Evening star., 1931-12-19
From the Front Row
Reviews and News of Washington 5 Theaters.

engaged pair return to New York.
SO does FlaShy. Poor Julia, impoV-
erished by the faithless trust COM
pany. goes to live in a tiny apart
ment with columnar halls and the
furnishings Of movie palace, where
there are to be found only few
OF the usual buffers, maids. gadgets
and costly gew gaws She man
ages to drag along we'll enough in
tnB taWdry life, perhaps living on
dreams Of her marriage to the gold
lined Mr.. Webster who will convert
Roxys into servant house for her
menials. At this inopportune mo-
ment, that accomplished inopportu-
MIST, Count Ivan the Terrible, reap
pears. He is besought, he explains,
to print his love life in tabloid
newspaper. In his humble opinion,
the Cavanaugh daughters love let
ters and chapter on what NAV
happen in Normandy inn would
make salable feature of this mar
rative. For S25,OO0-a loan. Won
understand-his attitude might be
changed, the letters DESTROYED.
FlaSny, who chances to be around
the mouse giving Julia a Wedding
present OF all the silver TIFFANY
had IN stock, overhears these i'm
modest suggestions. and resolves to
save his dream girl from this night
mare. He makes cal lon the count
and, forgetting his genteel schooling
SlaughterS him. The letters are re-
gained. Flashy is arrested, faces
ueatH' refuses TO falkland is saved
ny the melodramatic appearance of
Juila 10 confess all before melo-
oramatlc district attorney in an i'm
probale court room. Lo, Flashv is
ireland who marries whoo
A comedy, Aesop fable, sport light
and neWSreel are also to be seen
X. B. P, Jr
Ben Hur"
At the Columbia.
"REN HUR" with sound is an ey-
tremely elastic description of
tne motion picture at the Columbia
Iheater. The incidents of this
classic OF the period in which the
christian era was born are so mas
slVe and the populace was so stir
reo by numerous extraordinary
events that sounds of daily life
were almost modern in their in
tenslty. Shouting crowds were to be
expected when the mob first await
eo new king, then turned to
angry violence when predictions
we're not met in the expected Wav.
onoutS at the chariot race are
equaIly sweeping in their effect and
pattle with pirates at sea con-
tr4outed to the aggregate of noise
development.
Nevertheless Ben Hur" lacks the
customary sounds of human voices.
ana the titles of a silent picture
give the understanding of the in
cldents of the play. The musical
accompaniment. which follows the
entlre action, gives a quality to the
scenes, which are. by the very ma
lure OF Gen. Lew Wallaces master
piece, on scale appropriate to the
ndgnlncence OF the period. in
Wnlch pagan Rome swayed all ma
tlonS ana Roman citizenship was a
guarantee OF that pleasure which is
sometimes described as sitting on
the top of the world.
Running parallel to the deyelon-
ments of the New Testament this
story is decidedly appropriate to the
Christmas season. 1t has its own
brand of inspiration, based upon the
victory OF quality over force. It has
the magnetic power that comes from
a display of valor based UPON pride
OF race, with Ben Hur upholdino
the Jewish rights in the homeland
ana nghtlng to check the invaders
OF Palestine. If it lacks the med
ern touch, it is because the chief
ngures move amid social conditions
tnat nave long since passed into
history. They lived in a stage of
human development when stateH-
ness was the mark of thos who had
an important place to fill.
Whlle one may be disappointed
tnat the characters are silent, there
Is compensation in the wholly ad-
nilrao!e staging Of battle between
Two meets representing the Roman
FORCES and powerful pirate pro1In
that Is unbelievably realistic in ;ts
scope and completeness. and in the
charlot race, which can be shown
with most thrilling results, far SIR
passing the treadrill of the stage
version of the play,
Ramon Noyarro's intellectual
qualities are well adapted to the
portrayal of the Young Jewish no.
oieman and May McAvoy performs
wen IN the role of Esther a svmna-
tnetlc character. born the danghfer
OF a slave of the house Of Hun hnt
made practically member of tho
family and brought into closest as
Soclatlon with young Ben Hmr
betIy Bronson as Mary the mother
OF Christ, furnishes a brief striting
picture. Francis x. Bushman meete
all the requirements of the nart of
Roman despot and the yarioue
other characters are we'll presented