The Washington times., 1930-03-19
FRED STONES
SHOW TO GO
ON TOUR
BY ANDREW r. KELLEY

: ko6O11C oIlOWS SPCIlO dIl CIlIlL Z
season at the Globe -heater and
= some see an omen indicating the
spotlessly clean attraction hasn't
a chance today against Salacious
competition.
Reasons officially advanced for
the quick departure are that
comedian Stone is physically
unable to undergo the strain of
a full season, the fact that there
are Erlanger theaters on the
road suffering for attractions,
that the show must call it off
by June to reopen in the fall
at Chicago.
Still another reason that arises
is belief that "Ripples" failed
to click, but this is not official
Comfort for the spectators vic
tins is the news that the gougers
are eating" the front row loca.
tions. In other words the wise
ones guessed wrong and are stuck
plenty. Try as I will tear
refuses to come for the sad
plight of the ticket bandits.
In the Film Mercury, Richard
Watts, jr, undertakes to fulfill
the duty which Wampas aban-
doned and picks the baby stars
of Hollywood-those aspiring juve-
niles most likely to attain emf
nence in 1880. He names Joan
Bennett, Nina Mae MacKinney
Armida, Dorothy Jordan, Joan
Peers, Dorothy Lee, Sally Eilers,
Jean Arthur, Joyce Compton
and Miriam Seeger.
When he undertakes to say
that Armida gets a wreath be-
cause she achieved the not in
considerable feat of stealing the
acting honors of General Crack
from under the nose of the dis
tinguished John Barrymore" !
say twaddle and poppycock. and
Mr.. Watts rates exactly zero with
me henceforth as a discerning
critic. Armida was cute enough
and acted capably in General
Crack" but to say that she ap-
preached Barrymore is, to my
nina, nonsense.
In the prologue of General
Crack" John Barrymore con-
tributed the most perfectly timed
and acted incident I have ever
seen in pictures. Furthermore,
he made Lowell Sherman look
amateurish when their scenes
were played together. Armida is
best remembered as the flaming
ingenue who attracted the most
attention when she was in trans.
parent lingerie. Armida may be.
come star, but l doubt if even
her press agent will claim she
. eclipsed John Barrymore.
Bill Ewing, the official counsel
en public relations for the Warner
Brothers Theaters drops into the
office to loose the first publicity
blast for Song of the Flame
This is, he ayers, a picture which
will go down in the records as
one of the real wv. B. Achieve
ments of 1890"
Since I was present at Polls
when Song of the Flame" was
first performed in the theater, it
is easy to share his advance en-.
thusiasm. Here is one operetta
which has the picturesque Russian
background, colorful action and
inflamatory song that should lend
itself admirably to camera wiz
ardy, mass groupings and eXcit.
ing episode. It's leading role was
sung at Polls by Tessa KoSta
and Dorothy Mackay Qater jailed
in a coast tragedy, had a prom
inent part. Bernice Claire sings
the screen lead.
Mr.. Ewing also mentions casual.
ly for those who like to look
ahead that George Arliss in THE
Green Goddess" comes within the
fortnight to the Metropolitan and
that Dennis King in The Vaga'
bond King will be shown on F
street in May.
Corbin SHIELD scanning the pic
ture of Donald Brian IN the
character of Prince Danilo in the
"The Merry Widow" printed OH
these pages yesterday, recalls that
in his adolescent days the per
manently youthful Mr.. Brian was
the great stock company juvenile
For Tom Leath down in Rich
mond the stock company lineup
was Margaret Islington, leading
woman; Richard Bennett, lead
ing man: Lucille LaVerne. char.
acter actress, and Donald Brian
juvenile. What a company! Don
old Brian then was beginning to
show the grace and charm which
made him later among the great,
est ball room and society dancers
that ever glided over a STAGE
says Mr.. SHIELD.
What I really stopped by the
desk to say" adds the R-K-O
Keith house manager, was that
'Cohens and the KellyS' has had
a lockout audience every night
since it opened. I think we will
do the business of the week."
Winnie Lightner, so coast dis
patches say, has rolled 18 pounds
off her ample avoirdupois and is
still reducing. Hooray for Win
ME. She can sing songs and
clown with the best of the film
condolences but in "She Couldn' t
Say No" the lady is. well. er--
plump. 1t would be a shame if
such a talent should be lost to
the screen because she grew to
Sophie Tucker dimensions. Her
first feature is o. k. in it's sing
ing diversion and if the dialogue