Evening star., 1929-12-01
Local Notes.

THERE'S no telling how much good
sleep hath been murdered" by
Bran Stoker's blood-curdler, "Dracula, 4"
which returns to the National Theater
this week for a re-engagement of one
week. It Is safe to say that no penny
dreadful of the old school exceeded hi
its inspiration to gooseflesh tbs vam-
pire classic of Stoker's. In book form it
has had consistent sale since publi-
cation, and its popularity has much
widened since drama took it up. In
this present version, "Dracula" has
brought blasts of chill horror to even
the warmest sections Of the country.
The personal appearances of Paul
MUM with his new picture, Seven
Faces" at the Fox adds interest to the
week.
It is erroneous to compare Munis
Valiant" you remember) with Seven
Faces" In the former picture he played
entirely straight" with fine restraint
withal as the young confessed murder
er who maintained his identity as a
secret to the very electric chair itself,
while in the current magnum opus he
reVertS to the remarkable talent Tor
character work which first gained him
fame in New Yorks legitimate stage
~. "A
approached only by Lon Chaney, Mum
takes the most infinite pains with each
bit of wax, paint or hair which ADDS
detail to his characterization. 1t is TINS
meticulous attention to the minutlae
of illusion, plus very solid talent
for dramatic portrayal, that makes
Mum effective.
Technically, as concerns the pno-
torraphv and general production OF the
a.
be interesting. All of the characters
portrayed by MUM appear on the screen
at the same time, interspersed WITH
close-ups. 1t is Muni's self-appolnteo
task Che is his own strict dlSclplma-
RAM to maintain lines of contrast which
will stand up under the close scrutiny
to which the scenes will naturally be
subjected. Curiosity, even SKeptlcism, al
ways greets a double or multiple charac-
terization. MUM knew this and look
it into consideration. How well ne sue
actual distinction between these seven
persons remains for Washington to see.
The return to the screen Cup-to-date
and talking now of Pauline Frederick
is q signal for jubilance on the part OF
a good many devotees of the old days
when she was so dependable an actress.
Like all minionS of Hollywood she had
an occasional weak picture, but the fun
dsmental dramatic feeling for good work
was there beyond mistake. In 'Evi-
dence, "at the Earle this week, she is pre-
sented in a story with definite dramatic
possibilities; she has a number OF ex-
cellent supporting players. What will
determine the quality of the work Will
be the director and the scenariStS. II
they have aimed for the box office too
surely-well, let the reviewer say what
the result will have been in that case.
That humping old classic of gallantry
in the open West, to wit, Owen Wister's
THE Virginian," is on view at the Co
lumbia, with Gary Cooper and Walter
Huston heading the list of players. Coo
per Is well known for his Western roles;
Huston is less renowned in this field,
but his versatility and imagination
would carry him through If he had to
play a Geisha girl.
BY far the greater part Of 1.-THE Vir-
ginian" was actually filmed in the out
doors; it is said to represent something
Of an achievement in faithfully repro
ducing the sound of nature.
The sophocles T. Papas Banjo Band,
composed Of 25 men and women players,
will be the featured attraction OF the
Earle Theater Sunday concert, today,
from 2 to. pm.
The Metropolitan Theater has been
up to smart publicity trick A micro
phone in the auditorium picks up the
waves of mirth that greet Harold
Lloyd's first talking comedy, welcome
Danger" and an amplifler transmits
them to the crowds on F street. And
there is, be it noted, plenty of noise.
Allan Rogers, new master of cere-
monies at the Palace, is a graduate in
law from the University of Michigan.
Marie" for some time, sings in seven
languages, and has appeared extensively
in concert and opera abroad.