The Washington times. [volume], July 16, 1928, Page 8, Image 8

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8
REPORTS ON NEW FILMS BY OUR CORPS OF EXPERT REVIEWERS
GRIBBLE PLAY
SLATED FOR
FALL
A new play by Harry Wagstaff
Grible entitled "Revolt” will come
to New York late in October. The
piece already has been produced
with an amateur cast in the
Brooklyn Little Theater under the
title of “The Gambler ” . .
Mr. Gribble himself played the
leading role on that occasion. It
was then decided to change the
title and do a "bit of rewriting.
The story has been called a "sen
sitive study of a modern fandly of
young people under the yoke of
an old-fashioned religion and a
solution of/the.r problems accord
ing to the more modern religious
thought of the day.’.’
"Revolt” will travel the road for
two weeks before the Broadway
premiere. it is sponsored by
William Powell, this being his
first production. .Mr. Poweii lias
been the silent backer of various
theatrical ventures. Mr. Gribble
wrote "March Hares” and other
plays.
Synthetic Orient
In spite es the fact that' Wil- '
Ham Haines’ new picture, “Tell
ing the World/’. now playing at
X<oew*s Palace, has some of the
scenes laid in China, the picture
is an American-made product.
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THE WASHINGTON TIMES CO.
1317 H ST. N. W. MAIN 5260
sgr
I Watch This Space! |
. Tomorrow, bright and early, this
department begins publication,
serially, of its big expose of the
outdoor resorts, in and near
Washington.
The first to cringe under our
verbal lashing—ah, how- that
phrase takes us back to court re
porting days.—will be none less
than Meyer Davis, whoee La
Paradis was visited by our coni
mittee on Theatrical Night.
We suspect that the first chap
ter of the expose will cause Mr.
Hardie Meakin. master of cere
monies. to shrink, although that
would be really dangerous to one,
of Mr. M’s stature. •
Now we’ve given away entirely
too much of our big secret. We
advise you all not to mise an
issue of The Times during our
flaying of these establishments of
the Great Outdoors.
The Rialto 'iTteater is dark this
week, and the cobwebs won’t be
brushed away until fall, when the
Ninth Street house will open with
‘ a new policy of entertainment.
Corbin Sheild, the Rialto’s press
‘contact man, reports he has no
inkling of what the new policy
will be, but we will venture a
modest Wager that it Includes
TWB WASHINGTON TIMES
Carl Laemmle’s new talking pic
tures.
The first intimation of the new
season’s offerings in town comes
from the offices of Horace Live
right x ...
It is an announcement that
Raymond Huntley J has been
signed to play the title role in
the Bram Stoker thriller which
perceptibly reduced spinal tem
peratures of New York playgoers
during the past season.
"Dracula” begins a road tour
in Atlantic City September 47,
and is to play at the National
during the week of October 28.
Our own Monta Bell, formerly
of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and lately
heard of as seeking New York
backing for Independent film pro
ductions, has signed up with
Paramount as production execu
tive of the big company’s Long
Island studio.
He will have supervision over
a number of sound pictures on
the Paramount program. This
is a definite step upward for
Monta, and again we have an
opportunity of taking our favor
ite line out of stock and printing:
"Local Boy Makes Good.”
Movietone Star
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GERTRUDE LAWRENCE
THE PRETTY British star es
the late "Chariot’s Revue” and
"Oh. Kay”—the girl who made
“Limehouse Blues” famous—is
singing one of her best songs for
Movietone at the Fbx this week,
In her own inimitable comedy
manner. ’
[HOLLYWOOD!
CLOSENM
UPS
w CRENE nm
(Copyright, 1925. King Features
Syndicate, lac.)
HOLLYWOOD, July If—“lt
will soon be ‘lilac time’ in Holly
wood,” according to a thousand
billboards of violent violet hue.
This cryptic message means that
on Monday night there’ll be a hot
old time in the old town. At least
so far as Colleen Moore and First
National are concerned.
For it’s on Monday that Col
leen’s picture, “Lilac Time.” opens
at the Carthay Circle Theater,
with the biggest burst of phyro
technics that the old sober-fddes
Cinema City has seen for many an
eon, so to speak. This premiere Is
to have more pep than a pepper
tree.
Conrad Nagel will introduce
Mayor Jimmy Walker, and Mayor
Tlimmy will introduce Colleen. Just
as though any of the three needed
an introduction. The picture is
one of the most pretentious Col
leen has ever made. And, far from
being a comedy, it is as emotional
as a sob-sister. Colleen has Put
her whole heart In the picture and
it’s sure to be good.
George Fitzmaurice, who directed
“Lilac Time,” is back home after
a Gotham vacation with Mrs.
Fitz, who used to be Diana Kane.
And I understand that the ace di
rector is all set to plunge into im
mediate activity on the megaphone
work of "Changeling,” in which
Dorothy Mackaill will star. The
story is by Don Byrne, the talent
ed Irishman, whose recent tragic
death caused a thousand friends to
mourn.
Another returned prodigal for
whom the fatted calf will be slain
is Jane Winton, who is back from
an European chase in which she
hit all the high spots. The very
highest, perhaps, was when tho
sloe-eyed Jane flew from Paris to
Berlin. Jane's hubby, Charles
Kenyon, the writing man, met
her with truckloads of flow
ers. Jane looks great; she got
a big kick out of Europe. And
quite doubtless, Europe got a big
kick out of Jane.
Ernest Lubitsch told me that he
got the idea for “The Last Com
mand’’ from a conversation with
Karl Kitchen. That he passed it
along to Joe Sternberg, and that
in due course it reached tne
screen with Jannings as its hero.
But ail these statements are dis
puted by one Roman Jordansky,
who is suing Emil and Paramount
for SIOO,OOO.
The noble Roman charges that
the story was submitted by him
way back in '27 under the song
suggesting title "Down on the
Volga River.” In addition to tho
hundred grand. Jordmsky wants
to cut in on all the profits from
the picture Suits alleging nla
garlsm have worked great harm
against free-lance screen writers
for the studios in self protection
don’t even open envelopes con
taining manuscripts from un
known writeis.
Jimmy Walker really did 'an
pe“r u at the Club”
which is an organization of ambi
tious persons who rise early and
eat together at 8 a. m. Our James
thought they’d been out all ni-ht
He arrived a week and 45 minutes
late, and when they tendered him
to act in the mov
he said there was a trick in th*
contract because it specified he
must show up on time. The
mayor has Hollywood’,, heart in
L ,ock V; and !* beins K’oHouslv
feted. Even Hollywood boule
vards hung with bunting and wel.
come signs. \
Herald P * today’• Time. %nd
The National Daily
ROGERS FUNNY
IN "STEER”
'AT MET
Will Rogers break krto th®
movies, whizbang fashion, in a
clever comply, “The Texas Steer
now showing at th *
Theater. The versatile humorist
and columnist not only contributes
a convincing. character portrayal,
hut he supplies the with
innumerable clever sub-titles, wise
cracks, if you will, which provide
much of the subtle humor of the
performance.
Rogers a* Brander. a Texas cat
tleman, is elected to Congress, un
beknownst to himself, through the
ambitious management of his wtte,
who is none other than the in
imitable Louise Fazenda, Three
not-too-particular citizens, headed
by Mack Swain, are uproariously
funny as the gentlemen who fix
it up “Ma” Brandere political
aspirations are of course all for
their charming daughter, Ann
Rork, who has fallen in love with
a young Washingtonian, Douglas
Fairbanks, jr.
. Brander is finally persuaded to
accept the honor, providing as he
puts it, his friends never tell a ny*
one around home where he is. On
arrival in the Capital he joins the
biggest circus in the land to para
phrase his own statement.
Thereafter a series of amusing
and clever take-off on Congress
men, provide a thoroughly enter
taining story, with just enough
plot to keep going and plenty of
satirical humor to prep up. Rogers
loses nary an opportunity of ridi
culing the ways of Congress, in
his subtle fashion, much to the
enjoyment of the audience.
The many scenes in and around
Washington add to the interest of
local theater-goers, as the Capital
City provides all too seldom the
locale for motion pictures.
A Sennett comedy, good for a
laugh or two, and a diversified
news reel round out the bill. The
Metropolitan Orchestra with Alex
Poluos, conducting, presents a
tuneful musical program.—H. K.
BARTHELMESS
ANDNEWM.C.
AT EARLE
Come on. girls (and boys, too.)
there’s a brand new master of
ceremonies down at the Earle
this week (he said for this week,
only, but we don’t know) whose
name is Nelson, Charlie Nelson, and
he has a new bag of tricks and a
flying baton; we saw the show
twice and the baton left his hand
not less than three times, but
then what need has Charlie for a
time stick when he can get music
out of that Earle Stage Band with
one little finger. All through
those two performances, we won
dered who it was that you re
minded us of, Mr. Charlie Nelson,
and after the second rendition of
the Tiger (?) number the hands
of that master of rhythmic per
suasion. Paul Ash, flashed. Give
the boy a hand!!!
The Stanley Company of Amer
ica presents “The Garden Party,”
a beautifully set stage, and a
versatile group of boys and girls
for your pleasure. The most pre
tentious number is the Marie-Mac-
Quarrie Harp Ensemble, a group
of five harpists in an
setting, playing with and without
orchestral accompaniment. This
is a real treat and an unusual
booking for the picture house
presentations. This number is
augmented by the Incidental sing
ing of the charming Lorette Lee
spd the ballet dancing of Alsi
G’-lms. Arthur Ball, popular tenor
of both Mr. White’s and Mr. Zieg
feld’s revues, gave us some ex
cellent selections In his clear
ringing voice and we wish to ex
tend to him our thanks for his
perfect enunciation, for we missed
not a word and from the rear of
the house, too! Dolores and Eddy
do some eccentric turns and Miss
Ermanette shows us some new
twists with the violin.
The screen features the new
Richard Barthelmesa picture.
•‘Wheel of Chance.” seemingly
based on the Fannie Hurst story
“Roulette.” The picture affords
the star magnificent scope for his
talents. x ,
Twin brothers, seperated in
childhood, during the red tempest
that was Russia a few years
back, meet in manhood on the
floor of 0 court-room, the one
prosecuting the other for murder.
The details connecting the thread
of the story are Intensely inter
esting and the ending, though
rather abrupt, only lends more
character to the plot.
While Barthelmess is the star
and the picture in his, he steps
back graciously during those
sequences in which Bodil Rosing,
as his mother, appears, for there is
a gentleness and sincerity about
her characterization that definitely
establishes her as an artist.
Barthelmess only adds to his
many ’aurels in this new film. A
duel role at best is not easy and
to so portray two different char
acters in such a manner as to
leave not a trace of one in the
other is proof sufficient of artis
try.
Lina Banquette is capable. In a
mild role, as Is Margaret Living
ston in a more potent one. War
ner Gland, also gives a satisfac
tory interpretation
While a comedy Is billed, we
missed it from the two shows we
saw, however, there is a news
reel’ of varied Interest, showing
Mr. Smith one lap ahead of Mr.
Hoover in the weekly pictorial
check-up!
An all around excellent program
that you most certainly will en
joy!—T. K. T.
Tillies in “Skirts”
London's most sensational danc
ing act. th® Tiller Girls, appear
In a gorgeous night club se
quence in “Skirts.” Syd Chaplin's
latest comedy, now p® lying at
Loew’s Columbia. It Is th® first
time thia group of English girls
have even been shown on the
American screen.
MONDAY, JULY 16, 1928
I -
Lawrence Grossmlth, who came
to this country from ‘.England to
appear with Billie Burke In “The
Happy Husband,” sailed home on
the Majestic with Lee Shubert,
is understood they are to con
sult the author of a play in which
Mr. Grossmlth will appear next
season under the Shubert man
agement.
There ha* been a goodfdeal of
doubt lately as to Mr. Grossmith’s
status with the Actor’s Equity
Association, a ruling effective
November 1 bars alien actors
from appearing in an American
theater unless they shall have
played 100 weeks or any part
thereof during the interval from
January 1, 1923, to January 1,
1928. A meeting of the executive
council Tuesday decided to allow
Mr. Grossmlth to appear in this
country until November 1. , Alien
actors or actresses who have not
appeared here in five years are
barred.
It was explained at the office
of Equity that there is po inten
tion to exclude those residing
temporarily in this country. Mr.
Grossmlth and Mr. Shubert will
return early in August. Mrs.
Grossmlth will remain at the
home Mr. Grossmlth has leased
at 242 East Nineteenth St.
Knute Rockne, football coach of
Notre Dame, will appear a week
from tonight In “Good News.” He
will be host to Olympic athletes
who are going with him to
Europe. Rockne assisted In stag
ing the football scenes of “Good
News.”
George White is turning his
attention to “Manhattan Mary,"
his last year's success. A road
company featuring Ed. Wynn as
the star is to l>e gotten ready
for a tour. Rehearsals are to
commence late this month.
Vera Allen, who once did an
immensely effective personation
of Chryetal Hearne in “Craig’s
Wife," and who 1s now prom
inently engaged in “The Grand
“trert Follies,” will have the role
of Sharon Falconer in “Elmer
Gentry” when the play is done at
the Playhouse in August. Joseph
E. Shea is- named as the pro
ducer, but William A. Brady is, ■
of course, interested in the pro
duction.
Miss Allen will have the role
played in Cleveland in the play’s
original presentation by Adele
Klear. Edwin Pawley; the origi
nal Gantry and a man who surely
seems to have equipment for the
part, will appear here. Rehear
sals begin thia week.
Having completed her fort
night at the Palace Theater, Eva
Le Gallienne,- founder arid di
rector of the Civic Repertory
Theater, has left on a brief va
cation in the Connecticut hills.
This is the first summer In
many years that Miss Le Gal
lienne has not taken ship for
Europe, but her increasing re
sponsibiillties with the expanding
plans of the theater in Four
teenth Street have made it neces
sary for her to keep in touch
with headquarters. She will re
turn to the city about the
middle of August to begin re-,
hearsals for next season.
FOX GIVES US
EXCELLENT
BILL
A splendidly arranged and
artistic stage bill supplemented
by an unusual nhotoplay Is com
manding no little attention at
tho Fox this week, the former
bringing to the footlights the
inimitable song-writer, Gits Rice,
and his “Royal Mounted Singers”
and the diminutive dancer. Na
tacha' Nattova. both of which acts
share equally in the majority ap
plause. The picture, “Husbands
for Rent.” starring Helene Cos
tello and Owen Moore, might
have proved another cinema mis,
take had it not been for a scen
arist clever enough to cob-web
entangling domestic alliances.
But—things do not move at all
slowly throughout the bill. There
is plenty of action, all of it diver
sified and tasty. Gitz Rice’s
“Dear Old Pal of Mine,” “Buddy,”
and “Hinky, Dinky Paries Vous”
are choice morsels of war days
the Royal Mounted bring back
afresh. In the Rice act there is
also Marie Le Petite and a male
board stepper of no mean ability.
You’ll also want to hear Rice’s new
number. “Magnolia Girl,” put over
with a bang.
“In a Gypsy Camp,” by the
Washington Salon Singers, (Sam
uel Korman, concert master of
the orchestra at the violin) is
everything that might be asked
of anything Stebbins-arranged.
It is a pleasant bit of entertain
ment In a pleasant setting.
Na tacha Nattova’s “The Moth
and the Flame” dance is typical
of this young international star
and has its thrills from entrance
to exit. It is comparable to none,
because only Nattova can do it
with such perfect precision and
excellency.
The photoplay is certainly with
out plot, though not lacking in
much definite action of the didac.
tic type. Two romances start
out fairly pretty, then take a
sudden, twist for the bad, about
face and end happily. The prin
cipal work Is done hv Owen
Moore and Miss Costello’s actions
are short-lived.
Baroness L.eontine, Russian con
cert pianiste, plays the “Second
Hungarian Rhapsody” very pleas
ingly and charmingly with ac
companiment by the Bruailoff mu
sicians who also give extraordi
nary account of themselves In
rendering Von Suppe's “Morning.
Noon and Night” for an overture.
The newsreel and Movietone
featuring Gertrude Lawrence, com
nlete the program.—C. W.
SYD CHAPLIN
IN BRITISH
COMEDY
The Columbia feature thia
week la Sydney Chaplin, in
“Skirts,” a piece labeled "com
edy.” Well, perhaps it is—slap
stick. at any rate—and takes one
back to the days of 16 years ago
when Syd’s really funny brother.
Charles, was doing his stuff in
“Dough and Dynamite.”
“Skirts" is the dld-style comedy
with a bit of night club dressing:
dress suits instead of tramp
make-up and a flock of “appari
tions” as Col. Frank Morgan
calls them, who are good for the
eyes. It was made in England.
The situations that develop as
the skit rolls on, and on. and on.
are the same old hokum that
every director who ever tried to
go Mack Sennett one better has
employed. The gags are fair,
even if a bit ragged from fre
quent use. But enough. Syd
Chaplin is funny and does pull
plenty laughs in "Skirts.”
Betty Balfour is entitled to
better things than even high
toned slapstick and she show® it
in thje play. There is no plot
but the cast makes the most of
every opportunity. Some really
amusing bits crop out here and
thebe. A ;
Now getting down tp what we
term real honest-to-gosh comedy,
the “Our Gang” feature is a
wow and no mistake about it.
The piece this week has a lot to
do with what happens when
mother goes .out on a rainy day
in vacation time and leaves the
house in charge of the bunch. A
little paper hanging goes a long
way to create laughs and “Our
Gang” makes the most of it. The
fellows, who paid to get past
the door laughed at it—in fact
the short feature was the real
hit of the program. By all
means, gee the bill at the Colum
bia this week as “the gang” is
more than worth the price of ad
mission. You can afford to sit
through Chaplin in order to see
the kids at their best.
An excellent Paths review, M.
G. M. news reel, an organ recital
that Is really attractive and enter
taining anti the Columbia Or
chestra round out the program.—
G. M. H.
THRILLS PACK
HAINES FILM
AT PALACE
You may think that you have
seen real thrillers back in the
days of “Through Death Valley"
and other melodramatic bits, but
you're wrong. "Telling the World”
has more real excitement packed
in the film than ymt could gpt:
by wearing an orange ribbon at
an outing of the Ancient Order
of Hibernians.
William Haines as Don Davis,
inspired newspaper reporter who
just naturally can’t help running
into first page stuff, is better in
“Telling the World” than any bit
he has been featured in so far.
There are plenty of laughs
sprinkled through the play not
to mention a thread of love in
terests that makes every picture
worth while.
As a matter of fact. “Telling
the World” 1s past description
here. To let yoti in on a secret,
we took the whole piece in and
like the rest of the customers
joined the crowd in the aisles.
If you can sit through this fea
ture and not get a kick out of
every foot of celluloid, there is
something wrong and you’d better
go and see the family medico.
Anita Page as an actress, In
love with Don Davis, -is epiended.
Every member of the cast fits,
and as far as we can see, a
better selection of material, to
make a real play that is absorb
ing could not have been made.
Starting with Don Davis, who
“breaks into the newspaper game,”
we run through a series of thrills,
laughs and a few tears to a
smash-bang finale when the girl
is rescued by Donv who has the
Marines, a few battleships and a
detachment of “gobs” on the job
in a Chinese provides where the
girl is about to be executed. Then
we have what the flappers enjoy,
one of those 600-foot osculations.
Others in the cast who should
be mentioned here are Eileen
Percy, William V. Mong, Bert
Roach, Polly Moran, Frank Cur
rier and Matthew Betz.
The stage feature, “Wesley
Eddy’s Vacation Days Revue,” a
creation of color and movement,
is another winner, if we have ever
seen one. and is really superior
to the average presentation on
th® stage here.
Scanlon. Dennos Brothers and
Scanlon; Mabel Hollis, blonde sing
er; Moss an<U Frye in blackface
comedy, and the 21 Foster Girls
put over a performance that
would not be out of place In a
|3 house.
Wesley Eddy, the Inimitable,
this we*k breaks out a musical
saw and a banjo. So far he has
plaved everything but a loser in
the fifth race as far as we can
figure it out.
M-G-M Newsreel and an Aesop
Fable. "The Early Birl.” round
out the program. G. M. H.
Remember This?
When “A Texas Steer” com
pany was in this city last surp*
mer. shooting exteriors, the en
tire cast, headed by Will Rogers
and Louise Fazenda, visited the
Walter Reed Hospital for Disabled
soldiers and put on a vaudeville
performance. The cast for this
comedy special includes Lilyan
Tashman. Ann Roark. Doug Fair
banks. jr.. and others. It is now
playing at the Metropolitan The
ater. *
Heiress in Cast
Literally hundreds of girls have
been reported as engaged to the
Prince of Wales, sn far as it. is
known only one nf these has ever
nlayerf in motion picture”. She
Is Enid Stamp Taylor, London
society heiress, who has a small
role In Syd Chaplin'a ’Skirts.”
now playing at Loew’® Columbia. I
I
< . The -
EARLE
CONTINBOCS II A.M. 11 PJt.
j»e fcese show®, S:S ®’
j NOW SHOWING
RICHARD
BARTHELMESS
“WHEEL OF CHARGE”
From a Stary by Faeate Herat
ON THE STAOB
CHARLIE MELSOR
.America’s Foremost Band
master of Ceremonies
]
CONTINUOUS II A.M. tollFJt.
NOW SHOWING
ELECTED! I
By a Landslide
Os JfrIMLFR SMI
WILL ROGERS
Conxrwwmaa-at-larxe and
America’. Cowboy HamorM la
“A TEXAS STEER”
—
■ s- street
B WILLIAM
B la a atery es nvnMKt
H TCI I llfi THE WADI ■
■ ICLLIWW Inc wVKLD
■ —ON THE STASH
WESLEY EDDY'S
■ VACATION DATS REVUE
Prescetfe* t. H. Barn.Me’a
■ OCEAN BLOKS
■Columbia
■ F ST. AT 12TH
■ Coßtln *« B * 10:80 UIIF. M.
■ NOW PLAYING
A Metr.-GoMwyn-Mayer Pkteie
SYDNEY
CHAPLIN '
I sssar”*
I SKIRTS
ADDED HfT»
Hal Reaeb—M-G-M
“Oar Gang” Comedy
ITfTt
I “HUSBANDS FOR RENT*'
HI A Laughable Tai® Co-starripg
HELENE COSTELLO
OWEN MOORE
S. >. STKBBDtS
LIEUT. GITZ RICE
AND HIS
| ROYAL NORTHWEST
MOUNTED POLICE
| NATACHA NATTOVA
SENSATIONAL DANCK STAN
1 mV grand orchestra
||| rUA MOVISTONt NRWB
national
" w SI. Tsc A gQc 50c. ISe
| Mat. Wed. All Santa 50c. |
NATIONAL THEATF.R PRAYERS
TMK RURAL COMEDY CLASSIC
laboageßikJi
Week “THE NIGHTCAP* |
IMEYER IWISJ
r UPaMtyl
H.rt® Nartli
iflbofnw Cw«lo
Famous Dance Music and
Equally Famous Cuisine
JUBT FOB FPM
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