Variety (Jul 1935)

.42 VARIETY PICTORES Wednesday^ July 47, 1935 Going Places By Cecelia Ager Mary Ellis Answer to a Designer's Prayer A studio costume designing department la always very Kappy when It's handed an actress to dress who can be pelted with whole families of pedigreed silver foxes and still show her face. By this feat she proves herself a potential exotic. An exotic Is the kind of actress a costume designing department asks for when it prays. An exotic Is a rhodel.wlth personal stamina enough to carry a costume, designing department's most precious ideas, a. stimulus to Its imagination and a spur to its Invention, a woman capable of displaying sartorial, fancies that will teach those other studio costume designing departments a thing or two, all right. • Mary Ellis, In 'Paris In Spring,' Is Paramount's new exotic. First, Miss Ellis -steps out of a foreign limousine swathed In furs, but though her neck and shoulders are festooned wth silver foxes, It is quite possible to see that she's wearing a chic black pancake beret pulled smartly over one' eye, and that there's a feather pom-pom on top of. It. Next, Miss Ellis, who is the toast of Paris, Is poured Into i go\yn of molten gold, which ls..not ciuite as good an- Idea ^s the next number—wherein she Is poured into.a frock of .all-over black;sequins—because the gold,- shining away Jlke mad,,'takes: the high lights and 'reveals' that when Miss Ellis- f9rgetfi,;her diaphragm shyly intrudes upon'the'nice young concave line between.her waist,and bosom-. j ... , ,, .. .. -Miss Ellis wears clo'se. fitting'helmets wit'h.facii oif these costumes, the- first of gold with -flat sculptured ringlets Ijke; a Greek;^tatue's,.'the second of black velvet, a snug-l-ittle bonnet' jthi^t Just; show^, b.ow advanced the- Paramount costume.-.designlng depBtrtmeht,.ls,., iyhat. with, all the. .chit- chat of the Renaissance Influence-on tl^e.rit^pde'only Just now. taking- the world by-positive storm. ^ .In addition :to looking and acting; Interesting, but unpredictable, as beflts -an, exotic,. .Miss Ellis sings pleasantly, and warmly, and In one gully produced nyniber does the same song .In the 1o\y husky .voice of cocotte, the timid,soprano of.a student, and .th;e cracked, quavering notes of .an old cbestnutir.peddler. Ida -Liipino pJSys the virtuous young girl dewlly, and Jessie Ralph has lots of: close-ups ..with her ear-trumpet.. Unmasking'of Disguised Billl» Burke There's'something- askew aibout-Bluie Burke In 'Boubtihg Thomas,' Bomethlng 'at •variance-;Wlth the lo-i'ely Titian flutter she's'always been. Maybe It's the sight- of her perfectly bccoytred for spring cleaning that's as disquieting—the-sturdy calico aprpifi ;tlpd round'her delicate . frame, tlie practical bandana wrapped round .< her' pretty curls to fend oil the dust,-.the coarse white-cotton gloves-fulled over her dainty hands. May- be It's trying to belle-ve-tHat she's be^n married to Will Rogers for years and still loves him:'.Maybei'lt's'the shock,—witching her serving his breakfast—at dlsco-verlhg It's not Charlotte -RuSse's, she's cooked for him, but ham and eggs. Not until Miss Burke'takes'up ailnateur theatirlcals Is It possible to feel quite:..'Comfortable ubout her^ In 'Doubting Thomas;' not until iCbngIng Into the. cozy giddiness Induced by rehearsals, she abandons the unseemly domesticity that was slowly-snuffing out her special spark. Now ehe twitters onc6 "more in- -luxurious clothes, at last herself again In evening gowns whose Intricately pufCed sleeves and complicated neck- lines—cleverly arranged to mask'- her thrqat,' yet' be -big about their decoUetages -felsewherfe—'give the lie . to her- earlier .personal pre- occupation with' household'tasks, Now U, conies ..out—the beginning was all an unf-ortunate mistake. The bankroll ihat acquired that ward- robe doesn't do Its own washing, ' ' Alison Skipworth'Is-Immensely comic as the director of Miss Burke's theatricals, very sincere about her work, very: .dignified, In white eve- ning gowns that reveal, unnecessarily, eachi .l;>ump In. their underpin- nings. Gall Patrick, another of Miss Skip-worth's pupils, doesn't over- look any opportunity to-let the audience know' that' she, too, thinks her heroic, postures'isihd -'awkward gestures" as' an amateur actress are simply too screaming; but she Is very handsome, anyway, and has hit iipon a most becoming coiffure,'-.dark .hajr p.i)irted In the middle and swept down to a large:soft roIl<at the nape of her neck behind her ears. Frances Grant, the Rpchelle Hudson type (if she doesn't miiid) is also a tap dancer. ' ■' Betters Bewitching Journalism An Inspiration to all girl reporters-rthat's 'what Miss Bette Davis Is In "Front Page Woman,'- a dazzling Ideal. . Not, since Constance Bennett herself was good enough to play a newspaper-Svoman In 'After Office Hours,' has there been granted the sobbies so glamorous and souI-stirrlng a mark to shoot at Miss Davis' has everything; little mad hats to bewitch the muggg around the office, swinging hips tightly encased to draw their eyes as she darts out on assignments, sombre dark suits for covering' electrocutions, gay - little frocks for reporting fires, a beige velveteen ensemble with quilted, collar for scenting murders, a check- ered dress with strange black neckline for tracking doivn the murderer. So sensitive is Miss Davis''grooming, so .sleek her .soft blonde bob, so wide her round blue eyes, so provocative her walk, so Inviting her stance, her editor can't help but reward her news sense dally with her by-llne, over a double column spread, on the front page. If he weren't 60 tough and so short-sighted, he'd carry her picture, too. The clue to the murderer In 'Front Page Woman' Is the rare perfume scenting the collar of -the murdered man's dlriher Jacket. A - perfume- dealer, snlfflng it, straightway deduces that it was especially compounded for a woman who Is 'the dark Latin type." It would be Just like the contrariness of womankind' for a fiufCy blonde to bie Using It, but luCklly for the plot, the woman of the perfume turns' out to be Winifred Shaw. Having heard herself , described as 'the dark: Latin type,' Miss Shaw breathes hard, looks a deep one, wears, svelte gowns clinging ominously, and speaks in a voice low with broken-heart throbs. Revelations and Ann Sothern's Coiffures 'Hooray for Love", Is full of people whp but tor the grace of Fred Aataire would never, never be doing their dancing on Hollywood's sound stages. It also is the first backstage musical daring enough to reveal the fact that revues have amOnfest their many, cooks not only Ingenues and producor.s, angels and suddenly-hatched songwriters—but sot de- signers and costume designers, too. Very briefly, in its whirling camera cllCects intended to shosv the growth of a show from first rehearsals to smashlngly succoKsful opening night, there appears a closeup of a cos- tume sketcl), and not a moment later a close-up of a miniature working stage set, too. But now, terrified at its own rashness, 'Hooray for Love' grows cagey and settles back to expose nothing more unconven- tRinal than the retrousse profile and pert blonde prettiness of Ann Sothern. It is Miss Sothern's good fortune to be allowed to evince an intelligent lack of Interest in the allure of Mr, Gene Raymond—at least until the end of the picture—to sing some nicely phrased songs, to exhibit an Irhproved makeup that now stresses her-Dresden china quality, to dis- play a series of varying coiffures which prove that when the fashion for curls piled on top of the head Is finally established In Hollywood, Miss Sothern-'will carry oft one of the firsts, and to stamp her costumes with her own personal style, a trim, saucy, tastefully restrained personal style. Maria Gambarclll's toe ballet technique receives full measure of atten- tion as smoothly and effortless she sklnis about, while her fancy sequlned ballet costume counsels simplicity for all the too dancers sure to follow her to the screen, and her white satin .slippers advise them that darker slippers would be less,.aggrandizing. Pert Kelton Is hurried through a burlesque color.ntura outbui-st and interpretive dance, but her light touch and-remarkable univilllngness to hammer home, her P'^int-, ni.ike her stay on the screen too sliort and indee.d hardly fair. COLLEGE SCANDAL (Continued from, page 27) Nugent, erstwhile stager Juve, He's tho college athlete who's saved from the scheming killer. A rare bit of dramatics is turned In by Mary Nash, as the wife of the French professor, who kills in' the spirit of revenge. Wendy Barrle, who plays the French prof's daughter, has an un- sympathetic role, but Justifies pres- ent Interest of America.n producers in her work. Camera, appears uri- kind to her on several occasions. Benny Baker provides droll comedy moments. Johnny Downs does sat- isfactorily as the school's composer and Is credited 'W'lth singing the sole song of the piece, 'In the Middle of a Kiss,' authored by Sam. Coslow. It's currently a, pop fave and should refiect In favor of the b.o. William Benedict seems miscast as the' school play' producer. -He's especially unfunny -and sputters over every scene. Doesn't even closely resemble a college upper- classman. William Frawley, of the 'Stage, is Importantly cast as-'police chief, - and clicks big. . Others who contribute good work include 'Kent- Taylor, William Stack, : Douglas Blackley, Joyce Compton and Doug- las Wood. ; Bang-up directional Job by Elliott Nugent. Plenty of production value here, with Just enough music to satr 'Isfy. Lacks only names to put into topnotch theatres solo; surefire for dualerb. Wear,' Circumstantial Evidence . Cheaterfleld production and releoss. Fea- tures Chick Cbandler and Shirley Orey. .Directed by. .Charles Lament. Producer, .QeorRe R. Batcheller; story, .Torn Terrls; adaptation. Ewart Adamsoiv: fllm editor, Boland Reed; camera, M. A.'' Andersen. At Qlobe, N. T., as halt double bill, week July- 11, •35„ Running tline, 69 rains. . Jim Baldwin......,....',',..Ohlek Chandler Adrlenne Orey Shirley. Groy Pted Stevens Arthur 'Vinton Bernlce 'Winters ...Dorothy Revler Another from the Indle .mills which has circumstantial. evidence as Us theme, but It handles-It from a unique angle and gets across Its message. The duals are its desti- nation, ■ Most ridiculous feature of the pic- ture; while providing a novel plot situation. Is the determination of a newspaper .reporter to. fake a crime so that it 'Will appear he has done away with a fellow employee. His purpose Is to.have his colleague hid- den away somewhere until he's con- victed on circumstantial evidience, when It will be possible for Tilm to prove his'theory that such evidence should be ruled out He all but hangb as a result. Cast doesn't offer too - much to lift the action and' dlalpg to any appreciable plane. Chick Chandler, from vaude and P|revIously at Radio, plays the reporter and is a good type as such. He has a good sense of tempo. Arthur Vinton fits well as the columnist who's bumped oft. Girl Is Shirley Grey, and Lee Moran okay In c-mlnor role. A Jail delivery Is rather theatrically ac- complished. Char. LES YEUX NOIRS ('Black Eyes') (FRENCH MADE) Paris, July 7. Mllo Films production, Gallic Films fDave Souhami) release. Director, V. fourjannky; script, Jean Pierre Feyday; dialog, Jacques Natanaon. Trade shown at Olympla, Paris, Running time, 9T mina. Ivan Ivanovltch Harry Baur Tania Imone Simon Karpot lerre Aumont Uudin ....Jean Max (In French) Slmone Simon, Fox's French find, who Is slated for three films to be made In Hollywood next season by that firm, shows In this picture that she has It In her to go big In Amer- ica if she gets the breaks. What she's got mostly Is youth. She's a super ingenue and as cute as they come when she gets a chance to play naturally. But technical defects In 'Black Eyes' bring out the defects of Mile. Simon, and she's got lots, enough to trip her up If she isn't handled right. She doesn't know how to make up—her eyebrows are In the middle of her forehead, for Instance. Her hair is fixed wrong and she dresses badly. All that's unimportant, relatively. More serious Is that It looks as If she couldn't act. She's all right in scenes where' Just her charm is enough to get her by, but she muffs the emotional and dramatic mo- ments. And Mile. Simon's Fox mentors are going to have lots of trouble teftching her to speak. Speaking French, her diction Is sloppy, and In this picture her enunciation, com- plicated by bad sound, makes her lines frequently hard to catc^ Maybe working In English, a forel language to her, will make it casicr for her In this respect, because she'll have to study pronunciation. Any- V.ay, it's something to watch. She apparently trained down for the picture, for her figure Is slim and lovely. In 'Lac aux Dames,' film that made her rep, and on the musical stage during past season In 'You're Me' she seemed to have tendency toward plumpness. All these pitfalls can be avoided, for It's been proven again and again Home Reviews MET, BROOKLYN (Continued from page 2ti) i their work. • Speedily- paced and suitable for both ends of any show, Gale and Carson, two grinning young cHaps,' have a knockabout comedy-dancing turn that gets 'em over here. They'.ve,, been around before with ;lt, but act appears mor?. polished. Fornierly'had a'small re- vue, but now trimmed to the two boys. Sufficient original clowning to keep audience happy. Bernico Martin', striking' blonde, proves that patrons like popular tunes done In radio fashion. She has a pleasing voice that , indicates considerable range', felriglnjj jlpefore a mike, with special lighting effects, Miss Martin won "her audience at outset with shadow number. Came back for' 'Strlnfes' of My Heart,' In faster tempo, and forced to do en- core, 'Middle of a Kiss.' Sells her voice and p^rpoijallty. .A.hAt-jbere. . Charlie Foy,''aided by his fdur stpoges arid Jbsle'Cairple,' 'lias' mucli the 'same act 'that' Has proved" a standard In recent, years. Lad who Imitates Ed Wynn. and : Joe Penner. Is plenty good. Foy does his wellr known song abqut .his father and then cleans up 'wlfh 'his stepping. Jans and'.' Lyritort: Jle'vue . is the" .best thlnir of its sort Bee.i'ln Brook- lyn in many a moon. Tko finished dance artists, Jand;''and Lynton, have surrounded thfeiJiselve? with an eccentric aero, dapcing blonde, a plano-playIn|; accorc^Iphist and a clog-dancing rope ' steppelr-all classy in their departments. But It's the work of the revue team that mops up. First appear In a conser- vative ballroom danc^ arrangement: Adagio. follows with : fern members of Jans-Lyntori--: combo imitating Inanimate doll, well done. Finale by pair Is -modernistic tango, a clincher on highly; ehtertainlng miniature revue; ' Whole -thing geared to go places. ' Wear, Rascals-for harmony at tho piano. Mostly snappy stuff, with their en- cote nUftiber properly Jerked after initial performance aa in. decidedly bad taat^ for a picture house audi- ence. Into the finale which introduced Dorothy Francis and Michael Soren- son, class warblers, , while girls' .cavort 'garbed In white silk gowns 'that are Worked Into a seasheir ef- fect. Also on. screen, Paramount News, Business holdout at first session. '"■'''■■ " ■ Edtwi. PARAMOUNT, L. A. Los Angeles, July 11. Smart showmanship characteristic of this week's stage Interlude as adjunct to the Grace Moore opus, 'Love Me Forever.'- Nothing outr standing In the way., of expensive names, but a nuinber- of standard acts that found out 50 minutes of good stage fare. Engagement also rharks return to house of Riibe Wolf,-'after a. four weeks' vacation, end' again Intro- duces to local picture house audi- ences a couple, of local faves in 'Three Rhythm Rascals' and Hector and His Pals, both of which are surefire. Opening has the^ 24 Fanchoriettes emerging to view throvig a lioop held In hands of a large cutout clo'wn, to go Into a clown routine that-is both colorful arid dexterously executed. Wolf then on, with band revealed on the movable platform, with a strikingly bizarre-, backdrop, that means plenty of color. Wolf puts the band through a novelty routine as a prelude to the Hungarian Rhapsody overture. Hector and his dogs, considerably augmented since last reviewed here, follow with the old hoke that never misses. Campus Quintette, four boys and a girl, indulge in some nifty acro- batic stepping with the Fanchon- ettes In shimniery black garb, re- vealing plenty of their gams, as-a background. Louis DePrey with two snappy girl hoofers follow for some nifty stepping; arid then Wolf, garbed same as trio, makes It a foursome. Bobby Breen, Juvenile warbler, djd a mopup with an Italian aria and a pop number and then Rhythm In pictures that tho main thing is personal attractiveness, and of this Slmone Simon has plenty. If she didn't have it, she couldn't acquire It, but the rest she can learn. . Harry Baur's name topping on the marquee is enough to ensure a bis gross for this fllm In France, and Jean Pierre Aumont, Mile. Simon's partner In 'Lac Aux Dames,' also adds something, although he has been slipping since he came Into view in that picture. Fllm as a whole Is okay enter- tainment for a local made. It's a credit to Davie Souhami, former head of French Paramount, who was let out shortly after John W.-Hlcks took over Par's foreign department, and who since then organized a distributing company of his own. He hasn't put out many films on his own, but they've all been money makers. Story is laid In Moscow before the war. Baur plays an elderly headwalter in a big nitery, who serves also as a sort of gencr.al go- between and procurer for the cus- tomers. He conceals his profes- sion from his daughter, played by Mile. Simon. The girl, supervlse(i only by an old English governes.s, gets tangled up with a wealthy cus- tomer of the nitery. Big scene is where he takes her to a private room in the place for a seduction, and the father sees her go In. If he pulls her out, she'll find out what he Is;- '^f he leaves her alone, she's lost. fiferrt. Earle, Philadelphia ; -i ...Philadelphia, July 13. . AH. In all, the Earle. h^s Its best vaude lineup in a lon^ tlriie and .the--laud-leric^ Friday '(hottest- day; of,,yefli.r>; |Waq >-repaarkably ,demotf istratlve. . , , Bill'oiie«e/d '*f 1th the tearii of Diaz 'andf Po.\Vera,'--slack'wire artiste, - wltk a. ne^t^rP-Utine;.. They're a graceful ' pair and ' their balancing on the' Iwlre ' airiounts to-'actual dancing. Next, .ypung, 'Worth and Wyle.-com- edy knock-about tearii. Their falls' may not be'quite as awe-inspiring !as: those of'iMltbhell .and Durant, re- '■ce^tly .at.tbeiiEarle, but this trio la plenty faist and plenty rough. Their athletlds are better-than their com- jody. . -■' After that came the headllners, ;WIni Shaw and Phil Regan, of iWarner Bros.- Their appearance has none of the, stiffness and artificiality .which marks most of the pic stars' iturHs ' In-Vaude'or oh stage shows.' They - have.:.something: to sell and --•they go about selling It wlthout- ■frllia.' itiss 'Shkw. sang, or rather, "crooned 'The Lady'In Red' and 'Lul- laby, of Broadway,! and-Began did ,oh old rriinstrel number that was a darb'and -a:is6 'clicked strongly ■with .'Life Is a Song.' Biggest reception for these two that any act has had at the'Earle in months and they deserve It. Both have agreeable per- sonalities. Senator Murphy camia next. This old-timer never ■varies much and his. following doesn't ask that he should. Hid monologue spiel thia time has 'plenty of- references, to current-polities'. Program is closed with Adair .and Richards, a swell P2ilr of adagio • dancers. Their act la put -on artistically,' nicely dressed and well -timed, ■ Whole bill has class and enter- tainment y.afue.- A couple of showa like this would help 'the Earle Im- mensely..' PIC Is 'Don't Bet on Blondes.' Wat ¥0\, B'KLYN , Over here ian the - wrong side of New York's. Thames, they're start- ing' to dig up oldies In an effort to cajole people from flocking to Coney Island or other wide open - spaces. 'Back Street' (U) was exhumed aa this week's attraction at this popu- lar downtown edifice of the cinema, but Friday night, on top of heat that topped. 91 degrees. It made no difference. House is in a spot for product, since it is being held up on the Grace Moore picture, 'Lovo Me Forever,' which Al Reld, man- aging director, feels will about pull the theatre through the rest of the summer when It comes In. Due to holdover for three weeks at the Music • Hall, the Fox has to wait longer than expected. Reid, veteran, showman in the Si Fabian ranks, is personally super- vising the production of stage revuea here. The current layout Is a light, summery proposition which will please. Among other things, much improvement has been achieved through bringing in the Hart-Sher- man girls, a line of 12 competent and good-looking dancers. Numer- ous different groups of girls have been here In the lait two years, but none can compare with the H-3 troupe. They are hird-workirig lasses who seem to take a pride in doliiK things right; a welcome, sight to see here after having to watch a lot of girls go through thoir routines as thojjgh they didn't care whether school kept or not. The girls aro on three times, doing conventional routines and doing them well. The m. c. is Billy. Keaton and while his comedy material could stand more punch; he brings an agreeable personality to the rostrum and, happily, doesn't overdo the m.c. duties. Hit of the show is last week's amateur contest winner. Bob Robinson, a little colored lad who sings 'Chloe' and 'Ole Man River.* He has 'Wagon Wheels' as an en- core and probably won't get out of doing this third number on any show during the week. Comedy assignment goes to Frank Conzllle and Sunny Dale, man- woman team which amuses In a clownin.!T-.E;agglng routine. Dancers arc Cni-lton and Juliette, late of the Kmpire Room, Waldorf-Astoria. The in;in Is very stiff for no ap- parent reason except that he Is try- ing to strike some kind of a pose. It adds nothing to the team's efforts, -fanls Thompson, acrob.^tic dancer of fair ability, is qn twice. Business quite light early '^'■Iday evening. Char.