—4:30 0 Dec. 16, Jan. 27, % Toscanini—Conduct linari Season Tickets, $9. $3.75, ¢ T. Arthur Smith's. 1330 G, in Homer L. Kitt's STUDIO OF DANGE. Stage and Ballroom Dancing. 117 Conn. "Ave. Phone Norih gaze. L’EGARE STUDIO Specializing in_ball room dancing, private lessons by appointment. Classes Tuesday and Friday. beginners instructions, 8 o'clock. ctice, 9 to 11. North 03812033 P st. n.w. LEROY H. THAYER Member Dancing Masters of America rivate instruction in the nees. Now teaching the Dream 1120 Connecticut Ave. North 4522 Children’s Classes Saturday Morning Adult Classes Day and Evening Aecrobatic, Ballet, Ball Room Member Dancing sters of America MAE DAVISON . Teachine the Newest in All Types of Dancing—Opening of Classes et. Toe, Tap. Waltz. Clog—Oct. 1st, Season 1930-31 Gladys Gertrude Wilbur Specialist in th Training of Fine Announces. the Reopening of Her Classes on Saturday, September 27, 1930 at the PLAYHOUSE, 1814 N St. N.W. Information and Reservatio: Decatur 2025—Pots 065 SCHOOL OF DANCE Fall term begins September 20 Resistration the week of September 18 Techniaue of the Modern German Dance atie Dancing Development ap Dancing Graded classes for ~young women, adults and children, Each class is lim- ited to twelve members. Descriptive folder sent on request Telephone North 5548 1418 Rhode Island Avenue, N. W. ~ Hoffman & Hoskins Announcing the Opening of Their New STUDIO HOUSE 1810 Conn. Ave. N.W. Children’s Classes Sat. Ladies’ Class Opens Mon., 22nd, 7 P. M. Private Lessons in Ball Room and Stage Dancing by Appointment Studio Open 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. A branch school under the direction of Miss Charline Soringsguth will open . Sent. 2 M., in the Chevy Chase oom, 'Avalon Theater Bullding. Phome Lisa Gardiner SCHOOL OF DANCING (Formerly Tchernikoff-Gardiner) TENTH SEASON OPENS Monday, Sept. 29th 1708 S N.W. North 0874 R TIITP0, Season 1930-31 MISS ; LORETTO MURPHY | Creator of Children’s Dances Having returned from herj study of newest features at an York's leading schools— ; Announces the i Reopening of her Studio' On Saturday, Sept. 27, 1930 5906 Conn. Ave. . Information amd Reservations Adams 7884 N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N