Evening Star Newspaper, September 15, 1935, Page 73

AMUSEMENTS, THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SEPTEMBER 15 1935—PART FOUR. AMUSEMENTS, F—5 NEW YORK THEATER PREPARES FOR ANOTHER SEASON In the Revival of a Famous Silent Film Symphony Conductor Has The Art of Showmanship Cinema’s Progress From Semi-Classics to Wagner May Make Screen Stars of Leading Baton Wielders. By Robert B. Phillips, Jr. ETRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER threatens to make a film about Wagner, | with Leopold Stokowski playing the lead. Warner Bros, pmmwe§ definitely to put Beethoven into pictures. The title role has not been | cast. Perhaps they will tempt Koussevitsky. Next we hope to see | the announcement that Paramount, Columbia, R-K-O Radio, somebody, is about to produce a cinematic life of Mozart, with Hans Kindler as the hero. A jest? Not at all. Dr. Kindler has stage presence. That can "be denied | | by no one who has visited his National Symphony concerts. He is a showman gifted with perception, restraint, a sures- feeling for that dramatic Quality | porently they felt there was too much called understatement. He has the | POTROY aer SR B oce tn proper accent, the appearance, the volatile and expressive nature. veying emotion or narrative to an audience is no novelty to him. He has done it through one of the most com- plex media in the world. The films have begun to popularize geod music, beginning with the minor classics and working upward. While Dr. Kindler is far too important a per- son to contemplate forsaking his carees to spend his afternoons being a matinee idol, he might be willing to try his hand at anything that would promoce public interest in the great composers and their work. Mozart, whose music and life were equally romantic and | stirring in many respects, would be the ideal subject for him. Furthermore, the Kindler debut might mark the ineeption, after lo| that name. these many years, of one truly, pro- foundly original idea in pictures—a hero who can play the cello. There Con- | the native product. ARNER BROS. wanted Paul Muni to play Napoleon. Muni couldn't | see it. The idea died. Tip to the cast- | ing director: They say Edward G. Rob- inson is the man who wants to and will. Why not? He’s small, even if he has neither *waxen face nor finely chiseled features. People who saw the Irvin Cobb short subjects and insisted it was the mate- rial, not the man, that made them poison, are now turning on their de- | | eriers with the old shout “Who's loony | now?” The Pride of Paducah seems set for a certain type of role after “Steamboat 'Round the Bend.” We mean Mr. Cobb, not the steamboat by ITEMS on a growing business: The 47 legitimate theaters in New | have beén heroes who could play | | York all have bookings at present and 1 piano, fiddle, dance, roll and light a ‘ there are demands for more houses. cigarette with one hand, swing from | That indefatigable ferret of (haater‘ tree to tree and emit animal noises, | news, Variety Weekly, says so | recite the “Gettysburg Address” and | Alfred Lunt has joined the board of toss off other astounding feats. Not | managers and directors of the Theater one cellist in the lot. Since Dr. | Guild, means his income probably will Kindler was a concert performer of | climb into the class with the Holly- | international repute. his technique in | wood royalty, as he will collect both | handling his distinguishing talent should be thoroughly satisfying be- | fore the camera. as an actor and manager. Ira Wolfert says that New York is | so hungry for legitimate drama that ‘Smile at Me,” which he describes as “a pitiful, shambling little revue whose Just one stipulation must be writ- | ten in all his contracts. In the Win- | ter he returns to Washington for the | music is flat as its humor,” is showing symphony season and in mid-Summer |a profit. “Moon Over Mulberry for the water front series. That would | Street,” is merely “botched in the leave Spring and early Summer for | writing, bungled in the acnng. dull as the movie people to do their best. | cold pudding throughout,” but they | still come in droves (small size) thrist- | ing for the sight of a new drama in MALL fry about a big industry: | o€ fo. ! George Arliss has decided to quit making films in America. He gets A CORRESPONDENT wants to see less per picture in England, but by an orginal gangster or G-man the time he has paid double income ' picture in which the tough guy does tax on salaries earned in the United | not get machine-gunned to death, re- ' [ States he nets less. If you are an | formed and married to an heiress, or ardent Arliss admirer, better write to | elected to office. Would have the final somebody's Congressman about get- ting a special dispensation to bring him back over here. The pictures probably will be better on this side Peter Lorre made himself famous‘in this country in a German film called “M” and an English production of “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” The M-G-M rushed him to America | With | and he starred in “Mad Love.” the whole town talking about Lorre, the local exhibitors decided to pass up “Mad Love,” a better film than the | ‘English number and probably equal to *“M,” which we have not seen. Ap- scene show him running a pig farm and living a peaceful life on ill-gotten | gains, fixing up the pork with a tom- my-gun on slaughter days. The finale has possibilities, but not the flare exhibited by one of our col- leagues who propounded an idea for the climax of a semi-operatic musical film. In the last scene, the tenor- hero was to stroll onto a stage balcony, | singing his manly little heart out on | some aria, and just as he reached the high, final, climatic note, he was to topple over the railing into the bass ! drub. Curtain. Coming Attractions. CLAUDETTE COLBERT, who won the Academy Award for acting In her first picture for Columbia, “It Happened One Night,” now has com- pleted another film for that studio. “She Married Her Boss” is the title and it comes to the Earle next Fri- day. In the new vehicle Miss Colbert ap- pears as the peer of all personal secretaries—a veritable office jewel who anticipates every whim of her | boss. So well does she serve, in fact, that the boss takes her home to loose her managerial tactics on a misrun household. Other in the cast are Michael Bartlett, the voung man uho ~ DANCING. PHIL HAYDEN STUDIOS DANCE Reopening Sept. 16 Washington's largest § and finest equmped studios announce pri- vate and class instruc- tion in all types of dancing for begmners and professionals, both children and adults. Descriptive booklet on request. Six Dupont Circle NOrth 8594 Final Week of Summer Rates At the Leroy Thayer " Dance Studio One more week to take ad. vantage of the opportunity to |urn smart_dancing at Low SUMMER TES at Leroy N qIBsvers modern dance studios. Dancing as taught at our stu- dios mnu lor s mnhon’ of bodily and health. Enmll now -nn Juick- Iy aenuire noise an = hil- ity to lead (orulnlly, “follow easily. Call_tomorrow for a guest lesson and dance anal without _obligation. Stud| onen until 10 p.m. Telephone MEtropolitan 4121, Eero ’6 tfia er 1226 cdnutc‘rlcu-r AVENU 'l‘(levllone Decatur | scored a success in “Love Me For- | ever”; Melvyn Douglass, Katherine Alexander and Edith Fellows. The stage show has Raul and Eva Reyes, tango experts of immense local popularity; Georges and Jalna, spe- cialty dancers, and Carmen Castillo, Spanish songstress, all of whom are featured with Xavier Cugat. radio’s rhumba king. The bill also will have “the Duponts,” acrobatic stars, and other acts. Ted Lewis, famed tragedian of jazz, and his orchestra, head the cast of | “Here Comes the Band,” M. G. M. | romance set to music, which comes to Loew's Fox Friday. Virginia Bruce, ! Ted Healy, Nat Pendleton, Harry Stockwell (new romantic singing { star), Donald Cook, Spanky Mac- | Farland and others surround the stage and radio favorite in the comedy. Music continues in high on the‘ stage, with the first appearance in | Washington of Glen Gray and the | Casa Loma Orchestra. Bob Murphy, rotund comic who recently appeared in “Broadway Gondolier,” and other | stage attractions are on the DANCING. 35th Annual Opening Dance, Fri., Sept. 20, at Prof. and Mrs. Acher's Studio, 1127 10th ' hw. Class and dancing Fridays, o n 530 p.m.. with Berryman’s Orchest: vaic lessois by appi. STET. 3180 Eot. Pl PENN STUDI . e Brivate lesons by SDporSimAY ancing a_specialty. The Edw. F. Miller Studic 814 1ith St Nat. 8093 | If_It’s Danced. We Teach It. MAE DAVISON, 1320 M NW Ball Room Classes. Tues. and Thurs. Latest steps incla the Piccoleno. Beinners. 8 to 9. Practice and Teaching, 8 to 11 e fu.lll‘ by lnll Phnnc Nltlonll 3341 THE ELLEN WALLER| SCHOOL OF DANCE Announces the opening of its new Fall classes for children and llultl in both | stage and ball rnom dancin Perlit lessons by .wnnlntm!nt day .r‘ evenin, All Waller, Special Ball Room club for adults af- fording instruction and _general dancing | (with ‘orchestra) each week. Enrollment Details upon request: Corner Conn. Ave. and § St. | Col. 9072, | Fwork tausht personally by Miss | - | first dramatic role; . Legitimate Season About To Emerge in New York 'This Year May Decide Whether Theater Remains an Art or Becomes Merely a Suburb of Hollywood. By Lucius Beebe. FAIRLY crucial season in the theater should swing into action this week. As the Olympian Mr. Joseph Wood Krutch has recently pointed out, the drama is always described as being on the verge of death, but somehow it never dies. Nevertheless, despite this fine optimism, it is generally conceded that unless the theater shows definite signs of excitement and vitality this year there will be reason for regarding 1t as having surrendered ignominiously% to the cinema, and Broadway must | president of the United States might accept its humiliating position as a | prevent an imminent war with Japan cultural suburb of Hollywood. For-|hy fiying to Tokio and preaching & tunately for those of us who still | germon of love to the mobilized Jap- { have in our hearts a friendly feel-| ing for the older and sometimes slightly senile form of the drama, | there are reasons for believing that 1the new season should be properly | stirring; in fact, the best and most | provocative in several years. Last year ithe emergence of Clifford Odets, the * beautiy of “Within the Gates,” the | excellence of “The Children’s Hour,” | the urbane brilliance of “Rain From | Heaven,” the effective melodrama of | “The Petrified Forest” and the tune-, {ulness of “Anything Goes” were the‘ | memorable events that brought en- | |couragement to the optimists. It is| |/ perhaps not being too enthusiastic to | suggest that the oncoming season | ,shows signs of providing blessings that | !'at least will be more numerous. | | Last week the year 1935-'36 in the | theater slowly began to emerge from | ‘reurement Mr. Odets’ two stirring | \land distinguished plays, “Awake and i | Sing” and “Waiting for Lefty” re- | mpened and so did that superior | melodrama of polite horror, “Kind | | Lady,” in which Miss Grace George | and Henry Daniell are once more per- || forming so expertly. In addition, | there was the premiere of “A Slight Case of Murder,” by that splendid | storyteller, Damon Run These events hardly revealed the season as being completely in its stride, but there was a definite advance over the pioneer weeks in which the revue | called “Smile at Me” and a drama | known as “Moon Over Mulberry Street” made their melancholy de-| || buts. But it is with the coming v\zek‘ that the activities really begin. Six | plays are scheduled for presentation, |land from then on there should be something of a deluge of offerings )'.hm. can be awaited with high ex- | pectations. It might be added that :lmong the immediate works there | (are a trick melodrama called “The | | Night of January 16,” a play whose a comedy in | appeased. Getting on | waterfront. Merle Oberon and Predric March assume the roles once played by Vilma Banky and Ronald Colman in the silent version of “Dark Angel,” when that story makes its debut as a talking cinema. It will come to Loew’s Pal ace in the near future. There also will be the Phil Lampkin | tenth anniversary Alm, is to have a | Overture, news reels and a comedy “Brewster's Millions.” new screen version of George Barr McCutcheon’s best seller, comes to the Rialto Theater tomorrow, as the second at- traction of the new Tom Moore | regime. Jack Buchanan and Lili Damita, musical comedy and screen | artists, sre starred. The film also | will present a sensational new dance. the “Caranga.” was directed by Thornton Freeland, | who directed “Whoopee” and “Flying Down to Rio.” The Rialto Symphony also will make its first appearance tomorrow, with Creatore, famous band-master, at the helm as “guest conductor.” Clark Gable, enacting the type of two-fisted role whica first won him screen prominence, and Loretta Young are starred in the film version of Jack London’s “Call of the Wild,” adventurous romance scheduled to follow “Steamboat Round the Bend at the Palace. Jack Oakie, in his ‘Buck,” a talented | dog, and many others are in the cast. News reels, a comedy and seiected short subjects also will be on the | program. “Without Regret,’ new Parnmount picture based on ‘he play, “Inter- ference,” by Roland Pertwee, will be the next attraction at the Metropoli- tan. Elissa Landi, Kent Taylor, Fran- cis Drake and Paui Cavanaugh play leading roles. Romance, mystery, blackmail and marder play their parts before the denouement is | reached. The film was directed by Harold Young, who did the direction of Leslie Howard's “Scarlet Pim- pernel.” Selected short subjects and 15 minutes of news events will be in- | cluded on the bill. WE BRING BACK , om"‘ M ' 840 P Tuss.rms 256’ ROCKVILLE PIKE PAST GEORGETOWN PREP. m mm ut o 55¢ ROADSIDE v KEITH/S"-¢ A Washington lmmut ion FRED ASTAIRE - ROGERS «"TOP HAT? S22 IRWING BERLIN. .. EOWARD ARNOLD Adready famous for his charactes nation of "DIAMOND JIM® “Brewster's Millions™ | third downtown week, scheduled to open next Friday at the Columbia. Fredric March plays opposite Garbo in the poignant version of the famed Tolstoi classic, and the cast includes Freddie Bartholomew, Reginald Owen, Reginald Denny, Basil Rathbone, Maureen O’'Sullivan, Phoebe Foster | and others. A complete list of shorts | is included on the Columbia's pro- gram. ? The inside story of an opera star's | | life—her loves and those who loved | her—is promised in “Evensong,” due | | 1o follow “The Man Who Knew Too | | Much” at the Belasco. Evelyn Laye | is starred in the picture, which has | been adapted from both the novel | by Beverly Nichols and the play made from it by Edward Knoblock. Alice Delysia, Fritz Kortner and ‘Emlyn Williams have supporting roles. | Victor Saville directed. | “Diamond Jim,” starring Edward | Arnold in the title role and based on the life of the famous character will follow “Top Hat” at Keith's. | Right now, however, Mr. Fred Astaire | {and Miss Ginger Rogers continue to | do sprightly dances to Mr. Ir\ing~ Ber]ms lilting mus! PHlLADELPHlA ORCHESTRA Announces a series of FOUR EVENING CO:ICERTS A Constitution Hall, Oct Dec. Ma Tickets, ‘$12, uo, 0. 4 T. Arthur Smith ‘o Witi-Hamil Musie Co. M:, hty Triumvirate. LONDONS most popular feminine singing and dancing star, one of Hollywcod's outstanding screen stars, and New York's foremost musical comedy favorite, will share the pro- verbial spotlight in a forthcoming screen extravaganza. Jessie Matthews, Robert Montgomery and Clifton Webb comprise the new triumvirate for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical, “This | Time It's Love.” Bringing Miss Matthews to Holly-‘ | wood is considered the 10-strike of the | | cinema year. The petite and charm- | ing musical comedy star is the wut{ | of the English stage and screen. She | won success in the British musical, | “Evergreen,” and is now making “First | a Girl” in England, after which she will come to Holl)\\ood [ A'l10NAl. SYMPHONY Hans Kindler, Conductor ANNOUNCES 8 Thursday Concerts 12 Sunday Concerts Noted Artists as Soloists A Series of Student Concerts Advance Reservations Now Being Accepted at 1111 Woodward Bids., C. C. Cappel, Manager Benc}fley Agam. \OW that he has succeeded in teach- ing the world “How to Sleep,” Robert Benchley has started a picture expected to be a liberal education in “How to Train a Dog.” Arthur Ripley has been signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to direct the comedian-humorist ir his latest short subject, to be produced by Harry Buc- | quet under the supervision of Harry Rapf, as the second of five short sub- jects in M-G-M's “Miniature” series. GAYETY BURLESK OPENS This Sunday Matinee SEPT. 15th WITH BILLY ARLINGTON and His Own Show - | dreaming that he may be in :m.en:l- | setting is a convent, which the President of the United States makes his appearance, a work | i in which Roland Young appears as | temperamental producer and the | first production in several seasons i by the volatile Jed Harris. anese just as they are about to battle our countrymen. Pacifism probably will be advocated vociferously in sev- eral other plays and America’s Chief Magistrat€ is scheduled for at least two appearances in the coming dramas. Anyway, after “If This Be Treason” the guild will offer its two most reliable stars, Miss Lynn Fon- tanne and Alfred Lunt, in “The Taming of the Shrew,” thus starting off the Shakespearean season in these parts. Another promising guild event will be the musical version of “Porgy,” called “Porgy and Bess,” with a score by George Gershwin and direction by Rouben Mamoulian, who did such a brilliant job with the original pro- duction before he departed for a career in Hollywood. That one-time stepchild and now serious rival of the Guild, the Group | Theater, which has gone definitely left wing, has as its ace the justifiably applauded Mr. Odets, whose career this season will be watched with an interest approaching frenzy. The new Odets play will be “Paradise Lost,” but according to Broadway rumor, it ‘ux not be his only work of the year. It is alleged that he is writing a play for Miss Tallulah Bankhead, and even those of us who would hate to see him wasting his time writing stars’ vehicles will recall that Miss Bank- head is a fine actress in dire need of a good play and thereupon be slightly to additional prospective high spots of the season, 1t should be hastily reported that Maxwell Anderson, who has come closer than any other of the American playvwrights to finding a blank verse idiom suitable to his dramatic needs, has a play called “The Bridge,” that will make the daring attempt to adapt a method that he has hitherto used in historical dramas to a modern story of tramps living along the New York It is an idea that should even cause trouble for an O'Casey. The modern Russian drama will be represented by a translation of “Squaring the Circle,” a Soviet farce, already heralded by this observer as “the Abie's Irish Rose” of the Soviet According to reports, this “Night | of January 16” is a play with a trio _ol third acts. My information is to { the effect that each night a jury will be picked from the audience, and | that after it has voted on the guilt | | of the central character, the act, in keeping with its verdict, will be per- | formed. The season, it is probable, lMll be overrun with plays that strive as earnestly as that to be off the | 'btll?n path, but, since there are so many dramas of potential interest, Of Perfect d Photoplay ACADE C E. Lawrence Phillips’ Theatre Beautiful Matinee, =:00 P. wmnsn BAXTER KETTI GALLIAN in THE_PAMPAS MOON"' Alto NOX FOSTE Rt R CHARLOTT) | HENRY n"VTHE HOBSER BOHOOT. there would be no room here to tell | you of them, even if I had more information than I possess. Faced by the quandary of picking and choos- ing among so many interesting po- tentialities, there is only one thing for me to do and that is to write of a few of them that interest me particularly, in the hope that you may find them of interest also. Of particular importance, the coming dramatization by Sidney Howard of Humphrey Cobb's mag- nificent war novel, “Paths of Glory, Since the production will be made by greatest of war plays, “What Price Glory,” the premiere unquestionublv will be one of the most exciting of | the year, with each person present | ance on a theatrical event equal to | what must have been one of the mos! | exciting events of the modern New | the first performance | | York theater, | of the magnificent Stallings-Anderson | drama. Unfortunately for Mr. Hop- | kins and Mr. Howard, that is a ter- ribly tough handicap for any drama | |to face. Among other things, they will be battling with a great legend. The Theater Guild, which had a | reasonably unhappy time of it last year, will start out with a fighting | pacifist play by John Haynes Holmes, | called “If This Be Treason.” The | drama, it might be reported, is based lon a thesis which may not be re- garded as tenable in all quarters and is to the effect that a peace-loving at Constitution Hall—18th and C l\m EVENING SERIES. 3:30 . — ’ tet (Jevgen. Ba NOW PLAYING HIS FIRST MUSICAL JOEE.BROWN rmer Bros —Furst Nati's Bright Lights - On Stuge = SALICI PUPPETS - Doers Open 1:30 " Bright Lights” Can Aise Be Seen Today, OTHER ACTS ME ROPOLITAN NOW e 2nd Week Downtown ANNAPOLIS FAREWELL Paramount Prctiure wath SN GO STANDING RICKARD OHGERTS‘ Doors Open 1:3¢ == RIALTO === TODAY--Last Day--DOORS OPEN 1:30 HARMONY LANE—SOUTHERNAIRES t=~ BEGINS MONDAY 12 NOON =1 UNITED ARTISTS PRESENTS “with JACK BUCHANAN- Lavish, Upresrieus Comedy—Featuring ““CARANGA” Directed by Thornton Freeland of “Flying Down to Rio” RAL GOLOR CARTOON—3 LITTLE BEARS % [n Person—The Sensational "o CREATORE —~Conducting— RIALTO SYMPHONY — 4 Concerts Dally KATHLEEN LAWLOR—Soloist. 2 in AFT., 2 in EVE. LILA DAM ITA—Star Cast of course, is| Arthur Hopkins, who presented that | __TO TOWN' and HOORAT FOR 1O DUMBARTON ;fi'figmml- Ave, JACKIE SEARL in R oy and_Comedy. ANACOSTIA, D. €. ARLINE JUDGE in COLLEGE SCANDAL ™ 7 FAIRLAWN LAND in' CHARLIE CHAY e muosu'rer' otias. Ma. us_From 2:00 | MIRIAM HOPKINS and FRAII\CES DEE “BECKY SHARP.” Edgar Kennedy Comedy. Metro News. STANTON _runds? s *as Matinee. 2:00 P.M GRACE MOORE | CPAGVE N Fom '"dfiz"o CARRILLO 11 Also NORMAN |Also New “March of Time." TAKOMA 4th and Butternut Sis. No_Parking Treubles Cunnnucus From 3,00 “FRONT PAGE WOMAN i Witn SATORAL ATH COOLING SYETERe HIPPODROME X, Near ot Tods y-Tomo. Joe E. Brown, ‘Alibi Ike.’ mor.-Tues. SHIRLEY TEMPLE in “CURLY TOP.” Feature Approximately 3:45, 5:45, 7:45, 9:45 ARCADE %7 L Tomorrow WARNER BAXTER in “Under Pampas Moon.” RICHMOND ALEXANDRIR. (vi. MARION DAVIES in “PAGE MISS GLORY.” JOE E_BROWN and ANN DVORAK _in “BRIGHT LI B&'l H 8t APOLLO Lincoln_3373 SHIRLEY TEMPLE. "CU! TOP." e E. “CURLY TOP. AVA LON_C"T'T&."’“"" JAMES CAGNEY. PAT O'BRIEN in “IRISH IN US"_Cartoon. - AVENUE GRAND £ IF &% Matinee. 3:00 P.! LORETTA YOUNG, cuAa.x.m BoYER in_* IGHAL " 425 9 bA 0 !L PAT O'BRIEN. MARI TP AGE MISS GLORY 'Dé\ynle'vse i NY fl. Ave. & Farragut SHIRLEY TEMPLE TCUNLY SOP u-un 10296 DICK. K EQWELL, JOAN !Lounl.'u; in SAVOT e gs ot aww a4 LowE. “BLACK » Curlle arlie_Chase Comedy. e 'nvou mu F-nu NW. times R :A"Prl\nggNT?leamv PONDA in GA. Av! nwn WILLIAM POWELLY L i SO APADE - Chece Comads. JESSE THEATER 'S5 245%™ “CURLY TOP,” HIRLEY HN BOLES Comedy. e i3 symnnony SYLVAN Tst and R. L. Ave. N.W, “SHE,” HELEN GAHAGAN lnd RANDOLPH SCOTT. _Comedy. PALM R ® BERNHEIMER’S Y SR R R T BLONDELL. Cartoon.