Evening star. [volume], April 24, 1942, Page C-12, Image 59

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
’Saboteur’ a Clever Thriller,
But Not Mr. H. at His Best
Hitchcock Picture at Keith’s Has Mood
Of Something Far Lighter and
Less Tense Than Its Title
m UT CASMODT.
"Mboteur* m the title of a picture made by Allred Hitchcock has a
•uper sound about It There, you say to yourself, is a theme on which
the melodrama man should spread himself with a lavishness the like of
which one seldom experiences The hero and heroine should be more
heroic than rear before In a Hitchcock picture, the rtliaim more dark
and evil. The suspense should be at least spectacular, the dialogue in*
ordinately brilliant and meaning-*-...—..■
XuL
It to expectation* like tkeee
which make
tha picture,
which opened at
Keith's with *
glittering sort of
world premiere,
d 1 s a p pointing.
The Hitchcock
twees ula has
««a applied
With thedirae
afcffl. the esette
aleak runs high,
the characters
are varied and
sharply drawn,
and ah that sort
of thing, but the fact remains that
the photoplay U not as good as its
title. Sabotage should have been
the special dish of the thrill maker.
Instead It looks like something
warmed over, a melange of cops and
robbers and romance with Freudian
traces, prepared with a kind of cas
ual confidence that It would get by
RIVERSIDE STADIUM
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Nervous. Irritable disposition, re
tarded school work and other
dangerous conditions are often at
tributable to the eyes Consult our
registered optometrist for a ttior
Mgh examination.
M. A. LEE8E
Optical Company
<14 9Hi ST. N.W.
on Its flashes at cleverness. It
doesn’t. Not with us, et least, who
yield to no man In fealty to the
master.
It may be, of course, that the ro
tund English director was trying to
get away from the documentary
flavor inherent In a title such as
“Saboteur.” If that was the case,
he managed a bit over well for the
general tone of the picture is that
of sophisticated comedy which is
never too sophisticated to become
slapstlckiah when the mood de
scends upon the director.
“Saboteur.” which Introduces Rob
ert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, Otto
Kruger and a generally skilled cast,
is a chase story. The chase begins
with a Hie to an aircraft factory in
which the police and F. B. I. with
unbecoming dullness for these times,
jump to the conclusion that the hero
is guilty. To prove that he is not,
he undertakes to traek down the
guilty Nasi agent. That makes the
chase double rich, the hero pursuing
the villain, the police purwing the
hero.
A pursuit like that coven a great
deal of ground—between Lot An
geles and New York to be road
mappiah about it—and it serves the
useful purpose of allowing Hitchcock
to introduce those always pleasantly
wacky characters of his who just
seem to drop into the story. They
include a philosophic truck driver
who keeps himself awake by lectur
ing on the tragedy of marriage, a
blind composer who sees more than
you can, a truculent midget with
Fascist leanings, a pair of Siamese
twins who represent the extremes
of flirtatiousness and deaurenest a
soft-spoken tycoon who loves -his
grandchild as much as he despises
democracy and a doaen others who
flash into and out of the aoene.
m building toward its rather fab
ulous and implausible climax,
Hitchcock’s picture makes constant
use of the trick of setting the audi
ence on the edge of its ssat and
then exploding it into relaxing
laughter. The clever hand of Dor
othy Muter is visible In much of
the dialogue which achieves the pro
portions of pretty understatement
every time that kifld d! Surprise is
liiltitid
Vfe . i V$"Vv i XsOl.
a, A A
.v. *vi v. .. . vxr.
Topical of the suspenseful inci
dent with which “Saboteur” la oven
lald is a sequence in which the
heroine (IQs Lane), held prisoner
In a hotel room, write* a “help,
help” Mia «j» blotter and drops
ture achieves a virtual tewy of
tensity before the note lit-Ms wild
fluttering reaches the ground alter
pausinc an route at the windows of
several curious tenants.
How it cones out is a matter be
tween you and Mr. Hitchcock, which
is also true of what happens during
the long final sequence In which
the hero and vlllaip hold a tete-a
tete in the most fantastic Betting
you ever saw for such an affair.
Hitchcock’s skill in getting the
best possible performance out of his
large cast is manifest in every foot
of “Saboteur.” Even when their
material h flimsy to the point of
transparency, his players are in
there doing their best. The out
standing individual performance is
that of Otto Kroger as the suave,
velvet-voiced ober-saboteur. Not
far behind are Cummings as the
persistent Nasi chaser. Norman
Lloyd as the furtive, foxlike spy and
Clem Bevans as the blind composer.
Thev would be still better in a
more Hitchcock-like picture.
'Day Care of Children' Topic
Dr. Grace Langdan of the W. P.
A., will address a meeting on “War
time Day Care of Children,” spon
sored by the American Women’s
Voluntary Services, at S o’clock to
night in the auditorium of the North
Interior Building.
Where and When
Current Theater* Attractions
and Time of Showing
National — "Hellzapoppin’,” with
Bddie Oarr and Billy House: 8:15
pm.
Screen.
Capital—"Song of the Islands,”
Betty Orable in hula skirts and
technicolor: 11 am.. 1:45. 4:30. 7:15
and 8:65 pm. Stage shows: 13:45,
3:30. 6:15 and 8 pm.
Cefausbia—"Courtship of Andy
Hardy," another episode In the life
of A. Hardy: 10:45 am., 1, 3:10. 5:25,
7:40 and 8:55 pm.
Earle—"Kings Row,” film version
of the dramatic novel: 11 am.,
1:45. 4:30. 7:15 and 10 pm. Stage
shows: 1:10. 4. 6:45 and 8:35 pm.
KeiUi'a—“AQ That Money Can
Buy." film version of “The Devil and
Daniel Webster”: 11:55 am, 2:30,
4:46, 7:15 and 9:40 pm.
LitDe—“Mayerling," the intense
Ranch drama in another visit: 11
am, 13:45. 2:30, 4:15, 6:06, 7:56 and
•:45 pm.
MiSiapalllan "The Fleet's In.”
with Dorothy Lamour to greet it.
11 am, 1:05, 3:15, 5:38, 7:35 and
•:40 pm.
Falaoe—rDo the Shores of Trip
oli.” the U. 6. Marines in action:
10:45 am, 12:56, 5:10, 6:30, 7:35 and
0:50 pm
Ftp—“Parti Calling,'* with r*—
bath Bergner: a, 4:«. 8:54, 7:55 and
•:Si pm
Tvaas-f ■» — Neva and sharta;
eonttnuoue froas 14 am
t
PORTRAIT OF A HAPPY MAN—Director Alfred Hitchcock
clowns for cameramen as Mrs. Hitchcock smiling looks on, at
Wednesday nights world premiere of his newest film, "Sabo
teur,” now at Keith’s. • —Star Staff Photo.
'Star-Spangled Special’
Starts Its Tour Sunday
By HSaOID BKFTEBNAK.
HOLLYWOOD.
Most glittering glamour show over put on tour will be tha Hollywood
Victory Caravan, which trains out Sunday night with at least a aeon
of the screen's top stars.
Opening, in Washington, next Thursday night, the group will stage
I-hour shows In each of the following cities:
May 1, Boston; May 2, Philadelphia; May 2, Cleveland; May B,
Detroit; May 6,vChlcago; May 8, St/
Louis; May 9 (afternoon), St. Paul;
evening, Minneapolis; May 10, Des
Moines; May 11, Dallas and May 13,
Houston.
Charles Boyer, Spencer Tracy,
Pat . O’Brien, Merle Oberon, James
Cagney, Claudette Colbert and Joan
Bennett will carry the dramatic
burden. Vocally, there will be rise
Stevens, Desi Ames, Ray Middleton
and Frances Langford. And for
fun; Bob Hope (master of cere
monies). Laurel and Hardy, Char
lotte Greenwood. Bert Lain*. Jerry
Coloua, and Harpo Marx.
The company, composed of 80
people, will travel in a train known
as the “Star Spangled Special.”
And for once, there will be no
tempest over "billing* The start
have premised to appear in what
ever order the show’s manager
deems most fitting. . Pint one to
pout, according to a pledge signed
by.-all, will purchase a $8,000 war
bond td-T* handed over to a charit
able organization in the city where
|be'“incident” occurs;
_ • * * * a'
. Errol Flynn revealed today that
he has been turned down twice by
Naval medical examiners because
Of a leaky heart. The rollicking
bladesman of “Robin Hood” and
Other swashbuckling spies is under
going treatments which the doctor
assuree will put him in shape for
Uncle Sam. '
“For Whoa the Bell Tell*” may
draw another postponement. Sam
Wood, scheduled to direct, is still
toiling over “Pride of the Yankees”
for Sam Goldwyn. A month of* re
takes looms for the Lou Gehrig life
story.
Most profound set-pacer in town
is brooding Charles Boyer. When he
reports for work in the morning.
Boyer never leaves the set until
AMUSEMENTS.
* - ■ --
evening. All his time between
scenes and setups is spent walking
to and fro, arms behind his back,
lips moving mutely as he memo
rizes those romantic lines.
Who was it said the screen! lead
ing ladies would be forced into sim
ple, standardised wardrobe, in keep
ing with wartime dress? Maybe
Judy Garland wasn't listening. She
wears 29 different outfits and IS
different hair dresses in “Me and
My Cal*
After "Roxy Hart," in which he
wasn’t so good as usual, the story
tot out that Adolphe Menjou was
retiring. Hollywood’s male clothes
hone blasted the rumor by coming
to this point* “A guy that retires
always cracks up—and X ain’t ready
to eraek up Just yet!”
(Battand by the Worth Aatriesn
_Wbwieapat Alliance, tee.)
AMUSEMENTS.
*■■■■ I
HOTEL WAMHOTOH
■ALL or NATIONS BAlXBOOM
Triitr A IuIh SSc—lAtirtey SSS
AM Rtstw Clok—Tltlten Wk»M
I
■
”PrOTHESHOIfESofTRIPOU”l
At*
1
You who n» "REBECCA* ond f«lt
You «♦» saw "SUSPICtONT and Wt
•motion—TO YOU eomor fSABQfTEUR^* ,
J
Capitol’s Latest Another
Musical Travel-Folder
‘Song of the Islands* Has Times,
Betty Grable and Technicolor;
A1 Trahan Is Stage Star
•r uitr mmutrijk.
Reporting on the average Twentieth Century-Ita lavish musical
wtth technicolor. Betty Grable and hundreds of gorgeous (iris,
is. you Should be taM^ ao easy task. By the time the reviewet is back at
the efBea lacing his typewriter he usually can remember nothing that
has happened to him in the past couple of hours, during which Hie has
asaamd Just a (hill thud. And the brief snatches of the picture he does
recall, Mae Interludes In a dream tn-<
dosed by u»ei indulgence is chilled
borscht and sour cream, hardly seem
worth mentioning.
There is, for instance, if we can
only get over this yawning spell, this
affair called "Seng of the Islands,"
which opened yesterday at Loew’s
Capitol. "Song of the Islands" Is
another of Mr. Darryl Zanuek's mu
sicals of the travel-folder school.
The locale this time is a tiny isle
In the Hawaiian group, though a
foreword, obviously added after
Pearl Harbor, Identifies it as one of
the “Tropical Islands" in spit* of
the fact that the natives keep
■treating the point that they are
Hawaiian*.
That's the locale complete with'
scenery. Quaint customs, tones about
fish and pal, and Hollywood hula
glrlg dragged in brawn paint, black
wigs and cellophane grass skirts.
The plot is "Romeo and Juliet,"
with slight overtones of a miner
ease history of Freud’s—the one
about the girl who slugs a man and
shout* “I hate you!” every time she
sees him because she loves him so
much.
The Romeo and Juliet on an is
land an Victor Mature and* Miss
Grable and those who pant for
tall, dark men or thin, blond worn
1 Doors Opm lOfcl.fn.
The Town they Talk about in Whisper*
•MKft Met'm sweats* CHARLES COBURN
wauoe Kains • juqiui AiKMrson - Nancy uoteman t
KAMCN Vf*NC • MAMA.ONSamSMM • IIMIrr BAVINFSKT
From the Novel by I
HENRY BELLAMANN
* Plus On Stag* 6 -
JERRY COOPER
Radio's Romantic Baritone Singing Star
ARTHUR MURRAY DANCERS
GEORGE PRENTICE • RQXYETTES
iccount tor mow lively mo
And they art certainty a
to the other and more
• * * *
Ob the Captol* atop to the well
known vaudeville veteran. A1 Tra
han. with a new partner—and the
amt act. Audit la sttB one of the
funnier acta to be seen an the va
riety nape today• Ml of lively and
•art of refined slapstick.
Others on the Capitol stare are
i
till
a Wm Lois Andrews, who is weQ
known as the wile el Oeergi Jeaeei,
. anni
wit CGTOtulaa, Ind wno mmw can
sine; Adriana and Charley, tttmpe*
tins artiste; the Mhteahys, har
moments. and the Rhythm Boskets.
AMCTMUM.
Bay Mnm BmA or4 Stamps
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Ik INK •/ Mmv ******
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new m nn naim
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