Variety (Feb 1932)

68 VARIETY LIECITIMATE Tuesday* February 16, 1932 Plays on Broadway BLESSED EVENT Comedy In three acU. Prtsented at the ^oneici'C by Sidney -Phillips and Harlan 'nionn>son Feb. 12. Wrltle'n by Manuel SeJf anX Forrest Wllsion. Staged by Thompson. nogerPryor .........Mildred Wall ,. .bee Patrick ....Charles 0. Drown .......... 9alph Locke .....George Oreenbere Eddie Lynch ... ;i.Dorothea Petgen ..;Lynn Root. .Milton Wallace . Allen Jenkins ;011le Burgoyne • Thclma Tlpson ;..Isabfl Jewell ....iJean Adair ...Robert Allen ........John. Bobb .... ...Idatt Brlggs i..;.Pnmk Row.aii ,.,..Kenneth Dana ...Walter Klhsella .... David Lefohard . ... .Herbert Duffy ... .Henry Shelvey .John F. Morrlsaey Alvln Rbberts. . Mis* Stevens..,.. Qlaoj^ Price.-... Georgfe- Mbxcly.v Louis Miller...i. Hanson,.: Offlce- Boy........ Miss Baumann.. H^rbrrl Flint... Mr. Moskbwltz.. Frankle Wells.-., Mrae. Flcurette., Amelia Romond; Dorothy Laho. Mrs. Ttoberts.. Bellboy Bmll Sam Gobel RelUy.,......... Cooper -..,. Boldt............ Louis Demarro.. Jo? P.isquall...; . policeman....... Detective.. .*...*.. dramatic coster, and Harlan Thomp- son, autlior and director of musical shows and not long back from Hol- lywood's writing colony. Thompson stained the show, and It opens a n6w field for hlni. Ihee, . The 'keyhole kid,', the talk of the tabloids, none other thaii Walter Wincheli. has been dramatized: and satirized in 'Blessed Event,' written by two young men who know some- thlng. " ■; : ■"' ■ 'Blessed Event' has: I^ui;h-gettlng comedy, dramatilcs ^nd change of pace. First act good, second a let- down, but the speed- and melodra- matics of the final act seem to tuck the show away. That stanza recalled 'Broadway' with Its night club at- mosphore, also 'The Front Page* with its. telephoning reporters, but particularly the former. The authors have neatly caught the idea of the gossiping columnist and spaced it nearly throughout. Scene one in the gosslper'a office In the 'Daily Express' terminates by making hlni a heel, divulging the coming blessed event of a night club dancer, without benefit of clergy. That Jams the girl. Later Alvln Boberts, the columnist of the play, tries to make amends by giving her money to go away with and promis- ing to take care of the financial end, AIR-MINDED -Dramatic comedy drama iq-three acta by Nathaniel Davla. presented by- Davenport Productions, Irtc.. -at the RItz, New York. Feb. 11, Staged by - H. McRao Webster. Top, t3. • .■ - ISmma Clements..Bell D-Arcy Shorty Quinn.....Frank Otto Joyce Cameron..-.Charlotte' Wyntcrs Freddy- Cameron.. ;.. .Udwln Jrfllls Dutch Emer}'...............'.O, Pat Collins Joseph CJementa........George- MacQuarrle The'Man with a Silk Hat .'.Stanley Ridges The Uan with a Derby Hat, . Harry UcNaughton Simon Spring.. .Dernard Pate Doctor Mitchell.......... iBernard Craney since the disclosure led to her mar ried lover racketeer having walked out.. -'■ How the Inside ; on the private lives of the better knowhs Is combed from: waiters, bell bops and anony- mous mall tips to'the columnist is woven Into the play, which ia epi- sodic. How, too, he sends telegrams to all and sundry for gags Is indi- cated. Roberta wires Hey wood Broun, "What do you know that I doii't?* The smart answer, 'Plenty,' coines soon, after, but not collect. When Roberts is panned by an- other paper he doesn't particularly object. (The pans have happened to Wincheli lately.) In answer to edi- torial d^nouhclng his stufC Roberts sayd; Tm making |90,0(K) a year, so why should .1 worry, what a lousy. $100 a week editorial writer says' about me.' That was before Roberts' salary was boosted to $1,000 a week and before he went radio for much more.. An offer from another paper at a Q a week is the lever for the salary lift, and that has happened in Wlnchell's case, too. . T6ugh mugs and racketeers fur- nish another angle. (Mrs. Wlnchell's boy was out front with a massive bodyguard.) Roberts .makes an ally out of one Chicago tough who comes to frighten him, by describing the death chamber and an execution at Sing Sing. But the racket guy who got the little dancer into trouble or- ders Roberts bumped off. . The at- tempt is made in a night club and fnrhislies the excitement of the last act. Another reporter Is shot in the arm because the charged-iip gun- man's aim is bad. Still another phase is the suppipsed feud between the columnist and a topllne crooner. That Is made an important element in the show, btit from the sidelines the Wlrichell-Valr Ice affair is a dead Issue. 'Five Star Final' was the tab play last year, written with a certain amount of feeling. 'Blessed Event' is move amusing and was not aUr. thOred with animus. Roger Pryor is Roberts the .col- umnist and he well deserves the featuring given him. He Is nervous at times, does not get to bed until 6 and eats his breakfast.at 6 p. m. Lee Pntrlck provides the love in tcrcst. She reviews pictures on the s.'imc sheet, is opposed to Alvlh's column, but finally gives, in. Mil- dred Wall is his secretary, loyal but a wisooracker about the dirt dlsher Allen. Jenkins excellent as a rod toting dees-dem egg from Chlcaigb John P. Mdrrlssey with a detective bit near the close ditto, slugging the gunman who tried to get Roberts but who plugged a friend instead. Jean Adair plays Roberts old-fnshloned mother, who doesn't know what it's . all about That is one of the things wide of the subject-matter, \ Manny Self, Who has.been doing press work for the^ Shuberts, wfote 'Blessed Event/ Forrest Wilson do ing some collaborative work after rehearsals started. They are a new playwrlghtliig duo. They forget lit- tle, even to having their hero barred trqm a club and having him enter In disguise. . Another young pair Is on the man agdrlal end—Sidney Phillips, once a vaudeville monologist and now Lightweight love story, shoddlly written and staged, and in most re- spects colorlessly acted. Its' subr stance is thin 'and Its situations trlt^, the play falls to rise tda sut-r ficient entertainment level to assure it of any chances. Were it better performed its deficiencies inherent- ly might not. bo so noticeable. At the opening numerous meni- bers of the cast slipped up oh lines several times. ■ At one point, Stan- ley - Ridges ° badly balled up on a line, while In another spot G. Pat Collins started to laugh when his demeanor should have been bel- ligerent. He attempted to klir off whatever It was that struck him humiorously. which wasn't palpable to the audience, but finally had to: turn his back to regain composure. Charlotte Wynterq, as the girl over whojn both IUdg6s and Col- lins are scrapping, and George MacQuarrle, as her tincle, turn, in best performances. : MacQuarrle, despite that his part offered him: little, got more oiit of it than, any of the others out of tho*« assign- ments.. . . Story is laid In a small hotel Tob:- by on the edge of a flyini? field. It's here that a New Torker, run- ning away from thiii£S, becomes Inr terested In flying and Anally noses out' bis rival, son of. the local banker. Development of the narra- tive comes clumsily at times. There is some fair comedy relief,: some of it haying to do with drink- ing, the rest of . it. ladled out by Harry McNaughton* eccentric pro- fessor typ.e. A kid, Frank Otto, who's also air-minded and is .monkeying aroiind with some kind of a cpnr traptlpni purpose of which is a little nebulous, has fliie ' stage presence and voice, but overacts. Even, at -a low nut, which, looks probable, lasting qualities 'of 'Air- Minded' don't look promising. ■ Char. MONKEY Comedy drama In three acts presented at the Mahsaeld Feb; 11 -by Robert- Sparks and staged by b|m; written by Sam Janney. Robert Kenmore..Wright Kramer Dr. George Holllns...; Prank Wllcojt Oreta Kenmore.Charlotte Dennlston Bracker .Roland Hogue Joe Banning Clifford L. Jones Hurlen Houston Richards ORlcer McSwoeney..... .Edward McNnihara' T, Erhmelton Stotes, Randall O'Nell Howard Styrman... .John T. Dwyer Dr. Edward. Pomeroy Nichols, . George .Lessey Inspector Monkey Henderson, Richard Whorf Medical Examiner Hughes... .Dann Malloy Estelle Fcnley. .Nedda:Harrlgan He also rates a house detective as a person who spends , much tlnie lurking on dark fire escapes. 'Monkey* Henderson, who believes that 'between the seventh com piandmcnt and the 18th . amend ment we're all: having one ht'll of a tiipe,' pays scant attention to Banning, who did the shooting, He seeks the motive and finds It Theire ig a woman in the case, thel mistress of Kciimore, and she has a lover. It is that peirson who goads the boy to the deed and who in- the end: is the victim of a homicide, tooi 'Mon key' destroys tho confession pi'lor to that and he routs a banker or two wild plan to declare the boy in sanci' •Robert Sparks Is the producer of the. mystery comedy, and in staging it he did good, work. Just ias he did in the' ill-starred ^Never No More' recently. He Introduces some ac- tors virtually new to Broadway, par- ticularly young ORichard Whorif, whose extended stock experience stands him In good stead now. Whorf makes 'Monkey' Henderson a curioiis old man with a sense of humor and a. continupusily wagging tongue. It is ah unusual c haraoteu- tzation, but It is questioned, if the old man idea is right for this show, it isn't believable. - . Edward -McNamara,' once known as the singing cop, plays the Irish policeman Mi-oweeney In the gonial manner that niade him liked in' 'Strictly Dishonorable' In a, isimllat- assignment. Houston: Richards did well as the house' detective, " . 'Monkey' in kidding murder mysr tery pieces retains most of the melodramatic featujies. More com- edy would enhance its b. 6. wbrtli. Ibee. ' ■■■ By Sallie If Jimmy. Durante would ask, 'Are there many mystery plays In the Broadway canyon?' Eddie Jackson would shout, 'It's lousy with them.' and Lou Clayton would echo the same.for the schhozzola. And now another one, the third oh the same street, yet 'Monkey' is a satire on mystery plays; That it can make the grade now; howeven la doubt- ful. : ■ The current mystery play authors are picking on doctors as the mur dorers in these stories. That is so In 'The Fatal AUbl,' and a medico also: is the bestial, fellow In;'Black Tower.' Not to niention that a pro fessor Is the bad man in 'Zombie,' The docs may have to have a law passed about it. The late Sam Janney, whose 'Loose Ankles' was a fairly success -fill comedy, had something to get off his mind about bankers and house detectives, and most of those references provide the fuh of 'Mon- key.' The lines come during, the process of unraveling the murder of Robert Kenmore, whlterhalred bank- er, by Police Inspector 'Monkey' Henderson, an apparently decrepit old codger who thinks on all cyl- inders, ' ' - - . The shooting is doiio by Joe Ban- ning, a hoofer in 'Scai'idals,' whose proposed marriage to Kenmore'S stepdaughter, Greta, ig opposed vio • lently by the banker. Latter Had been druel to the girl's mather and is at the tlnie In a sanitarium. The boy's confession la secured by Mur lein, the house dick, who also digs up a dictaphone record to clinch the case before, the inspector arrives, bfllcer MoSweeney is scornful of Murleln und explains to-the butlef 'If you were ever caught without baggage you'd know what I mcian.' Ppllowlng much, te.sting by Walter pamrosch and Ernest Schelllng of Madison Square's acoustics, they finally >yere pronounced perfect for Paderewskl's concert for the benefit of. the Musicians' 'Emergency Aid^ The Gairden: transformed Into con- cert hall was capttclty,: 16,000 _being present. Mr. Paderewakl donated his services and the receiptB. were between $30,000 arid $35,000. The evening for Mr. Padcrewski was a great ehdurande test. .He played for three consecutive hours, and it was past' midnight before the'audi- ence departed. Two Soloists Town Hall suffered from over- congestlpn Sunday. In the after- noon an :audieiice of ihiislclansi singers and society gathered to hear the'miich heralded Gonchlta Super- via, Spanish mezzo-soprano. In her first recital herb. She has had h colorful and interesting • career. At. 14, she saiig in opera in Buenos Aires; tit Id, singing Carmen. In Italy*, where she. was a sensation. Mme. Supervla's voice cannot be compared to her (iraniatlc Interpre. tatlve ability. She Is most attrae- tivie. and wears Her costumes ex. ^remely wcll.: A fetching one worn in one of her Spanish songs was a white silk cloge-flttlng bodice, skirt to floor, with ruffles faced in Amer. lean beauty satin. With this outfit she .carried a' huge red fan. , In tho evening, _ Lotta Lehman, the well-known German . lieder ;singer, looking statuesque In a coral- pink satin- evening go,wn, sang an extensivie : program. to a iiouse tliat crowded-Town Hall. ilme. Leh- ihan'^i technique is superb, diction excellent and she knows ,T)oth the tricks of the voice and of music. Childpeh's Concert Clxlldren filled Town Hall, New. York, to hear Dorothy Gordon sing: and act songs . of all countries In costume in her only recital in New .York this seapn. Miss Gordon was (Continued on page 71) 20MBIE Melodrama.in three nets-present^ at the Bllthiore Feb. 11 by George Sherwood and stogcd by him; written by Ketaneth WebU; Pauline Starlte .featured.: Dr. Paul Thurlow..........Hunter Gardner Sylvia Clayton..............;Puullne Starke. Jack Clayton'.; .Robert J. Stanley Pedro'.-. ,..'..George Uegas .Tosephinc .Etta Moten Prof,. Luke Wallace;...... Burr Cariith Martha -Wallace....'.......,.. .Roiae "Tapley Haitian Laborers.........Pater Clarke and ' Lackaye Grant Reed .Jerome ShPldoh Bates ;...... .Booth H.ugin ' Boo! and plenty of it in this mys- tery play, or rather thriller, of the tropjcs. 'Zombie^ at times will put the chill on the ispine even of first nighters. • That's something. Could be a good Leblanger, but without that aid little chance.' It Is a coast set-up. George Sher- wood, who presents and staged 'Zombie,' has; been pronlpt-lng shows out west for some time. Pauline Starke was a picture name and is the featured lead, and there are one or two others known to filmland as players; Kenneth-Webb,, whp wrote the show; isn't of the picture mob. He must: have been reading atulf about voodoolsm In the tropics.paf- tlcularly the Seabrobk book on . the native superstitions of Haiti. ' , Some first nighters wondered how well the show might haive Impressed with a better cast.' It Is among the terror plays of .the year, as they call them in Hpllywoodi The drums beat pminotisly and so Insistently that after the second act It seemed they could be heard in the outside lobby. : A zombie, according to the book and the play, is a human who is supposed to die, but, through magic, comes back unseeing and unhearing save one voice or master. The per- son is to air intents a robot, toiling in the fields for . the benefit of the conjuror, or committing crimes at his behest. One of those, zombies nearly strangles a sailor. A single- file procession surround the house of Jack and Sylvia Clayton, who have a plantation, and you can hear 'em Ttiaking dismal noises. The given explanation of the zothbie is that it or he or she is In a condition of suspended animation. A young doctor. from a private yacht believes it merely the super- stition of the natives, but when the colored inald sees her husband walk Jh as a zombie, the thing gets creepy-^and; drums beat down on the plains. Paul, the, young medico, is .smit- ten with Sylvia and wants her to come away with him. Jack, her hus- band. Is adamant about not leaving the island for about two more years when their fortune will be made. The yoiing wife is fearful arid spent with the mpriofony of the place,'.ahd that at least is believable: Paul presum- ably dies after drinking water that is poisoned with the juice of a cer- tain herb; . Paul becomes oho of those thiri.cra, and, under the spell of Pedro the half'breed overseer, heopens the safe and takes out the Clayton savings. Pedro Is trapped in one of the many dark scenes. The doc is put out of combat by zombie Paul, but It isn't Pedro who really heads the zombies, but a character whom the audience does not suspect. He is shot and Paul comes out of it to comfort wife Sylvia. It is a'mystery play set in the sweat country. Miss Starke is the "harried w ife Sylvia. Robert J. Stanley plays her good-looking husband. George Regag gets somewhere with his playing of Pedro. The others are secondary. Introduction of two gobs should have afforded comedy relief, but that was one of the play's weaknesses. 'Zombie' Is creepy enough, but it's np—unless tho cut rates underwrite it n>e9. MAURICE GHEVALIER Prescntba by C. 13. Dillingham for a llni- Ited engagement of two weeks by courtesy of ' Paramount Publlx. 'dt"': Fulton, New ydrft, Fe.b. 9 for. two weeks.' Wllh^Jacques Frny and Mnrio. Ilmgglottt, pinnlsls. court- esy Columbia Broadraatlng. $2.S0 top. Maurice • Chevalier, Paramount's biggest star and one of the six strongest male_drawa on the screen, places himself to a greater test on this engagement than two years ajgb When playing a two-weeks' concert date, also for C, B. Dillingham and at this theatre. That he Will do as well on his sebond legit stage try is. highly doubtful for many reasons. First, there is sonie doubt that Chevalier is the draw that he: wa!s two years ago; a couple bad pic- tures in between having cut in oh him. They and a lack of real hit songs since 'Innocents of Paris' and Love .Parade' ate against him. Something may be gathered from the fact that In this concert en- gagement,-Chevalier leans backward to some of his earlier spng hits, closing his show with a couple froin the first talker he made for Par, 'Innocents.' . Lent started last Wednesday (10). That, also, may be. against Chevalier's box-ofBce showing this time. . Additionally, these are not the good times of two years ago, narrowing down opportunities for money. ; Aside froih these conditions. Chevalier is not exactly the In- triguing personality that he was when first brought over to the U. S. A. He has lost a trifle of that French accent which had something to do with establishment of Che- valier M an American screen person- ality, and on the stage .Is without that restraint pictures impose oh him,. His concert, none the less, is quite entertaining and possesses its high lights. Notable are the. imitations of Imitators of Chevalier. These are Rudy Vallee and Willie Ho'w- ard in their impersonations of the Par star; with that of "Vallee out- standing. . ^ There is the .slightest undertone of displeasure oh Chevalier's part over vaude and legit impersonators of him, especially the protruding lip which he says they all stick out to plant the picture; but he tries va- liantly to make it appear he doesn't mind. Included.in the repertoire of num- bers are a couple from 'One Hour With You' (Par)» yet to be released,, with Chevalier partly explaining the story and not forgetting .plugging value. Unusually well . done are an Apache niimber, 'Mr. and Mrs. Ele- phant' (in French), and impressions of three French comedians, one a pansy.: All are done in character and flold well. Chevalier works .oh a fully lit stage and with, the aiidltoriumi in brightness except for two numbers for which the spot Is thrown, on him. More variation and possibly breaking up of ihe Chevalier nhrii-. bers and the piano selections of Fray aind Braggiottl would further diversify the concert. Fray, and Braggiottl, excellent piano team, in novel arrangements, precede Cheva.ller on both halves, going through their entire routines. This has them on for long stretches and also' Chevalier, bringing a lot of each at one time. . ; Prices for present concert ©n- gngement were ireduced after tlck- cL-j had been printed from $3 tP $2.50. This, may indicate th.at the advance wasn't up. to expectations. Chevalier's following among the French In New York may be strong enough, coupled with his film draw, to make his two weeks' stay satis- factorily, profitable to both himself' and Dillingham, even If It won't be as velvety Eis two yearq ago. At that time ho hod Duke EUing ton and band wltb him. Char, THE FATAL ALIBI Mystery melodruiua. presented by Jed Harris at the Booth, Feb. -9; written by Michael Morton; based on novel -'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'! Charles I.aughtbn starred; staged by latter. Geoffrey Raymond Mrs.: Ackroyd Major BlUnt , Flora Ackroyd Parker .. Caryl Sl'ieppard Herculei :Polrot.-.-.-rr'; Bourne ; i.;;..; Sir Roger Ackroyd.'. Captain Ralph Patoh Dr. Sheppard. Inspector Davles Mr. Hamniiand Margot' Edward Crandall ....Eflle Shannon ..Kenneth Hunter June Wyatt .Donald Randolph .... .Helen .Vinson Charles' Laughton ... .Jane Uramley Lionel Pape ...Lowell Ollmore ... .-Moffat Johnston ..Lawrence H. GeoU .Fothrlngham Lyaoiis .....-. .Androe Co'rdajr Jed Harris has been planning to do this quiet meller- for sometime.- He waited until Charles I.Aughton ;c£ London was through with 'Pay* ment; Deferred,' biecauso the actor, now starred, appeared In 'Alibi* over there. Title too familiar here, hence the present paradoxical name, 'The Fatal Alibi.' It Is Interesting, well acted and well presented, which should get It by for a inbderate en' gagement. . Laughton was highly lauded by New York critics for his perform*^ ance In 'Deferred,' also an imported murder play which failed to live up to expectations. His performance in 'Alibi', aeenis to be much better, perhaps because the cbaracterlza- tlon is more appealing. In the earlier appearance Laugh* ton enacted a middle-aged Britisil bank clerk who killed a relative from Australia for his money and burled tha body In the garden.. He became a .cringing creature wHb'se guilt was discerned because he continuously read of the action of a certain poison which he had ad- ministered. In 'Alibi' the character is the op* posite, Laughton Is Hercule Poirot, a noted Prench detective residing near the home of Sir Roger Ack- royd, Fernly Park, near London. Sir Roger Is a penurious fellow and there may. have been motive for more than one person in the family circle to plunge the -knife Into his back. Flora, his niece,' summons Poirot . and hie accepts the case. It is the scheme of mystery pieces to cast suspicion on more. than one person and to mask the re'al culprit until the final minute; That general plan Is followed. A nephew, Ralph Pay ton, is hard up for funds,. makes, his appearance after a lapse, of six months, is seen by only a few persons and remain^ hidden after the crime is discov- ered. Poirot never figures hlni as the killer. The - manner in which the un- spoken alibi lis set up Is subtley developed. The killer does not dis- close the alibi at all,: but Poirot, the detective, does unravel it. Impres- sion, was that only a genuis could accomplish. the solution/ Poirot tells the; perpetrator to his' face of his guilt -and orders hlmi to go to bed ] arid not awaken. The man agrees, thereby avoiding dissracing iil.s people. g Laughton dominateg 'The Fatal Alibi.' , He has a mincing French dialect, adhered to as only a skilled actor does. Whatever action there is comes from him, HiS: alertness and agile movements at times are. surprising corning, from a man of hi.i poundage. .Tane Wyatt, a new name, ig Flora, who makes a few mysterious mo- tloTif but is not under suspicion; Efile Shannon Is her mother. slsteP .of the murdered mani " Randolph play.s the rather slrilster butler; Helen Vinson added the dash of ro- mance; Moffat Johriston plays a doctor, subdued most', of the time for the purposes of the play; I'-'d* ward Crandall is the good-looldnc secretary, . There are no. shots rior rifiy?*©';? play clap-traps in 'The Fatal Aliblj^ It. Is. the-enactment of a Pol).!hcfl dotbctlye story. loee.