The Washington times., 1929-02-04
.GLEANINGS
AND
SCREENINGS
By ANDREW R. KELLEY

AAOFA(hOAAAAAfA' W. tAANAg
his "Treasurer's Report" which
was one of the hits of the last
Music Box Revue and later was
sent forth via the screen as
one of the best of the short
talkies.
Mr.. Benchley has a new one.
His talk is called "The Sex
Life of the Polyp" pronounced
pollup). 1t sounds menacing
enough and from it's title some
thing risque might be expected,
but it is all quite harmless
1t skates around a ticklish
subject, dropping many a laugh
with the dialogue and more
with the Benchley expressions.
A Polyp, if you are curious, is a
I sort of neuter fish, resembling
four-horned pollywog. Its
life and habits furnished Mr..
Benchley with highly humorous
research and his gestures, sac
charine and gentle enough for
the Ladies Aid Society, make
his nonsense all the more ell
joyable. One of the real hits
of the Fox Theater program.
A biiou pink-bordered an
nouncement from Mr.. and Mrs.
John j. Payette attaches the
first visiting card of Dorothy
Dolores Payette, born January
%, 1929. Dorothy after a fond
mamma, and Dolores for the
first and greatest of the War
ner Brothers girl stars-per-
haps.
Cleland C. McDevitt, editor
and publisher of the R. T. d.
News and the Book of Wash
ington, and a steady reader of
this column, says we must be-
littlin' the talking pictures. And
| reply he should pay closer
attention to teacher and the
last lesson.
When Richard Barthellness
first talking and singing pic
ture, Weary River" was shown
on Broadway, it left all the
critics guessing whether Dick
really sang the four songs inter-
poIated into the action.
Variety, which tries to be
truthful about these things, re-
ports from Los Angeles that
one Frank Withers doubled fer
the star on voice and a pianist
for the ivory tickling.
1t also says that Belle Mann
doubled for Alice White for the
singing sequences, of "Shew
Girl" and cid it so well the
Victor recording company gave
her contract.
1t may be trifle delayed, but
a word of critical apprecia ion
is due Robert Capron. of Mr..
Cookies musical comedy troupe
at the Belasco. for the stellar
manner in which he encon1-
passed Eddie Bowling and Leon
Enrol roles within the short
span of a fortnight.
Mr.. Bowling has a trace of
the Galway bog in his speech
and his Honeymoon Lane" part
was long and tedious for even
an AL Smith native. But Mr.
Capron got away with it nicely
including the Hibernian mono
logue. Last week he tried a
Leon Errol in sally" Leon,
as pei haps you are aware, has
collapsible right leg which
folds like an accordion for some
laughable falls. Mr.. Enroll also
has especially made shoes minus
heels for is knockabout antics.
But Mr.. Capron, in his tumbling,
learned the trick in patent
leather pumps with heels, and
by Friday night was almost ex-
pert at the balancing art.
This week in .Oh Boy" he has
another choice role and COM
mend him as an .lctor to watc
for he Isl a tireless week and,
unless the signs are misleading,
one Tho will be heara from in
bigger Broadway way.
Also, if it is not too late, /
can apo1s that Helen Ault made
an adorable "Sally" and becomes
a little Quaker wife in "0h Boy"
this week. Helen danced and
sang With enthusiasm Friday
night, maybe because the "bov
FRIEND was perched in the mid
die of the front row,
Emerging from the Fox The
ater about the hour of 5 SAT-
urday afternoon, three dapper-
colored youths caught our eye.
Could this be Sunshine Sammy
of Our Gang and his stage pals ?
Looking closer, the familiar fea-
lures of the screens champion
comedy pickaninny were evident.
The boy grows older. In fact
he wears long trousers and,
my word, spats.
Though he has outgrown his
usefulness as a studio kid. his
feet are nimble, his sense of
comedy we'll developed, and his
future occupation is undoubtedly
assured as entertainer 0bser-
vations noted during his Fox
The ter turn.
Bill Robinson, who is prob
ably the greatest living expo
nent of the tap dance. | sus-
pect, is the Harlem expert at
hot ste ping who prepared
Sunshine Sammy for the movie
houses programs. His routine
has all the earmarks Of the