Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-01


- just before and after, they used
to make pictures like Damaged
Love-" which the Rialto is playing
host to this week. One expects to
hear piano Naturalization with it
see the captions, part /, II, I'LL"
etc.-hear the moaning of the pea
nut machine outside, and go home
to a radiolessi supper CT cold pork
and beans and take the Saturday
night bath before bed.
Unfortunately without all this,
the film fails to arouse any emotions
whatsoever. The actors in it seem
to be serious. The producers seem
to have been serious. And the story
is full Of seriousness. But, instead Of
making a film, those concerned
should have packed their grease
paint, their sets and their glycerine
tears and gone over to Hoboken,
where antique theatrical wares of
such a pattern have been known to
prosper nightly.
This is the one about the wife
who stays home with the baby-and
the husband who gees from her arms
into the arms of another, and the
baby who expires in the midst of its
fathers most dangerous embrace
away from home. Then the home
corning-the empty crib-the lie
about having spent the night out
with "pals"-the give-away handker-
chief, and the lives that are split
wide open and crumble, and then
somehow adjust themselves in the
only possible way.
Alack-aday! Even the actors seem
to have come from Hoboken. The
hero Is said to have made his mark
at foot ball before he went into the
talkies. He still has that mark. The
heroine speaks her lines as though
a death chair threatened her. And
June Collyer, after her "teenth"
cocktail, looking like May morning,
acts like naughty schoolgirl ready
for a spanking.
To atone partially for all this the
management has included short sub
jects and comedies which fatten an
otherwise lean program.
z. de S. MELCHER.
Greta CARLOS Inspiration"
in Second Week at Columbia.
HRETA CARLOS popularity is
attested by the fact that she will
be seen for a second week at Loew's
Columbia in Inspiration" the
screens modernized version Of AL
phonse Daudet's world known
"Sappho."
A story Of the famous Quarter
Latin" of Paris, Inspiration" tells
Of the loves Of Yvonne, colorful
and questionable lady of the French
capital, who, true to her character,
passes lightly from one love to an
other until she Is stirred by the
first deep emotion she has ever
known, inspired by an unsophisti-
Gated young student from the
provinces.
The young mans love for the
beautiful Yvonne is so great that 1t
even survives the disclosure Of his
lady's lurid past. Realizing, how
ever, that her influence in his life
will be ruinous, Yvonne scarifices
her own feelings and voluntarily
sends her young lover away into an
honorable marriage with a sweet
heart Of his early youth.
Robert Montgomery, as the lover
student, is less convincing than
Miss Carlo, falling far below his
usual ability, in the role Of Yvonne's
lover.
Everything said and done, ''Inspi-
ration" is an entertaining picture,
with an interesting background and
a brilliant cast of actors, including
Marjorie Rambeau, Lewis Stone and
others.
In addition to the feature picture,
the Columbia offers an amusing Hal
Roach comedy, a new release OF
Futters, "Curiosities," and Para
mount News Reel picture.
c. S. S.
Dressler and Moran Again
Shine at Metropolitan.
MARIE DRESSLER and Polly
AVA Moran in Reducing" have al
ready received the approval OF
Washington audiences, and are en-
titled to continued attention as they
are brought to the Metropolitan IN
this screen feature for return visit.
The production Is to be followed by
1.-THE Easiest Way" at that house
the latter part of the week.
Reducing" achieves credit In hav-
ing provided for these amusing
partners in comedy piece Of fool
isnness which is about as free from
time-killing devices as it would be
possible to find. In the course of
season there are many film concoc-
lions that start out with thin ma
terial which has been expanded with
out increasing its worth, but the
present Dressler- Moran piece rises
above that class. The stage business
Of the stars is better than they have
shown in the past, and it is to the
credit of the director that he has
furnished an abundance of amusing
incidental features. 1t Is also ap-
parent that, in addition to the COM
edy, there has been an effort to fur
nish a plot, which gives the actors
something substantial on which to
build their character work. Miss
Dressler. in particular, is able to
please her admirers with some real
sentiment. There are several mem
bers of the cast who have excellent
roles, including Anita Page, Sally
Ellers. William Collier, jr., and Will
liam Blackwell
The Metropolitan offers a short
comedy dealing with amusing ex-
periences in a homemade house
which occasionally shows defects in
its construction. The usual news
reel, with Graham McNamee, is
shown.