Variety (Oct 1933)

Tuesday, October 31, 1933 on HER MASiTER'S ypiCE Comcdjr In tvro acts./ Preaentod .at the Plyjn<Juth Oct. 28 by Max 0ordon. Written by Clare KUmmer. Roland . Younp anu liaura Hope Grewo starred. Staged by WortWngton Miner, . li- Queeha Kiirrar..'........... .France? Fuller Mrs. Martla.,....... Uzabeth Patterson .Rolaita Toung Francis Plerlot Ned Farrar.. >• • i Craddock.. Aunt Mln. Mr. Twilling......... • Phoebe .••..*•-...•....• Laura > Hope Crewe ....Frederick Perry Josephine Williams ClhrA Kummer bbmes bftok with^ *Her Master's Voice' to the sparkling style that she displayed in comedies BupK as .'Good Gracious, Atinabelle,' which made her a favorite play^ wrlght. New pla;y may not wow •enij, but it is. pleaslnjr diversion. It should haVe a successful engage- ment/ Max Gordon presents 'Voice.- Funny thing about this guy Cordon. He has put on some.'excellent mur sicala, but after long runs the books showed that he owed coin to him- self, or somebody.; Th6y say he said he "was. going broke., producing hits. But It looks different this time—and with a straight, show which by all sighs will hot wind up in the red, ♦Voiced brings back to Broad waiy th« droll Might comedian, Roland Young, wlio %ient'Holly wood. He's the same felloyr as to speech and mannerisms, but there Is-a . differ- ence. Hollywood apjpeara to have given Young a certain poise. . In IV smartly cast show ot llniited Complement, there, too... is the bv|b- bling Laura Hope Crews in a; part tbat was made for her. She is Aunt Min t6 Ned iand <5ueetia Far- rar. Ned. and. Queenfi. met in .Venice while she was abroad for voice Cul- ture, and they married against Aunt Min'9 wishes. Now they have two kids (offstage) aiid Ned has Just lost his Job. But that'doesn't worry Ned.. A«rtt Min has plenty of. coin bequeathed her by her late husba;nd, and al- though she hasn't been around for several years. Is the general man- ager of the whole family, includinif Mrs, Martin, her widowed sister, who also is' living with Ned and Queena. Aunt Mtn arrives without warning, determined to take Queeha Ai C. Blumenthal Is out In. the open' as a producer with the pres-' entation of fElglxt Bells.' liist. sea- son his theatre activities were pub- licized, under the .iiarae of Peggy Fearsi ' but there 'was considerable inside, stuff that brought in Blu- mehthal's name, with the nickname of Blumey the result. Harry Cohn and Columbia Pictures Is in on the show. ' ^ . Play Is-Interesting in Its way, but it seems like ah. unfinished . short story. Actioh and dialog spotted in one scene, the captain's mahogany panelled salon, aboard the. sailing vessel 'Cbmbermere,' The ship is becialmed in the tropic heat about 5Q0 miles but of Rio. A passing steamer, signals, the nCws^that England has declared, war on Germany, that. putting the time as of 1914; Situation aboard Involves at least four Germans in the crew. They ask the Captain what Is to happen to them upon return to England .and they fear they, will be placed in prison, for so^e reason Interhn>ent camps not being mentioned. Captain Dale Isn't, hvuch^ con- cerned Over, the worries of the Ger- mans. H« refuses t6 change the boat's qoiirse and land the Teutons at RiOi While the captain Is dirunk the Germans, led by Gerhardt, a sailmaker, steal the pistols from the' captain and the mates! cabins. Mutiny results, Gerhardt taking commjind. - Dale: is locked in the chart h'ouse; Second mate is shot in the leg; First mate Ormrod Is given the choice of navigating the boat Or going forward to the fore- castle. He elects the former alterr native mostly because- of the cap- tain's wife, Marjorle, only woman aboard. There is a budding romance be- tween the mate and Marjorle, but it hasn't gone . £00 far. They are seen, embracing by one of the crew and Gerhardt reprimands the offi- cer, pointing' out that the crew has vicious characters who might at tempt assault upon the woman In such a situation. Action inostly Is In the third act, at which tiine a storm starts to rage. Ormrod. regains ppssessipn of one gun, shoots several of the crew Most of the stores have been I That Is the rather astonishing Sed it ^lits ci the W to the f^^^ act. But . the author goes nole It is March and the terrify- poUtlcal mostly tor the balance of ne Dolar wInAw 1« at hand. The the play. There Is mounting In- •ofeele?' ? relief flht^^^^ itaiterest In the last act, but somehow w^rSU^wSifhas feen^^^ story Is out of gear. Greer's and' it loSSs as though the vessel will as^ Sere are bS !«» fast in art Ice pack. money to charity, but there are pe- fSU ^nothlr WlS^^^ with but quests of ^|100,000 to each of th^ nirwefks'- food on half rations, ^horsemen/ Cromer ^^^^^^^ to 1;he feeline mounts against the: com- 'boys' congratulate each other, mSr. When Kelly, one of the then calml^^^ (expedition's aviators, insists on go- which la tcc^^.L^^y J^.^^^^ irie off in a hurricane to recapture ing all his P<>s^|f«^oi^« thi food in a cache 90 miles away, wife t>f'"f dead).. That la the last Hartley weakens and permits the part of the seco^^ act Firs^^^ 'Ad to depart. He radios apparent has the cpffln scene with Alice ap- success. picking up two comrades pearing and putting a. who had tried with a dog aled. but ar bill In the dead man a hand. It flies back in the teeth of a; blizzard, is the same^ note sent her IJ overruns the field, crashes and the year's before and Which she had plane explodes. Kelly Is killed and never spent, despite the tribulations - ' ■ ■ ■ 'that sent her to the streets. Fay Bainter Is ■ the scarlet Alice who turns out to be a thorough- bred. She hasn't much- to do in the first two acts. . Other feminine parts are bits, the play being essen- tially ■ maiscullne. Ernest Glendln- ning is very good as the dying man The 'four horsemen* are all unsym- pathetic parts, assigned to Moffat Johnston^ Carrol Ashburn, Frank Shannon and Harry Davenport Harland Tucker as . Cromer may be another Woods' contribution to Hollywood, John' T. Doyle, okay as always. tJHee. away from Homewood, N. J., to her as they advance with the intention more elaborate place at Dewellyn, of violating the captiain's wife, cur- Ned has an apron oft, Just about to tain falling as the mutineers clear off the table, arid She takes drop their weapons and retreat to him for the hired man, quite-a nice the deck. , ^ ^ , fellow, whom she engages to auper- There are Several English play Intend her place. «rs in the cast, only one, however, Queena Is on the sleepinig porch being brought over from London at Aunt Min's when her Ned (whom He is Colin Cllve, who gives an ex- Min calls George) climbs a ladder Cellent Impersonation or a heat- to fix the screen.' The secret is harried, short-tempered skipper maintained. But that night, when But Impression was that he is Queena sleeps inside and Min is younger than the men popularly abed On the porch, George climbs in believed to be captains of full bed with her, thinking she Is his rigged sailing ships, wife, thereby providing an amusing I R^se Hobart is Marjorle, She Is bit of hocus pocus. Then there is rich Mr. Twilling, who controls a radio station, an old singin; mate of Ned's. To the Twilling estate goes. Mrs. Martin - Vrtiia<>lt«i,A:ppr_ TTft nhnweyq her gifts and then proposes marriage the supplies are destroyed but the. jther two nieri are saved .ciasualtles. Realization 6t their predicament inspires Brice, the party's a,ce aviator, to assume leadership. HIS terse 'commands are followed. Hart- ley assenting^. Parties are assigned to sl^^dge through to another cache, others are dispatched seal hunting. It is now a band-of men determined to defeat starvation, no longer a group of. snarling do-nothings wear- led by the long enforced C,6,hipah- ions'hip. just .wheft all are set tp start out bri their tasks, the radio ian- noilnces that <the rescue - ship, un- able, ;.'tp send messages because of a broken ' .generatbr, has forged through the ice and Is only an' hour away. All hands are ordered to stand by. . It is the kick of the story/ DUffle iWithdraivn Saturday after seven performances, Printed for the record') SPRING IN AUTUMN mree-act comedy atarrlnc Blanche Turk*^ Presented by Arthur J. Beckhard. Adapted by Nena Belmonte from the Spanish of Oregorlo Martinez Sierra,. Staged by Rre* talgne WInduet. At the Henry Miller. New York, Oct. :2». $2.76 top. Ehnu..'.......V .> .Mildred'. Natwick Pepa.... . ......,. • ' ' " ....... Thomas Fisher Juan Manuel I<oren:(ana.....Kent Smith Modame Elena Alcara..,.,.Blanche Turka Agustlna. Bastlda....,.,....: Helen AVulpole Ramirez... .George 'Spelvln Manolo f..,^,. vHugh Renrtle. Don OCnrlque ...V>-...R.lcl)ard Halo JuBta..'..... i1..... v'.'.r.<,i.. .ISsthor ..Dale Miguel........ JTack Brennan.... Dame Sarah .K-utt Flfl.f^,,*.'. ..«,.,,,.•. Dmitri. AlOel....... Don Sebastliin. de la: ^ • • t •.• •.• .Andrei Ralamo. ..Tames Stewart I>alsy nolmore Helen Huberth .;.,... .Paul Dane. resncda... .» WiTlcy Birch DIVINE DRUDGE Three-act play by. vickl- Baum and John bags are hastily packed and the Golden, presented at. the Royale, New Tork. Oct. .20. Production designed by Jo. Mcllzlner. Mady Christians featured. Markua ....Balf Belmont Frau Klapotuhl.;.. .v^ .Josephine Hull Liza .'...Mady Christians Herr Alkott..........b.,...Frank Monroe Mlko .........i.> ....Walter Abel 'Lungraus ....'Victor KUian Mayor .Boman Hohnen iKarl ruppe.....'.«.....^......Mlndr Watson tanla . , .Tamara Geva Kid Pauker....i.. .Gerald Kent Frau SchuUz,i. .Marjorle Garrett Putsch ...i, ,Jamep Xdbne Belffelsen ,,.'....,..',.«..'......,.t.John Blair men are on their way to comfort and security. But . before they trudge forth BrIce orders the real story is- tp be kept sebret. Hart ley's luck has held forth again with the.; miraculous arrival, of the 'Gree- ley.' He alone Is to be. the hero And that's that. The radio iprpgrams that, were broadcaist to the Byrd Expedition from WGY are reproduced. Those broadcasts, were desiisned to tone up. the morale of the explorers, but to hear them tell about It In the 1 i«i.o. «<^n.it«o -r<»i.i.^n ?SfiJ^* "^^^^^ thins w strictly.[production is revealed- after maiiy It is all quite interesting, but whether it is strpng. enough to draw more~ profitable trade Is debatable. Blaine Cordher as Hartley, Don- ald Gallagher as the unlucky, pilot. Reed Brown,' Jr., as Brice, who as- sumes temporary command^ stand out. In the cast is Ernest Truex' spn, Philip. I6ec. MOVE ON, SISTER Melodrama In three acts presented the Playhouse Oct. 24 by A. H.. Woods at delays aind defernlehts as a patched-up, uninspired aind unin- spiring piece, Compbslte of dim and remote people in a dull. Ge rman.v tl- lage. Characters are . liaotlvated by impulses as alien to mpdern Ameri- can audiences as the play's locale. Altogether .it looks like a pretty complete loss. It's a far cry from the bustle, color and clash of 'Grand Hotel' tP the dreary. conimonplaces of .a country doctor's office i^nd home. pj.*ofound human Interest, 6f course, might make even such surroundings 'as dt supposed to be seductive, but isn't Little or no. makeup and costume unattractive. Frank Gregory other wise' has done very well in the staging, Siegfried. Rumann is Gerhardt _^ aMi'Ti's"«irfiigHTRr"<n^^ Shris^so upset about tlTat that she I John Bqckler gives a good perform- rushes to Aunt Min's, too. Twilling ance as the first mate; Alfred Kap- comes to reclaim her, and he does, peler ditto as the steward, and they being off to the mountains on among the others Joseph Singer a honeymoon. stands out as a villainous seaman. Before they scoPt Twilling tells Something seenied missing. from | any manager. Min about her hired man clicking the story.^ies fairly good fntertam on the radio. It is turned on and 1 ment, but that s about all, Ibee. written by Daniel N. Rubin: Fay Bainter into vital drama, but this element starred: staped by A. H. Bureun. is.utterly la,cklng In a play of hack Eugrene Greer Ernest dlendlnnlng [ neyed theatre device and pompous MUs^Morse' **'•"*' * *"'" *' Kathry^^Maroh f Point Of Interest to, the pre- Dr. London! V.y.V.V.iidward L. Davenport mlere audlence was the American stick ...liobert w. Crai^r I debut Of Mady Christians, the Ger- Plrii Sibley.,.,..'.: ..Carroll Ashburn ((nan picture Star, who turned out R^v! ^''¥^i::::::::::^^r\^^^ \l the omy person concerned in Alva Haury,,,... ....Moffat Johnston the enterprise who extracts any Paul .Cromer...<irvr.<....<Hariand Tucker credit from it She managed to Im- ^!^,?- •i-''^'''*':**'---'*'*^^!! S.^'l^tlh>ue a thoroughly artificial arid Alice Drave...... Fay Bainter I „ ^\*v. Mrs. Bell.,,,,..............Jessie Grahiim "logical Stage character with spme- «rin . " • - • -Frank cnde ..Ubine^Q£„igaag^^ TE^rsSn rr............Jonn ^li. DoyTe j more on her own attributes as an Whatever-, merit this piece may. have had fri its priglnal, it Is too trivial in import and content for m.odern America, where the do- mestic wi'arigles of a.temperatnental Latin prima dbiina and her country' squire husband, are pretty remote arid alleri to the generality, of thea- tregoers. The briefest stay on Broadway 'would be the logical an- swer. ' Miss Yurka has not been lucky In her plays for the last few years, and there Is no sign here of a turn- of fortune. Play is. Incredibly talky arid lacking. In dramatic substance; Its central characters are riiiddle aged and not especially'vital. Noth- ing happens of stimulating Interest in a dramatic way; and the comedy IS distinctly, paltry. Climax of the second act curtain has:| the prima donna, clowning for- her'^riendis from the theatre in her husband's home, singing an aria while standing on her head, lust as there appears on the scene a parish priest whose good will she Is sup- posed to.be striving for for domestic reasons. That's the action highlight, from which may be surriiised how dull the rest of it is. In Spain it-well may be that such a comedy of manners, -with , its gen- tle chuckles over a stiff-backed aristocrat bedeviled by a runaway unconventional wife may have amusing implications, Siernv wrote 'The Cradle Song* and other works that have woh him esteem^ and it Is fair to suppose that this, play .also_^ had. point on the home grounds. The adapter has not riiade them valid for Broadway, - ..-Cast ISLlndifEereht^with. the jexcep- tlon of the two leads—'Miss Turka and Richard Hale, the latter a pa,r- tlcularly persuasive player, who al- most riiakes this tepid role stand up.. Rest of the people just ambler, Oh the comedy side Mildred Natwlck (she; played the faithful servant In 'Amourette') does handsomely by a mild charactier bit. Piece has two very sightly sets, designed by the Jarin studio, to which they are a credit. Rush. comes out the voice of Ned slhging Queena's favorite, 'Only With 'Tou,' the ditty with which he wooed in a gondola: in 'Venice. As MrS. Martin had said, Ned is a crooner arid didn't know it He is soon present and _ the comedy comes tp a quick and dticeri satisfactory finale. I .Tenks;. 'Only With You' is Miss Kum- Biirouph . mcr's composition, a nuniiber of her. Couina.,. songs having graced other shows of h^o^.jngen; her authorship. It is sung well Tfeiiman.. enough by Frances- Fuller. and Williams, through the amplifier by You^e- MeKonzle The slim Miss Fuller is e^xGellent naniey.., as the young Wife, so is Elizabeth Frensen.. Patterson as her mpther (Mrs. Mar- Kf'Mv tin, 'who doesn't .know , as .much about .things as I .do'), so is Fred-| MoGretioi' eric perry as Twilling and,- of course, so are Miss Crews arid Youngs , . So it looks okay this-season for (Sorddri, also the Plymouth theatre; •,.'•• ihee. THE WORLD WAITS Melodrama In thrte acts presented at the Little Oct. 25 by Frank Merlin; writ- ten by Georee F. Hummel; staged by pro- actress than upon any quality In I role or play. History of the play is that It was [first -written as a novel, "Life I Goes On,' which the author put Into dramatic -form. Draft was re- shaped by John Golden, Piece has I been hanging fire since summer and has gone through many transrtiuta- [ tlons In preliminary break-In dates. Play has most of the usual faults jof dramatized novels, a certain ell- (••••••••^•••••' «••••••••••••* •.• i*»a«a*aeae*««* •■•••»»K«s EIGHT BELLS An allrm.ale cast;- nieu being cooped up Bonie-w'hat iiri the same, way as In 'Journey's .End.' Has . to do -With the Antarctic- expedition that. iriteveSted the, -rtrprld. several years ago. A he-nlan play iriinus The World Wa,lts^ looks A. H. Woods has selected a tor tuous. play for his season's debut, one that would try the patlerice of Uneven Is the pace and that isn't a nmatter of direction but rather of writing. Limited en gagement indicated.. Death on the stage is. familiar enough, but the sight of the raised lid of a cbtnri holding the remains, ^ upon which people gaze. Is a bit Sprawling pattern, confusing too real. Funeral scenes could as gions and blurred portraiture. Liza . well been covered Iri dialog. Mpve /|^j^|gg Qhristians) Is the slaving ,Yffi^*'. f^-tTV, On, Sister,' the eTtpression of a cop Vy^-yf^ of the rural doctor, who is ab- 1 to a street walker to keep them go- Borbed in a medical experiment that ing, seems -to .have plenty of un- _. realities. Show in script was called 'For God arid Country' and pn try out 'Virtue on Horseback.' Leave &''"S|it to Woods'tp pick the right title I .Bininc cordncr I regardless. . . ^ great industrial mogul Is in- Locale is a small yestern city K^^g^ motor accident in the arid the .story is T)lenty bitter on L^mage ^nd is brought into the doc DPlitics... Eugene Greer, ^he to^ torV home for treatment.' He falls millionaire, pillar of the church, banker, owner , of its riewspaper and dictator of its. officials, lies . dying in a hospital. He Is Under ari oxy- gen terit at the opening. The politi- cal 'four horseriieh,' including the riiayor, : ire ■ at the bedside/ Al- though but 43; Greer is' fatally 111 with heart disease, but there is a mental disturbance which the spe: >Neil McFee ..Phrlllo 12. Truex ,... John FrOdrik .Mitchell Harris ..Eric Kalkhurat ..Charles QuIpTey Will make hlrii faMOTlB one day. She is hausfrau, nurse, laboratory asr sistarit and harassed manager of the sUm family budget and resigned THREE AND ONE Oomedy In three acts from the French, of Denys Amlel, adapted by Lewis Oalan- tlere and John Houseman. Presented and staged at the liongacre. New. Yot-k, Oct. 28 by William Harris, Jr. Bettings by Llv- Insstbn Piatt. $3.30 top," Doris Grey.,... .....Edith Van Clevs Arthiir Valols. ..Paul McGratb Charles Valols Brian Donlcvy Mathard .......Raymond Bramley Yvonne DalUer. ;Iitlian. Bond Paul Valols.... John Eldredga ..Hans Sand(i"lBl Donald GallaKhcr Reed Bro.-wh, Jr. .RuascU Morrison .Charles Gcrfara Melodrama In three acta presented at the Hudson New York Oct.. 28 by. A. C. Blumenthal; written by Percy G. Mand- leyi stiaKed by Frank Gregory Colllster MarJor)e,V.V/.V.'..... •••'john mwkieM'Pole'' headed" by Richard Evelyn who was Wted to an .ad- Paie G°"n Cllve k„jrai and Upon whom many .civic romance, . . , . ^ ^ , , , like a limited engagement but it clallst .recognlTies, but omy the sick looks, aa though the films will | man can explain. want it. Although the nariies are different, :;Phiiip' TonBe I ^'^^ story plainly indicates it cpn- ..........Alfred. Knppcler|^ J. .^^^ expedition tO the SoUth Greer summons an . author, Paul Cromer, his political enemy but the only man. he cah,trust.- He asks and Cromer promises to carry out a request and bteqiiest Tho will allots $60,000 to Cromer, the money, however, to. go to. one Ahce Drave, .S. B. Pink An importation from ..London, whore it has success rating. Doubt- ful of so roglatering on Broadway. jjnrdson ^k^ankj^ ...Henry yon zyfldn ] mv, '2:1.1.— ii/>rn*.rrtT«. lioved Alice and they were to be married. But ho wanted, money and with her assent wed another, one whose fortune Was the stepping stone tp his power and Influence,- Through the years Alice was al ways on his mind. He had a habit of goiner to other towns alone over ' ^^i?,??^""^" •••••':-'\\':"RTclmrrHS 1.following his ticker, tape homecom- Kiot. :r,::r.::::.::...:r,:'»i s^^^^^ reception aion? -the lower Pancho ..............Vrr''-v,^'^^*i:"*T^^^ , Bastello ...........v.-'-vCarleton T^^^^ j ^j^^jp ^ not far from the ^.n!,"^." — •••V.V..!^^!kmc W^^^^^^ seas, upon the Arctic ice bar- Teus .^^V.^^^^^^^.^^.'.■....l>>nali'Bruce | ,.ier, Hartley, the. commander, and Nfllo 11 associates. Including College pro- feasoi''s come to an Impasse. Hart- ley Is a handsome fellow and early week ends, and stopping at second In the play It Is intiriaated'that he class hotels under another name. l3 'not there' as a leader, certahily One night he asked the bell hop to not of .so stalwart a crew. Later get him a glrL The woman who -7 —1, ^ Tat^an n^ iq pharted that he Is more the- knocked on his door was Alice, sne and Judging from the miUl {^I^^P; ^rf'LrthS sclc^^ shrieked and he fled, but the an- tlon at the premiere, will hardjy. atnoaMhan sc^^^^^^^ short I gulsh had seared him unforgetaWy. naako the grade, ^. ,i iri loVCi with Liz'a and on his re- covery persuades her to go away with him. In protest, against her dreary' lot, she is about to depart/ wheri a great, surgeon from Berlin tells the doctor that. his discovery has long, since been tried and found wanting. His.hopes blasted and his life brokeii by dlsappolntriient. Liza finds the doctPr needs her and re- nounces .the glamor:of another life and resumes her sacrlflcial drudg- ery, ending the play on a. note of tragic frustration. Aside from the admirable playing of the German star, the cast makes heavy, going of the assignment Even waiter Abel, engaging actor that he is, takes little from the tiim5=wiis^f^i^~daeter.=^Tatnarar Geva cfEervesces riiuch: tod violently as a temperamental plcturo star and Gerald Kent overplays out- rageously the character of a boob- Ish prize fighter. Janies Lane .stops Just short of acrobatics to make a comedy bit funny. Minor Watson as the'rich visitor and John Blair as the Berlin aurgeon play with some sense of balance and restraint in subdrdi nate characters. One solid iand -well built set serves for all three acts. Rush. Play dealing with a seduction in a spirit of good but hot too clean French fun and bound by Its audac- ity to cause talk. Hence It ought to enjoy ait least moderate success at the box office. If they can get the authorities to frown on the- moral aspect of the principal situa- tion it would, of course, do much better than tliat. Peppy French comedies haven't done to well on Broadway these last few years. Maybe this will be an exception.. Its sex angle is blunt enough to appeal to American au- diences, its principal episode , having to do with the maneuvers of a ro- bust yoiing man on the make and tile perfunctory fencing pf the girl equally vigorous and willing. The scene takes place in ^the you.ng man's bedroom where the girl de- liberately provokes the encounter and its saving grace is Its candor. Wiiat It has to say it says'frarikly, directly a;nd -ivlthout leering in- nuendo. The story takes up tliie'facts of life with a good deal of. enthusiasm and not much restraint. A fampus European dancer dwells with her three grown sons near . Paris. Boys are the offspring of her' three mar.- riages, to a bftriker, to a prize fighter and to a pianist, arid the three boys take after their re- spective fathers. When the mother brings, a beau- tiful girl home as guest; the three boys make love to her, each after his own manner. The banker's son takes the i)ractical tack; the pilan- Ist's sort's approach Is on the poetic sIde.=JChe=ptlze=flghteE!sJieir^ems=. to be oiit of the race; but he has his owh ideas, mainly-, earthy- and flesh-, ly. Incidental to the situation there is heavily sophisticated debate about what little girls—and grown up ladies, too—are made of arid It Isn't at all sugar and spice and everything nice. The morning after the hectic night When "the girl and the suc- cessful young athlete have arranged another rendezvous In Paris, the mother gets Into the discussion nhd (Continued on page 55)