Screenland (May–Oct 1927)

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if Photograph by Dc Mirjian Studios "Hit the Deck" IT is a pleasure to find ourselves in accord with the advertisements. We used to be an advertising man ourself once. So when the press-agent tells you that "Hit the Deck" is a great show, we want a chance to rise and cry "You said it!" Herbert Fields did the book, which is an adaptation of the play "Shore Leave". Vincent Youmansm of "No, No, Nanette" fame did the music. In the cast are Louise Groody, Charles King, Stella Mayhew and Madeline Cameron. John Wenger made the sets and did nobly. But the star of the show is Mr. Seymour Felix, who staged the dances. Without Mr. Felix it is conceivable that "Hit the Deck" would have been a good show. With him it is a show youVe got to see. And we don't mean maybe. If you saw Dick Barthelmess in the picture, you Know the story of the little girl and the gob named Smith. And how, despairing of finding him, she threw a party for all the Smiths of the fleet and found him again only to lose him because she had grown rich. And of how she deliberately went back to her coffee-house and put her money away so that he could come back and claim the poor little rich girl. It's all there and done very nicely, too. With some of the best dancing these old eyes have ever seen. We don't have to tell you about Miss Groody and Mr. King. But more years ago than a gentleman would mention we saw Stella Mayhew stop the vaudeville show at Hammerstein's Victoria, now the Rialto Theatre with movies de luxe. And so you can guess at the warm glow that was ours when we saw Stella Mayhew, a little more Ann Milburn and James Marshall in "Cherry Blossoms". buxom perhaps, step out of "Hit the Deck" and stop the show again. Yes, sir, "Hit the Deck" is my baby. And yours. Mixed Doubles' It may be that with old age comes tolerance. It may be that we are blessed with vision denied to other men. At any rate, in spite of the hammers hurled at "Mixed Doubles" by practically all of the daily reviewers, we found it a mildly amusing evening. The girl we took with us — her name escapes us at the moment — took advantage of an opportunity in the second act to make her escape from the theatre, so you get a slight idea of how she felt about it. But, as we look the matter over in its broad aspect, we come to realize that she is a girl limited in vision. She has a bigoted way of looking at things. Anyway, if it hadn't been "Mixed Doubles", it would have been something else. The break had to come, and it's probably for the best. Of course, she is pretty, but you know those good-looking blondes. Just dumb. And, anyhow, her cooking was bad. "Mixed Doubles", as we started to say when somebody brought in personalities, is labeled as a farce. And when a play calls itself a farce, we, for one, are willing to waive something in . the way of plausibility. It is just possible that this case of not being sure who your wife is couldn't quite have happened. Our answer is: what of it? "Mixed Doubles" has Margaret Lawrence in the cast, so even if it were bad, we would like it. It seems Miss Lawrence is a divorcee, who has contracted a second marriage before her decree is made absolute. Before the evening is over, she turns out to be the wife of no less than three of the cast. The rest of the males are willing 50