Variety (Dec 1934)

s« VARiETY E LABIE S Tuesday, Deceinber 18, 1934 Croing W "'■I- TWpr lUtle eiris,. aged ^ six and nine, went to the; Astpr theatre to Bee 'Ba^s- ln. Toyiand They were Very ciii'efuUy ttrought_ up; little : girls; and, their ehtertalrimerit had always been chosen,,wkh- (^ great , deal of grave weighing as to^ what w<)uld-be good for them and what would not. Always before sending thieni t6 theatre, their dear mother . used to make sure beforehand that they would And iiothlhg to upset them ' or give i them unpleasant dreams or ideas, but this time ishe took a chance, ; which was very . wrong, of mbtherv : The nlno-year-old was. impressed by the antics of iiaurel aiid ilardy, but sadly dlsappolntied in Charlotte Hetfry, who> as lilttle Bp Peep, was . rather tpo plain and costumed too : matter-ot-factly to twin, her . adora-. tlon:~ At thie conclusion of the pic- ture, the onlheTyear-old mad© only ; tlie slightest Stand to ' see the plc- ture over again. \ • The six-year-oid, though she's, known around; the: Mickey: Mouse -theatre- as ■ qutte -a. sticker,.. was eager 'to .b« gone. Nothing; could Induce her to see that picture agaln^ ■not: even the wdbdeh soldiers. She was not aniuSed by the Bogeyman, : 'who looked like Mr*. Hyde In baggy; - black lights- and - fright yi^lgs; she ..: did not care fpr ; th^ underground cayierhs of Bogeyiandi nor was she interested in. watching the crocp^ dlles lying in the murky waters . With JaWs wide open. She partlcu-; larly • did liot like ttts part; ; : She-w?is also scornful, of a pro- eduction that allotted Little Bo Peep only three, sheepi' Both little girls were amazed to find Toyland so full ■- at villainy, deceit and., menace,: so " they made Up their miiids not to . believe a word of this Toyland and. Instead, try to recapture the Toy-i : land of, their imaginations. ferdcity, ringing her eyes wUh ^uch abundance' of black eye pencil she .sPai:es the audience as. well as her husband. A i>lty, beoffuse her sleek blonde coiffure, brushed sfeverely pff her ear^ and cloise to her head, Is so becdlnlng^ A Cleahed-up Repeat , This tlme--'Hell in the Heavens'— it's Conchita Mdnteineiprp, who's the Uttie Pra-a-nsch: girl to all; the .brave American spldler .boys, or the girl in - the picture who wears the extraordinarily lovf necked peasant blouses. iNow. It's Miss .Montenegro's turn _to:.shik^a_crpp.jofJjlack-c.uris,JiumT^ bie backwardia Into the laundry basket, swynger in and out, of the Officers' quarters ftt the shell-stfuok bid French .chateau, change "IrPm" .•*ild-cat to kitten for love of the AmerlciEin.' cajp-taln. Now It's her crack, at learning, wide-eyed,, the so funny. American slang, at beating the maijjy . chests p£ the ofBcers as they bear her-kicking and screaming to the dug-biit when it's the Ger mans' : turn to play war. Dolores Dei Rio did it all In "What Prilc* -Qloryj'-aridTnaTiy-liaverdone:^^ . iStlll Miss Monteiiegro's experience : (Slffers in certain respects' frbin that -or her^ wedec ^jgsorff.—S he-pla ys-th^ V ; 'Ballcit Slipperis arid Hieels-: ; • .Whenever. Irene yernillllon gets ready to go into her dance. In hex; thoughtfully produced act at the Palace, five lady trumpet players line up and :blo^y. Precise ks Rus- : sell Markert Rockettes; they line up, march forward: and blow* Hay- ing puffed and piiff^d, they, march: backwards, now a Uttle to the side, now. halt : Now, they: stand.. Ilk?, fenime angel Gabriels in their flpWr. Ing white chiffon, dresses, never' taking their trumpets from oft thplr faces, they've gbt their mutes pinned : to their trumpets; blowihg -prettily and :; harmbnibusly while Miss Vermillion; having: been.; an- indunced .with proper fanfare, gildes through her routines.: Miss Vermillion is n^ hot only-for her five sweet and modest lady trumpet^layers,-she^s-also^ capably.; bf still greater resources. Having discovered how flat-fopted toe ballet slippers inake a toe dancer IPok :when she's not up ph her toes.—and a. to$ .dancer ..can't be. on her tpes'every minute—Miss Vermilllpn has had attached to her toe ballet slippers little rbliiestPn^ heelSi. /Uttle rlilnestone ,iieels for her first number, when she's wear- ing the long Ictlue.. georgette baiided vvith the white ruffling all over, tahd the short white -gloves and white cap. Later. Miss Vermillion is a flyT-^he: steps forth trPm a Ijack^ drop with a sequin web; still later a trbplcai flower beating white satlii drums on either side: of her as shie slowly descends into a spHt. Keller Sisters :are wearing prints this week, arnd phe of them has gone in fpr those ilew-fangled 6angs., Miss Jarvls, Vlp Oliver's lady stp.oge,: wears a black suit with peaked-shoulders. But her costume fades into nothingness, oh the same stage with Mr. Oliver's own arcest- ingly hlgh-.waisty grey plaid suit. ■ little French girl in cleaner, decenter times. "The only proposals Miss Montenegro hears are proposals of inarrlage,. the only kisses she gets are vertical and on her brow, 'BabbittV Women —-^s "piehance; ItTieems, fbr ha:vlrig been so good at smart crack de livery, Warner Brothers has sen- tenced: Aline MacMahbn to a series of small tbwn wife aihd mother: roles, latest of which Is Mrs. Bab- bltt in 'Babbitt,' ' Touhg Miss MacMahon: is not only married tp Guy Kibbee again in this dhe, she Is again .the mother of his strapping brood, she hiust Vmi Know Thatr^ . Sally Rand empioys a man whose. Boie functlpn ; It '"Ib to blow up those bubbles, r .thiit was Lilian Bond, at Sardl's, ih that attractive. Burgundy outfit. .; Frederick R P1 a n d: teaches English and dramatic art at the Langfuago Club TStx- chanise.. .too bad Mabel . Ai- bertsoh had tqi turn down that . offer for a show because, of., her Phil Baker contract. ... Mr.' and Mrs. Gopdmani Ace (Easy Aces) are leaving for the . south . . . Irene' Bpirdonl should always wear that be- coming igreeh hat.., Jeannotte can take a bow on his pupil, Enid de Philippe, who la caus- Ing so much comtnent oh her perfdrmahces . at the Hlppo-- drome;..:. the jojjera prpwdLpre-. diet fine things lor her.;,Mrs. Bert Lyteirs laid up with the flu... Tonlo. Seiwert seeimed to be enjoying La Argentina's , dancing Saturday af terrinbn. .;. Nell and Lyhia Parnol are off to Bermuda . . V Bllly Giaxton has never been more attrac- tlve^ than Ih 'Anything.. Goes' .. .Peggy Wood >ras ' hiding; behind spectacles at the Al- 1 . goh tru lh SaturdayvT-rMafeuer- (Cdntlnued from page 23) Tlx^Saehger and"l?IOV stock, 26% of amount outstanding, In Dent Theatres.— Saeriger; Is the- owner of 25 %^f-the-Deht-stpc^lcr^ A; totaT of 600 shares of preferred and 60. sharesv of 'A' common, of Central Florida Theatres, :Inc., held by Richards,, plus anything re- ceived thtbugh or on> accpunt of the stock of Peninsular Theatres, Inc., another Saenger Florida sui>- sldlary. Evidence of pwhershlp : of 3,760 jsObarea. oijthe.capltal ;stock; or - 50%, of Jefferson Anius. Gp. (Texas); subject., to :,lien: of ..a. .rebrgahized Saehger_indenture,—r An assignment or an iiapiiities of corpbf^tlons,. stdck of which is vested in Richards as receiver. The sum of $38,000 in cash, plus a sum equlyalent to the dividends accruing a:fter Nov. 1, 1934, on stobk to be held by. tlie trustees, Assignment of .dbligatipn of rei-l again coniess . an .unaying passion for the gentleman. ; Embedded In _a clutter of eie.ctrlc tbaste'r3:Vahd : galTUlDus colored niaids; pre-occu pled with thoughts df two and one half-^minute boiled eggs and veal roasts, dresseji.:; w;lth.. matronly; sedateness, always serving as -buffer between pop: and thie kiddles,: the acid and . Interesting .Miss Mao-; Mahpn Is . relentlessly : transf orriied irtto:-ti)Tgweet?tempercdrbore. -Quite- a foat, but 'Babbitt' manages It. In 'Babbitt;' too,, is Claire; Dpdd as' ;i iilohde menace; equipped with guile, . prettlnes^ aind a' smali biit: _taa.tefuL . cbllectlpn o£ slim: dark dre.sfies with ;d?Linty white lingerie coUar.s. If she'd only stop plucking her eyebrows to such painfully thin arcs. The eyebrows date iier, re- stricting .her held to provincial yaiiiplng. Minna Gombel caricatures .the discbnteritcd nagging .wife ; with drgahlzed' Saenger to "give posses slon of certificates : representing stock bf Jefferson Amus, to Saenger pi* Its asslgnees as soon as stock"1s : released from lien of ;a' Saengbr in- denture. The trustees, sJso,: are to buy 20 :shares of; Saenger ;'B' stock put standing tor the siirii of |2il.40. Pa:ranidunt has been in cbntrol i of :all .. other 'stryk of , the ' Saenger Theatres and . Saenger Realty cbni pahles, both of which are' under re celyership. At the time of receiver ship 'Saenger had: 160 houses In Flprlda, .iNprth; Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, LQui,qlah%, Texas, vir- glhia and Arkansas., : /Circuit has been reduced .to. 6(). Most of the Saienger proi)ertles are mbrtpragpd under various bond^ -Issues.-- Two-iagaihsti' Saenger- are for $952-500 and $697,660, wh.lle-threo exist against Saenger. Realty, guar- anteed by Saenger Theatres. ' These ate for $C74,000i; $240,000 and $40,000 According tp Saenger's bbdks,a3- of Dec. -30; 1933, the; company owed subsidisirles $C63i3$8 and general creditors $75,646, . ..; ■ Three different committees have figured in formatlbri of the pltin In the south, the :: Saenger (New Orleans), the Mobile (Alia;) and the ciarksdaie (Miss:) comniittePa. Ite Churchill was; there, top, and Mr. and Mrs. Louis Cal- hern, Mrs. Eddie Robinson and Bill Tilden... Verree: Teasdaie iat the Mayfair Saturdiay hight with Adolphe Menjbu., ^and Dorothy Hall.:and:; iNeal ' An-: drews, too...Paul Whltemah has a pplice escort bet\yeen .bi-oadcaats.. .that v/as Madanie;. : Frances lunching with Helen. Paul ahd Ronnie ■ Simons last week. ..something shpuld be: dbhb a,bout hiring more ap- propriate .Santa Claus Iiirtper- sbnatprB in the • stores, v. most of the ipresent crop frighten tlie youngsters ... Madeline Cameron, is perfectly stunning in her piearl grey costume; wUh.'; grey krlminer :cbat and Rus- sian fez. ' ■ - Anmng the fijr The Skirl Best DreMcd Womah of the Week TALLUtAM BANKHEAD /park Victory'—Little ' Tallulah ;Bankhead lis ait the Llttlfe theatre In a trajgedy called".•Dark; Victory. Given .eight mpntha tb live,, the girl. In the story goes the limit. It's all: very unpleaetant althouigh: the play seems tp be attracting the medical profession. ' ■ ^;■::\ ....... . ..; , . A black velvet cpat, hiade iivlth two short capes, with a small hat was Misa BahkhiBad's flrsf cpstume. Underneath was a' simple black froclc with pink ciiflis: arid ia bpw at the throat, . Two -shades^^b was ai riding habit, with a pale shaded puU on; ;riVp everilng frbcks were'shown, one a satin of a cblbr borderlng.'bn .iypry., The;:backIesB gown was tied at the walstllne.and at the neck. A prlrikly red taiffcta dress yras worn;; under a sumptuous red velvet caped wi;up; ;The cajpe and hem were b lined with Silver fox. . :There was a plaid sports cbat and a blue cloth one-piece-dress.-^, _--_"_^. .-v.,-!-: ■'' ' '': : .c '■■ :.-: --_:.L..:^^::.v.--:l:;: Ann Andrews, as a wlrecracklng damsel' wlih all the. profanity, Wias nicely dressed, .fl|-st in a green cloth~<3resB made wlth;a tunic front and; trimmed with buttons, v A. small hat was of: the; saime material.. Her dinner frock was niade entirely of pluni cplbred fringe. Well Dressed Mother :■■;:..'■■ ■■ "^: "Wednesday's. Child' cohies to the Rpxy screen and: Is as Interesting a divorce problem play on the silver sheet as It was on the -stage,- more-: so as'.it:has;a happier ending.-;;::' ■ ■■ . Karen Mpi'ely as tl^e dlscpntented .wife is more dressy than the stage lAiliah Hellman (Continued from page 52) ; . was finally finished, Miss vHellman felt she'd written a pretty good play; So* thankfully, did .the critics. •' Miss . Hellman, and . the people who read It betbre produc- tlonr-liked—the-thlrd _act_,be3t; ^It. was the hardest tb 'Treite. She w^ It; tore. It; up, rewrote It, threw It, out, rew rote It ai^lh , until_at'last she got It to say wnat she Wfiirntisd^ It .td say. It was the mpst Imipbr- tant act to heir because it was ef- fect. ■':■■■■ The first two acts Were cause, wiilch to Miss ;Hellriian Is. relatively unlmpdrtaht. She's • Interested in effect. ; Agatha Christie, for In- stance, In a murder. story gives you cause. You read It, enjoy It perr haps, and. forget It: ..Dpstpevsky .M. a -murder Is concerned with effect. You do hot; forget. DPStpev§Lky._;;_. But the reviews liked the third actrleast——GehsIdeFed-4t-tbo-l©ngr confused, said it should: have ended, with Martha's suicide. Watching the performance, Miss .Hellman sees they're; rlght.__Thp third act ^I^^ fu^ed, 'but not tod: long—too shbrtV It dpes not, she sees how, root-the play sufficiently. It does not make, ^o-her . satisfaction, the: p oint. tha t Miss Hellman had In mind all along when she Was Writing the play- that in a better iprder of society th'is1trage.dy :cbuld not happen. ' . The- third act is confused, toOi Miss Hellman feels, because she did hot motivate some: of her' charac- ters ; well ehoug'h. Well, she sees now ' that she got tbp ambitious, then frightened. She did;nbt know fi ny bet ter t h e n . The th i r d-actT-read best, but plays are meant to .be acted not read, she realizes libw. . Just a ^ad Kid Nor did Miss Hellman, writing the play, regard the child as the demon she turned put. She thought her ;just a bad,: precocious child, never pathological. . Florence Mc- Gee's magnificent perforihance, Herman Shumlln's. remarkable un- derstanding -direction- and -casting, gives her importance beyond Miss Hellmah's. conception of the role In the writing of it, but still Miss Hellman ; does not: consider her pathological.' If the audience does, Miss Hellman feels that that's be? cause they've .forgotten their own childhood. .: Children tell lies, and there are bad children. This child was a bad child and tbid lies, but In this cose the child had the adult strength to stick to a lie whose slgnlflcanee she mother was, A black tunic frock has a nlgn collar of narrow lace banps and Is worn with a fiat hat pf white. In fact, all Miss Morley's hats are of the flat model. A dinner dress seems to be of tiny lace .truffles made,, wltli bolero Jacket. A white summery f rPok has a design pf black circles with a long sash of black velvet. ■ At the tiial she Is In all black with a coat having a loose back. ■ A priht Ih square design has a capelet top. A metallic collar is on another, black dress and silver fox cape is Worn with still another black outfit. Shirley Grey in fbr brie scene is in a black suit with white revers.and blouse and tiny off-the-face hat. . Roxy stage show starts off with the girls as kiddles In pink maids' but* fits with white aprons. In a conservatory, setting. the girls are in one, layer cerise chiffon gowns, witli long pink ribbon bows. Large hats hang down the back. The finale has the girls In two different blue cos- tumes. One; set are in hooped gowns made In five ruffles .with satin bodices. The rest of the girls are In a darker blue riiade with tunic tops and chlffpn skirts, with pleatinga as trimming. . The girl of Diiflih and Draper does her doll dance In a short pink ruffled dress. .;•'--" ':'■:,■'- - Badly Miscast Film Radio City Music Hall has 'Music In the Air' this week. With names like Gloria Swanson, John Boles, .Douglas Montgomery, Al Shean, Reglnal Owen arid Joseph Cawthbrn you expect much, but It amounts, to a major example of miscasting. Miss Swanson Is very bad as the prima donna. Unbecoming hats don't help the star a bit.' They "are~borihel ih shape coming down, over the ears, and showing. no hair. First costume. worn by .Miss Swanson Is a three-piece affair: A black coat Is worn oyer a plaid lining with muff and gloves matching. Removing the coat, a plain black frock is underneath. A white suit with three-quarter coat is trimmed with black velvet and a black velvet parasol had a white lining. ■There is a beaded dress trimmed with silver fox, and a white gown Is smothered with white feathers. , June Lang is a nice looking blonde with a small voice; Her peasant costumes^re^n keeping-aiid-two-^summery-frocks -w'ero- worn with large flop hats. - ; ' ■ l'': : ' Stage show consists • bf a white. ballet and a blue costumed number .whlch_ha3_beeji done, before. The-glass reflecto>:-again .in-e-y-ldence-for a Fuller butterfly number. ' ' Duncans Come Back, ' Much water has passed under the bridge since the Duncan Sisters have: appeared In vaudeville, and they come back doing the sairie Topsy and; Eva act. The blonde piano playing sister Is a kiddle In a white dress over mauve. A tall woman assists In a hooped dress of blue with gold lace frbnt. : A pretty blond girl assists Capt. Mauss in a. white satin dress made long-and-plaln; and - When she gets In the way . of the spotlight reveals she Is not underdressed. Grace Barrle, mike singer, has chosen fbr h^r gown French blue cloth-made long with- a- cape effect and ■ edged with" moleskin. Her slippers are red. . / . , . . The girl of Moore and Revel Is in a lame gown of rust and. gold. Jack Sidney's 'Samples' consists of several girls. One does kicking contor« tlons In the Inevitable short skirt a;nd brassiere of white edged with red. Walker sisters are in tpniato red taffeta with double breasted bodices and wide bbws-at~the"ithroatr~TheriB is-a: dahe tejOrIrn!hln.g..anlJ^.nL<^^^ Irt a white chiffon with black velvet coat. .Mostly ChSneso; •Llmchouse Blues'; fllni at the Rialto, is a not top pleasant picture. Anna May Wong wears some lovely Chinese costumes and ddes a dance with (Sp.Pxg.elRaft In la white satin coat and pants with crystal bead ^ trlm- nilng. Solid crystal beads comprised another outfit and black coat was worn with a white skirt. The cbat had but a single chrysanthemum embroidered on It. There was a print costume, and for : street wear a plain black suit was worn. . ; Jean Parker, as a street urchin, was shabbily dressed most of the time but did appear a,t the finish in a hnandarin coat over a plain satin frock. did not realize. It; Is the pbwer for. evil of the He, not the . child, which Miss Hellman considers her real villain. Writing the play. Miss Hellman wasn't worried, about the reception of .;the child's character- izatlon; she was .worried that the dialojg would . seem too childish for girls that age. -. iThey .talk, as near-as she can re- member, as children talked when Miss Hellman was a child. Miss Hellman worried about that, . be- cause children today, she's heard, are more precocious. The time eic- ihent makes a difference, Miss Hell- riian feels.. ;■; .• For instance, when observers re- mark, on how matter-of-factly she takes her sudden catapulting Into fame, fortune and Hollywood, Miss Hellman explains, 'This should come when you're 20, nbt ao.' . (Continued from page.l) .': lean . clgarets, ariythlhg at ali| arb requested. And in. this connection it Is well to note thaii the ordinary brands of American clgs cbst about $3 for a pack of 20; -Unless the sucker. Is wary In one of these joints he'll find himself feeding the entire company, including the host- esses and barmaids, arid that Is orie expensive Indoor sport In modern Germany. Several of the standard places still manage to feed and. wine one without giving the feeling the cus- tomer Is paying off the nation's; reparations bill, but you've got to know them; you'll never stumble Into them ;aa a stranger.