Evening Star Newspaper, December 14, 1930, Page 69

E Stage News and Screen and Gossip Part 4—8 Pages LLon HUGHES /n " Extrava Trite Thoughts, Maybe By W. H. DELIGHTFUL visit by Helen Hayes gave Washingten | playgoers a taste of the| theater which is still be- | lieved to beaxzopular deep down | in the he; of the general ublic. Washington has followed his little lady of the American | stage with peculiar interest ever | since her baby voice, in a childish | treble, that barely reached beyond | T the fifth row of orchestra seats, was supplemented by actmg" ability in “Little Lord Fauntle- | roy” that made even the wise men of New York sit up and take notice. It has noted with an in- ward sense of satisfaction that Miss Hayes, like Homer, the im- | mortal Greek, also has had the| distinction of having cities scram- | ble for the honor of her birth| and discoverers unduly eager for | the credit of having found and | given her to an admiring world. | And there is little wonder that this should be so, for whether Miss Hayes be the greatest| actress of her time, or, what is| more in keeping with her gentle manner, merely one of the great- est, she will always have the dis- tinguished honor of being a layer of many parts that left heir impress upon those who ad- mire gentility combined with genius. Washington liked her play, both for bringing her back to her own home town and for| being happily éntertaining and ‘wholesome. L HEAVIER drama was the offer- ing of the New York Theater Guild for the week, combining the interest always attaching to the heroic forsaken who take the law into their own hands to| avenge a betrayal, as well as the radio thrill of an electric execu- | tion. Strange what trends at- tack the minds of the modern playwright, even those of the Journalistic turn. And yet, not so strange when it is considered |may to aspiring genius that may | AMUSEMENT SECTION he Sunday Star, Motor, Aviation, Radio Programs WASHINGTON, D. C., SUNDAY MORNING, D\ 1. /A\‘Gl E aund' and JUNEC O gance” Rialto Landvoigt and maybe a-little more, such a feature seemed silly, and that, perhaps, is why the custom faded out. But many of the gray- beards of today will recall delight- ful memories of the times when | the world was just simple and did such things to add to its hap- piness. * x ok & 'HE spirit of dramatic expres- | sion, however, is still strong | in the land, and if those who have | devoted their lives to the art re- lax at Christmas and Easter time, | the less professional seem to take | on a special urge. The dramatic |clubs of Washington, both in and | confronted with the necessity of dying |out of the schools, are up and |suddenly and dramatically for a scene| doing; and only recently two or- ganizations of the advanced stage | have given substantial evidence of their proficiency and of their willingness to let the world know of it. The modern social club which enlists the enthusiasm of golden youth in our day seems, to the oldtimer, to drift away from music and the drama toward the rhythmic beat of the tom-tom and the dance of action without grace; away from literary and dramatic ambition and toward the soulless sands of the desert, or to the South Sea Islands. But happily there are many who do not, and it is a real joy to lend all possjble aid and comfort to those from whom the theater of the future may spring to new life and prouder effort. “Hope shines effulgent in the human breast.” ! * worn And if those who affect to cod- dle admiration for the ideal theater in their bosoms are really | in earnest about it and not merely | | pretending, is it not the duty of all such to lend what aid they | |help to make real the ideal? Is| it not the duty, in words more | bluntly expressed, of the public | |at large to lend encouragementl‘ to amateur effort—as oft we are what a superabundance of ma- terial such as “In the Meantime” affords to burden modern news- paper attention. Were there no other outlet to thought and imagination, one might well be- lieve that this old world of ours| had surely and unequivocally gone “ to “the demnition bow wows.” | And there’s the rub. Why is it that our playwrights, even from the newspapers, fail to reach out into idealistic directions and | gather up from the circumambient ether some of “such stuff as dreams are made on” to weave it into dramatic form, just to show the doubting world that it can be done. “’Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.” i TS WXTH all the modern overpro- < duction of bacchanalian revelsd from which dr‘nm:'a'hollthe comedy type sprang in the long ago, tge mad world that delights in such. ente s is wont to neglect the theater when the Christmas holidays draw near. And it is the same when Easter is approaching, with the new birth and the reuwakenlng of earth. Those two seasons of the year are ated with darkness in the dream of the theater. Is it pro- phetic? The time once was when znwmlmo and fairy tale :te{)ped to their own at Christmas time, |what 1t might be. Such a course, said to do to vice—and learn to | |embrace it to the extent of gen- |erous patronage, always with the |purpose of hastening the coming | of the day when the theater is it would seem, might be the means of inspiring the professional pro- ducer to higher and nobler aims. . “Passion Flower." **DASSION FLOWER,” Kathleen Nor- ris' story of a woman who, failing to find happiness in her own “money marriage,” attempts to break up the domestic tranquillity of her cousin, who has thrown wealth overboard in order to marry her father’s chauffeur, is the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture current at_the Palace Theater. The work of adapting Mrs. Norris’ novel to the requirements of the talking screen was assigned to Martin Flavin, author of “The Criminal Code.” Flavin is reported to have adhered “as closely as possible” to the original tale, in the face of trying ‘difficulties. The scenic accomplishments are said to be elabo- rate and very realistic. Sees Coast Guard}ilm. DMIRAL BULLARD, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, witnessed a special pre-view of “Men on Call,” Edmund Lowe's latest picture, at the Fox Monday morning. Glendon Allvine of the Fox rule, it was decided suddenly to switch LLY ER:- ij SCREE > WINNIE. LIGHTNER=- ATALIE Earle ( S‘?‘aye) DECEMBER 14, 1930. * CHARLES BICKFORD and KAY FRANCES= In"The ,Oassio/p OOREHEAD | h and VICTOR RoLANDA GENETE - Palace (S‘v‘aye) Demanded a Death Wave. **] WON'T be murdered until T get & new wave!"” This was the dictum of Dorothy Christy to Director Phil Rosen when in “Extravagance,” the Tiffany special feature, now at the Rialto Theater. Owing to a delay on one day's sched- to another set and allow the scheduled murder of Miss Christy to take place anead of time. All Miss Christy's £ :nes | that day had been with a hat on, and | a hat in a hot studio is disastrous to a marcel. “Not in this hairdress!” the beauti- ful Dorothy wailed. “I refuse to permit myself to become a corpse unless I can be a pretty one!"” Production managers may think, plot, connive, consider and precclaim, but ac- tresses always refuse an unlovely death. ‘There is something about a preview of one's own demise that makes even dis- orde;‘ in the scene require an artistic touch. Vivisection. “A SLIGHT drawl is the reason for the charm of Ruth Chatterton's voice,” so says M. M. Paggi, studio sound technician. Paggi names Ruth Chatferton as the answer to the “mixer's” prayer and considers it a stroke of good fortune that he was assigned to the sound engi- neering of her current Paramount pic- ture, “The Right to Love.” “Miss Chatterton’s articulation is thoroughly trained,” asserts P 3 “She possesses a wide range which is an excellent quality for the microphone, but she also knows how to control that range. “Breathing, another essential factor in the study of vocalization, is a mas- tered art with her. Because of fault- less breathing, her . enunciation is crystal-clear even under the stress of rapid and emotionally fraught conver- sation. “The drawl that marks the last word of almost every sentence is an entirely individual thing, something that was inherited or acquired in childhood. I might be considered a defect in an otherwise perfect voice. But, strange say, it adds twofold to the distinction of Miss Chatterton's vocality instead of detracting frem it.” . Animal Temperament. BILL BOYD learned something about temperament in animal actors when he recently got Ghost, the $12,000 horse, together with a $7 burro called Helio- trope, in a scene for Pathe's “The Paint- ed Desert” down on the Indian reserva- tion in Arizona. “What happens when a $7 jackess and a $12,000 horse get temperamental in a motion picture scene would give t | of production, “pictures have found mu- 1o | impressions and the expression of emo- an excellent lesson in the rudiments of snobbery to the most ultra-ultra of hu- man snobs,” says Boyd. ‘The scene r call and the play at the theater in the | for, Admiral ‘was one of the special of Christmas da; of y. When the world became ited and everybody: knew. Shess mas 9 FRANK MORGAN s MiRiIAM HoPKINS - /n SFast andloose ” MAE BROWN - H++he Gayety ~ Stage and Screen Attractions This Week RIALTO—“Extravagance,” with and evening. FOX—"“Oh, for a Man!” with afternoon and -evening. June Collyer. This afternoon Jeannette MacDonald. This R-K-O KEITH'S—“Fast and Loose,” with Miriam Hopkins. ' This afternoon and evening. METROPOLITAN—“Capt. Thun afternoon and evening. PALACE—“Passion Flower.” Th EARLE—Winnie Lightner. afternoon and evening. “Divorce Among Friends.” der,” with Fay Wray. This is afternoon and evening. This COLUMBIA—"“Grumpy,” with Cyril Maude. This afternoon and evening. GAYETY—“Peek-a-Boo” (burlesque). ning. This afternoon and eve- Music in the Movies. INCE their inception,” says E. B. Derr, Pathe executive in charge sic an effective aid in the conveyance of tions.” He adds: “An alliance born in the nickelodeon days of player-pianos and flickering Indian fighting thrillers is not endangered through the motion plcture public’s present attitude ‘toward so-called musical films.’ And Mr. Derr concludes a statement from the Pathe offices which bears quo- tatjon marks throughout to indicate thal Mr. Derr was speaking, with the peroration: “It is a known fact that music was mtggwble for bringing many people into theaters, and there is no reason why. this attraction should be eliminated simply because audiences re- ceive an lonal portion of entertain- ment through : | season’s . | featured role: in being }jcontinted to star-in -the those that have been neither outweigh the others greatly, despite the fact that in recent years the studios Mave been reinforced by the best of the American composers and directors of concert or- chestras. There must be a reason for it. Surely it is not that the American taste for music has deteriorated, degenerated. Can it be that executive tampering with music in the movies, as with stories of gifted authors in the dialogue, has been guided rather by calculation than by soul sense? Rides B;h Stage and Screen Fom months under contract to Para- mount, Frank Morgan has already rhyed four motion picture roles, and it looks like a busy season ahead for this former young stage star, whose recent performance in “Topaze” on the Braod- way stage virtually became one of the itest hits before the criti- ‘ork l.hde:.'f&oem organ was for the talkies while &t the helght of his stage success, ‘Topaze,” for a part with Helen Kane in “Dangerous Nan McGrew.” Work- ing under a long-term contract, he Qquickly followed that role with another in “Queen High,” in which the amiable villain bantered with Charlie Ruggles. Then, with Nancy Carroll, he had an important role in “Laughter,” and his ‘Fast and Loose,” now shown at Keith's. Throughout his strenuous screen career Morgan has ‘the stage success, cal New M R.K.O.Keiths Cyril in Boastful Mood. **QINCE my early youth,” says Cyril Maude, “I scarcely have known what it means to be ill. I feel as well today as I did 15 or even 20 years ago, and I am still good for the hardest kind of work.” This is doing well at 68. “My only fornula for staying fit,” he continued, “has been to keep busy and happy. Having a happy outlook and enjoying life in a wholesome manner is particularly important. I think a ca- pacity for happiness is far more impor- tant to the health than any diet and exercise routine that can be evolved.” Seventeen years ago Maude appeared for the first time in “Grumpy” at Wal- lack’s Theater in New York. He has played the role on the stages of three continents—England, America and Aus- tralia—for 1,300 performances. Cyril Maude retired from active stage life several years ago, but was per- suaded by Paramount executives to do the famous part once more, this time in talking celluloid, and he agreed to come out of retirement “for just this one' last appearance.” Might ;{avc éeen D; Cote. EW CODY, who makes his first ap- pearance on the talking screen in “Divorce Among Friends,” now at the Earle, is sald to be particularly well equipped for audible picture work as a result of long training on the stage prior to his experience in silent pic- tures. Lew was born on Washington’s birth- day in Berlin—not Germany, but New Hampshire—and his family name is Cote. He deserted medical practice for the theater and became well known in stock, later touring in vaudeville. His first appearance in pictures was as lead- ing man with Bessie Bariscale in “Mat- ing” in 1915, under the direction of Thomas Ince. He played many stellar roles in silent films and seems to have shown a preference for whimsical com- edy. He says, however, he has a secret ambition to do sophisticated roles. The theater affords. his principal di- version. He ls regarded as being ex- ceptionally well read and is an accom- plished pianist. . ShusabyiShnes! Bisd: “ALL actors, including extras, must wear squeakproof shoes, equipped with rubber heels, on the stages of Paramount’s New York studio here- after.” This edict was issued, it is satd, be- cause of the extraordinary loudness with which footsteps “pick up” in the microphones. The soldiers you heard clumping along the road in that last war picture robably were walking on tiptoe to eep from drowning out the dialogue, A patrol of policemen used in “Animal Crackers,” the Four Marx Brothers production, had to be equipped with gum-soled shoes to prevent their sound- ing like a troup of elephants. The soft-shoe order was issued after several “takes” of Ed Wynn's latest gfll:ture had been ruined by “Old Goo- " and his ?lll. who just couldn't walk quietly along the ‘“sidewalks of New York.” PuiLuies Ho LMES amnd FRANCES DADE - /7 N Divorce 4/770/@ Friends” *Grumpy * Columbia. o Earle New York’s Theatricals By Percy Hammond N the second and most dramatic act of Willilam Bolitho’s posthumous play “Overture” we see the tragic flotsam of a minor revolution in provincial Germany. The frock- coated governors of Herfeld, an in- dustrial city, have decreed that the toilers shall work more hours and for less salary, in order to re- store the community and the re- public to its pre-war prosperity. Where- upon the laborers rebel and, led by a wealthy, sentimental and idealistic young reformer, they capture the city hall and, with the red ribbons of seces- sion upon their sleeves, they take up the insolvable problems of government. “Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day,” they shout as they try to chance the cruel, unjust and unalterable laws of civilization. Their triumph is cheap and empty and it ends pathet- ically in quarrels and the firing squad. A frigid, bloodthirsty and fanatic Com- munist (Pat O'Brien) double-crosses his associates in the movement and slinks wisely and intrepidly away as the crisis comes. The pink hero embraces the heroine with theatrical fervor while waiting for the death-knell, and Levy, a gallaht and conscientious journalist, goes into a dark corner and quietly shoots himself through his heart, All of it is interesting, int:lligent and the- atrical, founded on a serious idea and promoted by its sponsors with skill and understanding. Colin Clive, who is completely British, plays a tender Hun with what may be an Oxford accent, and the others in the cast are well disposed and well directed. In case you have no faitlf in my gloomy enthusis for “Overture,” I print a note from Miss Edna Ferber, one of my favorite American novelists, and an experienced and eloquent ob- server of the human scene. “I don’t know,” she writes, “whether ‘Overture’ is a good play or a bad play, technically speaking. I don’t care. I only know that it contains splendor— the one quality I demand in the theater. And by splendor I don't mean red plush. "I mean an idea, magnificently presented. Iv'e found that quality in musical comedies, and I've found it in Russian tragedies. Certainly it is there in this brave and terribly touching play by William Bolitho. I saw it Saturday night. T thought about it all day Sun- day. It seems incredible that those three commonplace words at the end of the second act could be so moving. ‘How are you?' says Ritter. And you, in the audience, are wrung with That's play writing. p “EDNA FERBER.” * kK ¥ O, also, in its forward way, is “The New Yorkers,” a tough and reason- ably magnificent musical satire, expos- ing the bad habits of insect life in this capital of culture. The satirical theme of “The New Yorkers” is insolently blasphemous, exposing some of the residents of that city in all their de; ing pleasures. It is.a big, ive, shrewd and impudent spzctacle, and the dirtier it is the louder the applause | from " its over sophisticated audience What an amusing burlesquer Jimmy Durante could be, if some one would tell him how to be decent in public! * ok ok % RED FEATHERS: Miss Lynn Fontanne as Queen Elizabeth. . . . The cowboy quartet in “Girl Crazy” singing “I'm Miss Anns . Miss 2 May in “On the Spot.” ; . . Miss Libby Holman's harrowing tTo}rlch Songs tn] "Ihu;ee's a Crowd.” . . . e maniacal oonery of Jimmy Durante in “The New Yorkers” and Miss Hope Williams' azure obliquities in the same entertainment. . . . George Gershwin's “I Got Rhyth: as sung by a honk-a-tonk soubrette in “Girl Crazy.” . . . The German general of Carlos Zizold, in “Overture.” . . . Wil liam A. Drake’s clairvoyant translation of “Grand Hotel.” * K X ok THXB column is beset by inquiries from mystified drama lovers who Tequest it to tell them what Miss Zoe Akin meant when she christened. her popular Broadway entertainment “The Greeks Had a Word for It.” The Greeks had a word for what? they ask, and what is the word? Since the play is intensely Manhattan, illust the comic devices of three New York harples as they feed full at the urban troughs, there is a reasonable curiosity about the genesis of the title. I have asked many Times Square Athenians to in- terpret it, but all of them refer me to Miss Akin, who does not speak to me. There are other plays in the Tender- loin sector that have cryptic nicknames. “The Vin‘gar Tree,” for instance, means nothing to any one uceptlnrnlu author; and Mr. Bolitho left us the da when he baptized his fine pla; ture”; as Mr. Ziegfeld did in titling his newest musical romance “Smiles.” Thoughts RE girls growing taller? Is the petite girl going to go out of exist- ence in another generation or two? Are athletics and modern child training raising our girls to be bigger—if not better? Whatever the answer, it certainly would seem to be true that the tall girl has more chance on the screen than she did in the days when Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Mary Pickford, Mar- guerite Clark, Glorla Swanson, Bessle Love and Viola Dana had but little competition. These stars are no taller than five feet, Viola Dana and Mar- xuer;te Clark being even under this mar} Today among the popular woman stars of this height we find Janet Gay- | h nor outstanding. Norma Shearer runs one inch over five feet and there is a small group running to five feet two inches. Clara Bow, surprisingly, claims three inches over five feet, and with her are Bebe Daniels, Colleen Moore, Dorothy , Sue Carol, Nancy Ca and Lily ta. But when it to four inches Castello, Joan Crawford, fith, Mae Murray, Baclan Mackaill, Estelle y'l\ylor. Marie Prevost and others. Spiteful extras claim it was - Bd). Lupe Veles witnl sanks Koad amsted M0a acish . Bt il foat 0o Fachit on Height. the same air are Marian Davies, Esther Ralston, Lila Lee, Ruth Chatterton and June Collyer. Greta Garbo is really ?l. She claims A:x Inc‘RlIu. Also Doris enyon, Mary Astor, Vilma Bal and Dorothy Christy. ek Though we have not their heights to hand, we might expect to find Ann Harding, Constance Bennett and Ina Claire perhaps at least five feet five. Eleanor Boardman, Alice Joyce, Gwen Lee, Anna Q. Nilsson and Constance Talmadge have found their five feet u;;n xlncthe:‘ troublesome .:h':m.. act, ten years ago leadin, lady of five Iez{ three inches had .: wear low-heeled shoes =0 .5 not tower above her leading man. Now she wears her spike %eels and looks .the lero straight in the eye. Pproduction, “Extravagance,’ one under five feet ‘five inches, the height of June Dorothy Christy carries while Joan Standing, five feet eight inches, is doomed g nothing but character roles. e Tall women were "":fi% ing. imposing, handsome, 3 little 2irl can .be cute, sweei, pretty, petite, but she never conveys the alr