Evening Star Newspaper, May 31, 1931, Page 47

| ~Sta‘ge News Part 4—10 Pages UNIITE ) SHOULDERS Keiths and Screen and Gossip 1 Dramatic Turbulence By W. H. NLESS something happens, which, at present, may be only hiding in the wings of the Rapley temple of thespian art, it won’t be long be- fore Drama will wrap the drap of its couch about it and lie down to pleasant dreams—with due apologies to William Cullen Bryant. The 10-week season of the Cochran repertory organiza.—; tion at the National Theater is drawing to a close. While the sat- isfied public has unquestionably smiled upon each of the weekly offerings with glad content, it has been with a sort of seventy-cents- on-the-dollar smile, to employ the simile of a hard-boiled statistician who insists upon looking at Art from a commercial standpoint. No one, so far as known, has ever even breathed the hint that Man- ager Cochran has not, for his cur- rent season, gathered a company of rare excellence and proficiency, or that, without exception, he has not provided plays both interest- ing and highly entertaining, or that they have not been presented with scenic and lighting beauty that in instances have surpassed the productions sent out from | New York. This is all very lovely in a way. It appears, however, that Mr. Cochran, in his overweening desire to please his public, has been giving too little heed to the admonition contained in the old slogan, “Safety First,” and, in consequence, his young brow often has been furrowed with lines of worry that always come with superlative effort to make ends meet. But like the young hero of the famous poem, he is still pur- suing his upward climb, regardless of cost, and in his announcement of a forthcoming production of Eugene O'Neill's famous “Strange| Interlude,” he seems pretty near to the point where he is entitled to yell “Eureka” with all his might | and main or collapse. ok ox o F the public wants its Theater, it should be and doubtless is willing to pay for it. The trend in the cost of seats, in some. instances at least, seems to be downward in New York. This is due not to the kindly heart of the reproduc- ing managers. Rather it is an indi- cation of a desperate effort to keep theaters open, which is not so easy at any time, for the unseen contributors generally grouped under the generic term 'stage- hands, and the musicians to some extent, seldom if ever display a love for Art that prompts them to lessen the cost of their services, even for stock entertainment. Just what the outcome may be ‘should not be difficult to conjecture, espe- cially as it may affect stock enter- tainment, for which the admission prices are less than half those exacted during the regular season It does seem, however, that the man who assumes the responsibil- ity of providing acceptable enter- tainment in the theater should be allowed to creep under the shelter of the maxim that the laborer is worthy of his hire. As matters stand, however, while there is fre- ery | Landvoigt. | quent disposition to dispense with | | the Constitution among friends. it iall depends upon who are the friends and, as a rule, it does not | seem to include managers of stock | companies. xowx | INEW YORKWARD, if one may | judge from news reports, there | is much of stir and bustle. Man- agers who have been supposed to be sulking in their teats, here there and everywhere, are begin ning to assert themselves in in-| dividual effort to recapture the lest | Helen, the Helen, of course, being ‘the road,” the hinterland, the wide | open spaces where the Theater is said to be in distress. They are said to believe that not only is the road not dead, but that it is alive and kicking, and actually begging to be brougfut back. No less than the famous Ethel Barrymore has been out to see, and lo she has brought back wonderful trophies of victory, the kind the New York manager is wont to call “the gold- en shekels,” “the long green,” “the mazuma.” And even from other and lesser lights who have tempted “the sticks” also comes the cheer- ing news that “the hicks are hol- lering for Drama.” And so the wily Florenz Ziegfeld is burnishing up his glorified Follies and the wicked Earl Carroll is pricing all| sorts of diaphonous texture along with sparkling spangles, while George White is close upon his heels after what Carroll doesn't get—all preparing to storm the one-night stands, along with “The House Beautiful,” in a combined assault to “bring back my Bonnie to meeee.” * K ok Kk . F one may believe all he hears and reads, the coming Fall is to be conspicuously memorable for the return of the prodigal, the come-back of the recreant road and the renaissance of the Theater that was. And, with it all, out from the big city comes the pipe of one of the lesser critics wonder- ing at the msytic charm of Gilbert and Sullivan, which seems to pale the memories of the modern revel- ries of “Crazy Quilt” and make one feel that there really is a difference, a difference, even be- tween Barrie’s “The Admirable Crichton” and many of the Broad- way monstrosities of recent years which have been called plays. Who can say? Along with the road, why may not plays that | appeal to the emotions and the intellect return to intrigue us once again, if for no other reason | than to show the talkies a thing or two to stimulate their ambition? { * ok ok ok ‘MEANWHILE and while waiting for the end of a perfect day, why not tune in on one of these “radio guild plays” that are drift- ing in on the breezes of Spring- time? True, they are scheduled at “awful” hours for the folks who are compelled to earn their living, | but if you should happen to have a day's vacation sometime when one of these plays is being broad- cast, you will be amply. rewarded. 'Most of them are tabloid ver- NINNIE LIGHTNER- /7 MARGUERITE CUURCHILL= 5 * Quick Millions = ¥ Gold Dust Gertie’”- Lorle /’ ; .~ AMUSEMENT SECTION he Sundiny St WASHINGTON, D. C., ,.-,A\‘Gl E an d , * BrEEZING ALONG - Palace (Stage) Nefropo//b‘en 3 Silver Gladiator. MIANY might think it pretty nice to be paid for doing mothing. Yet | Arnold Grazer, who has been paid just | that. for the p: four years or so, finds it a pre:ty d job. Grazer is the man who looks like a silver statute for some 23 minutes dur- | ing the progress of “The Dance Ide: at the Fox this week. To all appear. ances he is an inert, lifeless figure, stand- ing there with spear upraised in the | best gladiatorial manner. Inert he is, but not without effort. | He has to steel himself, as it were. to be a silver gladiator. He has to breathe 50 unobtrusively as not to destroy the metallic fllusion he creates. He can't bat an eye, for fear some smart kid in the forward rows will discovar his de- ception. That's doing nothing with a venge- ance, and finding it hard work. Of course, at the end of the 23 minutes, when taut muscles and strained nerves have just about reached the breaking point, Grazer has a chance to let off steam by stepping down from his pedestal and going into & fast, intri- cate dance—the sort of stage work he did for yvears before he conceived this idea of becoming a silver man. 5 et Winnie a pluflget. ¢C\}/INNJE LIGHTNER 15 a plugger.” So says Prank /La Falce, who writes pieces for Warner Bros. Earle Theater, and who says more. “Winnle plugs everything, holes in dialogue, awkward spaces in action, for- gotten cues. When she works in a picture she sees to it that the produc- tion is water tight, air tight and laugh tight. She fills all empty spaces with her_own_personality. “She 1s, according to Lloyd Bacon, | her director in ‘Gold Dust Gertie.’ the greatest scene-saver in the picture business. She can be trusted to leave no RAps. “The cost in energy is high. Fre- quently the star leaves the studio at night limp with fatigue. Plugging is hard work, but Winnie knows no_other way of putting a picture over. She is probably the hardest-working actress on the combined Warner Bros.-First National lots from the standpoint of actual -physical exertion. She stamps her fcet and bites her nails and groans that she can ‘never do it'—and then goes out and does it very well. “Indeed, plugging away at it put Winnie where she is today in popular favor.” An Intcrestmg ‘Pair. JELISSA LANDI and Payl Cavanagh first met in London, when Miss Landi was playing on the stage in “The Constant Nymph” and Cavanagh, llsouo'p the stage, played in “Scotland Miss Landi was born in Venice, Italy, got her schooling and won her first stage renown in England. Cavanagh is a native of England, a graduate of Cambridge University and has knocked around a bit, with a course at law and a “jerk” with the Northwestern Mounted Police among his_experiences. sions of famous old plays, excel- lently presented by players of note in the theater, and with delightful effect, especially in the modulated voices of the actors. Stage and Sgrcen Attractions This Week On the Stage. NATIONAL PLAYERS—"Bird in Hand.” ning. GAYETY—“Hindoo Belles.” On the EARLE—"“Gold Dust Gertie.” FOX—"“Always Good-by.” PALACE—“Daybreak.” ning. COLUMBIA—“Strangers May Kiss.” ning. METROPOLITAN—“Quick Millions.” ning. NATIONAL PLAYERS—"Bird in Hand.” OMORROW night the Natlonal Theater Players will revive John Drinkwater's comedy, “Bird in Hand,” which is rated as an outstanding contribution to the English-speaking stage by a master of dramatic technique. “Bird in Hand” had triumphal runs in London and New York, and it was s0 well received in Washington on its first appearance that the play was brought back: for a second run by pop- ular demand. It of the last regular theatrical season in this city. Now the Nation- al Theater Players propose to Tevive it, with all the at- mosphere of the presenta- Clifford , will not only answerable for . the production it- Clifford Brooke, 5¢lf. but also he will play one of its in- teresting roles. the important part of “the man who travels in sardines.” And Mr. Brooke, with his vast experi- ence in the theater, will be called upon to put over the footlights an interpreta- tion that has taxed the best players on two continents. “Bird in Hand” takes its title from an age-old inn which still exists on the outskirts of Manchester, England, with a history coveri more than two cen- turies. Tt was while spending & Sum- mer there that John Drinkwater con- celved the idea of staging the clash between English aristocracy and the middle-class people who own and run ¥ Opens tomorrow eve- This afternoon and evening. Screen. This afternoon and evening. This afternoon and evening. This afternoon and evening. R-K-O KEITH'S—"“White Shoulders.” This afternoon and eve- This afternoon and eve- This afternoon and eve- the old tavern. The story concerns a young nobleman’s love for the daughter of the innkeeper. Her father bitterly opposes such a marriage. His reaction gives the drama its supreme “punch.” Mrs, Hibbard will play the role of the mother and Burke Clark the innkeeper. Stanley Ridges, John Warburton, Nancy Sheridan, Raymond Bramley, Edward Poland and Forrest Orr also will appear in the cast. ‘The usual matinees will be given on ‘Wednesday and S lay. GAYETY- indoo Belles.” NE of the great burlesque stars, Hinda Wassau, heads the cast of “Hindoo Belles” at the Gayety Theater this week. Fans who like snappy, worthwhile burlesque, with & group of talented fun- sters, and versatile, pretty women leads, backed by a handsome chorus, are promised all that can be desired in the show. It promises to reveal sensational features in a program replete with fun, wneful song and _intricate hoofing. Scenery, lighting effects and costumes are in keeping with the star and Ner company. Friday night is amateur night at the Gayety. “Finds" Featured. ]_ORETTA SAYERS and Susan Flem- ing, both recently “discovered” by Columbia Pictures, will have outstand- adaptation of the Helen Topping Miller. the second appearance of both players. The featured roles in “Lover Come Back” will be played by Constance Cummings, a_recent’ Columbia “find.” and Jack Mulhall. Erle C. Kenton is directing, with Betty Bronson, Jameson Thomas and Fred BSantley rounding out the cast. ' SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 31, 1931. Davereak ” Motor, Avi ation, Radio Programs Palace CLIFFORD %r § Brooke-/» Y " Bird In Hand™ Netional “\WORKING for Fhe [RAILROAD- On the New York Stage By Percy Hammond. Earle ¢ S—I‘age) pc;or Millionaires. ILLIONAIRE “extras”? Sounds paradoxical, yet they say | there are such. Five millionaires. it is claimed, re- cently worked as “extras” without pa during _the filming. on location, of Radio Pictures’ “White Shoulders.” Using an exclusive hotel .at Santa Barbara, Calif., for an outdoor se- quence, Melville Brown, the director, ‘was approached by a quintet of pros- perous-looking persons who offered their acting services free. Brown ac- ceptad, and as a resul. a millionaire quintet—a woman and four men, from as many different cities—may be seen in the picture. The distinguished ‘“‘extras” are Mrs. | C. Ogden Armour of Chicago, L. C. | Fuller, sportsman and member of a mammoth department store in St. Louis, Mo.; William Riordan, vice pres- ident of a Brooklyn department store: Mike Dowley, vice president of a De- troit department store. and A. Lincoln Filene, a Boston merchant. Although the quintet. voluntgered to work without pay. Director Brown mailed each a check for 3§1 souvenirs. Plans for Pollock plly!. 'ROSBY GAIGE has entered into a contract with Mary Philips, the featured player of his production “The House Beautiful,” by which she agrees to remain under his sole man- gement for a period of five years from the date of the opening cf the Chan- ning Pollock play, at the Apollo Theater. Miss Philips will continue in “The House Beautiful” throughout the Summer and all next season, either on the road or in New York. In consideration of this, Mr. Gaige is to postpone the production of Mr. Pol- lock’s new play. “Wake Up, America,” originally scheduled for next October, until the following April, when Miss Philips will be starred in this new work. Her contract provides that she is to bs starred during the remaining three years of the agreement. Reed Brown, jr., who also plays in “The House Beautiful,” is ¢l only other member of the cast cf “Wake Up, America” yet chosen. He will play a sentimental bootlegger, while Miss Pbilips’ role will be that of the scru- oulous wife of & eorrugt politician, whose ability to share ber ideas of civic responsibility leads to the con- fiict cf the play. “Wake Up, America.” is in 18 scenes and will ultimately require a cast of 65 people. “Lady of the Lions." Muu.mt DIETRICH'S next pic- ture will be “The Lady of the Lions,” a story of the European theater. Josef von Sternberg, who has direct: Miss Dietrich in successful roles in “Dishonored,” “Morocco” and “The Blue Angel,” will direct the picture. “The Lady of the Lions” is from an original by Bartlett Cormack, author of “The Racket,” who recently wrote the screen play for “The Front.Page.” It will take the place of “Indiscretion.” previously announced as Miss Dietrich's 3 HE pleyers of “Precedent” are piqued” at this column because its comment on their master performance referred to them as “unknowns.” Having plucked | bright honor from the pale faced moon they resent any effort. however trivial, | to deprive them of their aureoles. So | when thsy heard that a reviewer had | either forgotten their past feats or had | never heard of them, they held an in- | dignation meeting at which they all! submitted their certificates of glory and dcnounced, with a dignity har- monious to their stations, the critic who | wrote the tarnishing word. Teport it is learned that: | “Pandemonium followed. Voices in- sisted angrily that they had played in this and that, had had their names in lights and on house boards in large It was a riot of protest. . . was estimated that the company's total experience included 162 years of stock and 82 years of touring.” From other, less reliable, sources one hears that there were cries of “A rope! A rope!” and of “Lynch him! Lynch him!” But calmer spirits prevailed and it is said that one of them persuaded the mob to be peaceful by saying “What would you rather do boys, hang | & critic or zct?” Since it was nearly | time for the performance and it was impossible to do both, they voted re- Juctantly for acting as preferable to revenge. The show went cn and I was preserved from & calumnist’s if not a columnist's appropriate fate. Now that “Precedent” has moved up- town from Greenwich Village and has been admitted to the drama’s more ex- alted circles, the moment of apology | has arrived. It was ignorance, not | malice, that inspired the inocent n:ult. 1 did not know that the members of the company were so celebrated until I saw the list of their famous impersona- tions. George Farren says that he played Tweedle in “Tweedles,” and Kirk Brown boasts of appearances in “The | Christian” and “The Sign of the Cross.” | Walter D. Green was on the program | of “The Return of Peter Grimm” and | Elwyn Harvey was seen here last in| “Nine Till $Ix.” Charles Harrison once | operated a stock companygof his own | in Allentown, Pa, and al Dana | Tracy was with Edna Wa ‘Hopper | (sic) in “The Heart of Maryland.” Others in the cast have shone in “The College Widow,” “Brewster's Millions,” “Keep a' Smiling,” “Queen Victoria” and “The Belt.” How could I have fer- gotten Mr. Clyde Franklin's impersona- tion of the role of Work in “Experi- ence?” Ask me. | I am sorry. The word “unknown” is | hereby expelled from my voubuhry,t From a and hereafter if I cannot identify a player I shall describe him merely as obscure. I drop the balmy dews of re- ventance upon the proud but humiliated | ed | heads of “Precedent’s” good performers, | and them to excuse me. It may be | okay for me to intimate, however, that | the subtlest compliment that an actor can have is to be called incognito in his role. When the artists in “Precedent” lost themselves so completely in the characters of the play as to make one think that one has seen them before, are doing a good job of counter- . o » o The drams, by the way, ¢ is a photographic likeness of the Mooney and Billings case, in which it is eon- tend>d that Mooney did not throw the bomb into San Francisco’s war parade, and that he is a martyr to capitalistic injustice. But I am informed by cold investigators of the tragedy that even if Mooney didn’t cause the explosion he is the sort of person who would have, had he thought of it. “Precedent” eon- vinces you otherwise, and it is the most perfectly played play in New York, ex- cepting Miss Rachel Crothers's smooth comedy, “As Husbands Go.” *oxox % F Billy Rose's new vaudeville, “Crazy Quili.,” it it impossible to make an accurate report. since it is in the throes of transformation. The first perform- ance loitered when it should have been alert, and it was active in moments that pleaded for erasure. Ted Healy, one of the bravest of the revue come- dians, hid himself. like Achilles, among the women, and when he did appear he seemod to creep out between the keys of Phil Baker's humorous accordion. Mr. Bakei's smiling impudences seemed a little dirtier than usual, aspiring to gratify those who are naively enrap- tured by witty filth. And he was acute- ly amusing when he made America's erstwhile big business men the butt of his faunish jokes. He derided the banks as well as the bankuses in a contemptu- ous hol-polloi, and left the first-nighters more nervous about their investments. Miss Fannie Brice was present in some brooding and tragic episodes which, the newsmen tell me. have been eliminated since the premiere. as not salable. It was on its opening night an ugly and pretty, dull and bright Broadway slum. I am glad to hear that it has been improved. ok N a “Modern Virgin” Elmer Harris procecds with his dubious studies of the American girl. again presenting her to our view as God's most boresome creation. His heroine in this instance is an obnoxlous little squirrel who, were it not for Miss Margaret Sullavan. her magnetic actress, would coax you to in- seclicide. She is just a gusty. cheap. rich, ill-bred ingenue. Mr. Harris takes her through several theatrical incidents, ranging in wickedness from echewing gum to smoking cigarettes, and leaves her on our doorstep at the end of the drama. “The Mod>rn Virgin" is a bally- heo blending of the peanuts, chewing gum and beefsteak af the y stage. As a drama it is of the thin-dime variely, which is pretty thick these days. Ann Gets Parrott Story. “ WOMAN NEEDS LOVE,” the latest Ursula Parrott novel, soon to be published. has been purchased by R-K-O Pathe for an Ann Harding pie- ture, according to Charles R. Rogers, O Pathe production he: Miss Parrott, author of and “Strancers May Kiss,’ Woman Needs Love” with Ann Hard- ing in mind, and the leading character is said to be ideal for the blonde star. It will be filmed after “Devotion,” the screen adaptation of Pamela Wynne's book, “A Little Flat in the Temple,” which Robert Milton is about to start directing.