The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1930-02-14
CLEAN INGS
SCREENINGS
BY ANDREW R. KELLEY

What did Jim Tully say about
John Gilbert that led to the
sock in the jaw? Please tell
one Of your devoted public, !"
says a hastily scrubbed note in
the editors box while he was
dining with Harry Hammond
Beall, president of Wampas.
Well, he (Mr. Tully) said
plenty, in the course of a long
article written for Vanity Fair
in 1928. To quote just few
drops of the printed vitriol:
''He plays every role the same.
Always the part Of John Gil
bert. In Flesh and the Devil
he was merely the romantic
prop upon which Miss Greta
Carlo hung an American
reputation Upon the re-
lease of The Big Parade it
was fondly hoped and openly
predicted on the shoddy shores
of cinema that Mr.. Gilbert
would carry on the romantic
banner so suddenly dropped by
Valentino. But where Val
entino had marched like gal
liant Italian despoiler through
the flower decked portals Of
female hearts, Mr.. Gilbert was
only admitted with reservations
4" was only able to en-
thrall the weaker subjects in
his kingdom"
And don't get me wrong. l
have a certain admiration for
an indignation that can flame
into a stiff right hand jolt if
the provocation be sufficient.
But I shed no crocodile tears
for Mr.. Gilbert because his
voice is not perfect for the
microphone particularly when
I think of that $4,000 a week
contract. You can forget a lot
of sorrow with a million in the
bank. And thinking it over !
can't imagine him feeling any
tougher than many of us who
have seen ambition jolted with
Hollywood rejection slips. Still
we live on.
AS for Carlo. Worry no more
about her ability to make the
grade in the gabby flickers. At
lis this morning I emerged
from LoeW'S Columbia Theater
after a pre-vieW bit goofy
under the spell of the Swedish
girls swell performance in
anna Christie" She has a
heavy voice which will fill the
bill for the talkieS, and her
dialect is appropriate for this
Eugene O'Neill feature. It is a
marked accent, but she can
twist her tongue around Eng
lish acceptably for any picture,
and if you doubt it, mark how
she talks when the dialogue is
rushed and being understood is
hard for any actor.
Marie DreSSler in this picture
cements her right to be called
the greatest character actress
in pictures. AS a faded wharf
Jezabel her all-round ability is
nothing short of superb. George
Marion and Charles Bickford
also kick in with work that will
Just amaze those who like good
acting. All in all, 1 would call
Anna Christie one of the finest
acted screen features I have
ever seen.
An unsigned communication
arrives at the desk containing. a
clipping of glowing praise writ
ten by Harvey Gaul, Pitts
burgh music critic, who was
completely charmed by the ex-
cellencc of a concert offered by
the Pittsburgh Symphony Or
cheStra in conjunction with the
Mendellsohn Choir. Elias Bree-
skin, vel known in Washington,
conducted the symphony play
ers and Gaul described his mu-
steamship thusly:
ELIAS BreeSkin surpassed him.
self; he was dynamic. driving,
electric. He VitaliZed what
might have been lethargic pas
saEes, he energized what might
have been lethal phrases, and
he gave eloquent account of his
overture ard suite. BreeSkin
was his brilliant best last night
and the crowded mosque gave
him full demonstration"
P. S.: Ny correspondent has
since identified himself b.
phone as a wellknown orches-
ira leader and apologized for
inadvertently leaving off a sig
nature. Still, I guessed where
it came from and if Elias was
my brother I would be proud
also.
Manager .Corbin SHIELD of
Keith's Theater presents the
department with an R-K-O lucky
pocket piece and Exhibit A to
prove that it is lucky. Exhibit
A is this. 1t seems that Mrs.
Martin Jansen. an estimable
Washington lady, was shopping
in the Woodward & Lothrop
store. In the quest for bargains
Mrs. j. became so enraptured
she left her purse on one of the
counters. 1t contained $3.50
in cash and an RK-O lucky
piece. Yesterday she was mott
fled the purse and contents was
turned in to the lost and found
department and could be duly
recovered upon Identification.