Evening Star Newspaper, September 20, 1931, Page 43

E#Syta'ge News and Screen and Gossip NANCY CARROLL SPERSONAL MAID” ~PALACE Y gPENCER TRRNENG! Fine Cast and a Large Audience, But New Play or’s Attention Needs Doct This Is the Story of the Opening of Waahindton's Dramatic Season—" Peter Flies High" at Certain Points and Low at Others. By W. H. IP VAN WINKLE is said to have awakened after a 20- year nap. But whether he did or he didn’t, whai is known as the regular theatrical season opened its eyes and found a ‘cl:fadpt; audience at the Na- tio; last Monday eve to reat Glenn Hunter in the n 'agan comedy, “Peter Flies High.” It was a trlendlywl\;gl%n.u, thgt- o disposed y, de- the fact that a rgructmt jummer seemed to have a stran- lehold on the neck of a weak and altering enthi star, and more than repeated at the appearance of each f: face the V- dkerchiefs wielded the thousands there, came sounds of laughter, occasional plause and some uses su] had ad that before the final test of a pub- lic ormance. | * % % % "Pm FLIES HIGH” is an ad- mirable title for the story and would be the monicker for a pleasant little theatrical hit, with a new and different characteriza- tion for Mr. Hunter to add to his xy in the dramatic hall of|aj ;une, were it not for Mr. Fagan's evident oversight. Had he but just taken an hour or so0 off and Te-read his script, surely he would have discovered that the “too much talk” the sympathetic audi~ ence complained of was mostly in his first act, and due entirely to the fact that he developed all his minor churta!;‘beu u:hereln w‘k;uc su] y ng ve an idea o(p ‘eter’s make-up. he would [ not have permitted the declaration of “the sea rescue of the family of the mayor of Miami” to follow “the dog fight,” when th? were identical in character, an the telling effect of the former. Mr, Fagan has a play left to him- self in “Peter Flies High” if he cares to put a journeyman's hour or two to the task of remodeling it a bit. The story is good enough and Glenn Hunter, by mi cent effort, established himself a gen- uine rescuer while you wait, in spite of his playwright. But he was fully warranted in faltering when the old mortgage on the family homestead crofped up S0 brazenly right on of the Miami sea rescue. A play doctor, it seemed, might have remedied the trouble in less time than it takes to tell about it. Doubtless, it has been done by now. But 'twere well that it were done quickly. * k%% ] _OVERS of the legitimate drama some time ago lost faith in titles. And there are times when it seems that they lose faith in critical laudation as well. So “mother’s wonderful child” turned out to be a squalling brat of high temper and vicious that “baby darling” impulses doesn’t have the same appeal to % “This | the sympathies it once ha fact, combined with the suspicion that the great writers of the the- ater have turned to improving m style, while the or ones der beyond their depth, ac- counts largely, it is believed, for the fact that the field of theatri- cal review has been abandoned to ‘the sauciness of frivolity bent having 2 good time with the E fll’ez&fmpfi this is why the mimicry a) rs to 1ying fallow in the cu?rpe‘:t Fall " net and lains why the the- ,m;:f?uumuau d F— > Tnl to go. * % ¥ % past week offered two no- mn%‘é&ctm%:&d:p:mw% , , in its attempt to uce 1 - Thing 3mpu'°':l° The ex :dm?g' ood. The & 'r' exq in 1903-4, in Israel Fall. It poured out real in its greeting of th=1 amiliar | of the latter served only to kill | like, o | time.” Lm’dvaigt. reviewer, in the pictuye exhibited here, with so appealing a star as Janet Gaynor giving the service; and it is most doubtful that any one familiar with both would think for a moment that Adolphe {Menjou, that modern lover of lovers, in his proudest efforts, should be compared with the fa- mous Leo Ditrichstein, who cre- ated the title role in “The Great Lover” for the legitimate stage not 80 very years ago. Both these plays, famous in’ ghelr day, of expect; seemed to fall short tl(}:: igx the movie e of their superier treatmen “bg movie and talents. - Per- haps it <be that the es ol B rought al a ot “the " theater. in matters . ”uy&mé:iu Washington perf cantile osies that limped the New York dramatic port” at the time he wrote, a week ago. It s that through the three acts of his play Mr. Cohan “tells, with some humor, some repetition and some monotone, the story of a Broadway valentine, with the wedding bells ringing when the y is done.” But to increase the terest, if not the indignation, of irresponsible young lovers —and “aren’t we all?”—he says they are “arrogant, ignorant and selfish.” He is very much displeased that portion of them who apolo- notoriously lacking in common appreciation — according to the ¥Ply. But, after this k and orceful -coldlnfi.] the play, movie- , has the happy ending of making them grow up, following the example set by their elders, until they are “sick with the palsy of being wise.” * ¥ x % THE new season appears to be coming into Washington with a surer step thus far n was expected. e opening at the National last Monday evening was pronounced by New York theater representatives to be eminently satisfactory, both in the gquality and in the xaummy of pntrona?& ‘The box office seemed especially happy. A week from tomorrow evening the Shubert-Belasco will |appear in.full dress for its re- |opening with “Once In a Life- And there is a substantial | rumor to the effect that the How- t ard Theater, in the northwest sec- tion, under Philadelphia manage- ment, has been almost rebuilt for a higher and nobler career than it has yet enjoyed, and will cater with an altogether finer class of entertainment. * % * % |{PERHAPS no announcement |, from the stagnant world of |the theater could arouse greater {interest than that of the re- |appearance upon the legitimate stage of Maude Adams, one of the brilliant lights of the American theater in days gone by and the jcreator of the immortal “Peter {Pan,” of Sir James M. Barrie. And {this interest is greatly enhanced | distinguished actress is to make |her re-entry in tne American {theater with Otis Skinner, for her | uction of Shakespeare’s “Merchant .of Venice,” under the 8l of Erlanger Amusement Enterprises, Inc. John D. Willlams will stage the | el}m called for ms early as October i85, e | Now Tor y will open outside of tour the Soul | tha th and w:’l:h during ‘Robson, way back Zangwill's g e Py ©f its dupli lon, weorudln‘ to the | Adams as as ] earn this w Winter, Miss ortia, and Mr. Skinner ock. Washington will o hope that it may come IARTERS HUSBAN i RCH BELWYN /N Euis into | Prod with | gize for their parents and who are | | by the further promise that this| comrlnlon star, and in a new b 1 uction and rehearsals have| "y, , on November 2, and will | the AMUSEMENT SECTION he Sunday Star, WASHINGTON, ' D. C, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 20, 1931. 2nd FRANK ALBERTON KEITHS 084 — [6n e e | NATIONAL—“Cherries Are Ripe.” 15 to present Mary Basil ~Sydney” in e et T Theater _M:d comedy, at | | performances in Mary Ellis, Theater Guild pro- | ductions and elsswhere. They played together in the leading roles in “The Taming of the Shrew” in modern | | costume, and also in “Hamlet.” They | started co-staring in 1926. Their joint | appearances since have been in “Meet the Prince,” the revival of “Becky Sharp” and other plays, including “Strange Interlude,” in which they | recently appeared in London. “Cherries Are Ripe”. the new play, was written recently, while the authors | were in Hungary. It is described as “a brisk and breezy comedy, threading its way lightly through various situa- tions that verge on the risque, but gracefully avoiding anything that might , shock unduly.” | We are assured that there is plot and counter-plot in this modern eomedy.\ with its Continental flavor, and that surprises are sprung throughout its three acts. Fha | The sup, compan; es Natalie fer, Gavin yIt{uir and Richard Sterling, and a band of gypsy | musicians .will lend color to the pro- ceedings. H Miss Ellis, by the way, whose first three years on the stage were spent as | & member of the Metropolitan Opera Co., will sing a song expressly written | for her by Clare Kummer, author of “Dearie” and “Egypt.” GAYETY—“Southern Belles.” ‘AN entirely new conception in the| ! | { burlesque type of entertainment, | | to which especial care has been given | | in the matter of production, is promised | i at the Gayety Theater this week in the new Columbia offering, “Southern | }Belle.u," which opens with a matinee | | today. Comedy, songs and dances are interwoven to exploit a fine cast of performers, which is headed by Charles “Red” Marshall, the amusing ‘“boob” comedian, and includes Edna Dee in dashing divertisements; Nora Ford, who has achieved fame on the circuit and elsewhere with her method of singing | “blues” songs. ‘These top-notchers, it | is announced, are reinforced by an ex- ceptional galaxy of burlesquers, AT | . . { Trials of America. { \PRESID!NT HOOVER, speaking re- | cently at Valley Forge, said: “The | American people are going through an- | other Valley Forge at this time. To each | and every one of us it is a time of un- mfl stress and trial. The whole Na- 1s beset with difficulties incident to | ;. ;; a worldwide depression. “If we are firm and farsighted as were statesmen, rather than with the "fimwmgmnfif e ko Whibks the e sepusile was the Hme of the o WINNIE LIGHTNER. be | Will be four productions starring Jackie Coogan, . | Robert Coogan and Jackie BASIL” SYDNEY and MARY ELLIS CHERRIES. ARE RIPE” ~ NATIONAL, .GEORGE ARLISS | “ALEXANDER. HAMILTON” EDMUND" L LOIS Mgffl" ®THE SPIDER.” — #OX Stage and Screen Attractions This Week On the Stage. NATIONAL—“Cherries Are Ripe.” Opens tomorrow evening. GAYETY—(Burlesque) “Southern Belles.” This afternoon and evening. On the Screen, : METROPOLITAN—“Alexander Hamilton.” This aftérnoon and evening. FOX—(Fourth Anniversary) “The Spider.” This afternoon This afternoon and evening. and evening. EARLE—“Side Show.” RIALTO—“East of Borneo.” This afternoon and evening. COLUMBIA—“Street Scene.” This afternoon and evening. KEITH'S—"“Traveling Husbands.” This afternoon and evening. PALACE—"Personal Maids.” This afternoon and evening. “The Improper Duchess” Ope_ns in Washington THE Professional Players’ first offer- ing of the new season st the Be- lasco will te a comedy with its en- tire scene laid in the National Capital. It will have its American premiere on the site of its story, when Maurice Browne's production of James B. Fagan's “The Improper Duchess” fis presented on Monday evening, October 5, at the Shubert-Belasco Theater. Eyer since the London premiere last of this satire on American life in general, upon the Mann act and the Macal eighteenth amendment in particular, | detective in Wi ; Royal Beale, and with Washington as a background, | as J. Montgomery Curtis, and Jefferson curiosity has run high. In London, Mr. | Hall, as Milton Lee, American ofl - Fagan’s settled down for a run | nate; Betty Byrne, as Miss cqr?u.:. which has netted, it is said, & profit of | Hatch, and Barbara Willlams, as Miss a quarter of a million dollars, and is | Cutting. still running at the Globe Theater. to local Suggestions that the play should make tion. its American bow in the city of its sub- ject were ratified by Mr. Br ), his arrival in this country a month ago, to prepare not only for “The Imp: Duchess,” but also for “The Venetian,” | which he is producing in association with the Shuberts, and for his own tour in “The Unknown Warrior,” under the direction of James B. Pond. The Fagan comedy will go from the Shubert-Be- lasco direct to Broadway, it is sald. Irene Bordoni will be starred in the title role, her Highness, the Duchess of Tann, in “The Improper Duchess.” | In her support will appear a | guished company, including Walter Con- nolly, as the United States Senator; Bernard J. Corcoran, Thomas PFindlay, as the Rev. Adam B. Macadam; Charles Bryant, as Augustus X, King of Poldavia; Reginald Ci B Kam| P! to require identifica- | Mr. Fagan, the author and director | of the comedy, is best remembered as the guthor of “And So to Bed,” a suc- cess of two or three seasons ago. In addition to his reputation as the orig- inal producer of “Journey’s. End,” Maurice Browne is best remembered in this country as the founder and di- rector of the (Little Theater, the parent of the American Little Thea- ter movement. Warners Get Fine Films THE product of eight major produc- Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Lowell ing companies will be shown at the | g}‘;;l,‘:l. lgu;y Astor fixna WQL‘:& -‘:d Warner Brothers Theaters during the | gore of 1oy orsal Will con e new season as a result of deals just aflfe.."smlf‘:, }umnfi’mn don closed with following producing com- | Wilso: penies: Warner Brothers, Pirst Na- tional, Paramount, Fox, R-K-O, Uni- versal, Pathe and Columbia. ‘Warner Brothers and Pirst National will contribute such productions as “Pive Star Final”; George Arliss in “Alexander Hamilton”; Willlam Powell in “Road to Singapore”; John Barry: more in “The Mad Genius,” and pic- | €Ol tures with Joe E. Brown, Winnie Light- | comedies, ner, Edward G. Rol | Ripley’s Barthelmess, Dolores Costello as the stars; From Paramount will come produc- tions with Marlene Dietrich, Harold Lloyd, Maurice Chevalier, Claudette ' Colbert, Four Marx Brothers, Kay Francis, Ruth Chatterton, Naacy Car- , Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, Paul Lukas and Richard Arler. There | | els, adventure reels, les,” the and the " Bettove Tt or Mo Be e or T |8."8."Van Dine series Looney Tunes. and BUUEAREY. Celebrates Anniversary. MMANAGER HARRY ORULL, who ] has conceived 1t to be appropriate to celebrate ‘the fourth anniversary of the magnific Junior Durkin, Jackle Searie, s 40k Fox Thaster B Wash. Forty-eight pictures will be fhe share of entertainment from the Fox Co., presenting such stars as Janet Gaynor, Charles_Farrell, Sally O'Neill, James Dunn, Elissa Landi, George O'Brien, Victor MacLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Grette Nissen, Will Rogers, Fifi , D'Orsay, Warner Baxter and Joan Bennett. From Columbia, producers of * i- ble,” “Submarine,” “Flight” and * Miracle Woman” will come starrine gcturu of Barbara Stanwyck, Jack olt, Ralph Graves, Evelyn Brent, Jean Harlow, Conrad ll-l&l. Charles | h‘;‘ny and Davig Mannens. R-K-O radio’ pictures 'will pedaled hupuhumywmm—fam cntertainment power into his perform- This is & new way to celebrate anni- sands that pour of picture into the beautiful pal- it the week — mé:'lbm-r-w' ‘Man- the show” thes o et Miss Bordoni is too well known | Frida: laygoers METROPOLITAN Lookmg Ahead Friday. - ‘Tn/nz:w, » § zfg i ; : i screen version; ¥ § i £ il i - ° B » o i ‘Warner Baxter Warner’s Earle To Bring “I Like Your Nerve.” Fm D'ORSAY, the attractive screen star, and Douglas Pairbanks, the younger, no less popular, | First National-Vitaphone tled “I Like Your Nervel!”, | the honors of the bill at ‘Warner- h:‘: Theater starting Saturday of this week. Fifi, even with her intriguing Prench AOSNS. AL apoeer in , and en- e hersel and brings a , | iIncluding Loretta Young, in his sup- port. “Wicked,” The Fox Feature Friday. Tn announcements from ‘the Fox Theater for the new week starting y are short and sweet. Elissa Landi and Victor McLaglen will be seen in the screen feature titled “Wicked,” while the stage program will feature the Fanchon-Marco “Carnival” Idea. “Homicide Squad Coming to the Rialto. ‘HE Rialto announces for its new | week, starting Saturday of this week, “Homicide Squad,” Universal Pictures’ | screen version of an original by Henry La Cossit, “depicting the law’s side of the case.” Leo Carrillo, Mary Brian, Noah Beery, Russell Gleason and Carroll Naish are the players who will interpret the story, which it is distinctly announced is not & gang picture. Marx Brothers In “Monkey Business.” LAST but not least, as they happy gossip, the Four Marx Brothers will come to Loew’s Columbia in “Monkey Business,” but not until “Street. Scene” shall have worn out its welcome. And, it is added in the announcement, in ‘conformity with the new mlfiy of Managing Colby Harrison, Columbia, as well as the Palace Theater hereafter will start its new week on Friday instead of on Saturday, as here- tofore. » “Smart Woman’ For R-K-O Keith’s, Friday. -K+-O Keith's announce “Smart Wo- man” for the week beginning Pri- day. Mary Astor and Robert Ames are | featured, and “Smart Woman” is gn R-K-O Radio Pictures Production. Traveling Husbands. HARDII MEAKIN, manager domo of the R-K-O Keith Theater is a very busy bee in his way, fairly bubbling over with ideas original and some not so new, if the truth be told. But Hardle versaries, but it is believed the thou- | spite y out of the | the Motor, Av iation, Radio Programs WATSON ana . BEUL. AD!L!”&!!T SCENE” = .C AH”BOND| OLUMBIA Many Battles Finally Gain Recognition for Photoplay As An Art “New Idea™ Has Been Found Its Rfdhtful Pla Developed Until It Has ce in the Entertainment World—Movie News and Comment. "By E. de S. Melcher. UST 80 years ago, when as- tonished New Yorkers first reached for their newspaper across their rolls and coffee they read on the first page: “A bloomer costume made its appear- ance in Sixth avenue day before A crowd of ‘conserva- nifested their hostility lve movement by in Broadway and two in juare yesterday.” ers seem to nent ob- Monument. When lovers first ke into each other’s eyes in e “talkies” they warbled ecstatic melodies at the same time. If a Siarely given 5" pocuniary booet ately given a pec Came the vogue of the musical fracas. Then no music at all And now, it's a happy medium. But it's worked out well. Except i} moments (‘sur.h as own broken English, Mr. Chevalie: L mnx“ ml'l’ ‘f::;m hlslglpe codu high tenor’ and Garbo’s gu 2 cont of whether to have music or not|member to have music, whether to have lonsflorbemumusdntclo- thilde, whether la hlnghor crying was more desired by the multi- tudes, and whether it was true ug Fairbanks was getting a divorce because he happened to ™ keeping with the birthday greetings that eve: general is extending the Para- mount Corporation for having lived 20 untainted years, we might suggest what at this ?oint are the accom| ments that have grown all these wars and birth- days and truces and verbal bomb- shellings and otherwise. And why, like the bloomers, all this has to be undergone before “recognition and favor” may be obtained. In the first place, the stars are no longer creatures “apart.” Al- though they have less flesh, they have infinitely more blood. They have been dragged from the stellar ces where formerly they were noisily adored and have been set down more or less humanly as the running mates of ordinary mortals. Secondly, after a long and pain- ful siege, it has been discovered that emotions set forth by the stage actor may be transferred to the screen with little differenca (witness this week's “Street Scene,” which, faithfully adhering to the text of the play, emerges still as a clear, brilliant and thor- oughly skillful bit of cinematic | theatricalism) and that being a movie star does not necessitate that doleful plunging into affected mannerisms, which hurled Alla Nazimova, as dynamic as she was on the e, eventually over the picture cliffs. Thirdly, the hurried search into has brought forth some of the old “classics” which, otherwise, the younger folk mfght never have seen. Fourthly, and this the most imy it of all, the screen has fashioned a definite pattern for itself which seems to working well. After a long struggle it has been more or less agreed (and this was first ed by Para- mount) that a musical back- und is an effective means of eightening the atmospheric con- ditions. Thus, the screen becomes an art in itself, combining the ay-matter of the musician, the and the hosts of “brains” whose business it is to fill in those “dead” spaces, which sometimes amounted to nothing. Now, with the help of this music, the climbing of a t of stairs (remember “Bad Girl”?) be made into something quite exciting. * kX X BUT don't forget that these “new flerce battle in order to = tion. ‘- Wh ideas” were compelled to m l'mm o en Paramount e ot b ¢ TERt hawe Tont the Washington for cinematic material |t one in|gral W,” says she. Asif she needed one! Maxine Doyle, high priestess of “Thank You” ladies, has gme to \New . York to be killed nightly by Jo& E %rovaxlxdln that le act which she so successfully a week or so ago at the Earle. 4 Did you know that “our own™ Helen Hayes has become a much- treasured person out on the coast? After doing so well in the “The Lullaby,” she has been chosen to lay opposite Ronald Colman in he film version of “Arrowsmith.” Until Death D::veu Them Part MAERXAGE during the later years of this great American Republic haven't attracted much attention, at least in the amusement world, with their quality of “staying put,” as the - late President Roosevelt was wont to observe. Mary Ellis and Basil Sydney, the bril- lisnt lights of “Cherries Are Ripe,’ | which Mr, Arch Selwyn is to the National Theater, are one of & few notable couples which are proving an exception to the rule. Since the retirement of Southern and | Marlowe and the death of Robert Man- tell, not so many famous co-stars re- main to swell the “stay put” coteries. Winnie's Joke. LIGHTNER, featured with