The Washington times. [volume], March 21, 1931, Page 4, Image 4

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
4
‘STREET SCENE’ ARRIVES, ALSO THEATER GUILD’S STARS
$60,000 GIFT
TO BOOST
D.C SHOW
By ANDREW R. KELLEY
Washington 1932 81-Centennial
will be advertised on every motion
picture screen in the United
States with the Washington
Chamber of Commerce sponsoring
the exhibition.
Warner Brothers will make the
picture, (as its contribution to
the big show Uncle Sam Is ar
ranging), and its production cost
Is set at $60,000 minimum. It
will be in two reels and have
a story which will logically intro
duce all of the city’s beauty spots,
its governmental architecture,
the Federal machinery which
keeps the nation running
smoothly.
When credits are passed out
the major share goes to Sidney
Lust, president of the Washing
ton Motion Picture Theater Own
ers and A. Julian Brylawski,
former president, both cf whom
Interested the Will Hays office
and eventually the producers in
the “Sell Washington to the
Nation” idea.
Welcome Back, David
Is it mean to spoil the press
agent’s story that David Belasco
saw his play “Tonight or Never”
for the first time last Tuesday
night, as a step in his recovery
from a severe illness? Well, the
truth is, he saw every perform
ance of the play in Washington
and on the opening night emerged
shyly from the wings holding the
hand of Miss Helen Gahagan,
its star.
Indeed, he called up to thank
me for my review of the play and
later put it in writing. So, it is
a pleasure to report that the Old
Master is planning to produce his
next show, which will have Beth
Merrill as its star.
Belasco was in our thoughts
last Monday night at the “Dr.
Harmer” premiere. Actor Philip
Merivale went to a kitchen sink
with a spigot prominently dis
played and was supposed to bathe
his head from a faucet which re
mained bone dry. it is Mr. Be
lasco who does these things dif
ferently.
Perfect Actress
Publisher Jimmy Quirk of Pho
toplay, whose radio talk of Wed
nesday was one of the bright
spots of the week, awarded his $25
best letter of the month to this
effusion:
Here is my prescription for the
perfect movie actress:
Jeanette MacDonald’s voice.
Clara Bow’s S. A.
Constance Bennett’s langorous
charm.
Joan Crawford’s figure.
Greta Garbo’s poise.
Jean Harlow’s golden hair.
Loretta Young’s smile.
Lillian Roth’s dimples.
Lupe Velz’s vivaciousness.
Gloria Swanson’s ability to
wear clothes.
Marlene Deitrich’s legs.
Kay Johnson’s naturalness.
Norma Talmadge’s eyes.
Ruth Chatterton’s dramatic
ability.
Put them all together and you’ll
get something the industry likes
to refer to as colossal but I’ll
still take 10 cents worth of Marie
Dressier.
About Rich Editors
Some of the newspaper boys
complained that no managing or
city editor ever lived in the gold
plated duplex apartment which
George Bancroft was supposed to
occupy in “Scandal Sheet."
Well, City Editor Charles Cha
pin, pattern for the Bancroft
character, lived at the Hotel
Plaza in New York and in exactly
the regal style depicted in the
Paramount picture. But he had
an independent income apart
from his newspaper salary. It
was losing this money which in
spired him to murder.
What I objected to as a wholly
false note was making this edi
tor-murderer come back to the
office and dictate the story of
his crime. This was a thoroughly
fictitious piece of theatricalism,
a variation of “the play must go
on” theme which seemed to me
strictly bogus. Also the sardonic
humor tagged on for the finals
was grimly ineffective.
By the way, one of our corre
spondents suggests a newspaper
man is not a good judge of the
other fellow’s newspaper story or
play. Somebody outside of the
headline business should review
them. But who?
Shubert-Erlanger Tie-Up
Who would ever imagine that
the old-time bitter rivals, the Shu
berts and the Erlangers would in
1931 be partners? Nevertheless
they are and in Lenore Ulric’s
play, "Pagan Lady.”
It was brought about in an odd
way as Variety reports it. Morris
Green produced “Pagan Lady”
for the Erlanger office and re
tained a substantial piece of the
production. Later Green wanted
money to produce the Ted Healy
show (The Gang’s All Here”) so
the Shuberts advanced the funds,
taking as security the Morris
Green interest in the Ulric play.
When "Gang’s All Here” folded
In “Street Scene”
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LUCIA LASKA and JAMES FALLON in one of the
romantic interludes of “Street Scene,” Elmer Rice’s
Pulitzer prize play, which opens at the Belasco Theater
on Sunday night.
“STREET SCENE” OPENS
ON SUNDAY NIGHT
“Street Scene” is at' last com- 1
ing to Washington. It arrives at
the Shubert-Belasco Theater Sun
day night with such a long, en
viable record tagging at its heels
that it had become a most haz
ardous occupation venturing to
guess whether or not New York
theatergoers would release their
hold on it long enough to allow
the production to take to the
road.
Since January 10, 1929, more
than two years ago, “Street
Scene” has cast ite potent spell
upon the great theatrical metrop
olis and even staid old London
town, which is seldom prone to
great enthusiasm over things
American has since last Septem
ber been the staunch supporter
and most ardent admirer of El
mer Rice’s Pulitzer prize play.
“Street Scene” is a drama of
reality—not a tragedy let it be
up as a flop, the Shuberts thus
acquired an interest in the fu
ture road performance of Pagan
Lady.”
Studio Wisecrack
Since Warner Brothers began
grabbing choice Paramount stars
the industry has been busy swap
ping wisecracks. The latest story
from Hollywod Boulevard is about
the man who went to Warner
Brothers and asked to see a
prominent star. “But he’s not
here,” replied the information
desk, “He works at Paramount.”
“Okeh,” said the man, “I’ll
wait.”
New Pinero Ending
And speaking of the new
Pinero play, “Dr. Harmer,” as we
were a few paragraphs back, a
visit to the Belasco last night
disclosed that one of the cut
back scenes of the first act on
view Monday night has been
dropped as superfluous. The
finale has been changed so that
the scarlet lady comes back to
her hovel to discover her doctor
patron has been murdered and
emote hysterically over the corpse.
This is the new ending.
-THE WASHINGTON TIMES
■♦understood, but a drama that
smacks hard and insistently at
the truth. So clearly and con-
■ sistently does it unfold the tale
it has to tell, that there is a
sense of eavesdropping, of peer
ing into other people’s lives, rather
» than the impression of watching
actors and actresses playing be
fore a bit of painted canvas.
The single set is the exterior of
a rather dilapidated brownstone
lodging house in the tenement
district of New York and the
characters are the inmates of the
! flats and those others whose busi
ness takes them into or past this
gaunt structure.
With so much visible to the eye
i as the curtain rises, the author
i then rips away the outside of the
building and lays bare the lives of
those who dwell within. There are
48 characters in the play, each in-
■ tensely interesting and ably inter
preted.
■ Il Hi w
Ml. Jh?
Bt * ' s k
ALFRED LUNT and LYNN FONTANNE, stars of the
New York Theater Guild, who comes to Washington for
one week, beginning Monday, with “Elizabeth, the Queen”
at the National Theater.
Guild Stars Here
GUILD’S STARS
COME WITH
“ELIZABETH”
The Theater Guild will present
“Elizabeth the Queen,” a new play
in three acts, by Maxwell Ander
son, with Lynn Fontanne as
Queen Elizabeth and Alfred Lunt
as the Earl of Essex, at the Na
tional Theater starting Monday
night. The Theater Guild, hav
ing promised the play to its sub
scribers, withdrew the production
from New York at the height of
its New York success. With any
other management the scoring of
such a success would have been a
signal to postpone all other plans
indefinitely. “Elizabeth the Queen”
could count on crowded houses
for at least 12 months on Broad
way.
But the Theater Guild decided
that no matter how long the line
at the box office in New York, its
promises must be fulfilled. Hence
■Elizabeth the Queen” and its
notable actors will proceed to Bos
ton and the' other subscription
cities as announced. It is because
subscribers and theatergoers real
ize that the Theater Guild’s prom
ises are kept that local playgoers
are rallying to this engagement.
New York Favorites
Miss Fontanne and Mr. Lunt
are the favorites of the New York
stage. Their commanding por
trayal of Elizabeth and Essex in
“Elizabeth the Queen” place
them at the peak of a supreme
performance. The reviewers have
unanimously agreed on their over
whelming success. Maxwell An
derson has seen to it in his drama
that these characters emerge as
believable and sympathetic fig
ures. Their story, the tale of
the struggle of two strong wills,
becomes engrossing and vital un
der simple, straightforward han
dling. Elizabeth takes her place
on the stage, not in the manner
in which she took it before, but
in the spirit of modem drama.
Fine Company
The Theater Guild has sur
rounded Miss Fontanne and Mr.
Lunt with the full strength of
the Theater Guild Acting Com
pany, including Morris Carnov
sky, Percy Waram, Arthur
Hughes, Edward Fielding, Whit
ford Kane, Dorothy Patten, Fred
Monti, Charles Brokaw, Maurice
Wells, William Sauter, Philip
Foster, Daphne Sherwin, Ruth
Nelson, Phoebe Brand, John Ells
worth.
Philip Moeller, who usually di
rects the Lunts, staged the pro
duction. The settings and cos
tumes are by Lee Simonson, the
Theater Guild’s principal scene
designer. The play has been
done on a revolving stage in a
turmoil of color characteristic of
the Elizabethan court.
'Trader Horn' Is
Ending Sunday
“Trader Horn” continues to
attract almost capacity audiences
to the National, where this sen
sational made-in-Africa talkie is
playing its second and final week.
The management announces that,
because of other attractions al
ready booked, there is no pos
sibility of the picture being again
held over. Showings on Sunday
afternoon and evening end the
engagement.
It is anticipated that more
Washingtonians will see “Trader
Horn” during its two-week stay
at the National than have ever
previously attended a road-show
picture in this city. The reason
for this is not hard to find.
“Trader Horn” possesses the en
tertainment elements that make
it the type of exceptional enter
tainment patronized by those
who seek something above the
usual run of screen fare. Ad
venture and romance here are
artfully combined with the edu
cational value of a travelogue
that reveals mysteries of a
great unknown continent and
these episodes in turn are inter
spersed with scenic views of un
equaled beauty and grandeur.
Tile National Daily
ROMANCE IN
OFFICE TOLD
AT KEITH’S
Once upon a time an author
devised a tale of the competent
secretary who works steadily with
her youthful employer from his
MAKY AbTOIt
Keith’s Theater under the name
of "Behind Closed Doors.”
With bits of humor inter
spersed only sporadically, with
only one choice bit of drama and
with acting that gives little char
acter individuality, the picture is
rather mediocre —an evening’s fair
entertainment, but not a picture
that you will store away in your
memory as a runner-up for the
year’s best cinematic production.
Some Good Acting
Two actors and one actress,
who on other occasions have
shown themselves to be worthy
of their titles, come across in
“Behind Closed Doors” with por
trayals that are charming but not
very convincing.
Mary Astor, beautiful and
sweet, is the secretary, cool, com
petent and in love with her em
ployer, Robert Ames. And who
should be the one who is at
tracted to Mary, but Ricardo
Cortez, debonair lover of the
screen!
The Humanettes, marionets
with human heads, present “Pro
fessor Ginsbur, featuring Nat
Carr, and Toby, the pup, in the
brown derby, and Pathe News
complete the program.—JAß.
'Galahad' Is Offering
Os Church Players
Well - known players of the
churches of Washington will ap
pear in the leading roles in the
Lenten drama spectacle, “Gala
had,” which will be presented for
the first time next Wednesday
night in Luther Place Memorial
Church. Presentations will be
given also on Thursday and
Friday nights.
The two speaking parts will be
the “Voices of the Ages,” Alpha
and Omega, to be played by Caro
line McKinley and Maurice Jar
vis. Maud Howell Smith will ap
pear as the Angel of the Grail,
and Rev. H. A. Kester as Joseph
of Arimathea, throughout the
scenes in both the Bible story
and the legend.
Judy Shelton, formerly of this
city, but now of New York, has
come to Washington to appear in
the role of “Galahad,” the youth
who goes forth to conquer evil
and to find the spiritual life, sym
bolized by the Holy Grail.
METROPOLITAN
OPERA COMPANY
From th* Metropolitan Opera House,
„ _ New York City.
GITLO GATTI-CASAZZI. General Manarer.
XDWABD ZTEGLEB, Asaistant Manarer.
FOX THEATER
3 PERFORMANCES—APRIL 14, 15, 1$
Tue«. “TO SC A” Jeritaa. Tibbett.
Kve.. ■ ■ Laori Voh>i
Wed. 44MIQNON” Uly.Pona.
Mat.. iniunun .. . Bocj.Gtrt
Thnra. a PETER IBBETSON'’
Beri. Johnsen, Tibbett, Serafin
Chorus—Orche.tr.. 65—Corps de Ballet.
Season tickets, »3ft. *24. *2l, SIS, *ls. *l2.
*9. Season tickets now on sale at Mrs.
Wilson-Greene's Bureau, Droop's, 1300 G
St.t Diet. 64t»3.
ABSOLUTELY
LAST 2 DAYS
M.-G.-M.’s Miracle Picture
TRADER
HORN
AU Seats Reserved
NATIONAL
SAT. MAT , 2:30. SUN. MAT.. 8
Mats, 50c-*I.OO. Eves., 50c-»l.50
TOMORROW n— . a MATINEES
DELA SC U Thurs. at 2:30.
Bal.. *l*so and *l. "■ 500 to *2. At 2:30
Gal.. 50c. MGMT, LEE and J. J. SHUBERT Sat., 50c to *2.00
WILLIAM A. BRADY Presents ELMER RICE’S
GREAT PULITZER PRIZE PLAY
A vivid and vital cross-section of city life—it has the universality of
appeal common to all sincere and fine otudieo of the human comedy.
STREET SCENE’
VITAL FASCINATING HUMOROUS
600 Nights in New York —Produced in Paris, Berlin and London
Thousands Upon Thousands Public Alike
In America, In England, In France,
In Germany and Elsewhere
Have Voiced In Unmistakable Terms
Street Scene a Truly Great Play-
Scarce a Nationality
That Has Not Been Enthralled and
Thrilled by Its Remarkable Power!
Seen Repeatedly Yet Ever-New —Should Not Be Missed
LAST | PHILIP MERIVALE TWICE
TIMES! in “DOCTOR HARMER” TODAY
SATURDAY—MARCH 21—193 T
days of poverty
until his days
o f prosperity.
She is just an
office fixture
until she leaves,
and then
It was a long
time ago when
that story was
evolved, and
Author Alan
Brener Schultz
has written just
such a tale
which opened
last night on
the screen at
PICKFORD SETS
MAN ON FIRE
FOR FUN
Setting a man on fire was the
unusual task thrust upon Arden
Cripe, head property man, dur
ing the filming of Mary Pick
ford’s latest United Artists pic
ture “Kiki” which is now play
ing at Loew’s Columbia Theater.
Cripe did the job so well, en
veloping Phil Tead, actor, in
flames from head to foot, that
Sam Taylor, producer-director,
credits him with saving three
whole days of the filming schedule.
Cripe fire-proofed Tead’s clothes
with chemicals and then applied
inflammable liquids. Tead por
trays a valet to Reginald Denny
in the picture. Miss Pickford
set him afire. Although he was
a mass of flames, Tead wasn't
even slightlly scorched.
Be prepared! Know who can nerve
you and how thio service can be
located by consulting the 24-Hour Ser
vice Directory published today in the
Classified Section.
YOU WILL FIGHT
FOR. YOUR LIFE/
Night creatures howl
ing . . danger lurk
ing . . fear of the
unknown everywhere
. . amazing beyond
words!
6)he, REAL CW of the jungle,! '
Paramount’s sensa
tional drama that
comes from the dense
jungle of Sumatra
brought to you by—
ERNEST SCHOEDSACK.
uAo PRODUCED ’ CHANG”
COME EARLY'
Bring the Children:
RIALTO
A Naughty Mary
i r . *' ■ ; ■
[■
MARY PICKFORD and REGINALD DENNY in
“Kiki,” the story in which Mary is a hoydenish gamin
who smokes cigarettes n’everything. It opens today at
Loew’s Columbia Theater.
MANY ARABIAN
SADDLES FOR
FILM RIDERS
One hundred and eight Arabian
saddles, said to be the only ones
obtainable in the United States
were requisitioned for use in the
Radio Pictures’ “Beau Ideal,” di
rected by Herbert Brenon, and
now playing at Warner Brothers
Earle Theater.
They differ from the American
saddle, inasmuch as they have
horns in both the front and the
back. These prevent the riders
from losing their seats as the
horses flounder over the treach
erous sand dunes of desert coun
tries.
owni
7 WARNER. OIANDzv
CHARLIE CHAN
CARRIES ON
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FANCHON BMAKCO o/Jer
v UNITED STATES INDIAN BAND .
brusiloff's music masters /J
gOBBY Aollins
808 HAMILTON OrparffA
Movietone News
j|l ATI ON AL “
|IW WED. MAT.—-75e, SI.OO, *1.50 and 2.00. » kttx virr-r-iz
I W SAT- mat,— 7sc, *I,OO, *1.50, *2.00 on* *2.50 AND WEEK
U THE THEATRE GUILD, Inc.
jfwK Present* th* Season’* Triumph
(Fifth Production of th. Second Washington Subscription Season)
I J® ELIZABETH the Queen
by MAXWELL ANDERSON
I Production Directed by Philip Moeller. Settings and CoatumM by Leo Simonson
with LYNN FONTANNE as Queen Elizabeth
ALFRED LUNT as the Earl of Essex
MORRIS CARNOVSKY PERCY WARAM
Arthur Hughes, Whitford Kane, Edward Fielding, and Many Others
I 4 WEEK 'BEG. SUNTAY~NIGHTirAi~29'
A ONLY | Return Engagement by Popular Demand
POPULAR PRICES—
NIGHTS, 50c to $2 MATS., 50c to $1
I Rqqest Comedy Hit in the History ofthe Theatm
BROCK
I s n,s >TßlsTll
OIWRABLE
■ft/ PRESTON STURGES
STAGED BY ANTOfNCTTC MR. PEMBERTON
Easter Monday Hight, April 6, THE NATIONAL
THEATRE PLAYERS will inaugurate their
seventh annual season, with Rachael Crothers' charming
comedy, ’’LET US BE GAY,” as the first attraction.
Subscriptions, at a reduced rate, for the first ten weeks will
be accepted until Saturday, March 2t. Application blanks
may be secured at the Box Office or will be mailed upon
request. Phone National 0501-0502-OSOJ,
InIIIS TA 11 TRAVELS 0F TODAY Huh M t
RIIIfT II N NOTABLE topics * u
■ HQ AMAZINGLY VIVID M
■n U LIH E d COLOR * ND MOTION OBERAMMERGAU
I SEATS SELLING—SOc TO $1.50 of 1930
AVOID TIGERS
IS ADVICE OF
DIRECTOR
Should you ever travel in the
jungle—don't trust any tiger you
might chance to meet. Thus ad
vises Ernest B. Schoedsack, the
soldier of fortune cameraman who
filmed “Rango” in the primeval
wilds of the Sumatra forests. The
picture is now showing at the
Rialto Theater.
Schoedsack is qualified to speak
since he has studied the habits
of all big animals—elephants,
hippopotami, rhinos, leopards,
panthers and tigers in his picture
making activities in “Chang,”
"Grass” and “The Four Feathers.”
“The tiger is the supreme killer
of all jungle beasts,” assert-
Schoedsack. “Unlike the lion, hr
does not kill only when he tan
eat, but murders for the sheer
love of inflicting suffering and
terror upon his fellow creatures.
Gives A Warning
“Fires are little if any protec
tion from the attack of a hungry
tiger, which is the only animal
known to prowl beyond a blaze
in search of food. Unless he is
lazy from a recent feast, the
striped cat does not try to avoid
an encounter with men, but will
stalk them through the tall grass
awaiting an opportunity to spring.”
According to Schoedsack. tiger
hunting requires a cool head and
perfect marksmanship. Express
rifles carrying tsvo 450 calibre
bullets are used for this type of
hunting, offering the man behind
the .rifle but two chances to bring
down his tiger or meet an un
speakable end.
“The tiger gives you just one
fair break, and only one,” de
clares Schoedsack. “He crouches
for a full two minutes before he
springs, bellowing terrifying roars
in the hope that the prey will
turn his back to escape, thus
making the killing a simple
matter. During these two pre
cious minutes it is up to the
hunter to aim between the eyes
or at the chest of the beast end
shoot to kill.”
“Rango,” a picture in which
tigers play the parts of villains,
is the current feature at the
Rialto Theater.
Opening Sunday Matinee
The Goddess of Beauty
ANN CORIO
GAYETY-BURLESK
HAMPTON INSTITUTE
CHOIR—4O VOICES
Tonight, 8:30 co*™" 0 ”
Dr. R. Nathaniel Dett, Director
Tickets, $2.50. $2.00, $1.50, SI.OO
T. Arthur Smith
1330 G—ln Homer L. Kitt’«