Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1931, Page 55

EVELYN BRENT ¥ THE PAGAN LADY " = RIALTO Theater Audiences Show Preference for Lighter AMUSEMENT SECTION he Sunday Sfar, WASHIN ANNA MAY WONG WARNER. OLAND and, *DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON'- PALACE GTON, D. €, N ANN HARDING , . N *DEVOTION”=KEITHS e — Type of Sizige Offerings Comedy. According to Records, Aids Box Office. ° The Entertainment Value of "The Admirable Crichton"——lrene Bordoni il'l NCW Play. By W. H. HIS old world wants to laugh. It wants to shake the rafters of the universe with everything from the gentle chuckle to raucous guffaw.| It wants to laugh until its sidcs ache—and then go back and| laugh again and make them ache some more. If ever a truth was made manifest in the current tur- moil of doubt and depression, the certainty that the world is simply dying for the ring of joyous laugh- ter was demonstrated at the Na-| tional Theater during the week just edged into eternity, and with Noel Coward’s daring little farce, “Private Lives,” as etherealized by the high art of the theater. Not since “Abie’s Irish Rose” drafted its audience into its happenings and made the players themselves laugh until their eyes wept and their joints fairly sagged, has the like been rivaled in this voteless, town. o Aok THINK what you ma; | the public wants. Figure the problem, if you like, by the mathematics of the box office.| Delve, if you have to, into the sophistries’ of psychology. But| one truth stands out shining and ineffaceable in the wisdom of mankind. It is that laughter is good for the soul and some say for the salvation of mankind. And there was laughter at the National last week. The kind that starts and doesn’t stop, but _grows greater as it rolls. Say, if you must, that Mr. Coward took the widest liberties with language and manners in his play; that some of his dialogue was wicked in audacity, and shudder, if you must, at some of its brilliant| humor and the burly acrobatics of the players; but if you saw the play you must admit that it did not leave a sobersides within hailing distance from the moment it began its merry career until the drop of the final curtain—and even then many seemed disposed to linger as if yearning for more. But it was not the play alone, nor the players, gifted as th were in the fine art of mimetic delineation. It was the perfect| combination of the two that sent the challenge ringing out to all the world, a convincing reason y of what | wrote Lan&voigt. sacchi. The gifted Fay Bainter, as the daughter of the proud earl, who nearly becomes the bride of the butler, supplies the love in- terest and perhaps what tragedy there may be in the story. It seems perfectly safe to predict that no more interesting, and de- lightful creation of the’ theater will be seen here during the sea- son, perhaps in many seasons to come. Elsewhere, the production has attracted extraordinary at- tention. * Xk X X THOSE who may recall James| B. Fagan’s brilllant and amusing “And So to Bed,” a play that won him international fame but a few years ago, will learn with peculiar interest that Mr Fagan is also_the dramatist who| “The Improper Duchess,” which will bring the vivacious Irene Bordoni to the Belasco to- morrow evening. It is claimed that this latest creation of Mr.| Fagan, which he has not only| directed himself, but for which| also he has provided rare settings, | has been called the best comedy produced in London in years. An unusually fine troupe of thespians will accompany Bordoni through her new adventure. Washington always has been quite partial 1o the peculiar type of characteriza- tions of the charming Bordoni, and to have her again in an es- tablished play by the clever Mr. Fagan—who is not to be confused with Myron Fagan, the writer of the recent Glenn Hunter play— promises another delightful treat of the legitimate theater for the National Capital, where two good plays running at the same time might be likened to a Broadway boast, if one be modest in mak- ing it. | * ok ok % a | SENSITIVE observers of the mod- | ern trend in entertainment | inclined to the belief that| are mid-Victorian wit and humor will |1 not swing the laughter in the the- ater this season. This, perhaps, was to be expected in the light of our general educational advance- ment. Even our slowly passing elders know more of many things than once they cared to boast while our younger folks—but that’s | a story that might lead to un-| ple2sant argument. The consen- sus of opinion seems to be that our plays are likely to be franker in their dialogue and perhaps HARDIE ALBRIGHT SSKYLINE” = FOX WALTER HAMPDEN and FAY BAINTER N THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON/- NATIONAL=-TUES swercues Professional Players Say— HE first production this season pre- sented under the banner of the Professional Players will be J. B. Fagan's 3 SuobuTH SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 4, 1931. EDWARD &. ROBINS Motor, Aviation ’ Radio Programs ON SFIVE STAR FINAL®- METRGPOLITAN { | { [ \ TALLULAH BANKHEAD HARPO MARX *MONKEY BUSINESS"- cOLdMBIA comedy “The Improper Duchess,” with Irene Bordoni in the title role. Following this, on October 25, Henry Bernstein's “Melo,” which ran all last ‘Winter in New York, will be presented, and Lionel Atwill in ness,” a mystery play “with brains and humor,” due the week of February 1. This play also had a phenomenal Lon- don run and was & success on Broadway | last season. Channing Pollock’s {The House Beau- | tiful” will be the offering on February 29, and the last production of the sea- son will be Charle$ Hopkins’ production of Benn W. Levy's “Mrs. Moonlight,” with Edith Barrett and Sir Guy Stand- | ng. Getween October 26 and February 1, | however, one more play will be added— | to be chosen from “The Venetians,” by Clifford Bax; Susan Glaspell's Pulitzer prize_play of 1931, “Allison’s House,” and Philip Merivale in a new play. Animal .Talkers. ECAUSE hundreds of wild and tame animals are needed in talking pic- tures every month, J. H. Kerr has col- lected in Hollywood one of the most unique pet farms in the world. He claims he can furnish any small animal e Silent Wit- | Stage and Screen Attractions This Week NATIONAL—“The Admirable Crichton.” Opens Tuesday eve- ning. BELASCO—“The Improper Duchess.” Opens tomorrow evening. GAYETY—(Burlesque) “Rumba Girls.” This afternoon and evening. ON THE SCREEN. COLUMBIA—"“Monkey Business.” This afternoon and evening. EARLE—“My Sin.” This afternoon and evening. FOX—“Skyline.” This afternoon and evening. METROPOLITAN—"Five Star Final.” This afternoon and eve- ning. | | KEITH'S—“Devotion.” This afternoon and evening. RIALTO—"Pagan Lady.” This afternoon and evening. | PALACE—“Daughter of the Dragon.” This afternoon and eve- ning. Mother and Dickens Did It.! Travel Pictures. | 'ONRAD NAGEL, one of the most | TRAVEL pictures are no longer mere | | ™ accomplished as well as the most travelogues. They must have plot, | popular of screen stars, says his mother | S‘fivng:fd“;}’e‘lg;fl'gf it and = love for Charles Dickens made make 13 such pictures for R-K-O. He him a play actor, although Dickens ' has taken a color camera with him and | himself was never aware of the fact, | ¥ill photograph everything in multi- olor. | | Mrs. Nagel thought Conrad was born | “Ricigs will establish headquarters at to be an actor, although Conrad was|Shanghai. His first picture will be why, et lepttimate: ‘stage’ can spicier in their intimations, in never die. | taste, which, apparently, is rapid- b e i | ly changing with the flight of the ASHINGTON'S demand for | years, if, indeed, it has not already better theater is about to be done so. It should be remem- met with a fine response by|bered, however, that the most George C. Tyler's beautiful re-| amusing, if not the best, of the vival of Sir James M. Barrie's entertainment that will appear in rare comedy drama of other days, | the local theaters is a product of “The Admirable Crichton,” a gem | previous seasons in the metropolis, of the early moments of the cur-| Which, as a matter of course, sets rent century, which has been de- | the standards, being the dwelling scribed by Dr. Richard Burton as| place, as well as the workshop, of deference to the general popular| tor not in love with the idea. Still, he al- | made at Hang Chow and will be a ro- | r. | ways took mother’s advice and so, after | mance built around the great canal| Kerr has taught an eagle to scream |leaving Highland Park College, in Des | which feeds millions of Chinese from its on a certain signal, an owl to hoot when | Moines, he launched out with a stock | shores. His stay will be indefini He a hoot is neded and wolves to howl. He | company in Keokuk. His first Tole was | writes his own stories when he the has 25 trained dogs and 30 cats. Dogs|Old Scrooge, the miser, in “Christmas |locale which interests him. He photo- are the easiest to train of all animals, | Carol”—and there's where Dickens came | graphs where he likes and moves on | Kerr says, and cats may be trained also |in. His first role for the screen was in | when tired to a new spot. His actors | with care end patience, contrary to | “Little Women.” But since then he has | will be natives, who fit into the story. | general belief. Mongrels are better pu- | played Broadway, ih “Forever After,” | Animals may be used, but the object of pils than dogs with pedigrees, and the | with Alice Brady, among other things. |the trip is primarily to find romance alley cat is ideal for work in pictures, | He is sharing honors with Evelyn Brent land beauty of the Far East for the | Kerr says. in “Pagan Lady” at the Rialto now. screen. which may be needed by a film direc- | for good measure. ¥My SIN” - EARLE Gilbert Miller to Act. JLBERT MILLER, famous young producer and son of the late dis- tinguished actor and producer, Henry Miller, besides favoring Washington with all of his new plays this season, xcept “Payment Deferred,” now at the yceum Theater, New York, is also go- ing to let us see how he can act in “The Good Fairy,” in which our own Helen Hayes is to be starred. He is to play the Tole of the theatrical manager in | that play, and it will mark his first ap- | pearance on the stage in several years | and also his first appearance in the lay. P%fne Good Fairy” is to be his second | play in Washington, his first being “The | Sex Fable,” featuring Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Roland Squire, & dis-| tinguished English player. This_third play will be a new one by Philip Barry, not yet titled. “Payment Deferred,” however, i promises to bring to Wash- ington after its New York run. | Magician at the Fox. HE GREAT RAYMOND, “one of the world's greatest magicians and funmakers,” as he is announced, is be-| ing presented this week on the stage | of the Fox Theater by Fanchon and | Marco. He is an American who started | his career as ‘ibf}v o‘nk: 1hn‘x;; per- forming simple little tricks for the en- mmmi‘nmtpnnd mystification of his| schoglmates and neighbors. ‘Today, it is claimed, he knows every trick of every magician who ever lived, with & wealth of new magical and il- lusion creations conceived and pro- duced only by himself and thrown in | being “as superb in dramatic cre- ation as it is brilliant for humor, satire, fantasy and the shrewdest | kind of social criticism.” In its| entertaining content it carries a thought, not often mentioned even by the critics, of the affluent, “who toil not, neither do they spin,” and of a type of those who‘L do the spinning for them. “The Admirable Crichton,” a butler in the establishment of the Earl of Loam, is a purely theatri- cal type created by the great dramatist to point 2 moral and adorn a tale. How he does it is the gist of the story of the play ‘This role was originally created in America by no less than Wil liam Gillette, the famous ‘‘Sher Jock Holmes” of his day. It now falls to the distinguished “Serv-| ant in the House,” Walter Hamp- | den, famous for his Shakespearean | creations and unrivaled as Cyrano | de Bergerac and later as Capon‘l the producers. FEE e Rocking Chairs Retuming. THE problem of relaxation on studio sets has been solved by Pauline Prederick. In “the gay ninetles” whenever a tired housewife sought it. she fell into her favorite rocking chair and wabbled | it back and forth until peace was re- | stored to her mind and rest to her tired body. \ Pauline remembered and had a rock- ing chair provided for herself. Joan Crawford quickly seized the hint, and in | less time than it takes to tell it a rock- ing chair bearing her name appeared on | the set. Movie hobbies in Hollywood spread rapidly. Now they all want rock- | ing chairs. Miss Frederick says she has progressed to the point where her rocking chair won't wiggle with each rock so as to roam all over the set “by leaning from side to side and then quickly backward every 20 or 30 rocks.” Women of the other generations will understand. Critics on ¢ ¢T"HE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, " says the emifnent American { eritic, Walter Pritchard Eaton, written with Barrie’s most engaging humor, | appealing romance and tenderest sen- timent, takes a group of British aris- tocrats and -their butler to a desert island, where they are wrecked. Here the butler becomes the boss 'because he was the best man in the changed conditions affecting their very existence. The haughty Lady Mary fell in love with him and he with her. It was all working out in the most approved ro- mantic fashion, when came the rescue, and back to England went the party. There, with vital conditions again changed, Crichton at cnce became 2 butler sgain. Lady Mary gave him orders and he had to transfer hl{ af- fections back to little Tweeny, * the kitchen maid. And the play ended ex- actly where it began. “Underneath its comedy, its senti- ment, its charm, the play is a bitter “Crichton” satire on man-made society, and the | helplessness of the individual, no matter how strong, to break out of his fated groove.” It is interesting to note what Max Beerbohm had o say concerning the nglish premiere of the play in 1902: “The play is fable as well as fantasy, | those in London. ftet 1t is not like ‘The New Arabian Nights, “The American audience, he po! which in many ways it resembles. a|out, is quicker. It catches the mean- mere farcial istortion of modern ac-| o he lines are tuality. Tt is formed and conditioned by | \n§ Cf lines almost b“m}:' b :m_. This a philosophic idea, which bears on a |out of the mouths of the actors. problem of domestic life—the problem | 1s pasticularly noticeable to actors msr; of_domestic service. the matter o from the English stage in the “Slavery was justified Aristotle on e et e f | comedy. A humorous sally will bring men are born with servile natures. |a laugh here within a seccnd or two ‘Quite so says Mr. Barrie, ‘but which | after it is uttered, and very frequently men?' He proceeds to show that ser- | before it is quite completed. ~This sel- vility is merely a matter of environ- dom occurs in 3 n:-nt and that the most servile of | A chntrhn!cusmizto( !an'd;l; :‘?é)e’n’e;.: slaves may become in a place where |is that they do not care T 2 plays about the theater. "Plays like RONALD SQUIRE, the distinguished English actor, who Will appear here in “The Sex Fable,” by Edouard Bourdet, recently sppke of American audiences and how they differ from London’é Tastes and Ours there is free competition, the most masterly of masters.” S | “Burlesque” simply do not meet with } T e. “Broadway” did, almost itself, largely, Mr, Squire suggests, becat it was such a good melodrama. The only other theater play that succeeded there, Mr. Squire recalls, was “The Circus Lady,” in which Rose Stahl appeared. Our cwn fondness for plays and stories of the theater seems odd and very pleasant to this actor. London likes smart comedy, the plays of Lons- dale and Noel Coward, for instance. It has little or no interest in plays of suburban life, plays about simple folk. ‘The American audience, Mr. Squire points out, enjoys Lonsdale and Coward, but it also appreciates the work of more sober writers. We are more eclectic in our tastes here. There is no telling, actually, exactly what will please us, or displease us. New York, particularly, with its cosmopolitan population, is flexible in its tastes and goes to the success ther in spite of e IRENe BORDON! SYUE IMPROPER DUCHESS™ BELASCO Those Writing Gentlemen, Messrs. Shaw and O’Neill, Arelnterested in the Movies One Tells What He Thinks of the Players, Another to “quietude.” | * | Shearer, the pert Miss Davies, the | P]ans a Combined Sffl ge and Photoplay Pro- duction—News NOtCS Of thG Cinema. ByE.de S HE words of George Bernard Shaw, probably as expen- sive in his own land as Cal- vin Coolidge’s are in ours, usually stand as law. Sometimes referred to as the Moses of his time, his verbal escutcheon is more gayly festooned with wisdom than many a hoary sage of an- tiquity. So when he says tas he did recently in the preface to a book of his correspondence with Ellen Terry), “An unnatural quie- tude and delicacy is the trade mark of the movie star,” one is meant to read and believe and swallow and then digest. This_statement and the fact that Eugene O'Neill has been quoted as saying that if he could he would try to combine the movies and the stage, are the most debatable subjects of the week. But of the two—since Mr. O'Neill has been known to approve openly of the cinema for a long time—the former is the more sur- prising. “An unnatural quietude and delicacy, etc.” How astonished many a Hollywood thespian will be when he has dug these words out of Mr. Shaw's little essay. And this in contrast to what the pink-cheeked, white-bearded sag suggests as the uncommonly over- emotional histrionics of the pres- ent-day stage. Is there really quietude and delicacy to the act- ing of the stage stars? Would the majority of audiences throughout the country rise up and say “yea” and give Mr. Shaw (on this score) a great big hand? Although perdition may follow for saying such a thing, this state; ment is somehow unlikely. In | fact, when considering the suc-| cesses of the past year and the stars who contributed most to| these successes, Mr. Shaw seems | downright wrong.. Where have{ been the greatest triumphs there | has been turmoil and confusion, | and the ladies and gentlemen in| them have turned themselves in | and out and done all sorts of things in the very opposite spirit * x x 'HERE are, however, exception! to this. Sylvia Sidney is noth- ing if she isn't what Mr. Shaw says her trade mark is—and so| are such gilded luminaries as Ann Harding, Ruth Chatterton, Greta Garbo—"“unnatural quietude” fits her like a glove—and the beau- tous and now silent Vilma Banky. But the others! There seems little to recommend such a phrase, for instance, about the svelt Miss| grandly round and rollicking Marie Dressler, or that decorative spirit of modern youth, Joan Crawford. All these expensive celebrities have shone brightly throughout the past year. In their hands the cinematic torch has waved high. Mr. Shaw can- not deny that they have played their parts with cheers on all sides and are elegant exponents of the “star” class, if anybody is. They are, however, in direct op- position to the school in which Mr. Shaw would have them. Miss Shearer, a highly competent actress, who has a knack of sur- rounding herself with the best talent in the industry, is distinctly generous with her “emotings” and far from being quiet when she has the opportunity of being other- wise. Her demands to be allowed to do a little hysterical laughing and to be not too delicate about it shatters her ability to fit into | “Arsene Lupin” . Melcher. to be, is now well sunk in aban- doned comedianna, threatening to stay that way far into grand- motherhood; Miss Dressler is the erfect example of how one may e excrutiatingly funny by the mere wrinkling of the face, and Miss Crawford, who becomes more alluring daily, is still given to frivilous gestures which are on the far side of delicacy. Nor® of these, in other words, has won her valuable bread and butter by being trade marked “delicate.” Even Miss Chatterton, who has been ranked with the “yes” stars, comes very near to losing her place in her recent film, “The Magnificent Lie,” which proved a sad, sad, disappointment. And what about the pepular Ed- ward G. Robinson, who ‘ast week, at New York’s Palace, 3aid that | the reason they'd given up mak- ing gangster pictures was because he'd killed off all the Hollywood |gangsters? He should by all | means be viewed in the current | “Five Star Final” where is his | quietude. Or. Mr. Gable’s, or | Polly Moran's, or Fifi D'Orsay's? | Perhegs Lew Ayers has it, perhaps | Leslie Howard, perhaps one or two | others—but wouldn’t you say that he average Hollywoodian is in- clined to be much rougher and tougher than that? | * k% x | WHAT Eugene O'Neill said he | would like to accomplish in | the near future is of great interest among the week’s news. He would like, according to Mr. Watts, jr., to do a version of his “Lazarus Laughed,” in which the actor | playing the title role would be |alone on the stage, the rest of the production being devoted to the { cinema. Other news gadgets of early Oc- tober include Mr. Fairbanks’ de- cision to fly to South America in December to do some kind of an Amazonian film; Mr. Crull’s an- nouncement that the comely Miss Estelle Taylor will come to the Fox Theater's stage next Friday; John Barrymore’s new plans which link him with the M-G-M firm, where he will probably do A in conjunction with brother Lionel; the 40 foot ball “shorts,” which will be re- leased to remind the public that there is such a game, and the blg%‘ t laugh on Broadway last week, which occurred when our own Kate Smith (on the stage of the Palace) was embraced heavily and publicly by the dapper Ed- ward G. Robinson in a roaringly amusing bed room scene. Community Events. THE Community Institute of Wash- ington which in the past four sea- sons has definitely established itself in the amusement world of the Capital by presenting excellent entertainment in the form of lectures by prominent speakers as well as musical and dra- matic artists, will this season present its annual series of events, beginning Octo- ber 20, at Central Community Center, with Louise Homer Stires, lyric soprano, and Katherine Homer, pianist, in joint recital. All events gf the institute course this winter will be given on Tuesday eve- nings, twice a month, at 8:15 o'clock. Reserved seats are available for the en- tire season now, at the institute office, in Pranklin Administration Building, and application blanks have been placed at the Public Library and its branches in the city. ‘The Community Institute of Wash- ington is under the management of the Community Center Department, and has the co-operation of the Public Li- brary in its direction. The entire course of 12 events is theater s great deal, This is not so true in London, the “quietude” class. Miss Davies, a charming lady when she wants priced at $4, with short serles of four events each at $1.50,