Evening Star Newspaper, May 10, 1931, Page 45

Stae and Sen ' News Part 4—12 Pages LY GunSmoke 4 Keiths and Gossip “SHIPMATES"- A Pretty Kettle of Fish By W. H. Landvoigt. HE decision of the Pulitzer prize judges, announced during = the week, that “Alison's House,” by Susan Glaspel, is “the best American play of the year” rather leaves the metropolitan critics gasping for breath and the disgruntled producers, who were charging the critics with the destruction of the theater, hanging, as it were, on to the little end of nothing. If the § did not fall down on their job, the critics and the pro- ducers ought to have som to say each to the other. An what about the general public? It also appears to have the bull’s-eye in its many guesses throughout the Hence, as far as the three ou cessities of the American theater are concerned, it would seem no rizes at all will be required. gome are saying that this little Pulitzer prize affair should ofi; ate as & salutary lesson. of all, if they haven't been careful and selected the best ‘American play of the | the Pulitzer judges ought to be| 5 penitent and not repeat their of- },})nensc, although their act may Yrave operated more or less with| good results upon the critics and the producers who have been bit- ing each other's ears with Mns- ing remarks for some time.. If ithe judges are right, the critics eannot be, and the good old gen- eral public, which never knows what it wants, apparently, is a poor guesser on plays, for “Ali- #on’s House” was not one of the moneymakers of the year, and, worse still, Broadway had no yoom for it. Disgruntled pro- ducers, although wrong in conclusions about the critics, may comfort themselves with the thought that, after all, the critics cannot kill “the best American play of the year” no matter how continuously they pound it. Eva Le Gallienne, apparently, has the jaugh on all of them, for she saw the value of the Glaspel play and backed her faith with her money by producing it, whether the pritics raved or not. Furthermore, she caught the disgruntled pro- ucers entirely off their guard, ut one over on them while they ere squabbling with the critics. PR l‘r all goes to show, as Weber and Fields illustrated so beautifully !n their song of the long ago, ‘When you're inside, you can’t be putside; when your outside, you can't be in” 'The American habit of pass‘mP the buck is one of our most vicious sports. No fellow ever plays it better than he who sits on his haunches an waits for George to do it, but blames somebody else for trying to. Our American producers have not been guided by the inspira- tional light of Susan Gl 3 Like Mr. Micawber, they have been waiting in their tents 1 something to turn u&. or, aps, *to let George do it.” e the- . mters in the hinterland have been i missed | Th year, | pose: eir [to “brin, a few of the evils for which the Prodm:lnt managers are very argely to blame. And if they be not enough, some of the produc- tion group have signaled their discouragement by making war uPon the critics. Naturally, dear old general public followed the trend and went in for the talkies. Vague reports now drifting in however, apparently indicate that even the talkies are losing favor. But suppose they do, the men and the money behind them, vol- uble in the art and adepts in the matter of persuasion, will never for an instant admit failure. ey are men of infinite resources and initiative, and if they haven't what the public likes, they will give him “something just as good” and make him like it. There is an ag veness that wins in the motion picture industry, but which has been strangely lacking in the theater. * K k¥ OUR own local stock company, in but a brief season of pur- ful effort and without very great financial backing, has com- pletely demonstrated that the ublic likes the theater and that t will patronize plays and per- formances that deserve patron- age. Eva Le Gallienne's organ- ization and the Theater Guild in New York, both of which have attested their faith in the real theater, have fought on and on and very valiantly, but intelli- gently, for that theater. Both are reaping fine rewards, with but few failures. It is gratifying to know that some of the intelligent roducers this year will follow the eater Guild plan in an effort back the road,” a onc amflube asset which, doubtless, still avallable with the proper kind of encouragement. We have critics here in Washington also, and some of them like to criticize, but .whether they do or don't, Manager Cochran reports that as a rule he is having capacity houses to support his little show venture. In a way this would seem to indi- cate that critics do not kill shows that the public wants to see. In- deed there is an independence to be found in the modern audience which will neither be persuaded nor browbeaten. It should be remembered also that the public has its God-given right to amuse itself at its own expense, when and where it will. It is under no obugnlon to coax producers to send plays outside New York. If the producers won't and don't, it may be they are in need of accessions to their ranks who have the faith, the courage and d | the intelligence to keep the Amer- ican theater not only alive, but resplendent in that glory whic is its inherent right. It may be, too, we have among our the- atrical prod shine more brightly in other avo- cations without loss to the com- munity or the Nation. The buyers of theater buildings cannot de- stroy the theater, and it is ex- tremely doubtful if the motion ermitted to slip out of their ands; the theatergoers whom they once served have been per- mitted to drift to the movie for entertainment, or go without; punch by bunch their favorite ptars, who could master that mys- terious movie technique, have peen allowed to siide over to the rival bent upon the destruction of the Itl’:, and even the favorite playwrights have been led to be- ieve that they must wri lays or none at all. picture industry can take care of the mail, It might help to have some of the producers who are tired out, or who fear to lose their money, or who like to talk and do nothing, drop by the wayside, or better still, get out of the busi- ness. The critic, however, will live s forever or at least as long as old general wbll‘v:. A e PROPOS of the discussion, from the Crosby *Axc office h| MA ucers those who might | In > " AMUSEMENT SECTION he Saundiny STar. Motor,fi Aviation‘,_ Radio Programs WASHINGTON, D. TAGIE and ADELAIDE. HiBBA ¥ TJhe Royal Family “ in the metropolis comes the news that the Board of Education of New York City is getting ready to award the “Channing Pollock Medal for Constructive Criticism,” which the author of “The House Beautiful” is to give every year for the next 10 years to “the writer of the most constructive| criticism printed in any_high| school publication in New York.”“ The judges this year will be: Dr. Frederick Robinson, president of | the College of the City of New | | York; Dr. Richard Burton of Columbia University, and Mr. | Pollock himself, the latter by in-| vitation of the board of educa-| | tion. The medal is to be awarded | at the commencement exercises| of the winning school next June.| The stated purpose of the award is “to encourage the type of criticism founded on love of :l:ln!\at,ic art an{jb]- view v:l"i life ar as possible o ed to ‘modern so) hlaucauonf)?’pofl‘o the cynic this looks like a two-edged sword intended to swipe old Gen- eral Public as well as the existing crop of critics, who insist upon being facetious and satirical, thereby destroying good plays. Better Sou‘nd _E?f;cu. HAVE you noticed, perhaps, that the ph“!br;x "Xr;hel\:fird's {:roccsslon of screen [ Wx;lu? lenly developing better ell, it isn't because of any new school of elocution, diction or (nyunch— {.ll;;:l:::flalnuflolly;vmm It’s because of ation of & n = ducing horn, R Heretofore the Fox has had the usual set of four fiber composition horns, mounted on rollers and placed behind | the screen when in use and somewhere in the wings during the stage show. | The new horns, made of a special Tvfi."m:u.-’;;u guulled 1o effect a more lon of sou = e nd and a better ey are said to have another ad- vantage in that they are suspended on the acreen frame, and move up and eg:;n .‘r':mum' acreen itself, so0 that ways proper, oy A properly placed and For Auld Lang Syne. l"‘e}’n Wbeuhl.n);:an theatergoers will ember y Robson as a fa- vorite star of the stage who, a deuxde ago, played at the National Theater. late years Miss Robson has been practically retired with the exception of stock company engagements on the West coast, where she played “Mother’s Millions” and “The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary,” alternating her work with her ambiticn, and effort, to “break into the talkies.” As an actress May Robson is not un- like the popular Marie Dressler. Both are character comediennes and both have the benefit of many years of stage experience. It will be remem- bered that Marle Dressler, after her playing of “Tillie's Punctured Ro- nl.nu',: bad 11",1:".? ao success until s casf reta Garbo ‘in Christie.” J ‘Anna s Miss Robson's opportunity in “Moth- er's Millions” may duplicate the Dress- ler success and give her a vogue, a re- =)t few will begrudge cne of the grand old ladies of the stage. 3 C RD- ., SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 1 . GIFTToWomen". ; Me‘l'r:OPo|f+an Nstonal SMTRADER HornN Columbia [ Bo® Stage and Screen Attractions This Week On the Stage. 0, Hope -Earle , 1931. . s . - “MoTHERS MILLIONS”- Rialto “MoonLiGHT ReEvVELS “ Fox Mr. Jolson and _Others By Percy Hammond. vy Pyl | | ENstoNs from the junior officers' | | & mess aboard the U. S. S. Colorado | | donned formal full dress to appear in the shipboard dance scenes in “Ship- | NATIONAL PLAYERS—“The Royal Family.” evening. GAYETY—"Jimmy Lake's Show.” On the RIALTO—"Mother’s Millions.” FOX—"Tarnished Lady.” This PALACE—"“Shipmates.” R-K-O KEITH'S—"“Gun Smoke.” EARLE—“Public Enemy.” This (Followed by “Dirigible” on Opens tomorrow This afternoon and evening. Screen, This afternoon and evening. afternoon and evening, This afternoon and evening. This afternoon and evening. afternoon and evening. ursday.) COLUMBIA—“Trader Horn.” This afternoon and evening. METROPOLITAN—"God’s Gift to Women.” evening. Something o This afternoon and f “Dirigible.” "DIR!GIBLE." Columbia Pictures’ most ambitious screen production, which invades Warners’ Metropolitan theater as a “road show” next Wednes- | day, has a love story which unfolds against & background of authentic scenes in the romance of present-day lighter-than-air craft. 'A little more than a year ago “Dir- | 1gible” went into production on the | Pacific Coast, with a generous helping hand in its making by the United States Navy. From this branch of the Government, permission was obtained to use the aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet, and the naval stations of San Diego, Anacostia, Pensacola and Lake- hurst for location. This virtually, placed some $225,000,000 worth of equipment in the laps of the producers. The largest “leading lady” ever to essay & role in a talkie was cast by the Navy officials in the film—the present mistress of American skies, the U. 8. 8. Angeles. “Dirigible’s” clalm to pre-eminence as an acronautical spectacle arises from the fact that it presents not only stir- ring scenes but two climaxes, the first coming quite early in the picture when the crack-up of the giant dirigible Pensacola is shown. Pensacola is the name assigned to what may readily be imagined as the ill-fated Shenandoah. "The stage for the crack-up sequences is set by preliminary scenes establishing the rivalry between the Navy's promi- nent airship commander and the out- standing naval airplane “ace.” T further strengthen the situation be- tween the two rivals, it appears that both have loved the same woman before her marriage to the daredevil Pierce. The two rivals—one champion light- er-than-air craft and the other heavier- than-air—are to go_together on an at- tempt to conquer the South Pole by a dirigible, which carries as an suxiliary craft a Navy plane. But through the intercession of Pierce’s young wife, her husband is left behind by Comdr, Braden when the aerial n!::y starts. On the way South, & storm it merors the Caribbean Sea smit great airship. The s s EP oy es of the air-. ship's destruction required four months to film. Beforesthe dirigible Pensacola sal- lies forth, the audience is treated by the Lakehurst Naval Alr Station to its best bag of stunts, of the death-defying va- riety, including the fiylng of & plane through the hangar at Lakehurst with- out touching the undercarriage to the | ground; the hooking of a Navy plane to a dirigible while both are in flight some 3,000 feet above the New Jersey meadows, & Navy combat plane looping- the-loop around the midsection of the dirigible and the spectacular finish of & transcontinental record-breaking air- plane fiight. ‘The crack-up of the Pensacola is followed by ky Pierce’s attempt to gain the South Pole by airplane. ese. scenes and the unfortunate destruction of the plane at the fiyer's very goal occupy the second half of “Dirigible.” The real climax arrives when Comdr. Braden on the Los Angeles comes to the rescue of his rival. Pola Negri in Hollywood. POLA NEGRI has returned to Holly- , Wwood. At the R-K-O Pathe West Coast studlo, Charles R. Rogers, pro- duction head, saild he negotiated the contract with the European star, closing the deal by cable. One of the silent screen’s most bril- liant luminaries, both in America and abroad, Miss Negri is now ready to make her talking picture debut. Since mis- understandings over stories caused her to leave American films and return to Europe nearly three years ago. Miss Negri is said to have completely mastered the English language so that the screen’s audibility will be no handi- cap to her. Before lea New York, Miss N unveiled, for the art critics and the press, at Gal New York, an oll it of herself Inted by Styka, whose previous study | of the noted screen star won him world- wide acclaim. ' . h Galleries, | the | mates,” now current at Loew’s Palace { Theater. The picture marks Robert Mcntgom- | ery's debut as a star of the first magni- | tude. Montgomery and Dorothy Jor- | dan, who has the leading female role in the picture, were guests of the mess | while on_the ship during the filming of the feature, and as a mark of | triendliness the’ officers volunteered to 1pl|y in the dance sequence with them, |the Colorado's band furnishing the music, Harry Pollard directed the new film from an original story by Ernest Paynter, Manager Turns Actor. J'IMMY LAKE, manager of the Gay- ety Theater, this week is taking the part of an actor in “Jimmy Lake's Black and White Review.” Mr. Lake is no stranger to an actor’s role, having worked himself up frcm that position. In fact, as a comedian Jimmy played the Gayety the second Week it was opened, away back in 1910. In the show business since he was & boy, Lake has toured the world in entertaining. He claims scme of the greatest stars on Broadway as his friends, for he has watched burlesque comedians ascend the ladder until some of them today are the acknowl- edged stars of the stage. Once in a while Mr. Lake feels the | old urge to don the grease paint him- |self, just to show his many friends that the old knack of ‘“bowling ‘em over” has not been lost because of his many executive duties. From Cornet to Constable. UY OLIVER, who plays the part of Posey Meed, the sheriff, in Richard Arlen’s latest picture, “Gun Smoke." has appeared in more than 500 pictures during his long stage career. Nearly 400 of these roles have been played with Paramount. with whom he has been a featured player longer than any other actor. He began his career on the stage as a boy cornetist in the Oliver Musical Troupe, headed by his father. He was then six years old. At 21 he joined a road troupe as a player of stock parts, and auhse(‘uenuy found himself broke in_ Philadelphia.” There he joined the old Lubin Company in 1908, beginning an affiliation in films which eventually brought him to California. Home and Mother. OME one recently asked Mrs. Hib- bard of the National Theater Play- ers if she grew weary of ying on the ;un, if she didn't sometimes yearn for ome. “Why,"” she replied, “I'm at home on lur. ind usually I'm the mother of the family. S0 where's the catch?” Tn every play but “Up Pops the Devil Mrs. Hibbard has been or will be & mocher in l" part. T a time when entertainers are | more plenteous that_entertain- ments the veteran Mr. Jolson | again proves himself a necessity 1 to many theatergoers. Long & distinguished hero of the music halls, he still exceeds most of the younger men in popularity, though the roster ot his juniors is filled with names of funny fellows. I saw him operating the other day in “The Wonder Bar,” the show in which Morris Gest resumes his occasionally neglected duties to Broadway. His influence on the patrons was that of a mage reducing his subjects to happy forgetfulness by the sorcery of his genial charms. Al- though the play’s plot is almost as tear- ful a triangle as that of “Melo,” the audience gave it no sympathy, so lost was it in observation of Mr. Jolson. A little weary, a little gray, he yet in this particular performance abounded in magnetism and industry. As the pro- prietor of & cafe for tourists in Paris, he greeted the customers with lavish welcomes, pausing every now and then to sing a song or to manipulate his un- willing “dogs” in feats of rhythmic alacrity. He worked as hard as if his New York penthouse, his yacht, his villa, his kennels, his trout streams, shooting boxes, rookery, stables and collection of old masters depended upon | his pleasing that especial audience. Of course, they did not, since Mr. Jolson's talents have earned him riches too great to be increased perceptibly by the tithes of drama lovers. Why, I ask myself, does Mr. Jolson strive 80 conscientiously to produce gladness in the lives of his neighbors? | He has money beyond the dreams of avarice. Replete with fame, he knows how shallow are the glories of the stage. He is not, like most performers, an exhibitionist, contented only when dis- pl.ylnfi‘ himself in public and miser- able when out of sight. I am told by those who have studied his character that his idea of paradise is privacy in his California villa with Mrs. Jolson and his memories; to be seen no more upon_the platforms except at occa- sional benefits for charity. It is, they tell me, Mr. Jolson's deep sense of, loy- alty to his public that urges him to act m , Wonder Bar,” a feeling that if he walked out on his following in his prime he might be suspected of ingratitude—a crime unknown, in a manner of speaking, to actors. ‘When I left “The Wonder Bar” last Wednesday afternoon Mr. Jolson—or “Al” as the audience called him—was squatting on the footlights and telling the world some details of his inner life. It seemed that Miss Greta Garbo had visited him in his dressing room the ght before and had left in his ash the butt of a cigarette bearing the Garbo's purple crest. Mrs. Jolson, en- exit, discovered that evidence of her husband’s hurlumy. and—well, Mr. Jolson was still humorously describing | Mis. Jolson's expressed ¢‘mlon when | cbserved. tering immediately after Miss Garbo's | in it was time for every one in the audi- | ence to be dressing for dinner at Childs’ | or elsewhere. | I am one of those who tip their hats to Morris Gest, whether he is pros- perous or bankrupt. He is more artistic |in his failures than in his successes, | but in both he is a gallant showman, |ranking next to his father-in-law, the indomnitable ‘Mr. Belasco, in ambition and courage. “The Wonder Bar,” & product of Mr. Gest and Messrs. Shu- bert, is the best that can be done in the circumstances. It tries to resemble | the merry life led by Americans in Paris, and it is as good a counterfeit as any of its kind. Without Gest's gay. redfllnlum:;‘l "decornionsl and Jolson'’s cordial patriotism, it would be just an- other Broadway booth. :. 0 5 % EO BULGAKOV, the distinguished Russian actor, would have been tempted to present Andreyev's “Devil in the Mind,” even if its purpose were | cloudier than it is. For the role of the fluent maniac in that essay in dementia |is of a sort not to be resisted by » | player of his vivid temperament. In | one scene alone he has opportunity to | do more ground and lofty acting than | has fallen to the lot of any artist since Richard Mansfield performed in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Here is a grand eruption upheaving in an or derly cata- | clysm all the histrionic material known to stage delirium. Only & mime of Mr. Bulgakov's caliber could get away with it and not descend to the ancient vice known as ranting. In the drama at the Fulton he is » learned doctor suffering from disturb- {ances back of his forehead. His eccen- tricities lead him to companionship with a caged orangoutang, of whose character he makes a bond investiga- tion. He is warned by a psychiatrist that his habits of thinking will unseat his mind, and he is advised to pursue a more rational method of existence. But he Pend.;u in magnifying the con- tents of his cranium until eventually he murders a Russian novelist, the hus- band of the woman he loves. After that deefl has been accomplished he to his study and the excite- | ment begins. He writhes and mutters, he shrieks and groans. He staggers to and fro. now upon his ankles, then upon his hands and knees. , a8 the saying , are flecked with foam as he gurgles the incoherent rav- ings of a madman in hysterics. Tor- rents of perspiration gush from his pores and he sweeps the air with fists clenched in the agonies of derange- ment. His frightened housemaid flees r from his gestures and he is left alone to mumble and shudder in one of the most thorough exhibitions of its kind that this alienist has ever