Variety (Dec 1931)

34 VARIETY Tuesday, December 29, 193i Hays on Broadway SENTINELS Drama in three act> presented 1)7 'Woller Batohelor. Daniel M. Dnre nnd Loulae Car- penter. Written by Lulu Vollmer: ^laseiJ l)y Prieatly Morrison. At the BlUmore, Dec. 25. \^ , John Hntbaway .Burke CtarU Sara Hathaway .;.Katharine Tracy Maine Laura Bowman HMteV."............. ■•^Viti%fJ^l George Hathaway v• • • -^f"" Tom Hathaway :... -Owen D»vl^ J'; Thunder. Edith Bedfem^ Rev. Doctor Carroll; Abbey Howe'......... Ofllcer, James Stanley., ..Ellaabeth I.0V0 ,,.Sayi« Cra\»loy .VltKlDla Howell ....MIUnsTtlden OiTla Burke A mixed cast drania and qiilte a serious play «f the south. Interest- ing and well acted there U little change of pace, iylth Indications against a click though It should do some business lor few weeks. . . . It here remains lor a colored' tc-. tress to stand put. In Broadway drama and that: hasn't been noted before. But Laura Bowman la the exception ahd the actual lead In ■Sentinels' which had other titles Sefore jiresentatlon. Miss-Bowman enacts a southern mammy, 'Mallle,' and makes the; character. genuine. . Lulu "Vollmer, who blossomeid from a theatre bbzofflce to authorship with 'Sun-Up' some time ago, au^ thored 'Sentinels.' Her stOry la that of loyalty of servants In the pifoud Hathaway family resident • In ■ i southern city. Aunt Mallle has long b^en of the household, wise .and at times exhibiting a sense of humor. But a shadow, falls over the threshold and for the most part the kindly mammy has the miseries. . Mallle has virtually brought up 6eorge and Tom, the Hathaway boys, along with her own ebony lad. Thunder. She likes to call them her three sons. Tom;ls engaged to Edith Redfem. Latter was supposed to have been niarrled and In driving away from the parsonage the hus band was killed Ih a motor car accl dent. George was of the wedding party. Fact was that the accident happened prior 'to the ceremony, Hathaway George had actually wed Edith by proxy and the dead man's property became hers. Secret remained with the pair uh til ferreted out by a leading citizen running for governor. George goes to the bank and removes evidence but Is caught by the political aeplr ant and In a scuttle the off-stage character is killed. Old Mallle; after a night of w.di-ry and prayer, realizes'what has tiap- pened. She' decides to protect George by making it appear her own boy Thunder Is the culprit. She is about to send him away .to throw suspicion on him when the police arrive. Thunder is taken to JalU A lynching Is feared and in the climax George confesses. Plot heis its points but the story Is based on on Improbability, that of the proxy marriage. There is a hazy indication that thei girl thought she was to have a baby. Owen Davis, Jr., Is the likable Tom, upstanding and sure of his happiness in future wedlock with Edith, played by Elizabeth Love. Story mokes the girl somewhat mer- cenary, which is hard to- believe as played. They make love sweetly in well written scenes. Ben Smith is the -worried George who has taken most of his troubles to Mallle but this time tries to hide the crime. The older people of the play are as- signed to Katherlne Tracy, -Virginia Howell and Burke Clark. ' There are two colored players addition to Miss Bowman, one be Ing a bit. Wayland Rudd is Thun der. He heretofore appeared ii such plays as 'Emperor Jones' and 'Porgy.' Miss Bowman started out In the musical fleld and dates back to Williams and -Walker's 'In Da- homey.' . ' 'Sentinels'' Is presented by man- agerial newcomers to the drama; Walter Batchelor and Danny Dare being rather of another so'ctor of show business. Louise Carpenter is the third presenter. Show looks to have a moderate cost hobk-up, for which reason it has some chance. Ihee. OUT OF TOWN REVIEW was to present something different Ii the way of a Negro musical. In one sense this attempt may have been siiccesstul but not In the -way that .means anything to the, box- otflce. Piece is practically devoid of ihe heat and steam -which sell color- ed hoofers ahd singers. That goes in all ways, tunes, most of the foot work and laughs. Miller and Lyies are not on very much and When working score only mildly. .There is the strongly notice-: able missing factor of staging and direction that prolonged every scene. Starring duo -work in their customaiy -vaude style. More of vaudeville flavor' about the show tlian the legit musical. One set throughout, that the front the Harlem apartment house known as 'Sugar Hill,'-lianiea from housing the cream of the Harleml population. Incidents- in the . play and mode of presentation can't help but remind of a sort of musicallsed 'Street Scene.' ■ Some novelty in the staging of the blackouts, all, taking place In arlous apartments. Windows of the house are painted on scrim, with lights in back on whenever njiy particular room is to be sho-wn. Used for both -blackouts and vocal chorus work, niso occasional solo dance numbers. Electrical cues were being muffed opening night. Tunes are average with none seeming to look in the hit direction. 'Rumbola' warms up a little ahd Hot Harlem' is Just tepid but 'Pool- ing Around With Love' majr get some popularity. Hill' really has too much, book, with the big spot questionable as to taste. It's the murder of a baby by Gyp Penrose, the 'number king* and boss of the district, played well by Broadway . JOnes. Murder is framed to lay <^to Jasper, sweet- heart of Louci'Ada. btit committed by Gyp who's on the make for the gal who, in turn, is in love with Jasner. 'Mystery' l.s solved by Sam Peel: (Aubrey Lyles). Harrison Blackburn, with a. sand dance, and Norton and Ford, with good tap legmnnln. take the step- ping awards. ISdna Moten- pleased vocalizing 'Pooling Around' while Chappy Chapelle and Junlta Stln ette worked well in a pair «r ditet<i. Show doesn't look strong enough to get by on its %i top and despite the apparent cheapness In operation, COLD IN SABLES Comedy . In - three note pr«i«ntcd at the Cort Dec, S3 by. Arthur GrcvlMc Colllna: ivrltlen by Dor.e Anderaon and Joseph Kackson; staged by the producer. . .Tohn Hammond....; Taylor Holraee VIrtorIa Hammond Qllve Reeves-Smlth Julia .1. Dorothy Lord Grace Jesslmlne Nowcombe Jonet ; Knte Roemer Lily Ln Mar ......Dorothy MarKaye Douglas Weet ..Brandon Peters Mobella Frances Qrant Detective -William Green SUGAR HILL MuHlcnl comedy In two acts presented by Movinc Diiy Co. Inc. Miller and Lyles ■taiTe<l. Book by Chos. Tazewell: lyrics, Jo Trent; music. Jimmy Johnson. At the Forrest, N. V., Dec. 2o; top. Sister Huff ...Carrie Huflt Matilda Small : .Margorltc-Lee Steve Jenkins ,,.,. .Flournoy Miller Sam Peck Aubrey I.yles Louclndn .Junlta Stinottc Jasper Chappy Cbapellc Gyp Penrose.... r. ^Broadway Jonas Joe , .' Albert Chester MItzle • Kay Mason CIfo Edna Moten Tress Treasa Mllchdl Uncle Heniy Horrlaon Blackburn OfOcer Brown ..Andrew Copclund Oleo's Mother Ina Duncan Parson Johnson., J. Louis Johnson Nln6 points from a 10 strike with indications for a short stay. It appears as though 'the intent behind the show, presented by the 4ueerly named 'Moving- Day. Co,.' First show, on the Christmas card was in line with the times. Hardly more than a bore, and if It plays longei' than this week it Is because there are so few shows. A mediocrity no worse than some other plays this season, but when the reviewers arc blamed for not enthusing over sucli shows they should not bo scolded. Even if the cvltica wrote favorable notices. It would do lio good at the box olflce in this case. Arthur Greville Collins produced and staged reputed successes In London. His wife, Betty Boss Clark was in the cast but withdrew, and Dorothy Mackaye fell "heir to the role. The tltian-haired Miss Mae kaye is much the' best in 'Cold in Sables,' and it is rather a bad break for her. A twisted triangle story. John Hammond Is . playing around with Lilly, a dame, who partly knows her profession. He had bought her sable coat and rlght oft she squawks about It not being more expensive— ■ as, for instance, the coat he bought his wife. Latter 'finds the key of Lil's apartment and walks in on them. " There Is a sort of mutual friend, Doug West. He likes Lll and he also likes Vic, Hammond's wife, and Isn't able to make up his mind about cither, Vic visits Doug and now 111 walks in, blackmail intent. Site brings sap Hammond, but Vic ex plains without much trouble) and so Lll exits, saying she is going to get married. Only inference is that she will have security for her cheating. If'the play was timriy the story would not ■ matter. But It Isn' Maybe a few giggles for those per sonally knowing the cost. Not drama, not comedy. Just remindful of one of those Action stories the tabs print Taylor Holmes plays Hammond, the husband who cheats 'wl(h Lil Character is moronic, glvIng^ him no chance to create the laughs- that made him a name sometime ago, Olive Reoves-Smlth as the wife okay, and a second to Miss Mac kaye's good Lil. But 'Ca^i In Sables', won't '-* Ihee. Lant of Mrs. Cheyney . (Babe Daniels) Hollywood, Dec. 23.. ■ After three weeks In 'Frisco Bebe Daniels, starred In the role which Ina Claire created for Broadway- In the smart Frederick Lonsdale com-- edy, 'The Last of Mrs. Cheyney,' came to.Hollywood, opening Dcc.^21 at tho. £1 Capltan with all the aplomb, pomp and gala- of a 'pitcher premeer..' Hollywood went to the draKma ih tails and ermine, but no lights. Under Henry Duffy auspices, staged by Edwin Curtis, 'Mrs. Chey- ney' is a creditable production, al- though the stellar performance left something wanting alongside of the original Broadway standard. Still it wasn't half bad for a coast pi^O- duction, with Tyrrell. Davis as the aflable Lord DlUlng and Jameson Thomas as tho'^machlnatlng pseudo- butler «cllpsing Miss Daniels' for- mula performance. .' Considering that it was. actually and practically her -maiden stage effort, despite the program note that she was a , baby-ih-arms actress when but a few months old. Miss Daniels managied fairly It not in an especially distinguished manner. It requires an histrionically bril- liant cast to get over that flrs.t .act hurdle with its stiff British society vorboseness to set the atmosphere, It Is only at the conclusion of the Arst of the three acts th^t anything approaching the dramatic Is In- jected when Mrs. Cheyney's guests depart, and her pseudo-buller, pseudo-pagcf boy, pseudo-chauffeur lind pseudo-s6cond butler plop right down, start smoking stogies and get hot' as Mrs. Cheyney tUUates the ivories with some current Jazz.- is only when the situation Is struck that it's all a snare to make away with .a- 60,090-p-ound pearl necklace the intended victim had worn that - very evening at Mrs. Cheyney's swank gathering. .; Tyrrell Davis made his difficult role realistic, and Jameson Thomas as the sinister butler dittoed, a'he rest' -were on a par, the support comprising, , besides those above- named, Georgie Harris, Lorna Bal- fotur, Clarissa Sel-wynhe, Rus.iell Fillmore, Frank Dawson, Doris Lloyd, Corlhne Ross, -VVllfred Noy, May Beatt'y, Donald Campbell and George Dlx. Considering the dllR- culties of English . drawing room comedy for the average Broadway cast, this coast company managed rather well. \ At $1.00 top Miss Daniels should duplicate her strong fortnight and mild final and . third week: as at Frisco In the fllm capital, and per- haps linger another week. Opening nlte was a sellout, with the colony making' the premiere a social function, Hiurther 'built up' by one of the femme chatterers spread- ing herself oh the publicity to give Miss Daniels a strong sendroffi. Ben Lyon, the. star's husband, thereafter took some 200 guests across the street to the Embassy to wind up the social occasion. The BU Capltan management, un' doubtedly anticipating the star- gazers and autograph-hounds, seemingly decided to do nothing and let the ticket-holders fight it out on their own In the lobby, perhaps counting on the unpaid-for mob scene for free ballyhoo; but It cer talnly -was somewhat of a gridiron adventure to battle through - the gaping peasants. Management was mildly but generally cussed for not facilitating comfortable entree, es- pecially by the carriage trade In their boiled shirts, AHel, nays Abroad EVELYN Budapest, Dec. 16, • Pfny In tbroe acts, first presented by the Budapest -Vlgszlnhnz. Written by Melcboir Longyel. In cast: Froda Gombaszogl, Blla Goth, Bu(eDe .Toras. Gabriel.nojnay. Here Is a play that is at last bolng talked about all over the place, hotly discussed a,ad argued over, reviving the public's Stagnant Interest in the stage' and putting It on the map again as a subject of conversation. Melcholr Lengyel has achieved the extraordinary Xeat of picking a new problem. His subject Is a very deli- cate one, but he has contrived to iahdie It without getting In tho least obnoxious. 'His plot centers round a woman who Is every Inch a lady— a lady by birth and position, mar-, ried to a'man whom she loves—In a woy. Nevertheless, she seeks ad- ventures with strange men whom she has never seen before and -will never see again In a. place profes- sionally devoted to such purposes. Reginald Scott, British navy ofB- cer, on his way. homo for long leave from India, stops in Paris for a tew days to have a spree. On the rec- ommendation of a comrade he visits the 'bridge salon' of a Russian emi- graht baroness, where society wom- en meet men on the thin plea of playing bridge, but veritably for other purposes. . - Here Scott meets a woman of whom not even the proprietress of tlie establishment knows a thing. She comes occasionally. Everybody can-see that she is a lady and Eng- lish, but that Is all. Scott falls in love with' her and cannot under- stand how a -T^man ot her type can come to such a place. She claims the double standard. In- the second act Scott visits his old friend, Charles Southerland, In Lohdoni and tells him about the ad- venture. He can't find the woma-n and feels'he must find her, because she's the- one girl In the world tor him, even though he knows that she has met other man In the same place before him, SOutherland laughs at the Idiotlo Idea and tells him to marry a nice girl like he has done. As an argument In favor of his ad-- vice he introduces his wife, Evelyn, whom Scott has not met before. Sho is identical with his girl of tho Paris bridge salon. Somebody onco said that tho sure tost ot the quality of a play Is whether you get the cold creeps down your back during the big scene. You certainly do in this play, while Evelyn flatly and in- geniously denies having the least idea. Of , the woman in the Pari, bridge salon. Freda Gombaszogl did it so weii that for a moment one-halt beltevM that it 'was only extraordlnory »^ semblance and not dual existenS" Evelyn Is fond pt her well-ordeniS bourg^ors existence and her hum.; drum husband, but she wants tti other thing, top, and she flghu fS? both, trying to deceive Scott, flrit by denying her Identity with tha bridge salon woman, then. wh«n' they 'meot again at tho baroness* bv denying she is Identical with Bvb lyn Southerland. . Ot course, Scott is not deceived.' but he gives her tip when the hiS.' band flnds her In Paris and trtea^ to behove that she only caihe.to the' disreputable- place out t>t ciirlosltr' to see the woman who bore such u° extraordinary resemblance, to bert! But D is happiness In tainted ail the same; he will never be able to g«t' rid of tho doubt that perhaps his wife was Scott's strange woman. The conctusioh is somewhat in> definite and leaves doors open to discussion, but the entire play, and especially the second, act, is so dra.' matis ahd so Interesting that there is no dotibt it will, have a very! strong appeal anywhere, . Dialog Is' clevc'r and atnuslti^i yet in perfectly <taate, situations thitu.: ing and the plot siich that suddenly everybody Is sayliig: "Tes, that problem IS there,. It must be talked about, only nobody has dared to- touch It before." Men don't approve of the play,- but temmes, especially the younger generation,, blow the trumpet all over the town and applaud, for all' the world as' If it were perfectly de rlgueur for young society womea to frequent disreputable houses. The production was oil that an- author could wish for, with Freda; Gombaszogl excellent In her difficult title role. Perhaps she was a trifle too lady; like, superior and untem- peramental- to make her cravings, quiet believable in the Paris part ot her existence. Ella Goth wias. brilliant as the baroness, happy mixture of grdnde dame , and pro-, curcss, and both men were good. 'Evelyn' has every' attribute ot an International success. Jacob!, if Yoa Think If s Tough, Jost Look at Australia Business conditions cannot be- come too bad for good pictures to overcome. So believes "W. H. Cur rle, Indepindent Australian and New Zealand distributor' now In New York, Film distribution In Australia, Currle sSys, Is probably more hand Icappcd at present than in any other spot In the'world. Duty on fllm for that territory now amounts . to about 16c a foot, he says. On top of that there is a 2,6% .tax' on the gross brought in by pictures and money can't be taken out of the country wlt^out a 20% tax. '-VVorklng under such handicaps,' said Currle, 'you can well see that it is easy to become discouraged. Sometimes It seems almost hope- less to make any money, But along come films with cast names of draw-. Ing power, and all the theorizing and depression js knocked over. It's the old story, of course, that It's the pictures tha.t count in the final analysis.' British pictures are being given a pretty fair break in Australia, ac- cording to Currle. About 18% of the films shown are British, the rest be- ing American, But those British films that are at all {;ood get as heavy n play as the very best of the AnKr'i";ii f'-atures, quotes the fof- i elgn £lm moji. Plenty of Grief for Paris Theatre Lessees Paris, Dec. 16, Certain leases granted by the city of Paris' to the amusement. and restaurant business are under fire Edmond Sayag, who has the ground lease from the city of Paris on the Champs Elysees spot, on which he built, the Ambassadeurs restaurant and theatre. Is beings sued in bank-, ruptcy proceeding by creditors, and the theatre is In the hands ot an admlnlstrateur Judlclaire, who has t'ho same powers as a receiver. Some of the city fathers are said to be un- easy about what might develop in reference to the way the leases have boon granted, since tho buildings are not paid for yet. Illegal subletting ot theatre, though netting Sayag some cash, has al- ready resulted In artists and musi clans remaining with unpaid sal arles. This called attention to an- other Champs-Elysees sPot, the Ma- rigny, leased to Volterra at a time when It was expected he would use it as a legit stand, but which he has since turned into a picture house. The Prefebt of the Seltie, Rcnard, has been, questioned by Alderman Lionel Mastorg, with a vlow to ob- taining from Volterra a promise that he revert, at least temporarily, to legit. In order to give employment to stage hands and artists. Volterra claims that in the last Ave years he lost over $200,000. Last two loglt shows, 'Les FoUes de Paris' and 'Molneau,' . operetta, totaling nearly $100,000 between' them. Since Volterra turned pictures ho also lost money, having played 'City Lights and 'Dirigible.' He Is now playing 'Mistigti,' a Paramount French pro ductioh. BLUFF A comedy In three acts and a prolog br George Delanee. Produced by Max Mauntf nt the.Varlctos, Paris, Doc. IS. The Marquise Marguerite More'ne La Paoll..,..,, ,.-.Suzy Prim Tho. Maidservant. ; Fanny Clair I.Ancy '....Jules Berry Randson , Abcl-Tarrlda The Head -Walter...., TJirquoy Doctor Lcnglet Robert Seller ALIEN FUH Itl FABIS Paris, Dec. 16. . More theatres In Paris running original foreign versions, mostly American. Contrary to first expec- tations, nei titer French producers, managers nor actors have put any difficulties in the way ot these prle- inal foreign language theatres. Patronage is limited, and their takings would anyway not go to houses playing Frencli prod.uctlons. Paris, Dec. 14, Very uneven comedy with a slow start and exceedingly brilliant flh< ieh, that looks like a filler with chances ot a fair run between 'To* paze' and what may come later at tho Varietes, which is yet undecided. Tho play Is often dragging and padded, action being really centered In the big third-act scene, which has been treated In a very light, humor< ous and Parisian way. As is, the legit version reveals big screen pos< slblllties. Also play, suitably ndapt-i ed, should' be a bet for abroad. Suitably adapted is to be understood as opposed to mere translation. Play depicts a penniless but like* able young adventurer,, who. In an effort to meet an American mil- lionaire with whom he .wants to do business, crashes a ritzy charity sale and signs a worthless cheque for $4,000 when a kiss of a prima donna Is put at auction. He succeeds in his aim to the extent that he dines the same evening with tho million- aire, . and has late supper with the prima dbnnd, from whom, the next morning, when she lovingly clings to him, ho obtains bock his worth- less cheque', acknowledging that he Is an adventurer. The American millionaire, who likes his pep, hands him' a fat Job. and a big cheque, which immediately enables tho man to tell the girl that he was only jok- ing -with her, that the cheque Is good. They are on the high road to happiness; The staging ot the play. Is exceed- ingly simple, consisting for the first act' ot a drawing room, the second act a corner ot a restaurant, and the third a'ct tite woman's boudoir. For the prolog, which represents a side- walk terrace of a cafe, there is an In "one." The three main parts ore very well done by JUlcs Berry as an adventurer; Suzy Prim, who never looked better as tho actress, and Abel Tarrlde as the millionaire, for which he has adopted a slight Amer.Icati accent. Marguerite Moreno, who heads tlie bill, doos the part of a ritzy doclol worker. Her casting disappoints, becauso, though Moreno is a general favorite, she just does a character part In the first act, and leaves afterward to double at the 'Wagtam, with everybody missing her In tno rost of tho play. Balance of-the cast mere support. Special notice should be given Fanny Clair, screen actress, who seems to have considerable l£B" possibilities, bringing to the stage the real pulcliritudc of a screen i>- genue. She last acted l",, «/ Qttuoho.' '"<"'*•