Evening Star Newspaper, February 28, 1933, Page 11

| offered at R-K-O Keith's, —F—rom the Front Row and News of Washington's Theaters. By E. de S. MELCHER Revie Mun{ in -at-Law.” AUL MUNI, one of the world’s best actors, and an impor- tant citizen of the screen as well as of the stage, may be seen currently at the National in Elmer Rice's “Counsellor-at-Law,” - @ distinguished play, serious, well- proportioned and rounded out in that merry- go-round Rice fashion, which includesgl'mpses into a great number of peo- ple as well as deep insight into the main char- acter—a method which Mr. Rice is particularly fond of. While on_the surtace Mr. Rice’'s rplay seems to Paul Muni, somewhat pad- ded, in the final reckoning it is evident that he has used his characters both wisely and well—and that in every case each incimddual has a direct bearing on the main theme. ‘This theme is a man—and the man is a lawyer cf strength and character—and the fact that Mr. Muni plays him makes the entire rformance an engrossing evening the theater—in which there is, however, less “theater” than you would suspect. ‘The pace of the “Counsellor-at- Law” is not th vift sidewal of Mr. Rice is Mr. Muni a “scarfac or a “fugitive.” The play gives itself ample time for character drawing— . and its man of strength, while a , smoldering giant of suppressed fire, , mnevertheless seldom bursts into the volcanic fits and starts which Mr. Muni does so nicely for the screen. Ladies of tender age will be dis- appointed, perhaps, because Muni 18 smooth, slightly grey about the temples, and does not screw him- self into those top-notch emotions ‘which he wrestled with before the camera. The cut_of his lawyer clothes is correct, his diction per- fect, his behavior eminently respec- table, and his only real “action” consists in jumping once from the floor to within a stone-throw of the window sill from which he plans to hurl himself in a sudden mood of despair. Students of the drama will do well to watch how Mr. Muni spends his time behind the footlights. He wastes neither gesture nor breath— and yet you would swear that he never once had thought about either. His entire performance is a brilliant example of how to be at ease and theatric at the same time. When he is on the stage, there is a curi- ously electric feeling of the dra- matic. He has only to arch an eye- brow to make you feel power in the al . Munl makes this George Simon, famed lawyer who has risen from the ranks, and who has made the mistake of marrying the wrong woman, a men of flesh and blood, ‘whose history you relinquish with regret as the rurtain comes down. You sense that Mr. Rice could have said more about him—that. in fact, his future would be well worth watching. What you have seen, however, has up until then been the study of a successful man, whose one little transgression has played him false, and who finds the world tipped up on its side because he has revealed that fault to a woman whom he thought faithful. While you feel happiness stirring once again in him, you also know the blinding force of that near- disaster and the fact that he will have a hard time forgetting that fault and its blistering consequences. In the picturing of the details which go-to build up Mr. Muni's powerful character, a cast of un- usual excellence has been assembled. Note particularly Dorothy Day, as a switchboard siren; Anne Teeman, as & secretary and a nice human being; Jennie Moscowitz, whose perform- ance as Simon'’s mother is really be- wilderingly good; Martin Wolfson, ‘whose communistic outburst provides an exciting moment: and others such as ' Doris Unde:-vood, Malka Kornstein, Angela Jacobs, Sue Moore, Regina Wallace and the two “Dwight” children, who make a lawyer’s office seem like an interest- ing character zoo. All gj these and most of the others ¥ e to type and to Mr. Rice’s dighified and interesting script— and they help to carry the play and Mr. Muni to the heights which they deserve. Last night's performance was in the nature of a “testimonial” given in_honor of J. Stoddard Taylor, well kncwn local theater manager. Irene Dunne at Keith’s : In “No Other Woman.” 4 THERE are two things about the t+ film play, “No Other Woman.” ‘which should attract those who have a keen appreciation of good plays and good acting. The film is adopted from a stage production by Eugene Walter, who ranks among the American dramatists of a charmed circle, and the star, Irene Dunne, with the sub- stantial material that the author has provided, creates a character that represents the ideal of steadfastness and understanding. It is cons ble — to meet the_new Dollar Vaiue It's easy to find “‘cut rate” bus service— but impossible to match the comfort and efficiency of Greyhound Lines, at these new low fares! Crack through schedules 0 nearby cities and all parts of America. First-Class coaches, reclining ~chairs, Bealthful heat. Hundreds Like These: One Way Plus $1 Round Trips New York ...$6.50 Philadelphis, $4.50 Norfolk ..... 580 Suffolk ..... 5.80 One-Way Fares Pittsburgh. .. $5.25 Ch'ste=, . Jachsonville. . 20.00 Fredericksburs 1.50 Cleveland. ... 7.7¢ Union Bus Depot 1336 New York Ave. N.W. Phone: Metropolitan 1512 GREYHOUND Jirtes s Petersburs. . . Indianapolis. . 12.00 X L] THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, that this finished actress might take a poorly written story and make it convincing, but with a Walter con- ception she reveals that magic qual- ity of the true actor that impresses the intelligence and the emotions. Mr. Walter had practically no failures in the time of his succession of brilliant studies of characters who represented the frailties and the loyakiss of every-day circles in American life. His reputed develop- ment of technical perfection Whfle dreaming on park benches in New York, to which he had gone in search of fame, has been an inspira- tion to others in similar circum- stances, and the brilllant works that he produced offered an unfailing source of delight to those who sought human material on the stage. A common situation and a common plot, molded in his hands into drama, proved a means of illumi- nating the task of many a strug- gling actor who shared with him the distinction produced. The current play at Keith’s might be classine as very ordinary, were it not for the Walter touch, and the Irene Dunne touch, and the more than robust touch of Charles Bickford, who has hereto- fore posed as a figure of the master worker whosc skill has grown more rapidly than his mental keenness. He is common clay in the hands of a gold digger, as he shows the devastating vanity of the person ‘whose material success blinds him to his own limitations in elementary matters of the mind. Irene Dunne plays he wife of the blundering figure of & great worker and a simple dupe, with obvious de- votion and understanding of his probable fate in the hands of the other woman, whose insincerity is correctly portrayed by Gwili Andre. Highest of the dramatic moments in the play is Miss Dunne’s scene in the divorce court, when, to retain the custody of her child, she accepts the shame of perjured charges and falsely reveals herself before the world as an unfaithful wife. It is the brilliance of her character and her devotion to family which then and there break through the dense- ness of the husband’s mentality and arouse a new devotion. He repudiates his divorce suit and admits suborna- tion of perjury. The picture has the realism that the camera can produce most effec- tively, with scenes in a steel plant and later in a dye establishment, together with the brief prison ex- e TR perience for the man, and a return to the old conditions that existed before they achieved wealth. It is & very satistying play and one which contributes to the record of the actors, Eric Linden appears to ad- vantage as the inventor who is re- sponsible for their rise to wealth, and others who are in the cast in- clude Buster Miles as the son of the family, Leila Bennett in an excellent character role, Theodore von Eltz, Brooks Benedict, Joseph E. Bernard, Frederic Burton, Christian Rub, J. Carroll Naish, Hilda Vaughn and Edwin Stanley. Keith's also offers an excellent group of short films. D.C. C. “Handle With Care” A “Family” Picture, A “FAMILY” picture is one which the advertisers stress es a film you can bring the whole family to see. It has to be wholesome, have & nice little love story, and end on & note of “and they lived happily ever after.” All of this is true about “Handle With Care,” which opened yesterday at Loew's “family theater,” the Columbia. It is, furthermore, recommended as a good entertain- ment for the young, but is also a RENOVIZE YOUR HOME At Present Low Prices Take advantage of these extra special prices and renovize. this work done now meens saving money, the unemployed. Perch Columns, 107 ..... Porch Column Bases . Porch Rail, lin. ft. Porch Balusters. . : Best Grade House P-int; gal. Celatex—insulate and finish yc! By the 1,000 ft. Charter Finished Oak Flooring—can be laid and used same day ........ Red Cedar Closet Lining, to make your closet mothproof ............. e BUY NOW—RENOVIZE NOW AND ECONOMIZE J. FRANK KELLY, Inc. Lumber, Millwork, Paint, Hardware, Cement, Coal 2121 Georgia Ave. Open All Day Saturdays .. in which we tell you why we think the REPAIR YOUR PORCH Porch Flooring ..........cc0vven. ). " film which father and glder daughter and son will probably sleep through. Nevertheless, as & juvenile “ve- hicle,” it is well enough and boasts as its star not the eulogized “Boots” Mallory, or the ever-smiling James Dunne, but s little boy, Buster Phelps, who runs away with most of the others. He is helped, too, by another young boy, Ernest, who runs away with the of the honors. In between times, Mr. Dunne makes docile love to the lovely but ineffectual Miss Mallory, x‘:fi’;m Brendel tries to be funny and You will have a good time, how- ever, watching little Buster Phelps play rings eround his seniors. He makes even the gangster brethren look like amateurs. And when the whole community of children goes scuttling through the streets, and half of New York’s young life bursts in upon the gentlemen who have Phelps in their power, you are apt to cheer and cry “hurrah” with the rest of the juvenile crowd. A story about two little boys, rather than a story about depart- ment-store love, the title has to do with the young rather than the old, . Hav- in addition to helping North 1343 e g Rk s KNIT-TEX OPCOAT is the best topcoat in America at 25 The Regular Knit-Tex (1) The cloth looks like an expensive importation, and yet it outwears any other soft fabric. (2) It has a certain elasticity that gives with every movement of the body, yet instantly falls back into shape. (3) It never wrinkles, gets out of shape, seldom needs pressing. Can be bounced around, tossed around, crushed. . .still it comes up smiling. ) Can be worn ten months of the year, in all kinds of weather, excepting, of course, the very hardest of cold days. The Knit-Tex Angora @ An unusual blending of South American imported Angora with highest-grade American wools. ) Tt has all the advantages of Camel’s Hair, but wears much longer and (this is important) costs much less. 3) Due to the construction of the cloth, it is possible to manufacture it at a much lower cost than ordinary weaving. 4) Knit-tex Angora, as well as regular Knit-tex, comes to you in America’s smartest colors and fashiens. Full or half belts, boxcoats and raglans. In a pro- fusion of shades and weaves. 2 Seconds by Direct Elevators to the Men’s Clothing Department—Second Floor THE HECHT and is hence to be enjoyed most by them. Additional “shorts,” such as “Do ‘You Remember?” are worth sitting through. E. de 8. M. Marlboro Marriage Licenses. 'UPPER MARLBORO, Md., February 28 (Special) —Marriage licenses were issued here to the following: Guilio John Luc- chesi, 31, Washington, and Rose C. Howard, 33, of Landover; Jerome Des- mond, 27, and Betty Gardella, 19, both of Washington; Fred L. Chaflin, 25, College Park, and Dorothy M. Cave, Washington; Lawrence N. Schulz, 21, Washington, and Emma P. Bedwell, 16, of Benning: Theodore M. Middleton, 24, and Agnes V. Ware, 23, both of Camp Springs. . mmope:n scientists say that it would take 50 bodies the size of the moon to form one as big as the earth. TUESDAY, - FEBRUARY 58, 1933. TRAVEL BUREAU HEAD FREED OF INDICTMENT Plea in Abatement Is Sustained by Court in Alleged $1,200 Embezzlement. Chief Justice Alfred A. Wheat yes- terday sustained a ples in abatement filed by Alpheus J. Sherman, who for- merly conducted a travel bureau here and who was indicted for the alleged embezzlemant of $1,200 from Mies Jes- sie Holt, an employe of the Children's Hospital. Miss Holt, it was stated, et payment Au g , for posed world cruise. The effect of the court’s ruling was s a pro- 4 to nullify an indictment against Sher- man returned Jan 4, 1932, more than three years after alleged crime. The prosecution claimed that Sherman had n a fugitive from the District between July, 1930, and the time of his arrest in Baltimore, July 27, 1931. His absence, it was claimed, stayed the running of the statute of limitations. h Attorney George D. Horn- Ing, jr., the accused denied that he was & fugitive, and the court held that the Government had failed to sustain the claim. An earlier indictment, charging Sherman and his brother, James, with an embezzlement of & $600 payment made by Miss Holt, has been set for | | trial March 13. | | Veteran’s Medals Stolen. Legion, it was I g while the residents were away. Reduced Fares O.W. E.T. Richmond.Va.$1.50 N. N.-‘i- v-.':"a.nufg Housebreakers who invaded 1362 part | Quincy street stole eight medals from | Earl J, Brown, World War veteran and past vice commander of the District of | | Columbia Department of the American | THE HECHT CO. Calis a SPECIAL SESSION o i The Stff Shirt from Manhattan Immaculate, correct low who al- ways puts up a swell front, The Uplifter from Pioneer When properly adjusted he makes your trousers stay put. lw2™ and _white, white, and fortable, he's the hard-boiled fel- A e (Main Floor, Men's Shop) com- the Fourth .... (Matn Floor, The High Hat from Sheldon You'll see him in his silken splen- dor bobbing up and down over the town on March § Fashion Committee The grey all Men's 8hop) L) T, The Standpatter Black (Main Floor, (Main Floor. Men's Shop) The member. vest buttons, for tux or tails ... Custodian of the Jewels An ornament and an important Studs, cuff links, and $3 t0%10 (Main Floor. 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