Evening Star Newspaper, January 9, 1932, Page 4

CULBERTSON WINS BY 8980 POINTS Comes to Life in Final Ses- sion of Match After Repri- mand by His Wife. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, January 9.—Both Mr. and Mrs, Ely Culbertson were at the top of the bridge world today. The great Lenz-Culbertson test of rival systems of contract bridge ended | last night with Culbertson’s side 8,080 points ahead. In 19 nights and one afternoon 150 rubbers and 879 hands Culbertson, “‘19:\' one or another of five partners, won 77 rubbers and 122,925 points as compared with 73 rubbers and 113,945 points for Sidney S. Lenz and two partners. More than & million words were wired about | the matter from the Hotels Chatham and Waldorf-Astoria. A sharp reprimand from the queen of his system stirred the king to un- wonted activity and a grand climax As the final rubber began Mrs. Culbert- son, who had started the match opp site her husband at the card table, was & little behind in the plus for the rub- bers she had played. The first hand of the last rubber was passed out be- cause Culbertson, with good cards, re- fused to bid, saying he could not then lose the match. “Ely,” said Mrs. Culbertson sharply, *I think that is ridiculous and un- pardonable.” Culbertson Comes to Life. So stirred was she that she tried to make game herself on the second hand of the rubber at three no trump and was set one. Then Culbertson came to life for his favorite partner. In a contract for four hearts he made five, having 100 honors. On the next and last hand of the series he contracted for five diamonds and took 12 tricks. As a result, Mrs. Culbertson, who had entered the night's play with a plus of only 155 points for the 82 rubbers she had played, finished with & lead of 365 points for 88 rubbers Lenz and Comdr. Winfield Liggett, jr., won three of the six final rubbers and failed to take full advantage of their possibilities. Liggett, who entered the match when Oswald Jacoby quit as Lenz's partner because of a dispute over Ps,\'ch!e bids and misplays, finished 7860 points ahead for the 47 rubbers in which he took part. Solace for Lenz's Followers. Therein was solace to followers of the Lenz variety of the “official” system which was tested in ‘(kim match v‘lfl;‘h Culbertson’s. The “official” group natur- ally will argue that had Liggett been in the match at first the Culbertsons would not have triumphed. With that rison disagrees. C“]A:er the r::lch Lenz commented that the cards spoke for themselves and that there was little difference in the systems. Culbertson said luck was 2 minor factor and that proper princi- DPles were the dominant factors. Lig- gett said the match proved nothing. So far as relative value of cards is concerned, statistics tabulated by Cul- bertson's staff were, by sides: Culbertson. 13‘6“:5 Honor tricks........ 36482 3 No-trump count . 18,091 17,806 The no-trump count is that assign- ing a value of ?Gur to an ace, three to 3 king, two to & queen and one to a ck. Mrs. Culbertson Brilliant. Culbertson's bids and playing i in the final were the great factors lon. B One of her brilliant plays was on hand 857, when she trumped a trick which her husband might otherwise have taken. It enabled Lenz to be set one in & contract for three spades. The hand LENZ (NORTH). 5—KQJ1 | H—83 D—98732 | C—AJ CULBERTSON MRS. CULBERT- (WEST) SON (EAST). 864 81092 H—AT4 H—QJ653 D—KQJ D—6 4 C—K9853 c—Q 104 LIGGETT (SOUTH), DEALER. 8—AB853 H—K 109 D—A 10 5 C—762 The bidding: South, pass; West, one club; North, one spade: East, pass; South, three spades: all pass. Mrs. Culbertson led the queen of clubs. Walk Arm in Arm. Arm in arm, Culbertson, victor, and Lenz, vanquished, walked down the cor- ridor early today from the Waldorf-As- toria suite in which they finished their “bridge battle of the century. “Well, Sidney,” said Culbertson, “I hated to beat you.” Veteran Lenz grinned, arms in gesture. “It's ell right, Ely. You have a wife | and kids. Vhat the heck do I car They made their way to another suite, where movie cameras waited. Culbert~ son dropped back. Mrs. Culbertson, partner to her husband through most | of the match, caught up with Lenz. | They walked on. He gripped her hand “I'll say this, Jo,” he said, “never have I had an opponent so lovely—you almost make up for El Now, Sidne: opened his sht said, “don’t say that. ‘Oke, Jo,” he answered. ‘1l say you | more than made up for him.” By that time they were under kleig lights and movie men were telling them how to congratulate all over again. The actual congratulations at the playing table were brief. Lenz's taunt, “You made & slam, but you didn't bid it,” marked the end of play. Mrs. Cul- bertson turned to him | “It has been a pleasure to play with | you, Sidney,” she said. Jacoby Congratulates Victor. Ossie Jacoby, who was Lenz's partner until 104th rubber, signed because Lenz m, | warmly congratulated Cu ) gripped Lenz's hand without word A kibitzer shook hands with Lenz, said: “Congratulations!” “What the devil you congratulating me for?" asked Lenz. “We didn’t win,” he added. “but we had a lot of fun, didn't we, Lig?" ‘We did,” said Liggett, “but as I said at the start, the ma ~h didn't prove a thing.” “Well,” sald Lens, speak for themselves Above everything,” Culbertson said. “this match has proven that the great- est of bridge experts arc human, per- haps too human, Women will be glad to learn that a husband and a wife ean plav spder terrific strain and be- fw: toe world as kibitzer without an acrimonious word exchanged or a dis- approving gesture—that in public, and, believe it or not, ip private. In fact, my wife stated to me that throughout the match I wes so considerate that at times she even doubted that I was a husband.” Culbertson's bets which are to be id to charity, were 5,000 to $1,000 with Lenz. “the cards will 1,000 to 500 with Jacoby 500 to 250 with Jacoby. 200 to 200 with Jacoby. 1,000 to 500 with Antoine Lefebrue, San Francisco. 800 to 250 with F. E, Schuiter, New York. 200 to 100 with Alexander Mar- shall. 500 to 250 with H. A. Obst, 300 to . 100 with Chico Marx. $9,200 ufi,uo—'rem. { Winfield Liggett, jr., entered the match | Mrs | Liggett doubled informatorily. Culbert- | Play With Liggett Proves Superiority of Official System, Says Lenz. BY SIDNEY 8. LENZ. NEW YORK, January 150th rubber of my match against Ely Oul- bertson or, as it was intended, against his been played, and he won the match by 8980 points, after being 21,125 points ahead ¢ | one stage of the How the Contestants See It THE EVENING Culbertson Holds System Won Despite Opponents’ Superior Holdings. BY ELY CULBERTSON. NEW YORK, January 9—We won the 150-rubber match of contract bridge against Mr. Sidney 8. Lenz and his “approach’-forcing system, has | partner, Comdr. Winfleld Liggett, jr. by a margin of 8,980 ints. Of t 150 rubbers played, we won 77 and our n¥gonenu won 73. us, on the basis of rub- play I wccepted the challenge to prove | the merits of my variation of the | official system, called the 1-2-3 official system, and | any unbiased judge will admit that it has shown | its superiority| when its rules were obeyed. e e e When Comdr. the minus score was 16,840 points. | Therefore, considering only the rub- | bers he and I have played together, we | won out by 7,860 points. Series of Fireworks. The statement certainly should be no reflection on Oswald Jacoby's great ability, but it cannot be denied that while he was in the game he and Ely Culbertson shot off a series of fire- | works instead of playing any definite system, and it was more a question of | how well the innumerable psychic bids | by them would come off than it was a question of sound bridge During the 47 rubbers the commander | and I have played together, we plaved | the 1-2-3 official system and nothing else, and have not bid a single psychic. As to Culbertson, he also calmed down considerably during the last few ses- sions, just trying to hold on to his safe lead, and if the match is consid- ered a test of the two opposed systems, the last 47 rubbers must be given much more weight than the preceding ones. The minus score of 8,980 on 150 rub- bers, or 879 hands, cannot be consid- ered decisive in any way when 12,000 points or more have been lost re- gefltedly in one session in rubber ridge. Will Analyze Records. I shall spend the next few days| going over the records of the match and analyzing them for the readers of | these articles. There are some very interesting conclusions to be drawn and I hope to be able to present them 50 that they will be of real value to the average player. Before getting to the play of these last few rubbers I want to state how much I enjoyed having played with Comdr. Liggett, my friend of many | years, and who, in spite of the big minus score he had to start with, | fought every inch and played as ex- cellently as ever. I also want to ex- press my thanks to Oswald Jacoby, my brilliant partner through the earlier part of the match, and even though we were perhaps not quite suited for a perfect partnership, this does not in any way detract from his rare ability, | which has placed him among the lead- | ing players of the country. Opening Hand of Session. The following hand was the first of the last session: LENZ (NORTH). S—K 9 6 2 H-K1T5 DX 4 C—K QJ 4 CULBERTSON MRS. CULBERT- (WEST). SON (EAST), 5—Q87 810 4 H—842 H-AQJ3 D-—Q86 D9 CcC—10976 C—AB531 LIGGETT (SOUTH). 8—-AJ53 H—10 9 6 D—A107583 | None. After passes by the commander and Culbertson I bid one. Mrs. Culbertson | overcalled with one heart and when the commander bid two diamonds every- body passed and he made four. This is one of those hands which makes one afterward bemoan the lack of second | sight, because four spades could easily | be made, while in double-dummy play | five spades were possible. | In this case Culbertson, of course, | would open hearts, and after a small | heart from the dummy Mrs. Culbertson | would have to play the jack of hearts. If she does not cash her ace of hearts now she will never make it, as my part- | net can throw off his losing hearts on the clubs in the dummy, playing Mrs. Culbertson for the ace of clubs. The diamonds then can easily be set up as| the five missing diamonds are divided three and two between the opponents. Win First Rubber. We succeeded in winning the first | rubber, but it was not very profitable, as I had been set 600 points on one hand when I made a perfectly legiti- | mate overcall of two clubs over Mr. | Culbertson's one spade bid. I held the ace of diamonds. the queen of spades and the ace and queen of clubs five times. All the clubs were massed in | Mrs. Culbertson’s hand, my partner had | a trickless hand, and T was set four | tricks, doubled. We continued on, winning the sec- ond rubber, bringing our minus score | down to 7,930 points. The following hand, played by Mrs, Culbertson, was very nice { South, Liggett—Spades, queen, jack, 9 5; hearts, king, 4; ditmonds, King, 9, | 5; clubs, ace, king, jack. 9. ! North, Lenz—Spades, 7 4. hearts, 8; diamonds, queen, jack, 10, 8, 6, 3 clubs, 10, 8. 4, 3 | West, Culbertson—Spades, king, 10, | 3, 2; hearts, queen, 10, 6, 5; diamonds, 4; clubs, queen, 6, 5. 2. East, Mrs. Culbertson—Spades, ace, 8, 6, hearts, ace, jack 9, 7, 3, 2; dia- monds, ace, 7, 2; clubs, 7. After Culbertson and I had passed, Culbertson bid one heart. which | son passed and I bid two diamonds. | Mrs. Culbertson rebid her hearts, the | commander raised by diamonds and Culbertson went to_three hearts. Hop- | ing to save game I ventured four dia- | monds, but Mrs. Culbertson insisted | |and went to four hearts, which my | partner doubled, Had I gone to five | diamonds, the set would have been | | rather large, because of the singleton | |club opening by Mrs. Culbertson. She | not only succeeded in making her dou- | bled contract, but made an extra trick by & pretty squeeze play. The com- mander opened the king of clubs and then switched to the five of diamonds, which was taken by Mrs, Culbertson’ | | Students to Grade Profiessors’ Work At Northwestern U. | | [ 1 By the Associated Press. EVANSTON, Ill, January 9— || A great day is coming for under- i graduates of Northwestern Uni- i versity | For years the professors have j been grading the students, but | now the undergraduates have de- cided to grade the professors. | “We are asking the students to grede course and instructor in the regular fashion—f{rom A to P.” said Robert Palmer, manag- ing editor of the Dally North- western, student publication. The results are to be presented to a faculty ecommittee. bers the difference was only four, but when it is consid con! fsabout 900 points, the margin of victory, al- though less than I had_hoped, is cer- tainly d;cu&;!e ;0 believers in the ap- et proach forcing sys- tem of contract bidding. The score per rubber is thus 2,245 points. Again last night, as in the la: sessions, our opponents were with & ml{orlt of the aces and kings and also with the favors of distribution. In all 879 hands were played in this historic match. When this is con- trasted with the 30 or 40 hands which have determined championship tests, the fairness of this test of systems is conclusively demonstrated. The last hand, as a matter of history, was played by me, and it was an un- usual hand, one of those freaks which, like a rare comet in the firmament, gravitates on the outermost bounds of distribution. Misses Point of Contest. I had a letter today from a friend in Seattle who complained because I had stressed in my articles the superiority of approach-forcing system, while giv- ing credit to the skill of players of my opponents. [y Seattle friend in his letter missed the point of this contest. The only reason that it was played was to test the comparative methods of the ap- proach-forcing and official systems of contract bidding. If that question were not in issue, the match would not have been played, and if I did not believe in the superiority of the approach-forcing system over any other system of con- tract bidding I would not have been & participant in this match. These 150 rubbers of contract bridge, then, were played to test the merits of the two systems, and I maintain that it is fair argument to present the strength and the weaknesses of the systems as de- velog:d in the acid test of play. It is neither poor sportsmanship nor is it braggadocio to emphasize these points. Lenz Had Choice. Lens had the opportunity to play this match at duplicate with a team of four and at odds of 10 to 1 instead of odds of 5 to 1 which were offered in the pair match. The match would then have been much shorter, but for reasons satisfactory to Lenz he pre-. ferred the pair match to that of the team-of-four. The Tesult was & gruel- ing contest covering 21 sessions in which nearly 900 hands were dealt. When play started last night we were in the lead by 8770 points, although our opponents had held 3,501!; honor tricks, as against 3500 honor tricks held by us. The blind fates which determine distribution had been more than passing kind to them. They had held 1,708 aces and 1,670 kings, as com- pared with 1,668 aces and 1,706 kings held by us, and yet despite the buffet- ings of high cards and unfavorable distribution we had won 74 rubbers, as against 70 rubbers for Lenz and his partners, and had maintained a lead of 8,770 points. The by-product of this match is the fact that a deserving charity, the New York Infirmary for Women and Chil- dren, is the richer tonight for $1,000, the stake put up by Lenz, and also for a sum, the exact amount of which I do not know, perhaps somewhat unwill- ingly contributed by those against | whom I wagered 39,500 in the coin of the realm. Winnings to Charity. I assume that every one knows that in no sense whatever did I directly profit from this match. I offered to vager, but only with the thought that whatever money should accrue to me from it would go to a worthy cause. ‘When play started last night two dia- metrically opposite forces were at work. Lenz and Liggett were torn between the esire to bid slam, grand or small, and the fear of penalties that would make our lead even more commanding. On the other hand, we represented the con- servative element. I suggested to my favorite partner, my wife, that we re- frain from bidding altogether and that our only conversation at the bridge table be that most eloquent of all bids, “Pass.” But in this, as in many other matters, she overruled me and insisted that we play our regular game. My favorite partner had an opportu- nity to display the soundness and bril- ace. She then trumped a diamond in the dummy and finessed the hearts, losing to the commander’s king. He then returned a trump—a club or a spade lead would have made it easier for Mrs. Culbertson, while it would not have made any difference had he led a dlamond instead of the heart. Mrs. Culbertson trumped a third diamond in the dummy, and then played all her trumps, putting Liggett in a hopeless position, as he could not keep his ace of clubs and protect the spade suit at the same time. Freak Hand in Last Rubber. We lost the third rubber, but won the fourth, The following exceptionally freak hand was dealt during the latter rubber: LENZ (NORTH). S.—None H—-AKJB86542 D—Q875 C.—9 CULBERTSON MRS.CULBERTSON (WEST). (EAST). S—QJi0543 S—A986 H—9 H~19 17 D—6 4 D—AJ2 C—K 1087 C—QJIb4 LIGGETT (SOUTH). 8K 1712 H-Q3 D—K 1093 C—A6312 We were vulnerable, had 80 on the score and our opponents had no game. Twenty-four bids were made on this hand, the auction going around the table six times. After passes by south | and west, T bid one heart, which Mrs. | Culbertson doubled informatorily. My partner redoubled and Culbert- |son bid one spade. I then bid two | hearts. followed by passes from Mrs. Culbertson and Liggett. and Culbert- son rebid his spades. Not intending to give up 5o easily I went to three hearts and Mrs. Culbertson bid three spades. The commander now had an oppor- tunity to show his strength, so he bid four hearts and, after Ely’s four-spade bid, T went to five hearts. Nothing | daunted, Culbertson went to five spades | which were doubled by the commander | and the contract was set two tricks. | It can be seen that we could have made | six hearts on the hand, which would | have been a very nice gain provided I | had guessed the diamond finesse right. In any case the slam was absolutely unbiddable, as there was no possible way that my partner and I could tell each other about our fillers-in in the diamond suit. Portunately this hand did not deprive us of the rubber, which we won on the very next handg (Copyright. 1982) | ct bridge|) STAR, WASIINGTON, D: C. SATURDAS \RY 9\ 1952 MIAMI AIR RACES EXTENDED FOR DAY Clearing Skies and Arrival of Stormbound Planes Brings Decision. By the Associated Press. January 9. —Clearing skies brought scores of additional lanes to the all-American air races ere today and officials announced events would be continued into Sunday. Flyers, weatherbound for days in many ch of the country, took advan- tage of improved flying weather to push their ships toward Miami for the wind- up of the meeting. Large crowds at- tending a night-flylng demonstration t night, also contributed to the de- cision of officials to extend the meet. Michigan Flyer Wins. Bpeed aces banked their craft in dangérous turns and sizzled down the straight courses yesterday in competion for trophies donated by three foreign governments. The French trophy for airplanes of less than 225 horsepower went to Art Davis of Lansing, Mich, who got an average of 140.351 miles an hour out of his Waco plane over the three-cor- nered 15-mile course. Carl Voelter of Pittsburgh was right behind him at the finish, and Clyde Pangborn, transpa- cific fiyer, came in third. John Livingston of Aurora, IIl., added & mile to Davis' speed to capture the Ecuador trophy, registering 141.684 miles an hour. Others Close Behind. Only by the length of his plane did he beat John P. Morris of Pittsburgh, while Barton Stevenson of Kansas City, Mo, was just behind Morris. They also raced 15 miles. Each piloted a monocoupe. The Italian Trophy went to Art Carnahan of Bloomington, Ill, with a speed of 120.175 miles an hour. Howard Baflor of Miami was second and John K. Lagrone of Kansas City was third. The semi-dirigible Puritan of the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation late yesterday rescued Art Rigney, a pilot, and J. A. Escalante, his passenger, from the fastness of the Florida Everglades into which airplane motor trouble forced them Thursday. Saved by Rope Ladder. En route from Tampa to the races, they were forced down on a route seldom traveled by planes and were without food or water until the dirigible circled low over them and dropped a rope ladder. The marooned men climbed aboard without event, were given nourishment from the Puritan's stores and then brought to Miami. The rescue craft landed in front of the packed grand- stands at the air races and the men were given a roaring ovation as they climbed to the ground. Their rescue was due to the keen eye- sight of a fellow pilot, Ernest S. Hensley. also of Tempa. He saw the top of Rigney's plane sticking above the tall sawgrass and hurried on to Miami to get ald. EX-LEGISLATOR DIES James Manahan Expires After Six Weeks’ Illness. ST. PAUL, Minn,, January 9 (#).— James Manahan, 65, former Repub- lican Representative in Congress from Minnesota, died yesterday after a six- week fliness. He was an attorney. Police Slayer Executed. COLUMBUS, Ohio, January 9 (#).— Gust Tangules, 37, of Youngstown, Ohio, died in the electric chair at Ohio Peni- tentiary last night for the murder of .r"orres; Good, an Akron policeman, last une liancy of her game and at the same time conserve our lead by the manner in which she played the hand belo LENZ (NORTH). 54 4 H—8 D—QUJ 10863 C—10843 CULBERTSON . MRS. CULBERT- BON (EAST). 5—A 86 H—AJ9732 D—AT2 0—1 LIGGETT (SOUTH). 5-—QJ95 H—K 4 D—K 95 C—AKUJY The bidding: SOUTH. WEST. NORTH. EAST. Pass Pass 1 heart Double Pass 2 diamonds 2 hearts 3 diamonds 3 hearts 4 diamonds 4 heart Double Pass Pass Plal}l = Liggett Was Squeezed. The opening lead was the king of clubs and when the dummy disclosed the presence of the queen, Liggett shifted to a diamond. This Jo won with the ace, trumped a diamond in the dummy, led a heart and finessed, Liggett winning with the king and leading another heart. Jo then used dummy’s last trump to trump the re- maining diamond and returned to her own hand by trumping a small club. She then lead her remaining trumps and Liggett was squeezed. He was faced with the problem of defending both | clubs and spades and found the task | too great. While his play was im- | material, he elected to nold the ace of | clubs and discarded down to the queen- knave of spades. On the eleventh trick Jo discarded dummy’s queen of clubs and thus lost only a heart and & club in_the play. ome people seeing wifey trump by good trick in the second hand of the 147th rubber would have snorted with male superiority, “just like a woman." But when at the seventh trick on the hand below she trumpea my diamond ' queen with the 10 of spades it was a briliiant play which resulted f defeat of ‘the "contract and ening | further to conserve our lead MR. LENZ (NORTH). C—AJ CULBERTSON MRS. CULBERTSON WEST. EAST. 864 8—10 9 2 H—AT4 H—QJ652 DK QJ —8 4 C—K 9853 0C-Q1l04 COMDR. LIGGETT (SOUTH). S—ABS53 H—K 10 9 D—A 10 5 c—1612 The bidding: SOUTH. WEST. NORTH. EAST. Pass. 1 Clubs. 1 Spades. Pass, 3 Spades. Pass Pass. Pass. This play was essential to the defeat of the contract. A club was opened, which was won by Lenz with the ace. He then took two rounds of trumps and led a diamond, permitting me to win the trick. I returned a club and Lenz trumped the third round of that suit, He then led another diamond, taking with the ace and returned the suit, my queen being the high card on the trick, Jo, however, realizing that I would havs to lead a club or & heart and permit the making of the contract, trumped the queen and led the queen of hearts. We thund won ‘;wo hulm. one diamond, one spade and one club and defe: the cop;trut one trick. i (Copyright, 1932, by Ely Oulbertson.) “Private Lives,’ ‘With Norma Shearer. OEL COWARD'S rollicking treatise on our younger marrieds, red flamingos, cos- mic thingamies and such- like, “Private Lives,” has been recreated in the films with most of the l!ufl‘/e‘slful eer.{:)i\:': 1. Visible now a tgjotians Columbia, it is the most hilar- jous burlesquerie of the year and one most ear- nestly ~recom- mended to those whose state of being still al lows laughter at plain, undiluted, “roaring and screaming” fool- ishness. While Mr. Coward'’s narra- tion of two di- vorcees who find their for- mer love more satisfying than its sequel, still is lighter than air, 1t seems, also, a grandly silly affair, which will tickle you either muchly or not at all—and there will be those, probably, who will obviously be infuriated at it. Spoken in the films by Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery with many of the same intonations used by Gertrude Law- rence and Noel Coward—this be- cause the film stars studied their predecessors through the help of a talkie version of the play—it bristles with “Cowarderfes” and the tang of the salt parlor conversation of which he is & past master. Miss Shearer is very, very good, and Mr. Montgomery is at last even better than that. Perhaps the silken image of Miss Lawrence is still too much with us and, therefore, Miss Shearer seems the lesser of the two, but Montgomery—while his voice and his pianistic fingers are not so nimble as are Mr. Coward's—is im- mensely satisfying, quite as funny and outdoes by long-distance jumps any of his previous efforts. ‘The others in the cast, Una Merkel and Reginald Denny, although not blessed with sympathetic roles, pro- vide a good bit of the merriment. ‘They have been happily chosen as the near-husband and near-wife whose honeymoons end almost be- fore they have begun. Director Sidney Franklin should be particu- larly congratulated also on having inserted a view or two beyond the pale of the original script, such as the Alpine scene, which Is quite up to the rest and, in fact, may be a little ahead of it. The slender story is, of course, known to every one, as is the fact that it isn’t the “action” that mat- ters, but the way the action is acted. It is all champagne comedy—as pleasant as that—and as efferves- cent. E. de 8. MELCHER. Norma Shearer. Sylvia Sidney in “Ladies of the Big House.” WITHOUT distertion of charac- ter or creation of a criminal who develops sensibilities in the un- derworld, “Ladies of the Big House,” at Loew's Palace Theater, delivers somewhat tense drama with an at- mosphere of truth. It is Sylvia Sidney’s opportunity to apply her versatile mind in crea- tion of a personality that enters into the rugged life of the great prison, but is not a part of that life. She and her chief associate in the play, Gene Raymond, are martyrs to decency, while the evil forces that nearly destroy them come from the law-enforcing officials, tainted by a political machine. Both these ac- tors appear as characters who have been framed on personal grounds and are brought within the shadow of the death house. The woman's ingenuity and courage are shown in a serfes of incidents which test the capabilities of Miss Sidney, and the story is made real and impressive by her attainment of a standard which is entitled to high place among film performances. Mr. Ray- mond, also, makes a good impres- sion with a clear-cut style and abil- ity to depict human nature. Miss Sidney has a distinctive style and usually makes an impression, but in “Ladies of the Big House” she appears in a range of experi- ences which gives full play to acting traits that follow the lines of nat- ural bearing and expression, of a genuinely spiritual quality. Her equipment approaches more closely to the unaffected than generally is found on the screen, yet living fh the midst of unusual perils, she conquers the opposition with quiet determination such as may be Cosmopolitan Opera C Presents “Carmen” at National, "HE “Carmen” which the Cosmo- politan Opera Co. presented last night at the National Theater be- fore the most enthusiastic audience of its season, was enlived by the presence of Colette D'Arville, who was making her debut before local music forces as Carmencita, and by the singing of Dorothy Dickerson as Micaela, Ralph Errolle as Don Jose and Mario Valle as Escamillo. Mile. D'Arville, who is said to hail straight from Paris, proved herself an engaging personality in this role, but one not overabundantly endowed with vocal excellencies. She found it difficult to approximate accurate pitch throughout, and more than once was a mile or so away from the straight and narrow in her solos as well as in her duets. She made up, however, for lack of strength in her singing “metier” by an attrac- tive interpretation of the role and spun herself from the arms of one Lothario into the arms of the other with finesse and skill. Mr. Valle (who avows no relation with a less operatic crooning con- temporary) sang his ‘“Toreador” song with such zeal as won him the most applause of the evening. But it remained for Mr. Errolle to give the most genuinely sustained per- formance throughout. He was in splendid voice and beyond that acted the love-crazed Don Jose with com- plete naturalness. Except for a brief moment when he strained overmuch for a long high note, his singing ap- proximated perfection and he should be congratulated forseverything that he did. The settings for this opera were less hackneyed than were its prede- cessors, and the dances—as pre- sented by the pupils of the Lisa Gardner School—were gracefully executed. The chorus, too, for the first time sang completely in toto, and the high school soldiery walked in boldly and out “ditto.” Mr. Samossoud conducted the whole with generous latitudes for those who strayed a mite or two from the beaten track. E. de S. MELCHER. Interstate Male Chorus To Present Concert January 21. THE Interstate Male Chorus, Clyde B. Aitchison, conductor, will give its first concert of the twelfth sea- son in the D. A. R. Memorial Conti- nental Hall on January 21 at 8:30 pm. This will be the thirty-second concert to be given by the chorus under Mr. Altchison’s {fjton. Some From the Front Row Reviews and News of Washington's Theaters. Music and Musicians Reviews and News of Capital's Programs. - queen of found among rare participants in the thrilling battles of life. She joins in an attempted prison break with full knowledge of in- evitable recapture, but takes that method of reaching the outside world with her story of the frame- up. The attempted escape is the strong feature of the action in the play. Others who have a share in the plot are Wynne Gibson, Rock- cliffe Pellows, Earle Fox, Frank Sheridan, Purnell Pratt and Edna Bennett. The stage presentation at the Pal- ace comes nearer to being a revue than usual, and under the title of “High Hat,” introduBes smart d: ing by Carlton and Ballew, Char- lotte Ayres and Rene, the Kerns Sis- ters and a good chorus. The cartoon this week has unusual features. The orchestra, under Harry Borjes, notably effective in a long program, while Charles Gaige offers the or- gan numbers. D. C. C. 3 “Stepping Sisters’ Ruth Etting, at the Fox. THE sight of Jobyna Howland ..._and Minna Gombell dressed as 83y gaiter-and-tight girls of the howling nineties” is a vision for long and loud mirth. These two frisky ladies, plus Louise Dresser, Who is that way, too, under the sur- face, appear as ex-burlesque queens in a comedy called “Stepping Sis- ters,” now on view at the Fox Th ater. While their antics as grad- uated ladies of this class are ribald and often coarse, there is no use denying that they have their comic virtues as well. The film is a brusque and rough satire—remember the play?—about three stepping sisters, one of whom i8 trying to blossom into & society matron, another into the high realms of Shakespeare's art and the third, who is content to remain as herself, with the aid of & masseuse and a couple of face liftings. Meet- ing one another unexpectedly at the house of the would-be social queen, they unmask themselves in private and later in public to the social un- doing of the high-hat aspirant and to the great delight of her husband, as well to the other two ancient troupers. While the doings of these three ladies of somewhat doubtful origin (In the play, of course) and Willlam Collier, sr., as the miserable hus- band of one, are amusing, the love interest is frankly annoying, and the remainder of the film is not worth two whoops in—anywhere. Made chiefly to stimulate laughter of the a]lgluck brew, it fulfills its mission rather neatly and then may be for- gemn as easlly as certaln brief lowers of Spring. On the stage, after Les Stevens and his Diplomats have offered “an- other one of those melodious inter- ludes,” may be viewed that super- song chanting — Ruth Etting. Miss Etting, long a favorite on these shores, is more radlantly gowned and voiced than ever and sings “Shine On Harvest Moon,” among others, with just such dev- astating results as she did in Mr. Ziegfeld's ‘“Follies"—which, unfor- tunately, she eschewed in its last tour. Other stage entertainment—which palls somewhat after Miss Etting's departure—includes Fanchon and Marco's “Stars of Tomorrow” jdea— in which may be seen such young and talented performers as Bernie and Walker, Wanda Allen, Mary Miles, Buddy and Gretel, Anderson and Allen, Rudy Kaye, Dorothy Welch, Chiyo Kadmatsu, Theol Nel- son, Helen Ireland, Fern Dale and Zelma. E. de 8. M. “Strictly Dishonorable” Still Popular at Rialto, 'HE third week of “Strictly Dis- honorable” at the Rialto would seem to indicate that the public has taken this comedy under its wing. Successfully shattering previous rec- ords, the film may be said to be among the season’s most prosperous cinema satires, and is still recom- mended as fervently as it was when it first began. Present in the cast of Mr. Sturgis’ nonchalant revelation of late-at- night happenings in a_Manhattan speakeasy are Sidney Fox, as the willing nightow!; Paul Lukas, as her operatic idol, and Lewis Stone, as the kindly gentleman very much in earnest about conventionalities. Al three of these players are quite ex- cellent, M:. Lukas, perhaps, less so and the others otherwise. Miss Fox speaks her lines with glib enthusi- asm, Mr. Lukas is amorously con- vincing if not more so than they were in another’s hands on the legitimate stage. This is, in other words, pleasant divertissement for most of the family whenever and however it likes. E. de 8. M. of the special numbers on the pr am will include Longfello “Farewell of Hiawatha" composed by Arthur Foote, the solo work to be sung by Charles Wood; “To the Sons of Art,”” by Mendelssohn, which will include & male quartet of Messrs. Farrar, Wilkins, Wood and Kidwell, and Moussorgsky's “Coronation Scene” from “Boris Godounov.” Helen Donofrio, soprano, will be the guest soloist and, in addition to several solo groups, will sing Vie- tor Herbert's “Italian Street Song” from “Naughty Marietta,” with the chorus. Robert L. Feuerstein will accompany the chorus at the plano as usual and will be assisted by Ray- mond A. Willever of New York. Mrs. Watson Sponsoring Concert in New York. DOROTHY DE MUTH WATSON of this city, national chairman of music for the National League of American Pen Women, which has its national headquarters in this city, is acting as impresario for the first national concert of the league for this season, to be given in New York City, Thursday evening of this week, at the A. A Anderson Studio. The work of composer members of the league will be exclusively pre- sented, the songs to be interpreted by Harlan and Evelyn Randall of this city, and the instrumental music, all of which, except for one organ number, has been scored for at least four stringed instruments, will be played by the Empire State Woman's Orchestra, with Pearl Adams, one of the league composers, to be featured as conductor of this orchestra Mrs. H. H. A. Beach will be pres- ent and will be represented on the program for her quintet for strings and flute. Dorothy Radde Emery, local composer, will go to New York for the event and will present her “Tropic Suite,” the lyrics for which were written by Grace Thompson Seton. ‘The evening's entertainment will open with Josephine Forsythe's voice and organ setting for the Lord’s Prayer, which will be sung by Mr, Randall. Programs Planned for ” Y. W. C. A. Music Series. “ENSEMBLE MUSIC,” to be pre- sented by various well know groups of instrumentalists and vo- calists, will be featured at the Sun- day music hour programs, to be given at the Young Women's Chris- tian Association, Seventeenth and K streets, for the next few months, under the direction of Mrs. Edwin B. Parker, music chairman, and Mary M. Burnett, music secretary of the Washington association. Choirs and glee clubs, as well as trios, quartets and larger groups of musicians, will be featured in the ensuing months, begl.nn\nl with this week, when Mrs. ker and Dor- eshall, pianists, will offer led program of music, se- lected with reference to Hans Kin- dler's orchestra program this sea- son. Programs planned for the near future include such outstanding groups as the Bernheimer Instru- mental Trio, Mu Phi Epsilon Alum nae Ciub, Esther Linkin's Children’s Choir from the Church of the Pil- grims and others. The public is invited to attend these Sunday music programs, which are preceded invariably by the serv- ing of afternoon tea and a social hour at the Y. W. C. A. TALES OF MINE LED 'D.C. MANTO DEATH Body of Adolph Ruth Found | on “Trail” to Mythical Lost Dutchman. By the Associated Press. PHOENIX, Ariz, January 9.—Stories of the Lost Dutchman gold mine lured Adolph Ruth, 66, a retired Govern- ment. clerk. to death in the Supersti- tion Mountain Range. His skeleton was found by Jeff Ad- ams, deputy sheriff, and W. A. Bark- ley, tracker, who went into the range last week. Adams said he believed Ruth, who entered the mountains last Spring with a crude map purporting to show the location of the mine, was overcome by heat and exhaustion. Papers were in- tact in remnants of his clothing. A son of the victim, Dr. Erwin Ruth | of Washington, led one party on a vain search for him last Summer. Many persons have sought the fabled mine. It was named for Jacob Walz, who related, just before his death here in 1891, that he had killed six men to guard its secret. RITES TO BE HELD HERE. Son of Adolph Ruth Orders Immediate Arrangements for Funeral. Earl A. Ruth, 1908 K street, one of Adolph Ruth’s sons, said today he had received a telegram from Arizona au- thorities asking further instructions for sending the body. Mr. Ruth said he had ordered immediate arrangements to be made, and that funeral services| would be held here. Erwin C. Ruth, another son, now of New York, last Summer went to Arizona after his father had disappeared and spent & month searching for him, with- out success. A reward was offered and officlals from two countles joined in the search. Also surviving Adolph. Ruth are his widow, one daughter, Mrs. Stella R. Hawkins, and & grandchild, all of ‘Washington. | BLAST BURNS ENGINEER AT STANDARDS BUREAU/ Others in Room Escape Injury in | | Explosion While Installing | New Refrigerating Plant. | Dudley P. Overton, 41 years old, of 2636 Garfield street, an engineer at the Bureau of Standards, was burned seri- cusly about the head and right arm late yesterday afternoon when the oil case beneath a 2,300-volt electric switch on a new refrigerating plant being installed at the bureau exploded. Overton and three other staff engineers were testing the switch for wiring defects when it exploded. Over- ton, standing two feet away, was en- veloped by the flames. | Doctors from the Public Health Serv- | loe assigned to the bureau attended the | injured man. Others in the room | escaped unharmed. Overton was in the | Indian Service at Lapway, Idaho, before being transferred to this city. Storm Floods Leningrad. LENINGRAD, Russia, January 9 (#). —=Several industrial plants have been damaged and the lower section of the city was inundated by a flood in the River Neva because of a violent storm | in the Bay of Pinland. The river rose | 8 feet before it began to subside. WOODWf\RD luncheon, tea or bridg flowers, favors and food Tz RooM, SEVENTH FLOOR. new coiffures—the diag step rolle. See this new s here to have snags and B BENEFT SEEN N LEGALZED BEE Farm, Jobless and U. S. Tax Problems Cited at Sen- ate Hearing. By the Associated Press. Legalized beer to aid the farmer, help employment and restore an in- dustry ylelding revenue to the Govern- ment was urged today before a Senate committee. Representative Willlam E. Hull, Re- publican, of Iilinois and Senator Hiram Bingham, Republican, of Connecticut advocated a 4 per cent brew. Bills by Bingham for beer containing 4 per cent alcohol by volume and by Senator Bulkley, Democrat, of Ohie, for 2.75 per cent by weight are being con- sidered by the Senate Manufactures Subcommittee headed by Senator Met~ calf, Republican, of Rhode Island. Urged to help Farmers. Chairman Metcalf asked Hull how return of beer would affect the soft drink industry. “I think it would take away from it some,” he replied, “but these soft drinks are made largely from sugar from Cuba. “The farmer is out of the pale on these soft drinks. America produces only a very small amount of sugar. “Beer would help the drinker and the farmer supplying grains for beer, instead of such sales of sugar from Cuba.” Witnesses at yesterday's hearing tes- tified sale of beer would decrease use of “hard liquor” and halt “the triumphal march of bootleggers.” These views were thoss of two educators, a doctor and Senator Bingham, author of several bills to legalize beer. s Hearing Room Crowded. The hearing room was crowded with both prohibitionists and anti-prohibi- tionists, including Bishop James Can- non, jr.; Dr. F. Scott McBride of the Anti-Saloon League and representatives of the Crusaders, a group organized to oppose prohibition. Senator Bingham strongly recom- mended “good, wholesome beer” and sald his intent was to show 4 per cent beer was not intoxicating. He read 8 letter from Dean Clarence Mendell of Yale saying “boys here at Yale” pre- ferred beer to distilled liquor, but were unable to get it. Prof. Yandell Henderson, also of Yale, said it would take “two or three quarts” of 4 per cent beer to equal the alcoholie content of five or six cocktails. He fig- ured it would take “eight or ten quarts” of such beer to produce intoxication. Dr, Charles Norris, chief medical ex- | aminer of New York, held beer would promote temperance and health and would mean “the return of prosperity.” WILL DISCUSS PROGRAM ‘The program for 1932 of the Wash- ington Circle, No. 178, Daughters of Isabella, will be discussed at a meet- ing of the organization tomorrow night. The accomplishments of the Circle during the past year culminated with the distribution at Christmas time of more than 50 baskets of foodstuffs to needy families. Beer Is Harmless, Hull Tells Probe; Tried It Himself By the Associated Press. Representative Willlam E. Hull, Republican, of Illinois, is certain 4 per cent beer is mnot intoxi- cating. “I tried it out upon myself in the Munich Brewery in Stock: holm,” he today told the Senate Committee studying beer bills. “I drank four pints of beer con- taining 3.2 per cent alcohol by weight on an empty stomach and it did not intoxicate me or pro- duce any ill effects. I might state I am not a drinking man.” Hull explained 3.2 per cent al- cohol by weight was the same as 4 per cent by volume, called for in the Bingham bill before the committee. R. L. TAYLOR MOTOR CO. STUPENDOUS PRICE REDUCTIONS SEE OUR ADVERTI NT IN CUASSIFED. SECTION & LoTHROP 0™ U™ T ax G Staars Smart hostesses entertain in the Tea Room—at e—with all details of arranged for them. 4 ' The new Roll-a-Bob permits any of the chic onal rolle, doublé and device and try it. 50c. Notrons, Asie 31, Psst FLOOR. Clever women know a secret for making hose last their allotted wearing age—they bring them runs repaired. Hosizay Reram Desk, First PLOOR. =