Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10

H Tie IlS6 Vi JIlObOp1dy az
Wv fractions in Washington
this week, he is inclined
to think that good things come
in patches. For a week or two
the pictures run to the ordinary
garden variety and then there is
a burst of movie Splendor. 1t is
natural that all this does not come
about through accident or chance.
It is the law of competition, which
holds good in the photoplay game
as elsewhere. One theater adver-
tises a super production, another
theater must have an attraction
which will draw a certain part of
the box office cash. Therefore,
when one outstanding picture
comes to town amid blare OF
trumpets, it is quite likely that
other theaters will be making good
showings in order to hold up their
own ends.
All this, by the way, brings us
to the excellent list for this week.
AT the Metropolitan we have
George ArliSS in "DiSraeli," which
has made a decided hit in New
York. Modern photoplay methods
and the use OF sound should make
this. Arliss play into an even
greater success than it was on the
stage. There is that glorious mus
icaI affair, Rio Rita" at Keith's
RKO, and from glance at the
advertising trailer of a week or
SO ago, John BoleS and Bebe Dan
iels will be packing 'em in" along
Fifteenth street northwest. Fol-
lowing the policy of big picture
month" the Earle is showing Col
leen Moore in 'Footlights and
Fools" which is another elaborate
music-and- dance affair. The Fox,
not to miss some of the big-time
stuff, is showing Frozen Justice"
starring Lenore Ulrich; and, of
course, there is another of those
Fanchon g. Marco Ideas for the
lovers of vaudeville. A Washing
ton favorite, Joan Crawford, holds
the screen at the Palace in "Un-
tanned" together with plenty OF
stage dancing, singing and fun
making. Shanghai Lady," with
Mary Nolan, is the big attraction
at the Rialto. At this writing we
do not know whether this is a
version of 1.-THE Shanghai GeS-
ture" or not. But probably not.
The screamingly funny Moran
and Mack are being held over for
another week at the Columbia,
where they are approaching box
Office records. So, you can pay
your cash and take your pick, and
you cannot make a mistake.
The Little Theater is reopening
with the British picture, "Pica-
dilly," featuring the well known
Gilda Gray. The comfortable little
playhouse has been closed for
some time and it has now dropped
from the control of the Film
Guild, John Klein being the new
manager and promoter. 'Pica-
dilly" has met with unusually good
receptions wherever it has been
exhibited in this country and
abroad.
THERE is considerable interest
in. the method of turning
American pictures into foreign
pictures. That is, taking the Hol-
Iywood product and giving it
French, German or Spanish dia-
logue. This is not an easy task,
as has been discovered by the
studio workers, and yet Ameri-
can films must have foreign pro-
duction in order to make them
really profitable. The newest pic
ture to be given German dialogue
is "Lummox," and the finished
product is an evidence of the in
genuity with which American pro-
ducers attack their problems. 1t
was once understood that the mo-
ton picture was a sort of inter-
national language, but with the
perfection of the sound devices
this has ceased to be.
The German version Of 'Lum-
mox" was made by Fred Zelnik,
who is well known in this country
and Germany. He took a print of
the finished picture as it was made
under the direction of Herbert
Brenon, played it over and over
again with painstaking care, and
finally had German version
made which dove-tailed exactly
into the one in English. In other
words, he simply studied the
American picture as though 1t
were a piece Of music and substi-
tuted beats for the English sylla-
bles, beats to be replaced by Ger
man syllables.
1t is said that, with the COM
pleted German version, one can
occasionally notice that the voices
are not exactly synchronized to
their sounds, and yet it is surpris-
ing how often the German words
fit exactly into the mouths of the
English speakers. OF course, these
are faxed synchronizations," but
there is no doubt that many of
these have been produced with
our own American pictures. It
remains to be seen just how the
German audiences will react to
the shopmade versions of the Hol-
lywood pictures. 1t is probable