The Washington times., 1928-11-19
.GLEANINGSI
AND
SCREENINGS
By ANDREW II. KELLEY

the complete procession:
/. "Strange Interlude," by
Eugene O'Neill.
2. paris Bound" by Philip
Barry.
3. "The Royal Family" by
Edna Ferber and George Kauf-
man.
4. "Coquette," by George ABB
bott and Ann Bridgers.
5. "Porgy," by Du Bose and
Dorothy Hayward.
6, Escape" by John Gals
worthy.
z. "The Plough and the
Stars" by Sean O'Casey.
8. "The Racket" by Bart
lett Cormack.
9. Behold the Bridegroom"
by George Kelly.
10. "Burlesque," by Arthur
Hopkins and George Marker
Waters.
Of the chosen ones, Washing
ton has already seen ''The
Racket, = 'Porgy," and Escape"
Out on theatrical highways and
due to stop off here before the
present season becomes a mem
ory are Helen Hayes in CO.
quette," Hal Skelley in "Bur-
lesque," "The Royal Family"
Paris Bound" with Madge Ken
nedy, and O'Neill's "Strange In
terlude." The latter nine-act
play arrives about Christmas
time at the National. "Behold
the Bridegroom" has closed its
tour and "The Plough and the
Stars" was not sent out as
road attraction.
Every clown yearns to be a
Hamlet. That appears to be
the soundest reason back of
Paramount's casting of Chester
Conklin for the salt tears role
in Varsity" Conklin possesses
what the actors call comedy
pam" Translated into more
circumspect English, it means
that his face is funny and his
figure comic. He is built for
slapstick and the business of
making laughs.
To expect him by the ordi-
nary arts of the actor to drop
all of his accustomed comic
capers and wear the tragic
mask of the emotional screen
artist is asking too much. The
movie audiences have come to
anticipate laughs when Chester
gets into action and | am
afraid they will never have it
otherwise. One felt sure that
when his scraggly moustache,
baggy pants and inch-thick
spectacles appeared in Var
sity," some laughs were on the
way. Instead the emotional
stops were all pulled out and
we were asked to have a good
cry with an unhappy parent.
1t just couldn't be done. Stick
to your comedy, Chester.
The performance which Rich
ard Bennett gives in "The
Home Towners" explains in a
measure why the sound pic
lures have the Hollywood actors
with only camera charm wor-
.ried to the point of distraction.
Such an astute producer as
Samuel Goldwyn says that the
proportion of new faces on the
movie lots within the next year
will be so per cent. Only those
with good voices can survive
the wedding out which is now
under way.
The Bennett success is .predi-
Gated upon a knowledge of the
fine points of acting and
voice which registers as COM
pletely satisfying transformed
into Vitaphone sound. He has
neither the physical attractions
which were once deemed essen
tial for the screen actor nor an
overabundance of appealing per-
sonality. But the man can act.
He can submerge himself in a
part so thoroughly that the re-
suit is striking realism, and /
have seen but a few film pup
pets who can deliver lines so
effectively.
No wonder the pampered stars
are worrying. It is a new opposi-
tion. Once the screen test was
everything. Now some Broad
way actor whose face would
crack the lens but who has
voice and personality becomes
at once a rival for the stars
dressing room on the lot and a
scandalous salary.
When the books were bal
anced Saturday night, the
George G. Tyler production of
Macbeth" moved on to Broad
way with the hope of finding
audiences of profitable proper
tions for a costly Shakespearian
performance.
Mr.. Tyler poured money into
this revival. The Gordon Craig
assignments represented a tidy
initial expenditure, and the
period costumes and trappings
involved lavish spending. A
cast comprising what the pro-
fession calls "names" was re-
cruited and was backed up by
a small army of lesser players
to provide the essential atmos-
phere.
Philadelphia refused to buy
tickets in anv encouraging vol