Evening Star Newspaper, March 12, 1933, Page 35

Stage—Screen Music—Radio CLYDE BEATTY-"THE BIG CAGE”’- STUART ERWIN a8 . FRANCIS DEE 4 B '\ CRIME OF THE CENTURY// 3R ! pox-"3 Curious Changes Noted In the Amusement World Operatic Sinyers on Vaudeville Stage. Marionettes in a Legitimate Theater and Radio Stars as . “Added Attractions"—Where Will This Lead? By E. de S. Melcher. HE fact that Grace Moork is singing in vaudeville; that the National Theater last week was devoted to marionettes (one of the cleverest of the season’s entertainments); that Mae West is a riot in Holly- wood; that Tallulah Bankhead is @& smash “hit” in one of the year’s worst plays; that Amos 'n’ Andy are funnier in white face on the stage than they are in black face ,( presumably) over the radio; that Al Jolson’s singing is not getting him anywhere on the screen, and that Katherine Hepburn, a girl | with little of a past, should be one. of the successful screen celebrities of the year—proves that the amusement world is hav- ing a shake-up. A year ago Miss Moore had at- tained her peak as an operatic singer of exceptional merit, whose concert at the Townsend musi- cale, for instance, was one occa- sion when all local sables and feathered bonnets wagged pleas- ant “al’s” at l‘;:het ;nme time. A year ago. marionettes were pooh- poohed by the intelligentsia (ex- cept those who know their Champs Elysees and the swell Punch-and-Judy shows blossom- ing midst its benches and trees) and relegated mainly to children’s birthday parties at 5 in the after- noon. A year ago Tallulah Bank- head, with Bond street cheers still ringing in her ears, was be- ginning a tempestuous career in the talkies which threatened to hustle her right back to London again. A year ago the jittering but convincing Mae West was doing. her “Constant Sinner” act to the whistle of police maestros and the hootings of certain local and foreign judges. A year ago Amos 'n’ Andy were progressing nicely out of sight of the public. A year ago Al Jolson was having a field day in “The Wonder Bar.” A year ago Katherine Hepburn, until ‘she appeared in “The War- rior’s Husband,” was a promising ) . A year ago things were going along as everybody more or less supposed that they would. Now, suddenly, everything is happening which nobody ever dreamed of. (Even the current Mr. Cantor must admit of a.cer- tain surprise at find himself on the stage of Loew’s Fox.) And I% tomorrow it is possible that ill Rogers may be doing his fope-act for the circus, that Mr. Cantor may be crooning in place of Rudy Vallee (please), that Mae ‘West may be pfnymg “Camille,” and that Janet Gaynor may be doing a blatant “Diamond Lil.” * X ok % TB! theater is frankly not itself. And the fact remains that the theater’s eyes are, at the _ minute, curiously reminiscent of 1 moments of Mr. Candug;l one goes one way an e ether goes the other—and there doesn’t seem to be any way of getting them back together again. A certain public wants its legiti- mate theater and still persists in its Victorian belief that the cinema is a disciple of the devil. A certain public goes to the movies merely for the stage shows. A certain public has gotten to the point where it will no longer be bothered with 10-minute inter- missions, and with that hectic moment (which is just as bad at rise and try to retain your balance as your left-hand neighbor goes breezing by after his or her smoke. ‘The amusement world is a con- fused unit which has more heads than the ancient Hydra. When { you tell grandmama that you are “going to the theater tonight” you | no longer mean a swift trip to a play (any kind of a play) and a return home to discuss the merits of the play’s nlayers. You mean that you may have seen most of “Follow Through” (coming here soon) on a moving picture stage; that in this you may have heard anybody from Al Jolson down; that Grace Moore may have been there as “an extra added attrac- tion” (which a local theater al- ways announces—whether it has one or not); that the film may have had Ethel Barrymore and | Mitzi Green in it, and that as you came out yo. may have stop- ped a moment to see an exhibi- tion of how near-beer is served | in the theater lobby. * k% % THE question now is: Will stage shows win out over the movies, and will the movies be- come briefer and worse? Will such a laugh king as Eddie Can- tor devote himself exclusively to the radio (where he has risen to unheard-of heights), dawdling about in the interim on motion picture theater stages? Will the legitimate theater play a play for a few minutes on Broadway and then launch as much of it as there is time for on a movie stage? Will, in other words, the entire amusement world soon itch its tent for once and all ehind the giant spotlights of the motion picture theaters? This is what is happening be- yond the fringes of Broadway— and even on Broadway last week you could go to the Capitol The- ater and see a good bit of “Show Boat” with some of the original cast and the original scenery be- fore you were launched into Miss West’s “She Done Him Wrong.” There is hope, however, that at east one theater in every town will devote itself exclusively to “plays.” Just as we swell with some pride over the fact that our National Theater is full to the bursting point when a “Design for Living” or a “Green P: res” comes along, 80 other gfie‘l in- ’ i the talkies) when you have to| AMUSEMENT SECTION he Sundwy Star, WASHINGTON, D. C., SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 12, '1933. CAROLE * LOMBARD “EROM HELL. f YO HEAVENY/ EARLE RIALTO ' Hollywood Reaches Turn In the Prosperity Road Entire Change of Methods Necessary in Order to Keep the Studios Open—Pulse of the BEN BERNIE, Who leads his band at the Earle this week. l *“Pinocchio™ Saturdflt_y | HE Children’s Theater of New York, which will present “Pinocchio” on Saturday morning, is bringing a com- pany of 32 to Washington for this single performance. As children who know and Jove the story will remember, the marionette, Pinocchio, meets almost innumerable characters in his travels. Noneof them could be omitted without doing damage to_the children’s conception of the story, and so members of this adult pro- fessional company will be playing roles with such bizarre names as “Fire Eater,” “Black Rabbit” “Blue Fairy,” “Dor- mouse” and “Lampwick,” to say nothing of “Punch,” “Harlequin” and animals such as the parrot, the cat and half & dozen others. The_principal roles will be filled by t}xxe %hlldren's Theater = actors, wlll: Please young Washi: ians “Huckleberry Finn” la:t‘wn December. will be %fiflo, foster-father; ippa Bevans will play the blue fairy, Joste Heather has the role of “Cricket” and Allen Mathes is Antonio. Bobble Heather, who gives such a whimsical portrayal of Pinocchio him- self, is, however, a newcomer to Wash- ington. Bobbie was literally born in the theater, J»:dznmfi an m::lhl ap- pearance on g kg ambulator, followed a {ew.y-:n Mfi; the role of Cupid in pantomine n‘ag finally bi adult parts in England New York. ‘The Children’s Theater is brought to Washington by the Women's Interna- tional League. 5 dicate that they can hold one theater attraction—but not much more than that. The world, of course, is still a stage, but the biggest stage now belongs to the “fillums,” and the “fillums” are cornering much of the entertainment market. loyal as we are to the “legit,” we have to admit that the curious- ly hodge-podge entertainments which are being offered occasion- ally on local movie theater stages are pretty good. These are, how- ever, on the Grace Andys, and the Bddie Cantors and Ben come Bernies 5 Vaudeville acts are mnm under these giant prosceniums, - oores, and the Amos ‘n’” MAE -CLARK JORN GILBERT FAST WORKERS/ URSULA JEANS Automobile and Aviation News ' GEORGE BRENTY, CCAVALCADE” NATIONAL WHEELER and. WOOLSEY VSO THiS 15 AFRICAY KREITH'S ZITA JOHANN CLUXURY LINERY CoLumsara RUBY KEELER - GEORGE BRENT - BEBE DANIELS *FORTY ~SECOND STREETY — METROPOLITAN Cinema Colony I By Mollie Merrick. OLLYWOOD, Calif,, March 11. —There is an end to every gold rush, a finish to every Dorado, a time when every mine, however rich, plays out of “pay dirt” and becomes too lean for the miner’s toil. When this time comes the boys who have been living in camp pack up their frying pans and gold- mining apparatus and go back to cities—go back to normal Iliving: normal prices—and to the life of cities where men, do a day's work for a normal pitfance. Hollywood has been the largest gold strike in the world's history. Today the rush is over, the pay dirt has grown thin, the mine has become a sort of glory hole which promised indefinite riches, but which is proving itself merely ‘a means of liviihood after all. Hollywood will never be the same for the actors and actresses, the producers, the novelists who have made it. Hollywood will never be the same because picture making, when this flurry is over, will proceed on & normal basis. It will have passed from & gold rush to an industry. Hollywood have stabilized incomes and these ineomes will compare with those made 3 people of talent in other sections the country. ‘The, pulse of Hollywood is beating feebly. Men who came out of base- ments where they sewed the tough pelts of furs until their fingers ached, their backs were agonizing and their eyes dim, men who once ran nickelo- deons, cannot believe that their hai dling of the greatest amusement busi ness has been a failure. Aladdin's all, their magic lamp, has lost its virtue. Few of the men who produce pictures have backgrounds beyond the simplest of avocations, the most primitive prep- arations for the handling of these vast sums which banks have confidently intrusted to them. For years they made money, made millions despite the, ter- rific waste, despite the grandiose mania which infected them all. They made millions where billions - should - have been- made had pictures been handled in a 'Mam-me wa? by men with uompa% and vying with one an- other to ld up box-office stars, they have seized all sorts of talent, some of it and some worthless, and put thousands of le under long-term contracts. Those thousands have drawn salaries whether or not they were . Thus, when the stock market crashed and money became to work for, not to pick up blindly as Hollywood had been doing, the meth- ods used for years by Hollywood pro- ducers in gold-rush times failed them. In Washington Theaters This Week. NATIONAL—“Cavalcade.” Tomorrow evening at 8:30 o'clock. GAYETY—'Powder Puff Revue.” This afternoon and evening. LOEW'’S FOX—"The Crime of the Cent: on the stage. This afternoon and eve: EARLE—“From Heaven to Hell This afternoon and evenin, R-K-O KEITH' ning. RIALTO“The Big Cage.” This afterncon and evening. g. “So This is Africa.” This afternoon and eve- s Beating Feebly. The motion meure industry, rich en to withstand normal hard times, was too badly managed to weath- er a national storm. So, picture its moguls, today faced with the realization that their entire system of picture mak- | ing will have to undergo a change if | | they will continue to fake pictures | | when this crisis is over. | Hollywood, in its opening days of | “bank holiday,” has two big premieres scheduled. If New York can get $11 the seat for Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne and Noel Coward’s opening in “Design for Living,” why can't Hollywood get $5 at the Chinese or a mere $2 at the ‘Warner Brothers Theater? Players scribbling their 1. O. U.’s at local cafes, wonder if the thousands of them who have made the world’s amusement in the world’s most ami Jocality will be able to continue scri indefi- nitely. While Louis B. Mayer makes the statement that only a national issuance of scrip can keep the studios running because a State-wide issuance will not provide sufficient funds from the studio bnnlu'hm to keep the pay roll alive, one of Irving Thalberg, is on his way for a four-month jaunt in Europe. Thalberg’s jaunt has been occasioned by illness— illness produced by overwork. His salary, I am told on suthority which should make it an nable truth, is $8,000 & week. Can any one man give a corporation $8,000 worth of his time and brain power and be efficient all of the 52 weeks for which he is being paid? I doubt it. It seems part of the power complex which rules Hollywood for men to want to be dictators at unheard of salaries, rather than co-operative members of a directoral board at salaries which make motion picture-making possible and under pressure which means health a possibility also. I am not questioning the seriousness of Thalberg’s illness—I am questioning the system which makes such supreme power possible—such fabulous actual—and such holi- days at a time when, if ever, he is needed—imperative. If the motion picture industry is to remain the world’s great entertainment source—if 1t is to continue functiyn‘x’zgs and Hollywood is to remain Holl instead of s ghost camp where prospec- tors mined gelatin gold, some- thing have to happen when the banks are on & sound basis once more. Stabilization of this industry will not be effected in a day; some of its ruling brains will have to be stabilized first. t. 1933. by North American News- (Coprrtent. N oer Rlianee: 106> once will ,” and Eddie Cantor g. ,”-and Ben Bernie on the stage. COLUMBIA—“Luxury Liner,” tomorrow. “Second Hand Wife,” today. ‘Workers.” This afternoon and evening. ¢ the heads of the institution, - EDDIE CANTOR, Headliner of the stage bill at the Fox this week. Coueen MOO!‘G Retums. WI‘I’B six pictures now in production on the Fox lot, five more were placed in work last week to bring Movietane City forward to a new peak of mid-season activity. list signals Jesse the Glory,” a Preston S that is hailed as an e: cer associations. Ralph Morgan and orig- ent in ford inal Tracy, Our Legislative Bodies - On the Theater Gridiron New York Sees Another Play, “Both Your Houses," Concerning the Lawmakers—Mr. Durante Leads a New Musical OEexind. By Percy Hammond. N “Both Your Houses,” Walter Kelly, erstwhile “the Virginia judge,” rep- resents one of the better type of Congressmen. He has a genial per- sonality and his plundering is done with humor and a sense of the graces. Hailing from Kentucky, I daresay, he has a_ musical voice, a gift of savory metaphor and a quoting knowledge of the classics. A magnetic old buccaneer of 60" or thereabouts, he exerts an in- fluence in the halls of legislation. He drinks liquor, , determined to serve explains later that he found it impos- sible to be a knight in such surround- we accept that also as a credible After years of experience in has come to the con- chews tobacco and is| addicted to poetic profanity. When he | tells us that he arrived in thmgmm INCERNING Mr. Durante and his revue there are loud cheers and homage to one of the readiest of the extravagsnzas. Built after the usual specifications, “Strike Me Pink” excels most of its kind in that it is brisker and brighter, that its chorus is prettier, and that its music is more obsequious. I from propriety, and compared of his brethern of the revues careful and a well-bred man. Miss Hope Williams is there - olent with the smart fumes of Farm- ington or Bryn Mawr, and contrasting 35| Slummer from Park avenue, visiting a time he gets a chance. But you will I like him in case you meet him in “Both Your Houses,” for, excepting the vir- tuous hero, he is the most winning member of the Appropriation Com- Jones, & newcomer to the screen, are in | mittee. the. cast. Another production to go before the cameras was “I Loved You Wednes- day,” the film version of the Broadway success by Molly Ricardel and William And ‘what-s lot ‘of heels these fel- lows turn out to be! Even the woman Represent Du Bois, in which Philip. Merivale will small make his talking picture debut. Elissa Landi, now completing “The Warrior's Husband,” will appear in the leading feminine role. an American film public, already appre- ciative of her work in “Congress Dances,” in “My Lips Betray,” formerly known as “His Majesty’s Car,” by Attila von Orbok, in which John team - sented in “Adorable,” when Janet Gay- nor and Henry Garet, inf stage and screen star, will be seen to- A Fish Harbor Film. TARTING camera work after several Boles, EI| bulll _ | notorious night club, carefully en her careless pilgrimage, and not m drinks. When Mr. Durante too many . 7 is not pacing to and fro like a