Variety (Oct 1931)

54 VARIETY Tuesdaf, October 27, 1931 WONDER BOY Comoil/ fn tbr«0 acta presented at the Alvia, Oct. 2S by J«<1 Harii>; vrlttcD by Edimrd Cixxlorar nnd Arthur Baitoii; BtiMI«<'. by the producer, Jo3 Cflleh... ......Allen Jenklai Pctec Hlnkte.. ..William Chnlle« A Porter Donald Ueywood TatyanA' ^lirova Uarbara' Bulgajtova Mlas Manliclm .,.w..Ha1lle ^nRlns Otflco Doy ...Eddie jCraven Ptall' Mnshkln ..Greserr nntoff Sam BernCeld ..Robert Im>nard George Kelly..... , Henry O'Neill Schwartz ; ...Sam Lavene Max Benowltz. ..James R. Waters Fnincss nels .....Jeanne Groene Hoc .^.Cedl Holm Tony Rafs Hartz Kelly's Becretary Estelle 'Scheer Montague I.evy....; Maurice - Cass Miss Rels' Sectetarr. Eva Franklin A Fireman ...James Kearney Charlie Hortoa.. ,Matt Brlggs A Girl .Constance Almy Bel OrltCltli Bruce UacFkrlone A Reporter..: .Horace MoMahon Another Reporter............. ;Vlneent York A Camera Man.. .Arnold-Prestoh Another Camera' Man. Herman Shapiro A Tailor. .Jacob BleKer A Hatter. ; ;.....Uax Bqck A Station'Master. D. J. Hamilton A Bad Cross Woman......Margaret Meyers An' Apple Seller ........Joseph Floskl A Youth Thomas Fisher A Bellboy V.'.Ftank Carter A Page noy.......•Axn.old Moss Tlie Commodore. Bernard Oorcey Harr/ Rich DaUd Bums^ Mabel Venlon Hazel Sawn What 'Once In'a"IiJfetlnie' was as. a satirical,, comic expose;of motion- picture making In Hollywood studios, so is ''V^onder Boy* on the home of Ace Inside. ''Won.der Boy'at the premiere was in need of -Bllclns and tightening up but there lif Bo: much In the pUy that Is diverting and amuslne that It should do very' weUj • "' • -■ , ''Wonder Boy* may offend plctui'6 heads generally.' 'It Is as c1ob« to the borderline of what can be said- and 'don'e on the-stage as was 'The Front Page' presontod by the same Jed Harris. Its dialpg -wUI prob-^' ably bo toned down. Production' excellent. Slrectldit by Aanis a 'real, well done: job save for cutting yet to be done. Ji. re- volving, stage or stages are toQped by scenes of upstairs offices. At one point four 6f these scene's are simultaneous, the dialog switching from' one to the other. At other points split-second light cues are , accompanl<td by- players going Into action. Immediately.' ' First act with its muUNsc^ned . ran' along °t6' the' right pace. The play later tapers off, eaptfcially 'ln the'last'aci done In oAe scene. - Curtain do'wn a bit after ll:2E^ter.aa 8:4S start- 4here is no romance or Uttio of: It Tlie hysteria''6f high: pressure endeavor by a dynamic picture h6ail who Imbues hia -stall 'With- almost equal energy, -iialsguided or <ither wise has occurred pretty much as displayed in this play. E>dward <!;hod6rov and Arthtir Barton, the authors, were recently of the press department ot Columbia Pictures. They doubtless figured- they -would be told to take air when the play went on, so resigned. . ' It is true that Columbia brought an over-night picture personality to Kew York and finding the boy 'with out wardrobe hastily, outfitted him sartorially. That is an amusing bit or bits-in 'Wonder Boy.' Columbia's lad Is Hlchard Cromwell 'who' first appeared in 'Tol'able David.' He received $50 a week while making ' the picture. Whereas the hick In the play whose name is changed from Peter Hlnkle to' Buddy Wlqd sor, who is - sud.denly- made a 'wonder boy' and is forced by 'Para gon Pictures' executives to make a personal appearance at the Capttol, the kid in- -the play flops and the picture is a terrible bust, while Cromwell' did well enough In his first ns did film. Cromwell Is still with Columbia. Probably at '$75 a week now: The' boy 'was selling' papers when Harry Cohn discovered him. It Is not exact that "Wonder Boy' has to . do with the .Columbia, heads. Jack and Harry .Cohn.. .There are simllarlties'such ais that one brother ill the play handles the studio on the coast and the other (Jack) la at the home office. Another Is the mention of Rose (Harry's wife) In a long distance pl'ione conversation but that is strictly for the insider. Perhaps a fault in 'Wonder Boy Is the presence of so much Minsk dialect Phil Mashkin, the fast working, domineering, rutheless and often vulgar, head of Paragon', has that sort ot speech. Gregory RatofC, who plays ' Mashkin, resembles in face and form the producer oC leading nim firm, who isn't from the other side. Ratoft has bad few chances \on: Broadway because his dialect limits his scojf^. He gives rattling performance, being on much of the time, . arid 'Wonder Boy' ' may do for him what 'Grand Ho tel' did for his wife, Biigenla Leono vltch, who, too, had appeared out of town mostly. There Is a film president whose e.irs must .have burned to a crisp. His.name-Is thinly disguised or not at all to Insiders. In a wire sup- posed to be sent him by Mashkin he Is referred to as a louse. One scene minus dialect ocours lit a hotel room in Philadelphia, where ^ Charlie Horton, a go-getter' for Par- agon. Is 'plenty stewed. He Is or- dered east to handle the 'wonder. boy! In New 'Vork, .ehsp^rice him In a suite at the Netherlands and attend to all the flxings that go with those picture stunts. Horton finally gets out of bod to the phone after gulping a gla^s of booze. His Inamorata wanders' In from the adjolhing room,' with- next to no'thlng on.' The -scene as she drunkenly tries to horn In on the conversation and Is shoved aside, is one ot the most amusing of the performance. Matt Briggs plays Horton,. the, girl being - Constance Alniy. lAtter is from vaudeville. Briggs. Is Important in a-number of scenes. ".. . At a preview of Paragon's picture, 'Shadows,' Mashkin decides Hlnkle is a find. He orders the boy starred —after selecting a new name for him—submerging his woman star, Mabel Fenton. That requires the changing of all publicity, and the Whole staff la tn a turmoil. Plates -for heralds and paper are ordered destroyed^ .- press - stories already planted on Fenton are killed, and much of the.detail.itt opening a-new picture on Broadway is se.t tprth, Wlie^i 'Shadows' dies Mashkin Is al- most as feverish Ip ipaklpg. changes not only in thei film but the billing. Miss Fenton's-: name .8:olng up. in lights at -the CapltoL Max Beno- wltz, the auditor^ is.hsdevlled, as .Is ^am Bernfeldi chief .of staff, also dialect, whQ takes, most of the slaps for Mashlcln. Of cOiirse all the ads are ordered-' killed for the changed starring.' An executive In checking up on the kills .asks, "What about the baclc coy«r of Varietyr 'Hold it over' la the anSwer.- The press department is supposed to do wonders'while all the high- pressure -changes' arei "going - on. Frances Rels' is in charge—<i smart alert girl aUd about the most like- able of .thQ play's characters.- It Is her ^saneijess .-that, smoothens th6 xough handling of the ppor hick;, who Is forced to be 'a-star', and then is tossed. She tells ..tiaehkin .soi^ie things, forcing hint, to make a cash settlement with the bdy.. Jeanne Green plays Miss Rels, and her per- formance, la as meritorious as any- thing she has sr^t. done. There are other good players; In fact, the. cost Is of high 6rder. ' Rob- ert L.eo'nard and James R. Waters ore the ii^ht choices .for' Bernfeld .and BenowitE.and.Saim .IieTlne'as a yes man. Peter .Hlnkle, the. 'wonder boy-' as deliberately the hick tj-pe, had the playing hy William Crhallee true. In action ah'd iappearance. ftenry O'Neill very good as an exec. Hazel Dawn is the star, Mabel Fenton on in but one 'Scene. Bernard Gorcey, minus dialect Is the 'commodore' manager of the Cdpltol. A mistake not to have built up. the character of Joe GUck, played by Allen Jen kins, a coast agent who 'has to spilt co'ihmlsslo'ns. with the casting dl rector.', 'Wonder Boy' has so much, stuff it should appeal generally. Ibee. were engagedi - It la this group, or Jnost 01 that Is - la - the 'present dast Balleff said The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers' and 'Katlhka' were no more: that he had sought novelties. That his new Idea ot novelties missed a like definition over -here is- disappointing. - He re- marked that 'Queen of Spades' was written by Alexander Pushkin, a great Russian poet. The playlet given In 10 -scenes or tableatiie, is hardly poetic. It tells a story of a. wonian known as the Muskovlte Queen of Hearts, who loses heavily at taro, but- who re- turns-to the game to recoup with a magical system, that of playlAg the three of hearts, seven of diamonds and ace of spades: She lives, up to her promise never to reveal the secret and never again gamble. Long- afterwards Herman, a penu^ Mous soldier,. manag<» to obtain the system. ' He' never gambled before but now wages fabulotia stakes. He makes the mistake ot playing the queen of spades instead of the ace of clubs and goes-mad. - The switch- that brings tn drama in English rather than tlie: Russian of jother BalletC revues, is welcome, btit.that portion of the show is much too long. An Invited audience sfeemed- to relish the playing ot George Hayes as the: soldier, yet this. chor-T acter seemed wholly .unsymimtlietlc. The third .aot or section is 'An Interrupted Festival,' supposed to be inspired by the airs of Offenbach and liecocq.' The first Is d ballet; A Romantic Adventure of an Italian Ballerina and a Marquis.' For both there are descriptions of what It Is all about in- the.' programs. There is too^, a pi^IuguOi 'A duel with tolls between- two' ladies' to music. In its three phases 'Chauve Sourls* dates back to epochs of long ago, as tor Instance; final 'festival' Is set In 1860. Balleff said that what with the preSer.t day retro- gression, by reaching ' back to the glamour of other days, he- hoped audiences would be enabled to- for- get thetf troubles.- . Btff the new show lacks the hu- mor and %-er^tiaty of the previous bills by Balleff. Motrls Gest dis- plays his talents in the presenta- tion- and again showing an animated cartoon -curtain' indicating the pre.s- ent critics and Broadway notables. Ahd it -will have to be Mr. Gest's showmanship -rather' than Balleff and his show, to put It across, If It does - connect, - ■/ . CHAUVE-SOURiS Three-part revne, presented at the-Am bassador, Oct. 21, by Morris Gest: Nlklta Balled Btatred. „ . * PROLOGUE The. Lady In Black Mile. Dlalionova lt>e Lady. In Rod .....Mile. NlkJtlna BALt.ET Carlotta Chest Bflle. RyabousMnSkaya Marquis ot Boserol.........Boris Romanoff Angelo PIranosl......... M. DollnofC Dolores del Caatlllo ....Mile. Potlakova Aldeana. Mile. Komlsarjevskaya Snnlboldo del Cofone M. Moyseenko Robbers and Bandits o( the PIraneal Band- Mile. - Ancarova. Ulakosnova, NIkltInn and Mesan. Bergleff, Stark, Bologovskoy ■THU 4UBEN OF SPADES' Hermann George Hayes Flnt Madman ; Norman-Duggan Second Madman Gordon Weld The Young Countess. .Irlna HIeks Antaroya The Duke o(.Orleans...Alaxel Tcherkaasky The Italian Count Cagllostro \ Nicholas Moyseenko Bourln... WlUlam. 'Whitehead Naroumoft ..William Home Tomsky.........i , Oeoffrey Klni; First ORlcer. .'., Cordon Wel< !!econd omeer.. Norman Duggan Lisa. '. Helen KIhgstead The Old Countess Marie Ault Tcbokallnsky ;...:..Alexel Tcherknssky •AN INTERRUPTED. FESTIVAL' General Peplnster. NIklta Balled Blanche, his daughter^ /.'Mile. "Vetchor Viscount Nestor d'Armagnac.......... :......'...': M. Tcberkassky Cora fles Entournurea '....'.Mme. Cortis Marquis of Tnplnonibour ...M.-Zotoir The ChleC ot Police .....K. Moyaeenko Four Policemen: Messrs. Stark, OoUnolt, Serglell ond Rologovskoy. Dancers ot .the Moulin .Rouge:- Mile. Kyaboushlnskaya and M, Romanoff. NIklla Balleff, he-of the moon (ace, Russian show, ditto dialect and sense ot humor, tried a comeback at the Ambassador alter an absence oC several years. But the new 'Chauve-Sourla' Is not the type of show which Morriti Cest and Balleff previously popularized on the Cen tury Roof, Desplto the' $3 top it Is too -limited In general .tippeal. Balleff himself app^Ars sparingly until the third and 'final section of the show, billed a 'musical buffo nade.' He is the octor for whom they dolled up master of ceremonies to 'conferencler.' For the present appearance he Is slated as director and stage autocrat. Whatever punch tho bill has Is In the mid section, a dramatic .affair "I'he Queen of Hearts,' -vl'hlcli con- sumed more than nn hour. This was-done in Paris by French play- ers and in ISnglan^ native actors THE SEX FABLE Cornedy In three acts presented at- Vae Henry Miller. Oct.: M. by Gilbert Miller: written by Edouaid Bourdel; arid adapted from thi French by Jane HInton: Mia. Patrick Campbell and Ronald 8quit« tea- tured. ■ . ■ _ Louise ;Mai7 Chippendale A Porter......... Joseph Walton Nicole Martin i.....Anne Teeman Jlmniy IwRoy-Oome^r..%. .-.Deralt Williams Isabelle L«Roy<^3omes.i Helen Haye Manuel LeRor-Gomex Allen Tower Llll .LeRoy-Gomez. Leona Marlcle CUrlBse Lee-Gom« Mirgaret Sale Antolne : ..Ronald Squire Philippe LeRoy-Gomez....Anthony Ireland Christina LeRoy-Gbraei..'...Helena D'Algy Carlos- Pinto.... Rafael Carlo A Page Jack Kllfeather First American Girl Constance Trevor Second American GlrL.Consuelo Flowerton An American Man Wylte Adams A Spaniard Bmeato Gutlemz A Spanish Lady...; Audrey Davis First MahataJah.... W. Wona Singh Second Maharajah John Henry A Walter William Home .Tules '. E. J. DeVamey Inez Lita Lope Another Walter Morrla Morrison Countess Polokl Mrs. Patrick Campbell Dorothy Freeman....... Lora Baxter Three seasons ago liO Sexe Falble' was produced at the MIcho dlere theatre In Paris and,was an overnight smash, tt's still running there and 'btlll getting good bu-sl- ness. Here it -is in New York, pre sented by an able sho-wman. Oil bert Miller, and with a big and ex pensive cast .It .it. lasts three months It will be a surprise, with half that'time riiore likely. Maybe there's something to think about there. It comes'too close on the heels of 'He,' -'Melo' and 'Martus' to be just an accident or one of those things of a play ' appealing one .place and not In another. There's more back of' this series ot American flops of French. h|ts than accident WItli a direct line trac Ing right down io the adaptations Qf the plays. With this latest-French Impoita- tlon there IS no possible doubt of where the fault lies. It Is tipped off in the title. 'Le -Sexe Falble' means 'The Weaker Sex.' . Here It's changed to "The Sex Fable* With all the dialog just as meanlnglessly translated. And translated Is the word: Maybe Jane Hljitop. who -Is credited with the job, was afraid of Eduoard Boui'det and didn't dare do any changing. Or maybe she was or- dered by Gilbert Miller not to do any. As a matter of fact the pro- gram distinctly reads 'by JSdouard Bourdet, ISngli.sh text by Jane HIn- ton.' With the result that the sparkling dialog and quick satire Is completely lost for New 'X'oric audi enccs. For New-Tork the play emerges as a long-winded, talky play about people New Yorkers don't kno-sv New Yorkers are not chauvinistic in their' theatre. The people and characters can be just .^s foreign as possible!. But the.dialog has to have life. And this dialog hasn't - (^Continued pd page S6) Hajs Out of Town . HAMLET Fblladclphia, Oct 26. The Norman 'Bel Gieddes produc- tion of 'Hamlet,' now at the Walnut Street theatre here, has not been considered particularly In the light of a Shakespearian MvlviaT. .As a stage novelty that will stand or fall on It's novel and elaborate staging, It has the chance of developing Into boxofilcft magnet ot smash pro- Itortlons. The Geddes 'Hamlet* oan hardly find any in-between field. It can- not espect to depend.on the usual limited/ clientele. for the Bard's plays, bo.th beoauise It Is: far too costly to exist on this support and because it's radical departures from the accepted traditions will offend the scholars and students. /Its career In Ne'w York, then, must hs either sensational or n. ft. And in- asmuch as Phlly I& 6o different from J^^oadway In It's: .reception of Shakespearean plays, this reviewer. fa going to hand.down .the first 'no decision' report' he's turned in for 'some time,' Plctorlally, this 'Hamlet' le the most. - remarkable and the ' most beautiful -evier staged. Although that's a broad statement, It stands. With no. low.ering oiC curtains and no waits' between scenes, the tempo Is. terrifically tost for a classical piece. That should, - tickle the casual jtlaygoer who shunS t'he bard as the W. C. T. IT. shuns speak- easies. All changes are achieved through the agency, of lighting and a plat- formed stage with three lovcls arid api^>n out over the orcltestra. While Hatnlet and Laertes are ha-vlng ft colloquy on-one landing, the king and queen are' preparing. In the dark, tor their next scene on an.- o'ther. The only' mechanical difficulty is the quite natural noises ot exiting, characters and scene' shifting while dramatic moments'are being played, and It must be, admitted that is very well-handled. It's doubtful if any play ever hod so many spot lights. They come from everywhere except the drugstore aioross the street and their effectlvenes.s Is quite bmazlng. 'Vlisuaily the gria've- Vard and court scenes are strikingly beatttltul, with the grbuping of oharacters alsp counting heavily. No use In going into the depart- tires trom the conventional presen- tation ot tlie old tragedy. There are plenty of them'and some will be liked and others reviled, all de- pending on the'feelings'ot the par- ticular auditor. Ot the cast Cella Johnson, a new- comer oyer, here, hsis been generally acclaimed here as the best Ophelia that Pblily has seen-In years; Colin Keith Johiuion, late of 'Joivney's End,' Is a superlative' lioertes' and John Daly Murphy a capital Po- linius. There will probably be plenty of argument about Raymond Massey's 'Hamlet'. It's youthful and highly eniotlonal, but slurring as. to enunciation. The king is presented as an amorous old gentle-, man Instead of the usual sinister vllUIn. For the purposes ot the eye, this 'Hamlet' wlU probably be a sensa-^ tlon. As for the acting and the de- viations In presentation, there will be plenty ot room for dispute. Water*. Salvarsan and-.divers other capital- ist politicians.' They decide to abolish war from the earth by transferring It to the air. Thor batter each other Into comic sliane In the. struggle for a package which' they think contains a newly in.'' vented war Instrument; when opened it reveals only an old pair of. pants. They make love to tlie girls', launch an Intervention 'which' must be fought to the last drop of our workers' blood,' divide the spoils' In advance and' go through other' tedious business. In the wind-up, about four and a half hours later, the whole frock- coated ovening-gowned crew re- treats In panic at the approach of a victorious proletariat, bodied forth In huge, eleotrlc-lit red stars, crossed hammers, and sickles, rising suns and. other Soviet holy symbols,. From church tapers to proletarian stars }n 3 acts, space being allotted to oborus-glrl. numbers, acrobats' and eocentrio dancing along the route. ■ It's a hodge-podge of crude slap- stick, at tho expense ot the Pope^' the Social IHmoorats,. pacifists,' League of Nations statesmen, with' a dash of sex and elaborate stage-- set mechanics. - . Ple-throwing artists' of the Keyi tone era were subtle and gentle- manly ..by comparison. The ^tuff Is as crudely , propagandist as' Hun-, baiting during the late war—^nd like Hun-'halting is effective la- keeping the popular pulse at the proper temperature, Lj/Ofu, - PLAYS ABROAD ' St. Magdeline Salon (MOSCOW) Moscow, Oct. 16. This town's one and only revue, labeled 'St Magdeline Salon,' was about to open In- the Immense clrcus-lIke Music Hall here. An American neighbor, who has seen enough Soviet satires to recognize the symptoms, whispered: 'Here's where God comes In for a razzing.' And He .did—God and His Angels and -His Archangels; all of whom figure In the prologue to the new re-vue. They are deployed throuigh the whole depth and height of the stage, on one of those .laddery fu- turistic sets. In a.subdued religious light punctured by holy: Upers, to the measured Sonorousness of church music Suddenly the rhythm of the mu- sic switches to jaz9!. The lights flare up. The angels shed wings and tapers,. which leaves only light- ly clad chorus hoofers, and break Into, a Russian perversion of the Charleston. The archangels turn Into mere functionaries of the St. Magdeline. CaCc, which—to put it bluntly—Is just a disorderly house. Being a bawdy house It Is there- fore (In the estimation of the boys who compound such felonies os thla revue) a fit place tor the next ses- sion of the League ot Nations to discuss disarmament The mayor of th,e town decides that the pres- ence of Madame arid her gay ladles will add spice to a dull affair. 'These diplomats,' he adds slyly 'are such good prostitutes that 1 behooves your girls to be good dip lomats.' ' Thereafter the revue gains speed at the expense of a Papal legate, an American by the original name ot Hoover, a Frenchman named LA LIGNE DE COEUR ('Heart Line') A comedy In three acta by Claude Andre' Puget:' Prodbced by R. Trebor and Brlg<< non. Btoeed by Pierre Frcsnoy; Theati*. St MleheT Paris: Jean Jacques Pierre Fresnar Bol)by ; Jean Wal( Pierre ...,...' Rene Blanehard Monsieur Ledru Pierre Hoohet A Gentleman Alcrme Nicole Lambert.... Helen* Peidrlera Slmon« .Madeleine Lambeif MadeMlna '«..... .Busy Loror - A Uldy ,:,..;..;.....->....:...Jacklya. ' A decided hit, with .the small the* atre playing to capacity and with-, good advance safes. Except for the last few minutes,'It Is very witty and fast moving, making it a bef for flimlzation and foreign adapta* tton. Author, CUude Andre PugeC is a very young-southerner, and has already had a small play done at' the Grand GuIgnoL He says he -will' - got his current male star^ Plerro Fresnay, to do several other plays' he has ready. ' . Charles K. Gordon, co-producer ot Tapavert' made an Offer for the rights, which tell cold. Action takes'. plac6 In two seta. Second act In a drawing room, first and third acts cleverly divided, con« sidering its small availabe spac^ into a sitting room In which action takes place, the floor landing ot aa apartment house, showing, on tuo left the apartment at the back the elevator door, which is one ot the props In-the ploy, and,.leadlng to tlie stage from the audience,.a tew steps representing the house stolrcose leading to the landing- The woU separating tho sitting room from the landing Is only suggested so as not t6 mar the view of the side scats. Production Is very nice though sim- ple. Story Is that of a young man wli» runs on agency, purpose of which Is to mall letters from various towM for people to pretend, they are trav- eling there when really they are somewhere else. His apartment u on the fifth floor. He helps out or the elevator, which has stuck, » young .woman dressed In 'Venetl(in costume who Intended to go to a masked ball on the third floor. . • They, both fall in love at first sight -and she promises to call- on him on the way back from the masked ball, which her old ond purely friendly husband will al»» attend. In tha next act, whlcn shows the masked ball, the ^ene- tlaii-dressed-glrl changes costumes with ono of her flighty girl friends dressed as a Dutch glil, in. order to. permit tho latter to escape a Jealous husband. The young man, who also comes to the ball, mistakes tiie Identity of the woman he nnas dressed In the Venetian costume, finds her different from his Wfe"* Ideal, and goes back disgusted w his apartment, taking there at tne same time a nice 'old woman, wn» Is really the husband o£ the girl ne loves In disguise. Husband reveals himself, w* gives the yoiing man a lesson in understanding, explaining that he " an old man who loves his wife ana doesn't want to stand in the °; her happiness. Atter he leaves, tne wife, who was In another room. aP'' pears dressed in the Dutch costume, and all-is well. In the last sequence the hiisbftno re-enters the room; and wlille s » puts on a mask which niakoa (Cont,iaued on page 56)