Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-06
RIALTO Let those Sc
"Hell's songs, IN;
Heroes" ana pupp

NAL ~ who weary of theme"
'Hell's songs, nanny" songs
Heroes" and puppy adulations
travel to the Rialto this
week and see Hollis Heroes" Tney
will be rewarded with drama that is
a drama rare one 81 That.
In it are little more than three men,
a half-a -minute-old baby and the back
ground of q superlatively beautiful
desert. Lacking is the ruby-lipped
heroine, the grizzled villain with the
velvet hair and the "two-for- a-nickeF
song of love and despair The net re-
suit, however, is miraculous. In spite
of the aforenamed celluloid shortages
the film attains very nearly to greatness.
This is due not only to the merits OF
the actors but to the Unconditional SIM
plicity with which the picture has been
directed
The framework of the story is of the
slightest. Indeed there is scarcely any
thing to it at all. 1t concerns three
bad" men who suddenly find them
selves godfathers to a newborn baby
and their fight to bring it back to civil
| lization from the wastes of the desert.
fThat this is accomplished need hardly
be said, but that their struggle is little
short of inspiring is another matter;
particularly when there is rope await
| ing them if they succeed in their task.
| RAYMOND Nl1dI lSo OlCh1OtO
and Fred Kohler as the unexpected
victims of godfathership are good even
| to the superlative. The star of the
picture, however, is the baby, who looks
| Just new enough to steal all the
honorS.
A tribute to the spell the picture had
on the audience was the absolute silence
that prevailed during its presentation.
A pin dropped would have been sacri-
lege!
Besides the feature there is Laural
and Hardy comedy that easily dispels
1 lacrimosial tendencies developed during
"HellS Heroes" and The Evening Star
Universal Newsreel.
METROPOLITAN ,r In d S;tb
"ShOw of Shows SHOW of
shows"
which is held over this week at the
Metropolitan, perhaps it would be best
to throw the much-sharpened blue
pencil away and let the press agent
have his say. Countless reviews have
been written of this picture since its
recent release. The reviewers, as a
rule. have employed virtually the same
glowing adjectives as have been en-
ployed, since time immemorial, by the
press agents.
The picture has entered its second
week at the Metropolitan Theater.
Capacity crowds have been the public's
tribute, and yet opinions vary. Prob
ably there are many who are viewing
1t again, because at the first sitting
they have discovered there are features
that did not receive sufficient atten-
ton. The film contains SO much that
it really merits second view. as many
book requires a second reading. II is
colossal wonder.
John Barrymore, Richard Barthel-
mess, Monte Blue, Noah Berry, Ben
Turpin, Georges Carpenter are few
of the men in the cast. The program
says there are n stars, both men and
women. Among the women are the
Costello sisters, Irene Bordoni, Winnie
Lightner, Betty Compson, Lila Lee,
Beatrice Lille and a host of others.
The picture is purely a revue. Skit
follows skit in such rapid order that.
unless the eye is quick and the senses
are alert, their complete quality is apt
to be underestimate. The picture re-
fleets decided advance in the process
OF technicolor, and sound reproduction
is ably achieved.
A great deal has been written about
the new" Hollywood dancing girl. She
has become an institution, apart from
the dancing girl of the Broadway and
! %ASSAOAA cSAAOOk-oO QE(lOCCly
that Broadway has begun to import
her. SHOW of Shows is filled with
her, cover to cover.
| COLUMBIA A realistic and well
! acted picture, con-
condemned" tanning one OF the
most thrilling man.
hunts ever recorded on the screen.
enters its second week at the Column
bia Theater. It is Condemned" fea-
turing the hkable combination of
Ronald Colman and Ann Harding in
the leading roles.
The story is that of frenzied con-
vict,s escape from the French prison
on Devils Island off the South Ameri-
can can, coast. Colman enacts this role as
well as he has played any character
| Opposite him Miss Harding, IN the
role of the wife of the prisons tyran-
nlcal warden. is a delightful and al.
together intelligent person. Many
would say that her work is the best
she has yet done for the screen.
Faithfulness of the sound reproduce
Tor the pictures realism. Capable act
ing and direction would take up the
| other half
| Louis Wolheim, as the convict who
| aloS Colman in his escape gives a
fine portrayal. Throughout the story
he exhortS Colman, his friend, to live
respectable" Those are his last words
70 the recaptured fugitive. Wolheim
has just strangled the warden in the
waters in which floats the ship that
was to have taken Colman and the
Warden'S freed wife to France. AS
Wolhelm, shot through the back by
a soldier aboard ship, sinks beneath
the waves, he grins up at the other and
calls-"and live respectable"
nyNftt
the balance of his term at the island
prison. At the end he joins the woman
he loves in Paris
A good story, and a picture-though
it arrived with comparatively little fan
fare-which will be rated among the
best of the year.
| GAYETY a The Mutual Nut, circuit has
|; "OrientaI Oriental Girls" its most
Girls" recent production at the
Gayety, starts with
bang" at the opening curtain and
never lets up until the end. With such
variety of scenes and talent one
couldn't really expect anything else.
Chubby Drtsdale, particularly, as the
leading lady, in no time at ali has the
audience at her feet. Then there is
Jack La Mont TO get the laughs, Frank
O'Rouke to sing melodically and a
splendid collection of specialties, in
Guiding sister acts, dance numbers and
a dark-eyed soubrette by the name of
Alma Mack. ....
The chorus seems even fresher than
ever and delivers its numbers with
rhythmic precision.
Manager Lake assures his lady
patrons that he will have a surprise
for them at the Monday, Wednesday
and Friday matinees. E. M.