Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-23
RKO-KEITH
"The Great Gabbo.

RkO-kE FL l ii 10 ne q LIZ, fcst i I hsI;
Tne Great GabbO." over until Christ
mas. is as finely
done work of characterization as has
ever been accomplished in the sound
pictures and in illustrating the posi-
bfities Of this form Of dramatic art.
Generally speaking there has been
q dreary dearth Of ideaS-stock plots,
stock characters, stock situations and
stock dialogue. Here we have q well
come relief. The Great Gabbo" has
those rare qualities. imagination and in
sight. which are the blood and breath
OF art. Thanks to the Ben Hecht story,
1t has an original dramatic mechanism.
1t is 3 powerful and tragic picture
OF the progress Of egocentricity, which
Is swallowing, dragon-like. q mans bet
ter nature. But the extinction is not
accomplished without q great psychic
struggle, in which sympathy and love
force themselves cut of the subcon-
sciouS and speak through the ventril-
oquist's dummy.
Such a situation demands an actor.
IT would be a silly mess II left to the
average Hollywood mimic. for whom life
is altogether the conventional comedy
and tragedy of the surface. and who
apparently has never glimpse of the
reality in which the actors are the
naked souls Of men and women. But
The Great Gabbo" has an actor
Erich Won Stroheim. He has accom-
plished something which deserves bet
ter than the ephemeral existence of
this weeks picture at the corner movie
house. Betty Compson plays excel
lently the mere conventional role Of
the heroine.
Pictures like this are few and far be-
tween. Perhaps the producers are
chary of them because the stock pro-
ell NaA ~
dry beside them.
THE Great Gabbo" will give way
Christmas day to Rudy Vallee in The
Vagabond Lover" which will perhaps
be more to the taste of those who do
not enjoy realism. T. C.
RIALTO The sprightly and at.
Hold Your and walter Scott Kolk,
Man." once of this citv between
them present entertaining
light comedy in Hold Your Man." an
all-talking picture, showing until Christ
mss day at the Rialto Theater.
The plot is built along previously
utilized lines, but with Miss La Plante
and Mr.. Kolk. as well mated but not
completely appreciative young couple.
rollicking through it in the spirit of
fun which both diffuse, the picture
pleases in a number of ways.
Miss La Plante, endowed with voice
Of considerable merit, probably will have
roles such as her ability deserves.
Kolk's voice came over exceedingly
well. clear in diction and particularly
natural in quality. The young WASH
ingtonian should find future in the
talkies.
The picture begins with Fred, the
young husband, absorbed in the brief of
lie to FRY kR euf
sits near him at her hobby, painting.
The trouble starts when the pl1ono-
graph runs down. Fred looks up, re-
sumes reading. then prevaricates, and
finally insists that Mary turn it of"
Mary won't. so Fred must
The action shortly resulting is per-
haps the most amusing in the picture.
Mary does everything within her in
genious power to make it difficult for
young husband to read. She sings,
turns the water faucets on needlessly,
throws her shoes, slam drawers and
cabinet doors. inquiries now and then,
Am ] disturbing you. dear?" and
eventually announces she will sleep in
the guest room.
Fred at this juncture walks into the
darkened living room and Stumbles His
vehement curses arouse Mary. She
finds that he has stumbled over her
easel and his head is through her paint
ing. .
That settles It. Mary goes to Paris
. to- continue her study" Of art. hoping.
she tells the girl who once held Fred's
attention, that she viii meet q tall, dark
man, who viii sing love songs to her
somewhere near the Grand Canal. She
leaves Fred in the safekeeping of the
girl, Rhea, once In Fred's dreams.
1t all comes dangerously near a di.
vorce. but Rhea. when she accompanies
Fred to Paris later, hoping to wed him
after he has divorced Mary. develops a
bad disposition, bad cold and sudden
inclination to sleepiness. Mary's pre-
tended "harne" turns out to be q very
bad Apache and Fred realizes it's al
o ruSe. So ais well.
Benny Rubin appears In q character
tStic vaudeville recitation in one of the
short subjects. The Evening Star
Universal newsreel contains some in
teresting parts, notably street scenes in
Chicago In the recent high gales and
blizzard.
THE shannons of Broadway" fea.
turing James Gleason and Lucille Web
ster, Is announced for q run, beginning
Christmas day. J. N. p.
METROPOLITAN III! A ~ vsEss
els Everybody Happy" cine m r
for tn
blues" b Ted Lewis, past master Of
jazz. With his high-silk hat and hi,
clarinet he dominates the screen at the
Metropolitan this week in Warner Bros.
talkie, Us Everybody Happy?"
Although the picture primarily is of
by and for the tragedian of Jazz, Levi
receives some capable support from
Ann Pennington and Alice Day.
The Jazz king, Of course, is no Barry.