Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-28

4" up. 1ueIe are HdSilcS VI
v the horizon-and already
4 \ we have seen Animal
Crackers" "All Quiet on the
Western Front" comes to town
and abraham Lincoln" Is sched-
uled for an October showing at
the National Theater. Then, OF
course, we have George ArliSs in
"Old English" Dorothy Mackaill
AID Milton Stills, 20 mention only
a few OF the plays and PERSONAL
ties.
The attraction which is
thoroughly dominated by the four
Marx Brothers is scream" OF
the season, and it reaches a new
limit in dialogue comedy. A con-
centration upon comedy, with the
improved sound equipment, will
do more for the photoplay Situa-
ton than the solving of all such
gigantic problems as wide film
televiSion and the improvement of
color. More comedies and better
comedies will cause the ills of the
industry to be laughed away.
From this angle it has always
appeared that the motion picture
was a distinct form of entertain
ment. It is not allied with the
stage, except in an indirect way;
there is no occasion, and never
has been, to follow stage tech
nique and ideas. The screen must
find itself, and the quicker 1t gets
away from stage habits, the better
for all concerned. In many
quarters 1t is taken entirely too
seriously; in others it's troubles
are passed over too lightly. A
welding Of interests, and a settled
determination as to the qualif1ca-
tionS of the Screen-Stopping
high-falutin' experiments = and
the studios will be able to solve
a great many of the problems
that now confront them. The
screen is a logical medium for
comedy. The Marx Brothers show
this in their production Of the
lowest of what Is known in stage
language as low comedy" other
comedians who would shine in
this particular style of work in
clude the tiny Lester Allen and
w. c. Fields. Among those who
have already made use OF it are
Laurel and Hardy and Lloyd
Hamilton. The popularity of this
form of entertainment is grow
ing; the screen is its excellent
medium.
WHEN the Universal organiza-
~ ton produces that stage
thriller; "Dracula," the entire film
story is not to be made up of
blood-curdling sore ANS and
mystery. The young Carl Laem-
nile, now production head of his
fathers company, has decided
that fully half the reels are to
be devoted to romance. Bran
Stoker would not know his novel
if he heard the Universal plans.
Lewis Ayres and Helen Chandler
have been engaged to play the
ing will direct. Word comes from
rival Seventh Heaven" in TO-
nance.
RoY DEL RUTH, one Of the
West Coasts leading directors,
blarnes much Of lie eleFation of
the photoplay upon the critics,
and he tells why; go
Hollywood has proSpered under
the fire of criticism and ridicule
that skeptical critics have directed
at it, and is slowly but surely
vindicating itself in spite Of and
because Of Theses asperSionS. 1t
was but a comparatively short
time ago that. most of the high
brow commentators who deigned
to notice FINLAND at all did so
only in a spirit Of seontemptuous
sarcasm, while there were few
that were here and there to be
observed if one looked for them.
Things have changed consider
ably since those days, but / have
no doubt Hollywood profited by
them. Some of the rude things
said about US only spurred us on
to greater efforts to indicate the
industry. and now that it has
been indicated, I guess we can
thank our former critics. 1t is
our enemies that teach us our
faults. not our friends; and faults
we had. there is no denying. 1t
Is our turn to laugh, however. at
the dire predictions of many self
satisfied detractorS who regarded
the entire motion picture bust
ness as bunkunl, childish and I'M
worthy of the attention of intel
ligent minds. It is noteworthy,
however, that since many of the
faults have disappeared and mo-
ton pictures have taken a high
place In the affairs of men, few Of
these former detractors seem
willing to come forward with
acknowledgements. We no longer
furnish them with material for
adverse comments, but they abb
stain from volunteering anything
Of favorable nature"
A SHORTAGE of Broadway
theaterS for the exhibition of
motion pictures results in a long
waiting list for some of the best
known productions of the studios.
One would naturally suppose that
New York would receive many
first views, but the very popularity
of a picture results in delaying
the showing of newer products.
For instance, when a picture of
the nature of "All Quiet" or
Three Faces East" is given a
showing, another picture is sched-
uled for the same theater two or
three weeks in the future. But
If the current film draws well at
the box Office it is held over, often
indefinitely, thus throwing back
kHn fnIIauriyNr 1%fra affOSac tn the