Evening star. [volume], June 18, 1954, Page A-28 *, Image 28

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

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A-28 *
THE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. C.
WUPAT, JTO» It, lIK
The Passing Show
Them' Full of Giant Ants,
But We Escape Somehow
By Jay Carmody
Don’t worry about the kids In this community.
There they all were yesterday, the first day of summer
vacation, studying entomology at the Metropolitan Theater.
Yes, entomology!
That’s theme, roughly, of “Them,” a chiller which has to do
with how we all are likely to*
be devoured by a gigantic species
of ants. Humanity dying in. the ]
unloving mandibles of ants 15 i
feet long represents a pretty j
rigorous introduction to -ento
mology but the youngsters ap
parently liked the idea as much
as Warner Bros., the producers,
thought they would.
As a matter of fact, it may
turn out to be 'the one thing
some of them remember late next
September when they settle
down to write that Inescapable
essay: What I did on my sum- :
mer vacation.
** * *
Os the pronoun-titled movies, ,
“It,” “She” and “I, the Jury.”
“Them” is the one most likely
to be the least forgettable.
Its setting is the desert ad
jacent to Alamogordo, N. Mex.,
where mankind passed its final
exam in nuclear fission. This
location is no accident. In fact,
the whole script is based upon
the thesis that the explosion of
this first atom bomb left the
desert full of radiation deposits
on which the ants fed until they
became twice as big as Gorgeous
George.
The subduing of this destruc
tive horde, which multiplies like
ants naturally, is left in “Them”
to Edmund Gwenn. Gwenn, de
spite a background of playing
Santa Claus, fun-loving guard
ian angels and types like that,
turns out to be just the man to
battle the ants.
His role is that of a mild little
Department of Agriculture en
tomologist who knows more
than the police, the FBI, the
Army and the Air Force. These,
which look as edible to a giant
ant as, say, a Powers model or
Marilyn Monroe, unhesitatingly
put themselves under the com
mand of Gwenn.
Naturally, nearly everybody is
saved or there would not have
been anyone left to see “Them.”
** * *
As a chiller should, "Them”
sticks closely throughout to- its
basic material. It shows the
huge terrifying ants rising from
the floor of the desert to devour
Where and When
Current Theater Attractions
And Time of Showing
Stage.
Arena—“ Room Service"; 8:30
p.m.
Carter Barron Amphitheater—
“H. M. S. Pinafore”; 8:30 p.m.
National “South Pacific”;
8:20 p.m.
Olney “Outward Bound”;
8:40 p.m.
Screen.
Ambasador—“Them”; 1, 3:10,
6:20, 7:30 and 9:40 p.m.
Capitol “The Student
Prince”; 11 a.m., 1:10, 3:20, 5:30,
7:40 and 9:50 p.m.
Colombia—“ The Long Walt”;
11:45 a.m., 1:45, 3:45, 5:45, 7:45
and 9:45 pjn.
Dupont—“ The Captain’s Para
dise”; 1, 2:45. 4:30, 6:15, 8:05
and 9:55 pm.
Keith’s “Drums Across the
River”; 11:55 a.m., 1:55, 3:55,
5:55, 7:55 and 9:55 p.m.
Little— “Stalag 17”; 5:45. 7:50
and 10 p.m.
MacArthur “The Pickwick
Papers”; 7:05 and 9:30 p.m.
Metropolitan “Them”; 11:55
a.m.; 2:20. 4:45, 7:15 and 9:40
p.m.
Ontario—“ Hans Christian An
dersen”; 1, 3:05, 5:15, 7:30 and
9:40 p.m.
Palace—“ Three Coins in the
Fountain”; 11:10 a.m., 1:15, 3:25,
6:35. 7:45 and 9:50 pm.
Playhouse—“ Knock on Wood”;
11:15 am., 1:20, 3:20,-6:25, 7:30,
9:40 and 11:40 pm.
Plaza—“ One Summer of Hap
piness”; 11 a.m., 12:45, 2:25,
4:10, 5:50, 7:40, 9:25 and 11:15
pm.
Trans-Lux “The French
Line”; 11 am., 12:55, 2:50, 4:45,
6:40. 8:35 and 10:30 pm.
Warner—“ This Is Cinerama”;
1 and 8:40 pm.
BarroiT^opmiWjTEjfl
AMPHITHEATER MMjmlimim
V 16th Street and
Colorado Are. N.W. . . . .
i American Savoyard*
Present...
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
1 All Performances Start Promptly at t:3O P.M. I
All Seats Reserved, $1.25, $1.75, $2.50
OHS The Fdkb "CANCINC WATERS'
g i)UUUU^»>uUuO(i , oUUUUUiUjU> *Uxit Wgfrtjt
: fcOMING JUNE 21$t thru JULY Bth l
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HOWARD MITCHELL CONDUCTING ]j,
JUNE 21*t—DOROTHY KIRSTEN, Guest Scloist < .
JUNE 23rd—ETHEL SMITH, Outstanding Organist 5 ;
• 5 JUNE 25H»—ANNA RUSSELL, Internat. Concert Comedienne £ : I
i JUNE 27th —JAN PEERCE, Tenor ond HERVA NELLI, Soprano { -
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* JULY 3rd—MISCHA ELMAN, The Distinguished Violinist £ '
■ t JULY Sth—GERSHWIN NIGHT, featuring SANROMA, ) >
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• ; JULY 7th— ROBERTA PETERS, Coloratura Soprano of the V (
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All Seats Reserved • Prices $1.25-1.75 - 2.50 - 3.00 > ’
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(TICKETS NOW ON SALE at . . .
SUPER MUSIC CITY BOX OFFICE
1350 P Street N.W. ST. 3-3916 or NA. 8-679»
Opt" Daily 9 AM. to 5 PM.
At the Amphithtat er Box Office after 6 PM. Phone TU. 2-9754
► —1 ■ 11 *' •*
” * Warner Brother* picture,
produced by David Weiebart, directed by
Gordon Douglas. screenplay by Ted Bher
deman. adapted by Busaefl Huches from
a story by Gcorse Worthing Yates. At
the Ambassador and Metropolitan.
The Cast.
Serst. Ben Peterson ..James Whitmore
Dr Harold Medford..Edmund Gwenn
Dr. Patricia Medford Joan Weldon
Robert Graham Jsmes Arness
Bri*. Gen. O’Brien Onslow Steven*
Major Klbbee Sean McClory
Ed Blackburn Chris Drake
A Little Girl .. . .Sandy Descher
Mrs. Lodge Mary Ann Hokanson
Capt. of Troopers Don Shelton
Crottv __ FBU PATK€r
Jensen .V.T-V.V.----.--01tn Howlln
man and all his works until
Entomologist Gwenn comes up
with his plan to fill their under
ground lairs with cyanide. This
is quite a victory for insect
pathology, but it is too quick to
satisfy the requirements of a
movie called “Them.”
Before the audience . has a
chance to draw a deep breath,
it turns out that two flibberty
gibbet ant queens were out on
the town, or the desert, with
their drone friends the night of
the big ant killing. They have
to be tracked down before the
picture ends. Happily they are
just before there becomes no
further need for Army. Navy and
Air Force appropriations, or
pressure to get a commission for
anyone.
With ants of such drawing
power as these, Warner Bros,
might have skimped on cast
costs in the production of
“Them.” To its credit, it did
nothing of the kind. It gener
ously hired not only Actor
Gwenn, but such others as
James Whitmore, Joan Weldon,
James Arness and Onslow Ste
vens, among others.
Miss Weldon plays the ento
mologist daughter of Gwenn and
if the ants ever do come, she’s
a girl whose telephone number
you perhaps should have.
** * *
DOTS BEFORE YOUR EYES:
Nicest party of the week was that
given by the Zoo’s Dr. and Mrs.
William Mann for the “South
Pacific” children. . . . These are
Orland and Elsie Rodriguez, who
turned out to have two younger
sisters, making five Rodriguezes
with Father, a chemist when he
is not on duty with his profes
sional youngsters. . . . The Rod
riguezes could not stay for the
arrival of the Zoo’s new sea ot
ters, but a dramatic critic could
and did. .. . The sea otters
have quite an act. . . . Inciden
tally, the Zoo restaurant is
one where you can get 'a sec
ond cup of coflee at no ex
tra Charge. . . . That Black
Angus herd on the way to Olney
theater that was mentioned here
last Sunday is the R. H. Mc-
Keever one. ... It lives a couple
of miles east of the theater, on
Route 182. . . . The bull’s name,
which we could not remember
when some people asked about
the herd, suddenly comes back
to us as Eric.... Only other bull
whose name we know is a white
face Hereford called lago, who’s
about as treacherous as a Cocker
Spaniel puppy. ... To set the
record straight, this column
erred in reporting the only team
ever beaten by “South Pacific’s”
softball players was the “Peter
Pan” nine. . . . The S. P.’s also
own victories over a long-dead
“Stalag 17” company, and the
stage hands of Chicago’s Shubert
theater
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SAILORS’ FROLIC—Mary-Ellen Thompson, as Buttercup, and
Glenn Wilder, as the Boatswain, meet in Gilbert and Sulli
van’s "H. M. S. Pinafore,” the final production of the American
Savoyards in the Carter Barron Amphitheater . Performances
will be given at 8:30 p.m. today and tomorrow.
Hollywood Diary:
Is Groucho Married?
Sheilah Says No
By Sheilah Graham
HOLLYWOOD.
Arthur Marx, Groucho’s son,
is asking friends if his dad is
married to Eden Hartford. The
answer from Europe is "no.”
Terry Moore is weeping into
her Bikini at 20th-Fox—they’re
putting Rita Moreno into her
parts. Rita just snared “Un
tamed,” and I hear Terry wants
a release.
“My Friend Irma” will go on
film without a sponsor. ... New
television shows for the fall:
“The Great Gildjersleeve,” “Baby
Snooks,” “On the Farm”
(teaches city boys how to milk
cows and feed chickens) ,■ “Med
ic” —the medical “Dragnet,”
“The Chrysler Hour” and “Show
boat.”
Dick Haymes, Rita and his
mother were a somber three
some at the El Morocco t’other
night. . . . Jeff Chandler’s first
love is writing music, not acting.
. . . Bill Holden has had his
phone disconnected, even his
friends can’t reach him.
** * *
John Wayne wants books from
his friends as presents. Ex-wife
Chata took the library when they
parted. ... Is there trouble with
the Audie Murphys?
June Allyson says it was
nothing new to see a California
driver win the Indianapolis
Speedway race. With the tough
driving in California, he had a
big advantage.
Though Janis Paige is reported
romancing with John Hodiak in
New York, she told a Gotham pal
she’s lonesome. . . . Tough-guy
Richard Widmark will not fly in
Say Ridge geacA
1 flay
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Central Ave. over South Riv- « <wlElWflM wC#Q / /l
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Churches and Organlaatlona. — -r—zjrW lWdt/ t , \ •
7:-. ■■ '•> • •
MIDNIGHT SHOW TOWICHTI
4koC
POSITIVELY ENDS THURSDAY!
“Go see ‘Pickwick Papers’ and
B enjoy yourself!
gJik
airplanes. In private life Dick
is a gentle lamb. -
Ernest Hemingway is writing
a bullfight story for Ava Gard
ner and her bullfighter. There
are a lot of “bull” stories around
—on movie screens, that is. .. .
Gary Moore refers to radio as
“an unhappy medium.”
** * *
Fred Mac Murray, in his 20th-
Fox dressing room, told me:
“The new house is out of es
crow, and June (Haver) is there
now, bringing in the furniture.
Fred leaves Monday for Jackson
Hole, Wyoming, location work
for his Lewis and Clark picture.
“We’ll combine it with a honey
moon,” he said—so, it is safe
to assume June Haver will be
come Mrs. Fred Mac Murray this
week end.
(Releeeed by NANA.)
NATIONAL c -’ [HOW)
AMERICA’S FIRST THEATRE
Prompt Curtain Eves 8:t0 Mats t:80
Seats Available All Performances
Evet.. $4.40, 3.85, 3.30 and 2.20
Mai. Wed. & Sat.. 53.30, 2.75, 2.00, 1.65
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«V 90 min. es tinging, dancing V
I 8 comedy with • cent of 30 1
\ 2 shows nightly 8
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AIR-CONDITIONED j;
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<! Washington’* Meet Exciting ' [
I; Stage chews ... , >
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“THE MAMBO KING”
& HIS QUINTET
★ Boss Man of Hi# Blues >
JOE TURNER
★ SYNCOPATED SENSATIONS
THE SPIDERS
★ JACKIE "MOMS" <\
MABELY
: I AND MANY OTHERS j |
I! NOW THRU THURSi
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Crawl-and
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take its place l
JAMES WHITMORE • f OMUNO GWENN
IQAH WELDOR - JAMES ARNESS
METROPOLITAN
NOW at .Qnollxn. -*tl4»U
coot AMBASSADOR
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the picture =
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|§T% TODAY
1 p.m. & 8:40 p.m.
I 1 p.m. $1.20 and 51.75 .
EJaffWm 8:40 pm. $175 and $2 60
gft * tax inc
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Produced by LESSER SAMUELS • Directed by VICTOR SAVILLE • Screenplay by ALAN GREEN and LESSER SAMUELS HR
A Parklane Picture • RELEASED THRU UNITED ARTISTS
Opon 10:45 COLUMBIA I li^S^CONDmONiS^
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DOORS OPEN 10:45 AM.
10:45 A Sb&tS 1
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your eyes will sparkle
.... 3 and twinkle
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I with a laugh and a tear
a when you see
«20th Century-Fox presents the
love story behind the love song that’s sweeping the nation l
From a wonderful screen ploy by Pulitzer Prize Winner JOHN PATRICK starting
CLIFTON WEBB • DOROTHY McGUIBE • JEAN PETERS
LOUIS JOURDAN-MAGGIE McNAMARA-ROSSANO BRAZZI
Color by Deluxe • In the wonder of 4-Track. High-Fidelity Stereophonic Sound
~ w . COMFORTABLY - AIR CONDITIONED
OPEN 10:45 PALACE u*