Variety (Nov 1929)

Wednesday, November 9, 1929 W O M E N» S P A G E VARIETY 56 Qothes and Clothes By MoUie Gray Ledova Out-Lulus Falac6 has plenty of material this Weejc, none o£ It elevating, except lYed Keatinffl Enfflish, but all of It entertaininff. And it spisa-ks vol- iimes for pUhllc taste when Al Tra- hah can keep a whole house until 6:20. The atatuescLue blonde: with hliSi wore two handsome gowns, the flr$t a cream color yelyeit with long skirt cut in two sections, lapping at the left knee in front and falling tb the floor in a graceful ripple in back* Crushed velvet made a trirti- ixdng on the diagonally cut bodice In front, an orange and yellow fan iox color. Dull black moire was brightened with a. splash of crystal sprays on the second gown, and the s&.tin side showed where the skirt * fullhes3,fell away from a one-sided elevation. A narroW net edge iin- ished the lieckline in front, and the back was all, her owii. ""Whoever' liedpva . is, the whpie vaudeville public should thank her for finally kivinjg a dance act strlk-' . ingly different, with a, flnalie that has no-place at .a church social, \Even the: set, of dull black velvet with twOi : pianos snuggling close to a center staircase, is ynlike the usual empty glitter of dance >acts^ jPirst' testumes f or both herself and part-, ner were crepe pajamas, his black with red belt the same shiEide. as. the unusual Ledova's suit.. A regula- . tloii ballet number with yelloW cos- tume was. just a bow to the con- servative elem<^nt and then that wild orgy at the finish. Liedova appeared in silhouette, and then down front. Jn. a Lulu Belle make-up ' that drowned out all former Lulus. A ''character," Ledova called it, and It was! Ilelen Kane gets a- "Miss" with her billlhg, but Carmel Myers n6ne. Will the ancient honor of • Holly- wopd stand .for .that slight? Miss . Kane wore a baby blue velvet frock with fotur circular tiers crossing in frofit,. a bertha collar and a narrow fli.ly.er belt, just as cute as herself.- -Miss Myers opened all eyes with auburn tresses that photograph as black as Tom Mix's horse, but ears i -are. Jiard. .to close... She has played. . such colorful characters, singing was too taine. • And she has a case against her modiste. iSxquislte ma- terial, .white velvet and a tall slender figure should have presented no dif- ficulties, yet it is cut badly all through the bodice and the result • was a shame. Maurice Colleano's family, the feminine portion,, have new cos- tumes for the Palace, but no new material. Fred Keating took all the tricks miaking a grand slam on personality .as well as magic. Sol Gould's partner wore a flashy , red and white velvet evening en- semble and showed a perfect figure as +he familiar Eskimo. "Sweetie's" Ctothes "Sweetie" is flavoring the Para- mount bill a second week, and while It hasn't much sense It has lots of feeling, and all of it happy. Young- sters Just Wish out loud "how I could love a school Uke that." Nancy Carroll has the most expres- sive eyes, but Helen Kane rules the knees. Frocks all knee length, but for Miss Carroll's dance frock of white satin and maline, flecked with silk petals. She has a trim figure, has Mifis Carroll. On a dark crepe frock of hers the long cape was caught up at the waist in back to »nake a blouse effect, and the dia- mond patterned blouse with her black suit carried a jaunty bow fluttering from the left shoulder. Squirrel trim oh a light suit has a flat bow on the left side of the col^ lar. An Miss Kane needs is a pout , and her baby voice and she's a com- plete success. Both girls went into stripes for the big game, Miss Car- roll's Roman stripes on scarf and hat band, Miss Kanes striped blouse, very pretty Avith her suit. Jack Oakie and the "Alma Mammy" number practically made the pic- ture. Presentation, "Sky . ' Harbor," ■ opens with a Zep take-off, then into scrim cloiids and the panic was on. Supposedly an entertainment of the future on board an airship. Just .-^^on^e^ojintry^-WAs^-XfialbL^eefc^ tmg. air-minded, too. Little lady, Avhoae long hair was an important part of her dancing, tore off some hand-fjprlngs, etc.; the-Gollette Sis- ters, cute singers and dancers, in White silk fringe and some spangles at first, later as page girls in vio- let velvet; a stowa\vay who should have been dropped »yerboard came next. Finally some girls, who until tlien had just been posing as ntill life in evening gowns, appeared in spangled tights and shooting head- dresses, ^th a few more coming by oh a cloud in a Goldberg cartoon tableau. Such is "Sky Harbor." not even the port to avoid a storm. Audible "Lost Ships" "The Isle of Lost Ships' seems never to get lost as a plot, but it must have reached its last resting pijace now. It has acquii-ed a theme song and soft music when there was nothing human visible or in- sinuated . to produce it. Maybe Davey Jones' locker wjas one of the "nineteenth hole" kind, and the boys were celebrating their hole in one. The "audience enjoyed helping the bero, quite openly being cheer lead- ers, when the party wais making its escape In the submiarine. Virginia Valli must have anticipated wox*king in the kitchen when she started, her sea trip, because she has the cutest aprons handy'-^ unless the ship's cook went for gay:cretonnes or some woman had cast it upon the water, .eixpectlng an evening gown when it came back. She was rather natural, quite a feat in such a-Ash story as this. Her light silk frock had a cir- cular collar and tiers on the skirt, and her; flowered chiffon wa;s none the worse for its salt-water wash. Jason Rpbards, -jan old friend of double-feature days, did nobly in both word and action. "Isle of Lost Ships" has one fea- ture that all features could copy, from the audience angle--all credits appeared at once, next the cast and then right into the story. Most people fprfeet the name of a picture by. the time everybody has gotten space. Air Shopping.. , Station WOR, through its fen* nine shopper, gives a daily "special" every morning at 9:3iD for the -L, Bamberger store in Ne^^ark. "Thurs- day's was a closet ensemble cour sisting of . garment, laundry and shoe bag, ail of the .durable and at- tractively patterned crash. She also announced the Bam-, berger Magazine, "Charm," is only available to charge account cus; tomers, which sounded like- charm-- ing people into charge accounts. There Is also a guide provided for sight-seers of "The Greater Bam- berger's." • Station WGBS has the same serv- ice for" Gimble Bros, a most en- thusiastic voice giving glowing de- tails about their coats. Smaller ar- ticles, too, arO: mentioned with a thoughtful invitation to telephone the orders. Station WQV has a shopper working for a number of stores, .giving descriptions of. several items from each and always with the re- quest to mention the radio when phoning or writing for them. Her account of the moire week-end bags at McCutcheon's was enough to start one off on a trip. Delightful Leatrice Joy . Leatrice Joy is> delightful addi- tion to the stage, and' the 86th St. theatre audience thought sO quite obviously. She is by far the most natural and least affected of- the many film queens who have de- scended on vaudeville, and though her material lisn't remarkable it gives her a chance for facial ex- pression, Whitsh is better than many songs. Her blue organdy frock de- cidedly girlish, and the crystal trimmed white gown decidedly the opposite. This one clung tight al- most,, to the knees where "a deepen- ing net flounce gave it floor length. Another difficulty with these long dresses Is remembering to watch your step—striding about in them absolutely ruins the dignity,, making some ridiculous silhouettes, too, when they are so tight. Miss Joy's wrap was white velvet, fox-edged. The French girl, her best selection, looked smart in a navy blue cloth frocks a circular flare finishing the three-quarter length sleeves, and a striped silk scarf tied at the neck and hanging to the waist. Mournful Ted Lewis Ted Leiyvls, pictorially speaking, is again asking "Is Everybody Hap- J) y?'Lbu t it ji^reailly a statement, not a question. "lAhd'^tlre" "^Hswer==l5= "Yes." Ted's battered high hat gets Its picture taken, though not as, many close-ups as Ted him.self (neither of the girls got as many), and his- jazz gets miked a-plenty, which accounted for the "Yes," Story unimportant. Alice Day looked nice in ' a velvet wrap trimmed only with a self bow and in a white tulle and silk frock in , Grauman's Hearse " Hollywood, Nov. 6. Sid Grauman took his losses On the stock market in ah op- timistic way arid pulled a gag oh top of it. He phoned friends to come down in front of the Roosevelt hotel, as he wanted to see . them. Wiien on the walk the bunch found Grauman , atop of a hearse with the inside of it filled with p h o ny st o cks and a group of mourners and Weep- ei's surrounding the carriage. which she stopped being a tutor and became, an actress all of a moment. Ann Perinington sliook things up a bit, usually in a rim of isilk or ois- trich fringe, and also disturbed the plot just so the Tragediaii of Jazz coiild try'to look mournful. And he did, -without much effort appar- ently. Julia Swayne Gordon played Ted's mother with proper dignity and a lace gown^ HoDywood Styles By Cepelia Ag«r That Hollywood .Phenomena Long skirts longer.. . .Short skirts shorter ... . Sun tans taiiner., Dresses . tighter...,Lipstick reddpr .... Toes rounder,.. .Hair curllci' .... Stockiiiigs sheerer... .V o-i c e s louder.. . .Houses bigger,^>-r.rMusiG "Pharaoh" Still Lively "The Loves, of Pharaoh" is as great a production as It was in '27, Mob scenes, battles and the, little business . of presenting elephant tusks certainly expertly handled, even cohipared with present stand- ards. .But this Pharaoh (Emil Jari- nings) was most conservative—the only loves shown were for. himself and a sad-looking slave girl. She' failed, to respond, probably because she: -wasn't vain enough to enjoy seeing herself constantly reflected in the Big Boy's bald pate, which was as hairless, as the World Building's. He and himself got oh famously to- gether, so the datkreyed beauty de- clined to make it a triangle. Jan- nings Is a powerful player, and "The Loves of Pharaoh"'gave him . great scope, from the Imperious King to the. bewildered, defeated lover, with many interesting stations between. Horoscope Interesting . "Movie Horoscope" Is rather in tereating, especially to women who always like to hear their good points (no horoscope this far has mentioned any bad ones) . and they always know somebody whose birthday Is In the month if not their own. November is the month of authors, say the seers,- which may account for so. many, poor /writers— those not born in this month. "The Hollywood Star," a Sennett picture, Is probably the !first talker within a talker and not as funny as some previous ones. ,Marjorie Beebe must have 'been on a 48-day diet. She was better looking with her weight. Dependable Academy The Academy can always be de- pended upon to present shows with a certain dash and speed even when there is little talent'to accompany it. "Salute" the screen tenant. Majorie Lane and company of four boys showed no reason why any of them should be passing as professionals. Miss Lane's dancing quite ordinary and costumes lacking in originality or even brightness, which might have cheered things up a bit. Soft ruffles of faded pink, followed by tarnished silver tabs for an Oriental number (with white tights) then, a black flounce In an- other silver bodice and finally white silk frock with an occasional silver spangle, Al Kapp's lady friend Tish meant more than Al himself, her frock of black satin with yoked skirt revealing the black net stock- ings to good advantage. Irving Edwards, Who ealmly ap- propriated. Eddie Cantor's "broker- pall bearer" gag, wasted some time previous to that spent with the 15 Syncopetts, a girls' band. Frocks were of red satin, suspended, style. Edna Janis liveried things uP a bit with her dancing, first in red checked trousers and sweater and aga;in in two bits of silver. Modena's Art Plashes of 1929 are more fliash than art. Four girls in Spanish costumes with long trains arid spangled.mantillas made an im- posing picture as they lined the steps. . The white satin buffante gowns made them look enorriious cbecause of a wide bow coverlrig the waist from bodice to skirt in front. Green insets In the scallops of the' hem, green drapes from each' shoulder in back, and green fans ^added,,:.4:Qlfi)Cjt^^,Xh%^,^da_nc CT nicest in her opening' blue velvet" and silk, with floral tririi in a peach shade.frem wai-st and shoulder. She. dressed her toe work In flbor-touch- ing lace ruffles and a big hat,, and. the finale In sheer crepe just edged with white ostrich. Two eccentric dancers were really better. Sets looked well, the last a splash of silver' as a grand salon. hotter.., .Dancing easier.,. .Blonde hair blonder... .Black hair blacker ... .Cars longer. .. .Cutouts noisier Speed law^ lenienter. . . .Gossip cat- tier. .. . Eyelashes beadier.... Pretty faces blanker.. ..Restaurants cheap- er. ;,. C o 1 o r s brighter.... . Market Ip-wer.... Prize fights rottener.-. >. Full skirts fuller.... .Cliniate balmier .. . .isathrooms grander. .^.Jealousy keener.. ; .Waffles crisper... .Apart- ments gaudier Overcoats fuzzier .,. .Conversations sadder.... Song- writers • happier... . Caviar saltier ... .Ingenue eyes wider..Freak re- ligions snappier.., .Reading lighter .... Trees rarer Passions hotter .... Their duration briefer.,.. Swlm- mirig pools oftener.,. .Rains longer ....Bows bigger....Bedtime, later ... .Fire sirens shriller... .Food in- ferior. ...Boulevards finer- Friendships quicker.. . .Desertions swifter.... Nightclubs f e w e r..,. Flower fragrance feebler... .Fingerr nails r e d d e r... ;B6uffarit • skirts bouffariter. ...Parties duller..., Good rye scarcer... .Buildings fiiriisier.... Success easier..... Cooks bossier. Actors' greetings warm- er.. ..Producers' . greetings cooler Evening dresses dingier.... Scotch weaker... .Hells cheerier.... Social scale rigider..Premieres garisher... .Trafilc signals ofterier Swank conimoner... .Plays slighter ... .Gambling riskier Money freer ... .Steaks tougher... .Heels higher ... .Waist.tlines tighter>.. .Tremors ..quakierNew York ,?igaln nearer ,.. .Pictures better Sunsets love- lier. .Angling forever. At the Studios . Fifj Dorsay isn't, going to let Lily Damita get a corner on all the Oo- la-la in pictures. Fifl can place her hands on her hips With the best of them. If the talkies want Fra-ansh mademoiselles; very well. " IJp In her zeesr^ith a plenty-of .oulrouis: yearning for utterance^ she is gen- erous with that impulsive, hoyden vivacity which picture' producers have taught their audiences chat'ac- terizes all the young ladies of the Frerich republic. Some people"who only ask to be let alone find these Gaulle wenches a bit exhausting, but picture audiences are deyoted to their antics. They contrast rilfcely with the Ameridan filth heroines. Who seerii to be put on earth Just to. suffer silently, while great tears well from their eyes and roll un^ noticed down their cheeks. Perhaps* the makeup de-sensitizes their skin, for they are never seen to wipe, away the tears that really must, be a nuisance, splashing all over tlieir faces, sometimes even staining their frocks as they drip unchecked. Fifi, as one of the irrepressible French damsels in Fox's "HOt For Paris," Wears a costume derived from a serious study of the pages, of "La Vie Parlsiene." It is a black chemise. Not only Is it black, but it Is black satin, until black lace gets the better of It. The lace bor-. ders the panties, running up high on the sides until it Is just too .devas- tating. There is a piquant Inter- lude between the tops of the sheer black stockings and the bottom of the chemise, and the stoclcings are encircled by black satin garters with a black lace flounce; Lily will be furious. Mae Clark, In "Nix on Dames,"^ wears a pretty a\yful stage dress done In the true vaudeville imanrier, The tight black .satin bodice is beaded around the V-shaped decol-: letage in rhinestones, and the full net skirt Is made, of narrow row.s of gathered ruffies, all picoted in silver. Black . stockings are acco'mpanied by black satin slippers tied with bows, but in all fairness the heels are black, not grand with rhine- stones. Helen CHanidler Hn the.se trying times wiien stage actresses franti- cally' signed by. the talkers at flfiat, Jg^ce- .iat.er_ fo und jnot to pan out so well) has the kindrie^s^to^pHofo-^ graph prettily. Her eyes are chiefly responsible, for they appear large, very blue, and, set fascinat- ingly slantwise, they give zest to an othcrwi.se conventional pretti- ness. Her youth, too, is a precioutj asset All in all, Fox was quite fortunate.., In "The Sky Hawk," wherein, if you watch carefuly, you may isee a plane or two. Miss Chandler plays a nice, young heroine whose, clothes are simply tailored, chiefly of the sports variety,'. Her best moment comes when she is In a leather n,vtnt|i r»n . costume, for its severely practical helmet erihances her "par-"" ticular quality. Aiinqst no curls of bloride itair escape its sensible con- fines, until it is easy; to believe that Helen kno-ws sometialng .about flying,;has.flown, arid 't\'ill fly agaiUi Gwen Lee looks blonder than blonde in a black chiffori evening- dress worn in M-G-M's ''Untamied,'' (orice "jungle"). Blorides. are not always unmistakably blonde in pictures because of the pranks of those twin elves, photography arid lighting. 'Wearirig black is a, great helpi This dress is untrimmed; even its edges are smartly unfin- ished, Its mission is to show off Miss ; Lee's golden locks, and to float. A circular, uneven hemline and a deep cape attached to the low back flutter gracefully this way and that. Nina Mae McKinney has just the . grandest costume for "Take It Big.*; Baby, its got feathers! And beads, more beads- than there are brownskiris playing "numbers !*' Real silver slippers too. Tlie head- dress lias ostrich feathers on each side and a great big bunch on top, and- when she dances, those feathers do wave, and those beads to sparkle! Just wait till the pic- ture plays Harlem. Mm -m-mm! There weren't no feathers on her in "Hallelujah," The Duncan Sisters' first picture for M-G-M, "Cotton, and Silk," finds tbero_. true to the roles they created in vaude-ville." The sweet one's hair is still in long Sweet curls, and, her dress is trimmed with lace and she carries a great big hat in her hand. The^ naughty one (she isn't really naughty, you kno-w^. Just full of gbod'cleiari fun) wears checked 'gingham romperd with a white organdy sash, tied in a bow in back, and little giri patent leathe;r party slii>pevs.. "Besele Uove "tap "dant^ nimbly, in the "Everybody Tap"' number of "Road Show." She wears a musical comedy maid'js costume wiilch, goers to musical comedy know, consists of the tini- est little circular dkirt, an Inconse' quential bodice, and a xirisp little apron all encircled .vrith lace. Pert, saucy; pleasant for. dancing. Norma Shearer. In "Their Own iDesIre," may be seen wearing a Qolo skirt that is :actually part of a polo costume. Hollywood' is -\rery fond of polo, skirts; They are swagger and becoming, and who can blame Hollywood for adopting; them for every . purpbse. That's why it is so sort .of shocking to see a polo skirt really and truly worn for polo. Norma's polo costuriie Is beyond a doubt a gentiine polo costume. There Is a polo belt and leather wristlets, well tailored rid- ing breeches; and good-looking boots, all very good on Norma. Greta Garbo talks to Conrad Na- gel in the garden In "The Kiss,'* wearing a simple evening dress of chiffon printed In a large fern de- sign. 'Its severity of line is broken by longer panels attached, at .the.- back and front, but that Is all. Adrian has' permitted nothing to detract from the beauty of the ma- terial, knowing thus the beauty of the Wearer emerges the more dh'ectly. LoFetta Young looks tall and a bit too slini in. a shaded chiffon dance dress worn in "The Porward Pass," The circular dippirig, .skirt and cape are scalloped at. the edges and pieoted in irietal. .Lace out- lines the neck, but doesn't riiatter.. The dress is uninspired, and un- convincing aia part of the wardrobe of a college good nuniber. They know their dance dresses better than that. I'i'cak luck attended the market crash in some ca,se.s. Ono of the Wealthy Broadway playboys hunting up in Canada wired his broker to . tiriTdad'^5aor^-Rlrare5^^f=Ui=-S,--Steel- just before the , break. The .stock was at its peak. The .sariifc day he wared a duplicate message to con- firm his flr.st arid the brokerage mistook it for another order to .^ell, as the stoek was beginning to drop,, The fallow js still hunting up there and giving the Stock Exc]i;in{;e a doiililft-barrcled ha! lia!