Inside facts of stage and screen (January 3, 1931)

Page Twenty INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN Saturday, Janury 3, 1931 i Is Dancing Through? By Bad Murray What Has Become of the California Dancing Girl? BY BUD MURRAY Since the lull in the production of talking pictures, with chorus dance numbers, many people have argued pro and con, relative to this type of “sequence” in talk- ing pictures. I am one of the “hard-heads” which cannot be con- vinced that dancers are through in jnctures; and as for the stage, the public, will always .crave “chorus girls.” It is a vrcll known fact that all styles of entertain- ment in pictures, travel in cycles, just as it has always been on the stage. For awhile the cycle is re- vues, then musical comedies, and finally operettas. Just so has Jt been in talking pictures, first, as usual the dramatic talking picture, then came the first real revue hit, “Broadway Melodies,” then fine musical comedies, operettas, crook pictures, “football stories” and last, "Westerns.” So it re- verts back to the first .cycle, the musical comedy with “dancing girls.” This was proved recently when Eddie Cantor made such a tremendous hit In “Whoopee” at the United Artists, just at a time when everyone said chorus dance numbers were through; but Busby Berkely, well-known New York dance director, conceived new ideas, with real exuses for the chorus numbers, and this is what the producers in the future have to contend with. That is, not throw the numbers into a picture, just because- there is a vacant spot. The much-mooted question, Siftin’ With the Public Behrendt-Levy- Co., Ltd. General Insurance Insurance Exchange Building VA 1261 ArthurWard STILL Ri.EC.OIMG Dec. 8, now, REGENT, Grand Rapids, Mich., next, PALA.CE. So. Bead, Ind., then PALACE, Rockford, ill, “What has become of the hun- dreds of dancing girls who were under long contracts to the var- ious picture studios?” is answered by the fact that the majority of them have gone entour with Fan- chon and Marco units, now being staged by A-l dance directors, such as Sammy Lee, Larry Cebai- los and Le Roy Prinz, and just as soon as the picture studies start actual musical comedy pro- duction, these dancers will mi- grata back. Many of the California dancers have remained here at home to continue studying with the numer- ous dancing schools now operat- ing in California. We have here some of New York’s foremost stage and dance directors, heading schools, under their own name, who came out with the first “rush” and the legitimate schools are firmly rooted here, continuing to do a thriving business. For some reason or other, the dancers developed here seem more “peppy” than the professional New York chorus girl, who just thinks of each engagement as “just another job,” whereas the California dancer figures the chorus line work, as a stepping stone to ultimate stardom. When we started dancing some 30 years ago, the “wail” that tap and ballet dancing is through cropped up every five or ten years, but as we grow cider and more experienced, wo are more firmly convinced that tap and ballet dancing will never cease to be the “thing,” because these two styles of dancing are the two essentia] basic dances cf all stage and screen work. Naturally the steps become more complicated, improved and modernized as is the case with everything in the life of a modern person, so that a dancer can always learn more and more each year and is never finished. We live to learn and progress — in everything, always. (Continued from Page Seventeen) that flames brightly to the breath of tense’ situation or masterful di- rection. In other words, they thought it was love and it was asthma. -CAPTAIN THUNDER RKQ THEATRE Reviewed December 23 Three whoopees and a couple of tigerinos for Warner Bros- This Captain Thunder piece is an 85 per cent of good entertainment ’ B FRED HEWARDand MART GRAUENHORST Fiddle and Guitar MAHLON MERRICK’S VAGABONDS NBC San Francisco Elmore Vincent ‘‘The Texas Troubadour” Abo “Smiiiir Sam from Aiabam’ N.W.B.S. - KJR - KEX - KGA Hi Ho Everybody MUSICAL RACKETEERS! KJR—KEX—KGA Arden Smith, Piano Gordon McBean, Unconscious j Greetings frem Carl Winge N. W- Representative Robbins Music Corporation SEATTLE This Acting Bigness By Stafford Pencan Greetings to the Profession GIRARD’S ..FRENCH RESTAURANT Frencli D Inn ns’s, 50c Lundhsons, 40c Sunday—Chicken Dinner Thursday and Sunday 75 Cents Served Family Style 63 ELLIS ST. 134 Maiden Lane Bet. Geary and Post Stockton and Grant Ave. San Francisco Under Same Management John’s Grill €3 Ellis St, With dialogue au added medium to which the screen had to adapt itself with little preparation, the question arose at the beginning of the year 1930 as to who would bo who in the acting business. Considering handicaps, and Norma Shearer, approached the new med- ium with. little or no stage ex- perience, she easily tops the roll. Shearer took up the task of mas- tering the tricks that make a dialogue presentation convincing and she delivered like a vet, in spirit and fact. The Academy’s award was in all justice due her. Joan Crawford is entitled to second place by reason of her having less stage experience than any of the other contenders, with exception of Shearer. As the ten best list cannot in any sense be a criterion or indication of talent classification it contributes noth- ing to an appraisal. The following citations are noted where the act- ress showed by her work the greatest sympathy and under- standing with and for the. roles assigned her. Outstanding performances are as., follows: ; Nancy Carrel in “Laughter.” Anne Harding in “Holiday.” Myrna Loy in “Renegades.” Ruth Cliatterton in “The Right to Love.”" Marie Dressier in “Min and Bill.” Hois Wilson in “Once a Gentle- man.” The male contenders for the aCe spot are so many and quali- fied that first prize is tossed to them alphabetically. Arliss, Barth- elmess. Beery Brothers, Bancroft, Elliot, Horton, Morris, Montgom- ery, Serman Robinson, Varconi. Special mention is due the fol- and box office every sequence of the way. And 85 per . cent, my masters, is in this day a high state cf perfection, reached with- in the last month by only one other picture in the idylic, fan- tastic romance, adventure class. The other picture was “Rene- gades,” by Fox, and “Renegades” stands second to Captain Thunder only in the error of taking itself a bit too seriously, but let me hasten to add that both c-f these pieces rate so close the differ- ence is hardly worth splitting a comma over. And so with pictures of this water do we bolster up a lagging faith in Hollywood. We now take a dirty, mean, underhanded jab at the 15 per cent bad in Captain Thunder. Some time ago the brothers War- ner gave us Robert Elliot as an inspector of police in the “Door- way to Hell.” All-American was stamped into the lines and linea- ment of his characterization so fulsomely that he steed out like a .cameo on a field of black vel- vet. A superb performance was de- livered and an invaluable addition in the roster of true artists, but the question immediately popped: “Are they going to study this man for material that fKs him or are they going to drop him as they have so many others into a mess of backwash that will hurt him with his admirers?” Only the fact that Captain Thunder carries a grin a big part of the time prevent this. Where the action pretends to serious drama, this 345 karat sterling Americano, upright, honest, law abiding Robert Elliot in the role of a double dealing rustler and masking as a respected rancher very nearly makes him lock a bit silly. However, that was an error that in view of high enter- tainment value of the production as a whole may be overlooked. One more nasty peck at this very good picture and we will let up. Assuming that Elliot, cast as a wolf in a sheep's topcoat, is all to the delicatessen, when, if at all, do cattle rustling crooks, Captain Thunder being the other, trust each other? Following a hot exchange of patter over Thunder’s promise <.o help the crooked rancher in lieu cf an unnecessarily seif imposed obligation one would expect to see the two constantly on guard against each other; alert for any sign of treachery, yet the ranch- er-rustler, happy in having grabbed the gal of his dreams, with Thun- der's assistance, tosses all caution aside and on Thunder’s invitation, suspecting nothing, goes to ins death like a sheep to slaughter. It would have looked all right if the trend hadn’t been toward the dramatic. Anyway, let me repeat, this is a great picture and we need more of its .kina, and if they come through as worthy as this one the industry won’t suffer. I might add that dialogue by William K. Wells merely proves the old saw r that experience does it. Camera work by James Van Ness was of a quality that at times made as strong a hid for attention as tire acting. Major erfedit for excoF lence goes to the director, Allan Crolsand. If JOHNNY O’BRIEN Radio’s Favorite Blue Blower National Broadcasting Co. San Francisco mm&m* YULETIDE GREETINGS Dale Owen, Evelyn Laye, Joan Bennett, Jeanette McDonald, Lii- yan Tashman, Jobyna Howland, Warner Baxter, Laurence Gray, Jack Holt, William Holden, Jerry Mandy, Lumsden Hare, George from JAMES and MARGARET YOMAN Producer—Costumes CAPITOL THEATRE SAN FRANCISCO SCandncss appsaaess ©y R4 il »the J Don Lee Station in Los Angeles— at the close of its most successful year, thanks you and ex- tends its sincere wish that 1931 will bring to you all that is best in life. • ini SHIil.ru WiiirtH