Variety (Nov 1932)

48 VARIETY L i C I f I Ml A T IE l>iieMk7, !fOTenilMr 29t 1933 Hays Out of Town THE CHILLINGTONS Boaton, Nov. 23. A new play in thr^e acts and four scenes played with one set; written by H, <;ainp'' Dell-Duncan i directed by Leo O. Carroll ^nd setting deslKned.by David 8. Qalther; first performance on any stage at the Hol- Ils Street, Nov. 21; produced by Irring H. Cooper.- Urs. Chllllngtoa .Viola Roaclie Bopa CiillllnKtoin i Joaa Carr Clark Hannam Clark Uajor Hlhdroorsh ....John Dunn Mp, ChllUngton; .,..o,Veo G. Carroll No; 430......... John Buckler Bazzy Hood... Cledga Roberts Susan Ann Tewksbury A queer sort of ah Knglish aophiaticated comedy, splendidly played, biit hopelessly handK^^ped l>y_ lack of dramatic action and speed. In one: or two spots thei satire of d. Shaw flashes Up momeii- tartly and In other spots it is ap- .pwent that- the 'author.'admires •Noel Coward's-style". , ; The . story Is simple, r A fine Eng> lisman serves two years in. prison, .for a stock brokerage tangle and.his) wife lb the meantime takes up with' a British major. When he . returns -from Jail he frankly faces the social the whole world Ls atltune with the A Machiavellian chancellor seizes upon the situation to set himself up as a Messlan-llke dictator, but for what purpose is not made clear. Fully half the play Is devoted to the attempts on the part of the repre- sentatives of the English govern- ment to capitalize the discovery for their own benefit.' Bach character seeks to pi;oflt for himself and bis group—the chancellor, the cabinet ministers, tlie hankers, the church, a Jewish flnancler. The climax re- veals the Martian messages as a hoax perpetrated by a rival inven- tor from, •whom the communicatory apparatus was stolen and- who has Intercepted the earthly messages and relayed'back fake'replies—arid! who now proposiBS" to 6xpose the whole situation^ dlsilluslpning the world, and undoing the good that has been accomplished. A labora-i tory explosion, deliberately planned; by the. .scientist's wife sriuffs out the lives of all three protagonists,' leaving behind" them the good they: did and concealirig the trUe sltua-' tion. ■„ Laurence Rivers, Inc.—the Row- land. Stebblns—Charles Stewartpro- ducer. combination, of .'Green Pas world, evien to .the extent of bright- ^;„„,„.„»„„.. ;«irt«isr>cbriversatloh by su6h rernarks.j-jypgg.l.jias given the play a sump -as 'When I was in. jAil, I discovered, J ^^,^3 j^^^ distinguished production \. \. ... / w land cast. The settings by Lee . The household Is held up by al simonson are effective as are the .masked burgl?ir who turns out to be flighting effects by this former Be a feUow convict. They, have a re- ] j^^^ maJor-domo of the switch .^nlon and he remains as a week-I Louis Hartman. Cast num- end guest. The wife offers the hold-]^.__ Ag speaking parts with a host up artist J2B,0p0. to murder her bus-1 gjtras. All roles are filled by "band and the queerest scene of the jj^-jjgj^ J^(;^g^^ tvhose manner of evening is where the Intended vie- gpgech falls strangely upon, provln- tlm and the hired murderer dlscusa k.j^l des6rts iinwatered for several the ethics of the affair, having a seasons by anything except the : social brandy and soda now and panned speech of the screen, then while-they argue It out Valerie Taylor has the only fem .\ In-the end, the hold-up^man and , J g role in the play, but appeared ■ his. intended victim's daughter elopei y^^ble to make progress due-to the •without a marriage ceremony, tak-I yj^^^^jainty of the playwrights' ing with them the tamlly pearls; characterization. Esme Percy played. ^ , the Intended victim starts for Au- ^j^ Briglish chancellor for the act- Btralia with his butler who turns I . j^^^ „f the production, Bram- . out tp be another ex-convlct. and ] pietcher, as the scientist, was .the wife and her major lover are ^ although overdrawn. Eu- left without a dime (it was really a | 'shilling) between theim. . • . The cast is about as truly a Brit- ish aggregation as was ever assem- bled in this country and It is' a pity gene Powers, Walter Armln and Leonard Wllley did conventional rdles In approved English style. . The production ■ is scheduled to move from here to Toronto for a sometlmM unbellAvabto, aod oftan Just makebeUerable.-- - ■ Her Americaa ffueaV learning the family's plight* divu In. becomes a mald-of-all--w<Mrk, .bosses th» lady about." tries to atop her extrava- gances; gets his frlendp Klein, American Croesus, to cough up 80,- 000 francs to cover needs of the Hopes, and falls In love 'with the daughter of the house, the only one with a grain ot sense lu her head. She is going to wed a prince, so the Pbys Abroad CAT IN TrtE BAG CZMkbamaoska') . Budapest. Noy. 16. Musical comedy In three acta by I^zlo Szlla«yl, luualo ky. MlottMl BtsMnftnni pro- .0 « , — —duced at the Pestl Szlnhaa, Budapest:•with family <«n be fed the of herlMarite ^Roe^^ lutkay. Geonw (expected) married life. , Klein is looWnff .for a chateau for i gag* Is the current club purposes; he visits Sans «Ouc>- name for the girl who goes oflt with MiladI tears up his check—good for I ^ boy in the side-car of his motor- 1150,000 francs, .mind yout—when ^jjije foj. week-^ends, the sort of she learns her hraae-ls to be made a gportlng pal who'll do anything eX' commercial 'venture. It, all «nds K,ep^ .g^^ ^^ntimental, This Blde< happily enough, and the^ young I ^ar girl Is the type that Ervln, American gets .his girl, and ma and I mo jerii) youth, likes to play about her two boys are made sure, of meal I ^Ith. "Wheri SmtI, sweet and old- ticket. . [fashioned provincial girl, falls In Violet Kemple Cooper-has the majigyQ ^^th Ervln. she turns herself role^ and she Is capable'throughout.i mte a 'cat In the bag,' goes-^off' ski^ Practically the whofe thing revolves; mg- and- week-ending with' htm,i about her, and what success, is. pretending she.is a mannequin and achieved Is due. akriost wholly tolas modem and brbadmlnded. as her. 9he makes;-by iier acting, the they're made. She sfcis^ flirts, cracked,-slightly crooked Mrs. Hopet I dances, drinks and behaves a la a credible blueblood; There ami cat In the bag until Brvlh falls In some good lines, but la general plot loya with'her but gets exasperated: is weak and dialog Is JUst average, beyond endtursince with the tVPe and; sometimes Inane. Of action there is glad enough-to inarry when she: is almost none; . the play nearly I turns out'to'be'a sweet provincial talks itself to death. . M and a .good housekeeper. - Author muffed a chance: basjic What there ls of a plot In this idea -would make' fine farcia mafteri very bright and light little musical A film comitaiiy might buy the pres-. Is Just an excuse to hang a lot of eiit play for a farce, to'be cohi-^ "happy nonsense on. The-result Is pletely rem »1e for «ucli an actor as a very successful concoction of Edward Everett Horton. Miss laughter^ dancing, gags, music tha^ Cooper should be aces for her pres- ^•"J^**" * ent nart that gets Into one's feet, and good sit, ak stage: fare for the general acting by a very youthful. and gay public, value Is flmall a.t present. | j^^^^^; ^j,^ ^^^^^ ^^^^j Qood for dra'wlng-room stuff for the upper crust, possibly; Its worth, [ otherwise, questionable. ZAbhey^ MERRY GO ROUND (CHICAGO) Ohlcaso. Nov, 22, • Charlfa n«einaa (but not IIKO) produc- tion at.Adolphl, Cblcagp, of political melo- drama by Albert. Maltz and George Sklar, Scaled to $2 (tax IncO. C^t Includes: Bert Kay* EVaokle J&cquet Frank Dans - Don Carlos J. Hyles Pntnom "Virginia Stevens Carl Pormea Richard Caetlila they have not a better vehicle for ^ which a Broadway show theh- abilities. The sophisticationn;^''^%7anne^ In its present reaches almost the crude Polnt In I » ^ ^^t^n^ form, 'Red Planet' Ifl flpots although the new municipal aistincUv not iJetropoUtan fare, qensor Is leaving-It alone with ex- HJ^j^ ' ^ot the basic Idea Is tremely good sense as the show to ^ . vital to withstand the date has ottended very few, due In | ^ Q:^pggga,y to put the plftce Robert Perry Earl A. Jsmlaoa . James Qoss Ruth Thomas Robert Brlster Jesa ^all LauIs Ramsdell ' Tom HcDermott Oswell Jj. JacHsoa Robert Flske "Willis Hall Earl UvDonald Richard. IrvtBg . part to the fact that there have been very few In the theatre. As .it now stands, 'The Chilling- tons* hasn't much , of a chance un- less drastically re-written, and even then Its appeal will be mainly tp those who like their British prod . ucts very tweedy. tAbhey. In effective form is highly problem- atical. Burton. No Money to Guide Her Boston, Nov. 24. Comedy in three acto,' Produced by Bela Blau, Written by Romney Brent, Directed by Mr. Blan. SeUinET by Albert R, John- sot,, Gowns by Holene Pons," Raymond O'Brien, stage manaKer. PremlMO at Wll' bur,. Monday evening:, Nov. 21 Hilton H<-p» John Haltoran Geneva Hope ;Jane Wyatt Claude Hops,.... ,.Rez O'Malley Eugenie Harriett Bella Mrs. Hope Violet Kemble Cooper Henry Frost Harry Ellerbe jBrlavK^r,"Buffalo, Nov. 83 -with all Bngllaih I^wiy Ingleby • •^'"JSj'ir' - ca8tT*iBd6d *y BramweU Fletcher, Valerie Sheriff .............. .Raymond O'Brien Taylor, . Bsme Percy, Lionet Pape, Eugene Oomte Rene D^Bntaln.. .Marcel Joumet, Jr. Powers, "Wilfred Beagram, and Oewald Josephine t;" il!£t Torke, Chauffeur Harold Webster Bedford Charies "WeHeoley In 'Red Planet* John L. Balder , ... ston hitherto chiefly distinguished Several oddities give this pre- by "Berkeley Square' Joins the ranks miere a special interest. First, one , RE^> PLANET .- ' . Buffalo, bfov. 26. lAurence vBlV^ts, Inc. presents 'Red ^J>laiiet' In tltr6^ acts, by John It Balder- . .9ton and . J. JB. Hoore, staged by Burk Sy- --.mon, setUnga. by Iiee Slmonson, electrical . «BectB. :l,ouIa • Hartman, Produced at Of playwrights who for some reason suddenly choose to go off* the deep end. And like most of his confreres, j the water seems to have closed In I over his head. : Starting '^ith a | of the key characters is not men tloned In the cast, nor Is the name of the player given. He Is one of the two best in the piece, too. The striking and fantastic thesis—what j ^ ^^as not only Undergone name I might happen if scientists of the earth should succeed in establishing interplanetary communication with Mars—Balderston with; the help of J. E. Hoare, a Hollywood writer, , proceeds to enmesh himself and his play in a maze of explanatory and repetitious outside matter, Confusion of the main theme and the love Interest between the young scientist and his helper-wife fur ther splits the effectiveness of the story and leaves the result far afield from that simple directness that marks niost successful drama. The opening scene ' iii the scientist's laboratory Is overwritten and over loaded with . explanatoi'y details The second act, split Into a dozen kaleidoscopic scenes, only adds to the IncoherPncy; and the final act of four more scenes completes the confusion. The denouement in the - final scene is neither logical nor satisfactory and Is obviously car pentered to furnish a way out for changes, but it has been elusive as to authorship. Produced at the Be- lasco in Los Angeles, May 23, 1932 Rit was 'The Mad Hopes,' author, Leslie „B6n.cU Bttile Burke played the who's looney-now Mrs. Hope the late Peg Entwlstle was In the cast. At the Oceanslde theatre, Magnolia, Masis., on Aug. 1 last, the play was titled '"Widow's Might,' Leslie Bond, again,. author. Memr bers of current cast in that product tlon. /Queries, "Who killed Cock Robin, anyway? With-no apologies to Mrs. Mala prop or Sheridan, her creator, the comedy builds up as its big figure a more or less nutty English lady, mother of three more or less lrre.7 sponsibles, all dwelling in a Chateau Sans ' Soucl, southern coast of France. The sheriff is even now at the door; the wolf was there ahead of him. There's naught In the lard- er, not even 'cheese and beer,' ar- dently desired by a young American suddenly catapulted Into . this Dlantiia Munger yr. A, Rath Bmmett* Germain* Jessalyn Delzetl Harriet Brooks Ted Armond Hance Gray Felix Burnham violet Manning Jeasle Stewart Grant Foreman Kurt Kupfer This slashing, stinging, bitter broadside against modem municipal poUtU^ was produced in New York last year. ^"Whisper at the time was that Tammany Influences made Its continuance impossible. True or not, lent start dancing on American and European vaudeville stages, Is a great asset, to mUslcal comedy. She is young, charmingly pre.tty, has a sense of humor and even a little voice, and she has what most oper ette stara over here lack." a thor- ough knowledge of dancing. She may make-one of the big stars of the musical comedy stage.. . Ratkay, In' the part of an In stalment collector who Is mistaken by the snobbish mother.of a mar rlageable daughter for a prince, and lives up to the mistake, was Ir reslstlbly funny. The new little sta,g6 of Pestl Szlnhaz, which started out to make a specialty of this tjrpe of play, has hit upon promising attraction. THE ROTHSCHILDS ' ■■ Budapest, Nov. IS. Musical, comedy by -Ferena Martos and La J OS Lajtal, presented by the Fbvarosl Operetta theatre. Budapest. Cast: Vllma Medgysiszay. Hannah Honthy, Erzsl' Raf- fay, Julius Kabos, Gabor Kertesz, etc. A musical that has in it every element of success which would . .have scored 10 years ago, but now this story has been fuUy publicized just falls to hit the mark. It lacks in Chicago and the opening night | the two most Important points Jacob, the youngest of the five Rothschild brothers, is betrothed to his niece, Betty, but when he goes to Paris to carry, en the.Arm's busi- ness, he forgets all about her and falls under * the spell of Mile Oeorges, famous ttctress. Ladeorges is plotting for the return and restoration of the Bmperor Na- poleon, and uses young Rothschild for her political alms. "When news comes oit Napoleon's death at St. Helena, La Oeorges has no more usie for Jacoib Rothschild and tie.nrould fain return to his for-' saken fiancee, but the girl has found him out and thoUgh heart-broken will have no more of him. In the third act the wlise mother of the Ave Rothsohllds and La Georges lierselt put all straight between the lovers. Haniiah Honthy In the part ot La Qeorges was .particularly good. ■ Although the plot "and the Paris episode are quite- different, one was continually reminded of a pre-wi^ German comedy called 'The Five Frankfurters,' which deals with the Rothschild dynasty during the same period; There are the makings of a jgood picture. In the background of this play; JIMBY Budapest, Nov. 16. ' Comedy in thre« acts by latvan Zagoa. Presented by the Magyar Theatre^ Buda- pest, la the cast: Ilona Tltkos, Jene Torzsi Intro Raday,, Maria Sulyok, tKNilse. Szpkely,: etc. audience included Mayor Cermak, most of the Board of Aldermen and prominent local politicians. Possibly it was shrewd publicity that caused a rumor to spread the following day that Chicago's city hall didn't like flrst-rate music and flrst-rate com- edy. The drama and sentiment ele- ments are all there and so are the background and period which would have been attractive a little "while the bitter medicine any more than ago, but one feels It Just misses New Tork did. So strong was the In spite of clever wdrkmanshlp and undercurrent that City Hall Anally sound construction. There Is too Issued a statement that they would much- sentiment and too little pep not interfere. to suit modem tastes. This Is a first professional effort Story Is about an episode In the of Charles Freeman of the west side ll'o of the great financiers' family, Jewish Institute Players, a little 1 the Rothschilds. The period is 1820, theatre and the best of its kind in this area. Freeman hopes to have a repertory at the Adelphi, but the I scribed by picture players. Money choice of a controversial play like that helped to put Toby Wilson and 'Merry Go Round' as a beginner may his kin out of the mnning. . for purely local reasons cramp the | "Wilson Players are typical. tent future possibilities. It was a tactical error to open a ] play cold without a stage crew re- hearsal on a piece with the many I show artists; forgetting their lines. Ailing In with small chatter, biting cues, mispronouncing words. "Wil- son is the star and character man. scene shlfte as In this episodic of- in the first bill, 'Push,' an adapta fering. "What the stagehands did to tion of something or other, he dis a serlQUB drama was too well-nigh piays a fine brand of handkerchief disrupt It with the multiplicity of waving, cuff-shootlng acting. It's a their blunders opening night. Not-I laugh for Hollywood, but oke for withstanding It remained a powerful] Phoenix and other whistle stops, story to the audience and the However^ It's none the less sincere comical offstage misoues could not and probably a class performance as break the speu. Dallies were fairly 1 far as tent show work is concerned, enthusiastic Others in the cast are Fred Cum- Thero were a number of miscast mings, the butler who addressed the players, specially Kurt Kupfer, who mistress of the house as 'Mum'; simply did not look like a reform jean Temple, the character woman; lawyer. Cast, rehearsed, and pre- Jtthee Olmes, ingenue who giggles; sented in a scanty two weeks it is a Theresa Carmo, the leading woman, tribute to Freeman that the thing who addressed her chauffeur as'Mr. could, and did, engross its audience Bennett'; Martin Camder, the tooth throughout. Acting average was Uaahlng Juv, ; James Malone, the It's not the Arst time a little savage from another world comes Into civilized Europe and Ands it a funny place, but this Jimby, brought from some legendary tropical island by a lion hunter who is a wdmaii hater because the wilful, masterful widow he' loves leads him a dance, looks at the world of white men w;ith such clear and shrewd eyes that she iglves us novel and original aspects to laugh, at. The lion hunter finds In the little savage girl, Jimby, whom he has brought baick to Europe with him as a -voluntary slave, -his ideal of womanhood. He wants to show the shrewish widow that this is how a real woman ought to behave—obe- diently, submissively. But his friend, "Victor, a young pa,Inter, finds in Jimby Just the op- posite. He is saddled -with a sweet, submissive and obedient girl who has been his model for years and ls always the same^ getting on his nerves with her sentimental affec- tion. He discovers in Jimby the ' temperamental little savage, fresh, unspoilt and natural. He teaches her the ways of European men, and Jimby learns the lesson readily. She learns It too well, in fact, for of the two men she chooses a third, him who launches the brown- skinned little savage as a great music hall dancer. But Jimby turns the vaudeville agent around- her finger, too. She becomes a great star, teaches the lion hunter's woman how to bo sweet and submissive and the paint- er's model how to be temperamental and provoking, and having thus led both couples into matrimony, she sends the vaude agent off to her bappy Island to fetch the brown- skinned boy of her own kin who is far better suited to her than these crazy Europeans. A clever and amusing piece of f tm, with heaps of clever lines and laughs, and a clever piece of acting by Ilona Tltkos, who has Just the necessary amount of grotesque humor and exotic appeal. There la some talk of a . French or English production with Josephine. Baker In the name part. Anyway, Jimby might be a suc- cess anywhere If acted by a girl with temperament, humor and charm. The new comedy was ex« tremely well received, but not even the best press and -word of moiith reputation seems to be able to turn a play into a box office hit these days. the playwright. All In all, the Im- pression left Is chaotic, and making I strange* household as guest all due allowances for the tonfuslon MUadl (with reservations) is of. the premiere, the' play appears reckless, light of heart and head, a uncertain in purpose and hazy in spendthrift and unmoral; she lies effect on occasion, and even descends to The iato^y. deals with a young blackmail to keep from paying her . English scientist and his -wife who French maid. Once, it turns out, after long exjperlment appear to her knack of mixing words and iiave established radio Intercom- metaphors, had a tragic ending; at munication with Mbrs. Immediately a dinner to the /Russian Ambassador there are" «pened unthought of she was assigned to toast the Czar; vlstaS of economic change notably I instead she gives a literal 'Hoch der .'With respect to worldly goods, i Kaiser,' which-caused her husband which tjireaten to: rooK-civilization, to die of apoplexy , in his chair Coupl?a with this la the suggestion There arc lovable points-in thls mad Christianity rules on Mars, and i woman; She Is a queer mixture. pretty good. Land. Toby Wilson Players lead, and Harry Jordon, the comic, who is currently doing a panz. Everybody tries hard ond they tiu-n in two hours of entertainment Hollywood gets belly laughs, and of the abdominal laughter Hollywood, NoVi '28, Thanksgiving week and the Toby I some Wilson Players moved under a roof, comes from picture people ,who re For the greater part of this season ceived their start in lesser dramatics they had been playing under canvas than the tent show, at Phoenix, Ariz. But now the can- For a while, the Toby Wilson vas Is rolled away, and the com- Players will last at the Music Box pany starts out with renewed vim as a novelty. After that it's golnig and vigor in the cinematic capital to be tough sledding. Not that the with four walls'and a roof over their Wilson Players will not try hard to heads. Not the walls, Just the roof, please, but Hollywood will dig up Possibly it's the.first theatre roof another novelty and the Wilson some of the players haye seen in dyed-ln-the-wool fans will fade, years, fbi--'they, are members of a Tip-off came on the opening bill roving band whtf have made dra- I when a tent fan sitting next to this matic history In America, but are [reviewer remarked to. her compan now, with rare excet>tiens little Ion. more> than a memory. Strange that 'Hen, I saw-this-played by the Toby Wilson .-and his .band should Neal Holvey Players in Fort Smith, set iip In . the Muslo Box theatre only I thtok It had a different title.' FORGOSZEL ('Whirlwind') Budapest, Nov. 16. A tragicomedy In three acts, nine soenes, by Elemer Boross, Flnt presented by the Kamara Sznlhaz, Budapest, Nov,-. 12. Big caat Includes Clara Both, Plros'ka Peery, Lajos Vertes, Jeno Szlgetl, etc. in Hollywood^ built by money sub- In two previous plays, "Blind Windovi^ and .'World Record,' Ele- mer Boross hcis shown that he be- longs to those few who dare touch the burning problems of the day on the stage. He has made his mark as a: man who must be considered seriously because he Is deadly sin- cere. He has much talent and more than that: he has the force that is only given by conviction. In 'Whirlwind' he pictures the young generation of our time, caught up and tossed about by the whirlwirtd of the war, ruined for life, hopeless, prospectless, starvlnffi with no solution before it The first act Is a poignant, heart-rend- ing piece of dramatic art, but in the sequel the shadows are put on so thick that by being overdone they miss their effect. In the first scene, beautifully. (Cfontlnued on page St)