The Washington times., 1929-12-02

Street. He takes the place of
II. M. MeSsiter, who is trans
terred to other duties with the
Carl Laemmle organization.
Sharrick is q veteran in the
Universal personnel, having
been for twelve years one of the
ace exploitation men of the
u" forces. Recently he has
been working out at the Pitts
burgh office.
In Justice to the memory Of a
good musical comedy actor who
passed away last week it may
be said that the role of CASTOR
IN the FRITZ Scheff revival of
Mile. ModiSte" is not played
by Arthur Burckly as the Poll
program has it.
Mr.. Burckly complained of
feeling i'll and left the show
after the Wednesday night per
1ormance in Newark. Within 48
hours he was found dead at the
Lambs Club, a victim Of pneu-
monia and heart disease. A
rather colorlesS substitute is
filling the role Of CASTOR tenn
porarily.
Apart from this the FRITZ
Scheff revival is interpreted by
a competent cast voCally, al
though a good stage director
would inform the French sol
diery that the Pollu military
custom does not olOvide for
hats worn at an angle where
they rest on one ear.
When a motion picture can
attract 100000 paying patrons
in Washington in a space OF
less than three weeks, Manager
Corbin Shield, of the R-K-O
Keith Theater, believes that 1t
is worthy Of an important
paragraph. The 100,000th pa
tron passed through the por-
tails of Keith'S on Thanksgiving
Day, and before next Friday
night "Rio Rita" will have
registered an attendance record
which any and all are invited
to surpass.
It is Eddie Dowling who
comes to the front to praise
Harold Lloyd's pictures for
being not only the funniest
provided for the present-day
screen but more particularly
for their complete absence Of
smut.
"The public appreciates a
laugh it can remember and
pass on. No matter what a
mans actions and talk among
other men, he demands re-
spectability for his family and
will not tolerate unclean pic
lures for them. Realization
of this natural attitude by
producers, who see quick and
easy money in vulgarity, should
cause them to revert to whole
somenesS which, although it
means more work in writing
screen plays, will react to the
betterment of everybody and
Will avert censorship.
What Mr.. Dowling says is
all too true for the tendency
toward vulgarity and down
right coarsenesS is evident not
only in the long screen fea.
lures but in the shorter film
embroidery. Charlie Chaplin'S
infrequent exhibits can always
be depended upon to ring in
one or two scenes that are in
excusably vulgar. It always
struck me as difficult Of COM
prehension why such an artist
at pantomiming had to resort
to practices which are the deS-
perate recourse of the feeble
comics and directors. can
understand some nit wit whose
ability to create laughter be-
gins and ends when he becomes
the target for soft custard or
falls in a tub of mortar, seiz-
ing an underwear display to
create further laughter, but
for a good screen actor to do
it indicates a complete absence
of humorous ideas.
The audible screen has also
made it possible to utilize the
double entendre recklessly. To
say to the objecting censors
that no harm was intended
offers a very thin argument as
justification. Unless the ten
dency towards off-color dia-
logue is checked the producers
will have only themselves to
blame if the demands for more
rigid censorship increase in
volume.
"Dracula," which opens at
the National Theater tonight is
a mystery play which has made
a young fortune for Horace
Liveright, the book publisher
who took a successful flier in
Broadway preferred.
In a season where almost
everybody is complaining, the
weird Bran Stoker novel in
it's dramatized version has con-
tinued to attract profitable au-
diences for a third season. It's
appeal appears to be universal
and the play will be in great
demand when it is eventually
released to stock companies.
None Of the recent successful
mystery plays has yet touched
the profits which accrued to
MesSrs. Wagenhals and KEN,
per, who produced the peer of
them all, "The Bat" This
Avery HopWood,MarY Roberts